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I'm unsure what actual unit colors need to match up to obtain Formation cooperation. The manual is hazy so maybe someone with better eyes can help me through this.

In order for different Formations/units to cooperate fully with each other certain colors should match. What exactly qualifies for the Same Icon Colors?
- Is it the background symbol color?:
- The actual symbol color?
- The counter lettering color?
- A combination of all three?

Any help would be greatly appreciated! [:)]

In section 8.6.1 the manual uses the term "same icon color scheme". That is when all your 4 listed points are identical.
What the manual calls "same background color" is just 1) in your picture.

Two units that have similar 2), 3) and 4 but different 1) are not treated as sharing any color scheme.

Note that cooperation depends heavily on what the scenario uses for each formation, so all units COULD cooperate with no penalty, regardless of color schemes, if they where set to "free support" by the designer.

See 18.9.2 for a chart showing how different formations cooperate depending on color and support setting.

First of all Icon = Unit.
Gold Flag = Cooperative
Silver Flag = Limited Cooperation
Grey Flag = No Cooperation

Evidently someone thought using 'icon color scheme' with 'basic icon color' and 'basic icon color' with 'icon background color' interchangably was a good idea. It's not. It just confuses the issue. It's obvious from the screen shots that they mean the same thing.

All units in the screen shots are in different formations.

This one is fine as it is:

§§ Internal Support: Units assigned to the
Formation may only freely cooperate with others
in the same Formation. Limited cooperation is
possible with units using the same icon color
scheme; no cooperation is possible with units
using a different icon color scheme.

This one is confusing but changing it helps alot:

§§ Army Support: Units assigned to the
Formation may only freely cooperate with
others in the same Formation, or those using
the same icon color scheme (icon and symbol
color). Limited cooperation is possible with
units using the same icon background color;
no cooperation is possible with units using a
different basic icon color.

Change "basic icon color" to "icon color scheme". Should read:

§§ Army Support: Units assigned to the
Formation may only freely cooperate with
others in the same Formation, or those using
the same icon color scheme (icon and symbol
color). Limited cooperation is possible with
units using the same icon background color;
no cooperation is possible with units using a
different icon color scheme except those having
the same background color as stated above.

This one is confusing as well but again, changing it helps alot:

§§ Force Support: Units assigned to the
Formation may only freely cooperate with
others in the same Formation or others using
the same basic icon color. Limited cooperation
is capable with all other units.

Change "basic icon color" to "icon background color". This should read:

§§ Force Support: Units assigned to the
Formation may only freely cooperate with
others in the same Formation or others using
the same icon background color. Limited cooperation
is capable with all other units.

Note that when the manual refers to background color, it is referring to a column in the "Set Unit Colors" dialog. When it refers to both colors matching, it is referring to a specific row AND column in this dialog. Don't think you can do a color edit to the counters and get around that. Note that columns 2 & 14 and 11 & 17 match background colors. But those two columns WON'T cooperate.

Lobster, your explanation with screen shots are superb. Very clear. This combined with Lemay’s Set Unit Colors chart now makes perfect sense. Thanks to both of you. [;)]

This thread is really helpful, but just to clarify, it looks like what the OP calls "counter background color", Lobster refers to as "icon background color". Correct? This has been throwing me off, because I have been interpreting the "icon background color" to be the color behind the icon/symbol...

Also, just to clarify, the main (only?) effect of changing the color of the icon/symbol itself is that the counters will no longer have the same "icon color scheme" and thus not eligible for Free Cooperation with Army Support?

Changing the colors of any of the counters is only cosmetic. The original colors are what the game uses, not your changes. This is, in my opinion, unfortunate. Maybe when more subjective changes are completed something can be done to change that. Don't hold your breath though.

The manual calls them icons but in the gaming world they are counters. Why this was done is beyond me. It just confuses people like so many other things in the manual. I attempted to stick with what the manual used but decided units might be better. It's all as clear as mud. I gave up.

Another annoying thing. The manual will use different terms for the same thing. [:D]