COTA (mini-guide): Tutorial, AAR, and tips!

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Here are the Pz 3 Regt forces.

The armor is leading about to blow past the enemy. The motorized infantry is trailing the armor. The recon force on foot is bringing up the rear. The support units are still quite a way off from doing much good.

I have selected one particularly armor unit and displayed its log window. You can see that it has started engaging the enemy since 13:27.

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Here we see that the 143rd. Regt is making very slow progress towards Tempe. Their support weapons are no where close to being where they need to be.

But the armor has broken through and should be wrecking some havoc very soon!

(The 141st. Regt has yet to reach Kouphalades Ferry area. So, I have not bothered informing you of their progress yet.)

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Here is the some screen shot, but with the unit info box showing the deployment status. What is this telling us?

Everyone is scrambling and in motion, but for a few units taking cover and deploying. Both us and the Allies. Total chaos! However, the difference between our situation and theirs is that we are growing stronger by the minute, and they weaker.

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Our arty ammo will run out soon, but we still still don't have our mortars and support weapons set up. (look at the bottom left of the screen shot showing the fire support tab and you will see a blue bar indicating remaining ammo).

Our armor is going to be engaging the Tempe defenders very soon. They are performing better than I had hoped.

It looks like the 143rd Regt is not going to lead the push on Tempe for us.

It's time to revise the plan. I'll get back to that momentarily, but first let me review the situation elsewhere.

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Here we see that the 141st Regt is making good and steady progress towards Kouphalades Ferry. They have not met any resistance.

Our motarized infantry to the North-East has met some resistance, but they are now receiving supporting fire from a mortar platoon on the West Bank. They should be able to break through soon. I have highlighted the mortar unit.

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New Orders

The Pz 3 Regt motorized infantry is still a few hours outside of Tempe. They were originally ordered to make their way to Larissa.

Their new orders are to halt at Tempe and form a defensive line to protect Tempe and the Bridges until the support weapons are in place and the 143rd Regt can cross.

The left of the screenshot you can see that I have set formation, facing, and foot print ...

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New Orders

Alright, let's talk about order delays.

Why am I giving these orders now and not when Pz 3 Regt reaches Tempe? Because it is going to take a while for those orders to reach them and then be executed. If I wait until they reach Tempe, then they are going to end up having to double back to Tempe.

So, how long will it take for them to start acting on new orders. I would say about three hours. (see below the force delay value)

Tip1: The force delay will only be accurate when the force is already formed and one set of new orders has already propagated. Thus, if you form a new force, you are just going to have to wing it in terms of estimating the delay.

Tip2: The delay estimated is for how long it takes the orders to reach everyone. To estimate the time it takes for them to achieve it; you must also factor in travel, resistance, changes of formation, preparations, and deployment. But that's why the Wehrmacht put you in charge, because you have years of experience doing all this.

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New Orders

My arty is out of ammo.

Let's talk about another new COTA feature. In HTTR, units get resupplied at 03:00 in all cases. In COTA, SEPs (supply entry points) feed high level bases, high level bases feed low level bases, and low level bases feed units. All this, provided that the roads are open.

In HTTR, everyone would run out of ammo during the day and then at 03:01, then the big guns would sound again. In COTA, the supply system makes for a smoother more measured resupply. Of course, it still takes time.

I am going to use this wait for the convoy carrying my shells to move the battery to Gonnos. (see orders in the screenshot) This should allow me to engage many more targets as the FEBA moves deeper into Allied territory.

To the East we see that the 141st. Regt is just beginning to cross unopposed. Very good news!

The 143rd. Regt isn't making too much progress towards Tempe, but the mortar units and support units are beginning to arrive.

Our armor is now engaged.

There is an enemy engineering dug-in at Tempe, but I will be calling some heavy mortar fire in on it momentarily.

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That mortar barrage did the trick. The engineers are bugging out. Our armor is holding off any reinforcements.

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We have taken our first objective. Notice the green icon on the map and the left side bar. Points will accumulate as long as we hold it.

Also, notice that the 143rd Regt is very much going on the offensive now.

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2/3s of the support for Tempe mission is setup and providing fire.

Our recon troops are arriving in Tempe.

Pz 3 Regt motorized infantry (I have highlighted them) have now received their new orders and are on the move to Tempe. The gray paths and task markers are implicit orders issued by the AI on our behalf.

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New Orders

The Allies are attempting to counter attack. See those thick black arrows in the unit info box. That means that they are assaulting.

Nothing to worry about. We have the situation well in hand.

Our armor is about to leave the Tempe area.

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New Orders

The 141st Regt is across. Restructure the force into sub forces and have them take a series of three objectives. These objectives have yet to become active. They will let us control the route to Larissa and cutoff the Allies escape route. (Note, how you can very easily transistion between macro and micro management in this game.)

Orders are as follows (move at a normal pace; the men have done well and are tired):

141st 3rd Bn tasked to hold the Nekhale cutoff.

141st 2nd Bn tasked to hold the Drakhmani cutoff.

141st Regt remaining (1st Bn + 2 mortar plt) to hold Makrykhorion.

I have given Makrykhorion force the two mortar platoons as our forces up by Tempe will soon be driving the Allies in this direction. Those mortars will come in useful in harassing the Allied flank and rear.

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New Orders

It's dusk.

Our arty bty is now at Gonnos and was just resupplied. (From here on, I will simply let it fire under AI control.)

Pz 3 Regt is setting up its defense of Tempe.

I expect that once darkness comes, the 141st Regt should have an easy time crossing.

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New Orders

Our armor is pushing the enemy back South of Tempe near Evangelismos.

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New Orders

Order our engineering units waiting at Gonnos to unprime the bridges. It should take them a couple of hours to move out and by then it will be dark.

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New Orders

It's dark now. Order all support units to set up along the East Bank around Tempe. We'll prepare for an Allied counter-attack come first light. The 143rd Regt has yet to cross.

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New Orders

The 141st Regt forces are on route to their new objectives.

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New Orders

The bridges have been cleared of demolition charges by our engineers. I now form them into one force and assigned them to reinforce Tempe.

You can see that most of the support units have crossed and that the 143rd Regt is almost across.

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New Orders

Here is the big picture.