The attack dance

[Marshal Villars]

Well, I ordered an attack last night at about 19:00. The units moved around a bit and then I guessed they rested.

I hoped they would move the first thing the next morning.

Instead, all they have done all day is shift back and forth, move up and down, left and right. Here and there. Just milling about. Nothing happening. No attack launched. Their "task" indicators move between moving and resting. I have tried everything from normal rest to minimum rest to no rest.

It is now about 16:00 and nothing has happened here. Maybe they have brought in the harvest. Not sure.

Also, very strange placement on the Div HQ for so long. Out in the fields by itself.

Tips?

[Marshal Villars]

Maybe it is their fatigue? (fatigue displayed on units)

Don't know.

[Pergite!]

I never give orders so high up in the formations. Usually I will just stick to the bn or possibly regt levels of command. I have seen some odd behaviour when giving orders higher up, when the division commander conducts replans and issues orders to often to make anything efficient happening. Sometimes it works like clockwork, but I usually do not want to take those risks.

[Marshal Villars]

I also honestly don't understand the placement of the HQ and why it decided to stay outside of any real protection for so long.

It is beginning to seem to me that (among other attack launching issues) that launching an attack on a track which would move beside the HQ towards the enemy -- is a very problematic thing.

[Lieste]

One thing I see with each of these 'stuck' events is that you are operating in 'Indian Country' - all the units are involved in the 'action' and there is no apparent attempt to screen their flanks, or to maintain a front-line trace.

These are things that I attempt to do to some extent, and I try to operate my major formations from within my own FLOT. While it is sometimes seen that odd behaviours occur I am overall happy with how the AI plans and reacts.

It might be worth trying - detach a small number of companies and set them to defend at and to the 'flanks' of the unit 'at' its FUP, keep the FUP 'within' your controlled area (you could for example launch a spoiling attack on Eide (?) that was to the rear of your Division attack to form a 'front' protecting your planned grouping).

Simplify the attack planning - a frontal attack in uncertain conditions is far easier to control than a turning manoeuvre. Reduce the angle required to turn - make a wider 'sweep' (not much, just enough to have the move>FUP>Attack in the same sort of direction), or attack obliquely at ~45 degrees, rather than 'across' the front.

Consider giving the 'Division' a defend order, with the task of covering the front line, while the first (and possibly second) Echelon of assault troops move off under their own orders.

A 'divisional attack' is an attack made by a division, not necessarily the only operation it is undertaking, and not requiring every unit to participate... frequently only 1-2 Regts (or 2-4 Bn) will be given initial objectives, with subsequent objectives given to follow-on forces.

Yes something can sometimes go wrong with the planning-execution, but sometimes it is because the order is impractical. If you see this frequently with your play-style then save before you make a major committment. If it gets hung up then send in the 'test-case' and it might be possible to identify what is going wrong with the AI's response to your orders.

[loyalcitizen]

One other thing you could try is to add several more waypoints to the order. With just a single form-up point, that HQ maybe is staying back so as to avoid the combat zone. If you had a couple of other waypoints on the route prior to the FUP, the HQ might hang out at one of those points instead.

Please note that this might just be a fluke I have seen a few times and not a feature.