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

[MarkShot]

Here is a view using the ammo display for the unit info box. Light gray is fully stocked with ammo. You see that the situation although worrisome is not immediately critical.

[MarkShot]

Tip: Consider turning off routine messages by setting your global message filter to urgent. With the new supply system, you get blasted with so many supply related messages that it is very easy to miss messages for arriving reinforcements and airstrikes. Both have a time critical element. The former has order delays waived for 59 minutes and the latter is only available for 20 minutes.

[tukker]

Found that one out the hard way already[:@]

[MarkShot]

Tukker,

Don't feel bad. The School of Hard Knocks produces some very fine graduates!

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Tip: When approaching a scenario where you are on the defensive, besides examining enemy approaches, terrain, and your force structure; make sure to check the deployment status of your units via the deployment unit info box (F5 key).

There may be times that despite what your optimal plan calls for that you find units already dug-in or entrenched. Entrenching could easily take a day or more (I do not have exact figures available) and is a significant force multiplier. Thus, such units would be very hard for an enemy to dislodge. So, when you observe such deployments try to work them into your plan as opposed to discarding all the effort your troops made to prepare their positions before you arrived on the field.

Below is an example of such a unit (see unit info box and see deployment status in the left panel).

[MarkShot]

Tip: Two good ways to review your implemented plan before starting a battle.

(1) "=" key will show all units having orders and use the mouse to drag select the entire map. That's your entire plan.

(2) To see just the high level stuff. Try the "2" key which will show all HQ units and use the mouse to drag select the entire map. Since HQ unit orders usual represent the large battle force orders, this will filter out micro-managed arty/mortars, micro-managed support weapons, and single unit recon missions. Thus, leaving you with just the big picture.

[MarkShot]

The AI when generating orders on your behalf works in steps. This is most noticeable for orders such as attack, but occurs with other orders as well. Thus, you must be patient, since the AI apparently not following your orders is just due to you looking at an intermediate step.

For example, I have ordered this Bn to set up for a reverse slope defense in some dead space (see the parameters on the left panel and the yellow footprint template). However, it looks like the AI is ignoring me here.

[MarkShot]

Now, one minute later on the clock. And you can see the AI has issued new implicit orders which conform to my intentions as the commander. The previous screen shot was just an intermediate step.

[MarkShot]

I only learned this recently myself.

I always had the impression that when you see the engagement status box on the counter (bottom right) as white (meaning surrender) that the commander of the unit was waiving a white flag and looking to surrender his command. And I always found it odd that the unit would move around quite a bit and not actually surrender to the enemy.

Well, I recently found out that it means that some of the personel are surrendering and not necessarily the entire unit. It's more analogous to casualties and strength being lost.

Sadly, this unit is one of mine. The Luftwaffe keeps hitting them with air strikes!

[JeF]

Mark,

I finally found some time to read through all this this morning and you're still managing to post more. We'll never be able to follow. [:)]

Good work as always Mark. The big screenshots are a good idea. The "zoomed in" ones... maybe not : to pixellated.
As pictures are worth thousands words, you manage to write to much as usual. [;)]

As I wrote to you yesterday, CotA seems sufficiently different from HttR that seasoned players like me might learn a few things by reading your tips and it is the case. I even saw that Dave learned how his game was working. [8|]

Seems a very fun battle to play and I'm really looking forward to play it.

BTW, what was the historical outcome of the battle ?

JeF.

[JeF]

And now my reactions :

ORIGINAL: MarkShot
For those who are interested, this scenario took me roughly about 4-5 hours to play. This includes thinking time, playing time, making some notes, making save games for later use, and chatting with other beta testers.

You shouldn't be afraid by this 4-5 hours figure. Normally one day in the game play in roughly an hour. That is for HttR and on a sub-GHz machine. 2 days scenario in one sitting are very feasible.

For those of you who have read my HTTR guides, you know that I am very fond of time tables, recon, carefully planned attacks with multiple axises of advance, etc... Well, you'll see none of that here.

Which prove once again that you can play this game in various ways. And, as Mark pointed out afterwards, even change style mid-game.

Finally, in this battle, I made extensive use of manually issuing fire missions to my arty bty. (the other alternative is to simply leave your arty under AI control) This was required and did have a decisive impact. Given the frequency and fluid nature of such orders, we will not consider these to represent new "order cycles", but instead I will just describe this aspect of the battle in broad strokes.

Great way to show how to deploy and use your arty decisively. I usually tend to be lazy and let the AI control my tubes. Not as efficient.

(2) In general, fatigue rates have been increased. For longer (time duration) operations, you are not going to be able to push a single force through days of hard action. Night fatigue rates have been increased to be more significant than they were in HTTR. Additionally, terrain slope will also play a role.

Nice touch. Though it will be a bit more difficult or the player. We'll need to be more carefull with our digital men.

Tip: If you let the AI control your arty and mortars, the ROF (rate of fire) will always be slow.

Really ? Can't you put your units on-call by assigning a defend order with the ROF you want ?
And if you choose a high ROF on an attack, won't the arty attached to the attacking formation use a high ROF ?

So, how long will it take for them to start acting on new orders. I would say about three hours.

Again, for newcomers, don't be afraid by the value. MarkShot likes to play with the highest setting (painfully realistic). Other settings will give you lower values, but it will never be zero. I never played past the "realistic" setting (ok maybe once to try it out). I ressent the world "painfuly" negatively. [;)]

Useful to decide whether COTA is the right investment for you?

No ! [:D]
I was sold long ago.

Useful to help you to learn to play the game?

You bet !
Thanks again.

JeF.

[JeF]

sterckxe:
The Germans raiding French gaz stations to get Michelin maps of the area and other such assorted stories are well-known.

For the sake of realism, I demand that "topo maps" are included in Estab (having one would help a unit in path finding and LOS), that Gas station are modeled on the map and that a new "Raid gas station" task is included.
Thanks in advance. [:D]

MarkShot:
(3) It does not require a two level game system coupling two disparate levels such as the Total War series, Close Combat 4/5, and the upcoming Combat Mission Campaigns.

It wouldn't hurt either. [8D]

JeF.

[MarkShot]

JeF,

Good to hear from you!

ROF for bombard when done by the AI is always = LOW. Or put another way, the ROF parameter only applies to direct fire weapons unless you are giving a bombard order.

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I thought if you completely turn off order delay, then you get practically instantaneous order response. In my opinion when you first get the game as a first time player, you should play a game or two like this just to see how the interface works.

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Regarding arty usage: In the latest build I am now testing, an arty barrage alone on dug-in troops is less likely to cause them to displace. However, the same barrage on troops on the move is now more likely to shatter them.

[MarkShot]

As I pointed out earlier, global messages are not stored in the save file.

Tip: If you get reinforcements or an air strike right before saving a gaming session to resume later, then you might want to write down the time of the event, since you will have no idea when you reload at what time the air strike or waived order delays for the reinforcements will expire.

Tip: It may also be good to jot down the time a key order is issued to a force, since it is not recorded anywhere, but you will need that base time in order to estimate when the order will be executed.

[Arjuna]

Well actually Mark the casualty effect of arty on undeployed forces has not changed from HTTR to COTA per se. Rather we have toned down the casualty effect on deployed and dug in forces. Further we have increased the suppression effect across the board and we have modified the reactions units will take such that units already deployed or better are more likely ( not guaranteed ) to stay put rather than run away when under bombardment.

[MarkShot]

A lesson I just learned from playing a scenario two times (First time, I surrended. Second, decisive victory.)

Situation: You are forced to attack in the face of heavy air and arty over open terrain.

Approach:

(1) During the day, dig-in and weather it as best you can.

(2) If it is not possible to be out of view of the enemy, then, at least, try to be reverse slope to limit the amount of direct fire which your positions will have to take.

(3) At night fall, attack. This eliminates the enemy's air support. Arty support will be diminished due to two factors. First, the enemy will experience greatly reduced LOS. Second, for units that close with the enemy his arty will be prohibited from bringing in fire so close.

(4) If the best happens, you might even be able to get dug-in partially unmolested before his air support returns the next morning.

(No screen shots as I don't want this thread to be full of spoilers, but for the AAR; rather just tips out of any particular context.)

[Arjuna]

Good advice Mark. I would add that any covered terrain should be sought after during daylight as this will limit visibility for direct, arty and air strikes.

[Fred98]

Do the maps change colour after dark to represent night time?

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[Fred98]

ORIGINAL: MarkShot
Tip: If you get reinforcements or an air strike right before saving a gaming session to resume later, then you might want to write down the time of the event.......

This is a classic case for making use of computers to improve wargaming.

To add some kind of low quality text based note pad to the game. The note pad would be accessed via a menu and saved together with any save game file.

When you open the save game file the note is available to you.
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[MarkShot]

C:\WINDOWS\NOTEPAD.EXE

That will work fine and leave Dave and team devote their programing talents to the stuff that only they can do.

Yes, the map brightens and darkens with the sunrise and sunset. That's been in since HTTR.

[Arjuna]

ORIGINAL: Joe 98

ORIGINAL: MarkShot
Tip: If you get reinforcements or an air strike right before saving a gaming session to resume later, then you might want to write down the time of the event.......

This is a classic case for making use of computers to improve wargaming.

To add some kind of low quality text based note pad to the game. The note pad would be accessed via a menu and saved together with any save game file.

When you open the save game file the note is available to you.
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Good idea.

TT2560 - UI - Add Notebook to Game and save with Saved Game