Matrix Games Forums

Invisible Units? The Civil War had a ton... I can't name the amount. It's a little bit strange to bump into everything though vs other titles in Strategic Command

Patrat wrote: Sun Jul 03, 2022 4:51 am If use your Cavalry for spotting, you won't get hammered. That's what's Cavalry role is in the game and in real life.

Just look how nervous Lee got during the Gettysburg campaign when Stuart went on a joyride with the Confederate Cavalry and left Lee blind. The Confederate edge in Cavalry recon, was a big factor in them winning a lot of the early battles.

I think the game as is, forces you to use your Cavalry properly, or risk getting hammered.

I always try to preserve my horse soldiers for recon. I try to never leave them in an exposed position.

This is where the lack of stacking becomes an issue, I can't have my cav recon for an infantry unit because it is essentially taking the place of that unit "in line".

It also appears, and maybe i am recalling this wrong as it has been like 6 months since I played another SC title, that the old "if you only move 1 hex you don't take that FOW hit" doesn't happen here and even moving cautiously doesn't help.

Alter Native wrote: Sun Jul 03, 2022 4:18 pm I like the new system, it requires you to play the game differently from WWII and that's a welcome change.
Every offensive army needs a scouting cavalry now and general positioning is much more important now.

I would say that needing scouts is great, needing a cavalry brigade/division to do your scouting for you is a bit of overkill. I like the "tek" that adds scouting into the unit natively but as I said in another post, that doesn't appear to actually do anything thus far.

Yep, gotta have them Cavalry.
The 1-hex "assault move", would be nice touch. (see Advanced Squad Leader, not moving in open -2 penalty)

Bobo2025 wrote: Tue Jul 05, 2022 2:45 pm

Patrat wrote: Sun Jul 03, 2022 4:51 am If use your Cavalry for spotting, you won't get hammered. That's what's Cavalry role is in the game and in real life.

Just look how nervous Lee got during the Gettysburg campaign when Stuart went on a joyride with the Confederate Cavalry and left Lee blind. The Confederate edge in Cavalry recon, was a big factor in them winning a lot of the early battles.

I think the game as is, forces you to use your Cavalry properly, or risk getting hammered.

I always try to preserve my horse soldiers for recon. I try to never leave them in an exposed position.

This is where the lack of stacking becomes an issue, I can't have my cav recon for an infantry unit because it is essentially taking the place of that unit "in line".

It also appears, and maybe i am recalling this wrong as it has been like 6 months since I played another SC title, that the old "if you only move 1 hex you don't take that FOW hit" doesn't happen here and even moving cautiously doesn't help.

Your recalling is wrong on moving cautiously. You have to deselect to 'see' your new spotting range. This is when talking about cavalry or infantry with a scout upgrade. That's why I upgrade some infantry units with the spotting upgrade to lead in the vanguard.

Bobo2025 wrote: Tue Jul 05, 2022 2:47 pm I would say that needing scouts is great, needing a cavalry brigade/division to do your scouting for you is a bit of overkill. I like the "tek" that adds scouting into the unit natively but as I said in another post, that doesn't appear to actually do anything thus far.

I've just taken a quick look behind the scenes and the Scout tech is set to increase the spotting range of units that can upgrade with it by 1, i.e. from a range of 1 to 2 hexes.

If you do upgrade a unit with it, at the start of every turn the fog of war shroud should always start 2 hexes away from it, rather than 1.

Note however that a unit can only spot on its first completed movement, as scouts take time to send out and return, and moving a unit for instance 1 hex at a time means that its 2nd and subsequent movements are carried out without any additional scouting being done - which can be painful.

I hope that makes sense and please let us know how things look when you next upgrade with it.

BillRunacre wrote: Tue Jul 05, 2022 6:50 pm Note however that a unit can only spot on its first completed movement, as scouts take time to send out and return, and moving a unit for instance 1 hex at a time means that its 2nd and subsequent movements are carried out without any additional scouting being done - which can be painful.

I hope that makes sense and please let us know how things look when you next upgrade with it.

Wow, way cool Bill. I never realized that was happening. I am consistently impressed with the level of thought and planning invested in your games.

I'm guessing that doesn't happen with cavalry. Or does cavalry spotting drop to 1 on subsequent moves? I'm going to need to check next time I play.

Thanks for explaining.

Bobo2025 wrote: Tue Jul 05, 2022 2:45 pm

Patrat wrote: Sun Jul 03, 2022 4:51 am If use your Cavalry for spotting, you won't get hammered. That's what's Cavalry role is in the game and in real life.

Just look how nervous Lee got during the Gettysburg campaign when Stuart went on a joyride with the Confederate Cavalry and left Lee blind. The Confederate edge in Cavalry recon, was a big factor in them winning a lot of the early battles.

I think the game as is, forces you to use your Cavalry properly, or risk getting hammered.

I always try to preserve my horse soldiers for recon. I try to never leave them in an exposed position.

This is where the lack of stacking becomes an issue, I can't have my cav recon for an infantry unit because it is essentially taking the place of that unit "in line".

It also appears, and maybe i am recalling this wrong as it has been like 6 months since I played another SC title, that the old "if you only move 1 hex you don't take that FOW hit" doesn't happen here and even moving cautiously doesn't help.

What I usually do is I move my Cavalry one hex away from the edge of the FOW. Then I deselect it. The Cavalry then spots enemy units up to 3 hexes away from its current position. Then I move my infantry up past the Cavalry, so the Cavalry is no longer in the frontline. If need be, I'll retreat the Cavalry with any remaining AP.

For deep penetrations, I will use more than one Cavalry and leap frog them.

LoneRunner wrote: Tue Jul 05, 2022 10:38 pm Wow, way cool Bill. I never realized that was happening. I am consistently impressed with the level of thought and planning invested in your games.

I'm guessing that doesn't happen with cavalry. Or does cavalry spotting drop to 1 on subsequent moves? I'm going to need to check next time I play.

Yes, it does happen with the cavalry as their scouts have their limits too, so bear that in mind when planning your moves.