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

[Arjuna]

ORIGINAL: Joe 98

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

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Yes. The map darkens at dusk and even more at night and lightens at dawn and even more at day.

[Fred98]

Pause
Slow
Medium
Fast

and "R".

What is "R"?

If it is "Replay", is the Replay file a separate file. If it is it can be uploaded to fan's web sites, for others to download, to take the place of a traditional AAR [:)]

[Arjuna]

RunFastUntil - lets you run the game as fast as possible till a specified time. It opens a dialog in which you set the time.

[JeF]

ORIGINAL: MarkShot
However, there are cases where the Win Meter will not accurately predict the ultimate outcome at game conclusion. (I forget the reasons for this.)

Maybe I can risk a little explanation here.

IIRC, the Win Meter takes into account the "occupation objectives" as if you would hold it till the end and grab all the remaining points, including the completion points. Maybe you will not hold it till the end.
There is also the case where the opponent can deny you an objective with a unit out of LOS (i.e you don't see it). I think such objectives are counted as captured (even by the Win Meter) but will show as contested (i.e no point) in the end.
And I don't know how your opponent current score impact the Win Meter as well. In the end it is the point difference that count I think. And you can never score more than 100 (or it has changed).

But Arjuna will soon come and tell you I'm wrong. [:D]

Finally I don't mind. Win Meter always indicate decisive defeat for me. He is sometimes wrong. [;)]

JeF.

[Arjuna]

JeF,

Spot on mate![:)]

[MarkShot]

ORIGINAL: loyalcitizen

ORIGINAL: Arjuna
Due to overall fatigue levels and the destruction of the bridges I order the 141st Regt to Rest with the elements of the 2nd Bn to Defend on the other side. I am also forced to rest the 143rd as it too ran out of puff.

You started the 143rd attack from over 4km away from the objective. Would you say that is a typical attack distance in the game? Have I been trying to form up too close to the enemy all these years? I try to limit my attacks to 2km or less.

FUP considerations is a lengthy topic. Some of the issues were touched upon in my HTTR threads.

In terms of COTA, I think that most players are going to find themselves FUPing closer to the attack task marker than they might have in HTTR. Due to:

(1) Increased fatigue rates.

(2) Slower movement rates.

Additionally, there may be less choice to the axis of an attack than HTTR. Due to:

(1) Impassable terrain.

(2) Being much more constrained to use roads to approach.

(3) Keeping the assault force's resupply line open.

Finally, I have yet to play the full set of scenarios, but FUPing may also be more painful than HTTR, since the maps seem to have less cover.

I haven't really compared the amount of arty in scenarios, but with HTTR in some of the larger scenarios it was so thick that it was debilitating.

[MarkShot]

When you have paused the game for an air strike and you identify an enemy unit to hit and it is on the move, then how can you estimate its path of movement without letting the game run?

F5 - display facing as it shows the direction of movement.

[MarkShot]

Actually, now that I think about it, simply clicking on the unit should give you facing (direction of travel) too. Silly, me.

[MarkShot]

Some thoughts on what a single company can accomplish when a road block is not feasible ...

If a single company gets time (2-4 hours) and the right terrian (woods or town), it can set up quite a formidable road block for motorized forces. This is has been covered in the past posts. Additionally, it was mentioned how in COTA due to off road movement rates for vehicles that this will be more effective than it was in HTTR.

However, what to do when you only have time, but the road passes through clear terrain? Here is what you can do, but note that this is going to work best in daylight, since you are not actually going to create a road block.

Take your company and find some decent cover not too far (0.5-1.5km) from the road. It would also be good if this position is somewhat elevated. Dig-in there.

Although this will not stop the enemy, it will really slow them down. Slowing them down is often good enough to run them out of time they need to accomplish their objectives and/or buy time for your troops to get somewhere and dig-in.

Why is this going to work?

(1) If you can bring fire on columns moving down the road, then the enemy commander will be obliged to shake out into a better defensive formation. This will take some time. However, most importantly once the enemy does this, it could be 3-5 hours before they form up into road column again (even if there is no more threat). So, you have probably, at a minimum, bought yourself a few hours.

(2) Once the enemy shakes out into a better defensive formation, then his movement rate is going to be significantly degraded due to off road travel. This could cause him to perhaps suffer as much as a 75% degradation in his movement rate.

(3) If the enemy commander deems that your position is strong enough, he may even elect to assault it. Stopping and assaulting your position could easily cost 2-4 hours.

(4) Finally, if your company can call in mortar or artillery fire, then they may even succeed in routing some enemy units and holding their position for quite a while against vastly superior numbers.

[BK6583]

Mark,

Your excellent online tutorial for HTTR (as well as the equally excellent strategy guide) really helped me get into this wonderful game. I do have a question (or a belated "Tips" recommendation for COTA). Is there any way to code the AI to employ/deploy its artillery any better? Right now I would say that that is the AI's biggest failing in what is otherwise a very good (dare I say perhaps the best wargame AI out there?) opponent. But geez, it gets really stupid with its artillery. I've had to make my own house rule to not fire on AI artillery that's sitting on clear terrain in plain view or which sometimes even appears to join right in with the rest of its forces conducting an assault.

Bob

[Arjuna]

Bob,

I personally have spent many hours improving the firebase code. While there may still be a rare case of it choosing a bad location our testers haven't reported any wayward ones in a long time.[:)]

[MarkShot]

Bob,

In addition to Dave's answer, a couple of things to keep in mind while playing COTA:

(1) The unit type graphic when playing with non-mil symbols (and I suspect mil symbols too) does not make a distinction between artillery and field guns (however, the game mechanics does make a distinction). The former can bombard (indirect fire), but the latter are direct fire only weapons. Thus, you are going to see "gun units" moving forward in an assault group similar to mortars (ie. movement to contact). These would be your or the enemy's field guns and that is as it should be.

(2) There may be cases of some units equipped with guns that can fire indirect, but the unit is configured as a direct fire unit. Steve Long once expained it to me ... basically indirect fire requires special training of the unit. Just because a unit has a capable gun doesn't mean that they can actually do it. In COTA equipment tab for your units, it will list the gun as direct fire only.

Here is a sample:



By the way, we are aware that the text description makes it overrun the display space.

[BK6583]

Mark,

That's an excellent point and I learned that the hard way when I placed a unit with an arty symbol and couldn't understand why the heck it wasn't using indirect fire until I looked real close at the equipment listing. That said, I have checked and all too often those arty units in my LOS were, in fact, indirect fire units. In several Nijmegan scenarios as the Allies, the AI left a slew of mortars and field artillery units just north of Nijmegan across the WAAL in plain LOS to my units. In other similar scenarios, the AI had mortar and field arty units seemingly milling around south of Nijmegan itself. At any rate, glad to hear that this has apparently been addressed for COTA.

Bob

[Golf33]

Actually on Crete most of the Allied guns were missing parts (like sights for example) and I dare say firing tables would have been in short supply as well. Where you see "direct fire" in the screen shot above, it is telling you that this gun would normally be capable of indirect fire but in this unit it is missing its sights and can only fire direct.

Just a very minor nitpick, it's not "field guns" that can't fire indirect - it's "infantry guns". Field guns are a class of artillery defined by trajectory and calibre and are normally indirect-fire equipment.

Regards
Steve

[MarkShot]

Here is a little example to illustrate our previous discussion on how the Win Meter can be misleading at times.

You'll notice that based on the Win Meter that I would have received a Marginal Victory. However, the actual result is a Decisive Victory. In other words, "it ain't over until the fat lady sings" ... or is that when Herman Goering sings?; I forget.

[MarkShot]

Here is a tip for those of you who are like me, wargamers but have yet to reach the level of supreme grog. Meaning that you are not a walking version of compilations of Jane's WWII weapon reference publications.

I am just about to start a new scenario. I see that I have some tanks available, "Cruiser Mk IIA (A10)". It has taken me long enough to understand what the capabilities of a Sherman, Panther, or Tiger is. But who knows what this thing is. Is it bull dozer with a boiler tank over it as armor and a light machine gun for fire power? "A10" ... hmm could it have a rapid fire gattling gun firing explosive armor piercing rounds? (maybe the wrong designation or wrong era)

I need some help!

[MarkShot]

Here is what you can do:

(1) Run SM (scenario editor) - the install should create a shortcut for this. Otherwise, it will be SM.EXE.

(2) Open any scenario from the file menu. I suggest using one of the tutorials so you don't actually spoil for yourself one you are going to play.

(3) Go to the left panel's ESTAB tab. This contains the complete database of what is in the game.

(4) In this case (it works like Windows Explorer), select "equipment" and then "vehicles".

(5) Scroll the list to find the object you want and double click on it.

[MarkShot]

What you get (1) ...

[MarkShot]

What you get (2) ...

[MarkShot]

What you get (3) ...