Tips&Tricks
Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 9:13 am
For a tips and tricks forum this one has really few tips and tricks. So let's post few.
HOTKEYS
I'll start with hotkeys, they are there but one either forgets them after reading the manual, or doesn't read the manual at all(or the readme's that come with updates).
Anyways, here's a few very useful ones I use constantly:
A - brings up the Air Unit Report. Really useful when setting up a million bridge attacks. Or changing bombers to interdiction, etc etc.
C - Place the mouse over a stack and press c, brings up the Group Composition view. Very useful when checking those enemy stacks, no need to click through them.
Also, if you have say 3 bomber units on an airfield and decide to use all of them to attack some separate targets, all you need to do is select one of the units, go to the target, set up the attack and then press C. This brings up the group composition in the airfield hex and you can just choose another air unit. Saves a lot fo 'sweat and time' if you are for example attacking 3 bridges that are close to each other.
U - Shows unit report. Faster than right clicking.
F - Shows formation report. Again faster than right clicking. I usually use this to check where the other untis of that formation are. For example if I have a division and on the regiment reconstruct I press F, choose one of the other units and voila there they are, now I now where to move the reconstructed unit.
. - yeah, the dot. A 300x300 map and you have no idea where the units that you embarked on train last turn are now? No problem, press the dot. It will take you to the embarked units. Press it again and the unit disembarks.
D - Personally, I don't use this. It digs in the unit and then moves to the next one...if only it wouldn't move to the next unit it would save a lot of time.
I - toggles counters on/off as well as showing the air and artillery unit ranges. I use it mainly to toggle counters off so I can what the terrain/tailines/bridges look like. Or avoid the range circles altogether by right-clicking on the Unit Icon button - it cycles through the button in reverse order - clears the units, then left-clicking brings them back, without ever seeing a circle.
Artillery&Tactical reserve:
It doesn't really matter whetever the artillery unit is dug in(defending, entreched, fortified) mode ir in tactical reserve mode when defending, it will still support all battles within range. And unlike normal units it won't move to the battle itself when in Tactical Reserve.
However when attacking the artillery is best placed on tactical reserve which means that it will again support all combats in range. This is rather useful when the HQ has expended all it's movement points and you can't use it in 'direct attack'. This way you can move it up as the battle progresses and not waste combat rounds, or attack without artillery support.
Armor on the defence:
One excellent trick for armor on the defence is to use it as a turn burner. Set your armored unit behind the hex you think will be attacked on Tactical Reserve. This naturally means that when the enemy attacks the hex, the armor will join the battle and hopefully burn the enemy turn.
This is even more likely if a strong enemy infantry unit attacks on ignore losses. The infantry unit canno't inflict enough losses to beat the armor nor does it suffer enough losses to break off the attack.
Defence in depth:
When you defend you naturally want to have a line the enemy canno't break through. This can only be achieved by defence in depth. This means that you want to have at least 2 hex deep line. The 2nd line doesn't need to have an unit in every hex, you simply need to position the units in such a way that there isn't a single hex not covered by your Zone of Contol.
HOTKEYS
I'll start with hotkeys, they are there but one either forgets them after reading the manual, or doesn't read the manual at all(or the readme's that come with updates).
Anyways, here's a few very useful ones I use constantly:
A - brings up the Air Unit Report. Really useful when setting up a million bridge attacks. Or changing bombers to interdiction, etc etc.
C - Place the mouse over a stack and press c, brings up the Group Composition view. Very useful when checking those enemy stacks, no need to click through them.
Also, if you have say 3 bomber units on an airfield and decide to use all of them to attack some separate targets, all you need to do is select one of the units, go to the target, set up the attack and then press C. This brings up the group composition in the airfield hex and you can just choose another air unit. Saves a lot fo 'sweat and time' if you are for example attacking 3 bridges that are close to each other.
U - Shows unit report. Faster than right clicking.
F - Shows formation report. Again faster than right clicking. I usually use this to check where the other untis of that formation are. For example if I have a division and on the regiment reconstruct I press F, choose one of the other units and voila there they are, now I now where to move the reconstructed unit.
. - yeah, the dot. A 300x300 map and you have no idea where the units that you embarked on train last turn are now? No problem, press the dot. It will take you to the embarked units. Press it again and the unit disembarks.
D - Personally, I don't use this. It digs in the unit and then moves to the next one...if only it wouldn't move to the next unit it would save a lot of time.
I - toggles counters on/off as well as showing the air and artillery unit ranges. I use it mainly to toggle counters off so I can what the terrain/tailines/bridges look like. Or avoid the range circles altogether by right-clicking on the Unit Icon button - it cycles through the button in reverse order - clears the units, then left-clicking brings them back, without ever seeing a circle.
Artillery&Tactical reserve:
It doesn't really matter whetever the artillery unit is dug in(defending, entreched, fortified) mode ir in tactical reserve mode when defending, it will still support all battles within range. And unlike normal units it won't move to the battle itself when in Tactical Reserve.
However when attacking the artillery is best placed on tactical reserve which means that it will again support all combats in range. This is rather useful when the HQ has expended all it's movement points and you can't use it in 'direct attack'. This way you can move it up as the battle progresses and not waste combat rounds, or attack without artillery support.
Armor on the defence:
One excellent trick for armor on the defence is to use it as a turn burner. Set your armored unit behind the hex you think will be attacked on Tactical Reserve. This naturally means that when the enemy attacks the hex, the armor will join the battle and hopefully burn the enemy turn.
This is even more likely if a strong enemy infantry unit attacks on ignore losses. The infantry unit canno't inflict enough losses to beat the armor nor does it suffer enough losses to break off the attack.
Defence in depth:
When you defend you naturally want to have a line the enemy canno't break through. This can only be achieved by defence in depth. This means that you want to have at least 2 hex deep line. The 2nd line doesn't need to have an unit in every hex, you simply need to position the units in such a way that there isn't a single hex not covered by your Zone of Contol.
][:D][:D]