Tactics

[blastpop]

Whether for good or bad, both CotA and Highway leave me feeling as though, no matter how careful I am with each move I make in the game, that I am doing something less than optimally. The combination of orders, modes and such make it unclear, how sub-optimally I am playing this game. Maybe I am doing fine. When I let the game run I feel very uneasy. Maybe its historical sending your troops off to fight and hopefully not die in the process.

Am I alone in this feeling when playing?

Some common hints would be helpful as to what you think should be watched out for, so as to minimize play mistakes.

[simovitch]

blastpop,

The game comes with a document called "MarkShots Top Tips" that can help a new player get an idea of what he needs to do in defense and offense, and operationally as well. Page 189 in the game manual describes the strength and weaknesses of each of the formation types.

It is a very intuitive experience, and the effective use of combined arms is a must. One of the drawbacks with COTA and HTTR is there isn't much explaination of what each individual vehicle or weapon can do (i.e. does a Pz IVD have better HE or AP capability? did the british have light anti-tank weapons in 1941?...) so it helps to have a knowledge of WW2 equipment, or a good reference source on hand. BFTB goes a long way to change that with pop-up unit displays on the user interface.

Remember there is no need to jumble everyone up onto the defender during the attack - use your ranged weapons to your advantage. Forming up for a coordinated assault is the most effective way to attack but it takes a painfully long time for your men to organize it. In defense, use terrain and line of sight to your advantage, take time to dig in a few roadblocks in the rear areas.

In BFTB beta testing, my experience of attacking with the Germans in the early Ardennes battles reveals that I rarely have time for a prepared assault (especially in the mud and snow) and I usually have to keep moving and sacrafice casualties for time. So the tactics you use depend on the situation at hand.

Hope this helps.

[MarkShot]

I think I said something in my tips to the affect that "having a good plan was more important than great finess with each and every feature of the games".

You are quite right there is just so many options and orders. Yet, (if take bridge related commands and exits out of the discussion) you can largely play the games simply with DEFEND and ATTACK. The rest is just icing ... it's knowing when and where to thrust and when and where to hold.

I suggest worry less about the details and mainly just about the big picture.

I often used two info boxes. The one with the little colored arrows. Greens are good; yellows and reds are bad. This is enough to tell you whether your forces are executing as planned or getting the cr*p kicked out of them. Is your plan working or not? Are your forces with the program or are they not? The other info boxed I used a lot is the one showing what your forces and enemy's are doing.

Also, remember that the dimension of time is critical. You must think and plan ahead in this game (if using order delays). You need react and plan that your attack is succeeding when the first hints of success are before your eyes ... not wait for the attack to be completed and the dust settling. If you fail to detect what direction things are moving in, then when your attack suceeds, you will have wasted 4-8 hours of delay issuing orders while nothing happens. Instead you could have had the enemy in disarray and giving ground in terror and have exploited this. 8 hours or more later they will be deployed or dug-in and you will be in for a harder time.

So, don't sweat the details, but instead judge which way the current is flowing and get that plan right! This is one of the very few strategy wargames where the player actually is expected to play it at the strategic level.

Disclosure: I beta tested this game and a finer war game I have never did see (although many have tried and sometimes come close)

[blastpop]

Taking the good information you guys have provided- what is the next step? Drilling down the next level of orders- hence into the complications of orders and combinations of orders, which ones are useful, to say, launch an attack, counterattack, fall back successfully and so on? How far do you push your units? (electrons don't bleed).

[MarkShot]

Plan formulation is everything. It's a lot of reading, but I wrote Mini-Guides for each of these games. Each one begins with an AAR/tutorial. See sticky threads. Each of those AARs will give you two things:

(1) How to approach formulating a plan.

(2) One players approach to playing and using the various features.

It's all very detailed.

Start with some of the smaller and shorter scenarios. For COTA, I had published a sortable XLS with information on time, units, objectives, etc...

Example of a schedule formulation:

fb.asp?m=554324 (HTTR)

Example of a plan construction:

fb.asp?m=977452 (COTA)

If you read these guides, then will learn all about such key concepts as:

(0) Translating your plan into a set of game orders (planning top down; implementing bottom up)

(1) Conducting recon.

(2) Constructing fire bases.

(3) Creating layered defenses.

(4) Using road blocks to isolate an attack area from reinforcements.

...

[MarkShot]

I was just looking for the XLS for you. I think the site which had it for download went offline. I originally did it. JeF enhanced it a little with a complexity rating that Dave used to create the one in the manual.

I cannot find that version. However, I have the raw data version one which I did if you want it to help pick your scenarios to play.

Send me a PM with your email and I will send you the XLS (assuming you have Excel or access to it).

[MarkShot]

Or see page 194 of the ref manual.

[blastpop]

I guess I have my work cut out for me! [:D]

Thanks!

[MarkShot]

But there is nothing more rewarding than when you whole plan comes together and things fall into place.

You'll feel just so d*mn please with yourself.

Now, we have on the team a number of people who are military veterans (not me) and they will tell you that there are many fine hex/turn war games out there. But they are games ... this engine is one of the best pieces of software available (commercial or military) for capturing the the feel and issues facing the military commander.

As I said, I have never served, but I've managed large multi-year + large staff projects/departments and I can tell HTTR/COTA nails what it is like to try to impose your plan and will upon the World to make conform when all you have is proxy agents.

You may be in for a big learning curve, but I think you with find it worthy of the investment. I did. Look forward on hearing your progress.

Take care.

[Tactics]

Pffff
 
I got all excited and it wasn't even about me....