One of the hardest things about tackling the VCO series is the problem of developing situational awareness, especially: On this vast map, where are my forces? the ones I can move?
The game controls aren't especially helpful in this regard. Yes, the N hotkey selects "the next unit that can act." But when the only "action" available to the vast majority of ARVN forces is to change their loss tolerance, perhaps also their entrenchment level, the N key is practically useless. Hitting the N key cycling through ~500 units to identify the next force that can move? With the next-unit sequence jumping willy nilly all over the map? A chore at best, a torture at worst.
Most of the ARVN units are immobile because they are "reorganizing", actually in garrison mode. It doesn't help that the visual element signifying garrison mode -- a yellow band across the combat/movement factors -- blends in perfectly with the ARVN unit color, yellow.
Fortunately, I was finally able to discern that black factors signify no-move, while red factors signifiy can-move. Paying better attention also to the same-formation steel-band unit highlight, now, at a glance, I can quickly perceive the mobile stacks (ignoring that a top-most immobile unit might be obscuring an underlying mobile unit). Just before getting that clue, I was on the verge of giving up in frustration.
I'm glad I stuck with it. I now have better situational awareness; beyond the well-known major cities (Saigon, Da Nang, Hue, and a few others), I have a growing familiarity with the obscure, hard-to-tell-apart, exotic Vietnamese place names; I can see "the big picture"; the scenario (VCO volume 1) is making better sense to me.
I am having fun.
I welcome any added VCO scenario play tips to enhance the fun.
Still, there are issues...
On turn 4, I dutifully accepted the 4-6 Apr. DAN CHI 129 mission to search and destroy VC units near the U-Minh Forest southwest of Kien Long. I helicoptered my units in place northeast and south of the forest area, then converged slowly, cautiously toward the north and west. Several turns later, I find -- WTF! -- 9 of the 11 sub-units involved in the operation are now immobile, "reorganizing" (so says the Unit Report), seemingly back in garrison mode, except they are scattered out and about in the field. (The unit health pips are still green to light green.)
I'm sure that there are good and historical reasons for tying down the ARVN in this way. Makes for a better, more "realistic" scenario, probably.
But dang, is this capricious, now-and-then immobility annoying!
