Matrix Games Forums

ORIGINAL: Cabido

I'm no experienced player, but I'll give a try to clarify things.

From the manual:
[...] after all combats are resolved,
the player-turn will advance to the combat round
of the MEDIAN length combat.

The median is the number that divides your data set in two:
Let's say we have 1,2,3,3,4,10,33. The average would be 56/7 = 8. But the middle value is the fourth value, i.e. 3. This prevents the influence from extreme numbers.. in this case 33.

Ok, let's say you plan four attacks, named A1, A2, A3, A4. The attacks take the following number of rounds to resolve:
A1 - 1
A2 - 3
A3 - 4
A4 - 9

Remember you have 10 rounds of combat in your turns and you want to use them in the most efficient way possible.
If you resolve all 4 attacks at once, the game will advance to the median round. Well, but here we have 4 combats, i.e. no middle value. 3 and 4 would be the middle values. In this case, to take the median, we use the average of both values, but since we don't have something like round 3.5, the game must choose 3 or 4. I don't know how it does it, but it doesn't matter. In fact, all this math doesn't matter. All you have to know is that the game will advance to some value in the middle of those values for the duration of all combats resolved at once. So, let's say, in the case above that the game rounds things up and we advanced to round 4 (four rounds used).

Suppose you now decide to resolve combat A1 first, then combats A2, A3 and A4 together. After resolving A1, the game advances to round 1 (one round used), since a single value is its own median. Then you resolve A2, A3 and A4. All of them will begin in round 2, since round 1 was already used. The median of A2, A3 and A4 is 4, so the game advances for more rounds. Since it began in round 2, we now used rounds 2,3,4,5. At the end of the day, we resolved the same 4 attacks, but in the first case we ended up in the fourth round and in the second we ended in the fifth. That happened because A2, A3 and A4 began after the end of A1.

Now, suppose you begin by resolving A4 and then want to resolve A1, then A2, then A3. After resolving A4, we advance to round 9, since, once more, a single value is its own median. We then resolve A1, which begins in round ten and takes 1 round. We now used all round available and can't resolve A2 and A3.

Usually, you should set all attacks that you want to have a start at the same point in time to be resolved together(EDIT: Ignore this sentece, since with time stamps, you can set units in different points in time to resolve combats simultaneously, in game terms). Letting an attack for later, means it will begin later, when you have less rounds at your disposal.

Its not uncommon that, even when attacking the same hex, you'll prefer to resolve an attack with a unit first and then try to attack with other units, depending on the results; you lose in terms of time, but gain in terms of information. The later attacks will have less time available for them and depending on the time taken by the first attack, may have no time available at all.

A good rule of thumb is to resolve simpler (complex attacks can take more time) and large favourable odds attacks first, since they will, usually, burn less rounds of your turn. If you want to resolve A1, A2, A3 and A4 independently, the best way is to begin with A1, then A2 and so on (obviously, based on your estimation of their duration; here they are given, but you can suppose the numbers above are just our estimation for the duration of those attacks). If A1, A2 and A3 depend on the result of A4 and you estimate that A4 will take long, go for it, but plan for the contingency of having to delay the other attacks to the next turn or not being able to execute them at all.

ORIGINAL: Cabido
A good rule of thumb is to resolve simpler (complex attacks can take more time) and large favourable odds attacks first, since they will, usually, burn less rounds of your turn.

ORIGINAL: Shadrach
Yes, this is true. But I've learned (with the little experience I have so far), that some attacks turn into what I call "overruns". This is where the defending unit automatically retreats, and the attacking unit moves into the hex. If you're not careful these attacks could burn up rounds quickly since they count as your unit is in combat and moves into the hex.

Sometimes it's better to still do a Plan of these attacks, or do a Limited Attack.

If I have this completely wrong, I'm sure some of the veterans will correct me in due time [:D]

ORIGINAL: Cabido

ORIGINAL: Shadrach
Yes, this is true. But I've learned (with the little experience I have so far), that some attacks turn into what I call "overruns". This is where the defending unit automatically retreats, and the attacking unit moves into the hex. If you're not careful these attacks could burn up rounds quickly since they count as your unit is in combat and moves into the hex.

Sometimes it's better to still do a Plan of these attacks, or do a Limited Attack.

If I have this completely wrong, I'm sure some of the veterans will correct me in due time [:D]

Retreat Before Combat won't burn rounds. It will just advance your unit into the enemy hex with the consequent movement costs.



In fact, with the new time stamp, I've discovered a kind of gamey tactic. Well, I think I have discovered, but maybe this is already universally known here.

Suppose we are at the beginning of the turn and move a unit using all its movement allowance setting an attack with it. If we don't set any other attack, the unit will consume 10 rounds, since the median of a single value is the value itself. Well, if I set just another limited attack with minimize losses with a unit that still didn't move, which will probably use 1 round, I get a favourable median. In tests, I could get 40% of my turn remaining by setting the limited attack. Two uses for it: if you need to know the result of a combat with a unit that already moved a lot, before taking other decisions, set a limited attack with minimize losses with unit that didn't move yet, so as to reduce turn burn. Also, when setting complex combats, setting some limited attacks as stated can get a more favourable median. So, if you have some complex attack to make at some point, save some limited attack with units that didn't move to the occasion.
This is gamey in nature, but this is a game, afterall.

ORIGINAL: nukkxx

Was TOAW3 working the same way or is it a new system ?

ORIGINAL: Cabido
Retreat Before Combat won't burn rounds. It will just advance your unit into the enemy hex with the consequent movement costs.

ORIGINAL: DanNeely

ORIGINAL: Cabido

ORIGINAL: Shadrach
Yes, this is true. But I've learned (with the little experience I have so far), that some attacks turn into what I call "overruns". This is where the defending unit automatically retreats, and the attacking unit moves into the hex. If you're not careful these attacks could burn up rounds quickly since they count as your unit is in combat and moves into the hex.

Sometimes it's better to still do a Plan of these attacks, or do a Limited Attack.

If I have this completely wrong, I'm sure some of the veterans will correct me in due time [:D]

Retreat Before Combat won't burn rounds. It will just advance your unit into the enemy hex with the consequent movement costs.



In fact, with the new time stamp, I've discovered a kind of gamey tactic. Well, I think I have discovered, but maybe this is already universally known here.

Suppose we are at the beginning of the turn and move a unit using all its movement allowance setting an attack with it. If we don't set any other attack, the unit will consume 10 rounds, since the median of a single value is the value itself. Well, if I set just another limited attack with minimize losses with a unit that still didn't move, which will probably use 1 round, I get a favourable median. In tests, I could get 40% of my turn remaining by setting the limited attack. Two uses for it: if you need to know the result of a combat with a unit that already moved a lot, before taking other decisions, set a limited attack with minimize losses with unit that didn't move yet, so as to reduce turn burn. Also, when setting complex combats, setting some limited attacks as stated can get a more favourable median. So, if you have some complex attack to make at some point, save some limited attack with units that didn't move to the occasion.
This is gamey in nature, but this is a game, afterall.

Battlefield timestamps in all the hexes where combat progressed beyond the median minimize the ability to abuse it. Running lots of small attacks with a few large ones will prevent burning the turn. If you do two one round combats and a ten round one, the turn meter will be on round 2; but the ten round combat will have zeroed the moves of all attacking units and put a BTS in the hex so you can't attack it again or move through it. An 8 round combat would put a round 8 BTS in, meaning any father attacks could only take place in rounds 9/10 and any unit moving through the hex if you captured it will only have at most 20% of its movement points left.