Matrix Games Forums

When planning an attack and admin moves how do you know how long it takes an infantry unit from A to B on a road or through bush a tank unit move along a road not hinded by enemy attacks. I can't any reference to time and movement other than whats in the tutorials. There is no reference to movement times other than the terrain effect chart. It is hard to relatethis to a unit getting to A from b expressed time. have I missed something?

Besides terrain there's a lot going on under the hood:

First the HQ and the subgroups stay in formation. When too far from their correct positions they stop moving.
Movement is also adjusted by the units fatigue level and the visibility effects due weather and/or night.

The formation type:
Each formation and task type has it bias toward speed formations. Road column has the highest cohesion level for moving. Arrowhead is next, followed by echelon and vee. Line is the worst.

And of course the movement rate: slow/normal/fast.

BASB,

Estimating time and space is something you have to acquire through experience. Try setting using a scenario as a sandbox, issuing orders to different types ( foot and mot ) of single units and then different types of forces ( more than one unit ). Play without orders delay. This way you can swap and change orders quickly. After the order is issued and you run the game for a minute check out the Unit Task icons ( black on grey ). The appear under the Order icon. Click on them and you will see the estimated completion time in the task data view of the sidebar. Again this is an estimate and may be constrained in some cases by other factors.

As a rough rule of thumb a non-motorised force averages 2kph through clear terrain ( ie not on roads ) against no opposition. Estimates for a motorised force are more difficult - anywhere from 6 - 12kph. However, a single enemy company can hold up an entire Brigade for hours depending on the terrain.

Order delays, movement, and rates of progress are just something you develop a feel for after a while.

With regards to movements ... if you are playing at max order delays, in many cases, the order delay component can be the dominant factor in the total time taken.