More Chicken Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 (edited) Hello there I am a new player using a Mac and bought the basic game plus Commonwealth module a week or so ago by download. I have worked through the basic training scenarios and now moved on to Task Force Raff mini campaign to gain more familiarity with game play. My version of CMBN is presumably the latest available (3.11 I think). The manual I have been using is the online one, which I assume dates back to the original release. I am having problems with stacking orders (one each of movement, combat and special per waypoint) in the way the manual describes. According to the text, clicking on the waypoint's coloured line (presumably the movement path) should see the waypoint change from a circle to a pyramid and allow other orders to be added. This doesn't seem to work, and clicking (I've tried both left and right) only has one of these effects: 1) Usually no effect 2) Sometimes I drop a new movement order back along the same path (so the unit would reverse course when it reaches the waypoint) 3) Occasionally the coloured line and waypoint circle become brighter Pyramids do appear between waypoints anyway, and I am wondering whether this means that orders can be stacked without clicking. Was the need to click on the coloured line to stack orders dates changed in either v2 or v3? A few more questions that are puzzling me: 1) How can I view what orders are stacked to know whether I've succeeded or not? 2) Why are some waypoints shown as circles (end of the line?) and others as pyramids? (intervening points?) 3) What does it mean when a waypoint circle and coloured line becomes brighter? (I'm guessing it may mean it can be edited, which would be easier than deleting the entire path as I tend to do) Confusion seems destined to be my epitaph, so thanks in advance for any help. M. Chicken Edited June 22, 2015 by More Chicken 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilM Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 I'm not sure if the online manual (you mean on BF's site?) is an old one ... but your download will give you a documents folder, in which the latest copies of the manuals reside? If you look there, that is up to date ... On the waypoints things .... If there is only one, it's a circle; add more, and any intermediate ones become triangles and the last one a circle. The point is that triangles show intermediate waypoints, the circle is the end of that sequence. Having set a sequence, you can edit them by clicking to make a leg the active one ... its line and end point glow to show it is active. The movement mode can be changed by a key press, and eg pauses and targetting options added to the active waypoint. Once successfully added, clack anywhere else to exit ... the various waypoints will be labelled with pause times, etc? Make sense? Shout if it's still not clear ... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verulam Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 (edited) Welcome aboard. Excellent advice above. ChrisND on you tube is worth viewing for a practical demonstration of unit control.https://www.youtube.com/user/NormalDude1066 Edited June 22, 2015 by verulam 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
More Chicken Posted June 22, 2015 Author Share Posted June 22, 2015 Hi Phil Thanks for your quick response. The documents folder that came with the download consisted of changelogs only and no manual! I was surprised, but then found a pdf version on the BF site. Not sure of that is the latest one or not, but it's all I have! I think I now makes sense subject to one clarification point, and will check tonight to see if waypoints are labelled (I hadn't noticed this, but was probably looking at the wrong part of the screen!) To clarify though, suppose I wish to move a unit from point A to point B along a straight path and then fire at a target. If I have understood correctly, I do the move order first and then simply add a target command (without clicking on the coloured line) for it to stack the fire order at point B. Is that right? Thanks again for your help. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
womble Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 3) What does it mean when a waypoint circle and coloured line becomes brighter? (I'm guessing it may mean it can be edited, which would be easier than deleting the entire path as I tend to do) It means it's the "active one" which will have any changes applied to it. Pauses will be applied at the enlarged waypoint, Target orders will apply from that point forward, changing movement modes will apply to the highlighted movement 'leg'. To "edit", i.e. move the waypoint, you need to left-click and hold on the desired waypoint, then drag it about to where you want it to be. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
More Chicken Posted June 22, 2015 Author Share Posted June 22, 2015 Thanks Verulam - I had heard about ChrisND and found loads of his videos but not the basic tutorial. Will watch tonight! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
More Chicken Posted June 22, 2015 Author Share Posted June 22, 2015 It means it's the "active one" which will have any changes applied to it. Pauses will be applied at the enlarged waypoint, Target orders will apply from that point forward, changing movement modes will apply to the highlighted movement 'leg'. To "edit", i.e. move the waypoint, you need to left-click and hold on the desired waypoint, then drag it about to where you want it to be. Womble - that makes sense, thank you. Very impressive answer times around here, and my post count is rising rapidly! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Canadian Cat Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 LOL yep that's how you end up with a few thousand posts Looks like you have good answers already. The two things I would add are when you have a way point selected (that's what we tend to call the pyramids and spheres) and you give a target order the line gets drawn from the unit not the selected way point. This is normal, strange but normal. We hope one day that will get charged but for now just don't worry. Once the target order is given the target line does the right thing. Secondly you really should have documentation with your installation. There are two really important docs with each title, the game manual that talks about the units and the training campaign, and the engine manual that talks about the features like way points and command stacking. Also there is a really good scenario design guide for the future when you want to start down that path. I am not 100% sure if you get that guide in what you bought. I recommend asking for some help from support to figure out how to get access to your manuals. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
More Chicken Posted June 22, 2015 Author Share Posted June 22, 2015 IanL - thanks for the further tips. I am 99% sure the only items in the documents folder were installation notes and changelogs, but I suppose there could be a second docs folder inside the main CMBN one. Seems unlikely but I will check tonight and take it up with BF if I'm still stuck. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilM Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 Hi Phil Thanks for your quick response. The documents folder that came with the download consisted of changelogs only and no manual! I was surprised, but then found a pdf version on the BF site. Not sure of that is the latest one or not, but it's all I have! I think I now makes sense subject to one clarification point, and will check tonight to see if waypoints are labelled (I hadn't noticed this, but was probably looking at the wrong part of the screen!) To clarify though, suppose I wish to move a unit from point A to point B along a straight path and then fire at a target. If I have understood correctly, I do the move order first and then simply add a target command (without clicking on the coloured line) for it to stack the fire order at point B. Is that right? Thanks again for your help. No problem ... it's a great game when you get into it! The "mechanics" like these become second nature after a while ... You're hopefully sorted by now, by just a few more thoughts after the other guys also chimed in ... You said about nothing seeming to happen after you'd selected a movement path; they can - especially if you are in a high / distant view - be picky about being selected with a mouse click. You *think* you've got the cursor over the path leg, and click ... but nothing happens! It means you haven't successfully selected it and made it live ... you will see the "glow" of the leg and waypoint once it's selected. If in doubt go closer in to the unit / movement path to make it easier to select. Then all the options are available, as described above. On the adding a target order to a waypoint ... If the movement leg - and so the waypoint at the end of that leg - are active (highlighted) then that waypoint is where the target order will be applied - though confusingly, as Ian said, the LoS line still appears from where the unit is as you're setting it, not from where it will eventually be applied. But if no movement leg / future waypoint is selected then the taget order is given to the unit's current location. Practice a few times, to make sure you can see which of the two is happening ... Another thought which came to mind ... avoiding changing movement orders when you don't want to! Example: a tank is under fire that will likely kill it, you order it to reverse away to cover, to keep its front armour facing the threat until it is clear ... then later go back to check its orders, and with the reverse waypoint selected - inadvertently perhaps - you hit a forward movement key and without realising edit the reverse order to a move order. Your tank will still try to get to where you want it, but will first do a very graceful half-pirouette in place before trying to move to your waypoint ... but sadly showing its rear to whatever is trying to kill it. Usually not a good outcome! (Ask me how I know this ... ). And you defn should have the manuals which Ian describes ... I'm on a Mac also, and the downloads should auto create and populate the documents folder with the latest manauls ... I can dropbox them for you if there isn't a quicker way to get them from BF themselves. Oh, and hit Alt P (?) to turn on all movement paths ... then when you have any of your units selected, all movement paths will show. I find this helpful ... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
More Chicken Posted June 22, 2015 Author Share Posted June 22, 2015 And you defn should have the manuals which Ian describes ... I'm on a Mac also, and the downloads should auto create and populate the documents folder with the latest manauls ... I can dropbox them for you if there isn't a quicker way to get them from BF themselves. Oh, and hit Alt P (?) to turn on all movement paths ... then when you have any of your units selected, all movement paths will show. I find this helpful ... Thanks very much for the dropbox offer for the manuals. I will check tonight to make sure it is not just a case of me being myopic and issue a further cry for help if I need it. I have a couple of additional queries which I will put in another thread, and hope for some more helpful answers from what seems to be a very responsive community! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.