mark487 Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 Sorry to ask such a basic question, but do I always have to have a unit that I'm controlling directly? It would be nice to be able to give movement orders to all my units at the same time, and then switch to observing one unit or another to see how they're doing as they get close to their destination. As it is, I have to be in control of one unit and drive it myself, rather than give them all movement orders and choose which one to take control of when they get close to their target. Thanks, - mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junglist Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 Hi Mark! No problem with any game related questions, fire away. As for controlling more than just the unit you are in, yes you can. This is actually one of the aspects of dropteam that I love. 1. To enter the tac map hit the spacebar. 2. To give orders to units click (right or left click I actually can't remember, I just got up) on the desired unit(s) and a menu will pop-up; you can use this menu to issue orders 3. You can also order specific bots to drop specific equipment where you want on the map from the team menu to the top right of the tac map. Try to tell them to drop in a safe area or you will run out of dropships quick. 4. From the team menu you can also choose to observe any bot you like. 5. The best way to control bots en masse is to use a Mercury Command Vehicle safely hidden off to the side of the map - the Mercury has the advantage seeing everything on the tac map that the bots can see, as well as being able to deploy turrets, sensors and such; to deploy turrets in Merc hit cntl D and a menu will pop-up. 6. If you see a bot on the tac map you'd like to take control of personally, you can do this from the drop down menu when you click on the bot - one of the most useful commands for sure. I hope these tips will help get you started Mark, there is a lot more you can do, but this should help for now. See you on the battlefield - Jung Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark487 Posted March 5, 2008 Author Share Posted March 5, 2008 Hey, thanks Jung! And good morning, it's about bed time on my side of the world. OK, I think I'm getting the hang of switching control from one unit to another on the tac map. Now, what if I don't want to directly control any of my units for a while. Can I just give them all their orders and then sit back in god mode and watch them go, or do I have to choose one to be in direct control of all the time? I'm playing the first mission of the Hopewell campaign, so I don't have a mercury command unit yet. That sounds like fun tho! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
152mmDumbRocket Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 G'day mark487! You can sit back in god mode with full control, but where's the fun, or the sense, in that? Often you have to make on-the spot decisions and reclining back while watching it all unfold is not always a good idea. My approach, (which, IMAO, is the best approach ) is to be on the ground at all times, but to make frequent references to the tactical map to give orders, and to see the different units you're up against. With this approach, you can be on the spot and see what is going on firsthand, while still having full command and a full view of the world around you with a simple tap on the space bar, so you can give orders to any of your bots to move them as the situation demands, and drop whatever you want. Also, it can turn the tide of battle if, say, you see something important. If you're already in a unit, you have the ability to instantly respond to the situation and possibly save the game. Another good reason to stick with my approach is my belief (and the belief of good old General George S. Patton, Jr.) that no plan survives first contact with the enemy. Somehow, someway, our best plans usually don't completely work in some way, so it's a very good idea to be on the ground to adjust your forces accordingly. I did a check on time zones, and you would be 7 hours behind us North Americans (Jung's from Toronto, I'm from Minnesota), which means if you want to come to our great big rounds we hold every Sunday at 3 PM EST, you'd have to up and ready by 8 AM your time. So if you want to come for some advanced fun (and by that I mean no spray and pray, moderate use of emoticons, no proclamations of uberness [unless it's deserved], the use of voice communications for reasons other than goofing off, and no put downs about other players like you've probably seen in other games [for instance, "You ---- n00b!!]), then get to bed early and come on in! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark487 Posted March 5, 2008 Author Share Posted March 5, 2008 Thanks for the sound advice, Mr.Rocket. "No plan survives first contact with the enemy," what a great quote! My problem is not when I'm in the heat of battle - then I definitely like to be in the driver's seat of a big tank so I can do some of the shooting. My problem is when I'm moving forces into position. Especially when I'm trying to sneak up on the enemy from different directions. Imagine that I only have two units. I send my first unit off to hide in cover on the left and my second unit off to attack from the right. The thing is, I have to manually drive one unit or the other. If I'm busy driving the second unit, I can't quickly switch to seeing from the first unit's point of view because I'm busy driving. Is there a way to give both my units standing movement orders and then switch point of view freely between them without having to manually drive one or the other? Thanks for the invitation! I'll come play with you guys on Sunday once the bots in the Hopewell campaign have finished thrashing me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
152mmDumbRocket Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 You could observe both whether or not you're driving a unit other than the two you're mentioning by observing one and switching to the other whenever you feel like it, but there is something to be said for taking control of one of the units in your scenario. For instance, if you're in one unit, you can hide behind the terrain with probably greater success than the bot and you can decide by your timing whether to attack along with your other bot in a double pincer, or to let the other bot serve as a distraction while you sneak up behind the enemy and let them have it. Remember, their side and rear armor is more vulnerable, but so is yours! For getting some street smarts fast, I recommend the Apollo 120mm light tank. It armor is pretty vulnerable on every side except the front, so this will teach you how to hide and survive while still blowing the bots up. It sports the same 120mm gun as the Thor MBT (that's what I assume you mean by "big tank"), with far more speed and a lower profile. Plus, it's far more available than a Thor (usually 16 Apollos and 8 Thors per round). This next question may sound unrelated: Why did Rommel give the British so much trouble? A lot of the answer to that question lies with the British: flimsy fuel cans (It was considered a good effort if a truckload intended to carry 70,000 gallons of fuel ended up with 30,000 at its destination), suicidal British armor tactics (naval broadside style while Rommel's 88s cut them down from dug-in positions with the barrels at ground level), bad signals discipline (Rommel had a mobile listening unit listening to all British signals and knew his enemy's plans), a certain American ambassador (who kept telling Washington about British plans, strengths, and positions while his messages were intercepted, so Rommel was often better informed about British plans than the field commanders), and bad British habits (Eight Army inspector of military equipment, J.K. Stanford, tells of how "officers, sent down to Suez for tank spares needed urgently, had to wait a day because ten tons of beer was number one priority for unloading."). But one of the worst problems the British had was having their headquarters far behind the lines. General Beresford-Peirse had his headquarters 60 miles (96.5 km) behind the lines and the divisional headquarters for 7th Armoured was 30 miles behind the lines for Battleaxe (in which Rommel's 88s blew the British Mk. 2 Matildas away from dug-in positions on Halfaya Pass). For Crusader, the headquarters for General Cunningham was 80 miles behind the fighting at Sidi Rezegh. And General Ritchie's headquarters was again 60 miles behind the lines during the Battle for Gazala. The point is, a person, in order to be an effective commander, should be as close to the fighting as possible, to see the situation for themselves and to make decisions on the spot. Here's some final advice. On the server on Sunday, you'll find me under the name I have here. In the chat bar, I'll commonly be referred to as "152". On the voice channel, I'll be referred to as "One-fifty-two" or simply as "One-five-two". If you have a microphone, hold down P for as long as you're talking and everyone on your team will be able to hear you. To chat with your team, press Enter, type what you need to, and press Enter again. If you want to chat globally across team boundaries, hold down Control while pressing Enter. After you're done typing, press Enter to send. We prefer that you give ideas for winning the battle on the team chat. I hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poesel Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 There is the possibility to observe a unit (tac map, click on unit, top right menu). Its also possible to leave the tank and let the AI control it (can't remember the shortcut right now). When you are in control of a tank you can press TAB to disconnect your view from the tank. You then cannot drive it anymore, however. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phonan Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 And if you press tab, any buttons you were pressing at the time will be "preserved." By this I mean that if you are holding "W" to go forward and then press tab, your view will be disconnected and you can fly around the battlefield, but your tank will keep on rolling forward. This rule also applies to the tacmap. Hold forward and then go to the tacmap with space, and you'll keep going. This can be useful in preserving momentum, but also dangerous if you're headed for a cliff, so be careful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
152mmDumbRocket Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Actually, poesel71, you can return to the unit you were in before you pressed TAB by pressing TAB again . And Phonan, I know what you're talking about when you warn about going off a cliff. It's happened to me a few times, and I've learned to be careful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaytoniousRex Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Press CTRL-V to let the AI drive your current unit. Then you can give yourself orders on the tac display just like any other unit and your AI driver will move on your behalf. Then you can truly recline and watch the overall picture. Press CTRL-V again to regain direct control when the stuff hits the fan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark487 Posted March 6, 2008 Author Share Posted March 6, 2008 Thanks everyone for your advice: technical, strategic, and historical! With a mix of CTRL-V, the tac map, and the tab key, I've succeeded in getting my units safely hull down on one side of my targets while I sneak up from the other. You'll all be happy to hear that the paladin-bots in the first Hopewell mission no longer laugh when they hear me coming and steal my lunch money! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junglist Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Originally posted by 152mmDumbRocket: Actually, poesel71, you can return to the unit you were in before you pressed TAB by pressing TAB again . I have a feeling Poesel knew this already, he's probably the most knowledgeable player as far as actual game mechanics is concerned. Not the best bot wrangler perhaps, hehe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
152mmDumbRocket Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Originally posted by Jung: I have a feeling Poesel knew this already, he's probably the most knowledgeable player as far as actual game mechanics is concerned. Not the best bot wrangler perhaps, hehe.Yes, so did I but I couldn't rest until I was sure. As for Poesel not handing his bots so well, we should see about that on next Sunday's games, if he comes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaytoniousRex Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Be sure to use CTRL-R for resupply in that first mission, mark487. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
152mmDumbRocket Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 I'm really sorry, mark487. I thought it would be morning in Sydney, but, as Jung pointed out to me today, and as I found out later, Sunday at 3 PM EST is actually 6 AM Monday on your side of the world. Could we have another match soon at a time you can play at? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poesel Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 Originally posted by 152mmDumbRocket: </font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr /> Originally posted by Jung: ... Not the best bot wrangler perhaps, hehe.Yes, so did I but I couldn't rest until I was sure. As for Poesel not handing his bots so well, we should see about that on next Sunday's games, if he comes. </font> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark487 Posted March 13, 2008 Author Share Posted March 13, 2008 Hey Commander 152 - Never mind, I work shifts, so time of day is a relative concept for me! I'm too tied up with work and study right now to practice my DropTeam skills, but I'll come play with you guys on Sunday one day. That'd be fun! - mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
152mmDumbRocket Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 Well, mark487, no one's ever called me commander , or voted me into the commander's spot, because we get along well enough that we don't need a commander to keep us together, but the commander's role could become vital if the satirical scenario in my Das Noob topic ever comes to fruition. Check the Das Noob topic for the solution, just as I'm done talking about the idea I have for next Sunday's games, which will also be in the Das Noob topic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
152mmDumbRocket Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 G'day mark487! We're having another good set of rounds soon. They'll be at 8 PM EST on Wednesday, which works out to Thursday 11:00 AM your time. Think your shift schedule will allow you to join us? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Snively Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 8PM EST = 6PM PDT, does it not? I might actually be able to make that one! Yay! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
152mmDumbRocket Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 Actually, Paul, it equals 5 PM PDT. If you or anyone else ever needs to convert time zones for our matches, try this site. It's what I use. :cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts