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Splitting Teams leads to Daunting Workload!?


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Hello All:

I haven't purchases CW yet as I haven't been playing much of CMBN. Seems strange as I like history and have been reading some military history recently. The reason I haven't played much I think is I find the game daunting in terms of workload.

Usually I have 3 platoons and a weapons platoon. So 9 squads/icons along with any support weapons/icons and then the extra icons for the weapons platoon. I typically split each squad so now I have ca. 40 - 50 units/icons. That is where it gets daunting in terms of workload. The only time I don't split a squad is when they are behind some starting bocage line and reasonably safe.

Are ye splitting all squads into teams? Any thoughts appreciated.

Gerry

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I always split my teams. And I play mostly huge QBs with a battalion or more of infantry. Setting up and the first few turns are a real project. But after contact with the enemy is made I find I only give new orders to a fraction of my units each turn, so it's manageable.

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Personally I find that splitting squads into teams is practically mandatory. Primarily, this can save some men when the mortar fire comes in. Also lets you widen your spotting.

Downside is that sometimes one section has Los to an enemy position and the other does not, but I find the pros outweigh the cons.

If it takes me longer to do my turn, so be it - but I play PBEM exclusively, so there's time.

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I move my infantry in their sections up until I think they're about to make contact or storm a position. So first I'll have my lead section split into threes and then branch out in three different directions forward to spread it out in case of machine gun or mortar fire. Once I make base with the enemy I'll start building my base of fire to move my other sections up and then the rest of the platoon to start the whole winning the battle stuff.

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If you don't split teams using the assault button you may reduce the effectiveness of one of your two main weapons, the SMG and the LMG, keep those weapons apart and use them at their effective ranges and you will increase their performance by conforming to the logic of design.

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Also, I would HIGHLY recommend that you play in "WeGo" mode instead of "Real Time". It makes the game A LOT more relaxed and enjoyable in my opinion.

With WeGo, you can take your time to plot all your moves in detail and then sit back and watch the succeeding minute of action over and over again from different angles.

I've tried Real Time for several missions ... but I always found myself CONSTANTLY pausing it and always playing in a very zoomed out level ... and even then, always missing details ..... it is much more cinematic playing in WeGo.

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Also, I would HIGHLY recommend that you play in "WeGo" mode instead of "Real Time". It makes the game A LOT more relaxed and enjoyable in my opinion.

With WeGo, you can take your time to plot all your moves in detail and then sit back and watch the succeeding minute of action over and over again from different angles.

I've tried Real Time for several missions ... but I always found myself CONSTANTLY pausing it and always playing in a very zoomed out level ... and even then, always missing details ..... it is much more cinematic playing in WeGo.

And you then get to post those wonderful details in the screenshots thread!

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I don't split by default instead I split when I need to. For example - to create scouts, to get a small AT team and most commonly to put a squad in a building (each team on its own floor).

Most of the time my squads are unified.

The problem with splitting teams with anything other than the Assault Team split is that your SMG's get mixed in with the LMG's and rifle grenades, or putting it another way your short range weapons get mixed in with your long range ones, this is bad as one of those weapon types is going to be at a disadvantage or not be able to exploit their advantage if engaged.

So if you separate short from long range weapons you can put them at ranges that suit their weapons, this is especially true for PzGrenadiers and SS PzGrenadiers as each squad gets 2 MG 42's and two to three SMG's, so if you Assault Team split you get a nice 6 man squad with 2 MG42's, a sniper rifle and all the rifle grenades, perfect for mid to long range work, and that leaves the other team with all or most of the hand grenades and SMG's for short range work.

Also i would use one of the SMG half teams to scout, that way if they do make contact they have the best weapons to engage at close range if they have to, and if the contact is long range fire then the team can bug out with their task having been completed.

This is all to do with something Von Mellenthin said, and that was to always try and use a weapon for what it was designed for.

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I don't split by default instead I split when I need to. For example - to create scouts, to get a small AT team and most commonly to put a squad in a building (each team on its own floor).

Most of the time my squads are unified.

Exactly my philosophy! Splitting can become micro-management Hell esp with the new- and gigantic- CW maps and scenarios (love them with the extra memory!). In CM1 there was, irc, a small morale penalty for splitting. And that penalty may still be active as far as we know. Additionally, one questions that low experience units should be allowed to split at all, e.g. most of the Russian squads in CMBB.

That said, I do use them a lot- for scouting, breaking off AT teams, small scale assaults and, above all, defense. But I don't want to be *compelled* to split every squad, all the time in the interests of winning. Too much trabajo.

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I nearly always split squads unless I know I am going to have to move them a long way before they make contact. And yes, the work load has become onerous. I don't believe I have played since before Christmas. Every time I think about starting a game, I think about how much work it is going to be, then I groan down deep in my soul and go find something else to do.

For some reason, I never tried splitting squads into assault/support teams, but that makes sense and I will give that a try sometime.

Michael

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Splitting teams is a must. Like others said, first few turns and setup especially takes a lot of time, after that it's much easier going. Being able to put all your support weapons (BAR, zooka) in one team and your guys with thompsons in another is very useful. Though sometimes it's better to have an LMG in each team (if you're playing D for example and need to cover a large area with few troops) Also splitting lowers damage done by mortars, HE shells, etc obviously and gives you more options and flexibility.

Assault command just is not very useful IMO.

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I guess you are one of those wierdos that doesn't care about winning :)

Yes! It's the experience! Winning is so...bourgeois. ;)

Assault command just is not very useful IMO.

That command seems to exist for use in hectic RT matches and for the benefit of the AI-which doesn't split its squads intra-battle. Or the merely lazy.

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Though sometimes it's better to have an LMG in each team (if you're playing D for example and need to cover a large area with few troops)

That's a good point.

Assault command just is not very useful IMO.

I agree, units will use automatically use grenades once they get within 30 metres of an enemy. or if ordred to. with a target command against a terrain feature whatever command they have, so if i need to take a building i tend to go fast to the doorway / windows then stop and let them shoot and throw grenades through any openings after a good dose of suppressing fire of course.

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I do wish there was a reward for keeping your squads together - like a morale boost or something. As it is, it just leads to them all getting suppressed if one of them gets suppressed (when using assault move), or all being killed by a single mortar round.

But in real-time, it's too much to split them really.

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Assault split works for the front line attacking troops. Regular split works for my defenses and supporting troops on attack.

PG truppen regular split gives an MG42 to each team. This is a nice edge on defense when there is an LMG behind every blade of grass.

That MG split is always terrain dependant IMO, i'd rather use my SMG's on the defence if the ranges are sub 100 metres, but if there are nice long LOS available it is wiser to share out the MG42's if defending, two in a half team on defence is overkill.

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I do the same as Noob, if I ever split squads I pick off the assault unit.

Same here for the reasons Noob mentioned. I'm finding it the only way to keep the Tommy guns from blowing all their ammo so quick by controlling range by cover arc. Ideally, and you can’t do it with all squads, I like to break the squad up in to Assault team, Scout team, and then the rest as the main squad team. Any splitting, and not bunching will reduce arty casualties too.

Unfortunately to play your best tacitly you have to break the squads up, and this leads to more micro management. Just the way it is, but it does not bother me much. It is nothing compared to dealing with a couple hundred individuals like the game Sudden Strike I used to play RT online. There were no organized squads at all. Remarkably I was able to control all that better than most players. The key was in the game’s outstanding command and control hotkeys. I have never played any other game that utilized the keyboard layout as effectively. Many keys had up to four variations one could access via the Ctrl and Alt keys in essence changing the keyboard into a Nostromo52 speedpad. One could also string together any amount of commands in a single waypoint chain, which added to efficient control. Here is a sample one could do by selecting a unit just once. Truck go there pick up that guy, then go here and pick up that guy, then pick up that ammo box and drop it off there, then go there and drop off this guy there, then hitch up that gun and drop it off here. And on, and on. Fantastic! CM just added the ability to dismount a formation as a group. Sudden Strike had that, and then some. I am glad CM has added this new feature. It is a step in the right direction for improving the player’s ability to control the units quickly and efficiently.

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