Predicting movement route

[Fed]

I recently found out a wire and low hedge was not passable by making the order to go to the other side of the wire (and later, low hedge) only to see my men running a long way off to get there. I was wondering if there was a way to predict the route a unit will move for a given order. Or do you just have to hope you found the hole in the wire, or the hole is big enough (for armor), etc.

I'd like to ask the same about fording rivers.

Thanks in advance,

Fed

[A Canadian Cat]

One thing that you might be running into is that it takes practice to differentiate between low bocage (which is impassible) and a hedge (which is passable). Wire is *not* passable for infantry. This is why your guys went the long way. Hedges in the game are really really small and look pretty well trimmed. Low bocage does not look like it should stop infantry but it does.

Dealing with:

Bocage - You need to look for gaps. Infantry can get through even the small man sized holes. To do this get down to camera level 1 and move the camera along the bocage line looking for gaps. Usually you can see where the berm dips down to ground level. You can make your own gaps with Rino equipped tanks or by blasting with engineers or breach teams.

Wire - Your infantry will not be able to go through it - they will go around it. So you need to use armour to drive over it - then your infantry can cross. Engineers or breach teams can blast it wholes in wire. An artillery barrage can also sometimes create gaps in the wire.

Ford - Before you try to cross a river you need to find the fords. Once you know where a ford is place your movement way point on the shore at the location of the ford and then another way point on the opposite shore so the line between them is over the ford. To find fords you can look at the terrain along the river. Most authors put a bit of mud or dirt at the ends of a ford. Alternatively, and to verify that there is really a ford at the location you think, drop the camera down to level 1 and put it in the middle of the river. You should sink a bit below the surface. Now move the camera along the river following its direction changes so that you always stay a bit below the surface. When you find a ford you will see the round rise up from the bottom and when the camera is in the ford you will no longer be a bit below the surface.

[Erwin]

"Most authors put a bit of mud or dirt at the ends of a ford."

This is also a good idea for designers to use re bocage gaps. There are many small gaps that one can see through that are NOT passable, and it is confusing without the mud "hint".

[Broadsword56]

You may also be plotting your movement orders in overly long segments with too few waypoints. It's not possible to play CMBN well by sitting up on a high view, drawing long movement paths, and trusting that the tac AI will find the most tactically intelligent movement paths. Get down to soldier's eye level and get a good look at the terrain, and plot a waypoint everywhere the unit needs to change direction -- at least in situations where enemy units or fire may be encountered.

[womble]

One way to find Fords is to select a unit, then draw a large Cover Arc that lies over the water you're interested in crossing. The CA won't draw yellow over the impassable bits. If you choose a vehicle to do this with you can then try hovering a movement mode cursor over the bits that are passable to at least some units, to find out which exclude the crossing of vehicles.

[Erwin]

"The CA won't draw yellow over the impassable bits."

Really? Very useful observation. Thanks!

[womble]

"The CA won't draw yellow over the impassable bits."

Really? Very useful observation. Thanks!

I think it's that way round. You'll see it when you try it, I'm sure.

[JonS]

You can also get into the river and 'swim' along it - the fords will be noticeably higher than the rest of the river.

Also, good design practice is to have a road or track leading down to the river, across the ford then up and way again on the other side (otherwise ... why is the ford there :confused: ). The lack of a track/road is no guarantee that there isn't a ford, and the presence of one is no guarantee that there isn't, but it's a good hint.

[Fed]

Thanks for the ideas.