When you have a lot of units in the field . . .

[BeauCoupDinkyDau]

Do you micro manage each one or go for group commands?

I hate when I have to issue 5 move commands to ten diffrent halftracks just to get them moving down a twisting road. At times though, it seems like if I don't micro manage like this, I'll loose more units than necessary due to the AI's poor pathfinding when I issue the group command.

Man am I lazy! How do others feel about this issue?

[funnyman]

Im with you I hate to give micromanagment.

[Lah]

Well I can't handle it vs the AI and lose interest in the game quickly.

But! vs a human opponent I love everything about the game

It helps learning the plotting shortcuts like right clicks and space bar editing of waypoints.

[BeauCoupDinkyDau]

Of course, sometimes it isn't just the AI pathfinding that forces me to loose units at an unacceptable rate. . .

. . .sometimes I micromanage myself right into an ambush.

[Dirtweasle]

Just my 2 cents, the game really shines at about the 2000 / 3000 point level, about a reinforced Company sized combat team or so. The big battles with lots of units is cumbersome. The interface shows it's limitations when trying to manage the OOB of battalion sized formations, ie, scrolling through each and every unit, and not being able to jump from platoon commander unit to another.

[gredeker]

I tend to micromanage, but then I'm an anal-retentive personality type.

As a result, I prefer to play 1000 point or less TCP/IP or PBEM.

One of the neat micromanaging somewhat gamey things you can do is use lots of waypoints, then stretch them as needed on a subsequent turn. For example, you have a vehicle that you want to stick its nose around a the corner of an obstacle a hundred meters away, and if it's safe, then continue on. I'll then put 4 or 5 waypoints about a meter or two apart right at the crucial "decision point", in this case where the vehicle comes out of cover (could easily be a hill crest, fork in a road, whatever). Next turn then, you can change the red waypoints by dragging them around and/or changing the order type. Instead of having 5 "hunt" waypoints, you can stretch it into doing a Tophat & and Lowsky (hunt, reverse, hunt, reverse), switch them to "fast" if the coast is clear, reverse backwards into some better cover, etc.

The trick to making all this work is plotting long orders with many waypoints, and it works especially well for veteran and above units. In essence, it allows regular units to react in a limited fashion with no command delay. That can be the difference between a unit sitting there getting pummeled for 8 or 13 seconds, or getting the heck out of dodge as soon as the movie starts.

Yes, it's more work, but the payoff can really be worth it, especially in settings with lots of LOS blockages (urban areas, roads through woods, etc.)

[ 12-05-2001: Message edited by: redeker ]</p>

[Equinox]

A 'follow' command would be a lifesaver, thats for sure. Mixed convoys of wheels/tracks/HTs in addition to a mix of Green/Reg/Vet can make for a real headache/math problem. Things tend to get real strung out or bunched up.

[gredeker]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Equinox:

A 'follow' command would be a lifesaver, thats for sure. Mixed convoys of wheels/tracks/HTs in addition to a mix of Green/Reg/Vet can make for a real headache/math problem. Things tend to get real strung out or bunched up.<hr></blockquote>

Moving a mixed convoy fast is a skill that I'm developing, and it's pretty comical when it doesn't work. But when it does work - oh man, it's a beautiful thing.

BTW, a road can generally handle two vehicles side by side, so you can (for example) give all HTs of the same type a fast move on the left and others a slow move on the right. Of course, there are subtleties to the technique - you, green ht, move for 10 meters off the road then cut in, but stay at move for another 50 meters while somebody else cuts in front of you, then switch to fast...

[BeauCoupDinkyDau]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Equinox:

Things tend to get real strung out or bunched up.<hr></blockquote>

"All right, don't bunch up, stay loose."

"Ah, your transmission's show'n a lot of break up."

"Probably getting some interference from the structure."

[Equinox]

Yeah, I need to work on it some. Ive had a couple occasions that got really messy. It was started by somthing strange. I think a regular Sherm bumped into a Jumbo which caused it to stop. The HT following it behind tryed to avoid it, pulled into scattered trees and got bogged, leaving that squad blowing in the wind by the end of the turn. I think another of my Shermans pulled off the road and suffered a similiar fate. I was not very happy. :mad:

[Dogface21]

I love it when you have a fast convoy, the first unit stopps(killed,whatever) and you get that 'pileup' effect. Halftacks bug out, tanks start turning into eachother, a big fat clusterfudge.

Thats one point the tac AI could be strengthend in. I dont think massive pileups were that common on a battlefield and it would untangle the strat AI a little bit.

[Treeburst155]

Managing heavy traffic, especially with different experience levels is quite tedious, but very rewarding when you pull it off nicely. You absolutely have to micromanage road movement with traffic. If you get sloppy you get a pile-up every time.

All Or Nothing is great for two way road travel, especially for the British. I had a regular freeway going ferrying troops around. The muddy conditions force you to deal with the roads. It was a thing of beauty to watch, but it took an hour to plot every turn.

Treeburst155 out.

Treeburst155 out.

[109 Gustav]

If you really like convoying, I recommend Russelmz's Decision scenario. Halftracks, jeeps, and trucks all have to share the same road to move a company as fast as possible. Then there's the monster truck madness scenario. Lots of fun to watch.

[Dirtweasle]

The "road to Luneville" scenario is another one with lots of trucks, tracks, etc. to move.

[russellmz]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by 109 Gustav:

If you really like convoying, I recommend Russelmz's Decision scenario. Halftracks, jeeps, and trucks all have to share the same road to move a company as fast as possible. Then there's the monster truck madness scenario. Lots of fun to watch.<hr></blockquote>

i wholeheartedly agree with gustav: deanco's monster truck madness is funny as hell. i had downloaded the save file he did since i am a lazy SOB, so no movement commands just lmao watching the "race".

also mentioned by gus is my decision scenario. it's great practice for practicing movement commands: if you don't screw up you can get conscript, reg, vet, and crack vehicles in and out of a town and over a bridge in less than five minutes.

another run the hell away scenario is "nachut", where the germans try and run the hell away. fun scenario but there is the truck ai which drives me crazy sometimes cause they are all panicky and don't move where they are supposed to sometimes..