why am i shite at this game

[para]

how do you guys play this game? if i have over 20 units i'm hopeless

[The_Enigma]

practice?

[Sirocco]

I personally prefer an 800 point limit, which tends to give you the numbers you seem more comfortable with. You don't have to command an entire battalion to enjoy the game.

[soft skin]

Here's my advice for what it's worth: when you have a lot of units, try to create seperate groups for your advance. Often in large scenarios, your troops are forming a long line across the map or something similar. I tend to reassemble them in distinct fighting force according to A) objectives and terrain/line of advance.

I end up playing a *game* with each one of my groups, as they were seperate battles. Depending of the opposition you face, move in your reserve to support the group that needs it.

It easy to feel overwhelm by large scenario, and as cliché as it sounds, practice does make better.

Anyways, that's how I do it. I hope that helps.

[SpitfireXI]

Just play games knowing you will lose to get practice. I used to intentionally do dumb things to see how the AI would kill my units. Helped me quite alot. Also, having no fog of war really helped as I was able to better understand how my units fight without having to worry about ambushes and such.

[para]

thnx for the advice guys...

anyone able to tell me about any good downloadable scenarios they have played, which might be good for someone of my limited experience...

thnx again

[Philippe]

Take a look at the byte battles at Der Kessel.

[para]

Originally posted by Philippe:

Take a look at the byte battles at Der Kessel.

i like you Philippe your very helpful

[General Bolt]

I use the + plus and - minus commands to step thru my entire force each turn. No squad left behind. Sometimes it takes 2 or 3 sequences till I'm happy with a turn.

[junk2drive]

Set FOW to NONE will allow you and your enemy to see all the units on the battlefield.

Try playing something small vs AI that way as a learning tool. As you get better, up the FOW.

[YankeeDog]

One simple tip for larger matches:

Don't fall into the trap of thinking your should be doing something with all of your units every turn. In most larger battles, with larger maps and all, large parts of my forces will spend significant amounts of time in "low maintenance" tasks, such as reserve or flank guard.

These units still take time to get these units set up and in position, but once you do, you usually just need to check in with them now and then and make sure they haven't spotted any approaching enemy.

[para]

it appears that i can defend fairly well but attacking thats another story...

[Mad Russian]

Originally posted by para:

thnx for the advice guys...

anyone able to tell me about any good downloadable scenarios they have played, which might be good for someone of my limited experience...

thnx again

Check out any of the tiny, and small HSG scenarios, on the Scenario Depot. These are intentionally small unit fights.

They were not designed with training in mind, but they are very competitive scenarios, and will allow you to practice. Most have versions that the AI will do at least a plausible job playing the opposing side.

The smaller scenarios allow you to play them more times and try different things in the same space of time.

[SKELLEN]

Originally posted by para:

how do you guys play this game? if i have over 20 units i'm hopeless

As the manual states:"This is not a video game. It requires thoughtful strategy and tactical skill to overcome the enemy while preserving one's own forces and achieving the mission objectives."

Bear this in mind and practice as much as possible, initially against the AI if need be and then another human when you feel confident enough.

Just start small and learn to walk before you can run so to speak and don't get discouraged as it does take time, and then your strategy and tactical skill will eventually manifest itself.

Also you might want to do a search on this site for any specific subject that you have trouble with, as there are plenty of topics for your perusal, and assuming you have the time of course.

[leakyD]

Patience is the key to winning in CM.

As soon as I'm doing well in most battles (regardless of size), I get all cocky, and BOOM, I make a HUGE mistake.

Someday I'll learn...maybe....

[GRUMLIN]

Hey Leaky -

That sounds like my sort of oppo....send me a game

G

[Bone_Vulture]

Originally posted by para:

it appears that i can defend fairly well but attacking thats another story...

There are many dimensions to attacking. I usually play quick battles, so I'll give advice from that perspective.

1) Be aware of the weather conditions and time of day. Rainy or cloudy weather usually means moist ground, which is trouble for tanks, especially for the German Stugs and heavy tanks. Also, fog and night time can both severely limit your line of sight - this will render long range artillery useless, unless you use pre-planned bombardments.

2) When purchasing stuff, keep in mind what sort of offensive maneuver is in question. Probe means no fortifications on the enemy. Attack means some, and during assault, nearly all of the enemy's defense is formed of fortifications. There are several units that are nearly always indispensable for the attacker. Here are some of my shopping list priorities:

Medium field mortars, roughly 1 per 400 points spent. These 81/82mm mortars are your best friend, when you need to demolish an entrenched antitank gun.

A pioneer platoon, in over 1000 point matches. The only unit that can demolish minefields other than the daisy chain ones. The satchel charges the pioneers pck make them also very frightening foes against dug-in infantry and enemy armor: when fighting soft targets, try aiming in the middle of the opponents, close enough to your team that you see the "using explosives" message. This way, the pioneer platoon will wallop the satchel charge there on the following turn. You'll love it. It'll hit like a 152mm artillery shell.

Light scouting vehicles. Seek halftracks and armored cars that have good off-road capabilities. The purpose of these vehicles is to act as primary source of fire support for your troops, and try to lure out enemy AT guns, so that they can't ambush your core armor.

... There were some pointers. Anything specifically bothering you during attacks, Para?

[Blutzeit]

Being fairly new to the game myself, this is how I practice.

1) Learn to crawl (Massing fire): play small QB vs AI and pick just 1 type of units. E.g. all small-arms infantry, or HT, or tanks, or AT, or arty, and so on. Getting an idea who and how to engage each type of unit.

2) Then walk (Combined ams): Same, but combine 2 types of units, eg inf + HTs, inf + tanks, etc. And then combine 3 or more types. The trick is to win the rock-paper-scissor game.

3) Up to running speed: Larger QBs or scenarios. Combinations of units not only in space but in time as well. Attacking in waves (i.e. first attack enemy ATs, then MGs, and last remaining inf), and proper use of reserves.

[para]

Bone Vulture this is some of my probs on attack..lmao

1 any partcular qb's should i choose to practice with?

2 i havent even got as far as purchasing yet

3 should i use scouts 1st and foremost to seek out enemy?

4 scout vehicles or troops or both?

5 mortars when im attacking i dont know whether to move them or not

6 general placement of men and machines

7 arty & spotters

8 troops do i concentrate them or spread em out while advancing

9 which command is the best when moving forward...advance/fast/mov

e/sneak etc...

10 combined arms attacks

[Bone_Vulture]

Originally posted by para:

Bone Vulture this is some of my probs on attack..lmao

1 any partcular qb's should i choose to practice with?

2 i havent even got as far as purchasing yet

3 should i use scouts 1st and foremost to seek out enemy?

4 scout vehicles or troops or both?

5 mortars when im attacking i dont know whether to move them or not

6 general placement of men and machines

7 arty & spotters

8 troops do i concentrate them or spread em out while advancing

9 which command is the best when moving forward...advance/fast/mov

e/sneak etc...

10 combined arms attacks

ROFL for you too.

Ok, I was just heading to the gym, so I try to give a few brief answers, and continue later.

1) Try these attributes: '43 summer, central region, Heer vs. Soviet infantry. Combined arms force mix. Variable unit rarity, no casualties or ammo loss. 800 point attack. Town / farmland terrain, clear / cloudy, moderate / dense woods and hilliness. This type of setup should be most balanced for both sides.

2) I suggest that you take max points without restrictions like rarity or purchase cap, and buy one vehicle of each type to get a hang of their armaments and armor. I don't know how versed you are with WWII history, but any prior knowledge will help, especially simple trivia about the most well known tanks and guns.

3) Try running half squads before your main force: always "test the water" with minimal resources. The idea of scouting is to reveal major enemy ambushes so that your main force will get to advance unscathed. The problems are that scouting takes time; it takes learning to become a speedy reconnaissance player.

Also be prepared that a more experienced player may have anti-recon units: lone MG's or armored cars, whose primary function is to pin down your scouts without revealing the major ambushing force.

4) Infantry is the backbone of scouting, can't manage without 'em. Scout vehicles are good for light fire support and for luring enemy AT assets out of hiding. Again, beware of anti-recon forces: A wise Soviet player always packs along several AT rifles, that'll again ruin your scout vehicles, without exposing the hiding defenders.

5) Field mortars require either LOS to the target, or an ad hoc spotter. In either case, you will likely have to move them. Depending on the weather, you may want to purchase halftracks to allow faster deployment. Now, the ad hoc spotter that I mentioned works like this.

An HQ unit that you have - a squad leader for instance - has LOS to an enemy MG. If the leader stays unpinned and is not hiding, a mortar that it is within command control of the HQ can fire on the MG, even if it lacks the LOS. You will see the "FIRE" text when you aim the mortar on the target. Be aware that the mortar will keep dishing fire to the spot until you order it to stop, even if the MG has been destroyed.

... I'll let the other semi-grogs take turns answering the rest. I'll check back later.

[para]

good advice BV

just played 2 maps(attacker 1xaxis 1xruss) won one and drew the other..so a bit of an improvement..i think will stick too very small battles for now till i grow out of em

[Bone_Vulture]

Originally posted by para:

6 general placement of men and machines

7 arty & spotters

8 troops do i concentrate them or spread em out while advancing

9 which command is the best when moving forward...advance/fast/mov

e/sneak etc...

10 combined arms attacks

Ok, let's continue. I'll shead some quick advice.

6) Generally, you should obviously keep the most pricey units always under maximal protection, and only set them at risk if the time is against you. A tank on your side can turn the tide of the battle, but a tank lost might lead to immediate tactical defeat, and also an outcome of defeat when the finals scores are calculated.

I've explained recon: the whole point if this maneuvering is to only expose your cheapest units, to draw out the hiding enemies that might harm your more expensive units. Be prepared to counter the anti-recon tactics: field mortars, snipers and light field guns can maneuver to suppress the enemy forces that are trying to stall your recon effort.

7) German & Soviet artillery behave in stark contrast to each other: due to the low organization distance, German artillery is usually fast to respond, and if the spotter has LOS, the bombs should drop usually in around three minutes. The drawback is that these artillery formations generally have less ammo than their Soviet counterparts, and are more expensive.

Now, Soviet off-board artillery is plentisome and cheap; the price for this is tha high organization level for anything heavier than mortar batteries, usually corps or army level. This means that in order to rain the heavy shells, you have to set pre-planned bombardments, or use TRPs when defending.

If the map is large in size or offers little cover, purchasing a spotter team that has a radio might be a wise maneuver. They move faster, and can board vehicles, unlike the ordinary spotters, that haul invisible cable in their wake.

8) Whatever feels best: Haveing a broad approach of infantry will allow you to scan the the entire battelfield's length for weaknesses in enemy defenses, that can be exploited by faster units. The drawback is generally higher casualties, and the difficulty to amass your slower troops for the final push, once you've withing a shooting distance of the victory flags.

On the other hand, an extremely concentrated spearhead will likely drive you through any defenses, but will leave you vulnerable to enemy flank attacks. Minefields and bombardments called by the defender will also cause higher casualties with this kind of approach. Ideally, you should be able to figure which tactic is better with the intel you've gathered with your initial recon run.

9) Run/fast command lets your troops maneuver quickly across clear, dry terrain. Trying to run in forest will wear down your troops quickly. The ordinary move/walk command is good for steady approach before reaching enemy defenses: your troops will remain fresh, but they are extremely vulnerable to ambushes if they trigger one while walking.

Advance is like "move under fire". Causes light fatigue, but your troops are less vulnerable to enemy fire, and make steady progress. Assault is the most straining movement type. Your troops will storm forewards with guns blazing towards their waypoint. Try not to set asault commands farther than 30 meters away, even for fresh troops.

10) I think the advice above should enough for a while.

[para]

thnx to all you guys for the advice

i have played several maps today and i can see that i have made steady progress already

[Tobias Möller]

Para, Im a newbie at this game too, more or less atleast. I generally love Strategic games but im not especially good at them most of the times. Mabye we could play some small PBEM matches? Do you have icq?msn? or should we use email? my mail is public in my profile. Just mail me your contact information. Or the pbem file ;]

[para]

Originally posted by Tobias Möller:

Para, Im a newbie at this game too, more or less atleast. I generally love Strategic games but im not especially good at them most of the times. Mabye we could play some small PBEM matches? Do you have icq?msn? or should we use email? my mail is public in my profile. Just mail me your contact information. Or the pbem file ;]

sounds good tobias

i have emailed you