Advance and Assault, when to use?

[Ex Bellator]

While I wait for the game, I thought I'd brush up on the new commands in CMBB.

I understand the basic premise of Advance being moving from cover to cover and Assault a more vigorous charge home, but at the moment (just with the demo), I'd like to know at what typical distances from the target a unit should execute an Advance or Assault to maximise their usefulness.

For example - Run or Walk to 100m from the enemy position, Advance to within 50m, Assault to bayonet point.

Any advice as to how to get the most from these commands appreciated.

[WWB]

You are a very brave man if you can run or walk to within 100m of the enemy position. I usually use move to contact until, well, contact. Then start using advance after that. Assault might get used at the very end.

WWB

[Dirtweasle]

If you use the move to contact order the unit stops when it sees an enemy unit. Won't it stop in the open? Or will it continue on to the first cover in the path? Because if the unit sees an enemy and stops in the open it could be curtains for that hapless unit, no?

[Redwolf]

It will stop in the open.

The proper sequence is to use a non-stopping move command between patches of cover and stopping commands in cover.

However, the new system of added delays for multiple waypoints makes this expensive. I am not sure the system is an improvement as it is now.

[Dirtweasle]

Originally posted by redwolf:

However, the new system of added delays for multiple waypoints makes this expensive. I am not sure the system is an improvement as it is now.

With the demo scenarios you only got a taste, I am very curious how this will work out too. But from what I've read here it seems like a reasonable way to model the early war Russians.

[Michael Emrys]

Steve has said that higher quality troops get significantly shorter delays.

Michael

[WWB]

Originally posted by Dirtweasle:

If you use the move to contact order the unit stops when it sees an enemy unit. Won't it stop in the open? Or will it continue on to the first cover in the path? Because if the unit sees an enemy and stops in the open it could be curtains for that hapless unit, no?

I have been playing CMBB for a bit now, and you are alot better off with a stopped unit getting shot at and returning fire (if it sees something--rare on EFOW) than just blithley walking through the hail of bullets somme style. Remember, you are only talking about half a turn on average, not to mention with EFOW on stopped and pinned units will often disappear.

Remember that even open ground provides some cover.

One reason you will end up using this order more is due to the fatigue modeling in CMBB. You cant run or advance everwhere without fatigueing your men way too quickly. Run under fire is suicide, and when units are just moving they will not return fire.

As for the multiple waypoint time hit, I find it to be wonderful and refreshing. It really inhibits the micromanagement that one often saw in CM.

WWB

[lewallen]

I find that I don't use Move To Contact much after the first couple of turns, or until first contact is made. Units will move until they see *anything*, even if it's 1000m off behind them and looking the other way. It'd be more useful, IMHO, if Move To Contact would move until something appears in, say the forward 180 degree arc, and at a certain range. Not quite sure what the best implementation would be, but as it is, I find my units stopping way too often.

~Sam