Using the Pause Command

[ravells]

Apart from with arty spotters sometimes, (and as the manual says to try and keep armour together while moving) I have never found a use for the pause command...can anyone give me some practical pointers for its use?

Many thanks!

Ravs

[dieseltaylor]

Armour? The big problem is infantry where the HQ tends to end up in front of his men whch is a bad place to be. Pauses will make sure he starts moving after them.

For armour and infantry you can pause so as to stagger the appearance to the enemy so that your later units can be advantageously placed for a shot. This relies on the AI getting bemused as to which target to go for and can be very effective.

[Michael Emrys]

I used the pause quite a bit when trying to set up a column of vehicles moving down a road. Helps to avoid traffic jams. Not a perfect instrument, but it helps.

Michael

[ravells]

Cool thanks guys! It never occured to me to use the pause to advance HQs less far, I would just advance them not as far as the units...but the pause makes sure that the HQ doesn't take the fire first. Thanks!

[Zarquon]

Your defending tank has LOS to a target but you know there will be more enemy tanks showing up in about a minute, outnumbering you. Plot a reverse move (getting you behind cover) with a 30-second pause, that lets you get off another 3 rounds. Or plot a move with a 57-second delay: at the beginning of the next turn, your tank has already begun moving but only a few meters. You can now either cancel the move or get out of danger immediately, depending on the new situation. Sometimes you can even move the waypoint and change it to an immediate forward move, if that suits you better.

[ravells]

That's what I was looking for! Thanks Zarq! I knew there had to be a combat use for it.

[Vark]

What, that button is a life saver! Take a platoon advancing to contact, each squad has an advance order but using the pause button you can have the squads sequentially advance as the others are stationary. Make sure each squad only advances in short bounds that take 20 seconds, all the squads have a 10 second delay so

Squad 1 keeps the original 10 second delay

Squad 2 pause 20 seconds so moves 30 seconds later

Squad 3 pause for 40 seconds so moving 50 seconds after squad 1

Squad 4 should move 10 seconds into next turn, so maximum pause and pause/cancel next turn, depending on the delay incurred (sometimes you can get 60 seconds sometimes not)

The HQ unit should move with squad 2 or 3, but the pause button allows great tactical flexibility.

I always found it highly satisfying when one squad of pixel truppen dashed forward as the ones ahead stopped and began to kneel down and this pattern was repeated. Once I'd read Jasons posts about infantry tactics my advances become fearsome waves of slowly rising and resting units. The tactic is invaluable as you close, because advancing troops have firepower reduced by 50% and the pause button, used this way, allows maximum suppressive firepower to assist an assaulting squad. I might add it is highly unrealistic for Soviet units who used the move/fire routine with platoons not individual squads, though their tactic of all dashing forward to reach broken ground/brush etc is penalised by the stupid morale affects for running. Modern British infantry are still taught to dash for cover, if close by, when under attack, try that in CM and see the result!

Another tactic is quite risky but valuable if mortars are running low on ammo, fire an on board mortar but plot a sneak move and pause it for thirty seconds. Your support unit will now fire approx 10 rounds before stopping to start to sneak and be ready to fire next turn because the set up delay will have the same effect. I was getting sick of engaging targets, spotted by an HQ (which means area fire) and having the desired effect on the target within 30 seconds, only to have the mortar waste its entire supply on empty ground. Now when troops try to hide in buildings or advance my mortars play havoc, breaking up attacks repeatedly. Warning, using this tactic against guns can be tricky, as sometimes a whole minutes worth of firing is needed to achieve results, though sometimes using a short move order means your mortar starts engaging at 30+ seconds, this allows you to monitor the effects after the turn has finished. ( a routed crew will appear as another hidden unit icon, next to the gun, a dead giveaway!)

[ravells]

That's brilliant! Thanks Vark!!