New to this genre

[Mancspartan]

Hi all, Ive d/l the demo and am very interested in playing this type of game. However im very new to "strategy" games, and tho this does look very interesting, Im at a complete loss as to where or how to start, and was wondering if there was any kind tutorial available?

Cheers

Mancspartan

[Bill101]

Hi Mancspartan

The game manual contains some information on how to play, and is available online:

http://www.battlefront.com/index.php?option=com_flippingbook&book_id=18&Itemid=469

However, rather than starting by reading a wordy document, my advice would be to load up the 1918 Kaiserschlacht scenario and play that first, because it will give you a good introduction to the combat mechanism and you'll then be more prepared for the main campaigns. By all means have the manual to hand, but feel free to ask any questions here too.

The basics of combat and movement are left click to select a unit, with it selected, hover your mouse over a target unit (for land units normally an adjacent enemy unit). At the bottom of the screen in the centre it will show the combat odds, e.g. Atkr 1 - Dfdr 2, where 1 is your predicted losses and 2 the target unit's.

Generally it is best to pound a target with artillery prior to attacking it with ground units.

Most ground units, apart from artillery, can move before attacking, but they will attack with less effect if they attack after moving.

Air units have a longer range and Recon Bombers can spot and bomb enemy units, while Fighters will automatically escort the Recon Bombers if the latter are intercepted by enemy Fighters.

I hope this helps to get you started!

Bill

[Mancspartan]

Hiya Bill

That`s great, thanks for the help and advice. As you suggest I`ll try the 1918 Kaiserschlacht scenario first.

Cheers

Mancspartan

[Bill101]

Have fun, and note that I've corrected one thing in my post above about the effectiveness of attacking after moving.

[Mancspartan]

Hiya Bill

Im about to start on my 2nd attempt at this scenario, and was wondering what my first ojectives should be? My first effort was not very tactical, and was mainly me just shooting and bombarding as much as I could I know want to start bringing a proper strategy into play, but Im not sure where to start, and what i should be looking for.

Hope you can help.

Cheers

Rob

[Kommandant]

Hiya Bill

Im about to start on my 2nd attempt at this scenario, and was wondering what my first ojectives should be? My first effort was not very tactical, and was mainly me just shooting and bombarding as much as I could I know want to start bringing a proper strategy into play, but Im not sure where to start, and what i should be looking for.

Hope you can help.

Cheers

Rob

Hey Mancspartan welcome to the world of wargame

First, i would recomend you to see what are the main objectives for you to win the game, there is a botton when you go to select the campaing map that is called "Victory" it shows the victory conditions for both sides. I would recomend, if tou play Central Powers, to focus your forces to take this objectives, mainly the ones that look less defended and attack in weak spots, places where there is no river or the unit is weaker, like a cavalary unit, focus artillary fire into one or two units, the more you hit them the better. If you play entente try to defend the objectives tha are worth defending, and try to use hill, rivers, forests, towns and cities with entrench, as this positions will give you a advantage in the defensive and try to leave 2 or 3 shells in your artillaries as they you fire at attacking enemies, but try to keep the shells raining in the enemy during your turn, that is the basic of attriction warfare.

Anyway, i would say that the best way to learn how to play is to read the manual and play, as much as you can. SC was my first wargame also, it took me sometime to learn the basics and develop some usefull strategy.]

Hope i helped

[Mancspartan]

Hiya Kommandant

Thankyou very much for the reply, much appreciated. Im currently playing the demo, 1918 Kaiserschlacht scenario as CP, to get a feel for this type of gaming. My target is to get to the town of Amiens, which is a long way away.

I understand cos this is the demo I only get "x" number of turns before it ends so need to try and get to grips with everything in a short space of time At the risk of asking a stupid question - Why should I not attack where there is a river?

Cheers

[Kommandant]

Hey Mancspartan, glad to be helpfull, i would recomend you to focus in garanting a minor victory with CP as first objective, then, if you have the time and forces, try a major victory, set long term goals and imidiate goals that will lead you to victory.

There are no stupid questions when you are learning Mancspartan. Every time an enemy unit is in a title where it has a river, the unit will have the cover of the river, if you are attacking the unit from anotehr title that has the river between your unit and the enemy unit, to help in the defence of it's position. You can see this in game when you are about to strike the enemy unit and you have to cross a river, a simbol that looks like a smooth SS will apear right at the side of the predicted casulaties for the attacker and the defender.

Not attack crossing a river is a basic notion in strategy, as you can imagine when a army try to cross a river under fire the casulties will be higher, because, if there is a bridge, it will be narrow and with virtually no cover, if there is no brigde, soldiers use boats or build simple bridges to cross the river. Rivers were and are used as defensive lines by military forces in all the world.

If you have any questions about how to play, or what is the best way to approach an enemy army and what forces to employ fell free to ask, me or anyone in the forum will answer you eventully. And remember, there is no stupid question when you are learning something.

[Mancspartan]

Thanks again Kommandant. It is nice to hear from someone who tries to answer the question and help, rather than flaming.

Heres another question - I have a Tank Corps that I can move around the map, but I dont seem to be able to instruct it to attack the enemy - why is that?

Also in the properties section of the Tank Corps I have the option of selecting "Tank Brigade" or "River", what does that mean?

Cheers

[wlape3]

In SC the sequence for tank units is move => attack. You must attack while the attacking unit is selected, otherwise the opportunity will be lost. Unfortunately, you cannot combine units for a single attack; instead you must attack in sequence. Thus, you are better off "softening up" your intended target with artillery, rockets, naval gunfire or bombing before using a regular unit. This way you can accumulate experience while minimizing your losses.

The two options you are seeing when you right click on a unit and pick "properties" refer to the unit itself and the tile it is sitting on. When the tile contains at least one feature (terrain, resource, etc) you will be offered a choice to examine those properties as well as those of the unit.

Kommandant has the right idea, the only "stupid" question is the one you had the opportunity to ask but didn't .

[Bill101]

Hopefully this helps Mancspartan but don't hesitate to ask further if you need to, and if you do get the game, playing a multiplayer game with someone really is the quickest way to get a grip of how to play, because you'll probably have your backside handed to you on a plate, but you'll learn so much from the experience and no doubt come back and teach the teacher a thing or two!!

I know that was my experience with SC1, I remember my first game with some embarrassment, but things got a lot better after that.

[Mancspartan]

Hiya All

Thanks very much for all your help, much appreciated. Im really enjoying playing the Demo, and I think I`ll be purchasing the game. Also got a friend of mine very interested as well

Ive been reading the AAR for the WW2 scenario, which is fantastic. I have a question tho - can you please tell me what "Tac Air" is?

Cheers

[wlape3]

Tactical Bombers, aka, flying artillery like Stukas.

[Mancspartan]

Thanks wlape3

[SeaMonkey]

Now remember when an enemy unit is entrenched to first reduce the entrenchment before attacking with your heavy units. Bombers, SF, get two levels reduced at a time. But...yes..there is a downside, especially if the de-entrenching units are teched up and reinforcements are most expensive to bring the units strength back. In a case like this, I like to keep some cheap corps around, unteched, just to attack the enemy and reduce the entrenchments and then use the heavy hitters with experience.

Think of it like this, 5 MPPs for a step of corps strength vs 25 for a good(teched) air unit.

[Mancspartan]

Thanks SeaMonkey . Just to clarify, what is "SF"?

[wlape3]

probably "Special Forces".

[Mancspartan]

Thanks wlape3.

[Mancspartan]

Thanks for your help so far guys. I have now bought the game and have started as the CP. Im right at the beginning, and want to declare war on Belgium, but cant find where/how to do that

Could you please advise.

[Bill101]

Hi

If you click on the Maps button (4th one down on the right) then select War Map, make sure you have the German flag selected and then click on the Belgian flag on the map. Then click on the Declare War button and off you go!

[Mancspartan]

Hiya Bill

Thanks very much - again

[Kommandant]

Thanks for your help so far guys. I have now bought the game and have started as the CP. Im right at the beginning, and want to declare war on Belgium, but cant find where/how to do that

Could you please advise.

Hey Mancspartan good to know you have bought the game, play some times as CP or Entente against the AI and latter come to the forum for a challange against another player. :cool:

Oh, and good luck conquering europe

[Mancspartan]

Hiya Guys

Ive been playing against the AI and have another couple of questions please, if you dont mind.

i) Is the Forcd March feature available in Call to Arms? If so how does it work?

ii) Ive noticed the AI moving troops quite a distance along railway lines. How do I move my troops along railway lines, whilst in my own territory of course.

iii) On the graphic of a unit you have the figure showing the strength of that unit, and then sometimes there are 1 or 2 smaller numbers - what do they mean?

Thanks again, I really do appreciate the help you send my way

[Kommandant]

When you select the you unit, only land units, in the menu in the right, will appear an opition that looks like a soldier and an arrow, its, if i recall, the 3rd opition from the top to bottom. Just click it, and your unit will move 2 times faster in your controled territory, but the unit will not atk and will lose some morale in the process.

When you click with the right mouse bottom over an unit, land and air units only, an opition will appear that is called "opperate", it will only be possible to select it if the unit is over an rail, in case of air unit it only need to have 3 supply value to operate in any title, rail or not. You spend some MPP doing this, but it's the best way to send troops to the front lines fast. Note, that when you operate, your unit will not do anything more in this turn and will lose some morale.

the small numbers are tech lvl of the units, when you upgrade an unit that number indicates the tech lvl of the unit. You can upgrade your units by clicking with the right mouse bottom over it and selecting upgrade, or when you're going to buy the unit you can select the tech lvl it will come. Upgrading costs MPP and you need to reach the tech lvl first, so you can upgrade your units.

[Bill101]

Hi Mancspartan

i) When you select a unit that can Forced March, if you look on the right hand side of the screen (where the interface buttons usually are) there will be an image of a man with an arrow pointing to the right. Click on this and you'll see that the range of movement possible for this unit will have increased.

ii) If you right click on a unit that is on a railroad then providing you have some MPPs, and the nearest resources have a strength of 5 or more then you should be able to Operate it. You will be asked if you want to do so, and advised of the cost, and if you say yes then you will then be able to deploy it elsewhere by left clicking.

iii) These numbers denote research upgrades that the unit has been equipped with. If you right click on that unit and select Properties, it will bring up a screen showing that unit's combat statistics, and the research categories applicable to it along with any upgrades.

I hope this makes sense but don't hesitate to come back if you have any further questions.

Bill

Edit: I see that the Kommandant posted too!