TheVolskinator
Administrator / Lead Developer
 Posts: 3012
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« on: April 30, 2011, 12:04:21 pm » |
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Small preview of a guide of sorts I was planning to put up here. C&C welcome, but make it constructive, not the usual dysfunctional bullshit trolling that stuff like this usually gets, PLEASE. Many thanks for reading.
Advanced Combined Arms Tactics & Formations
I – Intro
II – Basic concepts and mindsets
III – Flanking Machine Guns & ATGs…
A) – As the Americans
B) – As the Commonwealth
C) – As the Wehrmacht
D) – As the Panzer Elite
IV – Attacking a dug-in Defensive Position…
A) – As the Americans
B) – As the Commonwealth
C) – As the Wehrmacht
D) – As the Panzer Elite
V – Defending your own Positions…
A) – As the Americans
B) – As the Commonwealth
C) – As the Wehrmacht
D) – As the Panzer Elite
VI – Basic Formations
A) – Colum
B) – Line-Abrest
C) –
I – Introduction
In Company of Heroes, many a player forgoes tactics of any sort and instead relies on brute strength or any number of given ‘I win’ buttons that are available to many different factions, companies, or units. The use of said tactics, however, can give you a descisive advantage over your opponents; when entire teams work in concert the effect is magnified, and seemingly impassible defenses can be melted or completely bypassed, as well as forlorn Alamo positions defended to the last man.
II – The concepts
‘Might makes right!’ – This is wrong. Brute force isn’t your first option in approaching a given field problem, in fact, if you look to minimize your losses this should be the last option you ever consider. Using shock units such as M8 Grayhounds, Staghounds, Pumas, or even M4 Shermans or Panzer IVs to punch a hole through which the rest of your forces can pour and exploit is, however, a very effective tactic—in fact, this is the premise of the classic military blitzkrieg.
‘My infantry have better weapons and more veterancy—screw caution!’ – An intelligent opponent knows that his units lack the veterancy or slew of automatic weaponry that your forces have, and can easily use this to his advantage and play on your overconfidence. Not all opponents are as observant as the example given, so this may not apply to everyone (e.g., you can simply roll over whatever units he’s using to defend a position). However, making assumptions can often cloud your judgement or lead to mistakes that cost you units, veterancy, and ultimately the battle at hand. If his units run away without putting up ANY fight whatsoever, always note that there may be an MG42 or PaK hidden in some nearby bushes—or that those Riflemen attacking your positions are followed by his teammate’s Pershing and army of Shermans.
‘Command says…’ – Fuck command. As before stated, assumptions are bad. Forgo assuming that your enemy is completely clueless and instead settle on solid recon and intel in the form of cloaked snipers, abilities such as Recon Run and Military Intelligence, or well-microed Jeeps, Bikes, Vampir HTs or Bren Carriers. Not only do your scouting units reveal what units your opponent may have lying in wait or moving forewards, but many opponents will immediately spot and attack these weak or unimpressive units—use the opportunity to ambush him by sticking your scout behind a shot-blocking object and coving the flanks of the object with an ATG and/or MG. In the case of snipers, this is less of an issue, and if your sniper IS spotted, relocate (preferably in the direction if your own lines, as to not get cut off escape-wise) him ASAP or immediately retreat him if you know or think a counter-sniper is in the area.
‘Advance with Caution’ – Your enemy has scouts of his own, and an enemy defending a position with scouts will have a huge advantage of you. Keep your units, both armored or otherwise, spaced a fair distance apart (avoiding multiple suppressed squads or 2-3 simultaneous Damaged Engines.) and advanced in staggered lines (the points of the following image represent units
/\ /\ /\ /\
/ \ / \/ \/ \
‘An entire LEGION of my best men…’ – Don’t let your defensive genius get in the way of a clear thruth—every opponent out there has indirect fire weapons of some sort. For the Axis, Nebelwerfers decrew ATGs in a heartbeat and pin lowly infantry, Hummels concuss both Tommies and Shermans into submission, and Off-map rocket barrages rain hell down on static positions. The allies bring the mobile power of the M2 60mm Mortar into play, quickly setting up and re-packing for rapid, impromptu assaults. The 105mm Howitzer is the scourge of all axis units, as is the 25pdr Fieldgun. No matter how well you place your units or construct your wall of sandbags, these units will inflict heavy casualties on static positions and you SHOULD NOT remain in the same area for an entire match.
‘Static positions are a monument to man’s stupidity – George S. Patton’ – Camping for an entire match is foolish at best, fatal at worst. Enemies will find ways to blast, flank, push, pull, or flame you out of your position or bypass it entirely, and you should never steadfastly defend a position after the front lines are more then a screenlength from your defending units. Plus, it’s really hard to capture enemy territory when you’re just sitting in your own.
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