New Player Guide

[Roofio]

Could you put in something about the Air War?
Something along the lines of enforcing local/global air superiority, or how to decide which kind of aircraft to use for what kind of mission.
By the way: Is there a way to predigt how Interdiction will effect my opponents supplies?
And what effect do chemical weapons have gamewise?

 

[Gen_Electric]

Yeah, yeah; hurry up, I need more of this good stuff. I could read the manual. Really tho, nice job and danke.

 

[Crash]

You've already helped one fella out!

Playing Korea 51 I decided to fall back on the right side to conserve forces as placed all my reinforcments around Saigon. Placing a small force up north to draw some of the enemy off, I moved across and cut off the main thrusts supply -at least I think I did- and have eliminated them :devious:

 

[KG_RangerBooBoo]

You've already helped one fella out!

Playing Korea 51 I decided to fall back on the right side to conserve forces as placed all my reinforcments around Saigon. Placing a small force up north to draw some of the enemy off, I moved across and cut off the main thrusts supply -at least I think I did- and have eliminated them :devious:

Hey, if you are playing Korea51 and have placed all your reinforcements around Saigon then you may have given up a little too much ground. I hope you meant Seoul. :laugh:

 

[RhinoBones]

Heater, here's a few suggestions for your guide:

Expand the artillery section to include an example of artillery deployment (artillery with a range of one hex) in the offense.

Show an example of HQs/Recon units being used to extract engaged units from the front lines.

Deployment of units to maximize the defensive benefit derived from defending behind rivers.

Disembarking amphibious units on non-port hexes.

Regards, RhinoBones

 

[Erik Nygaard]

This is very nice.
A question on artillery support. I've read that putting artillery on defense uses up supply faster than tactical reserve when supporting units?

 

[The Doctor]

Great stuff!!! I feel like a caveman reading Einstein!

I just loaded the game up yesterday - YIKES!!! It's great, but it will be years before I figure out a simple scenario. My version didn't come with a hard copy manual. The thing that would help me most would be a Quick Reference Sheet with symbol definitions and turn outline. Is there one somewhere on the CD?

 

[Siberian HEAT]

It's not the one from the manual, but this guide has the basics.

Unit Symbols

If you open up the ACOW game, on the first screen look at the top where it says help. Then click on Help Topics, then contents, then look for where it says "What happens in a game turn." That will cover most things.

Also, that help file is pretty close to the manual, except no pictures.

 

[Priest]

Nice manual HEAT, one thing that I would like to see is game settings used by the players on this ladder. For instance do they use standard or advanced rules, C&C on or off etc.

 

[The Doctor]

Thanks! The first scenario I opened was Israel '48 - pretty cool, but a little ovwerwhelming to a newbie...a little faster pace than Panzer Leader.

 

[Siberian HEAT]

Nice manual HEAT, one thing that I would like to see is game settings used by the players on this ladder. For instance do they use standard or advanced rules, C&C on or off etc.

This is an easy one...but worth putting in the guide. Thanks!

Always use advanced game settings, and turn all options on EXCEPT air staff assistant. You NEVER want to use that...unless you are brand new to the game and just want to focus on ground combat (when you see how bad it does for you...you'll want to turn it off right away). The air staff assistant is notoriously bad at doing what it should.

 

[Dicke Bertha]

This is an easy one...but worth putting in the guide. Thanks!

Always use advanced game settings, and turn all options on EXCEPT air staff assistant. You NEVER want to use that...unless you are brand new to the game and just want to focus on ground combat (when you see how bad it does for you...you'll want to turn it off right away). The air staff assistant is notoriously bad at doing what it should.

:laugh: Maybe it should be renamed Hermann Göring's Air Assistance instead? Very nice work!

 

[obergurgl]

mamimising rounds

thanks for the guide. this is incredibly helpful.

i'm slightly confused buy one detail in the scenario explanation: you first describe the armour attacking alone leaving 70% of the turn

but then in the fuller round explanation you descibe that first armour only attack leaving 80% of the turn..

or have i missed something?


and while i'm asking dumb questions, would i be right in thinking that the way an experienced player conducts his turn is to set up all the 10-20% consuming limit losses attacks like the armour only one in your guide) across his front ...end turn...next round repeat across the front and so on...

at what stage in the turn should he move reinforcements forward over long distances etc?
and if a particular badly needed objective requires serious multi unit attention that looks like consuming lots of time should that always be left til the later rounds of the turn

 

[Mantis]

Always use advanced game settings, and turn all options on EXCEPT air staff assistant. You NEVER want to use that...unless you are brand new to the game and just want to focus on ground combat (when you see how bad it does for you...you'll want to turn it off right away). The air staff assistant is notoriously bad at doing what it should.

Also mention the fact that when using the air staff assistant in a PBEM game, your opponent's air missions will all be reassigned by the computer, and he'll be POed... :surprise:

(Feel free to change the verbage... )

 

[Siberian HEAT]

i'm slightly confused buy one detail in the scenario explanation: you first describe the armour attacking alone leaving 70% of the turn

Thanks. My bad. I'll fix that.

 

[Siberian HEAT]

and while i'm asking dumb questions, would i be right in thinking that the way an experienced player conducts his turn is to set up all the 10-20% consuming limit losses attacks like the armour only one in your guide) across his front ...end turn...next round repeat across the front and so on...

at what stage in the turn should he move reinforcements forward over long distances etc?
and if a particular badly needed objective requires serious multi unit attention that looks like consuming lots of time should that always be left til the later rounds of the turn

I've addressed this in my updated version. You are correct. At the most basic level you do just that. Set up attacks with units that have the greatest percentage of movement remaining, hit end turn, hope it only takes one turn, hope you don't fail a proficiency check, then if all goes well, do it again the next turn.

You should move all your units at the beginning of the turn. If EVERYTHING goes wrong and your turn ends prematurely, you want to make sure you have at least moved all your units you needed to.

My general plan of attack is a few softening up rounds in the first few rounds, followed by a "serious" attack in the later rounds. If I make it through all that and have maybe 20% of my turn remaining, I usually throw everything but the kitchen sink into my attacks.

 

[obergurgl]

thanks

the guide really is invaluable...

i'm torn about whether to let an equally inexperienced PBEM opponent i have see it

:laugh:


now what is the symbol for the kitchen sink unit you refer to?

 

[viridomaros]

just found something which might be of some importance in the toaw helper on the cd:

Combats involving large numbers of units are affected by relative electronic support levels. Artillery, HQ and air units can only support combats if they pass a communication check. Attacks with a large fraction of units failing communication checks will take longer to resolve.

 

[JMS]

just found something which might be of some importance in the toaw helper on the cd:

Combats involving large numbers of units are affected by relative electronic support levels. Artillery, HQ and air units can only support combats if they pass a communication check. Attacks with a large fraction of units failing communication checks will take longer to resolve.

2 factors enter here: the communications level and the EW level.

Note also that the SAMs do work but the problem is that their AA values are so feeble as to be incapable of overcoming the defence value of any aircraft. Also, high level aircraft are invulnerable to AA fire.

 

[viridomaros]

i was thinking especially to this sentence

Attacks with a large fraction of units failing communication checks will take longer to resolve.

this is one more fact to take into account when planning your attacks