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Seek and Destroy order

JArraya

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Wish you could order a unit or formation to seek and destroy in an area. You could give the order, set how aggressive you want the unit to be and how long to seek for. The area could be set using the length and width parameters and be quite large. If a unit is detected in that area, then the ordered until engages that unit.
 
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Wish you could order a unit or formation to seek and destroy in an area. You could give the order, set how aggressive you want the unit to be and how long to seek for. The area could be set using the length and width parameters and be quite large. If a unit is detected in that area, then the ordered until engages that unit.
Though it can't be applied to a designated multi hectare patrol area, checking the "attacks" tick on a unit's "edit task data" menu accomplishes much the same as a "seek and destroy" order by having the unit abandon it's primary order to attack enemy units it sights during execution.

See pg. 73 of the game manual.
 

JArraya

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Though it can't be applied to a designated multi hectare patrol area, checking the "attacks" tick on a unit's "edit task data" menu accomplishes much the same as a "seek and destroy" order by having the unit abandon it's primary order to attack enemy units it sights during execution.

See pg. 73 of the game manual.

My experience is that the attack tick doesn't really do it. For example, I'll have a pesky enemy unit blocking my MSR somewhere just on the edge of a formation. So I detach a unit, set it on an attack order and put the marker just past the current location of the enemy.
The unit attacks and pushes the pesky enemy away, but not directly back, but out to the side. So now I have a decision to make, do I change the attack marker towards the unit, incurring the replanning delay? Or do I leave the unit where it ended up and hope that the enemy stops being a nuisance?
Alternatively, I can order it to defend, and tick the Attack option, but the unit will not chase after the enemy, they will simply defend. The manual says they MAY initiate attacks, but from experience, the only time they will initiate attacks is when you have an entire Reg moving. A single unit, for example a Recon or Engineering unit won't initiate attacks. They don't maneuver or place themselves in the best position to prevent the enemy unit from becoming a nuisance.
So what I end up doing is giving the unit a defend order and then moving the position marker all around the map, incurring massive planning delays, taking up one command slot, just to kill the 30 die hard enemies that just won't stop blowing up my trucks along the supply route.
 

Rob

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My experience is that the attack tick doesn't really do it. For example, I'll have a pesky enemy unit blocking my MSR somewhere just on the edge of a formation. So I detach a unit, set it on an attack order and put the marker just past the current location of the enemy.
The unit attacks and pushes the pesky enemy away, but not directly back, but out to the side. So now I have a decision to make, do I change the attack marker towards the unit, incurring the replanning delay? Or do I leave the unit where it ended up and hope that the enemy stops being a nuisance?
Alternatively, I can order it to defend, and tick the Attack option, but the unit will not chase after the enemy, they will simply defend. The manual says they MAY initiate attacks, but from experience, the only time they will initiate attacks is when you have an entire Reg moving. A single unit, for example a Recon or Engineering unit won't initiate attacks. They don't maneuver or place themselves in the best position to prevent the enemy unit from becoming a nuisance.
So what I end up doing is giving the unit a defend order and then moving the position marker all around the map, incurring massive planning delays, taking up one command slot, just to kill the 30 die hard enemies that just won't stop blowing up my trucks along the supply route.

Hi,
I agree with you LArraya. I've been struggling with this issue for YEARS. Having said that, try issuing attack or probe or defend, or even move orders (with attack ticked where appropriate) with aggro max etc., lots of waypoints thru the general area, shortest distance route, to a unit with good (or at least decent) initiative and aggression ratings and you should get better results. I prefer move with attack with a rectangular line formation with some depth, mucho waypoints, and blast 'em to hell settings.
However, perhaps we could get a new task option called "pursue" where you designate an enemy unit and it goes and gets them.

Rob.
 

Keydet

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Could go on and on about this. Might be enough to observe during WWII and other wars, companies, battalions, regiments and even divisions were given missions to secure a zone (island, forest, city, or an area defined by terrain features. It's very annoying to have to micro manage chasing down an errant company which:

- has lost contact with superior HQ two levels up (said HQ's are under assault or making a hasty retreat.)
- has no open path for resupply (but miraculously gets resupplied any ways)
- is successfully interdicting German supply lines in zero visibility and out of machine gun range.
- keeps running up to previously secured objectives

This goes for fire support missions as well. Targets are often units not a location. FO's will be giving locations to be fired at but they could really be chasing enemy around the battlefield. Players should be able to target a unit (if actively being observed). The assumed FO can adjust targeting without player involvement.
 

GoodGuy

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So now I have a decision to make, do I change the attack marker towards the unit, incurring the replanning delay? Or do I leave the unit where it ended up and hope that the enemy stops being a nuisance?

That's why I use to play without order delay, as it's just too annoying (and unrealistic) to chase down such enemy stragglers that keep retreating and/or changing direction endlessly, with order delay. I would play with order delay, if the lowest units in the OOB (coys) could be redirected without delay.
I've suggested to implement an adaptive order delay, which would take away the delay on the lowest level (and on certain mission types, eg. changing direction during a chase) or reduce the delay time (eg. a Coy that marches along a road and that switches to attack or occupy a nearby wood) on particular tasks and distances (to the new objective) at least, years ago.
Others (including me) have suggested to implement a "trace" or "chase" function, which would properly simulate historic orders: Particular coys or even Bns got the order to chase or surround enemy coys, where then the superior echelons did not have to interfere/take care of the task. Such tasks were carried out by local (unit) COs - on their own initiative. Notable delays only occured, when say 2 or 3 Coys coordinated their attacks, otherwise changing directions (to keep chasing) didn't create any delay.

Re Fire support and tracing:
You're right, a trace function should be expanded so that it could be used for artillery units as well.
Technically, for arty units, targets are almost always locations - except for instances where they are conducting direct fire missions (eg. defense against incoming enemies in visual and direct fire range of the battery, or direct fire on defending/visible enemy troops), though, shots on fixed enemy positions are then adjusted by the FOs. Shots on moving enemy units (eg. attacking units) are also corrected by the FOs, that's where the actual tracing occurs. But there were also other methods, often employed by Allied arty units, like the "rolling barrage" (which usually moved forward, but which could also be performed backwards) or unobserved fire missions (interdiction fire, harrassment fire).
In mid- or late 1944, particular Allied arty and a range of TD units (towed and tracked) increasingly performed unobserved fire missions, for interdiction/harrassment, which added to the missions aiming at locations - (daily) AARs of U.S. TD units (towed and tracked) are packed with descriptions of such fire missions.

The Germans often used predefined perimeters and they would then let the attacking Russians run into their prepared zones, often using smoke and putting a barrage right "on top" of the smoke screens.
While inf FOs were basically arty elements that were embedded in inf units, so that they can be assumed in the game, like you say, the recon elements of arty units were pretty mobile spotters and medium/long range FOs, technically, and their absence in the game reduces the realism, unfortunately. Recon elements of the line divisions and recon planes also forwarded infos about enemy positions or movement, and they could also be ordered to trail enemy units, so they could be tasked with such additional "long-range" (often still inside the radio range, actually, but I'd consider this to be "long range", say 12 to 25 kms, if compared to say FOs on foot that are embedded in non-motorized inf coys) "FO" mission.

EDIT: A S&D function, trace or chase mission or whatever you want to call it, would be desirable.
For me, "Dismounted Ops" and a chase function would be my fav features on my wishlist - in that particular order. :)
 
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