Command Ops 2, Return to St Vith Tutorial AAR part 1, pages 1-30

[MarkShot]

Ah, my first Decisive Victory with CO2.

But I will admit to three things:

(1) Making a really bad mistake. I had a fact that was tremendously valuable of which I failed to act on. In the end, the outcome was the same, but I believe many more died because of my mistake. (I won't say what --- no spoilers)

(2) I perhaps should have been more hands on with my arty. Much of it was inside minimum range since I didn't do my usual style of creating fire bases, but let the AI handle it.

(3) I got lazy after midnight (my midnight) and just wanted to speed through the battle and get sleep.

PGE2 was really good to use to flip back and forth quickly as there is a bug where objective status change neither displays a message or flips in the window.

However, I really enjoyed playing. I want to take a closer look at some of my save games tomorrow.

 

[MarkShot]

Daz, now, I can read your AAR.

Dave, do you have a PDF of your AAR for either BFTB or CO2? (Sorry, I am just not up to watching the videos again. Before anyone thinks, I am being hard Dave; I spent many, many hours proof reading manuals, writing some sections, and reviewing the videos.)

 

[MarkShot]

Kolbex,

I don't know how badly you want to play it.

(1) I used to have all my machines when I was migrating before XP's desupporting set up to dual boot XP and Win7. Look at (if you have another OS disk, and extra disk space; you might even be able to boot off an external):

https://www.terabyteunlimited.com/bootit-bare-metal.htm

(2) With my new machine, I got a second display (old eyes). A 32" 1080p TV originally for BFTB and other games. A TV works much better than a big PC monitor, since you could purchase 80" and still display 1080p native. So, on a 32", the text should be big enough if your laptop has an HDMI or DVI-D port (you can get a simple DVI-D -> HDMI converter.) Also, 32" TVs are fairly cheap these days.

 

[Dave 'Arjuna' O'Connor]

Well from those without an obvious bias!

Sent from my GT-I9195T using Tapatalk

 

[MarkShot]

Daz,

I am only a page 3, but simply beautiful on my 32" TV. Wow!

Comments:

(1) You talk about Move with Min Loss. As far as I know this parameter only impact behavior on a PROBE or DELAY. Otherwise, it triggers messages to the player.

(2) I was much more "run the ball up the middle" focusing on key terrain features and screening building attacks from the enemy.

 

[MarkShot]

SPOILER

I have to admit that I only invested 2 hours in analysis and planning. I did write the analysis/plan/time table and some graphics.

My approach to the bridge:

* An immediate attack on the near bank with the infantry present. (Purpose to get standoff distance for my tanks.)

* Once the above was achieved. Individually place tank coy on the heights overlooking Steinebruck. I now have fire superiority across a very large area. If it moves, I kill it.

* Mech inf take the bridge and the far side.

--- Next step ---

* Infantry secure the bridge.

* Tanks continue over watch in case of a counter-attack.

* Mech inf attack Lommesweiler.

---

This all went pretty quickly. Later, I would commit a fatal mistake (not planning, but intelligence). I would probe into St. Vith looking to gauge opposition and find targets for my guns; the main attack was to come later.

I got into town unopposed. I had an incredibly valuable fact. I should have stripped down ever force south of St. Vith leaving only the cooks to defend the objectives and made for St. Vith with all due haste. This would cost me. I would need to commit picket force of Armor screening the coming main attack to engage the German reinforcements from the West to slow them down and force them to deploy. I could have been in St. Vith instead of fighting for it.

Having information and failing to act on it is a horrible mistake.

LESSON: Never be so committed to a well conceived plan that you let opportunity slip through your fingers!

Back to reading your AAR. I like the tip with unexpiring move end points for ATGs. I've never done that, in fact, I never move waypoints to circumvent order delays. There have been some players who will do a lot of waypoints such that they can simply change the route of a force on the fly. (I have regarded that as kind of a game loop hole myself. But as I am an SP kind of guy ... it's whatever makes me happy.)

 

[MarkShot]

Comment page 10: The game does differential LOS quite well. (as you talk about LOS) Just because you can see nothing doesn't mean someone isn't watching you. 100 men up on an elevated tree line may not sound like much of a threat, but remember who their drinking buddies are; the divisional battery. You can be in for a world of hurt. I once got pounded into hamburger in COTA and didn't see who was calling it in until the AAR screen.

 

[MarkShot]

I just realized you are not playing with NATO symbols. G*d bless you!

They have been giving me grief about this for 15 years now. Bil --- you know real men play with NATO symbols!

 

[MarkShot]

I like your style. In many scenarios, the designer gives you a trail of bread crumbs to follow. But you made your focus the prize rather than pecking along like a chicken!

Page 17: About your comments on bypassing resistance. I always think battering enemy HQs good policy. The entire command structure become immobilized when an the HQ is shattered. Goodbye OODA loop.

 

[MarkShot]

How do you get the game map overlaid on Google Maps 3D? I also like the period photos.

 

[MarkShot]

Page 22: What's the difference between specifying REST=MAX and issuing a REST order? Thanks.

 

[MarkShot]

Page 26: A great arty technique is to lay down a slow barrage on the far bank of a crossing point as they bunch up. Have a nice day!

 

[MarkShot]

I finished reading.

Simply beautiful!

You run the risk of writing the game manuals in the future. Dave never lets a good deed go unpunished!

Your document is not only a tremendous tutorial. It emphasizes the richness of the game. And it is a tremendous mood piece for "if you don't own, then get it".

Also, I will say that you play at a deeper level than myself. That has been the beauty of this game. You put in a few good orders if the plan is valid and get results. Or you can do what you have done: get down to the units, weapons, risk analysis ... The game is very open ended in terms of supporting many styles/levels of play. In fact, I know of nothing else like it.

Thanks again!

 

[Daz]

Glad you liked it Mark

You have left me quite a few questions to answer, and my eyelids are getting heavy due to a long drive and a bottle of red wine

I'll try to address the majority of them tomorrow, because some of them, like the one below, I need to find the discussion where Dave has commented on it, in order to give you the right answer.
We had a discussion on this very topic recently, but I cant remember what he said exactly.

We should start a thread with all his game play related answers in it.

Daz,
(1) You talk about Move with Min Loss. As far as I know this parameter only impact behavior on a PROBE or DELAY. Otherwise, it triggers messages to the player.

 

[MarkShot]

Here is the history I have on that.

When RDOA was introduced in 2000 that parameter affected everything. But players complained about the AI simply deciding to halt an attack on its own, when you could see that you had the momentum in your favor. So, Dave changed it to be informational as opposed to behavioral for most things.

As an order has a million parameters with multiple phases, about 7 years ago I was pushing Dave to publish a spreadsheet that indicated what phase each parameter applied and how. (Obviously, a lot of work.) What we have now, is some of that covered in prose in the manual. {This was when there were 50% fewer parameters and less sophisticated orders like DELAY.} The other thing which Dave did I think in response to my request is to discuss what actions result in replans. (And I think there is now a chart showing for one example exactly how the delay is calculated.)

---

If it would not be too nosy to ask. What is your professional background? Are you a marketing or graphic artist professional? I was telling my wife about your AAR. I said it was amazing: "Imagine any hotel, cruise ship brochure, or real estate brochure ... this was much better done." Bil who was formerly part of the team was previously a SIGINT officer and does run his own graphics related business. My background is systems development/operations/management which comes through if you look at the bugs and issues I report. You will never see me post something of how penetration is not taking into account slope affects and the poor quality of late war steel production.

 

[CTH]

This is very true. I purchased CO2's bundle over the holiday break after discovering Daz's tutorial because someone linked to it in another forum. It is truly a feast for the eyes,...a work of art in AAR composition.

Your document is not only a tremendous tutorial. It emphasizes the richness of the game. And it is a tremendous mood piece for "if you don't own, then get it".

 

[Dave 'Arjuna' O'Connor]

Welcome CTH.

 

[ioncore]

Daz, do you keep masterfiles for your tutorials, with the possibility to replace the text (and keep all the graphics as it is)? Would it be possible in future to send you the translated text, so that you could just replace the original one and thus render Ukrainian & Russian versions of AARs?
It'd be nice to promote the CO and your AARs a bit next year (about the EF release).

 

[MarkShot]

However, despite a good Ukrainian/Russian AAR is the game approachable if neither the movies, manuals, or UI has been localized?

And if your English (as a second language) is good enough to handle the above, then shouldn't the AAR not really present a problem?

 

[ioncore]

Actually, there is a fan-made game manual (not a complete one, but a digest with all the key UI features and elements, plus a number of insights) for CmdOps in Russian, as well as a number of well-written AARs and tutorials.
Basically, I'd say language barrier is still a problem for many people out there, especially when it comes to relatively large and complex texts.