Attacking

[PoorOldSpike]

If there's one thing I've learnt from years of conducting CM tests, its that testing is often a highly-complex procedure and must be carefully thought out beforehand, you can't just throw something together in 5 minutes otherwise the results aren't worth a spit.
For example I first had a shot at doing infantry movement tests last year but it was a complete disaster because the results in no way tallied with what I'd seen happening on the battlefield in all my years of playing CM.
Clearly something was wrong, so I went back to the drawing board and analysed all the many factors involved and set up experiments in the editor to try to get to the bottom of it.

My Infantry Movement tests in post #42 (although looking straightforward and simple) therefore represent at least a year of careful analysis and thinking things out, plus a series of experiments etc in the editor, and years of actual in-game observations and playing experience on top of that.
Testing certainly gives us a greater insight into the subtleties of the CM system as there's a 'butterflies wing' effect involved which means changing just one small thing can have a knock-on effect and disrupt and unbalance the whole test, hence the need to carefully plan out everything beforehand.

As regards Move to Contact, of course it sounds bad to say units stop in open ground when shot at, but technically there is no "open ground" in CM because infantry units still get 25% cover! (see chart below and do the maths)..:)
That mirrors realism of course, because real-life troops in so-called 'open ground' will often dive behind a clump of grass or tiny fold in the ground when shot at, to get a bit of cover.
I've been regularly using MtC in 7 years of CM playing in 700 ladder games and it's done me no harm at all.
In fact as I write this, a silver trophy sits in the backgound on top of my hi-fi bearing the inscription "Poor Old Spike, No.1 Rugged Defense Ladder, CMBB 2003". The proof of the pudding as they say...
What more 'credentials' can I offer people to assure them that my way of playing CM is the right way?
To noobs I'd say- you stick with your Uncle Spike and i'll teach you to kill, then when you begin racing up the ladders I can think with pride "That's my boy, you're a soldier now!"

PS- Look, no unit is ever 100% exposed, even in 'open ground', so my advice to noobs is this- Never fear to use Move to Contact, let the fear be your enemies..;)