CMx2 tactical notes and observations

[PoorOldSpike]

BAILED CREWS CAN SOMETIMES GET BACK IN
(unless they're shocked or beaten up, or unless the AFV is knackered)
The selected Sher earlier took a hit and the crew (circled) bailed and ran, yet the tank doesn't seem damaged, it's data strip simply says 'Dismounted'-




So I order the crew to run back to it (put their waypoint on the tank), and they automatically get back in (no need to issue a 'Mount' order), and it can be ordered around again as normal-

---

THE SETUP PHASE
(This post is primarily for noobs)
In random QB's the computer sets the setup zones and setup area(s), and in pre-made scens the designers places them. Below is a typical random QB.
These small simple parameters create Attack battles but it's all a matter of personal prefs. In this one I'm taking the American side against a German attack (1-player Turn-based, and I'd recommend the Basic Training difficulty level because it's the nearest to CMx1's 'extreme fog of war' level))
The Attacker always has a bigger force than the defender, but in Assaults the assaulter's force is bigger still. (The defender gets wire, mines and foxholes etc in Assaults).
In Meeting Engagements both sides forces are about the same-




The setup screen, you must set up your defending units anywhere in the large shaded area of the map. (I've added a red dotted line to the pic to make its boundary easier to see)
The attacker will start anywhere in the unshaded area at the top-




Hit ALT-J to highlite the Objective Area (circled) if it's not already highlighted.
You now have all the vital intelligence you need, namely you know where your start area is, and you know where the enemies start area is, plus you know where the objective area is.
Both sides get victory points for having units in the Obj Area at the end of the game, so ideally you'll have something in there, and the enemy won't.
Both sides also score points for killing enemy units-




Hit ALT-I to put icons above your units (if they're not already showing)-

The computer plonked the units willy-nilly and obviously we can arrange them much better than that, so hold SHIFT and drag a box round them, then click the 'Move' button (you'll see it at lower right of screen) and click a spot on the map to place them for inspection-




like in this open field for example-




Roll the mouse wheel (or hit key 3) to go down and see exactly what you've got-




You can then select them individually and place them wherever you like in the shaded setup area and/or objective area. (I'll skip doing it for this brief tutorial).
TACTICAL NOTE- the attacker might drop a big arty barrage on the Obj Area, so be warned..
When you've deployed them, start the game and the setup area will vanish like below.
You can leave the obj area highlited or toggle it on/off with ALT-J.
You can also toggle the trees on/off with ALT-T-



Noob tip- when games start, hit key 'C' to get a wide angle view and roll the mousewheel to see the whole map, otherwise you might miss one of your units tucked away in a corner of the map like this-




We all have our mouse and keys view control prefs, I use the mouse wheel to climb up/down; move the cursor to screen edges for camera travel; hold right button plus cursor to pan around and /up/down;hold left button and push/pull/left/right to move horizontally.
The more you push/pull while holding the buttons, the faster the camera will move, so for fine-tuning movement make smaller mouse movements while holding buttons.
Other useful keys-
Z/X to zoom;
1 to 7 to jump to heights.
ALT-J to toggle the objective area.
ALT-T to cycle trees on/off
ALT-K to toggle smoke and dust