What's with these OOB road runner targets?

[Der_Kuenstler]

I'm fairly new to OOB having come over from playing Panzer Corps. Why is it so hard to kill the units in this game? I read about how the aircraft work and get it, but I've noticed I can beat a lowly towed AT gun down 1 or 2 in strength, and then when attacked again it will just shoot away at light speed two spaces into the fog of war. What the? How did it manage that? Then by the time I find it it is back to 10 strength again. I've never seen one of my weakened units zip away like that. Mine just sit and take it until they die. This last scenario I must have beat 10 units to death and 8 or 9 of them scooted away with just one strength left just out of my reach. Frustrating! Am I missing something?

[bru888]

No, that's the way it is. You're not missing anything. Look at it this way: IRL, how often were units utterly annihilated? Any competent commander would withdraw the battered remnants of his force rather than letting them get wiped out to the last man. Only if he were surrounded, or the attack sudden and overwhelming, would that happen. You probably do the same thing yourself; I know I do because a saved unit can be reinforced.

Although, I do grant you that it can be frustrating to see "a lowly towed AT gun down 1 or 2 in strength . . . when attacked again . . . just shoot away at light speed two spaces into the fog of war." (Nice turn of phrase, there. ) Across rivers, I might add; an amazing feat! But, there has to be some challenge to this game and yes, your attacks must be planned well tactically in order to crush your enemy rather than merely push him back.

So here's a tip. Take that AT gun down 1 or 2 in strength; instead of rushing at it with a single unit of your own, wait a beat (turn) and move up some support. By that, I mean artillery or air support to weaken it again (assuming it gets reinforced in that turn) as well as additional units to flank and even get behind the AT gun. Units can be killed in OOB, as you know, but it takes some skill and that is a welcome feature IMO.

[PirateJock]

New to the game as well - really enjoying the Pacfic DLCs. Noticed the strategic withdrawal units! Looks like they can't retreat through ZoCs - is that right? Also, as haven't played enough yet, does the quality of a unit affect when it withdraws? For example, would an experienced unit need to be reduced to a lower strength than a green unit with no experience?

[Der_Kuenstler]

The weakened units seem to ignore zones of control and terrain - am I right here? You leave one space and zip - it's gone. Bru888 - Looks like I'll have to do a major shift in my tactical thinking to get good at this game - not easy for an old guy, but a nice challenge anyway. Right now the AI just me chasing wounded units all over, including my own backfield, until its too late for a win.

[Der_Kuenstler]

I think I'm getting it now - I wasn't using my units (Luftwaffe, etc) in the most advantageous way...got a major last time...

[bru888]

PirateJock: I believe retreating through ZoCs is only one hex at a time; hence my advice to flank the doomed unit.

Der_Kuenstler: There you go. Don't forget a key concept: unit efficiency. Bombardments, barrages, and combat lower unit efficiency and it takes a while to rebuild it. Units with low efficiency are easier to kill.

[GabeKnight]

Looks like they can't retreat through ZoCs - is that right?

If you mean by "ZoC" the supply/hex-ownership boundary-line by any chance, then yes, retreating units can not enter enemy territory. And retreating units can only retreat "away" from the attacker - i.e. not to the adjacent hexes.

[Zekedia222]

I believe that recon units can go into enemy territory when retreating. I hate dealing with recon units. They just drag your men after them, because if you don’t fight them, they’ll zip around and take out support units.

[prestidigitation]

Use a recon unit in the cavalry role to hunt down weakened enemy units and to supply the combat bonus from "mass attacks" aka when bordering an enemy unit with multiple own units prior to an attack. They can move multiple times and have long LOS so are relatively safe advancing through hostile or unknown territory. They also have a higher than usual retreat likelihood so are more able to escape.

With a couple recon cars in my army I never really have any issues with low health runners.

[GabeKnight]

I believe that recon units can go into enemy territory when retreating. I hate dealing with recon units. They just drag your men after them, because if you don’t fight them, they’ll zip around and take out support units.

Oops, sorry, forgot about those. Yep, you're right, the recon class is kinda special (may even be with all units with the "nosupply" and "nocapture" traits, I'm not sure).

Also agree with the rest of the statement... all the more if the unit's "camouflaged" - deep inside my territory, parked right next to my airfield... me unsuspecting ... and BAM... half of my strat. bombers destroyed, 80-100 RPs gone like that...

[Zekedia222]

Most of them don’t have light treaded, and least on the US side. Makes them impossible to use in the jungle.

[timberwolf15]

When ya do finally destroy an enemy unit it is quite rewarding a special moment which often only occurs by intense prior planning. Don't forget to just bypass way around them when convinient and cut off their supply most units now can only move 1 hex. THEN, wipe them out. Also, don't forget to often check the map if there are supply hexes and you can take them and leave say 5 units in an area that are surrounded but you take not all but most of the supplies going to them they can then be more easily wiped out.

[bru888]

I have a feeling that this post is in the wrong thread?

[GabeKnight]

I guess some spam-bot. Notice the inserted links inside the quoted message

[bru888]

Yeah, I need to remember to look at suspicious posts in editor mode. This and another one have been reported but I assume that officials get the alert as well as we moderators? Sending PM's is difficult on this phone so I am waiting for something to happen. If not, I will fire up my surviving laptop and take care of them. I STRONGLY ADVISE NOT FOLLOWING ANY LINKS SUCH AS THESE.

Edit: Ah, very good. Somebody from Slitherine zapped the bozo(s) as I typed. Reminds me of the satisfaction of seeing mosquitos disappearing into a bug lamp.

[TheFilthyCasual]

I'm fairly new to OOB having come over from playing Panzer Corps. Why is it so hard to kill the units in this game? I read about how the aircraft work and get it, but I've noticed I can beat a lowly towed AT gun down 1 or 2 in strength, and then when attacked again it will just shoot away at light speed two spaces into the fog of war. What the? How did it manage that? Then by the time I find it it is back to 10 strength again. I've never seen one of my weakened units zip away like that. Mine just sit and take it until they die. This last scenario I must have beat 10 units to death and 8 or 9 of them scooted away with just one strength left just out of my reach. Frustrating! Am I missing something?

All units will retreat including yours, provided they have somewhere to retreat to and the attacking unit isn't powerful enough to kill them in one hit at their current strength. If yours aren't retreating it's because there's no room or the enemy units are doing enough damage that they outright die instead.

[bru888]

I am gratified to see that the now banished bottom-feeder produced one desirable result; that of restarting an interesting discussion.

[w_michael]

If my opponent has a treasure trove of resource points then I tend to leave the 1-2 pointers around so that they are not just immediately replaced with a 10-pointer.

[Blagrot]

I'm a bit of a newb at this game (I've done the tutorial and most of the first Soviet campaign) but I've not seen anything die when it starts a combat with 3+ health points even if the prediction is 5 kills. Is there some sort of protection that makes those units unlikely to die or have I just seen a strange run of RNG?