if you surround a unit...

[scorehouse]

with the goal of maximum equipment capture, is there any difference between using the Envelopment or the Overwhelming Attack Hero? any reason they should be used together? thanks

[Panzer73]

Use them together.

Envelopment is good only for the attacking unit and its current attack round. Envelopment will result in a capture if the enemy unit retreats. If it does not, it will be wasted.

Overwhelming Attack will cause the enemy unit to retreat. So Envelopment + Overwhelming Attach guarantees capture. You can capture superior units with a light tank for example.

Shock Tactics is similar to Envelopment, but its effect lasts the whole round. If you don't have OA, it is best employed with artillery and strategic bombers. Then attack with as many units as necessary until the enemy surrenders.

[robman]

Envelopment and Shock Tactics are like polar opposites that achieve the same result. To force a capture with Envelopment, without Overwhelming Attack, other units must first suppress/de-entrench the target to the point where the Enveloper’s attack will force a retreat. Shock Tactics is the reverse: the Shocker pins the target in place, and then other units must suppress, de-entrench, and/or attack the unit to force the retreat.

[Bee1976]

If you have both heros combine them for easy captures.
if you use three heros per unit you can add prudent on a heavy tank. so its nearly unkillable after some dmg and is doing light damage to the enemy = more captures

if you got just an overwhelming attack hero you can capture enemy units with a little more effort but still easy aswell. strat bomb the enemy, use splitted artillery to supress the unit and than attack with overwhelming attack = surrender

or you can use a mass encirclement, wait until every enemy is fully supressed and then "farm" them with you overwhelming attack unit. but be aware, captures only work if the enemy unit is NOT entrenched.

[scorehouse]

speaking of entrenchment, any tricks to luring an enemy unit out of entrenchment? Some scenarios, enemy units will stay entrenched and never move the whole scenario/battle but other times, when you think they will stay put and you've left them behind, they abandon their entrenched position to create havoc such as recapturing a now undefended previously captured Forts/V-Hexes. Is there anyway read the map/hex/etc. to know which units can be bypassed and will remain entrenched? thanks

[dalfrede]

. . . Is there anyway read the map/hex/etc. to know which units can be bypassed and will remain entrenched? thanks

You can open the map in editor and check to orders for relevant units, and open the LUA file for order changes.

So no, there is no simple in game method to determine what an AI unit is going to do.

You can look at the map and objectives and determine what you need to hold and protect those.
In many scenarios you can lose your starting VHs to no effect.

[BarbarianHunter]

speaking of entrenchment, any tricks to luring an enemy unit out of entrenchment? Some scenarios, enemy units will stay entrenched and never move the whole scenario/battle but other times, when you think they will stay put and you've left them behind, they abandon their entrenched position to create havoc such as recapturing a now undefended previously captured Forts/V-Hexes. Is there anyway read the map/hex/etc. to know which units can be bypassed and will remain entrenched? thanks

March a provacator hero in a tank w/ butcher &/or crippling blow up to them w/ an attractive target adjacent. They may not move out of their entrenched position but will probably attack & implode.

[scorehouse]

good idea!

[scorehouse]

aggressive counter, readiness or first strike fit in?

[robman]

aggressive counter, readiness or first strike fit in?

Readiness or first strike will help inflict damage, especially if the target unit has higher initiative. (That being said, I usually put these on fighters, even though they can't capture anything.) Aggressive counterattack will more rarely lead to captures, because the AI must first attack you and, before doing so, will already have calculated the odds, knowing (I think) that your unit has this trait. It certainly can't hurt, though!

[Bee1976]

speaking of entrenchment, any tricks to luring an enemy unit out of entrenchment?

In most times we speak about infantry here as a problem i think. At least highly entrenchet infantry in a close combat tile.
barbarianhunters tip with provocateur will work.

i prefer a really weak bait unit for enemy infatry, which means bridge engineers
some camouflaged artillery behind it with lethal and you can watch it implode aswell.
but you need to make sure that the ai cant "see" your camouflaged unit. that said avoid recon planes and vehicles and make sure your camouflaged unit isnt in a position were its likely that enemy aircraft will fly directly over it.

the ai LOVES to hunt weak and/or expensive units like bridgeengineers, neubaufahrzeug, artillery pieces and so on.

another way to get rid of enemy units that are highly entrenched is:
- Rudel with Ignores Entrenchment (bomb em to dust)
- a Flametank or pioneer Units with high experience and no Retaliation Hero.
- any unit with No Retaliation and Ingnoesentrehcnment Hero combination.

Some units in the GC simply wont move, you cant lure them out. but they will attack anything weak adjacent to them.

[scorehouse]

sure seems to ignore my Recons with Prov. do you put the Bridge Engineers at OS15? its cheap and they'll last.

[Bee1976]

it depends on my playthrough
with infatry general trait i always os them to max, without to 17 (w normal trucks). i like to give them some nice defensive heros like prudent or that one that the unit cant lose more than half of its strength in 1 attack.

i really like bridge engineers. they are cheap, ai likes to attack them so they are a perfect bait, they can be a real tough guard fpr critical hexes (i.e in partisan missions where you need to protect your winning hexes) and sometimes their main purpose, the bridging ability is useful aswell

in one of my 'PTs i created a real elite BE unit with all (!) medals, of course there are better units to farm all medals for, but yes i like to play with them.

[mcleanross]

it depends on my playthrough
with infatry general trait i always os them to max, without to 17 (w normal trucks). i like to give them some nice defensive heros like prudent or that one that the unit cant lose more than half of its strength in 1 attack.

i really like bridge engineers. they are cheap, ai likes to attack them so they are a perfect bait, they can be a real tough guard fpr critical hexes (i.e in partisan missions where you need to protect your winning hexes) and sometimes their main purpose, the bridging ability is useful aswell

in one of my 'PTs i created a real elite BE unit with all (!) medals, of course there are better units to farm all medals for, but yes i like to play with them.

Thank you really much! I've looked everywhere for it.
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