Pinned How to NOT lose units, 1.5 update

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    • How to NOT lose units, 1.5 update

      The key to victory is not to lose troops. It sounds simple but it's not.


      The basics:
      • Don't engage in combat, this way you don't lose troops.
      • Not losing troops means that you don't have to replace lost troops that costs time, resources and manpower.
      • Instead you can train new troops which means your army will grow. In the meantime your fellow players will be engaged in combat and lose troops which means their army will be smaller.
      • Because you don't have to replace troops you have more resources that you can invest in your economy
      How not to lose troops:

      • Use artillery and tactical or attack bombers. These troops can attack the enemy while not taking damage or in the case of bombers only a little damage.
      • Artillery: artillery is weak on its own and vulnerable against almost any unit. 10 artillery have the best SBDE (State Based Damage Efficiency) They are best in a stack with 3 or 4 anti tank (AT) and anti air (AA°. This way when the artillery stack is attacked by other artillery or bombers the damage will be absorbed by all units. When you are attacking with your artillery put some tanks and infantry in front of them so they can't be attacked.

        Guide to artillery for 1.5
      • Tactical and attack bombers bombers: bombers are one of the fastest and strongest units in the game when used correctly. Tactical bombers are a unit to use against unarmored units and attack bombers counter armored units. Put them in a stack of 10 for the best SBDE. Always put interceptors in the stack as well. The interceptors will absorb the damage so that your bombers live longer. The interceptors will also protect your bombers against an attack of other planes. Bombers by themselves are vulnerable against interceptor attacks. Always use the patrol function and not the attack function. When the planes stay in the zone of the red triangle they don't have to refuel so you can attack or defend faster. Planes that are refueling have only 25% health so it makes them very vulnerable against an attack.

        Air Combat for COW1.5v- Guide for dealing some (in)decent damage
      • Never attack: most troops are stronger in defense then attack like infantry and anti tank for example. Let the enemy come to you. When under fire from artillery he will be forced to attack or pull back.
      • Use the terrain to your advantage: militia is a strong in defense and gets 75% bonus in mountains, 50% in forests and cities, 25% in hills. They are stealth in cities and forests so perfect for ambushes. Anti Tank is also a stealth unit with an extra 50% damage output in forests and cities. Artillery gets a 50% bonus in hills and mountains. A commando is a stealth unit has a 50% extra damage output in mountains and forests and ignores the defensive bonus that the enemy gets in fortifications. Tanks have a 50% damage output on plains. Use the terrain to defend where your troops get a bonus and where the troops of your enemy preferably get a penalty.
      • It is better to retreat to a terrain type where you will get a bonus and lose a province in the process then losing your army in a terrain that wasn't favorable to you.
      • Forts are great but they are expensive, only build them if you are sure that the enemy will attack that location. They are a great lifesaver when you get attacked.
      Economy:

      To be able to sustain a big army you need to have a strong economy.
      • Build industry in your cities and upgrade them to level 5 as fast as you can. They will increase you resource production with 100%. In other words full upgraded industry doubles your production.
      • Build industry in rural provinces and upgrade them to level 3 as soon as you have the resources available to do so.
      • To be able to build a large army you need manpower. You can get manpower by conquering new territory and by building recruitment centers. They are very cost effective and increase your manpower. Only build them in your rural core provinces where you have no resource production. Those provinces produce more manpower than other provinces and give the best return of investment.
      • Core provinces produce 100% resources, new territory only gives 25% so it takes 4 times longer to get a return of investment. Always focus on your core provinces first
      BMfox
      Moderator
      EN Community Support | Bytro Gmbh

      Check out my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/BMfoxCallofWar


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    • Since its a long post it is no wonder your use of words made for some oversights as it is written now.

      BMfox wrote:

      How not to lose troops:
      • Use ranged troops: artillery and tactical bombers. These troops can attack the enemy while not taking damage or in the case of bombers only a little damage.

      Tactical bombers are not ranged troops. They use direct attack.They can actually sustain a lot of damage if they are attacking a group with AA and/or SP AA. You know this.

      BMfox wrote:


      • Never attack: most troops are stronger in defense then attack like infantry and anti tank for example. Let the enemy come to you. When under fire from artillery he will be forced to attack or pull back.

      I doubt this will win you every game. Combined with your earlier post I would say: attack with ranged units if pssible, not with direct attacks.

      Excluding direct attacks from your options gives you very few ways to attack someone. Sometimes it is actually best to do both. Use artillery to bomb a province and lock that city's units into place with moto inf/ mech inf. For example, this prevents gold repairs.

      Or a good mixed stack of fast units, LT, mech inf and moto inf can be sent on a destructive course through an enemy's country while you take your time dealing with fortified positions. The economical damage done this way is more of an advantage than the troops you might safe. And it goes faster. Taking out one or two crucial production centers can tip the tide of battle. Especially if you and your opponent are quite evenly matched.
      You also know this.

      Economy
      Make sure you have the biggest one. This way you can afford to use troops by using direct attacking units (as described above). And you will be able to build more troops faster. Recovery rate is very important. Pretty sure you also know this.
    • The trick is to force your enemy in the attack. Most players when being attacked the attack themselves instead of defending, if they don't you pound them with artillery so that they are forced to either pull back or attack. For me this works every single time.

      Of course you can't avoid engaging in combat but I do it as little as possible. When i lock myself in target it will be under covering artillery fire and patrolling bombers.

      As far for the bombers yes they are not ranged and they take little damage when escorted with interceptors. I just wanted to keep it simple an fit it in a sentence. You can't really say that they engage into combat as they don't lock themselves in target like other units do.
      BMfox
      Moderator
      EN Community Support | Bytro Gmbh

      Check out my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/BMfoxCallofWar


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    • Or just nuke them on day 48 :D That's what the americans did and that won them the war without them sustaining hundreds of casualties from invading japanese homelands
      "Overly complicated operations right now are overrated. Head in straight on and you'll win. Just grow some balls."
    • I said most maps, not all of them. I've never played a game that lasted longer then 40 days, mostly because i'm the one that's ending it alone or with my alliance mates. There are games that last longer and can drag on forever but that's because the left over players are "not really playing efficiently" to say it in polite terms. Or there's a big stand off and nobody wants to take the first move.
      BMfox
      Moderator
      EN Community Support | Bytro Gmbh

      Check out my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/BMfoxCallofWar


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    • This is very important but underrated by many players: "how not to lose units". As every unit represents resources and time investment that can never recovered when lost. Unit management is as important as economical management.
      BMfox
      Moderator
      EN Community Support | Bytro Gmbh

      Check out my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/BMfoxCallofWar


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    • Letting the enemy come to you isn't always a good idea. It really depends on your strategy. I personally like to spam light tanks and rely heavily on aircraft. It's a high-risk, high-reward strategy.

      If you use offensive units like these, it's best to always attack and force your enemy back. In fact, I'd even argue that attacking is better since huge maps and games like 100p are really competitive sometimes and a huge factor of winning is not only skill, but whoever has more land has a bigger economy and that is a huge advantage on your own. Waiting for your enemy to attack as you sit in your provinces is not always good.

      I feel like artillery is really good, but has many drawbacks and isn't for everyone. They generally slow down your invasion (yes even with SP arty) because you have to get your arty there and sit until your done bombing them out. Plus, you need alot of them to do reasonable amounts of damage/to make breakthroughs so I feel like planes are far surperior since they can move extremely fast and can provide intel from a reasonable range.
    • Skypier wrote:

      Letting the enemy come to you isn't always a good idea. It really depends on your strategy. I personally like to spam light tanks and rely heavily on aircraft. It's a high-risk, high-reward strategy.

      If you use offensive units like these, it's best to always attack and force your enemy back. In fact, I'd even argue that attacking is better since huge maps and games like 100p are really competitive sometimes and a huge factor of winning is not only skill, but whoever has more land has a bigger economy and that is a huge advantage on your own. Waiting for your enemy to attack as you sit in your provinces is not always good.

      I feel like artillery is really good, but has many drawbacks and isn't for everyone. They generally slow down your invasion (yes even with SP arty) because you have to get your arty there and sit until your done bombing them out. Plus, you need alot of them to do reasonable amounts of damage/to make breakthroughs so I feel like planes are far surperior since they can move extremely fast and can provide intel from a reasonable range.
      It's not because you defend, that you let your enemy come to you. On the contrary, you take the initiative and you attack. But you attack with artillery and with planes. The enemy is forced to counter attack you and you will defend. If you are not in favourable terrain to defend in mêlée combat than you will retreat. When you engage in mêlée combat you will split off your protective troops in your artillery stack and put them in front of your artillery as a meat shield.

      If you use your tactic you will always have to engage in mêlée combat and you will not have the luxury like me to chose your terrain because you need to follow your enemy to be able to engage with him. Your troops will become damaged, thus they will move slower, deal less damage in the next fight. All the time you will have to replace your damaged troops. If you have to replace units your army can't grow. If you play like me and don't lose units than your army will grow, you can cover more ground and fight more wars. My troops may be slower but the game play of my tactic is faster. As I don't have to waste resources on replacing units, I can use those resources to invest in industry and recruitment centres. This enables me to produce even more troops. I finish a 100 player world at war in a coalition of 5 players in 17-20 days depending on the doctrine.

      Also when you compose stacks you need to put the slow units in one stack and the fast units in another stack.
      Slow units are: infantry, AT, AA, artillery, rocket artillery.
      Fast units: MT, Mot/Mech inf, SP AA, SP artillery, SP rocket artillery.
      In the slow stack you should put an AC for scouting. In the fast stack you need to keep a mot inf as scout.
      You keep some fast single units on the side to capture undefended provinces: LT, mot inf, mech inf, MT. Planes take care of single units or small stacks to pave the way for your fast units and your artillery stacks tag along to take down any stacks that are too big.

      Slow units are: infantry, AT, AA, artillery, rocket artillery
      Fast units: MT, Mot/Mech inf, SP AA, SP artillery, SP rocket artillery
      In the slow stack you should put an AC for scouting. In the fast stack you need to keep a mot inf as scout.
      You keep some fast single units on the side to capture undefended provinces: LT, mot inf, mech inf, MT. Planes take care of single units or small stacks to pave the way for your fast units and your artillery stacks tag along to take down any stacks that are too big.
      BMfox
      Moderator
      EN Community Support | Bytro Gmbh

      Check out my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/BMfoxCallofWar


      Found a bug or need help? Send a ticket here!