Changing the AO unit.
 

I know that the overwhelming consensus is to never change the AO unit. I completely understand that changing the AO into an armor unit is looking for a sudden game over. My question is what are the downsides to changing it to another infantry type unit such as a mountain unit to match the rest of my mountain infantry. I always have 3 FOs as part of my core force so I don't use my AO as a spotter.
Thanks for any opinions.

Re: Changing the AO unit.
 

Don't bother changing it, simply hide your AO as far as you can front the battle

Re: Changing the AO unit.
 

If you have enough spotters, then you could change A0 to a grunt type. But that might make you use him in combat more, and so risk losing him and ending your campaign (if not a PBEM). You also would need a bigger vehicle than a jeep to move him about.

The HQ (whatever you decide to make him) is not intended to get engaged in combat.

Andy

Re: Changing the AO unit.
 

Changing the AO unit to a regular ( full sized ) infantry squad, has no drawbacks and several advantages in the Long Campaign.
First it is more survivable from heavy artillery fire.
Second it can fight of a sneaky rear area infiltrater.
Third if it has ant AT weapons it won't get massacred by an
enemy tank that makes a rear area soft target hunt.
I have had several long campaigns ended due to Hvy Arty killing the AO on the first turn pre bombardment. Two hits from 150mm will kill a six man AO. A full size squad may survive to rout away.
Playing any allied side, The AO can come to grief from a pair of SMG armed scouts creeping up. Not to mention the invisable Japenese. If it is full sized with integral MG, it can supress and withdraw or even kill such a pest.
I agree its best not to send AO into main fray. But it does not hurt to give it better self defense ability.

Re: Changing the AO unit.
 

Think what you want him to do a standard HQ is size 0 so hard to spot, perhaps a good use is to stick him on a flank at start as a pair of eyes with a covering platoon. He can act as FOO & help rally the probably out of contact platoon if need be. Size 0 also alows him to be a good trailing scout once enemy morale is broken making assisting nearby units more effective & letting him help keep them running if its safe to do so. Remember keeping him unsuppressed is important shadowing a company leader perhaps to maintain contact & size 0 helps him avoid trouble.

Re: Changing the AO unit.
 

Playing against the AI and pbem,it would be foolish to use A0 in any offensive role and make it bigger and more easily detected,or smaller and easier to kill by stray arty. or surprise rear attack,so why change it?
{EDIT}
Not to mention in changing you will lose experience perhaps other abilities as well.

Since we on this topic,

I'm playing the first battle of a pbem campaign.

My opponent landed some gliders near my A0 nearly on top of them to be more exact!

Luckily,some were shot-up upon landing and maybe routed, i killed a sniper, but i could still lose my HQ.

If that were to happen,would this mean the campaign is over?

I know playing against the AI it would "checkmate" Your are done!,but first time this situation has happened in this way.

You seem to infer that in Pbem campaigns,gives me hope, it's not "checkmate",

Re: Changing the AO unit.
 

Better leave A0 alone and cross-attach to it some infantry as escort.

Re: Changing the AO unit.
 

My bold added to emphasise what I said.

Game Guide->CD Extended Features->PBEM Campaign
Paragraph beginning "In addition, unlike in the regular campaign the loss of your headquarters..."

Andy

Re: Changing the AO unit.
 

Thanks for all the responses. Gila mentions the usual experience loss and combat issues, but also mentions "perhaps other abilities as well." That is what I'm hoping to find out. What would the other ability loss be?
Thanks.

Re: Changing the AO unit.
 

Gila sums it up pretty much, HQ is in effect a large scout unit with reasonable FOO capability & quite good armament for a scout type so what you lose depends on what you change it to.

Re: Changing the AO unit.
 

I would encourage all players everywhere to change there A0 unit into something bigger and more apt at fighting. Please, please please change your A0 into something that I can find easier and blow the crap out of faster than that pesky, 6 man team that seems to disapear under my sights and tend to route any infantry I sent after them. :D

If you want them to match the rest of your moutain troops, rename them.

Re: Changing the AO unit.
 

Another important capabilty the HQ has and would hate to lose, is the extra smoke it has.

Re: Changing the AO unit.
 

You'll usually only use it to cover your own retreat though

Re: Changing the AO unit.
 

If you are popping smoke to cover your retreat, you are in deep doggy-poo, as pointed out. (You should never let the enemy locate your HQ).

If you are not detected and pop smoke from your HQ, you have just sent your PBEM opponent a very interesting message in the replay. Expect mail. If you are playing the AI, then popping smoke is a high AI interest item, and so may well lead to some incoming mail. Again, if you are popping smoke while undetected then it probably will be to aid some other team - and what is your HQ element doing so close to their firefight?

"HQ fires weapon " type messages in the replay are also highly interesting to a human opponent.

Firing events are AI interest items as well, so may well result in special deliveries. So even parking your HQ "weapons tight" with other troops to aid their morale in a fight is not star-bright as it will get some of the subordinates mail - put the HQ a ways to the rear of the fight to deal with broken troops in that case.

The job of the HQ is to hide with pride. It's the rear comms link to all the off-map units. If it dies, the comms of the off map support gets worse for the rest of the battle. More likely to be out of contact. Your overall force morale gets worse too. A decapitated force is an unhappy one. Rallying gets worse. Chance of your force getting to "force broken" status increases with decapitation.

At the most - put it on a feature in the rear where it has a decent view of a significant sector of the battlefield. It can then act as a part-time FOO. Don't place fire attractors next door to it (e.g., do not fire off a battery of mortars from right alongside it).

You no longer have the SP1 limit of 48 units. You have hundreds. Therefore using the HQ as Rambo is not likely to swing any balance your way, on the contrary it is more likely to help your opponent.


Cheers
Andy

Re: Changing the AO unit.
 

I don't use A0 in or near the front for better obs. that's what FOO are for right?.

Also don't arbitrarily pop smoke, just in the very rare cases where my opponent has either snuck around to the rear (where i almost keep the A0)
Or has dropped forces in close mainly to get the arty i suppose .

Then it's a use it or lose it situation as they already know where it is and using smoke to cover retreat (imminent incoming arty. mail) would make no difference anyway.