[Mobhack]

Originally Posted by rasnell

Here's what you're referring to from the manual:
"A" selects the 'All Formation' mode. This is very useful if you wish to set the targeting range of an entire formation with the 'Y' key OR if you wish to move an entire formation to a specific point but it is VERY important to remember that you cannot undo a group move so Remember to toggle this off after the 'Y' operation, or the next time you try to move a unit, the entire formation will move simultaneously under AI control and you will be stuck with that move

I guess this is where I'm slow or hanging up. I just don't understand the paragraph. Is this a simpler understanding. Let's say you have a group comprised of GO, G1, G2 and G3. GO is the commander of all of these units in the G group.

If I use the G key and toggle to GO, I now can choose the A key and point to where I want all of this group to go to? What the manual is warning about is they will continue to follow this order for every subsequent turn unless I go to this group and give them another order?

The simple way to learn is to learn by doing, since that is how the military do it anyway.

Set up a scratch game, or simply reload a saved game. you are going to throw the test turns away anyway.

Now simply select any unit in any old formation that has movement points left, hit the A key, and then click the mouse on a destination hex. See what the platoon now does. Repeat with other platoons. Now exit the game and reload the save, and try it again. Keep repeating this exercise till you have an idea what the severe limitations of that code are.

The A key is original SSI code which we have not touched.

If you use it for a formation move, then the AI is now in charge of all units in that formation, and it will try to get all units of the clicked formation to the destination hex you provided by the shortest move possible. That is all. It has no intelligence - there is no attempt to keep units together, and units with different speeds or that are widely separated will all use a shortest-path of their own. Vehicles may crash through buildings or cross sticky terrain you as a human would avoid, and may become bogged down, or try the route through a minefield. No account is taken of the enemy either - units may happily pass by say known enemy infantry and get assaulted, if the fastest route was calculated so. It will move units in unit number order - so e.g. if the formation was on a road, it will happily move some back elements through lead elements and so incur extra cost for having traversed the occupied hexes.

However, the A key function as I and others have stated does have a limited use for administrative movement. It can be a handy way to move (or concentrate) an entire platoon that is in open clear terrain and is guaranteed not to be shot at by the enemy with a single click. But only once the player has learned the limitations of the algorithm, through experience.

Once upon a time it was useful for selecting the range key (Y key dialogue) for formations, even if most people find it rather limited use for formation moves. I think it was A, Y, set range => all units now set for range chosen. (Now the Y key dialogue has a formation/unit toggle button I added so the A key code is even more obsolete. When you bring up the Y key dialogue, simply press "unit" and it toggles to "formation" - now set desired range and the whole formation is set).

The A key does not allow for the "undo" function. You are stuck with the moved units in whatever position the AI has now plonked those units into. As a new player, you may have not noticed the "undo" function key, which can be very useful if you mis-click.

The A key is a toggled function - it will remain in force till you select A once more to turn it off. This can be very annoying if you mis-click on a new formation and it suddenly does a group move because you forgot to reset the A key!.

All of the above can be learned by simply setting up a "scratch" throw-away game as a training exercise and poking a few keys to see what actually happens when you use the A key functionality.

Cheers
Andy