Seven Habits of Highly Effective Players

 There – now that I have your attention, below you will find a number of Game Play “Tips and Techniques” to extend your pleasure in the Panzer Campaign Series. These are not intended to be tactical suggestions. Rather they are ways to use the tools provided by the game interface to play more effectively!

Divisional Markings 

Keeping units of the same Division roughly in the same area of the map is an effective way to aid engaged units to recover from Disruption. To assist you in determining “which unit belongs where”, turn ON the “Divisional Markings” setting using the button on the Toolbar. This puts a colored Unit symbol in the 2D Icon and thus makes it easy to see which units should remain grouped. 

Furthermore, you can use the “Highlight Org” and select one unit to find all units of that organization. This can be different than Divisional Units, in that selecting a Battalion and pressing the Highlight Org button, will show units of that Battalion’s regiment, usually another 3 or 4 units, while the Divisional Markings will indicate the units of the entire Division, often more than a dozen units.

3D Map Mode

Some veteran Panzer Campaign players find that viewing the Map in 3D Normal Mode is a very effective means of evaluating the “lay of the Land”. The “4” hot key jumps you instantly to 3D Normal view and the “2” Key returns the map the 2D Normal where most players spend the bulk of their play time.

Ctrl Key to Fire

Even though the interface provides a button to switch to FIRE Mode, veteran players often find it more effective to keep the game in normal MOVE Mode. Then, when they wish to fire, they hold the <CTRL> Key to put the game in temporary FIRE Mode.

Faster Play with less Mouse Clicks

In most cases, a unit can fire three times per turn and often you may find you want to target all available shots at the same defending unit. To speed play and fire all remaining shots at the same target, hold the <ALT> Key. You can also fire more than one unit at a time by selecting several units when you fire.  

However, you still have to deal with the “Fire Report Dialog” which by default has an OK button. However, if you select “Continuous Action” using the menu item Settings | Continuous Actions, the Fire Report Dialog is displayed for a few seconds and will disappear on its own while the next shot is resolved. 

Used with the temporary FIRE Mode as described in the Tip above, a player could use Continuous Action, select several units, hold the <CTRL> and the <ALT> take all available shots from several units with a single Right Mouse Click.

Finding unFixed available Units 

Using “Fixed units” is the Scenario Designers way to some command paralysis or condition beyond the control of the players who have a “Birds Eye View” of all the action. When playing a Scenario where many units on the phasing players side are fixed, a good way to start your turn is to press the Highlight Fixed button. This will show you the units that you are able to move in that turn. But keep in mind that units that are “Fixed”, can still fire if an opposing unit is within range.

 Reachable Hexes and Saved Movement Cost 

The game interface features a Reachable Hexes button on the toolbar. With a Unit selected and the button depressed, any hexes that a unit could not move to in this turn become are shaded. Be careful if more than one unit type with different movement costs is selected when using Reachable Hexes. In this case, the lit hexes will show where the farthest units can reach and not where ALL selected units can reach 

This button can also be used in conjunction with the Save Movement Cost button to show how far a unit could move while reserving enough Movement Points to either change out of Transport Mode or Fire from the new location.

How to Undo when using Fog-of-War

Don’t you just hate it when with a click of at mouse, you accidental move a unit that you didn’t intend to. It has made some players ask why the Undo Last Movement command isn’t available while Fog-of-War (FOW) is ON. The answer is that it discourages players from taking back a bad move.

 However, accidents do happen and there is a way to Undo the Move as long as it did not trigger Fire by the non-phasing players. Here is what you do.

 ·          Do NOT click anywhere on the map – if you do, your action cannot be undone

·          Press the “4” to change the map to 3D Normal. This will zoom you in as close as possible.

·          Scroll the Map to a location behind your lines where no enemy units will be seen

·          From the A/I menu, select the Manual setting for the AI side.

·          From the Command menu, select the Undo Last Movement command

·          From the A/I menu, select the FOW setting for the AI side.

·          Press the “2” to change the map to 2D Normal and continue your game normally.

 OK – so there is more than Seven – but you have to admit it is a catchy Title

Don’t Forget your Artillery and your available Air Missions

As simple as it may sound, often newer players to the game overlook the fact that they have available a very powerful weapon in their Indirect Fire Artillery and plunge forward and assault a position before applying any suppression fire. Press the “Artillery Dialog” button to see a list of all units you can fire, and do it early in your turn. Check again at the end of the turn to make use you have used up all these assets. 

A similar story goes for the Air Support. An Air Mission is a way to call fire on any visible position. However, once used, an Air Mission will not return for several turns. So unlike Artillery, do not try to use all these up, but don’t hesitate to use them when required either. Air Missions are a very powerful weapon that is very effective, especially when used against artillery, HQs or enemy units in Transport Mode. Don’t over look that you have them to use – but use them wisely.

Finding unUsed Units  

In some games, there are many units and a it could be necessary to finish a turn over more than one sitting. How can you remember which units have moved\fired and which units have not? 

The answer lies in the Toolbar button “Used Movement Points”!

With this button pressed all units that have performed any action, either movement or firing will be highlighted and thus units that are not highlighted have not been used in this turn and may be worthy of further consideration.