How to play HITS properly?

Skyhigh · Post by **Skyhigh** » Fri Apr 28, 2017 11:13 am

So I want to start playing HITS.

Example: Waterloo.

Instead of a historic Hougoumont attack by Joseph B., I want him to start attacking the forces North of Hougoumont. My general strategy will actually be to bypass the farm and rotate the battlefield so I will fight the Allied from Left to Right.

Anyway, it starts with Joseph Bonaparte.

Do I "Select Unit" on him? And then point him north of Hougoumont on the Attack Map?
Then select a Formation so his Brigades will follow him?
Do I give him a "Probe" stance maybe? Or if I do that, he might still attack Hougoumont? Have him "Hold to the Last" first, and then later "Probe"?
But I will not know he has arrived on position I guess, unless I ride over there myself as HITS player.

To have the nearby cavalry support him at a later stage, do I do the same? Point that division on the Command Map to where Joseph is supposed to be, Formation, and a stance like "Probe" or "Attack" or "Defend"?

Is that how HITS is supposed to be played?

Saddletank · Post by **Saddletank** » Fri Apr 28, 2017 9:12 pm

Sounds like you've got it about right. You need to rely on the AI more and the stances and approach routes are important. I would give him hold orders and a path using waypoints that get him around Hougoumont's west side until he contacts whatever is NW of the chateau, then change his orders to a more aggressive stance. You'll still probably need a brigade to screen the chateau on its west side and Pire's cavalry division will need to push up towards the NW to cover his left. You might even need a division from one of the reserve cavalry brigades to back the attack up. Once Bonaparte makes headway get a second division from Reille to support and/or exploit. Putting pressure of the Allied front between Goumont and LHS may help too.

I find when playing HITS that you need to be a Ney rather than a Napoleon and be up in the front line shouting at your men! That is TC a unit now and again to force it to go somewhere to plug a gap or perform a task and un-TC it when you're satisfied the job is done.

BTW you can set the camera height to whatever you are comfortable with - 10yds is pretty hardcore but you can try 5, 10 or 15 more to give yourself a bit less claustrophobia if that works for you.

Good luck on the Allied right, its their strongest flank!

Skyhigh · Post by **Skyhigh** » Sun Apr 30, 2017 3:22 am

Thanks very much!
That was truly... a humbling experience!

I won the battle once before, a year ago - but that was with the drone view and a bit of micromanagement.
But this HITS... it is something else!

It is exhilarating to send orders to divisions you cannot see, hoping they will do what should be done. And how difficult it is to have no. single. clue. about what is really going on out of your field of view.
Or you see a regiment breaking up in the distance and you rush to zoom through the telescope to see if it is Allied or French soldiers.
And how exciting it is to send Napoleon on his horse to, say, Hougoumont, trying to find out if your plan is still a plan...

Anyway - Bonaparte opened the battle northwest of Hougoumont as promised. My first action however was to send Bachelu off to a spot behind him, so he could follow up Bonaparte's attack.
Pire's horsemen were always going to be close so I had them just on standby.
I left Foy in position to clear Hougoumont forest in due time, but not straight away.

About 30 minutes later I sent off Quiot's men between Hougoumont and La Haye Saint to apply pressure on the Allied Right from a different angle. And I gave the order to Bachelu to follow up Bonaparte.
After going back to observe my right, I instructed Donzelot's division to take on La Haye Sainte and the Quarry.

Then it was time to send in the Cavalry. Orders went out to Pire to help Bachelu and Bonaparte. All of Kellermann's brigades went over the ridge to assist Quiot's actions between Hougoumont and La Haye Sainte. No idea what they were up to there. It is so nice to see them through the telescope going over that ridge not knowing what is out there or what is going to happen.

Then on my Right I observed Allied troops coming out over the ridge to attack Donzelot, so I sent forward Marcognet to flank them, and this was succesful.

2 hours and 16,000 dead later Hougoumont has fallen thanks to Foy, La Haye Sainte is mine, and more importantly Mr Soult advises me to go for the Mont St Jean crossroads as I have succesfully taken the Allied Right.
(although on the map it does look like the Allies are far from defeated on their right).

Bonaparte's division is pretty much spent, every division that battled on my left has been hit pretty hard now, but it seems the cavalry is doing well.
Durutte, Milhaud, Jacquinot, the Guard - they are still in reserve so that's a plus!

Anyway, the image below shows the scene after rode my horse over there to take a look and right before I saved to go to bed

What a wonderful experience!!

The attachment 369390_screenshots_20170430005208_1.jpg is no longer available

Saddletank · Post by **Saddletank** » Sun Apr 30, 2017 3:33 am

If you enjoy HITs and don't mind experimenting with mods you are welcome to join our MP group - the Kriegspiel Society. Our mod is quite an overhaul of the base game (we have almost fully re-written the AI dll file) and we play with couriers as well which adds yet another dense layer of tension. There's a link to our forum in my sig.

I promise you HITS and couriers in MP without any voice comms is the best way to play this game.

We play WL every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

con20or · Post by **con20or** » Thu May 11, 2017 11:28 pm

The best way to play HITS is to just play it

Glad you are enjoying it!

I have had so many realistic experiences playing like this - losing forces in the wilderness, delays on essential forces, wondering how well an attack on another front is going but unable to leave the current hotspot, looking through musket smoke trying to find out what is going on on my flanks (with the smoke mod).

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