No, seriously. This forum is more active than you might think. Perhaps, because the game has been out for a long time many questions have been asked so it might have died down a bit. There are some of us who play HITS solely and regularly, MP.
Thanks very much, Grog! My questions are below, sorry in advance if it's too wordy, that seems to be a bad habit of mine!
So mainly I'm just trying to understand the most effective way to issue orders via the courier system. I understand that the chronological order must be location > facing > formation > roads (if applicable), and this works fine for me without problems. My issues, though, are #1 efficiency and #2 accuracy. I think some of this is due to playing canned scenarios (not free play) and also not using the right mods? I just don't know exactly what to do and was hoping for some community guidance to get me pointed in the right direction…
Efficiency: Say I play a scenario as a brigadier general. To do something as simple as move my whole bridge forward, I have to issue separate orders to each of my regiments. I could do it by only moving my HQ under "normal" play, but if I want the realism of HITS then everything has to go through the courier system, which becomes tedious and repetitive. The courier interface is just too slow to navigate. What I really would want to do is to be able to issue the orders like I do in the normal GUI (clicking the buttons), then just have them sent out as a courier message instead. Is that possible with a certain mod? Couriers&Maps mod perhaps? Is the 1.6 upgrade the most current version?
Accuracy: I find it very difficult to order my units into the correct positions using the courier system. Say I am in the same brigade scenario as above, and I have 3 regiments all next to each other in line, with a 4th in reserve to my rear center. My right flank is challenged by a large Federal force approaching from due north (those damn Yankees!). I want to send my reserve into position on my right flank, so I order them to wheel, advance 300 yds, face north, line formation, double quick! Off they go as instructed…….. completely overshooting my flank, and wind up facing harmlessly towards the trees, completely unengaged in the combat.
What I would really like to do instead is click directly on a map point (rather than a general direction or distance), but the problem is the map is WAY too zoomed out to position units with precision, not to mention it is overflowing with icons making it hard to see the terrain - which by the way I don't want to see anyway, since it feels like the "fog of war" is too weak and I can see way too much of the battlefield for realism!? Similar to above, I think the campaign maps might be different than the free play versions, is that true? And I guess the right mods might give me versions that are more natural and/or easier to use for this purpose…?
BONUS QUESTION: I also struggle to identify which unit is which, so before I send an order I have to click on their flag to see which regiment to communicate with. Since I'm in locked overhead perspective, this transfers my view unnecessarily to that unit, and then I have to click the up arrow to get back to my general. Just unnecessary and distracting. Is this just a matter of me needing to learn regimental flags by sight, or is there another way I can identify a unit without moving to its viewpoint?
Thank you again very much for all your help. Please let me know if this makes sense or if you have any clarifying questions. I'm about a decade late to this party, but am LOVING this game and definitely want to get better/smarter at playing it the right way.