LOS tool suggestion

[Marquês de Alorna]

It would be very useful to have a line-of-sight checking tool. The easiest way is, in the F2 screen, to fix a point and then move the mouse whose icon would indicate if the pointed position has line-of-sight to the fixed point. Other solutions would involve coloring the line-of-sight area.

At least it should be possible to check the current line-of-sight of the CinC - also of subordinate commanders in MP.

[Gunner24]

Agreed, that would be helpfull, like a shaded area that can be seen from any point.

[Hook]

I think a line of sight tool would be a good thing as a learning tool and a way to determine how the game calculates line of sight.  However, once you've learned this yourself it's much less useful during a game, and if you haven't already learned it, it's not going to be very helpful.

The problem is that a line of sight tool only gives you the line of sight from a single point, and during battle you're seldom concerned about just one point.  Also, I've found that even though they perfectly show the line of sight, they aren't really all that accurate and you don't want to depend on them.

What you're learning with the LOS tool is "coup d'oeil", the ability to determine at a glance the advantages of the terrain.  Once you've learned this, you will have more understanding of the terrain than any line of sight tool will give you.

There is already a similar mechanism built into the game that you can use to learn the line of sight rules.  Set up a game with fog of war, including limited visibility of friendly units, and during the setup phase move your CinC around the setup area manually and watch what units he can see as you move him.  Move units around and check how it changes the visibility.  A half hour of this and you won't need a line of sight tool.

Some people would still prefer to have one, and there's no reason not to implement one.  Depending on how it's implemented, it might be very simple to do. 

Hook

[Marquês de Alorna]

There is already a similar mechanism built into the game that you can use to learn the line of sight rules.  Set up a game with fog of war, including limited visibility of friendly units, and during the setup phase move your CinC around the setup area manually and watch what units he can see as you move him.  Move units around and check how it changes the visibility.  A half hour of this and you won't need a line of sight tool.

See? You are precisely going to the point. Since the focus of action changes over time, it is likely that you want to move the CinC command post accordingly during the game (no only during the setup phase). That's where the LOS tool enters the play.

I've never played MP, but in case players are able to move their corps commanders HQ at will, there is a similar need to choose the respective command posts.

[Hook]

What I described was for training purposes only.  It's not practical as a general line of sight tool.

Once you've learned to read the ground, developed your coup d'oeil, you'll start trusting your judgment over any line of sight tool.  In games that have them, I almost never use them.  They just aren't as accurate as you'd think.

The general rule is, unless you're sure your opponent can't see you, he can.  If you're going to try to use the line of sight tool to micromanage where you put your troops, and put them right on the edge of line of sight, you're not going to like the results, because just because a line of sight tool says there's no line of sight doesn't mean you won't be seen.

You can google coup d'oeil, but don't expect the results to be useful.  It's one of those things that can be learned, but probably can't be taught.  Given some of the stuff I've read, it can't even be explained properly.  I couldn't understand it myself for many years until I got a game with a line of sight tool, but you can do the same thing during the setup phase to learn it there. 

I'm not saying we shouldn't have a line of sight tool, just that you're better off learning to read the terrain.  A real LOS tool would help, of course.

Hook

[Gunner24]

it is likely that you want to move the CinC command post accordingly during the game (no only during the setup phase

My CiC never stands still, he is always on the move, from one high point to another, then to the fromt line troops in action, then over to the other side, to another hill, then close to the routing troops, etc etc etc.....in short a CiC in my battles will never be allowed to stand still, but constantly on the move to help spot the enemy and see my own troops positions.