What sometimes bothers me when microing infantry based units (inf, towed AT/AA, etc.) is the autocover feature: an infantry squad that you want to pull back from a building and hide behind it, reenters that building and gets shot. Or an AT gun that you want to position behind a hedgerow, enters that hedgerow and is spotted by enemy recon. I know I can disable the autocover option in the unit menu and have used this frequently to stop this kind of behaviour. In fact I find myself using this option so often that I wish the autocover option was off by default.
What I would like to see is an option in the gameplay menu to regulate default autocover options for units, similar to evac winchester or automatic fire on enemy supplies. Ideally there would be three options:
- Default (as it is now): autocover automatically ON for infantry based units, OFF for vehicle based units.
- Autocover OFF: automatically OFF for both infantry and vehicle based units.
- Autocover ON: automatically ON for both infantry and vehicle based units.
Of course whatever option is selected the player still has the option ingame to turn autocover on or off for particular units.
Rebuttal of potential counter-arguments:
“The autocover feature simulates ‘realistic’ unit behaviour.”
If it is supposed to simulate realistic unit behaviour, then autocover should be on for all units automatically, without being able to turn it off. Also, this supposedly realistic behaviour will often expose the unit rather than cover it.
No, the autocover feature is designed to reduce micro but more often than not achieves the opposite. Besides, the game is an RTS, not a simulator, and unit micro is one of the most important tasks of the player.
In conclusion, short of mechanical difficulties of implementing this option, there is no reason to be against it. Eugen, please wave your magic baguette and make this happen.
EDIT: I see now that a thread with a similar suggestion was posted a week ago, but I guess it can't hurt to bring this to attention again.
What I would like to see is an option in the gameplay menu to regulate default autocover options for units, similar to evac winchester or automatic fire on enemy supplies. Ideally there would be three options:
- Default (as it is now): autocover automatically ON for infantry based units, OFF for vehicle based units.
- Autocover OFF: automatically OFF for both infantry and vehicle based units.
- Autocover ON: automatically ON for both infantry and vehicle based units.
Of course whatever option is selected the player still has the option ingame to turn autocover on or off for particular units.
Rebuttal of potential counter-arguments:
“The autocover feature simulates ‘realistic’ unit behaviour.”
If it is supposed to simulate realistic unit behaviour, then autocover should be on for all units automatically, without being able to turn it off. Also, this supposedly realistic behaviour will often expose the unit rather than cover it.
No, the autocover feature is designed to reduce micro but more often than not achieves the opposite. Besides, the game is an RTS, not a simulator, and unit micro is one of the most important tasks of the player.
In conclusion, short of mechanical difficulties of implementing this option, there is no reason to be against it. Eugen, please wave your magic baguette and make this happen.
EDIT: I see now that a thread with a similar suggestion was posted a week ago, but I guess it can't hurt to bring this to attention again.
