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Map OIC

TOAD at War HC Manual

Contents 1 The Cycle of Player Numbers - Overpop, Underpop, and Lowpop 1.1 Overpop 1.2 Underpop 1.3 Lowpop 1.4 Axis/Allies Player Cycles 1.5 Holidays, Summertime, Big Sporting Events 1.6 24 Hour Player Number Pwnage 2 Types of AOs 2.1 Mandated AOs 2.1.1 The Safe AO 2.1.2 The Forgotten AO 2.1.3 The Mole AO 2.2 Priority Target AOs 2.2.1 Feint AO 2.2.2 Attrittion AO 2.2.3 Blitz AO 3 Planned Operations 3.1 Timing Your Operation 3.2 Planning Your Operation 3.2.1 Probabilty of Success 3.3

The Cycle of Player Numbers - Overpop, Underpop, and Lowpop

There are many players from many different countries represented in Battle Ground Europe. Each country has players that favor the Axis, the Allies, or don't really care what side they play on. While you can't say all players from one country only play for one side, there is definetly a geographical preference that exists on what side players will choose to fight for.

• Euro players will tend to play Axis
• USA players will tend to play Allied

It is because of these geographic preferences that the Cyle of Player Numbers exist. When the sun is over Europe the Axis will have a player advantage. When the sun is over USA, the Allies will have a player advantage. When the sun is over the Pacific Ocean, no one has any idea who will have an advantage. The Cycle of Players is usually predictable. At the same time each day, the cycle of players begins to shift. Sometimes the exact hour the shift occurs may differ, but you can almost always count on the fact that the shift will happen within a two hour window.

The first lesson of Map OIC - What you can accomplish greatly affected by total player numbers and the distrubtion of those players between the two sides.

As Map OIC, you need to be keenly aware if you are in an Overpopulation, Underpopulation, or Lowpopulation situation. Commanding on the field like as if your side is Overpop when it is actually Underpop is sure way to lose lots of towns. Commanding on the field like as if it is Underpop when it is actually Overpop is sure way to miss opportunities. Commanding in any style in Lowpop can result in the pwning of the enemy or a complete crumbling of your front line. Scary thing about Lowpop is that you never can predict how well you will do. Unfortunately, it is frightenly random.

A Map OIC must know what Overpop, Underpop, and Lowpop means relating to their ability to attack or defend. A Map OIC needs to know what the next cycle will be, so flag movements and operations can be planned in advance. Finally, a Map OIC needs to have realistic expectations on how players will react and what they are able to accomplish. Ignoring these realities will place the Map OIC in peril.

Overpop

Overpop stands for Over Populated. Overpop means that overall server player numbers are high and your side has a LARGER percentage of those players than the enemy side.

When your side is OVERpop:

• Be Aggressive - More players means it is time to go on the OFFENSIVE.
• Take Chances - You can move your flags into weaker positions because you can count on your high player numbers to stop enemy counterattacks
• Execute Planned Operations - Being Overpop gives you the best chance at capturing towns. Time the operation so that the attack on the most difficult target occurs when you have the best chance of winning.

Underpop

Underpop stands for Under Populated. Underpop means that overall server player numbers are high and your side has a SMALLER percentage of those players than the enemy side.

When your side is UNDERpop:

• Be Aggressive, but be careful - Attacking is a great way to keep the enemy on the defense and not attacking the line. Recognize that your AOs will struggle. Also, keep in mind that you don't have enough players to attack in full force and defend elsewhere at that same time. Remember that you are up against superior numbers. If you launch a full out attack with all your players, and the enemy counters somewhere else, your AO will probably fail and you'll be losing towns as well.
• Shift Flags Early - The enemy is going to attack many places at once and you'll likely be playing defense most of the time. Supply will become the key factor on determining if you will hold a town or not. Move flags early so that when the need for more supply occurs, you will have flags ready. Running out of supply and then trying to move a flag that is still one hour away is probably a move that is sixty minutes too late.
• Keep an Eye on the Map - The enemy will be setting up attacks on many towns across the front. You only have a few players,so make sure they are deployed at the most important points of your defense. Managing where your players are defending will be key to holding onto stategic towns.

Lowpop

Lowpop stands for Low Population. Lowpop occurs when overall server numbers are low. Usually this means that the total number of AOs available is three or less.

Because Lowpop times have few players, weird things can happen at times. Let's face it in this situation there will most likely be fewer eyes and less experienced commanders on the map. This often results in an increase in map mistakes allowing for the potential of both opportunity and disaster. Because both sides have fewer players, a small group of organized players switching sides or logging in to one side can greatly imbalance player ratios. Because Lowpop advantage can change with only a few players logging in or out, a Map OIC can never count on players being there to attack or defend.

Summary on Lowpop:

Be careful on where you leave your flags. You can easily get into trouble during Lowpop. Unlike Overpop or Underpop, in Lowpop there is a distinct possibility to be overrun by the enemy and,without players, may very well have no chance to stop it from happening. Crazy and stange things happen in Lowpop. Be warned and be prepared.

Axis/Allies Player Cycles

Times of the day when Overpop, Underpop, and Lowpop occur.

Definitions: Euro TZ - Late afternoon or evening in Europe US TZ - Late afternoon or evening in United States Pacific TZ - Afternoon or even over Australia, China and Asia.

AXIS:

• Overpop - Euro TZ
• Underpop - US TZ
• Lowpop - Pacific TZ

ALLIES:

• Overpop - US TZ
• Underpop - Euro TZ
• Lowpop - Pacific TZ

Holidays, Summertime, Big Sporting Events

There are events that take place in the world that can greatly effect player numbers. Different holidays that are celebrated around the world can reduce or increase the number of players logging on from a country or TZ. Big sporting events like the Superbowl or Worldcup can cripple a side. Summertime can also cause havoc to the Cycle of Players. While students may have more time to log in general, those of northern climates log out in the spring and summer to enjoy the warmer seasons.

24 Hour Player Number Pwnage

This is the one thing that will break the Cycle of Players. When one side is completely dominating the other due to a breakouts, routing of divisions, or morale crushing loss of key towns, the players on the losing side often log off in mass. As a result of side pwning, you can expect to be Overpop until the situation stabalizes. The side being pwned should not count on their Overpop periods to attempt daring offensive plans.

• When you are Pwning - Expect HIGH Player Numbers until the line stabalizes
• When your getting Pwned - Expect LOW Player Numbers until the line stabalizes

Types of AOs

Nothing focuses the player base more than AOs. They are funnels that HC can drive players through to accomplish larger goals. Because they are the primary tool for HC, AO selection and understanding the consequences of AO placement is a "must know" for any serious HC.

Not all AOs are the same. There are many different reasons why HC places AOs and the preparation they do to prepare for them. In this section we will discuss the different types of AOs and when and why they should be placed.

Before placing an AO, you should know what you are trying to accomplish. Because of player numbers and limited resources, HC can only organize about half of the number of AOs CRS mandates to be up at any given time. This means half the AOs up are AOs that HC will try to get squads and players to put their energies in. The other half of AOs that are placed will either have no one in mission or a few Blue Tags trying to create a small battle.

We will discuss proper target selection in later chapters. What you need to know for now is that ALL AOs effect player numbers, supply, and flag manuverbility.

There are two groups of AOs.

• Mandated AOs
• Priority Target AOs

Mandated AOs

CRS requires a minimum number of AOs to be placed, with the minimum number depending on ingame player numbers. Because of limited player and equipment resources, HC can only effectively attack half the number AOs CRS mandates. These AOs that HC are not actively putting resources in are Mandated AOs.

Placement of Mandated AOs require a good understanding of player psychology. Mandated AOs come in 3 varieties, each with its own advantages and risks.

The goals of Mandated AO placement:

• Keep players on the Priority Target AOs
• Keep supply protected so it isn't wasted on ventures that are sure to fail
• Keep System happy with the number of AOs placed

The Safe AO

• Definition - The Safe AO is just what it is, Safe. This AO is placed when System demands an AO to be placed. When most AO placements would have negative player numbers or supply consequences for your side, placing a Safe AO is your best option.

• Where and When to Place - Safe AOs are placed on enemy towns that are:
  • Softcaps - Especially when there are no enemy ground flags near to help support the defense. If there is nearby enemy ground flag, then the AO may not be too "safe."
  • Towns that require PARAs to attack (Zeelands)- Not only does this protect supply, but the Navy and Para players LOVE IT.
  • Towns that have FBs, but your HQ is the only flag on the frontline - Lack of FB access because of HQ means players won't try to attack the town, they will choose to go to another AO because it is easier.
  • Towns that only have links to Navy or Air units - Navy and Air units can not use the FB and their ground unit supply isn't important enough to worry about conserving.
  • Towns that the enemy is attacking from - If the town under attack has ONLY one enemy town link, place the AO on the enemies attacking town. The only way for your players to attack the enemy town is to blow the FB (which stops the enemy AO).

• Why you place a Safe AO – AOs take player resources and use supply. HC has no control over the player base on where they can create missions and spawn in. The only way to protect supply is to make it inconvenient for the players to fight there. Placing an AO where only a very small number of players are willing to attack means your players and supply numbers are protected.

The Forgotten AO

• Definition – Forgotten AOs are just as the name implies, completly forgotten about. They are old AOs that have failed. Most if not all of the players have left the missions in search of more fun elsewhere. There is ussually no supply to protect because it was all used in the initial attack.

• When and Where to Place – No need to place them, they were placed hours ago. They are left up because HC are too lazy to pull, HC don't want to ruin any fun that the few players that remain on target, or if HC pulled the AO, they would have to set the AO somewhere else and there are no better choices.

• Dangers – If HC lose the focus of their playerbase, Forgotten AOs are the first place that the players will go to. There is ussually enough supply to keep the AO going for a little bit and there might even already have a MS setup. By their nature, Forgotten AOs will go active for short periods of time then go dormant. Unless the enemy is swapping flags to counter attack or you are trying to shift fresh flags through the area (and don't want the supply wasted on the Forgotten AO), Forgotten AOs are safe to keep up.

• Opportunities - Forgotten AOs are ussually defended by a few enemy defenders and have the depot radios hot. This makes them prime candiates for the Priority Target Blitz AO.

The Mole AO

• Definition – The Mole AO main purpose is not to capture the town, but to attract more enemy defenders to the town then there are attackers. This gives the attacker higher player numbers else where on the map. Think of this AO as a feint to bring enemy attention to a town so you can strike elsewhere.

• When and Where to Place – Mole AOs only work on very large towns. To set it up, all you need is some Paras or a single MS hidden somewhere in town. Only large towns have enough captureable buildings, long distances between the buildings, and places to hide to make Moling effective. If the towns are small, your Moles will take a few depots early, but will be quickly hunted down and killed
  • Only towns with the City Terrain are viable for Mole operatins
  • Small List of City Towns - Antwerp, Koln, Brussells, Liege, Luxembourg, Reims, Amiens, and Whistable

• Why you place a Mole AO – Very large towns like Antwerp, Liege, Reims, Luxembourg, and others almost always create a rapid defensive response from your enemy (see WOW Towns). Because the towns are so large and have many places to hide, it is almost impossible to keep a few INF from capping depots randomly. As long as the town is contested, the ABs could be simulcapped and the large important town lost. Because of this, Defenders of Mole AOs will have to have the ABs manned with bunker guards and have many INF running around trying to cap back the captured buildings. You can easily have a few INF Moling while the enemy has 10-20 players trying to defend. That is 15+ defenders that are not in battles elsewhere on the map.

• Dangerous - Large City Towns are almost always WOW Towns. These towns are player magnets. You may set the AO so that a few dedicated Molers can cause havoc, but if you don't keep your player base focused on HC Priority Targets, you could easily find over half your players attacking the town with no real chance of taking it. This wastes players and alot of suppply.

• Opportunities - Many Mole AOs have turned into successful captures. The Molers continue to captures random buildings through the city, always making sure the city is contested. After the AB radios come up, the Molers or a squad that is changing targets to the Mole AO, organizes a bunker rush. If all the Bunker Rushes can be coordinated to happen at the same moment, it is common for the all the ABs to be capped and the enemy flags to be kicked out. This now means the town becomes a contested softcap. The winner of such battles are ussually the side with overpop or the side that can transfer their player base to the Mole AO faster. (After the simul AB Cap, the AO is no longer a Mole AO, it is now a Priority Target AO.)

Priority Target AOs

Priority Target AOs are towns that HC has chosen to spend player and equipment resources. The goal is to focus those resources onto to specific targets to maximize the chances of capturing the town. We will cover how to accomplish these AOs later is this chapter, for now learn about the key differences.

Feint AO

• Definition - The Feint AO is an AO that is placed, only to be withdrawn soon after.

• When and Where to Place - Feint AOs need to be placed on towns that are viable targets. Towns that the enemy can believe you are going to attack using your players and equipment. It is best to place them about 20 minutes before you begin your "real" AO.
  • Towns that have multiple links
  • Towns that have AFs or hold Key Town links
  • Towns that are WOW Towns AND you have enough links to make the attack credible

• Why you Place the AO - As you will learn later in this chapter, SURPRISE is a very important factor in the success of any AO. Feint AOs draw off enemy HC and players to a town that you have no intention of putting your effort into. This means there will be less enemy players and HC that will spawn in durring the initial deployement phase of the real AO.

• How to Set up a Feint AO - You setup a Feint AO like you would for any Priority Target AO. Ideally you recruit a small squad or a few HC. Setup 2 MSs, have the MSs tow along some ATG, and have 4 players spawn in Tanks to setup off ET EWS. Send a call out in chat for players and you have an instant AO. The enemy won't be able to tell that it is a feint and will spawn in to setup Defense.

• Dangers - The main danger of Feint AOs is getting your player too involved. You need to SPAM constantly that the AO is a feint and may be pulled at any time. You must make sure that players, HC, and other squads will stay focused on the real target being setup, not the Feint target being attacked now. If player or squads get too attached to the Feint AO, you may have little choice but to keep it up and turn it into a real Priority Target AO.

Attrittion AO

• Definition - Attrittion AOs are what most would consider a standard AO. You setup MSs, get ATGs placed in good positions, bring some tanks in, and then place the AO.

• When and Where to Place - Attrition AOs can be placed anywhere.

• Why you Place the AO - Attrittion AOs can be placed at any time and anywhere. They take only minimal organization to start and are not heavly adversely affected by player numbers. They don't require an OIC and are mostly on autopilot for the AOs lifetime. The majority of AOs placed or Attrittion AOs.

Blitz AO

• Definition - Blitz AOs is a focused and choreographed side effort to take a specific target. Blitz AOs start with many players spawning in and driving DIRECTLY to town to setup close in camping positions. Blitz AOs are the most difficult AO to perform. They require the highest levels of organization in supply, squads, and players.

• When and Where to Place -

• What makes a Blitz AO different - The idea behind the Blitz AO is to have a large number of squads and players spawn into a FB in unison and immediately begin moving to preassigned fighting positions that are CLOSE around the target town. While that sounds like alot like a standard AO, what makes the Blitz AO different is having a huge number of players spawning into missions at the same time and the CLOSENESS of the setup. The enemy will have less than 2 minutes to identify the wave of IB attackers, make calls on chat for defenders, and then shift a large percentage of their players to the new town for Defense. This is EXTREMELY difficult for the Defender to do in time. This gives the Attacker a fantastic position to start the AO, ussually having the spawnable depots and AB gates camped before the first wave of Defending players spawn in. Because of the overwhelming firepower, both in player numbers and equipment, properly planned and executed Blitz AOs have a very high chance of succeding.

• Dangers -
  • Blitz AOs require a high level of organization and secretness. The Blitz only works when the enemy does not get an early warning of the impending attack. If players who lack discipline hear of the future AO, they will make their own missions and spawn in to reserve the best tanks. Once EWS is setoff, a few enemy players will spawn in to check it out and setup a small defense. Because Blitz AOs require your tanks to be spawned in at once and driven directly to town, any sapper or ATG setup before the cued spawn in will kill many of the first wave of tanks. If a couple enemy ATGs have already been placed in strong positions before the AO, you will likely loose the majority of your tanks within a few minutes and the AO will fail.
  • Failed Blitz AOs create a large casualty list for the Attacker. Tanks supplies are ussually decimated from one or more flags.
  • Blitz AOs have a higer level of Tank deaths than an Attrition AOs. The Attacker is sending their tanks directly from the FB into town. The closer the tanks can get to town, the better the camp. This makes those tanks vulnerable to ATGs and especially sappers. Expect a high rate of Tanks deaths and have a second or even a third Flag of supply ready to be switched in.
  • Because Blitz AOs require you to pull a large portion of players from other areas of the map to the target town, other AOs and DOs may suffer.

• Opportunities - Because the depots of succesffully Blitzed Towns are capped quickly, the enemy flags get trapped. With a fully camped AB, the trapped enemy flags become fully attritted at a rapid rate. It is common for the enemy flags to have only rifles at then end of a successful Heavy Blitz AO.

The Two types of Blitz AOs

• HEAVY Blitz AO - Relies on overwhelming firepower in equipment and player numbers
  • Uses alot of heavy tanks that roll into the town and AB area
  • Reliance on MSs for Infantry support

• LIGHT Blitz AO - Relies on overwhelming player numbers and slow enemy reaction time
  • Uses a mass of INF to take spawnables and secure the AB bunker in a short period of time, ussually by PARAs
  • Lack of heavy equipment means that the Attacker cannot the spawnable depot or the bunker indefinetly
  • The key question - Can you hold onto the bunker as the Defender's players begin to spawn into town?

Planned Operations

Most reading this for the first time will missunderstand what I mean by "Planned Operation." So lets first disscuss what is NOT a planned operation.

A planned operation is NOT:

• An agreed time where you and 50 of your closest friends decide to log on
• Any plan that does not mention a specific town and the flag movements that are needed
• Looking at the map, choosing an enemy target that looks vulnerable, talking to a few squads, and then spamming chat that you will attack it in 15 minutes
• Any "plan" that sounds something close to - First we'll attack town A and move in. Then we will attack town B and move in. Then we attack town C and move in. Then we win the campaign/cut them off/take (insert important town here).

What is a planned operation? It encompasses ALL of the follwing.

• Identification of an enemy weak point
• Shifting of flags to give you supply and movement advantages
• A specific time that the first attack will begin (some flexibility on this)
• Organziation of HC, Squads, and Players BEFORE the first attack
• Analysis of possible enemy counter moves and the realization of the key moves and timers that will come into play
• One specified focus for the overall plan - We will "Cut them Off", we will "Take this AF", we will "Capture this Factory."

Timing Your Operation

Planning Your Operation

Probabilty of Success