Hot keys and bridges

[Devil2575]

I have two questions.

1) Is it easier to use the hot keys to instruct your units rather than actually moving the mouse back and forth constantly? The reason I ask is that I am finding on bigger maps that my biggest problem isn't the enemy, it is controling all my units in such a large area. I simply don't have enough time to do everything and so a lot of units end up sitting idle.

2) Someone metioned destroying bridges in a previuos post. Can all bridges be destroyed and what methods, as allies, do I have at my disposal? Can they be rebuilt?

Thanks

[devildog0514]

Some people Use hotkeys, I dont. I guess I just never took the time to get use to them. It really has to be your cup of tea.

Not all bridges are destroyable. Only Bridges that rise up above water with support collums and stuff. Example.. On the Map Lyon the Middle Bridge cannot be destroyed due to its structure.

You can destroy a bridge as the allies by researching demolition charges at your hq and then using engineers to place the demo on the bridge. It takes some munition to actually place the charges.. Iv also seen players place a crap load of mines at the end of a bridge and then blow them up and it also destroys the bridge.

Its kinda funny actually, The Axis repair a bridge thinking they are gonna be safe when they cross. While you have 3 or 4 engineers placing alot of mines at your end of the bridge. Then they try to cross thinking you cant blow it up anymore cause you dont have demo on it... The one shot from a AT gun blows all the mines up and there goes the bridge. All their units fall into the water and they are screamin in chat saying "How did you blow up the bridge"?

[Valkeller]

Hotkeys is really great so I would say take time to learn them, or make your own hotkeys.

[kippcasper73]

the only real hotkeys u need are F1-F5 (buildings).
i play the game one handed ( ie mouse ), and only use my left hand for F-keys and left-alt.

[Devil2575]

Thanks, I'm going to have to give the mine thing a go I think :D

[Easy506/2ndBatt]

actually just putting multiples mines over a bridge and having a unit go across that can blow the bridge to high heaven.


playing against some dude one time who just mined his entire side of the water (don't remember what his name was) and the bridges. Me not knowing this of course, I decided to send a sniper over a bridge too far to scout for some off map artillery. Cloaked sniper takes a step on the bridge, and boom! His limbs are blown sky high and the bridge is down. :agree: :agree: :agree:

[theBlind]

re: Hotkeys, I find the hotkeys for command groups invaluable, there's no way I could do without them. Also, things like grenades are activated much faster via hotkey than using the mouse.
Also, the production building hotkeys (F1-F5) are useful.

That said, yes, I do use most hotkeys. I do however usually produce units or order upgrades with the mouse, I never bothered to learn those since the pace of the game is slow enough so that this is not a drawback.

Not all bridges can be destroyed. If it's a arched design that has actual water flowing underneath, it can be destroyed. Those that fill the entire space underneath them can't be destroyed.
Allies can bring a bridge down by using demolitions charges (those can be used any time you want, try using them while an enemy tank is crossing over), by bombardment both by offmap artillery and onmap howitzers, or by exploding mines upon them.
Maybe they can also be destroyed by direct fire with any weapon that could damage a tank, but I never tried that.

Destroyed bridges can be rebuild using engineers, but that takes some time. Rebuild bridges can be re-destroyed and re-build ad infinitum.

EDIT: If you find yourself unable to control your units, do you have them in control groups (CTRL + <number> to assign, <number> to recall)?
If you want a group of units to attack something, just order an attack move there. The units behave reasonably intelligent on their own when finding an enemy, thuse giving you enough time to easily micro them if you want.
You can also quene actions by ordering the action while holding down the SHIFT key. For example, you can order a squad of pioneers to cap several strategic points in order by holding shift and right clicking on each of them in the order you want. That works especially well from the tactical map (Numpad-0)

[Easy506/2ndBatt]

indeed.

I use bridger's gridkeys.

I can get started really fast thanks to them.

Clicky
Q
Clicky
S
Q

[Lt. Slothrop]

I usually destroy bridges with an arty strike (Allied Infantry doctrine, since this is the only one I really know how to play so far...). Guess a howitzer would work too. Nebel might work if it could manage to hit the bridge with more than rocket per barrage...

(only found that bridges could be destroyed by accident when I turned one of the Lyon ones into a killing zone. After about 15 Axis tanks had been wiped out on it, the bridge gave up).

Generally takes 2 arty strikes to destroy the bridge. This costs 200 muni, so comparable in cost to "loads of mines".

On hotkeys: I love them. Keeps the mouse pointer up in the game area where it should be IMHO. I find them useful especially for Engineers - hit B,E for a quick MG nest, rather than 2 mouseclicks. Also for Riflemen in a shit-storm; N for a nade, S for a stickybomb.

There are hotkey lists at http://planetcoh.gamespy.com/View.php?view=GameInfo.List&category_select_id=2

These are more complete than the manual hotkey list, but the Allied one is still incomplete. Mod-extract the keydefaults.lua file to fill in the blanks; I'd post my complete Allied hotkey list here but no attachments allowed.

[Aris]

The most reliable method is to plant demo charges on the bridge, although it takes time to lay them. Arty works too, but it will put a big hole in your munitions stockpile. Haven't tried mines yet, but if they do work, this would make them the cheapest and fastest way of blowing a bridge. Bridges can be repaired by Engineers, albeit very very slowly.