Call of War | How to stack units

Summary

In this strategic gameplay video, BMfox discusses the art of unit stacking in strategy games. He emphasizes the importance of considering unit speed and their defensive or offensive nature, recommending not to mix slow and fast units. He illustrates the concept with examples of effective stacks, such as combining anti-tank, artillery, and anti-air units with infantry for early game strength, particularly for Pan-Asian factions with their early game bonuses. The video also covers the significance of using armored cars for scouting to avoid traps and the need to pair units that complement each other's strengths and weaknesses. BMfox concludes with practical advice on creating balanced and effective stacks, warning against the common mistake of exceeding 10 units in a stack, which only results in a waste of resources.

Takeaways

• 🚀 Stacking units in strategy games is crucial and involves considering unit speed and whether they are defensive or offensive.
• 🏃‍♂️ Mixing units with different speeds, such as slow and fast, should be avoided to maintain tactical efficiency.
• 🔎 Units like infantry, anti-tank, artillery, and anti-air often have similar speeds, making them suitable for a balanced stack.
• 🛡️ Defensive units are typically twice as strong when defending and should be used strategically for that purpose.
• 🌲 Pan-Asian doctrines provide early game bonuses for infantry and ordnance units, enhancing their performance in forests.
• 🚗 Armoured cars, despite being fast, serve as scouts to reveal hidden enemy units, making them valuable in any stack.
• 🔄 Stacking should aim to nullify the weaknesses of individual units by combining them with others that complement their strengths.
• 🛣️ Offensive units like light tanks should be paired with other offensive units to maximize their impact on the battlefield.
• 💣 Artillery units are weak in close combat and should be protected by stacking with stronger, faster units like medium tanks.
• ✈️ Air units, such as tactical and attack bombers, need to be safeguarded by interceptors to maintain air superiority.
• ⚠️ Avoid stacking more than 10 units, as only 10 will engage in battle, making larger stacks inefficient.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video script?

The main topic of the video script is about the strategy of stacking units in a game, focusing on unit speed, whether they are defensive or offensive, and how to effectively combine them for optimal performance.

Why is it important to consider unit speed when stacking units?

It is important to consider unit speed when stacking units because mixing slow and fast units can lead to inefficiencies in movement and combat, potentially leaving some units unable to support others effectively.

What is the speed of an infantry level 1 on flat terrain according to the script?

The speed of an infantry level 1 on flat terrain is 32 km/h.

Which units are mentioned as having the same speed of 27 km/h on flat terrain?

The units mentioned as having the same speed of 27 km/h on flat terrain are anti-tank, artillery, and anti-air units.

Why are anti-tank, artillery, and anti-air units considered a popular stack?

Anti-tank, artillery, and anti-air units are considered a popular stack because they complement each other's strengths and weaknesses, with infantry providing defense against unarmoured units and the other units offering support in their respective roles.

What advantage does the Pan-Asian doctrine provide in the early game?

The Pan-Asian doctrine provides early game bonuses such as 10% HP for infantry, 30% extra bonus in the forest for infantry and ordnance, 15% more damage for artillery, 20% more damage for armoured cars, and 15% for light tanks, making it strong in the early game.

Why is it recommended to include an armoured car in a stack?

It is recommended to include an armoured car in a stack not only because of its speed but also because it is a scout unit that can reveal hidden land units of the same or lower level, helping to avoid walking into traps.

What is the speed of a light tank and how does it compare to its offensive and defensive capabilities?

The speed of a light tank is not explicitly mentioned in the script, but it is stated that a light tank is significantly stronger in offense than in defense, making it suitable for offensive roles.

Why should units with double the strength in defense not be used in offense?

Units with double the strength in defense should not be used in offense because it is more strategic to exploit their defensive capabilities, providing a stronger position and potentially reducing losses.

What is the recommended maximum number of units in a stack and why?

The recommended maximum number of units in a stack is 10 because only 10 units in a stack will fight effectively. Having more than 10 units is considered a waste as they won't contribute to the battle.

How can stacking units of different roles (offensive and defensive) negatively impact a battle?

Stacking units of different roles can negatively impact a battle because it creates inefficiencies and weaknesses. For example, mixing fast offensive units with slow defensive units can lead to the slower units being left behind or the faster units being unsupported.

Outlines

00:00

🛡️ Unit Stacking Basics and Early Game Strategy

BMfox introduces the concept of unit stacking, emphasizing the importance of unit speed and their defensive/offensive roles. He explains that mixing slow and fast units is not ideal, using the example of infantry and ordnance units with different speed stats. He suggests that certain units like anti-tank, artillery, and anti-air, which share the same speed, can be effectively stacked together for early game advantages. Highlighting the Pan-Asian doctrine's early game bonuses, he discusses the strategic use of armored cars for scouting stealth units. The summary also touches on the inappropriateness of mixing units like light tanks with infantry due to their contrasting offensive and defensive capabilities.

05:01

🔄 Nullifying Weaknesses Through Intelligent Stacking

This paragraph delves into the strategy of nullifying unit weaknesses by intelligently stacking them. For instance, combining infantry with anti-tank units counters armored threats effectively. The paragraph also explores the compatibility of light tanks with motorized infantry for early game offensives. As the game progresses, medium tanks can be stacked with motorized infantry and self-propelled (SP) artillery for a balanced and mobile force. The importance of protecting artillery with units like SP AA is highlighted, along with the need for air support in the form of tactical and attack bombers escorted by interceptors. The summary concludes with a caution against exceeding 10 units per stack to avoid combat inefficiency.

10:02

🚩 Analyzing Stack Composition for Tactical Efficiency

BMfox critiques various unit stacks found on the map, pointing out the importance of keeping stacks to a maximum of 10 units and ensuring they are composed of either all fast or slow units, and all offensive or defensive units. He identifies a stack with a mix of medium and mechanized infantry as effective, while another stack with a mix of offensive and defensive units is deemed inefficient. The paragraph also discusses the composition of a stack designed to counter armored units, suggesting the addition of motorized infantry and SP rocket artillery to address weaknesses against unarmoured units. The summary ends with an example of a poor stack composition, mixing defensive units with fast, offensive medium tanks, illustrating the importance of strategic unit grouping.

Keywords

💡Stacking

Stacking in the context of the video refers to the strategic grouping of military units in a game. It is a core concept as it affects the efficiency and effectiveness of the units in battle. The script discusses the importance of considering unit speed and whether units are defensive or offensive when stacking, as mixing slow and fast units can lead to inefficiencies.

💡Unit Speed

Unit speed is a critical attribute of military units that determines how quickly they can move across the game map. It is essential for stacking because units of similar speeds can maneuver together effectively. The video script provides examples of different unit speeds, such as infantry at 32km/h and ordnance units like anti-tank and artillery at 27km/h.

💡Defensive Units

Defensive units are those that excel when positioned to protect or defend an area or other units. The script emphasizes that units with double the strength in defense, such as anti-tank and anti-air units, should primarily be used in defensive roles to exploit their strengths and avoid exposing their weaknesses in offensive maneuvers.

💡Offensive Units

Offensive units are designed to be more effective in attacking and taking territory. The script points out that some units, like light tanks, are significantly stronger in offense than defense, and should be utilized accordingly to maximize their impact on the battlefield.

💡Infantry

Infantry in the video represents a type of unit that is moderately strong in both offense and defense but is slower compared to other units. The script uses infantry as an example of a unit that can be effectively stacked with other units of similar speed and role, such as anti-tank and artillery, to form a balanced and powerful early game force.

💡Ordnance

Ordnance refers to the artillery and similar units that provide ranged support in the game. The script mentions that ordnance units like anti-tank, artillery, and anti-air all share the same speed, making them compatible for stacking. However, they are best used defensively due to their increased strength in that role.

💡Pan-Asian Doctrine

The Pan-Asian Doctrine is a specific set of bonuses and advantages given to certain factions in the game, as mentioned in the script. It provides early game benefits such as increased health and damage for infantry and ordnance units, which is particularly useful for building strong and effective stacks in the early stages of the game.

💡Armoured Car

The armoured car is highlighted in the script as an exception to the rule of not mixing fast and slow units. It is a fast, defensive unit with a speed of 63 km/h and also functions as a scout, capable of revealing hidden enemy units. Its role in a stack is to provide reconnaissance and avoid walking into traps set by hidden enemy units.

💡Motorized Infantry

Motorized infantry is a type of unit that combines the mobility of vehicles with the combat capabilities of infantry. The script describes them as being stronger in offense and also possessing scouting abilities. They are suitable for stacking with fast, offensive units like light tanks, creating a potent early game combination.

💡SP Artillery

SP artillery, or self-propelled artillery, is a fast and mobile form of artillery that can quickly move around the battlefield. The script notes that while they are effective at long-range attacks, they are weak in close combat and thus should be protected by other units, like medium tanks and motorized infantry, when stacked.

💡Air Superiority

Air superiority is the control of the airspace above a battlefield, which is crucial for providing support and protection to ground forces. The script discusses the importance of using interceptors to protect bombers, emphasizing the role of offensive aircraft in gaining and maintaining air superiority and the need to scout and protect them from hidden threats.

Highlights

Stacking units requires considering unit speed and whether they are defensive or offensive.

Slow and fast units should not be mixed together in a stack.

Infantry level 1 has a speed of 32km/h on flat terrain.

Anti-tank, artillery, and anti-air units all have a speed of 27 km/h on flat terrain.

A popular stack combines anti-tank, artillery, anti-air, and infantry units.

Infantry is 4.5 times stronger in defense and 3.0 times stronger in offense.

Ordnance units like anti-tank are double as good in defense.

Anti-air units are also double as strong in defense and should be used defensively.

Stacking units with the same speed is important for a powerful combination.

Pan-Asian doctrine provides early game bonuses for infantry and ordnance units.

Armoured cars, despite being fast, should be included in stacks to reveal hidden enemy units.

Light tanks are stronger in offense and should be used accordingly.

Mixing light tanks with infantry is not effective due to their different strengths.

Stacking should nullify the weaknesses of units and maximize their strengths.

Motorized infantry is a good stack with light tanks due to their shared offensive strength and speed.

In mid/late game, medium tanks can be effectively stacked with motorized infantry and SP artillery.

Artillery units are weak in melee and should be protected by stacking with defensive units.

Stacking tactical bombers with interceptors is important for air superiority and finding hidden units.

Destroyers should be included in naval stacks to protect battleships and cruisers from submarines.

Only 10 units should be in a stack to avoid a penalty where only 10 will fight.

Stacks should be composed of units that are either all slow or all fast, and all offensive or defensive.

Transcripts

Hi guys, I'm BMfox and today I'd like to talk about stacking.

So if you stack units, you always have two things you need to think about.

First is the unit speed and wither the unit is defensive or offensive.

You don't want to mix slow and fast units together.

If I click for example on an infantry level 1.

You can see that the speed on flat terrain is 32km/h.

Now if I go to ordnance,

and I check the speed of an anti tank,

the speed in flat terrain is 27 km/h.

If you check the artillery it's 27 km/h as well.

If you check the anti air,... 27 km/h as well.

So this is a popular stack

You put anti tank, artillery, anti air and infantry together.

Which makes sense as your infantry is going to help you defend against units that are also unarmoured

If you check infantry, it his half stronger. 4.5 in defense and in offense 3.0

If we'll now check the ordnance units. Anti tank you're gonna see that it's the same.

Also the anti tank is double as good in defense.

So you don't want to attack with a unit like that. You want to defend.

Also the same for anti air.

Anti air is always double as strong in defense.

So if you have a unit that is double as strong in defense,

you want to exploit it and use it in defense.

You don't want to use it in offense, why would you use it in offense?

It doesn't make any sense!

So if you stack units, these three units have the same speed

Infantry is a little bit faster but OK, that not bad.

So you put these units together, it's a very powerful stack in the early game.

Especially for Pan-Asian, as they get an early game bonus.

I can show you in the wiki.

If I go to the wiki and I click here on doctrines.

Then you can see for Pan-Asian infantry gets 10% HP and 30% extra bonus in the forest..

Same goes for their ordnance.

Their artillery does 15% more damage.

They have lots of early game bonuses.

Also their armoured car has 20% more damage. Their light tanks 15%.

If there's one doctrine good in early game it's Pan-Asian.

Now I said don't mix fast and slow units together.

There is one exception which is the armoured car.

The armoured car is a fast defensive unit.

The speed is 63 km/h, but it's a scout unit.

Here you can read on the bottom: "SCOUT, armoured cars can reveal hidden land units when the same or lower level."

So if you have a stack you want to put at least one armoured car in there.

Not because it's fast, no. Because this way you can find hidden units which are stealth.

Which is really useful, because you don't want to walk in a trap,

where there's 10 militia hiding in the forest where they get a bonus.

That would be a bad thing!

So that's to keep in mind when you stack. First of all either defensive units exclusively.

Or offensive units exclusively and you want units with the same speed in average.

If I look to the light tank for example,

The light tank is way stronger in offense than it is in defence.

So you want to use this one in offense!

A common mistake is that players are going to mix light tank with infantry

Which isn't good as infantry isn't good in offense. and if you want to defend with the infantry.

And if you want to defend with the infantry. Well the light tanks aren't good in defence.

So you are always going to have a weakness

When you stack units, you want to nullify the weakness of one.

For example infantry which is weak against armoured units.

Your going to put them together with anti tank which is good against armoured units.

Same goes for anti tank, they are weak against unarmoured. But they're gonna be protected by the infantry.

So those together in a stack, they nullify their weaknesses. That's what you want!

You want to stack intelligently so that you nullify weaknesses, same speed, all offense or defence.

So what can we stack together for example with a light tank?

We can stack it together with a MOTORIZED infantry.

MOTORIZED infantry is also an offensive unit.

It's 50% stronger in offense than it is in defence.

It's also a scout unit, which is great.

The speed is 68 km/h

If I check this and I compare it with a light tank, So 68 km/h and light tank 56 km/h.

So these two they mix together. It's not like twenty or thirty something like infantry and ordnance units.

Also this is a perfect early game stack for Axis.

Light tanks together with motorized infantry, they have high HP so you can go and to some real damage with something like that.

If you are a bit later in the game, you have a medium tank for example.

A medium tank is also very good in offense.

You can stack those together with also motorized infantry. And then you can put them together with for example SP artillery.

Which are fast units with a speed of 50 km/h

They are very fast artillery units.

But artillery units are weak in melee battle so you want to protect them well.

So it makes sense to stack them with medium tanks and motorized infantry.

Of course they are still weak against air units.

So if you go for SP AA, which is a fast anti air unit.

Also speed 50km/h same as SP artillery.

This would make a very good stack in the mid/late game.

So SP artillery, SP anti air, motorized infantry and medium tanks.

So these are just some examples of stacks that are very good.

If we talk about navy, you have battleships and you have cruisers.

Both are ranged units but they are very weak against submarines.

So you want to put destroyers in there to protect them against submarines.

Same goes for aircraft carriers. Those aren't offensive units.

They are just a transport unit so that you can put your planes on them.

They are also very expensive so you want to protect them.

If we talk about air force, it's the same thing.

Tactical bombers are good against unarmoured units.

Attack bombers are good against armoured units.

So you put those together but you want to protect them.

So you put them together with interceptors.

So that your interceptors can protect your bombers.

Because these are offensive airplanes and the key in gaining air superiority.

They are also a scout unit so whatever troops that are hidden in the terrain, those are going to find it!

They are double as strong in offense than in defence.

So you want to exploit this.

This was it about stacking. Now we can check out some stacks which are here on my map.

And we can check if they are good or not.

Here for example my ally has a stack of 11 units.

Now you can see here on the bottom, if you have more than 10 units stacked together you get a warning sign.

Only 10 units in a stack will fight.

So if you have 20 units, 30 units in a stack, only 10 will fight.

So having more than 10 units in a stack is a waste. Don't do it !!!

So if you check the stack he has medium tanks stacked together with mechanized infantry.

Which is really good! Both both are very strong units, they nullify each others weaknesses.

Both are offensive, both are fast.

But there's one infantry in here. Why is this infantry here? It doesn't make any sense.

This is a very slow unit and it's a defensive unit.

So my ally should get rid of this infantry.

If we check other untis, another stack here.

My enemy North Argentina, you can see,

He has medium tanks, light tanks in there.

But then, those are offensive units.

And then here he has defensive units

Anti tanks, infantry, and those are slow.

So you can immediately see, this is a very bad example. Those don't mix very well.

Here we have another stack of 10 units.

8 Artillery stacked together with 2 anti air to protect them against air force.

Which is good, but we lack here anti tank and infantry to protect them against both armoured and unarmoured units.

Now if we go to Europe to check out other stacks.

You can see, here's a stack of 11 units.

4 Tank destroyers which is good. Tank destroyers are a very good unit against armoured units.

They just wreck them :-)

And then you have SP artillery which is a very strong artillery also versus armour.

So this basically is a stack to counter armoured units.

Very good stack, you just don't want to get into battle with unarmoured units.

So with this stack you need to be careful for that. It's its weakness.

If you want to nullify this weakness you should also add some motorized infantry in there.

And some SP rocket artillery in there. SP rocket artillery is versus unarmoured units.

Now if I'm gonna check a bit further.

Here we have the UK which has also a stack of 10 units which is good.

But we can immediately see, anti air armoured car and infantry.

Those are all defensive units,... And then there are 3 medium tanks.

Which are fast, offensive units. This doesn't make any sense.

These medium tanks here, they should be in another stack with offensive, fast units.

I guess you guys get the picture about how to stack or not to stack?

So in basic it's really simple:

You want a stack with only 10 units maximum.

You want it to be only slow or fast units.

Only offensive or defensive units.

As long as you are attentive to that. You're gonna be good!