Who attacks when units encounter each other?

8 Nov 2022, 14:52

I appreciate that this must be a simple question, but it's been ages since I last played the game, and now that I'm playing again with friends I feel quite rusty. If my units are advancing from A to B, and the enemy's units are advancing from B to A, and they run into each other midway, who's attacking and who's defending? I wanted to know, because obviously with units like tanks it makes a big difference whether they're on the offensive or not. Thanks!

The past is a foreign country.

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14 Replies

8 Nov 2022, 16:12

Both attack and both defend. To only defend, without attacking, a stack must both be stationary and be in the province center.

8 Nov 2022, 16:15

They are both attacking and defending... at the same time... .... a moving unit is attacking ..... if both moves both are attacking and defending ... if one does not move but the other one moves than the not moving is just defending, except the owner of the defending unit changed that to attacking with for exambple a move order or attackorder in the fighting time...than it would be attcking and defending....

8 Nov 2022, 17:24

As jubjub alluded to, there is currently a bug. If a stack is stationary and not on a province center it will attack back when non aerial melee attacked and not just defend as it supposed to. The only way to have a stack only defend in non aerial melee is to have it on a province center point when it is attacked.

8 Nov 2022, 18:55

DxC wrote:
As jubjub alluded to, there is currently a bug. If a stack is stationary and not on a province center it will attack back when non aerial melee attacked and not just defend as it supposed to. The only way to have a stack only defend in non aerial melee is to have it on a province center point when it is attacked.

This is not the case for me, i don't know if it applies to all users or maps.

8 Nov 2022, 21:01

Fox-Company wrote:
DxC wrote:
As jubjub alluded to, there is currently a bug. If a stack is stationary and not on a province center it will attack back when non aerial melee attacked and not just defend as it supposed to. The only way to have a stack only defend in non aerial melee is to have it on a province center point when it is attacked.
This is not the case for me, i don't know if it applies to all users or maps.

Interesting, you have had stationary units that aren't in a province center défend only, not attack? Freezy had confirmed that behavior as a bug (except not really a bug, but I'll skip that for now) so if there are instances where you've been able to avoid it it would be great to now how or under what circumstances. Using artillery to draw AI units into my defensive-oriented stacks was a key part of my strategy before this bug and I'd love to get it back.

9 Nov 2022, 13:01

Usually it works only against AI, but if i can get the AI to move into my stack, then i turn around then cancel army actions, it will defend instead of attacking.

9 Nov 2022, 13:10

DxC wrote:
As jubjub alluded to, there is currently a bug. If a stack is stationary and not on a province center it will attack back when non aerial melee attacked and not just defend as it supposed to. The only way to have a stack only defend in non aerial melee is to have it on a province center point when it is attacked.

This is not always the reality, if a stack runs over a road past your stack, they are often defending as well, while I was stationary and am attacking. This is absolutely odd. This is not different than attacking a province center IMHO, at least I should be defending when it is my province.

9 Nov 2022, 13:54

Gen. Smit wrote:
DxC wrote:
As jubjub alluded to, there is currently a bug. If a stack is stationary and not on a province center it will attack back when non aerial melee attacked and not just defend as it supposed to. The only way to have a stack only defend in non aerial melee is to have it on a province center point when it is attacked.
This is not always the reality, if a stack runs over a road past your stack, they are often defending as well, while I was stationary and am attacking. This is absolutely odd. This is not different than attacking a province center IMHO, at least I should be defending when it is my province.

I don't think you two are saying different things. When two stacks meet on a road (i.e. not a province center), both will be attacking and both will be defending. When two stacks meet at a province center, the stationary stack will defend only while the moving stack will attack only.

9 Nov 2022, 13:55

Fox-Company wrote:
Usually it works only against AI, but if i can get the AI to move into my stack, then i turn around then cancel army actions, it will defend instead of attacking.

You give your army the cancel command while it's engaged in melee? Or you give the cancel command before the enemy stack reaches you so that you're stationary when they make contact?

9 Nov 2022, 15:26

jubjub bird wrote:
Fox-Company wrote:
Usually it works only against AI, but if i can get the AI to move into my stack, then i turn around then cancel army actions, it will defend instead of attacking.
You give your army the cancel command while it's engaged in melee? Or you give the cancel command before the enemy stack reaches you so that you're stationary when they make contact?

Before the enemy reaches you.

9 Nov 2022, 16:11

Ack, the pictures wont load, but a Axis armored car and infintry attacked a Allied armored car and infintry, in THEIR LAND, my troops DEFENDED.

9 Nov 2022, 18:23

And they won, but i wasn't there to see it, but that's proof they defended, if they attacked, the would have loss to the superior attack and health of the Axis units.

9 Nov 2022, 20:40

And this was on the road, not at the province center? @freezy it sounds like there may be instances where the "new" mechanic of stacks automatically attacking when contacted isn't happening