Why can we not see the distances?

Hello Ozzone,

I think the problem is that the map would be confusing, if you add to all lines / roads. By the way that would be impossible, because all units are different almost. A light tank is faster than a normal infantry, so you can not give one specifikation one line/way. This time is based on the speed of the unit, the unit level, the nature of the province and the existing infrastructure in the province.

So I don't understand why the time your unit in this case needs to cross the road is not enaugh. You say that´s be like that, but it's not clear why. I do not want to represend your poorly, or something like that, but I do not understand why. I would be pleased if you can explain it for me. Maybe im just to bad for understanding.

With best regards!

Eurofighter3

Ozzone wrote:

It's obvious that the game uses a distance value to calculate the time it takes something to go from point A to point B. Why don't you show that to us? That's intel that would have been readily available to commanders in the field during the war. We need to see more than just the ETA and Arrival Time. Those numbers will be more useful if we can also see the distance used to calculate it.

I've played many games and this is the first one where an obvious piece of code should have been in there day one. Every game I've played that uses distance/time always showed the distance if it showed the time. This game should also. I can't imagine a valid reason it doesn't.

-Ozzone

Yes, I agree! There is missing a page, wich shows us detaild information about units, buildings and provinces. I actually told the Support this problem, but have the time for doing this all is not easy. We should recognize that the support actually has a lot of questions and problems he has take to care of and that he needs a lot of time to make such a page especially then, if he have to fix oher bugs and Problems.

Eurofighter3 wrote:

This time is based on the speed of the unit, the unit level, the nature of the province and the existing infrastructure in the province.

You have to have a value for distance to calculate time based on movement. It's the law of physics. You can't tell how long it will take to get somewhere if you don't know how far it is to begin with.

- Ozzone

AK140 wrote:

Agreed, there's a nuclear weapon in the game which have 50 km blast radius (at least i heard) and it would've been useful to have distance shown and stuff... although my issue with distance in this game is that they are inconsistent across all maps. Some maps are larger than others, and their distance is different

Like I stated earlier, that intel would have been used readily during the war. Commanders usually didn't say how far something was by time - they did by distance. Often because time was usually too vague to calculate. While time tables were set up, many issues came into play that caused them to constantly change. Yet the distance still remained the same.

- Ozzone

None of the maps have scales, grid coordinates or Lat/Long.

Neither is there an Order of Battle menu.

Generally, tools that would be useful to real war fighters are completely missing.

You are right. I´ve forgotten the distance.

But why you are needing the distance? What do you want to do with this information? Do you want to make shure the game is calculate correctly? If you just have the distance information, you would don´t know, which time the units need for crossing. So you actually need the speed and the time.

And yes, in conclusion all units in the merger are moved with the speed of the slowes unit. But if you splitt them you have diffrently fast units on the same road, so the time is the most important part. If you don´t know the time, the units need, you don´t know when they´ll be arriving. If you know the distance, you Kow nothing, because you don´t know how fast the units are. That brings me back to the question above:

Eurofighter3 wrote:

So I don't understand why the time your unit in this case needs to cross the road is not enaugh. You say that´s be like that, but it's not clear why.

So the question also too you, WayneBo:

Why you needing "scales, grid coordinates or Lat/Long"? I still did´nt understand for what you are needing this, if you have the time for arrival?

Just one example:

Planning placements of airfields in advance.

Oh yes, I agree, that´s a good aspekt.

Maybe we schould make the game management a suggestion.

Straight line and diagonal distances in CoW are relativity important when:

1. Attempting to figure out best locations to construct AB's (as pointed out above by WayneBo).

2. Figuring out which AB to use to set up rockets to reach a specific target.

3. Figuring out defensive positions / staging of air force units once enemy air force units have been discovered (types / levels, etc.)

4. Please add any other reasons why distances are important here.

4a.

4b.

4c.

Distances over roads are relatively unimportant because the program provides the shortest distance between two points by default (for an individual unit or the slowest unit within a stack). If the chosen path is not preferred, then another path can be chosen by adding additional targets to the path, thereby increasing the travel time as well.

Coordination of travel times can be done with the utilization of the "delay arrival time" function.

Screen graphic resolutions impact each individual users visual perspective of "scale", making it practically impossible (guessing here) to establish (develop/program) "scaled" maps.

Distances over water are determined by the path chosen similar to how units are routed over land. Therefore, actual distances are much less important than the actual travel time involved.

The "ovals" which designate a particular type of plane's travel zone/range are constructed in a ratio of x" (horizontal) to "y" (vertical). As well there is a "z" (diagonal) distance associated with the oval. Each flight range therefore has a specific set of oval "ratios" (measurement / distances) which can then be utilized regardless of the plane type / level as the ratios of the oval are attributed directly to the stated flight range.

Once each of these ranges is available to you to see on your monitor, the only way I have discovered to be able to "closely estimate" the x, y and z distances of each oval is with the use of a ruler placed on the monitor screen.

But, please keep in mind that these x,y,z distances change each time the screen resolution (map size) is changed.

I've tried third-party software applications that calculate distances between two cities, but haven't convinced myself they are as accurate as simply using a ruler placed on the monitor and then transferring those distances between two points on the map.

Again (and most importantly), this oval changes sizes with each change to the monitor resolution and/or increase / decrease in map sizing.

Hopefully, there is some forum member who can provide a more technical perspective / reason(s) for why providing distances of travel (in Km / miles, etc.) is not something easily "added" to the game mechanics.

It would, however, be a great addition to the game mechanics, if there were a way to be able to utilize a "line tool" that could be scaled to the ovals described above or better yet scaled to the various flight range distances associated with the game.

Or optionally, ovals are the game tools added to the game mechanics and you just click on one to activate it and then double click to deactivate it.

ps. you can somewhat (sometimes?) see the "next oval" that will be attributed to a plane when it is going to be moved (relocated) to another AB, in the form of a "dotted oval" which can sometimes be helpful when attempting to figure out where to establish another AB. (I think this statement is correct - but not playing a game at the moment so cannot verify. Please feel free to clarify or correct this statement. I will delete or line through if incorrectly stated.

Unfortunately, this game does not have many obvious and useful things.

war-play wrote:

Unfortunately, this game does not have many obvious and useful things.

And that's why players who can deal with the existing circumstances and think independently are always among the better

in this game ..

.. as in a real war (and in life).

Chuck wrote:

It's important to know the time and to use the right moment, then the distance is irrelevant.

Since the main funcionality of distance, as also explained previously, is connected with "straight line flight" of planes and rockets, and since these units are ALWAYS based in a province, the solution is both simple and obvious:

For each province, name the provinces within a certain distance. This is constant and based on the map - it doesnt even require calculation from the server.

Ozzone wrote:

Eurofighter3 wrote:

This time is based on the speed of the unit, the unit level, the nature of the province and the existing infrastructure in the province.

You have to have a value for distance to calculate time based on movement. It's the law of physics. You can't tell how long it will take to get somewhere if you don't know how far it is to begin with.

- Ozzone

Obviously, if the route traverses more than one type of terrain and through more than one infrastructure level, the "rough estimation" calculation is to going to be even "rougher' in its estimation of distance that will be traveled.

I appreciate everyone's input on this. Maybe I opened a can of worms but I didn't mean to. I was looking at the big picture and the prime reason was given by WayneBo. It would help in placing ABs.

What I'm asking for is very simple to implement. The game can easily calculate the distance and display it after the time in the dialog box. That's all. This is child's play for a developer and one of the easiest changes to implement.

I can understand a lot of you disagreeing it's needed but I'm talking about a developer taking only a few minutes of time to do something that would help us. I'm not asking for much I don't think.

- Ozzone

Planes, and all units that have a range, will show a range circle. The radius of this circle is listed in the information about that unit.

You can use a representative unit and give it a move command to a certain point to display the range circle around that point.

So for planning airbases you simply "mock move" a plane to that province, observe the range circle, and see where another airbase needs to be, then cancel your move.

For determining the 50 km blast radius of an atomic weapon you can use the range circle of an artillery unit, which varies from 60 to 80 km, and judge it accordingly to keep your own or allied units a safe distance away.

If there was a separate measuring tool, I don't think I would use it, I would simply continue the same way as I always have.

WayneBo wrote:

an Order of Battle menu

You can derive a mathematical framework for the scales of units. The tools you need are a ruler, a reference object (a plane's range, artillery range), unit statistics, and then some mathematical ability.

I'm not going to provide a full math lesson here, but use the properties of ratios in order to construct a relevant scale.

Addendum:

Even for mixed terrain, or places with infrastructure, it shouldn't be too difficult. You just need to add an appropriate scale factor, (which can be found in the description pages for infrastructure and the unit).