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Understanding terrain is crucial for a commander, and the ability to read a map is crucial for tactical operations.
Terrain influences movement and combat. To gain this knowledge, a commander must utilize the tools at their disposal. Knowledge of terrain will allow units to maneuver and fight.
What types of terrain are there in the game and where can they find information?
First, look at the colors.
Map Colors.
Maps are colored. These colors allow you to determine whether the terrain is forest, open ground, road, or water/river. They also indicate whether the terrain is high (the darker the brown, the higher the terrain) or deep (the darker the blue, the deeper the terrain).
Terrain Types:
Road
A military saying goes: "War is fought along roads." Roads are the easiest to traverse for both infantry and tanks. But they are also usually the strongly defended. Units move quickly along the road, but they can also fall into ambushes.
Forest
Forests slow down infantry movement and prevent tanks from operating. They limit visibility, but also make your own units less visible. This allows you to approach closer to your target. In forests, it's easier for the enemy to conceal units from aerial observation.
Ground
Ground means open terrain, you can see far away, but your own units are also visible from a distance.
Built-Up Area
Built-up areas in the game refer to several or a dozen buildings clustered together in one place. They can also refer to towns or cities. Fighting in urban areas is difficult. Tanks are particularly vulnerable to fire, so they require infantry cover.
Steep Slope
The slopes of some hills are so steep that it is very hard for infantry climb them. Climbing exposes troops on observation and fire from hilltop. Climbing troops fire accuracy drops. Steep slopes are unvailable for tanks. To push tanks on tophill the road must be used.
Water
Water is the part of the map that belongs to the sea. Water represents shallow water. This has tactical significance because a support ship/destroyer cannot enter this part of the map; it is inaccessible to them. Water surrounds islands and can vary in width.
Deep Water
Deep water is the part of the map that a fire support ship/destroyer can navigate.
There are several tools for working on the map and gaining knowledge of the terrain.
River
A river is an obstacle for both tanks and infantry. Some rivers won't be traversable for your units and a bridge will be required to cross it. Pay attention to the intel. A seemingly small stream can block your troops.
There are several tools for working on the map and gaining knowledge of the terrain.
Colors
Looking at the colors allows you to roughly understand the type of terrain on the map and at a given point.
Ruler
This allows you to measure distances. Take a ruler and place it on a spot on the map.
Elevation Measurement
In the MAP TOOLS/TOOLS tab, select the tool for obtaining information about the terrain and its elevation. After turning it on, moving the cursor will display terrain and elevation information.
Displayed coordinate system.
You can use the highlighted coordinate system to help you orient yourself on the map. In the MAP TOOLS/TOOLS tab, select the coordinate system icon.
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