Simplified Order of Battle

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    • Simplified Order of Battle

      Order of Battle isn't something specifically mentioned in Conflict of Nations, but it's something we all do in the game. We build our forces in the way that works best for us with the ultimate goal of victory. Over time, you've probably changed your thoughts on how best to build. In my case, I started out thinking how cool it was that I got to build an army full of tanks and helicopters. That lasted until I ran into an opponent who tore me to shreds with strike fighters. So, I started building strike fighters, which seemed great until I ran into an opponent who loved frigates.

      There's a rock-paper-scissors way that things fit together in this game, and you have a limited number of resources and time to develop them. As such, my order of battle has gotten simplified over time. I mean, REALLY simplified. I've been incredibly successful by focusing on building the following and upgrading them as soon as Research allows:
      • Infantry - the Queen of Battles, needed to conquer territory. I'm sure I won't get any argument there.
      • Strike Fighters
        • I used to build helicopters for specific air needs, but their range and vulnerability always has me coming back to strike fighters.
        • At level 6, they are equal to level 1 air superiority fighters. I rarely see a threat in the air that my strikes can't deal with.
        • They also replaced tanks for me. If the enemy has a concentration of armor, I can get my strikes there in one turn, or wait several turns for my armor to lumber over there. And, helicopters are great, but they're also fragile, and don't have the range of strike fighters.
      • Frigates - we all know how great they are for clearing the air of planes. But, at level 4, they have the same attack range as a destroyer (75), and at level 7, they have the same attack range as a cruiser (100). The lack of missile capability hasn't been an issue (delivering those is the job of my strike fighters).
      • Conventional Missiles - upgrades come after the above three, but they are important for hard targets later in the game (particularly tanks).
      • UAVs - these are a distant fifth on this list, but I do usually build a few and upgrade at least to level 2 (for the expanded range).
      That's basically all I build. Everything else I build is:
      • An experiment - I am starting to really enjoy spec ops, for example. And, I've decided that deployable gear is an expensive luxury.
      • To fit a specific need:
        • sometimes, I build bombers if I'm lacking air bases within range of my strike fighters
        • AA units if I run into a strike fighter crazy opponent (like me). I'm surprised I don't find a need to build AA units very often.
        • Theater Defense systems are indispensable in Apocalypse games
      • For fun during the end game - when I'm spending the next few days trying to find the last few points to get to 5920, I might start a nuclear program or build an aircraft carrier that I will never use.
      As a disclaimer, I am playing almost every game in a coalition, usually with people I've worked with before. There are times when I need their navy to make up for the inadequacies of my own navy. I honestly haven't seen a time where I really needed someone's tanks. As with the modern battlefield itself, I think their time may be nearing an end. Having said that, I did win a solo victory using basically just infantry, strikes, and missiles...it was the North America map, so I didn't need a navy. Mostly, though, it is good to have friends.

      But, maybe I'm missing something. Maybe someone has worked out a tank/helicopter/aircraft carrier/commander order of battle that works out for them. I'm interested to hear what anyone else is doing. It's very possible, in a few months, I will change my order of battle to something else if I find something better.

      The post was edited 6 times, last by Moon Tsu ().

    • To be honest I have like 2-3 different things that I might do early on that I somewhat switch between but in the end it is largely the same build.

      • Motorized Infantry
        Rarely, if ever, do I research motorized Infantry early on. And I have the tendency to forget about doing them so I stand there at day 20 confused that I only have about 20 starting Infantry, also part of the reason why I built National Guard for Infantry; they're pretty spammable so if I realize that I need more Inf that's easily and far faster solved then with any other.

      • Combat Recon Vehicle
        Usually, the thing I built instead of Infantry; starting Inf is IMO enough to conquer reliably in the early stages of a game and CRV just brings so much more fighting power than Inf while still being able to be produced with Army Base Level 1 and no Arms Industry.
      • (Naval-) Air Superiority Fighter
        Must have, pretty much the first thing that comes out of my Capitals Airport and they can deal pretty good with other countries starting units early on. I get about 10 and after that, I'm starting towards their naval version for the dmg mitigation that mixed stacks provide and then mix them 3 ASF/2NSF and end up with 4 ASF stacks. Much like Radar a unit that's almost mandatory simply because they're stupidly versatile.
      • Ground Radar
        Having Radar is essential to my paranoia; can't conquer stuff if I don't know where the enemies units are. I almost never do UAV simply because they have the critical disadvantage of being a) slow b) pretty obvious c) thus easily killed and d) pretty small range in which they discover units. Radar with its huge radius is pretty much godsend, and if I'm being honest then I don't really care that much about stack composition; especially if you can easily deduce what bigger stacks might consist of.
      • Towed Artillery
        Recently rediscovered my love for just how easily they're spammed and even while they're the worst arty in terms of range or dmg they still work more than well enough early on; even better is that they have the ability to airlift on Level 1 (and later on airassault). In general they're killing enemy units until I decide to switch to MRLs.
      • MRLs
        Arty goes brrt. Especially against bigger stacks pretty useful because they don't receive any damage in return when even Strikefighters or Helis struggle against 10stacks later on the game (all that AA dmg adds up pretty quickly)
      • Elite AIP Submarine
        Because frankly I don't like doing navy, so I just decide to make everyone who does regret their choices. They pretty much subvert the "normal" mechanics of naval warfare.
      • SAMs
        Because someone needs to keep my MRLs alive and ASF alone simply don't cut it in terms of AA.
      • Gunships/Attackheli
        A lot less vulnerable then SF and especially the gunship is available quite early; If I do Helis then MRLs usually develop a lot later, but in exchange for that I sometimes add Elitehelis to mix up my stacks. Heli stacks can take quite a lot of damage but like any aircraft they tend to struggle against bigger stacks later on, or a lot of AA, that's where MRLs then come into play. IIRC the most damage one of my survived was like 68 or something like that (1 Gunship, 2 Elite, 2 Attack). Worth noting that if I decide to go for artillery then I usually end up not doing Helis.


      • Others
        The above is pretty much my standard Layout of stuff I usually tend to get. Ofc other Units might find their way into my composition if I feel like it. Examples include but are not limited to Elite Bomber, Naval Patrol Aircraft, Theater Defense System, Cruisers, UAV


      I have somewhat of a tendency to play solo, so that's why my unit composition ends up being pretty much allround; and if I'm being honest that sounds a lot harder than it really is, just Artillery on its own is already an incredible force multiplier and if you have a specific Goal/Threat in mind that you aim for then the amount of different units required shrinks down pretty dramatically
      I am The Baseline for opinions

    • Teburu wrote:

      To be honest I have like 2-3 different things that I might do early on that I somewhat switch between but in the end it is largely the same build.

      • Motorized Infantry
        Rarely, if ever, do I research motorized Infantry early on. And I have the tendency to forget about doing them so I stand there at day 20 confused that I only have about 20 starting Infantry, also part of the reason why I built National Guard for Infantry; they're pretty spammable so if I realize that I need more Inf that's easily and far faster solved then with any other.

      • Combat Recon Vehicle
        Usually, the thing I built instead of Infantry; starting Inf is IMO enough to conquer reliably in the early stages of a game and CRV just brings so much more fighting power than Inf while still being able to be produced with Army Base Level 1 and no Arms Industry.
      • (Naval-) Air Superiority Fighter
        Must have, pretty much the first thing that comes out of my Capitals Airport and they can deal pretty good with other countries starting units early on. I get about 10 and after that, I'm starting towards their naval version for the dmg mitigation that mixed stacks provide and then mix them 3 ASF/2NSF and end up with 4 ASF stacks. Much like Radar a unit that's almost mandatory simply because they're stupidly versatile.
      • Ground Radar
        Having Radar is essential to my paranoia; can't conquer stuff if I don't know where the enemies units are. I almost never do UAV simply because they have the critical disadvantage of being a) slow b) pretty obvious c) thus easily killed and d) pretty small range in which they discover units. Radar with its huge radius is pretty much godsend, and if I'm being honest then I don't really care that much about stack composition; especially if you can easily deduce what bigger stacks might consist of.
      • Towed Artillery
        Recently rediscovered my love for just how easily they're spammed and even while they're the worst arty in terms of range or dmg they still work more than well enough early on; even better is that they have the ability to airlift on Level 1 (and later on airassault). In general they're killing enemy units until I decide to switch to MRLs.
      • MRLs
        Arty goes brrt. Especially against bigger stacks pretty useful because they don't receive any damage in return when even Strikefighters or Helis struggle against 10stacks later on the game (all that AA dmg adds up pretty quickly)
      • Elite AIP Submarine
        Because frankly I don't like doing navy, so I just decide to make everyone who does regret their choices. They pretty much subvert the "normal" mechanics of naval warfare.
      • SAMs
        Because someone needs to keep my MRLs alive and ASF alone simply don't cut it in terms of AA.
      • Gunships/Attackheli
        A lot less vulnerable then SF and especially the gunship is available quite early; If I do Helis then MRLs usually develop a lot later, but in exchange for that I sometimes add Elitehelis to mix up my stacks. Heli stacks can take quite a lot of damage but like any aircraft they tend to struggle against bigger stacks later on, or a lot of AA, that's where MRLs then come into play. IIRC the most damage one of my survived was like 68 or something like that (1 Gunship, 2 Elite, 2 Attack). Worth noting that if I decide to go for artillery then I usually end up not doing Helis.
      • Others
        The above is pretty much my standard Layout of stuff I usually tend to get. Ofc other Units might find their way into my composition if I feel like it. Examples include but are not limited to Elite Bomber, Naval Patrol Aircraft, Theater Defense System, Cruisers, UAV


      I have somewhat of a tendency to play solo, so that's why my unit composition ends up being pretty much allround; and if I'm being honest that sounds a lot harder than it really is, just Artillery on its own is already an incredible force multiplier and if you have a specific Goal/Threat in mind that you aim for then the amount of different units required shrinks down pretty dramatically
      I could not have said it better myself.

      The only thing I could add is that if you want to go a solid naval build, I like to get Frigates and Attack Submarines, amazingly versatile and complimentary in terms of resource cost.
      I am Aeneas, duty-bound and known above high air of heaven by my fame, carrying with me in my ships our gods of hearth and home, saved from the foe. I look for Italy to be my fatherland, and my descent is from all-highest Jove.

    • Moon Tsu wrote:

      Order of Battle isn't something specifically mentioned in Conflict of Nations, but it's something we all do in the game. We build our forces in the way that works best for us with the ultimate goal of victory. Over time, you've probably changed your thoughts on how best to build. In my case, I started out thinking how cool it was that I got to build an army full of tanks and helicopters. That lasted until I ran into an opponent who tore me to shreds with strike fighters. So, I started building strike fighters, which seemed great until I ran into an opponent who loved frigates.

      There's a rock-paper-scissors way that things fit together in this game, and you have a limited number of resources and time to develop them. As such, my order of battle has gotten simplified over time. I mean, REALLY simplified. I've been incredibly successful by focusing on building the following and upgrading them as soon as Research allows:
      • Infantry - the Queen of Battles, needed to conquer territory. I'm sure I won't get any argument there.
      • Strike Fighters
        • I used to build helicopters for specific air needs, but their range and vulnerability always has me coming back to strike fighters.
        • At level 6, they are equal to level 1 air superiority fighters. I rarely see a threat in the air that my strikes can't deal with.
        • They also replaced tanks for me. If the enemy has a concentration of armor, I can get my strikes there in one turn, or wait several turns for my armor to lumber over there. And, helicopters are great, but they're also fragile, and don't have the range of strike fighters.
      • Frigates - we all know how great they are for clearing the air of planes. But, at level 4, they have the same attack range as a destroyer (75), and at level 7, they have the same attack range as a cruiser (100). The lack of missile capability hasn't been an issue (delivering those is the job of my strike fighters).
      • Conventional Missiles - upgrades come after the above three, but they are important for hard targets later in the game (particularly tanks).
      • UAVs - these are a distant fifth on this list, but I do usually build a few and upgrade at least to level 2 (for the expanded range).
      That's basically all I build. Everything else I build is:
      • An experiment - I am starting to really enjoy spec ops, for example. And, I've decided that deployable gear is an expensive luxury.
      • To fit a specific need:
        • sometimes, I build bombers if I'm lacking air bases within range of my strike fighters
        • AA units if I run into a strike fighter crazy opponent (like me). I'm surprised I don't find a need to build AA units very often.
        • Theater Defense systems are indispensable in Apocalypse games
      • For fun during the end game - when I'm spending the next few days trying to find the last few points to get to 5920, I might start a nuclear program or build an aircraft carrier that I will never use.
      As a disclaimer, I am playing almost every game in a coalition, usually with people I've worked with before. There are times when I need their navy to make up for the inadequacies of my own navy. I honestly haven't seen a time where I really needed someone's tanks. As with the modern battlefield itself, I think their time may be nearing an end. Having said that, I did win a solo victory using basically just infantry, strikes, and missiles...it was the North America map, so I didn't need a navy. Mostly, though, it is good to have friends.

      But, maybe I'm missing something. Maybe someone has worked out a tank/helicopter/aircraft carrier/commander order of battle that works out for them. I'm interested to hear what anyone else is doing. It's very possible, in a few months, I will change my order of battle to something else if I find something better.
      You would not enjoy encountering me in a game then, with my heavy ASF, SAM, and MRLS focus, tho we agree on frigates.
      *** The Creator of Zombie Farming ***
      The KING of CoN News!!!
      The "Get off my lawn!" cranky CoN Forums Poster - not affiliated with Dorado in any way


      "Death comes to us all. Shall I deal you in?" - DoD

    • Moon Tsu wrote:

      But, maybe I'm missing something. Maybe someone has worked out a tank/helicopter/aircraft carrier/commander order of battle that works out for them. I'm interested to hear what anyone else is doing. It's very possible, in a few months, I will change my order of battle to something else if I find something better.
      I know lots of rank 20-40 players use a mot inf/MBT combo for land, with helis/strikes for air support and sometimes frigs. I've found a decent way to use my army of (mostly) infantry, strikes and asfs... should take 2 days at most.
      "CoN is a game of 80% skill and 20% luck" - Tifo_14

      "I don't get paid enough to do anything" - Germanico

      Nothing stops the Tifo :thumbup:

    • KFGauss wrote:

      This thread (link below) was created for a similar reason similar to this thread (the one we're posting in).

      Look through a different Lens - What's your ACTUAL Day 5, 10, 15, 20, ... Order of Battle (OOB)

      Real life has gotten in the way of summarizing that thread's contents.
      Don't be a dormie - try to enjoy the new as well!
      "CoN is a game of 80% skill and 20% luck" - Tifo_14

      "I don't get paid enough to do anything" - Germanico

      Nothing stops the Tifo :thumbup:

    • Tifo_14 wrote:

      Don't be a dormie - try to enjoy the new as well!
      Dormie?

      Anyway I'm not complaining, instead I'm putting myself on report for not on following through (yet).

      I inserted the link so that this thread-creator could review what's in that other thread, if they care to.

      This can be a new place for people to report their (real, not in-a-perfect-world) OOBs.

      All I hope is that 1) They get reported in a useful format, and 2) they get reported some place that easy to find later.

      The post was edited 1 time, last by KFGauss ().

    • Zozo001 wrote:

      Moon Tsu wrote:


      • Infantry - the Queen of Battles, needed to conquer territory. I'm sure I won't get any argument there.

      LOL unless you somehow mean "Queen" as a synonym to "pawn", you should expect argument right there.Hint: beating the enemy should be primary, conquering territory is secondary.
      I appreciate your enthusiasm and sentiment, but definitively, neither of those is correct.
      *** The Creator of Zombie Farming ***
      The KING of CoN News!!!
      The "Get off my lawn!" cranky CoN Forums Poster - not affiliated with Dorado in any way


      "Death comes to us all. Shall I deal you in?" - DoD

    • Teburu wrote:


      • (Naval-) Air Superiority Fighter
        Must have, pretty much the first thing that comes out of my Capitals Airport and they can deal pretty good with other countries starting units early on. I get about 10 and after that, I'm starting towards their naval version for the dmg mitigation that mixed stacks provide and then mix them 3 ASF/2NSF and end up with 4 ASF stacks. Much like Radar a unit that's almost mandatory simply because they're stupidly versatile.

      Could you possibly clarify what your reasoning is? I may be missing something (i'm relatively new player lvl 19), but the maxed out NSF has almost identical stats to the SF. At first glance, it seems like you're getting the same plane but with double the research hurdles...help???

      EDIT - i'm stupid, you're talking about naval air superiority, not naval SF.....LMAO

      however, i'm still interested to hear about the dmg mitigation you talk about. same argument still applies, NASF and ASF are almost identical, but you need more research for NASF so what's the benefit?

      The post was edited 1 time, last by jaudiola ().

    • jaudiola wrote:

      Teburu wrote:


      • (Naval-) Air Superiority Fighter
        Must have, pretty much the first thing that comes out of my Capitals Airport and they can deal pretty good with other countries starting units early on. I get about 10 and after that, I'm starting towards their naval version for the dmg mitigation that mixed stacks provide and then mix them 3 ASF/2NSF and end up with 4 ASF stacks. Much like Radar a unit that's almost mandatory simply because they're stupidly versatile.

      Could you possibly clarify what your reasoning is? I may be missing something (i'm relatively new player lvl 19), but the maxed out NSF has almost identical stats to the SF. At first glance, it seems like you're getting the same plane but with double the research hurdles...help???
      Well yes its basically the same plane, but you use them to have mixed naval+normal version stacks, instead of pure normal version stacks, without losing too much dmg as if you'd mix eg.: air superiority fighters and strike fighters.

      > The very basic premise of mixed stacks is that because the units are not identical they don't share the same health pool within the stack.

      > Them having different health pools means that each of these different units has to take x (x= their full HP) amount of damage before one dies.

      >Doesn't really sound that important until you realize that damage splits up between units (it's not really that neatly, some units take more and some less of the overall damage, but fighters and their naval versions split the dmg pretty equally).


      In practice, that means that a stack of e.g.: 3 Normal Air Superiority Fighters and 2 Naval Air Superiority Fighters, let's assume for simplicity that a fighter has 20 HP, does not lose the first aircraft after taking 20 damage.

      Because that 20 dmg does not go purely to one of the units but is split between the units in the stack.

      Of course you could easily mix strike fighters with air superiority fighters to accomplish something similar, but the issue with that is that because they're different units (not as in: normal and naval version, but even more different) the ratio at which one of the units receives dmg might be higher than that of the other.

      ASF or Support Units for example seem to attract a lot more of the damage than other units.
      I am The Baseline for opinions

    • Teburu wrote:

      jaudiola wrote:

      Teburu wrote:


      • (Naval-) Air Superiority Fighter
        Must have, pretty much the first thing that comes out of my Capitals Airport and they can deal pretty good with other countries starting units early on. I get about 10 and after that, I'm starting towards their naval version for the dmg mitigation that mixed stacks provide and then mix them 3 ASF/2NSF and end up with 4 ASF stacks. Much like Radar a unit that's almost mandatory simply because they're stupidly versatile.

      Could you possibly clarify what your reasoning is? I may be missing something (i'm relatively new player lvl 19), but the maxed out NSF has almost identical stats to the SF. At first glance, it seems like you're getting the same plane but with double the research hurdles...help???

      >Doesn't really sound that important until you realize that damage splits up between units (it's not really that neatly, some units take more and some less of the overall damage, but fighters and their naval versions split the dmg pretty equally).
      ah, that makes sense.

      so, in your experience using this method....does the (more) even distribution of dmg make a big enough difference to warrant the extra cost in research?