How to Play, not just how to issue orders

[rockhpi2]

So, I recall getting one of the very first Harpoon games back in my Amiga days, probably 20-ish years ago. I figured out the interface, how to issue orders, how to change the formation of the ships, etc. And I tried out a scenario, some exciting match between missile boats of two Scandinavian countries (my expectations of sending F-14s against MiGs were not met) and I realized that I knew how to issue commands but had absolutely no idea what I should do with a group of missile boats. Strangely, my Electrical Engineering degree had not prepared me to be a Scandinavian missile boat Admiral. So I thought, "OK, I'll lose several times but I'll learn what to do next time" but that never happened. Each time my Swedish(?) missile boats would get slaughtered and I had no idea what I did wrong (or even why I was fighting the Norwegians(?) in the first place and what I hoped to accomplish). It was like being given a manual showing how to drive and steer a car but no idea of the rules of the road or what to expect when you're out there. I sort of gave up on it since I had no idea what I was doing.

So I have seen screenshots of this game, it looks fantastic, I have read praise for the interface, etc. But can a person get into the driver's seat and figure out WHAT to do, not just how to do it, if they haven't been to Annapolis and has a basic understanding of these systems? Nowadays, with the internet, help is probably easier to find but I'd hate to plunk down for this and realize I'm right back commanding those Finnish(?) missile boats with no idea what I ought to order them to do.

[Sardaukar]

http://www.baloogancampaign.com has links to loads of YouTube videos of Command and tutorials.

You can also go to YouTube and search for Baloogan. Those videos are tremendous help.

[Patmanaut]

Hi:

You can also learn something reading some After Action Reports (AAR.) and the Mods and Scenarios section player´s comments & feedback. (read some, so not to spoil the surprise.)

[GlassHoppa]

RockHPI:

Welcome to the fun of this very-open ended wargame! A suggestion - read a lot. Simply google-search "Modern Naval Tactics" and go on from there. There's even a wikipedia article, starting with this key concept:

A central concept in Western modern naval fleet warfare is battlespace: a zone around a naval force within which a commander is confident of detecting, tracking, engaging and destroying threats before they pose a danger. As in all forms of warfare, a critical objective is to detect the enemy while avoiding detection.

That pretty much says it all! As I'm very new to this forum (see my nick), I can't post links yet, but I'll post some interesting ones later on. In the meantime, you are sure to get a lot of good responses to this thread.

[Tomcat84]

Indeed Baloogan's videos should give you a good idea.

Also feel free any time to ask questions in here and we do our best to help

It also helps to read the manual, but since the devs keep adding and improving stuff dont forget to check out these two:

Command Manual Addendum

Command Mega-FAQ