Generals,
this time we take a look at some tips for moving units and how they can help you gain an advantage. Have you ever wondered why the top players hunt your Gatling Tanks with Paladins more efficiently than normal players? Isn't it annoying that the best USA players run over your Missile Defenders over, although you laser-locked them properly? Or do you often fail Dozer-hunting by dropping Missile Defenders, because your enemy somehow always retreats in time. Is it just luck or is there an explanation and away to be more proficient?
If you take a closer look at the C&C Generals' movement rules, you might be surprised. All units (ground or air, infantry or tanks, dozer or jet) are sometimes faster and sometimes slower. It depends on their direction! This very surprising phenomenon is explained in 1 sentence, but it needs 100 of pages to explain its tremendous consequences. It turns out that your units move fastest when you send them in a diagonal direction. Let's have a look at the following picture:
Both of the dozers started at the same time, therefore going diagonal will be faster than moving horizontally or vertically. In order to determine the accurate speed advantage we need some mathematics. Luckily, xezon's picture demonstrates how to apply the corresponding Pythagoras:
Let's have a look on how we can take advantage of this. First of all imagine the following problem: You want to Dozer-hunt your China-enemy by dropping Missile Defenders from a Chinook. Where do you have to drop in order to securely kill the Dozer? Mathematically, it turns out that a Dozer, that doesn't move and stands horizontally, will be able to reach any position within a 6 sided figure (the area is highlighted) within a given time-interval (due to its rotation time). Dropping at the green stars will kill the Dozer successfully. Dropping it at the red-star might fail because Dozer escapes diagonally at the left bottom spot.
This was rather complicated and you can't start calculating during game. Just keep in mind that the greatest problem is that the dozer might vanish diagonally.
On the other hand, once you play china and get dropped, always vanish diagonally and once dozer is idle… let him rest diagonally so he doesn't have to rotate in order to escape. There are 1000s of other applications. Let's discuss the important and interesting ones. How about driving over infantry with f.e. a Paladin. Once you hit a nice angle you can run over 2 Tank Hunters without getting hurt much. It's even possible to run over 3 Tank Hunters, if your Paladin has an optimal life status before attacking.
Hunting a Gatling Tank with your Paladin works in half the time if you hunt it correctly. Don't run towards the Gatling Tank with your Paladin instead move diagonally, so the distance between Paladin and Gatling Tank stays short.
There is also a great impact for USA vs USA. Especially, in the beginning of an USA mirror Missile Defenders get dropped sometimes. You can safely run over one Missile Defender with 1 Humvee, if you move diagonally. Your Humvee life status will not even be red. (Plus your Humvee is still fast). On the other hand, if you move horizontally or vertically, your Humvee will die, if the enemy laser-locks.
Diagonal movement also applies to air units. Using MiGs correctly will help you not to lose a single one. Here is an imagine of how to use them.
Being able to move fast diagonally also changes the size of the map. Tournament desert is rather big as units have to go purely vertically to reach enemy's base. Maps like Winter Wolf or Wasteland Warlords become really small and it might be a good idea to rush. You will find 100s of applications to use the diagonal movement advantage. Used correctly, it is a really mighty feature.
Good luck, Generals!
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