Update 1.0.5.1: Combat Overhaul 1
Greetings! We are ready to release Combat Overhaul 1! If you have been playing the experimental branch this release is fairly similar to what you've been playing with for the last 2 weeks with a couple major changes. Notably the addition of the revised Gazala scenario and reversion of changes to combat movement cost. If you haven't played the experimental branch then get ready to enjoy automated replacement and some fun changes to combat that open up new tactical opportunities.
[h2]Automated Replacement[/h2]

Units now automatically draw replacements from the global pool while connected to the supply network. Percent of total strength drawn per turn varies according to the following conditions:
Replacement priority can be set on a per-unit basis with the priorities being: High, Medium, Low, None. Units Veteran and above default to high. Experienced and Trained units default to medium. Recruit units default to low, and Conscript or below units to none.
Note: Replacements drawn do not increase cohesion, so even in cases where daily strength loss can be replaced, cohesion loss will still degrade a unit’s combat capability.
[h2]Anti-Tank Combined Arms Suppression:[/h2]
Suppressing over 50% of enemy armor in a combat reduces their armor contribution to the combined arms modifier proportionally. Massing substantial AT capabilities is FAR more important now. Moreover, somewhat gamey strategies of using a single company of armored cars to gain armored combined arms will now only work against opponents with very poor AT.
[h2]Combat order changes:[/h2]
During this update's experimental phase we tested increasing movement cost to initiate combat but we have reverted this change for the moment. Increasing combat movement cost produced the desired results of slowing down combat for armor/mechanized combat in flat terrain. However, the effect was excessive on maps with rougher terrain and caused mixed stacks of armor and infantry to become de-synchronized and attack on alternating impulses without supporting each other far too often.

We have updated the Gazala Line scenario with new order of battle details provided by community member and prolific historical researcher, Brad Hunter, and further revisions of our own.
With Combat Overhaul 1 in the bag our focus moves on to the scenario editor's public release and immersive turn resolution. We also have a developer head to head let's play for the updated Gazala scenario in-editting now, so we'll be back soon. We hope to make this a very special June for CAOS!
System Improvements:
[h2]Automated Replacement[/h2]

Units now automatically draw replacements from the global pool while connected to the supply network. Percent of total strength drawn per turn varies according to the following conditions:
- Units in supply and in contact with enemy zone of control replace up to 1% of total unit strength per turn.
- Units not in contact with enemy zone of control replace up to 2% of total unit strength per turn.
- Units in Rest and refit replace up to 7% of total unit strength per turn.
Replacement priority can be set on a per-unit basis with the priorities being: High, Medium, Low, None. Units Veteran and above default to high. Experienced and Trained units default to medium. Recruit units default to low, and Conscript or below units to none.
Note: Replacements drawn do not increase cohesion, so even in cases where daily strength loss can be replaced, cohesion loss will still degrade a unit’s combat capability.
[h2]Anti-Tank Combined Arms Suppression:[/h2]
Suppressing over 50% of enemy armor in a combat reduces their armor contribution to the combined arms modifier proportionally. Massing substantial AT capabilities is FAR more important now. Moreover, somewhat gamey strategies of using a single company of armored cars to gain armored combined arms will now only work against opponents with very poor AT.
[h2]Combat order changes:[/h2]
During this update's experimental phase we tested increasing movement cost to initiate combat but we have reverted this change for the moment. Increasing combat movement cost produced the desired results of slowing down combat for armor/mechanized combat in flat terrain. However, the effect was excessive on maps with rougher terrain and caused mixed stacks of armor and infantry to become de-synchronized and attack on alternating impulses without supporting each other far too often.
- Attack orders now impact a 3-hex arc, instead of the former 6-hex circle.
Updated Gazala Line Scenario:

We have updated the Gazala Line scenario with new order of battle details provided by community member and prolific historical researcher, Brad Hunter, and further revisions of our own.
- Added Kampfgruppe Burkhardt, a Fallschirmjager battlegroup stationed at Martuba airfield for a planned aerial assault that was never launched. The unit remains static for the entire game and will play a more crucial role in a future expanded scenario variant.
- Added Kampfstaffel des DAK assets to Afrika Korps HQ.
- Added various German rear-area AA units.
- Added additional 5cm PaK 38 and 2.8cm PaK 41 AT guns to German Schutzen battalions that were previously omitted.
- Revised Kampfgruppe Hecker and Kiehl organizations to completely account for captured equipment operated by the battlegroups.
- Revised German Brandenburg commando organization at the battle. In practice this replaces 4 commando squads per company with pioneers and adds 2.8cm PaK 41s.
- Moved Kampfgruppe Hecker to its historical staging zone for amphibious landings across the Gulf of Bomba that were never carried out. The unit remains immobile for 3 turns to represent the historical confusion the Kampfgruppe experienced due to receiving repeated orders to embark and unload before being committed as a ground asset.
- Removed erroneous extra rifle platoon in Italian AS.42 pattern Infantry/Bersaglieri units.
- Added L3/35 Lf flame tank companies to Italian Guastatori assault engineer battalions.
- Revised OB of Italian 133rd Armored Division Littorio to include additional elements of the division committed to the battle, including its armored recon that was previously omitted.
[h2]Allies:[/h2] - Increased morale of British 201st Guards Motor Brigade and 22nd Armoured Brigade from trained to Experienced.
- Dissolved the 1st Armoured Brigade into replacement points, as was historically done. The brigade will return as a combat unit in a future expanded scenario variant.
- Removed 4th rifle company from South African infantry battalions.
- Reduced 2nd Free French Brigade to cadre strength and set it temporarily immobile for 10 turns to represent its historical status as a depot unit for the 1st Free French Brigade at the time.
- Added the Jewish Battalion, a light infantry battalion tasked with tending the minefields at Bir el Harmat.
- 4th Royal Tank Regiment now starts the game at the Capuzzo Railhead, where it had historically just disembarked when the operation began.
- 11th Indian Brigade and 25th Field Regiment Royal Artillery now begin the game at Sollum, instead of arriving as reinforcements.
- Various historical immersion improvements, such as identifying specific historical British AA, AT, and artillery batteries, instead of using generic 1/X Regiment format.
- All Allied units behind minefields along the Line of Contact are now temporarily immobile during turn 1.
- Rear area AA units for both sides are temporarily immobile for between 3 and 15 turns.
[h2]Axis:[/h2]
Gameplay Improvements/Bug Fixes:
- Updated Axis and Allied Gazala OBs available in custom scenarios as well. See above for a before and after comparison 15th Panzer Division and Afrika Korps assets.
- German 1941 minor OB corrections such as replacing 5cm PaK 38s with 3.7cm PaK 36s in SS regimental support companies in accordance with relevant KStNs for June 1941. Corrected LSSAH and Großdeutschland rifle battalion organizations, which were erroneously using 4 squad per platoon organizations instead of 3 squad per platoon with double MGs per squad organization they should have.
- German 1939/1940 OB updates to better reflect differences in equipment and organization between infantry division waves and MG allocation in motorized battalions of the different panzer divisions.
- Italian 1942 OB updates and corrections, AS.42 pattern infantry battalions had an erroneous extra rifle platoon per company for instance. Added MG-armed M13/40 and M14/41 command vehicles to Italian tank regiments and battalions.
- Replaced Lee tanks with Grant tanks in all UK order of battle years, as the Grant was the primary variant of the vehicle operated by Commonwealth forces. The Grant also features superior protection on the forward turret face, increasing its armor defense from 4.6 to 4.9.
- Reduced the cost of replacements by 60% on average across all years and replacement types. Also a quick reminder that holding shift while buying replacements buys 10 at a time.
- Fixed a rare bug that could cause AI artillery units to stack with human player's units.

AI Improvements:
- AI will now sometimes hold landing markers back to make secondary landings later in the game in invasion scenarios.
Interface Improvements:

- Added drop down menu overlay option to clear combat markers.
- Improved readability on text for all overlay modes.
- Barrage orders now display impulse on unit card at bottom of HUD
Moving Forward:
With Combat Overhaul 1 in the bag our focus moves on to the scenario editor's public release and immersive turn resolution. We also have a developer head to head let's play for the updated Gazala scenario in-editting now, so we'll be back soon. We hope to make this a very special June for CAOS!