Graviteam games have really deep and complex mechanics: ballistics, damage modelling, weather conditions and the day-night cycle, supply, command and control, morale and condition of personel, clever and dangerous AI, terramorphing. In simple terms it can be said that the developers make a huge effort to reflect how wars are conducted in the real world as accurately as possible. This means the game is not a quick and easy accessible RTS used to kill some time after a hard day. If you want to obtain success then you need to use all your skills as a tactician, because if you don't rest assured the AI will punish you time and again. And indeed graviteam’s AI is really skilled and is able to develop strategies and tactics dynamically in response to the players actions.

IMPORTANT!!! If you set the time of the tactical phase less than 2 hours, the enemy AI operates on a simplified scheme and more linearly.

• Morale is very important and your units effectiveness directly depends upon it. Morale in these games is complicated, but can be understood by applying these simple rules: The more soldiers are fatigued, the lower their morale, fatigue increases when a unit moves on foot, digs trenches and of course when engaged in combat. Also severe impact to a units morale can occur when high numbers of casualties are inflicted, when battles are not won and if forced by the player to retreat.
  
• Movement either on the tactical or operational map consumes fuel and increases fatigue, which in turn lead to a drop in combat effectiveness. Roads allow units to move further and with less cost in terms of fuel and fatigue. Also bear in mind that roads also differ, on paved roads for example forces can move more effectively than on tracks, also remember that not all terrain without roads is passable at all by any vehicle, examples are extremely rocky or very soft muddy ground.
  
• Supply is of immense importance, be sure that your units have access to ammo and fuel supplies whenever possible.
  
• Methods of supply may differ:
  - Stationary supply dumps which are located on the operational map. On the operational map you need to highlight the supply Dump/HQ/Repair units to view supply lines. Mobile supply units operate in much the same way as static ones, except in their ability to move around the map.
  - The second method is performed during the operational phase automatically – redistribution of supplies between units.
  - Also in combat soldiers may pick up weapons and ammo from their dead or heavily injured buddies.
  
• Don't neglect to remove seriously depleted units from the front line. The best way to do this is to rotate your units by ordering a fresh unit directly onto the position of a depleted unit. This is especially useful when the outgoing unit has dug in, their trenches will be are preserved and occupied by the the replacement unit. Also during the operational phase (via the Forces list screen), depleted units can be replaced with fresh reserve units depending upon availability.
  
• Remember: Tactical combat is usually conducted within 3x3 squares (The exception is when the battle is initiated near the edge or in a corner of the operational map, in which case you may have a 2x3, 3x2 or 2x2 battle grid), and the usual situation sees the defensive side get 2 squares in depth. This presents the player with the option to place less valuable units in first line, and any artillery, battalion HQ or other high value unbits etc. safely in the rear. But be aware that the game has the option to limit battle radius, and as a rule when using this option the attacking side gets deeper territory than the defenders.
  
• Units begin to dig trenches when they have remained in one position for more then one turn, and the quality of the entrenchments will slightly increase the longer they remain there. It's worth taking this into account, because trenches can give a sizeable advantage to any defending units faced with an attack, and vastly improves their chances of withstanding enemy fire.
  
• Apply reason and logic when it comes to reserves (reinforcement strategy). Allocate reinforcements for your subdivisions, but do it wisely, just adding any old units anyhow with no thought or planning will rarely help your forces to fight more effectively, instead reinforcement is reduced to a kind of lottery.
  - Transport - when you want more "mobility" (to step further);
  - AT or AP - ATgun/ATR or MG/mortar - allocate on the basis of intelligence about the enemy (these reduce mobility but increase effectiveness against specific threats);
  - Firepower (tanks) - useful when in attack;
  - Support (artillery) - handy where the most intensive fighting is taking place;
  - Patrol - useful as light support and for recon in places where it will can manoeuvre;
  - Logistics (ammo) - very useful for those who act in isolation from the main force.
  Also remember, reinforcements arrive after you end turn.
  
• The 2D operational map completely matches up with 3D tactical map, this is why you should carefully consider where you place your units at all levels. Terrain squares differ in how many units they can contain, when in attack seek to load those squares that can hold multiple units in order to provide a weighted attack force.
  
• Be aware that combat effectiveness is hugely impacted by weather conditions and the time, do not forget that in bad weather and at night air support is unavailable. Also keep in mind that the weather is dynamic and can change in real time during combat operations.

• Do not deploy your units too close to enemy territory, this can lead to an early contact and as a rule to a disadvantaged situation. Deploy them as deeply into your own territory as is suitable.
  
• Rushing mindlessly into an all out attack at the very start is always a mistake, be sure to conduct reconnaissance and scouting missions, locate enemy positions and probe for weak points in their lines, study the terrain and pick out the most suitable routes, be wary of minefields and consider carefully which of your units is best suited for tackling particular problems or engaging certain targets... In other words asses the situation thoroughly, gather as much information as you can and formulate your plan carefully, taking into account all possible factors.
  
• Graviteam games model a very realistic and complex command and control system and how communication between units occurrs. It is very important to establish and maintain strong lines of communication within and between your various combat structures), good comms will help your units to be more far more effective under fire, as well as helping the flow of information between units, for example relaying the position and nature of spotted enemy forces quickly to those best equipped to react, or spotters sending coordinates to heavy weapons crews or off map artillery. The quality of a units ability to communicate is indicated within within the unit bar.
  
• Use your artillery (on-map and off-map) effectively, using the targetting sytem, engage high-concentrations of enemy troops. Also and no less important is to allow your units to use their on map artillery, mortars etc by themselves, automatically, each battery platoon consists of a spotter and fire platoon commanders, place the artillery pieces under AI control, position the spotters in a suitable location and allow them to do their job. In order to adequately achieve this you must have established lines of communication between these commanders (battery commander >(radio/wire)> fire platoon commanders >(voice)> gun crew). To enable and maintain connection each battery is provided with a signals squad, who should also be placed under AI control.
  
• Bear in mind that the battery commander is best able to spot (He's always the 1st squad in the battery platoon), fire platoons and their commanders should always remain within voice range of eachother in order to facilitate easy sending and receipt of fire orders.
  
• During tactical combat do not focus on capturing key points by themselves, in reality they are of secondary value. When attempting to capture enemy held territory the entire square must be secured, only then will any key points fall into your possession.
  
• During defensive combat don't try to obsessively hold all of your squares when you have few or weak forces. Select the most important of them and concentrate your troops there. In most cases except the enemy will target the most important squares first, and anyway, if you successfully defeat his main attack you should be able to retake any lost squares.
  
• Keep in mind, arrows that appear on the map briefing do not always indicate precisely where the enemy in coming from or heading to. Keep an eye out for enemy flares, they’ll tell you far more accurately where enemy troops are situated and perhaps what they are planning to do.
  
• Do not be overly concerned with destroying enemy troops, it is not the unltimate goal, capturing and holding key territory is. If you manage to hold/capture additional squares without sustaining severe casualties this would be considered a greater success then killing lots of enemies but for no real territorial gain.
  
• Plan your off-map artillery fire mission targets during the initial order phase, it will lead to a significant time savings, in both time zeroing in and first strike.
  
• Moving artillery fire mission targets within ~300m radius will just slightly reduce arrival time and if the spotter has a clear line of sight – the initial strike will be more accurate.
  
• Each order is determined by it’s modifiers. Only clear understanding of each modifier and the effects of various combinations of them will lead to success in optimal unit control.
  
• If it seems senseless to fight a battle due to massive disadvantage of numbers you can flee (Esc/Flee). By doing this you will lose squares and probably some of your troops will be temporarily unavailable, but you will avoid permanent losses and you'll get the chance to counter-attack next turn. But it makes sense to have a clear understanding what troops you have where in such a situation, in order be prepared for the impact of losing the use of those most likely to become unavailable.
  
• The game has another feature: If you’re playing with a limited battle radius, and for example not all of your/enemy units are involved in the combat, then those squares without ‘full involvement’ will not be vulnerable to capture, and fleeing these squares won’t result in their loss. Any sectors or units affected by thise feature will be greyed out.
  
• The retreat mechanic explained:
  - A unit is able to retreat if it is located adjacent to a neutral or allied controlled unoccupied square.
  - If a unit doesn’t have a place to retreat to (the nearest allied sector is full) then control of this unit will be lost and it will attempt to get out towards some other allied/neutral squares.
  - During the tactical phase, any occupied sectors out of the current active combat area are marked by deep red squares (deep blue for enemy) on the tactical map.
  - There is a high probability a unit will be lost completely if either its morale or manpower has been reduced to less than ~30%
  - Also encircled units have much higher probability of being permanently lost.
  
• When an enemy is attempting to attack you with an overwhelming quantity of troops do not immediately try to flee, it's possible he’s just trying to recon or take one certain square. Perhaps the enemy isn’t able for one reason or another to effectively assault your position, in which case the idea of retreat might be premature and regrettable.

Mechanics are complicated, but once you understand it the game becomes simple and enjoyable.