by Chad Jensen
Assaulting into melee is for vehicles so that the game can model an overrun.Moving into melee is for guns since its the most dangerous way to do it. Guns didn't charge into melee, but this allows you do so if the situation is desperate enough.
That leaves advancing into melee for infantry.
The opponent gets to choose the target because his commander in the hex will have already decided which of his units to post at the front of the hex. (hand-to-hand combat means you generally have to get through the first line of defenders before engaging the second line, etc.)
Let's say I'm firing with a tank in a hex that contain an opponent's tank and infantry. My tank crew would probably choose which kind of weapon it would use based on the target, right? In this case, wouldn't it make more sense for the firing player to choose the target (indirectly at least, by choosing the kind of weapon that will be fired)?
No. If the infantry is danger close and the tank not so much, you *must* engage that infantry first (and vice versa) or face destruction. As I mentioned above, the opposing commander on the scene decided which of his units would be up front, or which would engage should the attacker decide on close-quarters combat. For example, as the defender I might want my infantry up front to help guard my armor against enemy incursions (in game terms, I pick my infantry for you to melee against, saving my armor for a counterattack, retreat, etc.).
If you want to choose, keep your distance. If you want to engage in a raucous melee, you have to play by a different set of rules (literally!). It's all debatable, of course. I'm certainly not saying that this is the right way - or the only way - to do it, just the way I chose to model things for this particular game.