Gen Von Television

Another puzzle had popped out recently, and hope to find some good advice: now I need the AI to be able to breach some hedgerows before the tanks arrive, but given the limited amounts of AI Groups it would be a wast to assign one to the Breach Team only. Besides I would need at least two separate tanks' groups or single vehicles to pass through the hedgerows in different sides of the map, with two separate Breach Teams. One solution that comes to my mind is to assign to a tanks' group a breach team that will Assault the Hedgerow, but then it will always be moving with the tanks, and it will not be a good proposition. Another solution may be to have a breach team grouped with some infantry that will precede the tanks movements in assaulting the hedgerow, so they should blow a breach for the following tanks, even if the idea would be to have isolated tanks moving through the hedgerows while the infantry will make a base of fire to support their maneuver from another position... How to solve this? Any idea?

I did also notice these problems making plans for the AI: I sincerely hope Battlefront may implement more options with the Move/Attitude combination, besides I really need a few more Groups. Another issue that I'm still checking at this moment is about the support heavy platoons: do they actually fire their mortars and HMGs, or should they need to have preset target ref points? I'm just testing now a solution to this problem having Tanks Assault in very short jumps and long time lapses, so they move quickly but linger on in their positions, while the supporting infantry can maneuver to their assault starting points: they have separate Groups. The Heavy Weapons I left where I positioned them on the map in an active Attitude, and left them without any Setup/Order or AI Group (Group 1 remains without orders and setup assignments) so that they won't move in any impossible position (mortars inside buildings, MGs behind a high wall, and the likes), but should start firing away at possible targets, supporting their other platoons, but still I'm not sure they are still that active anyway. Do the AI supports Area fire? Do they receive fire commands from the forward HQs, or from their own HQs? My testing is going on. The drawback is that if you need to move the assaulting force on a big map, their supporting HW squads may be out of targets, except for the mortars if they can still receive and execute the orders... S!

Ahem, I should make a public apology here (what, another one?!): yes, I'm an old CMX1 addict, and first thing I did when using CMBN was to disable the [Floating Icons] playing battles... and I completely forgot about them! Now for sure these clever device is a very useful addition to keep track of the whole Chain of Command, and a very welcomed tool to deploy the units coherently! Cheers

Well yes, a bit blunt, but Jon has been quite helpful to me, so I don't care and I will carry on regardless. I have now finished and tested 7 battles each complete with several AI plans for both sides, and at the moment I'm setting up the final one at Battalion level, and thanks to Pete suggestion the deployment is so much smoother and coming out good and orderly. You know, I've been a WWII buff since my childhood and a player with many table top games for some years. I discovered BO and the whole CMX1 series as soon as they were published with great relish not to have to deal anymore with piles of cardboard counters, dice throwing, studying SSRs etc. but this doesn't mean I can be a bright tactician, or a clever programmer for the CMX2 system. I've just started dealing with this new game: I still have all the Modded CMX1 versions installed on my old computers.

Jon, don't worry: the whole campaign is based on Company against Company for most of the battles. I'm on the final battle that requires a reinforced Battalion sized scenario, and I've just started deploying the forces on the map. It's a scenario I already made in CMX1 besides having played it quite a few time on maps and using piles of counters... Your advices are always welcomed: would you like to be a Beta Tester?

That is what I also presumed rightly, but since I never as yet played any Campaign I was just referring to the Manual where it's just hinted you wouldn't need to add the main image, and have a one time briefing using the Core Unit file to compile the Campaign... Just now I went through the manual again and read another odd thing I would also very much like to know (it was one of my first question in this thread): when you play battles on the same map, are we sure you will lose damaged buildings and wrecked vehicles? On the manual I read that only if you use a loop back to an already fought battle scenario (the same file) you then lose those damages. Does this mean that if I still use the same map BUT with different battle scenario (files) the damages will be recorded as for the Core Units? Well, in any case I already test played the single battles, and added damages and wrecks 'manually'as I saw happening in the previous scenario, though admittedly they will differ from one time to another when playing the same battle. Yes, I like a challenge designing a Campaign without having as yet played any, and thank you Guys for helping me out: hopefully you will also benefit about it when I'll upload it to the Repository... Not only that! I intend to build a few branches for possible outcomes that are intriguing me as 'what if' that happened in history...

Thanks Pete, that's a good idea! Do you know about the campaign compile function I was writing about, if it's a waste of time to write briefings, creating maps, etc. for each battle of the Campaign? Back to deploy the Regiments...

Yes, but when you have a couple of mechanized battalions with armors and a few infantry companies to sort them out is tedious and a lot of hassle...

Thanks, but this was not the issue I was pointing at: I was referring to the Editor function [Deploy Axis] and [Deploy Allied] forces. No matter if you set up the zones, they will bunch up all in a map's corner, and when you have big maps collecting them and deploying the units in the proper areas takes a lot of scrolling, and often times you missed a piece here and there, hidden in a building or hedgerow... Not a very efficient way to build scenarios.

Bear with me, but right now I have no time to play a campaign, as I'm designing many battles to assemble one, so I don't know for sure and in the manual is not clear stated: for each battle of the campaign I've created separate tactical maps, briefing text and designer's notes, and as I got it the 'core battle' file used to compile the campaign will contain the first briefing, notes and image used for the whole campaign. So when you enter a later battle in the Campaign you will read different briefings and see different maps: is this correct? Have I done a useless work for a campaign (I have almost finished it) or will it be worth? In the worst case I can use them as separate battles...

Well, that may be: I always had the impressions that the black camouflage on the CW Armour was quite common, possibly from the many pictures I saw... BTW I've found a very nice links for CW Armour markings here.

Just a footnote Aris: are you using a different base green shade (I believe less Olive Drab) for the CW vehicles? * Actually I'm not quite sure you can really see the difference between the US and CW greens in game, but to me they all look alike... Am I wrong? Also I believe most of the Rec AFV (as well as all the trucks and many tanks) were camouflaged in black Mickey Mouse pattern. British Vehicle Camouflage 1939-1945

OK I made a fast check on tanks crossing the railway line and indeed they can: I checked it by making them move Fast, Quick and Normal without any particular problem, except they all slow down a bit when crossing. Then I made them run ON the railway line, and also that is possible, except that no matter how fast you order them to move, they all have the same speed: just slow! I hope this may be useful to keep in mind for everyone.

Thanks! That's why if I have a single tank in a group ordering it to assault will result in a stalled move. Now I should also double check all my plans since quite often I have some groups with a single units, or sometime a couple. This limitation is valid for any kind of unit, isn't it? In fact I already had incorporated AFV into Platoons, so now it will become handy to have a tank or AFV covering the backs of the grunts trying to keep dry from the lead shower thrown at them... Again, have you any idea if the tanks can cross the railway lines?

I'm toiling around with the AI plans and it occurred to me that if I give the Assault command to a Tank it will just sit there and do nothing: at the moment I only use the command Advance, Quick and Dash, and the mode Active. Am I wrong? The second question is about the tanks crossing railways: can they do that in Advance/Active mode?

Great stuff as usual Aris! You're really spoilin' us!

[Sobel moves down the line to Lipton] Capt. Herbert Sobel: When did you sew on these chevrons, Sergeant Lipton? Carwood Lipton: Yesterday, sir. Capt. Herbert Sobel: [holding up a single thread] Long enough to notice this. Revoked. Carwood Lipton: Sir.

...and this is St. Edward's

The Tudor Crown...

In this example are you considering the fact that the Attacker to win should have a loss ratio at least < 22.5% without adding or subtracting Parameters: correct?

Well I asked about that option since I'm now trying to build another Exit scenario like this: Player has two main groups: the first one is smaller and has to stay in place, while a second bigger one has to pass through the lines of the first one and move fast to Exit. AI has some units, mainly snipers and HMGs here and there that should harass fire targeting the marching through player's units. From your observations I should calculate the values for all the players units that would stay and create a bonus with at least their value since they will be calculated as eliminated by AI (still on the map), eventually adding some more points for the Exiting units. Is this the correct approach? Each and every units is to be considered a percentage factor? Or this factor is calculated with a variable dependent on unit size/value? Is there any way to check these values? Possibly this subject has been already delt with, but I lost tracks about it...

Thanks Juju! Maybe I would be able to release it when your Interface Mod will be ready... But it takes time to test and check all those AI plans. At this moment I've built four battles, and I'm midway! Generally they will be small battles no more than 20' long and Company size...

The turning points for the Axis: Stalingrad and Guadalcanal.

Juju, you're the Man! Thanks for your comments... and all your works! We all love it!

Second Test using your first approach + Parameters Jon: Red = 1300 Blue = 656 I should say thanks to you I'm now on the right track indeed! Of course knowing all about AI is giving me an unfair advantage, but I suppose it may well be a good fight both against AI or H2H. Thanks again!