Allied AAR: Clearing the Niscemi Highway

[GerryCMBB]

In terms of Acquire, can you go back to the same truck/HT multiple times and acquire remaining ammunition? I could be doing something wrong but IIRC when I sent a second unit back to Acquire, it didn't work with that same truck/HT.

Thanks,

Gerry

[MikeyD]

If a unit won't pick up something that usually means the individuals have reached their weight limit. The game actually tracks the weight of each individual item carried. Someone once mentioned the max infantryman load but I've forgot now. Units will also scavange for spare ammo and 'better weapons' while doing buddy aid on a fallen comrade and the weight limit kicks in there too. There's no command to 'drop stuff' so you can't simply lose your carbine and ammo to pick up that too-heavy B.A.R.

[Albe Pavo]

Thanks guys! Now it's clearer!

[womble]

Something entirely different is 'sharing'. That's completely automatic, where a depleted ammo unit will automatically 'borrow' ammo from a nearby unit to continue the fight. For example two bazooka units side-by-side One unit first until he's out of ammo then keep firing while his neighbor's rocket count drops.

Sharing only applies within the same platoon, or, if the units are in a section, such as a Mortar section, within the same section.

[sfhand]

In terms of Acquire, can you go back to the same truck/HT multiple times and acquire remaining ammunition? I could be doing something wrong but IIRC when I sent a second unit back to Acquire, it didn't work with that same truck/HT.

Thanks,

Gerry

AFAIK, the ammo in trucks/half-tracks is limited. So, if you take it all with one or more squads there will be none left for others. I've never tested it because most of my guys die before they need to get more ammo...

[ChrisND]

While we wait for this AAR to pick up again, here's a look at the shaders can do for soldiers.

No shader:

Shader:

[Steiner14]

Impressive. Do shaders react depending if they are in direct sunlight or in shadow?

[gunnersman]

Interesting. The details really pop out. Thanks ND. What are your graphics settings and hardware?

On another note...that gunner should really show some muzzle awareness. :-)

[Michael Emrys]

On another note...that gunner should really show some muzzle awareness. :-)

Yeah, really. Are they both in love with the same girl back home? Is there a story here?

Michael

[ChrisND]

Interesting. The details really pop out. Thanks ND. What are your graphics settings and hardware?

This is with settings up to max which is what I usually play with. If it's a really big battle I usually turn shadows off though.

I use a GTX 560 Ti for a graphics card.

[LJFHutch]

I still can't help but think the bump mapping would be more effectively applied to the terrain though, are there any plans for that?

[Sakai007]

I am running an nvidia 9800GT 512MB and run CMBN at max on all settings, with shaders, and it's smooth as silk. The single largest frame rate killer is the victory locations. When I turn those off, I gain like 30 FPS.

[Battlefront.com]

I still can't help but think the bump mapping would be more effectively applied to the terrain though, are there any plans for that?

Over time, probably. But it is being held back because overall the drag on framerate and VRAM is considerable. We don't think the visual benefit is worth it. Yet. We'll explore it in the future for sure.

Steve

[Vanir Ausf B]

hmm I was under the impression that use of bump and normal maps reduced VRAM usage. (?)

[MikeyD]

Bump maps allow for use of a somewhat reduced-poly-count vehicle and rationalized texture mapping without a noticeable sacrifice in vehicle quality (no need to sculpt each individual wheel bolt in 3-D). You wouldn't get that tradeoff with terrain. You'd still need the whoopping big BMP terrain art but with a whopping big normal map accompanying it too. For awhile they (inadvertantly) had cobblestone highways with normal maps applied. I've got to admit it looked very cool, but I'd trade a marginal increase in 'cool' for robust framerate any day.

[rocketman]

The single largest frame rate killer is the victory locations. When I turn those off, I gain like 30 FPS.

I had no idea about that. Sometimes I get sudden drops in framerate even in small battles - I'll try to turn VL off. Thanks for the tip.

[A Canadian Cat]

I am running an nvidia 9800GT 512MB and run CMBN at max on all settings, with shaders, and it's smooth as silk. The single largest frame rate killer is the victory locations. When I turn those off, I gain like 30 FPS.

Interesting. I never considered that the VL locations as making a difference like that. Any one else noticed - since I cannot try until tonight:)

[General Lee Irked]

How do you check frame rate on a Mac or can you?

[Rake]

Interesting. I never considered that the VL locations as making a difference like that. Any one else noticed - since I cannot try until tonight:)

I just opened a saved game (Honor and Loyalty... so it's relatively large) and replayed a turn. Frame rates were mid 30's with or without VL's on. Only time the rate drops lower is when panning through foliage.

i7-2600K CPU @ 3.4GHz

Win 7

8G Ram

GeForce GTX 570

All settings maxed out on game and video card

[Sakai007]

I think it might have to do with RAM then. I have noticed the same improvement with this 9800GT and my old 8400GS, both in the 512MB RAM category. My rig only has 3GB of normal DDR2. I have the same things happen in CMSF, CMA, and CMBN as far as turning VLs on and off. I would like to hear from someone with specs near to mine to see if it helps them as well, or if I am a special case, lol.

AMD 2.5ghz Dual Core

3GB DDR2 RAM

EVGA 9800GT 512MB

Vista 32-bit

[ChrisND]

TURN 21

Bil is back from travelling, so the AAR resumes!

Last turn was posted here:

http://www.battlefront.com/community/showpost.php?p=1376573&postcount=164

The mortars pound the front of the woodline hard. Luckily it is vacant, although a few straw rounds land further back and kill a few paras. So his mortar strike was not entirely fruitless. Not much happens along the main axis of attack, so the nearby mortars make my paras hunker down. The T30s lob a few HE rounds at long range infantry targets.

The big development this turn is that Luftwaffe dismounts and a Pz III have shown up in the woods where my R-35 bustin demo team once was.

I'm guessing that he wants to make this an observation/base of fire for his German attack. It makes sense, because the position has good cover, concealment, and he can interdict my reinforcements while raking the west side of my Villa defenses with fire. It's a strong position.

This new development means I have to halt my counterattack with the newly arrived infantry platoon. Instead they will hold position in the orchard they currently occupy and await further developments. The Germans cannot move out of the woods without being exposed to my Sherman overlooking the area, so for now I'll wait and watch. I'm also pulling back one of my T30s behind the Villa which may get spotted by the Pz III.

[ChrisND]

TURN 22

This turn is pretty quiet with only a few minor developments. I sense that Bil is avoiding confrontation while he lets what is left of his Italians recover and he positions his forces for a multi-directional attack. He may also wait for his second wave of reinforcements to arrive.

The woods guys have gone to ground in the west. I also see what looks like some smoke popped by the Panzer III there. Is he trying to cover some maneuver? My FO Team, freshly emplaced in the villa top floor, shouts down some call for fire directions to my last pack howitzer left. I'm using it to indirect target that patch of woods. It only has 14 HE rounds left, but it should disrupt him. Time to FFE: 3 minutes. I'm also going to make use of my 105mm artillery battery. I've given them a long Line target along the big concentration of his troops in the middle, on the big hill where my demo section was destroyed. 7 minutes to FFE. With any luck it will hit his dismounts square on the nose and disrupt his plans.

Bil has halted his mortar strike and obviously issued adjust commands, because a new spotting round lands closer to the villa. I think it was an 81mm mortar round, not artillery. Time to hunker down.

This turn also demonstrates the awesomeness of the new FOW icons. See the white below. I've detected an armored vehicle moving to flank my defenses round the low ground to the east. I don't know exactly what it is and can't target it, but I know something armored is there. With the previous Contact icons that could have been a one man truck driver for all I knew. I'm going to have to be especially careful with my T30 HMC on the east side of the villa, because while the T30 could take out a Panzer III with a HEAT round, that Panzer III has pretty much a guaranteed kill if it connects with a hit on the very thinly armored T30.

[ChrisND]

Sorry been a delay, after CMFI released I've taken some time off... but I'm back!

TURN 23

This was a REALLY quite turn, with only a couple of developments. I don't think a single rifle was fired this turn. Bil is definitely holding back, concentrating his forces for one big punch.

The only action was centered around my eastern T30 HMC (picture below):

A few seconds into the turn, it identifies and targets the Pz III that had been partially spotted last turn (the contact in the white circle), aims, and hits it with a HEAT round, scoring a hit on the gun mantlet. Score! That T30 has been damned heroic! The downside, however, is that taht was the last of the T30's HEAT rounds. It shoots again and connects, but this time with a HE round which likely did nothing. The resulting cloud of dust obscures the Pz III, so I don't know if I've I've KO'd it or not.

Two more mortar spotting rounds land, and instead of centering on the villa or woods, they are moving towards the T30! He must REALLY hate that assault gun by now, as it has stymied all attempts at an attack down the highway. With the gun out of HEAT and a morter strike probably due on it next turn, I'm going to pull it back and sit it in reserve, to be brought out when Bil's infantry make an appearance. When the mortar strike subsides, I'll send the other T30, currently sitting behind the villa and still stocked with some HEAT rounds, to take its place.

[ChrisND]

TURN 24

No pictures, only minor developments this turn. My T30 HMC pulls out just in time as an 81mm mortar barrage begins to plaster the area as he backs up. As the barrage ends my second T30 pulls to take the position, but with the dust kicked up it'll be a little while before he'll be able to see anything.

An artillery spotting round on the hill. Uh-oh, time to run for the 1st floor!

Something low caliber - a Panzer III probably - has spotted my Sherman and pegged him with a couple of hits to the front. No damage.

[ChrisND]

TURN 25

Another very quiet turn. Another artillery spotting rounds, this time right next to my last pack howitzer. It is probably about to get obliterated. I'm pulling almost all of my paras into the building first floor and having them Hide to wait out this artillery barrage. Haven't seen any sign of the Pz IIIs this turn.

At the turn I receive my last batch of reinforcements: three more Shermans, another platoon of infantry, and a 60mm mortar section. I'm sending the infantry platoon to the villa hill, to fortify my primary defenses. The 60mm mortars will set up behind the vineyards in defilade.

The Shermans I will split into two groups. One Sherman is going to be peeled off to reinforce my first Sherman at the south hill. The other two I am going to put behind the villa in cover and use them as a reserve. Wherever Bil sends his Panzer thrust, I'll move them to intercept.