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Let's talk about the Road to Nijmegen


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"arsewater". What's that? Is it like Newcastle Brown Ale?

A bit, yeah.

Anyway, when playtesting, I found I had plenty of time in this mission because the map is so small and it's possible to advance from the set-up area to the bridge in a couple of minutes.

You can certainly get from the start point to the line of the bridge in a couple of minutes. You might well be able to get to the bridge (with a direct approach) in a couple of minutes if no one is firing at you...

The bunker IS a tough nut to crack...

I don't get how it is crackable. Obviously others manage it, but I can't see it. There are too many other elements which need suppressing to allow anyone to get close enough to CA the target. If the assault teams and zook would use the available ditch, it would be a lot more plausible.

...once it's down and the MGs are suppressed, the Germans fold really quickly. I don't ever recall playing this one through to the end. It always ended in a German surrender for me.

I get the feeling that I'm possibly being too casualty-averse, but my general experience is that not being casualty-averse leads to teams getting pinned in the open because they took casualties, and that was reinforced by the right side division's reaction to the fire they took. P'raps I should just jam the whole force down the left, though that seems somewhat of a congested approach route. Maybe rushing straight at the pill box under cover of smoke would work.

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I don't get how it is crackable

I guess one problem with bunkers is that there has to be a bit of luck involved in taking them down. The Paras have a few demo charges which are effective but you might have used them all already, or they might miss, or fail to do the job. You have lots of firepower at your disposal, but the crew might not get killed. Your bazookas can also kill it but they might not.

Maybe rushing straight at the pill box under cover of smoke would work

Yes. How could that possibly go wrong.

Funnily enough, that's almost what I do except I send a platoon to the woods to the north.

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  • 6 months later...

A note on victory points system

 

I am playing the MG campaing and the senario design and the overall feeling is really great. I feel however that in some senarios the point system is unfair. For example. Just finished PAPENBERG with:

 

Allied

122 in good shape

26 KIA

7 wounded

 

German

274 in good shape

94 KIA

72 wounded

2 AFV lost

 

I have also exited quite a few soldiers. At the last 4 minutes the enemy was completely neutralised and posed no threat whatsoever. They did not even make any attempt to advance. I was feeling like I had crushed them. I had. What do I get? DRAW! 505-442!  It does not make the least sense

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  • 7 months later...

Hi Paper Tiger
I have just - at long last - finished this excellent campaign. I began it shortly after the MG module was released, but I have had to let it rest several times for various reasons. So it has been a long time playing it, but I have always looked forward to returning. And wow - has it been worth it! I think this campaign is extremely well designed and I'm in absolute awe of the amount of work you must have put into it.

 

I especially enjoyed the some of the last scenarios, like Bloody Aalst and Hunner Park - I consider them some of the absolutely best CM scenarios I have ever played.

 

firefly_nijmegen.jpg

 

 

 

Two of the scenarios left me somewhat frustrated, though. Not from design reasons, but from what you might call "technical reasons":

 

The Heuman Lock Bridge:
This is the only scenario in the campaign that I really hated. Mainly because the many ditches between the setup zone and the canal didn´t provide the any cover: The troops seemed to place themselves on the edges of the dithces, rather than inside them - and got slaughtered as a result. This seems very strange to me as the dithces seem to be key terrain in the map.  I have been wondering if perhaps some of the ditch mechanics in the game were changed after the scenario had been designed?

 

Turning Back the Tide:
This is a really exceptional scenario that I enjoyed immensely. I think I would have called it perfect if it wasn´t for one frustation:
The orientation of the map is tilted 45 degrees when compared to how maps are normally designed. The streets seem to be at "normal" 0 and 90 degree angles, but are actually all  diagonal in relation to the map edges.
This meant that I very often could not achieve LOS/LOF from positions where I would get it in a normally designed map. I found it very frustrating to set up units in positions where I was certain I would have good LOS/LOF from - only to discover that there was none. This seemed especially pronounced in regard to troops in buildings and behind bocage - and it made me leave the scenario for a couple of months. But of course I returned and finished the scenario.

 

Please don´t misinterpret my intentions with these comments: I am not out to complain or bitch, because I still had lots of fun playing these scenarios too. I write this hoping that it might be useful feedback that could in some way help you to make even better scenarios/campaigns than you already do (if at all possible).

 

Summa summarum: The Road to Nijmegen is one of the finest CM campaigns I have played. Incredible work. I find it hard to fathom how one man is able to create so many high quality scenarios. I´ve read your previous post about your personal situation not permitting you create something like this any more. I of course hope that you may somehow get to do it anyway.

 

No matter what: Thanks a lot for making this nearly perfect campaign.

 

 

hunner_tiger.jpg
image url

 

 

The Tiger from the Hunner Park scenario. The germans surrendered with four minutes left of the battle. The Tiger was still alive after three Shermans had pounded it with AP rounds for 10 minutes. I counted at least 55 hits! Including four penetrations to the hull/turret and four penetrations to the gun barrel.

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I love this campaign, but I have never finished it--I keep quitting in remorse over my casualties and deciding to start fresh later.  I've never seen the final battles.

 

Does anyone know if it is being revised as part of the upcoming battle pack?

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Hasn't been mentioned yet but it should be revised 'cos of the "one spotter one mission thing" that got introduced in later game versions which makes for some unintended tough mission play due to time constraits kind of a thing. :D

 

Am holding on starting the campaign. Haven't finished the Road to Mounterbourg yet for god's sake. ;D

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Yup, second mission is a case in point - two spitfires, staggered arrival time, one spotter, short time limit. 

 

I think Paper Tiger's campaigns are simply incredible, and I would so like to play through this one (when real life gets a bit calmer...). 

 

Casualties do tend to be horrendous though, and I have been guilty of repeat playthroughs.

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Another question:  is it confirmed that the 3-hour missions kick in only when the player loses two missions in a row?  I've played the first half of this campaign many times, and I feel certain that I've been given the 3-hour missions after only a single loss (or even just a draw) following a win.

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  • 1 year later...

Putting aside the "I cannot cross the bridge at Heumen" conundrum, I found the tactics posted here to be very helpful for at least arriving at the bridge intact... I went with the default setup. Split the left flank's squads down into M1919A6 teams and stuck them in the hedgerow and started firing at the bunker (not a hint of suppression. Left spotter laid down the initial three rounds of 81mm smoke 150 yards or so from the bunker mid-way between the two starting farms/buildings and got a good, lucky linear pattern that overlapped one another at an angle just enough to keep the advancing sections of the left flank obscured with just a few casualties. Spotter waited for Germans to reveal their positions and managed to knock out the AT gun with the 81mm HE halfway through the rounds... I tried to adjust fire to harm the MG nearby, but should have cease-fired and repotted... by the time the adjust fire order came through, all the rounds were spent... freshman error. This spotter spotted the farthest MG and dropped all his 60mm ammo on it, killing half the crew, but leaving the rest unharmed. Used the leapfrogging/smoke canister/quick-hide tactic (must remember to check facing before tossing smoke canister!) to decent, if somewhat clumsily executed, effect for the advancing sections... that probably saved a few lives. Advanced up to the the final ditch before the water and managed to get the bazooka team close enough for a flanking shot. First three/four shots missed; fifth found the mark and killed all three occupants. Two other teams snuck up to the wire and blew two gaps in it (the road tile and the tile on the opposite side of the road from the knocked-out bunker). The rest area-fired at the first objective building (which I later realized was empty the entire time) and the occasional unit that popped up from the trenches farther down the island. Meanwhile, the right spotter and M1919A4 moved into the right building and awaited units to show themselves. The rest just hid behind the hedge behind the building out of sight. As the left spotter had already taken out the AT gun, the right spotter tried to take out a plain-Jane infantry unit in a trench with his 60mm, but I don't think it did a thing at all. Once the left flank started trading fire with the Germans while up close (and after the bunker was knocked out), I advanced up the middle with the right guys using the same leapfrogging/hide/smoke tactic. Not as effective. These guys were pretty much decimated by an unseen MG on the farthest side of the island (near to the far, far right building objective), so they spent most of their time hugging the dirt permanently pinned. Pretty much tells me that advancing up the left side 100% might get even better results (presuming one gets a similar initial smoke result). Can't think of a good reason to advance from the right building, even if it is closer. I did all this with about 8 minutes remaining on the clock, but even without the bridge crossing glitch, I figured I would have run out of time anyway. Maybe I could have taken the first building objective, but I don't think that would have been enough to eek out a favorable result... I think taking the second building is required, but at the rate I was going, there was little chance of that happening... not with a fully intact MG up on the 2nd floor. My M1919A4 just couldn't manage to make that MG keep its head down. Overall, this was a great teaching scenario for me, even with the bridge crossing difficulty.

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  • 1 year later...

Now that I have flirted with CM for just over 3 yrs I guess... I’m returning to campaigns at CMBN level. This one in particular - set in Holland (my fav place!) is truly a charm to play - for both fun and tactix 

I am impressed at the small details that @Paper Tiger put in around many corners of the small towns. Replicating how a real authentic town was (is) in the low lands.

Just finished mission 1 , done n dusted with US Major Victory

 

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  • 11 months later...

How the hell does this Heuman bridge glitch not get fixed after several years?

I have been playing this most excellent campaign by Paper Tiger and doing well until the Heuman Lock Bridge battle.  And like everyone else, the bridge glitch prevents my troops from crossing it, therefore automatically losing the battle because the objectives cannot be occupied.

What's up Battlefront?  Not interested in fixing your broken game?  Yeah I'm pissed; there are no excuses for this, especially after several years have passed. 

 

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I played this otherwise xnt campaign but got stuck in one of the missions right at the end (in which the Germans are attacking the Brits who get armor and inf reinforcements to counterattack).  I think that Heuman Lock Bridge is earlier.  And I must have won it.  So, it is possible.  I regret all this was so long ago, that I can't recall the specific scenario and what I did. If you can post a pic or describe the situation it may jog my memory.

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Hi Erwin.  I think it is the 7th battle.  I watched a guy on YouTube play with the same bridge glitch result.  Your troops run to the friendly end of the bridge and they just hit an invisible wall and stop.  I researched this further than YouTube and many others have experienced this bridge glitch in this battle as well. It is maddening that it happens at all let alone being ignored for years and not fixed.

To jog your memory, here is a screenshot of the battle with the bridge and the three objectives on the other side of the canal

Screen Shot 2018-11-23 at 14.32.46.png

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Yes, I remember this now.  I recall that I sent most of my guys along the left edge and then along the river to close to the bridge.  I vaguely recall a German bunker and barbed wire at this end of the bridge - but can't see that in your pic.  I think I had MG's in top floors of buildings able to provide covering fire.

However, once the defenders on this side of the bridge were dealt with and smoke obscured the bridge from enemy eyes on the far side, I do not recall having a problem getting units to cross the bridge.  But, this was several years ago.  So, am wondering if later versions of the engine have buggered it(??)

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7 hours ago, mjkerner said:

Erwin, IIRC there’s a stand alone scenario of this battle, and I believe the problem was fixed in that scenario. But with my memory, I could have dreamed it, lol. 

I think that you might be getting confused with "Bridge No.7", as I don't think that there is a stand-alone version of the Heuman Lock attack.

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Some time ago I used the ScAn_CaDe Scenario Editor tool to extract this mission in case I wanted to play it as a stand-alone battle. Well I've just pulled it out of my v.3 folder and moved it over to v.4. I don't have time to play a full battle at the moment. So I fired it up as the Germans. I got the Scout Team to come out of the bunker, run across the bridge, and then run back to the bunker. They crossed the bridge both times without a hitch. 

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2 hours ago, Warts 'n' all said:

Some time ago I used the ScAn_CaDe Scenario Editor tool to extract this mission in case I wanted to play it as a stand-alone battle. Well I've just pulled it out of my v.3 folder and moved it over to v.4. I don't have time to play a full battle at the moment. So I fired it up as the Germans. I got the Scout Team to come out of the bunker, run across the bridge, and then run back to the bunker. They crossed the bridge both times without a hitch. 

and this means what exactly?  The bridge glitch remains within the campaign, which can only be played as the Americans. Many have experienced this glitch as I have

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It was once said that there where many different issues with bridges, and they had to fix it case by case, so the glitch you found might even be a different one (with the same result) than the one the Youtuber found. I once had a similar problem where only vehicles could not cross the bridge.

That a campaign revolving around bridges has seen the light of day with this kind of glitches is another issue altogether. And I think it's even more in favor of my proposal of having a public list of bugs with status on each one.

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2 minutes ago, Ivan Zaitzev said:

It was once said that there where many different issues with bridges, and they had to fix it case by case, so the glitch you found might even be a different one (with the same result) than the one the Youtuber found. I once had a similar problem where only vehicles could not cross the bridge.

That a campaign revolving around bridges has seen the light of day with this kind of glitches is another issue altogether. And I think it's even more in favor of my proposal of having a public list of bugs with status on each one.

I agree 100% with your bug list proposal!

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  • 1 year later...

I just "completed" this mission, running 4.02. The bridge is bugged for the Americans, after you blow the wire you cannot cross the bridge, or even step foot on it. I assaulted along the american side of the lock trying to kill enough germans to trigger a surrender, but they retreated behind the woods and out of view of my soldiers and I had to just wait out the extra time and then lose the mission despite completely breaking the defense. Very disappointing.

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  • 10 months later...

Sorry to necro an old thread, but felt it best to keep the 'literature' on the campaign in one spot.

I had a question that maybe @Paper Tiger can help answer.

These are the results of my campaign thus far:

Mission 1 - US Major Victory
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/726719104

Mission 2 - US Major Victory
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/734166124

Mission 3 - UK Minor Victory
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/739472085

Mission 4 - Draw
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/746181765

 

I had to take a break due to life stuff but will be resuming the campaign soon. Before I start battles, I like to plot them out and then do the stream (so the stream isn't just me looking at the map for an hour). But on the Fifth mission, the one where you're tasked with capturing VPs with a platoon of American airborne, the game is giving me a three hour limit. I thought the three hour limit didn't kick in unless you suffered two defeats or draws in a row. Did I miss something on this?

 

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