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Tips for adjusting to this game


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I find movement much easier in older eras. Weapons are not as lethal, there isn't the everpresent danger of near instant artillery or fast movers and spotting is not as effective.

 

Whereas in BS I might really plot out with exact detail a sneaking/cautious path of some infantry through some woods, in RT and FB I don't have a problem just walking them up to the front. It's much easier in this sense, to reinforce holes or shift maneuvers. Small mistakes don't always becomes huge ones as they did in BS (no russian grenade launchers to worry about).

You can be a bit sneakier, use movement more effectively. At the same time, so can they. Beware of areas where spotting coverage is poor, you'll rapidly find enemies behind your lines.  

 

I had the *opposite* issue, coming from RT to BS. My maneuvers were too brazen, too rapid. I was used to rolling up to a front with fresh men or pulling troops out of a pocket and just marching them somewhere else. That you can't do in BS, you'll be wiped out.

While we lack vehicles like Bradleys and BMPs to lay HE into buildings or thickets where you suspect there may be infantry, don't be afraid to employ jeeps or something light skinned vehicles in a support role. Generally, they will die fast if fire is returned from just about anyone, but a .50 from 500yds out can be very effective in suppressing an area. You need every asset you can to make up for the decrease in overall lethality and you don't have piles of 20mm autocannon you can just lob around.

 

 

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Yes, in modern war one needs a much lower unit density.  One has to split everything into teams asap.  And due to quick response arty, you have to move units regularly so they can't get targeted. 

When CMSF came out I got indoctrinated quickly with the need to keep casualties to the absolute minimum or you could easily lose the game even after winning all victory locations.

I now find it very hard to accept heavy casualties in WW2 or modern war games.  And that often makes playing CM2 stressful.  It's also a major reason why I almost only play campaigns in which force and ammo preservation is important (ie: one only gets a % of your losses and ammo replaced in each mission, if at all).  That seems the most realistic mode to play.

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Yeah start with the Quick Battle feature - don't go straight into scenarios/campaigns. Set the QB so that you start as defender which is a good way to learn the workings of a WWII battle and will also teach you about the use of ground. When you routinely win at defensive battles next increase the attacker by 25 - 40%. Still winning? Okay go to the attacking force but give yourself the advantage and repeat until you're on level terms. This has the advantage of building confidence and also getting familiar with your forces. Defending first will also give you a good idea when attacking of the traps to expect.   

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Abdolmartin,

Infantrymen are less resilient than their CMBS counterparts in any of the WW II CMx2 games because the soldiers are out there facing bullets, shells, rockets and bombs in their battle dress, and that's it. Short of some not in the game breastplates on Russian combat pioneers, there is no armor. That's why you're taking the lumps you are. The good news is that it's harder to be seen, and unless under a tree or such, no air burst munitions to deal with. Nor do the Russians have VT, which is only found with the Americans in CMFB. This greatly improves battlefield survival. Fuze MT, which would allow airburst and was employed that way, should be in the game, but isn't, so you don't have to worry about it, either. The average number of shots to hit a fully exposed medium tank at 1500 meters, with both firing tank and target tank static, was 17 (straight out of an official Army manual from the 1980s and had to be declassified because it was compared with the hit probabilities for the M60 static and moving), as opposed to the usual one or two in CMBS. Rifles and LMGs (also German HMGs) are firing full power cartridges generally (exceptions StG44s which fire 7.92 mm Kurz and some carbines), and SMGs are firing pistol cartridges. For a look at the grim realities of the period (and not to be pored over while having a meal), may I suggest you take a look at the classic below? It covers WW II and the Korean War, with specific coverage of German, Japanese, and North Korean weapons. This a grim read, but a tremendous education on the battlefield realities of the period. Just so you know, I have played CMBN and CMBS. I found the incredible lethality and rate of casualty infliction simply shattering at first when I moved to CMBS. I maintain that if you can fight effectively in CMBS, you can do so in CMRT or any of the same types of games--provided you understand the differences.

http://history.amedd.army.mil/booksdocs/wwii/woundblstcs/

MEDICAL DEPARTMENT, UNITED STATES ARMY

WOUND BALLISTICS

Prepared and published under the direction of

Lieutenant General LEONARD D. HEATON
The Surgeon General, United States Army

Editor in Chief

Colonel JAMES BOYD COATES, Jr., MC

Editor for Wound Ballistics

Major JAMES C. BEYER, MC

OFFICE OF THE SURGEON GENERAL
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
WASHINGTON, D.C., 1962

Finally, never let Russian SMG troops get close to you as Germans! Here's why.
 

Regards,

John Kettler

 

Edited by John Kettler
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Abdolmartin,

You are most welcome. If it provided some useful perspectives and insights so you could better transition, then that's great. On the Russian side, nothing can touch the PPSh41 when it comes to flinging lead in volume. Since the Russians have whole formations armed this way, they are a devastating (meat chopper) threat if allowed to close. Contrariwise, the MG-42, as LMG or HMG, has no Russian equivalent when it comes to ROF. It is the key to keeping the meat chopper at bay. These are important things to know. Shall be interested to hear your thoughts on WOUND BALLISTICS. Read great chunks of it many years ago. Pics were practically useless, unlike here.

Regards,

John Kettler

Edited by John Kettler
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