Does anyone else see rifles opening up on armoured cars at long distance?

[Bulletpoint]

I'm seeing my German infantry using rifles against M8 scout cars at about 250-300m range. They have no chance to do any damage, but they sure get some in return. Anyone else seeing this? I can't remember this happening before. The TacAI is usually pretty good at deciding whether or not to shoot.

The AC is buttoned.

Edited September 8, 2018 by Bulletpoint

[Erwin]

IIRC if there is a mathematical possibility of harm, a unit will shoot.  Maybe to degrade optics etc?

[Bulletpoint]

5 minutes ago, Erwin said:

IIRC if there is a mathematical possibility of harm, a unit will shoot.  Maybe to degrade optics etc?

Then why don't they shoot at tanks?

[JoMac]

Well, I do see .50 Cal from an M8 AC (for one example) shooting at a Panther's Front at distance (several hundred yards) while Panther is buttoned (happens all the time in 'Barkmann's Corner').

Also, keep in mind, if your Armored Vehicle was unbuttoned before it buttoned back-up, then it could still receive residual Small Arms fire for an Action-Cycle or so...Just like how Small Arms firefights peter-off (after an Action-Cycle or so) even thou the enemy contact is gone.

Another thing I noticed; unbuttoned Armor, AC's, HT's, Trucks, etc that disappear will leave an Infantry/Crew Icon associated with the Armor Icon (2x Icons...one Armor, one Inf/Crew)...So, when that unit becomes visible again the enemy Small Arms will open-up on what it last remembers as the 'Inf/Crew' Icon.

Basically, it's part of the Game coding that, maybe, could be addressed differently.

 

Edited September 8, 2018 by JoMc67

[MikeyD]

I recall anti-tank units in Italy really disliked their new M18 Hellcat and eventually transferred back to the M10. Because the Hellcat's armor wasn't guaranteed to stop 7.92. Infantry will shoot at tanks when the commander unbuttons. A lot of light armor in the game involves crew/riders peering over the edge of the open top to see or standing behind a gun shield. Bullet magnet.

[JoMac]

Never mind...I edited my above post.

Edited September 8, 2018 by JoMc67

[Bulletpoint]

1 hour ago, JoMc67 said:

Well, I do see .50 Cal from an M8 AC (for one example) shooting at a Panther's Front at distance (several hundred yards) while Panther is buttoned

Yeah, I see that happen too. I think it's a bug. I even see the .50 gunner fire his pistol at Panthers if his MG is out of action. The .50 doesn't appear to like to fire at other types of tanks.

So it's like somewhere in the TacAI for the .50 there's a line of code that says "yes, you can hurt that beast, fire away".

Edited September 8, 2018 by Bulletpoint

[Bulletpoint]

1 hour ago, JoMc67 said:

Also, keep in mind, if your Armored Vehicle was unbuttoned before it buttoned back-up, then it could still receive residual Small Arms fire for an Action-Cycle or so...Just like how Small Arms firefights peter-off (after an Action-Cycle or so) even thou the enemy contact is gone.

I think you might be right about this...

I am testing right now, but can't reproduce it. Running 6 M8s in front of a company of German stragglers at 40m distance, none of the Germans open up with anything. Doesnt matter if they face the front, rear, or sides.

Edited September 8, 2018 by Bulletpoint

[General Liederkranz]

36 minutes ago, Bulletpoint said:

So it's like somewhere in the TacAI for the .50 there's a line of code that says "yes, you can hurt that beast, fire away".

I assumed that it's a matter of coding the .50 as an "AP" weapon and then coding all "AP" weapons to fire at armor, without taking into account whether they can penetrate. I know I've seen .50s fire at other armor, I think including StuGs--are you saying in your experience the only immune targets they'll attack are Panthers?

Also, while it seems the answer here is that the M8 had been unbuttoned, another possibility that occurs to me is, might your infantry in the first case have been carrying 7.92mm AP (picked up from a halftrack or something)?

Edited September 8, 2018 by General Liederkranz

[Bulletpoint]

2 minutes ago, General Liederkranz said:

I know I've seen .50s fire at other armor, I think including StuGs--are you saying in your experience the only immune targets they'll attack are Panthers?

I only recall them firing at Panthers. It's something I notice, because it seems odd. And I never noticed it with other tanks. the closest I get is that once, a Sherman .50 gunner fired on my Pz IV from the flank at very close range (which made sense, because it partially penetrated, knocking out the driver...)

[sburke]

I assume notice means you haven’t actually run any tests. Not a criticism just trying to determine the level of data.  Is it an observation of an occasional incident that seems to recurring or an objective test where behavior is proven to be expected and repeatable?

[Bulletpoint]

6 minutes ago, sburke said:

I assume notice means you haven’t actually run any tests. Not a criticism just trying to determine the level of data.  Is it an observation of an occasional incident that seems to recurring or an objective test where behavior is proven to be expected and repeatable?

No tests for the Panther thing. It's off topic for this post anyway

[Los]

It keeps them buttoned up as well...

 

Los