tactics Battlefield tactics?

[domfluff]

17 hours ago, Mousie said:

So, after getting this game yesterday, I'm having a hard time with it. I'm loving the game regardless of my failures, but I just have to ask, why do tactics fail here but succeed everywhere else?In most other games, there is the general idea of, "push first, and push hard" in order to capture your objectives. While I attack with what I believe are "overwhelming odds" (although without any intel to support this), by the time the battle ends, it was a horrific, bloody draw.

Combat Mission is a hardcore simulation, not a "strategy game". There's definitely overlap, but the priorities are extremely different - CM is complex enough that using historical manuals as a guide is not only practical, but probably a good idea.

Part of the simulation value is that "overwhelming odds" doesn't really mean what you think it does. A Machine Gun doesn't care if you run five guys or twenty guys at it from a few hundred metres away, they're all equally dead.
 

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In my current game, the first campaign mission, I've gained control of multiple areas, but barely nobody is alive to continue the attack, with most of the units written down as casualties (also, learning how to heal people would be great). So, making my attacks at least somewhat more efficient than a Skaven bumrush would be very useful information.

 

Healing people is firmly not possible in CM, as it wouldn't be in reality. Again, it's attempting to approximate reality as it's first priority.

  

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Something someone posted that got me curious was to "always leave units in reserve". Does this help? Won't your attacking forces just get overrun immediately without strength in numbers?

My last qustion is, how can you preserve the health of your units, and how can I reduce the number of times they just drop what they're doing to run away? It feels like the moment a fight begins, a unit is running away, and their fear level is difficult to manage.

 

So, absolute basics of WW2 to Modern infantry combat:

Squads have around 10 men, usually based around a Light Machine Gun or two. Squads will usually subdivide into two fireteams of 4-5 men. There are both larger and smaller formations, but we'll stick with that.

Platoons are three squads, and usually have some attached assets (Medium Machine Guns, Anti-tank assets, Light Mortars, etc.)

Companies are three platoons, with some more attached assets (Perhaps HMG's, Medium Mortars, etc.)



The absolute fundamental idea is that of Fire and Manouevre. If you're stationary, you have far better situational awareness, and can bring more firepower to bear (creating a larger "volume of fire".  That means a squad will typically want to divide into two fireteams, only one of which is moving at any one time.

The second core idea is suppression - shooting at people isn't primarily about killing them, it's about making them keep their heads down. If you are supressing them (they're cowering and not shooting back), then your guys are free to move.

That means that if one fireteam can suppress the enemy, then the second can manouevre freely, either closing to close range to finish them off, or completing their movement elsewhere.


If the fireteam *can't* suppress the enemy by themselves (i.e., win fire superiority in the firefight), then the whole squad joins the firefight. That means that another squad from the platoon needs to be the one to manouevre. This is why reserves are important - to have that option, the second squad can't be engaged at the same time that the first squad is, otherwise there's no-one to move.

If the whole platoon is engaged, the same thing applies at the company level.


Core ideas:

- Pay attention to your weapons and what they're for
- Don't tire your guys out
- Keep your options as open as possible - keep guys out of the fighting until you need them
- Learn to read the terrain - find areas where it's possible to advance in cover (physical protection) or concealment (hidden from Line of Sight)
- Patience! CM is unforgiving and brutal, and small mistakes can be devastating.

Bil's Battle Drill blog is superb: http://battledrill.blogspot.com/2013/09/battle-drill-002-squad-attack-drill.html

There are also many Youtube videos which illustrate battle drills, many of which are fully applicable to Combat Mission.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MURJTflM_JI

Period Manuals are usually available online for free as well.

[Blazing 88's]

2 hours ago, Mousie said:

What do you use Blast for?

 

2 hours ago, Mord said:

Making holes in walls and buildings so your troops can move without having to go around a structure or if they want to move unseen or avoid being targeted by the enemy.

 

Mord.

Thanks, Mord.

[Mord]

Anytime, brother!

 

Mord.

[Bearstronaut]

On 9/29/2018 at 5:38 AM, Mousie said:

I am playing in rts. Speaking of that, do you know what the primary gameplay mode is? What the game was primarily built around? You may be right about that though, having so much to look at means that I may just be missing things. I guess I assume that orders I issue will be completed before they run away or something.

Most players prefer the turn based WEGO mode. I am one of the few who prefers to play in real time although it's true that controlling a larger force in real time is a bit unwieldy.