Cover

[CanuckGamer]

I've been looking in the manuals for an explanation of the different levels of cover.  By levels, I mean which ones afford the best protection and so on down to the least protection.  For example does being in a house give a unit better protection then being in a foxhole?  What about wooden bunkers which I assume wouldn't offer much protection from a tank's main weapon.  If someone can tell me where I can find this information it would be much appreciated. 

[Michael Emrys]

I don't believe there is anything official from BFC on this. Individual players have probably made comparisons from time to time in particular games and posted their results. Part of the problem is that protection is highly variable depending on a number of factors. Take buildings. Their composition and materials give different levels of protection, and that can be expected to vary in different geographical regions with their various styles of construction. Weather too could effect that. A huge question is protection against what weapon. A barrier that might stop rifle fire cold could be like soft cheese against a high velocity tank round.

Bottom line is not to expect this information to be laid out for you. Your best bet is to form your own generalized appreciation from observing in play, and not to expect that to work every time. Just like real life.

Michael

[General Liederkranz]

10 hours ago, CanuckGamer said:

For example does being in a house give a unit better protection then being in a foxhole?

Assuming you mean a typical small wooden house, I'm not sure one is better against small arms/MGs, but the foxhole is often better protection from direct-fire HE fired from the same elevation, because the round has to hit the ground right near a hole to inflict casualties. In some cases you can't even manually target the action spot where a foxhole is located because it's on a reverse slope. The building, on the other hand, offers a nice aiming point that tanks or guns can easily hit, and a perpendicular surface that will detonate the shell. If you're taking fire from a higher elevation, though, the building might be better. And against mortars, the building is definitely better. But you also have to consider that a human opponent will often preemptively area fire at important buildings, whereas you can put foxholes in unexpected positions. As @Michael Emrys says, it's "highly variable"--which makes the cover model more interesting than in, say, ASL, where a foxhole and a wooden building are both simply +2 TEM.

10 hours ago, CanuckGamer said:

What about wooden bunkers which I assume wouldn't offer much protection from a tank's main weapon.

In my experience most tanks (e.g. 75mm or so guns) can knock out wooden bunkers and kill everyone inside with one or two shots. 

[Combatintman]

As others have inferred - protection is more than the construction of a bunker. building or whatever. There is a visibility factor in play so you have to factor in the relative ease of spotting troops in a bunker, building or whatever.

Also buildings do not have uniform protection - modular buildings are generally more robust than their independent building equivalents.

[MOS:96B2P]

14 hours ago, CanuckGamer said:

I've been looking in the manuals for an explanation of the different levels of cover.  By levels, I mean which ones afford the best protection and so on down to the least protection.  

Below is my understanding for buildings.  Of course the only building type CMSF 1 or 2 have is modular buildings.  I think somebody tested foxholes and trenches and concluded trenches provided better protection.  

Generally the bigger the building the stronger it is.  The skin of the building does not matter.  A combination of a buildings height and footprint (total square footage) determines the strength of the building, relative to collapsing, within the four building types listed below.  I suspect the type of building has more to do with the protection provided to the troops from suppression & casualties than the size.  As in the Church vs barn example.

Very Strong: Three biggest church structures.

Strong: Modular buildings and independent small church.  

Average: Independent houses, independent commercial, and independent other.  (CMBN & CMFB have an "other" category for buildings.) 

Weak: Barns

[Warts 'n' all]

10 hours ago, MOS:96B2P said:

Weak: Barns

I do remember watching a video where the player repeatedly "Quick"ed his troops into a barn only for them to get slaughtered by MG42 fire. It was hilarious.