Wolfe

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>If a driver is killed, it would effectively immobilize the vehicle.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Have you never gotten a 'Shocked' vehicle?!? Happens a lot to me when a crew member is killed (maybe I'm just lucky ). Vehicle no longer targets, is unable to receive orders, and often stops its movement. The vehicle isn't permanently immobile, tho because the crew re-arranges itself after a period of time. Also, a buttoned vehicle already has *much* less spotting ability than one that's unbuttoned. - Chris [This message has been edited by Wolfe (edited 08-31-2000).]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by guachi: Wolfe, You just saved me the time of doing gun rotation rates. Thanks.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> NP. They were pretty easy (quick to do), actually. BTW, does anybody have any probs with the MS Works files I use (it's old, but the only thing I have)? Is there a free converter to convert to Excel, by any chance? Should I bother? - Chris

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>the Americans can't field anything greater than 37mm and it can therefore be a little hard to destroy German vehicles.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> The .50cal MG can *definitely* take out the Puma and Armored cars from the side. The M3A1 Scout Car, M20 Util, and T8 Recon all carry the .50 and have fast turret speeds (Axis AC and Puma have slow turrets). And the Greyhound can take out any of these cars even from the front with its 37mm cannon (it has medium turret speed). It mostly depends on who hits who first. Because of turret speed, the Amis should always keep moving. The Greyhound also has a faster firing rate than the Puma or Heavy Car (though the 234/1 AC fires much faster than the Greyhound, but will often ping shells off the Greyhound rather than penetrate). And of course, the Brits have the Daimler. So all is not lost for the allies. Atleast not for Mech vs. Mech. Though the Heavy Car *does* outclass all Ami vehicles for anti-inf HE. - Chris [This message has been edited by Wolfe (edited 08-29-2000).]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Hmmm. Does this trait [rotation speed] vary by experience?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> To answer my own question: nope. <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>it's quite an undertaking.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Yep. - Chris

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>The ONLY thing I don't like about infantry forces is that they have NO points for vehicles or armor.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Yeah, I think it would be nice if Infantry got atleast a few points for Vehicles, particularly when attacking. <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>You can also bulk up arty support by buying on-board arty like 75mm or 105mm guns. throw in 40mm AA, 57mm AT, 76mm AT guns and you have a diverse array of anti-vehicle guns as well.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Don't forget the 90mm M2 AA. They turn much faster than 76mm AT, fire at nearly the same rate, and pack more punch. Though they are a higher profile, and more quickly spotted after they open up. BTW, Jason, I've added turn rates for various AT and Inf guns to my charts (time it takes to turn 180 degrees). The 90mm AA can turn to face the opposite direction in 22 secs. The 76mm AT takes 1:59! By comparison, the 'slow' 150mm sIG gun everyone complained about in VoT only takes 1:12 to turn 180 degrees. The worst is the 88mm PaK43/41 at 4:17. http://users.erols.com/chare/cm/ Hmmm. Does this trait vary by experience? I forgot to check. <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>I highly recommend playing Infantry on the defense.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I highly recommend *not* playing against an all-Infantry defense. Brutal, simply brutal. - Chris [This message has been edited by Wolfe (edited 08-29-2000).]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>::wanders off muttering to self::<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Dont go crazy. Allied attacker in 1000 point Combo Assault gets 292 support points. I do think the numbers change slightly depending on who is attacking. And I believe that some of the numbers have changed between 1.03 and 1.05, but not all. - Chris

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>What I typically do with an American combined-arms force on the defense (or even on the attack, for that matter) is buy a rifle company with usually one extra platoon (either rifle or engineer -- I rationalize this as being attached from higher HQ, particularly in the case of the engineers) and usually an extra .50, an MMG or two and possibly extra bazookas. Again, the limiting factor is the support points. I _could_ buy additional rifle platoons, but I _can't_ get any more support weapons and that's where I feel the lack.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Ok, I see what you're saying. Yeah, I often end up doing the same thing. But a 1500 point battle *is* an oddball number. With 1000 points you can get a company plus a few other things. With 2000, it's 2 companies. 1500 points is sort of a "tweener" number; it doesn't exactly fit either well. I think what you're doing is a good (and legitimate) solution. <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>With an infantry force (or maybe mechanized? must check) it might be pretty sweet.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Yes, definitely on the mechanized. You don't get any armor, tho . 1500 point defense (Attack type QB): <pre> Type..Inf..Sup..Veh..Arm..Arty.Fort.Tot Comb.675..405..600..450..300..225..1500 Mech..900..540..450.....0..300..225..1500 </pre> But also, give the Glider and Paras a try. Glider squads have ~20% more firepower over Rifle 44 squads at 40m, a bit more than Rif44 at 100m, and a bit less at 250m. You also get *4* Glider platoons per company. Each platoon comes with a .50cal and 60mm mortar. And there's a couple of M1919s attached, 3 60mm mortars, and 5 Zooks. A nice, potent little force especially in close quarters defense AND fits comfortably under the 1500 point cap (both Inf and Support). Besides, with Airborne, you get to play with 75mm Pack Howitzers! Great anti-Inf guns. Just keep the enemy mortars away. - Chris [This message has been edited by Wolfe (edited 08-28-2000).]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Buying support units a la carte they actually cost more than as part of a higher-echelon unit.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Well, Reg M1919 are only 1 more point each than those that come in the Heavy Weapons Platoon. And when buying the HW plat, you also get extra units (Zooks, 60mm mortars) you may not want or need. <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>I could, I suppose, buy one company and 3 or 4 independent rifle platoons, sans company HQ and support elements, and buy a few MGs/bazookas to round out the force, but this seems kinda hokey to me.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> True, it may not be perfectly kosher as far as adhering to proper OOBs, but I really can't see giving up one of the more important items in a defense (MGs) because of this. I certainly wouldn't blame my opponent for buying extra MGs with the points they're allotted. Trying to get reasonably historic force compositions is one thing, but gutting your defensive capability isn't worth it. It might make perfect sense, however, for two opponents to agree that platoons may only be bought as part of a company; while support weaps may be bought individually. This, of course, wouldn't apply to games with small point values since it wouldn't be possible (I think 700 points or less). Incidentally, the Am Rifle Heavy Weap Co comes with a platoon of it's own. Thanks for making me check; I didn't realize that. And you're right that Co commanders/Platoon HQs can be very handy at times, but for defense, MGs are worth their weight in gold. Never leave home without them. - Chris [This message has been edited by Wolfe (edited 08-28-2000).]

Try Glider or Parachute Companies. Glider Co comes with 4 platoons (12 men/squad), 4 .50cals, 2 M1919. Paras have 3 platoons (10/squad) and 9 3-man M1919. You might also look into purchasing some individual MGs (especially the M1917; available thru Dec44). Nice FP, lots of ammo. MGs aren't perfect, but they can do a lot to make up for a lack of infantry. As can well-placed artillery. BTW, if you can do what Berli suggests and sucker someone into playing you Combo vs. Infantry (you defend as Inf), that'll definitely solve your manpower problem. It's a real PITA to have to attack the entrenched AI when it gets to choose all infantry and you're stuck with a combo attack force. You run out of ammo before your opponent runs out of men to kill! - Chris

Sure it was a PzIV and not a mis-identified Panther? Also, it could have been the Panzer IV/70(V) (an uparmored JagdPanzer IV), which could explain voluminous number of ricochets. I love ricochets, BTW. They're great fun! - Chris [This message has been edited by Wolfe (edited 08-28-2000).]

Shift-F will turn the flags on and off. - Chris

Love these mods! I noticed the Weathered Brits zip file was smaller than the previous version. The following files are not in the new Weathered Brits file: 4430~4435 4538 4580~4582 Were these omitted on purpose? - Chris

*** SPOILERS!!! *** . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . My last game was a 69-31 tactical victory. I only held the German starting position; never got close to taking the flag in town. Started Wittmann out going straight down the main road (the 2 flags sit on this road). I used 'Move' rather than hunt or fast so he would go more slowly. He did, and managed two kills before turning down the angled road where all those juicy HTs are. By this time, he was buttoned (which I think is actually a benefit). His MG took out the AT gun, and I just kept him moving forward. The PIAT team missed 3 times. He took out a couple HTs and a Carrier. He then turned (still moving) onto the road leading to the center of town. I stopped him between 2 houses before the intersection so he wouldn't turn his turret to engage either of the Stuarts who had fled to either side of him. There were still a couple of perfectly good HT targets behind, but because he was buttoned, he ignored them and kept his turret generally forward. Because the more important targets were always ahead of him *and* he was buttoned, the turret never really had a chance to engage targets off to the side or behind. I think this strategy worked pretty well. He managed to kill a couple of Cromwells before fast moving down the street (again trying to keep the turret from engaging the Stuarts as he passed thru the intersection). It worked well as he engaged another Cromwell previously hidden by smoke. Wittmann was now near the center of town and essentially surrounded. But the buildings protected his sides, and there were only HTs and Stuarts behind. Reinforcements show up, and I send the PzIV way out to the left along the road to eventually angle back in towards the town. I moved 1 Tiger between the 2 houses near the start, and the other 2 followed the PzIV until they get to the left of the 'forest', then they turn towards the town to protect Wittmann's back as well as clean up some HTs, Sherman IIIs, and Stuarts. Unfortunately, Wittmann died the turn after the backup arrives because of a shot into his side armor *through* a building corner. Grrr. Still, he did manage to kill 1 more Cromwell and a HT which was hiding out of LOS behind a building (I shelled the building itself, and the crew abandoned the HT because of this). My Tiger guarding the start flag position had his TC taken out by a squad of infantry seconds after they arrived! Grrr. He only ended up killing 1 enemy AFV and died from a shot from a Firefly he never saw. The PzIV didn't fare much better. He got the other Carrier, but was nailed by a Cromwell in town, even though he was set up in a pretty good position and got off the first shot. My 2 Tigers to the left of the woods fared much better, getting some good kills as well as a couple of cheap ones through building corners. I eventually had to withdraw them as they were targeting a couple of Shermans trying to come out of the center of town, but enemy Cromwells and Fireflys were starting to appear off to the right, setting up the eventuality of losing my Tigers because of their slow turret traverse. And indeed, just as I was beginning to pull them out, one did get nailed. Though my other surviving AFV did manage to nail the Firefly with a cheap shot through the corner of a building. I withdrew this Tiger back to my starting position to fight what was left of the enemy reinforcements. He nailed another Firefly, 2 Cromwells, an HT, and a Sherman. I thought there was still one Firefly left, and was waiting (hopefully to ambush him), but he never came. It turns out an unidentified 'Sherman' tank hull sitting near some dead Cromwells was the last Firefly. With 2 turns left, I was only facing 2 Sherman III's (one without a gun) and 2 Cromwells (a IV and a VII). So I could have bum-rushed the other flag at this point to get a major victory. But because I didn't know where the other Firefly was, I couldn't risk losing everything. A Tactical victory. Whew! That was long. I *do* think that you can drive Wittmann down the main road (where all the HTs are lined up) and into the center of town so you can then work your way around to kill the enemy reinforcements from behind. Though you may need a little luck. I have done this a couple of times, but have also lost Wittmann every time too. Hopefully someone a bit luckier than I will fare better. - Chris

bump - Chris

aka_tom_w wrote: <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>I didn't know.....<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Heh. Well, you're not alone. I was never really into WWII all that much before CM, and I had no idea who Wittmann was until Henri started posting about this scenario over in War-historical. <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>I have not tried the Germans yet and I'm sure it would be MUCH more difficult, especially if the AI uses Half tracks to distract while running anything it can up the flanks.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> You might say that. <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>I'll try the Germans next but I really did have fun with the Allies taking out those three Tigers <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I can imagine. But the real fun of Villers comes from the intense close-quarter fighting and the sense of accomplishment when facing down overwhelming odds and even sometimes beating those odds! Good luck. - Chris

Um, Tom. The concept of playing Villers-Bocage is to play as *Germans* (Wittmann), not Americans. Just got a draw under 1.05 (no cheats this time!). Killed 21 vehicles, but lost all my tanks in only 2 turns! Tank AI gets better and better. But the infantry can still be a pain since they are legit targets when no AFVs are in sight. I did my best to eliminate as many of them as early as possible, saving the AFVs for later. Seemed to work pretty well. It was the reinforcements that nailed me. Still, a great scenario to play. - Chris [This message has been edited by Wolfe (edited 08-25-2000).]

I have won Villers (under 1.04), even gotten the AI to surrender once! But I had to cheat to do it. Well, atleast a little. My 'cheat' was to edit the file and remove the damn infantry. I also buttoned up all the on-map Brit AFVs (which I think is somewhat realistic given how unprepared the Brits were supposed to be at the time of the attack). Will have to try it under 1.05. I've also gone back and played this one from a saved game ~half way through (under the same conditions). I lost 2 times and gotten a draw and a minor victory once each. So editing the scenario *still* isn't a guarantee of a victory! I think my 'cheats' are reasonable, and may be worth a shot. Just save it under a different name so you don't accidentally over-write the scenario. BTW, I lose Wittman's tank every time anyway. - Chris [This message has been edited by Wolfe (edited 08-25-2000).]

I didn't do an in-depth look-see at ROFs, but I did add basic ROFs for Regular units to my database just to give a general idea for each unit. Also updated a couple of new things for 1.05 (JPanzer MGs, T8 Recon availability). http://users.erols.com/chare/cm/ - Chris

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>I also like the way ALL German tanks are "Tiger?"<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Actually, most of the Panzer IV's I've seen misidentified are mistaken as Panthers. Though I did see both a Panzer IV and a 251/1 HT identified as a Lynx "Light Tank?" in the same game! I shamefully had my Greyhound running away from what turned out to be a halftrack. - Chris

Stoffel, my idea was only aimed at meeting engagements, not attacks. Neither side would be defending. But it certainly *is* possible one side would have a terrain advantage over the other. That's the luck of the draw. <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Tell me what would you do,carefully move up the hill............or run like hell?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Running like Hell sounds good. Arty, mortars, smoke (to shield your advance), your own MGs (especially any armored roving ones), and direct fire HE are good for supressing and eliminating enemy MGs. - Chris

Hmmm. How about adding an interesting wrinkle to the QB options that allows for somewhat randomized setup zones. Where each side has the potential to get any 2 setup zones, one of which is always on their side of the map, but the other can be in any of 4 other setup zones (which would include two in the North and South centers of the map). The player would the be able to setup his/her units in either both available setup zones or only one. A picture of what I'm talking about: http://users.erols.com/chare/cm/setup_zones.jpg The Allies would always have one setup zone on the western side of the map and the same for Axis on the Eastern side. But both would also have one more zone, with the potential to get one of the centralized zones on the North and South sides of the map (getting one of these zones wouldn't be a given). This way you would not only have the potential to start off in the corners of the map, but also near the center to cut off any 'rush'. Of course, your opponents may have also gotten a sector right next to yours and may be able to prevent you from doing the same. It adds a nice uncertainty factor to a QB. The zones I drew may be a bit big, but it's just to show the idea. I left off a central setup zone since this would give the defender too much of an advantage, IMO. BTW, I personally don't think the 'rush' is something that needs "fixing", but this option (and it would be just an option in the QB screen, not a requirement) would allow another level of randomness to the game. Comments? Potential problems? One problem I can think of is having 2 setup zones right next to each other may end up deciding the entire battle within the first few turns (particularly for armor), which could be more a matter of luck than skill. Also, larger battle maps aren't necessarily square, so Northern and Southern setup zones won't necessarily be a benefit in that case. - Chris

Yep, you definitely shouldn't do that. I just tried giving myself 50% more forces as Axis, and it did indeed require that *ALL* those new forces must be driven off the map to get points for them. You do have more firepower, but you're making it harder to win overall. BTW, I knew this one would be tough for the Germans, but I decided against giving the Axis extra points (to try to balance the scenario) because a fighting withdrawal isn't *supposed* to be easy. And you can definitely get a major victory as Axis if you do things well. Of course, if you do them poorly, you get punished ... severely. Which is rather what I wanted. One of the things I learned from playing this scenario over and over is how to move units more efficiently. Such as: * Units with higher experience levels (Vet) will begin moving before those with less (Regular). * You can use both halves of a road to make 2 columns: fast units on one side, slow on the other. * Very fast vehicles (HTs, trucks) may be better off riding next to the road rather than on it. * In confined movement spaces with many vehicles, 'Move' works better than 'Fast'. * Starting the vehicles out in front on 'Fast', and even pausing some of the vehicles near the back will space them out better. * Setting a large number of waypoints for each unit (though tedious) gives you great flexibility since the waypoints can be moved on the next turn if need be. And 'Rounding off' corners with multiple waypoints is much better than just creating a 90 degree turn with 1 waypoint; the vehicle doesn't slow as much. In some cases, a vehicle with only 1 waypoint will simply stop, rotate, and then begin moving again once oriented correctly, which you definitely want to avoid. Hope this helps. Good luck! - Chris

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>I think I am going to give myself a slight advantage (+50%) on the first try.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Hmmm. Of all the ways I tried to break the scenario, that is one I haven't tried. I'm not sure what will happen. You'll be giving yourself more units, but that may have the *opposite* effect of what you intend. If all those new units are required to be driven off the map in order to get points for them, you may end up losing more easily than if you played it straight up! I may have to try that one myself. - Chris

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>what an armored clash!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Heh. It really wasn't originally intended to be a big armored clash, it just sort of kept getting bigger and bigger. I also took out a lot of the infantry that was supposed to be retreating along with the rest of the column; it was just too tedious to deal with when playing. Played as Germans yet? - Chris

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it. German side is fun too, though handling the convoy can get a bit tedious. And yes, you do go through a lot of armor no matter which side you play. - Chris