xerxes

That's just one tough gun Badger. I'd guess he's vet or better with a x2 heart bonus HQ. Most guns get abandoned with just a fraction of the firepower you threw at him. I'd also guess if you watched the films closely, you'd see the gun "ducking" down behind the wall occaisionally. If you were letting you tanks auto-target they'll stop fireing and the gun can recover morale. If, on the other hand, you area target your tanks will finish him off much more quickly.

Since you can't push an 88 (in CMBB at least, in reality they did, just slowly), you can't safely deploy it. I think the setup time is something like 8 minutes. A towed 88 just isn't practical. Too bad they can't fire while limbered. That was a neat trick in North Africa.

CMBO and CMBO do model the height of the shooter. The shot is calculated from the height and has definite effects observable in the game. This is clearly what is going on in the situations described, the height the gun allows it to look over a crest yet HE fired at the gun hits the crest. Is this a bug? No, it's an accurate depiction of reality. TacAI: The TacAI does not account for this phenomenon that emerges from the physics modelled in the game engine. LOS indication: A targeting line is allowed even though the chance of hitting is at best vanishingly small (and in some cases may even be zero, hard to test for that). Is there a TacAI bug? Yes, the TacAI should be smarter. Is there a LOS bug? Maybe, it's almost impossible to test the difference between zero and almost zero. There should be an indication that you can shoot, but your chance of hitting is awful. Should the nature of this position be indicated by the game? I'd say yes to that also, it's effectively a super hulldown position.

This is not a bug. It's reality. The direct fire HE would LITERALLY have to contact the exposed portion of the AT gun, not the ground around it. This just isn't going to happen. That said, I can understand how frustrating the situation is because it SEEMS so unfair. But, just like in reality there are ways to deal with an AT gun set up in an expertly chosen position (which this is). Let me count the ways: 1. This position is vulnerable to MG fire, get close enough to the gun and mass your mgs. 2. mortars, mortars, mortars 3. Low velocity HE. Low velocity HE have much more arc, and yes this is modelled. They can, particularly at longer ranges, arc into a target. Your might want to area fire slightly in front of the target and wait for a slight overshoot to take out the gun. 4. Arty FO 5. Smoke 6. Move fast to the large "shadow of the crest" that exists in front of the AT gun. 7. Just avoid any reverse slope LOS to the gun. The reverse slope positioning has a limited area in which the reverse slope works. Avoid those areas. [ March 03, 2003, 09:50 AM: Message edited by: xerxes ]

Hehe. And the good thing is if your opponent doesn't bring KVs the 75mm 1918 gun is a first rate support weapon at long range against enemy infantry. Pretty soon, you'll hear the "you gamey bastid buying a s**tload of 1918 guns - you cheats!!!!!" The smaller caliber should be able to get "gun damage". You just need a LOT of shots to immobilize or gun damage. The more the better.

Lots of infantry. Lots of those 1918 field guns (they're cheap) Send the first wave of infantry (1/2 squads spread out). Bring the KVs out, they won't be able to resist. Now, you should have a LOT of 1918 75mm guns. When the KVs park to take out your infantry, use the 75mm guns to smoke all but one of the KVs, unload EVERYTHING else on the remaining KV. You will most likely gun damage or immobilize the lone KV. After you take out one KV, just focus on the next making sure to smoke any extra KVs. That way you only deal with one at a time. He'll get some of your guns, but of course while this is going on your infantry won't have to worry about the KVs at all. Of course a smart player will keyhole the KVs, but then they aren't dominating the entire field. [ March 06, 2003, 02:19 PM: Message edited by: xerxes ]

Call me old fashioned, but I like the 1918 75mm gun. With the C rounds it can actually take on SU's. It's just too cheap to pass up.

Any tank that has a portable BBQ is tops in my book.

Easy, set casualties to a percent greater than 0 before you pick troops in the editor.

I wonder if "hail fire" would work just with the 20mm autocannons? I haven't tried it but I'm imagine the high ROF of 6-8 autocannons would have the KV panicing pretty quickly. Of course, "hail fire" works much better with realistic green crews in the KV. A KV with a vet crew was really rare in '41. The problem with KVs in QBs is that players will (naturally) purchase unrealistically good crews.

I'd also add that within a particular battle, you might have your armor jump ahead at one time, and have your infantry jump ahead at another. The less predictable you are the better. Armor can kill at long range, but it's also quite effective "up-close" when combined with an infantry assaulting force. Up-close you want the armor keyholed or shielded from long range AT fire. Your infantry insures that short-range infantry AT won't get off more than one shot. The Germans have a particularly good time with this since the Soviet infantry is woefully underequipped with ranged AT weapons. The Soviet T34s are great in this role with their speed and their canister rounds. NOTHING ruins an opponents infantry like canister.

And if you have a reverse slope position where the enemy has to come across open ground, you can hold the position with minimal forces. In most cases attackers will encounter your position with scouts (that die or are suppressed and turn tail). The enemy won't get a full disposition of your forces and will often decide to attack elsewhere.

While I was testing an operation, a KV2 appeared on the ai side. The axis has some PzIVs and Pz38s. Certainly nothing that could penetrate and kill the KV2. I distracted the KV by engaging at range from one direction and then moved roughly 10 afvs to within 300m. The afvs wouldn't auto-target the KV2 but the next turn I forced them to target the monster. It only took about 20 seconds to immobilize the beast and 15 seconds later the crew bailed. Rounds were bouncing off the KV at the rate of about 1 a second. A tribute to CMBB is that "Hail Fire" works in the game just like in the real thing.

The weakness of Stugs: 1. Stugs are terrible anti-infantry AFVs, low HE and MG ammo loadouts. 2. Look Stug up in the dictionary under "Bog" 3. No turret (which makes #1 & #2 worse) The weaknesses are incorporated into the price of the Stug.

I find M5s and M3s to be invaluable in an attack. Obviously best for moving guns and support weapons. They're your best bet for getting your hmgs/mortars across those open spaces covered by enemy hmgs. The mgs on the HTs are excellent with their large ammo loadouts. If there's air in the sky the HTs moving around in the open tend to attract the attention of the FBs and keep your tanks safe. I'll ride tanks but only when I'm fairly sure that I won't take mg fire. If you're into player purchase games, there's a soviet recon company that comes with 8 or so M3s.

Where can one fing the QB mappack with 54 maps? It's listed at the depot but there's no link to the maps. thanx.

I regularly blast trenches with direct fire HE, works quite well if you are targeting with a platoon of T34s. I also regularly cover my trenches with a ATs gun since trenches and bunkers are big tank magnets. A really nasty situation is where a trench is in covered terrain where no direct fire HE can reach it. Add a little well placed wire and you can pretty much write off taking the position.

That is a GREAT picture. What a chuckle.

Try "SP-Into the Void" if you'd like some good HT assault practice. Excellent scenario and it may change you mind about the utility of the HT for panzergrenadiers.

I take it you have to have "labels on" to see all this?

MTC if you're feeling ballsy. Otherwise ID your target with that infantry you have and then sneak your flamer into range. Use that double "?" HQ to control the flamer, if he's in cover he will probably not be detected until he wooshes.

Well I expect a review then! Hope the op you're thinking of designing goes well.

In WWII they didn't .

btw, I've sent the files and passwords to Matt already. - marc s

band selecting and moving will get your little digital guys killed faster than a company of conscript volkstruum under a 300mm rocket barrage.