RudeLover

I have noticed the difference in the AI's use of smoke from the beta demo (maybe the first change I noticed). Both the Strat and TacAI seem very fond of the stuff. In most cases I think their use of smoke is pretty savvy, but there have been times that I've wondered what it/he/they was thinking. As the wise man said, though, sometimes there's a very thin line between clever and stupid. In particular, the thing that surprised me most was the use of smoke shells by individual units to screen single enemy positions that were not a threat to the smoke-firing unit. For example, one frequently sees mortars firing one or two smoke rounds to blind a pillbox or enemy AFV, presumably to keep the enemy from engaging other friendlies. Often I'm glad of this in retrospect, but in CE as US my Shermans have gotten fixated on shrouding the German woods with smoke, despite repeated profanity-filled radio messages from their CO to use High-Bleeping-Explosive instead. Due to FOW, I don't know what exactly what led to that choice…schrecks, or a MG42 hammering US infantry? (Or did the commanders think they had White Phosphorus NO I'M ONLY KIDDING REALLY .) I think many of us are watching the new AI very carefully right now, and it's easy to fixate on one or two weird things. It's like watching stats from the new baseball season and getting prematurely excited or bummed out; just because Jason Bere has a couple of good starts, it doesn't mean my Brewers have a Cy Young candidate on their hands… This smoke thing may bear watching, but it may settle down, too?

Are the names randomly generated when you load a scenario or does everyone see the same ones? I had a squad led by Sgt. Moylan in CE in the beta demo, and a Cpl. Grammont took charge of a half-squad in RB. I really felt like doing a Saving Sgt. Moylan thing, putting him in deep reserve. If he had been hit, who would write the code? There was also a Sgt. Lorentzen in CE, who was surely related to my wife...?

If I understand correctly, the demo only includes code for a subset of the units available in the full gold version. Thus some of our faves (Tiger, Hellcat, 88 Flak, panzergrenadiers) cannot be played with the gold demo. That's why chance encounter when released included only units already found in the other beta demo scenarios. However both Reisberg and Last Defense are among the 50 scenarios/ops included with the full release.

It seems that AI setup can be different every time, as can attack or defense strategy. This adds considerably to reply value IMO; two plays of the same side on the same scenario can be very different. Also, since there are the 'quick battle' scenarios with random force structures on random maps, the AI must ultimately have some way of choosing based on terrain, objectives, and unit capabilities, rather than having 'canned' setups for each scenario.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>If you put 'em back together does morale go back up to whatever it was before the split (assuming neither half squad took casualties)? DjB <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Yes, it does (in my experience at least).

Thanks very much for the rapid response. I could see the 'scared' thing. It does suggest that splitting squads late in a battle is a bad, bad move, even though that is when you might need the extra maneuver units. I was in part confused by this b/c Steve had said in a previous thread that Global Morale reflected headcount: www.battlefront.com/discuss/Forum1/HTML/003715.html

[Hmm. Tried to post this last week but the server died on me...] Hello, BTS, Loving the beta demo. The new scenario really shows off some cool features and the terrain that is possible in the game. Great choice for the demo! I have a question that may involve a bug (or just a misunderstanding on my part of global morale). I wondered about this in the beta demo, and it seems to still work in the GD. Try the following: In turn one, split several squads and give the half-squads orders to go in different directions (or the same direction at different speeds). Then hit "GO!" I see an immediate drop in global morale, on the order of 2-3% for each split squad, despite no casualties. Note that the drop only happens in the execution (movie) phase, though, and not immediately in the orders phase. The effect seems to be reproducible for me in each scenario as each side, though I think that the teams need to have different orders for the decrease in morale. I am fairly certain that this happens even when there are no casualties taken, and even when there is no firing… Is this a bug or an intentional penalty for splitting squads? My understanding was that global morale was calculated as GM = [(OK troops)/(Total troops)] x 100%. (Or GM = 100% - (casualties / total troops).) If it matters, I can forward system info.

The issues of command and control for radioless tanks will come up in CM2 with Russian vehicles. At present in CM I think that all vehicles are considered to be in C&C regardless of location due to radios. Thus HQ vehicles are not needed or modeled. Perhaps Russian AFVs will need to be in LOS of a designated HQ vehicle or suffer penalties? Shooting the platoon commander's tank would then be a good tactic (if you can figure out which it is...). Also, IIRC, the Polish 7TP tank was more than a match one-on-one for any German AFV in 1939. One of the intriguing aspects of CM4 will be trying out combined arms tactics using Poles vs. Germans (and maybe Russians?).

What occurs to me rereading this discussion is that even with only three beta demo scenarios, we're pretty spoiled. If you played squad leader or ASL, you always knew exactly what your opponent had. You could calculate all the to kill numbers before even deploying. (And if you didn't your opponent would...) Cool games, and I probably wouldn't be here without 'em, but...FOW is heaven! My first time vs. the AI in Chance Encounter (as Yanks), I had no idea what was coming that would justify my 5 Shermans. (In retrospect, it had to be stuff coded into the demo, right, so StuG, Tigers, or Flak88?). I opened the setup file, and just froze. Is the crossroads defended? MG42 in the church? Hmm, it's a meeting engagement (already maybe an unrealistic amount of information). Which direction will the germans come from? I guessed (luckily) that the crossroads was not defended and that a rush to good positions would pay off. My first visual contacts were with infantry way off in the swampy corner, so I figured the Germans were coming up the N-S road (from the US right). Change plans quick, reorient that way. Oops. Heart was pumping when I watched the movie, saw the lead Sherman zoom up to the left side of the church (thinking the Germans were coming from my right), spotted 3 stugs, scratch one Sherman and some passengers. I'm deployed all wrong! I recovered somewhat and pulled out a minor victory, but that instant of OH S**T was fabulous and made the eventual victory much more sweet. Of course no subsequent reply was quite the same. Can't wait for editor and new scens, plus the kickass AI that will provide many more OH S**T moments . . . Anyone else thinking of redoing the demo scenarios with tweaks? Not first thing, of course, but after the glow wears off in 2002 or so. Give the Yanks at 57mm ATG in Last Defence, or edit the map so the 'Cats start on the reverse slope of the hill. Replace one or more of the StuG in CE with PzIV, replace the Yanks with Brits (Cromwells?), have Germans enter a different edge, just to see how a familiar sitation plays different (guess it's a scientist wanting to control variables). These scens will be like the Guards Counterattack for Squad Leader folks, a classic and memorable starting point. (All those Russian 6-2-8 squads breathing down your neck.) Sigh. How long 'til may?

Well, we junior members have to hustle, you know...

My understanding of the 'national symbol' icon is that it represents the last known position of a now-unspotted enemy unit. Therefore your tank doesn't know whether or not the MG42 is still there, and in fact it may or may not still be in the same building. I've seen cases where the unit represented by the icon 'suddenly' pops up halfway across the board, having moving a long distance since I last spotted it.

Steve, Thanks for the prompt (instantaneous???) reply. Glad to hear it's not in the Gold and that I correctly understand the global morale figure. FWIW, from my quick experiment with the Beta, the drop in global morale didn't happen until the execution phase, and it might only happen if the two split squads have different orders? As for the name, well, it's (almost) the one I was born with (though I am told it has a very different connotation in the original Norwegian). I've been told I should have been a rock star instead of a dull professor. Sigh. Michael Loverude

[toggle lurker mode] Something I've noticed in toying with split squads is that there is a decrease in GLOBAL morale with every split squad. As Yanks in Reisburg, say, while advancing to contact, I have split squads to look for ambushes. I noticed a 2-3% drop in global morale for each split squad. Whereas I can see the reasoning in lowering the morale of the squad that is split, the lowering of global morale is harder for me to understand. Perhaps the fellas are on edge, waiting for the main event to begin? Maybe a scuffle breaks out between two privates, and a gruff Sgt. says, "save it for the Germans." Kind of like this forum, as a matter of fact... Another observation from splitting squads in Reisbg: the corporal in Sgt. Deiterich's veteran squad (B2?) is a pretty famous fella in these parts. [toggle lurker mode]