MoatnGator

Just my 2 cents... When smoke was used, Machine guns already had targets set as in night fire. So whether smoke or night, you could still fire for effect along probable avenues of approach. The inability to fire into smoke is not there for tactical reasons, it is there b/c of game limitations. A great game, but obviously restircted to some degree.

TRPs are areas designated for artillery strikes without the need of FOs (Forward Observers) since the guns are already zeroed in to that location. If you move your mortars they wwill no longer be able to use the TRP since the figures will be drastically different.

I will add to that if you use a scout vehicle, than the enemy knows you are on the way in. Scouting with infantry is the way and can be useful. make sure you have a good leader with them. 1/2 squads are the way to go. Your infantry can run...so tanks can move as fast as the running infantry. This is plenty fast. If you want the tanks to move faster have them move along covered and concealed routes with infantry on the back. When you feel that you have pushed your luck, dismount and move on out!

Did you buy the tank with the big fan on it? All kidding aside you have two options. Wait with the tanks and manuever the infantry, or take out the FOs. I choose both. I don't like to lose turns so try and bound around the village with a half squad. Go wide and follow with a the other half and another squad. Try and think like them and where you would put your FOs. If you have FOs of your own or mortars try and use them as well. Maybe put a mortar on the back of your tank and have the officer hide in the brink of the smoke in the trees. That way he can call fire support for the bounding Infantry squads. All else fails, charge with the tanks and squads combined. If you already knocked out what you said, then there should not be too much left. I remember in the Army, we would lose a tank or two rolling through the smoke. It would give the infantry enough time to assault the objevtive though and take out the resistance,

Do you guys realize how many hours I log playing computer games? I work full time, have two kids and a wife. But, I wake up early and go t obed late. I am a firm believer in "my time." Anyway, I have A LOT of games and read religiously online about the next way to spend my cash. I literally stumbled across combat mission on one of countless searches for hot new games. I am a minority. The majority does not have enough time to search and stumble as I do. This fact alone has kept Combat mission awa from the true fame it deserves. They have marketed to a niche and gown by word of mouth. To be in the top 50 is well deserved but at the same time amazing given the setting in which this game thrives.

The first thing is to hide and evaluate. Let them be for a round... check their stats. No casualties...then let it go another round. During this time, if possible, send some flanking units in to try and spot the artty firing position. If you can withdraw to the far side. This goes without saying that you would not charge to the front side of the clearing where his machine guns would rip your men worse. Plus, he would have direct fire with narrower spreads, b/c he would be able to see you. After hunkering down and letting him waste his arty or withdrawing yoour troops to the far side of the woods, it is now your turn. Firing blindly at woods, wastes ammo. Unless those woods are dense with troops. What you need to do is move to contact with your infantry and expose as much troops as possible. When heavy infantry lines are found, or even a cluster of tanks, call in the offboard stuff. After the positions are weakened use the smaller on board stuff to weaken stubborn positions. Lastely mop up with an infantry sweep. After this create an infantry screen and move in the tanks to a closer SBF (support by fire) position. Above all as mentioned DO NOT split your squads as morale plummets under artty. Hope this helps

Hey Pair-o-Dice, Did you know that Paradise,Co got it's name from it being a gambling outpost early on and not b/c of it's prestine quality. get in ... pair-o-dice paradise.. ...a little bored...yes...definitely

All great ideas.. but you missed the easiest one. "Honey, I really think you should go to night school.... full time...that way you can get it over quicker." Sweet, Huh? Though that leaves me taking care of my two little ones. The good news is with a turn based game my 13 month old can not cause to much damage banging on the key boards. My five year old loves learning about history. My wife overhears us talking... and you see that tank... that was one of the German's favorites. He usually responds with "Daddy, why did your tank explode and have smoke all over..." Our bonding time usually ends there and I send him up to his Mom for some homework. But seriously for all you army buffs. In the Amry we learned how to live on five hours sleep. Go to bed at 2:00, wake up at 7:00. If the kids wake up in the middle you are God b/c you can remind her in the morning that she should have seen how cute he looked at 1:30 in the morning. Silent grumblings and evil eyes are all I get. Besides my son wanting his turn. ...how much do those playstation 2s cost? Off the computer boy!! But it's Legoland... Does Legoland have tanks...no but I have dynamite to blow up buildings....really?...mmm...let me check that out....hey if you changd this car around and added a long lego here it looks like a tank see.... what dad?...see tank...see tank go BOOM!....Oh like your tanks....grrrrrr !!

With the amount of knowledge on this board and the strong sense to detail, what are people's thoughts on Operation FLashpoint. Could this be something to tide us over until CM2? Best regards and sorry for the OT question...

Welcome from one Newbie to another... ...see you are not alone... Now you only have to lose your first couple of tanks to really feel like part of the group. Hull down? What the heck is that....BLAM!! Maybe I better rethink things a little...

My pearls of wisdom... On the offensive....planning is key. Tanks slow and methodical, hull down when possible. Squads searching for AT and guns plus scouting tanks. Artillery for effect only on targets sighted by others. I'll Artty a tank just for the fun of it if he's dominating a field of fire. AT guns I will not duel with but atry instead. I'm a big fan of flanking positions and a heavy user of smoke on the assault. I don't believe in VF in unless they meet the requirements of tactics. I also do not believe in an unrealistic mix of troops. On the defense.... I'm still working on that part. I'm too agressive for defense :confused: Though I find a mix of deep peneatration after arty can win big since you can spot the FOs and any reinforcements. You can also mop up any machineguns still shaken by arty barrages. I'm still learning in a big way. Peace and enjoy

Well, Agua in his infinite wisdom pointed out that the demo was different than later patches of the game. I still think that this is a CROCK! I mean really, if a tank can abandon then a pillbox can abandon. Anyone ever suffer real time artty barrage while in a concrete bunker? Not one underground all the way. But one with exposure. Thank God I have not, but I have been in those bunkers with the grenade holes and everything and it would not be pretty under heavy artillery.

Good ole Willie P.... Anybody know the modern day willie P shoulder fired rocket for the US. It was box shaped with four rounds. I remember test firing it and thinking the infantry on the end wold sure be in a world of hurt. By the way, firing the Dragons was cool too with the InfraRed Scopes. I never new Willie P was used for smoke, talk about a mixed use weapon. Is modern day smoke the same? I don't think so bt replies are welcome.

OK, still playing the demo and have a question or two. Fatest way to get the full version is Battlefront.com? Can you pay more to get it fedexed? Did not appear so.... Ok..Defense... Boy did I get rolled on valley of trouble. I did manage to infiltrate the back lines and get some awesome mortar, FO kills and .50 cal kills with one squad. They are still at full strength. Can't get my At close and my guns were already 105mm into the ground. I have 5 tanks rolling on me. Oh..by the way for you military buffs...always wondered why defense is spelled defence at some locations. Just curious. I am much better at assaulting... just something new to learn

I really don't know enough about WWII too remark to what loads are appropriate. I mention what I can to let people know how things really work in infantry squads and what physical limitations they are exposed to. As far as limitless ammo, I'd say somone said that this was a result of scrounging for ammo. I like that idea, but stil want them to be able to pick up the weapons and extra ammo off the dead

Flamethrowers.... Nothing but pop up targets. I still want them to explode. Cool...fire...fire.

AAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGG !!!!!!!!!!! Enough bickering !!!! Throw away your damn field manuals and stories. There were many different types of loads. These ranged from over 70+ lb loads carried when moving to base camps to light loads for recon. You would not take your ruck with you when assualting an objective so the whole idea of weight is useless. YOu would carry ammo, and plenty of it. We had several people whose rucks were over 100 lbs. You ever carry the radio for an infantry squad over 12 miles. How about the M60 with full loads and a ruck with supplies to last two weeks in the field. Grunts carry more than 70+ most of the time and you people who bicker back and forth about 10 lb differences have no clue to reality. Relaity is that your leader throws 600 rounds of 60 ammo to a rifleman and says put that in your ruck. That is not in your field manuals. ********** Thanks for the coffee threads...they were a much needed laugh amidst all this bickering ************

I appreciate your replies.... Suppression or not...leaders and men on their own would throw clips back and forth. You had better believe if my M203 gunner went down, that gun and vest were coming with me. If the M60 gunner went down or the .50 cal then the next valiant soul would get to that position. If I killed a german squad and waltz over their corpses wihtout fire or even with fire, these guys should be able to grab their guns. I appreciate the close combat analogy. Another good game was Sudden Strike. A little unreal but still fun to play. Peace.

Thanks for the posts....I was not aware they did not have radios for mortars back then.

Typically you rotate barrels for that not to happen. That is why there is more than one person on th team and their rate of fire goes down as the team members are killed. We had asbestos gloves to grab those smoking barrels as not to burn our little fingers off. Boy is smarts when you forget the gloves. It has been awhile, but I believe a ruff figure for a barrel change on a M60 is about 15-20 seconds. Any fool who held the trigger down, would quickly find themselves out of ammo. In the game you see bursts, which is correct.

I know I am asking a lot... but hope springs eternal. Why cannot groups that are low on ammo, pick up weapons and ammo off their own dead or that of the enemy? I know it is hard to program such and people will say that a grunt can't work them fancy russian machine guns, but hey, people have asked for more obscure detail then this. My point, low on ammo or out of ammo but high on resolve to stay alive and stay in the fight. Bring on the entrenching tools!! (AKA shovel to the head)

TRPs are only for direct fire? You sound like you have rained some death from above first hand... but unless we were really confused and our infantry manuals were talking about the M1 abrahms not atry support we used TRPs often on withdrawal from a raid. We would cover avenues that our scouts deemed probable covers for reinforcements or trailing bad guys. It's been awhile but I don't think that guns or tanks used TRPs. From my reference it was from mortars or other indirect fire Also as far as Half tracks.... The Rangers in Somalia (sp?) had several guys go down manning the same guns. One guy would get shot and the next would step up to man the gun. This was while their jeeps were swerving and weaving through the twisted streets. Note being that, while the gun is able the crew should be manning it. Shaken or not, you stand a better chance with a .50 cal then running off to the bushes with a pistol. (Course the rangers had more than pistols) Pardon me if I am speaking out of my arse, but it is painfully slow at work.

First... I am playing the demo Mortars seem to need LOS to the target. Not all that much of a hassle besides the fact that they are piss slow to move. I don't know what WW2 mortars were like, but now a days we leave them in a small clearing in thick cover to fire on targets where command had visual contact. They could also fire blind at points on a map without any visual spotters. Am I missing something, or is this not a part of CM..... ---> By the way, I have searched on this but want feedback i na new post

I took out a concrete AT gun bunker with 105mm indirect rounds. It only took two turns worth. Maybe I just got lucky, but I am going to try again tonight. I'll keep you posted.

I love the amount of attention to detail you guys offer. It makes for great reading. I am an old M60 gunner and had an assistant gunner and an ammo bearer. We would carry the m60,two m16s and roughly 1200 rounds of m60 ammo plus radios, rucks and whatever ungodly weight you could think of. I liked it when my AG (asistant gunner) would go down due to weight carried and I would get to put his rucksack on top of mine and carry both just to make him feel like crap for falling out on me. Point being, if you want to analyze great. Put don't forget to model everything down to my stove I carried for my coffee. Instead, go with the idea that Ammo was carried throughout the platoon if need be and always brought forward by jeeps or such.