David Chapuis
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Posts posted by David Chapuis
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Was playing a CMAK game recently where I lost two HTs to an MG42 on the side. One of the HTs was KOd, the other abandoned - but neither had a crew loss. The way I interpret that is that one of the HTs was damaged, where in the other one the crew just got scared so they just jumped out of the vehicle.
Now I can understand a crew jumping out of an amored vehicle because they dont feel very safe. But it doesnt make sense to do it in the middle of an open field with enemy units approx 50m away to the right and left, especially when it would make much more sense to keep the pedal to the metal for another 15 seconds where the crew could abandon in the safety of an empty house or behind some trees.
So I was wondering if CMx2 was going to try to give units some sort of awareness of enemy vs safe positions when the TacAI/PanicAI takes over. There are lots of examples in CMx1 where improvement could be seen:
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- Vehicles trying to escape Indirect fire - nothing quite as frustrating as the SP Gun trying to avoid a tenative death and driving to within 10m of a few enemy infantry units when it could have reversed and been completely safe from both.</font>
- routed troops running towards the enemy</font>
- troops doing the 180 degree belly dance when fire comes from opposite directions</font>
I havent tried to think of any guiding principles that would actually allow a game to model this correctly, but was curious if this was a problem that is being addressed.
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Just finished my game, so I thought I would post some screenshots. This was a 3000 pt mechanized QB, rural, moderate trees/hills. No armor on either side, so you have to take that into consideration.Originally posted by David Chapuis:I have a 3000 point ME going right now where I selected 8 SPWs. I will post some screen shots when the battle ends (probably a few more weeks).
My forces:
Reg Fallschirmjaeger battalion
Vet Falls. Pioneer company
Reg armored pioneer platoon (7 251/1 HTs & 1 251/17)
3 75 sIG
1 truck
Opponent forces:
1 reg mtn battalion + 2 reg mtn companys (5 companies total). Mountain companies are my favorite russians
1 reg 122mm art
6 76.2mm mountain guns
2 82mm mortars
4 AT rifles
4 jeeps
I used my HT in 3 distinct phases of this game, and in each phase they were critical.
1. The Flag rush (turn 1 - 6)
2. Move up Heavy weapons (turn 6 - 22+-)
3. The blitz (the game ended before I was able to complete all my blitzes, but I did get one in.
The Flag Rush
Having 7 HTs definitely let me get the best position out of the gate.
My left:
I was able to get a strong position well beyond the three small flags. I rushed a crack pio squad & team, their +2 moraler leader and a FT. This was actually a long way from my start line (no direct path)
The result here was that the battle was never even close to the flags, and at a position that gave me the maximum advantage.
My center:
This spot was not very conducive to rushing, but I hoped that a HMG there would at least slow down the ruskies long enough to get my platoons to the houses in that valley. You can see that the HT is already on a return trip to get some more units.
My right:
I was most worried about this side, which is why I used 4 HTs. If he would have rushed this flag, I never would have gotten close because there was no approach. He also had a road that lead straight to the flag. But he decided on the "blast and assault" strategy, so I was able to get a really strong position here. Notice my HTs have already picked up their second platoon of men (which are 'tired').
Moving Heavy weapons
Everybody agrees that this is a good use of HTs, but I just want to point out that my truck was KOd at over 200m by small arms fire. Thankfully I had already dropped off the gun.
Also, I dont feel like 4 HTs would have been enough. I lost 1 HT while moving 2 HMGs, another while moving a mortar and FT, and another while moving 2 mortars. However, since I had so many HTs, I was able to get 2 sIG and 2 HMGs to the critical point on my left.
The Blitz
This was probably a little foolish, I decided t try it after our dicussion in this thread. Overall, I think it helped - mostly by not letting the ruskies go to stars. Therefore, I was able to keep FP on them when otherwise I would have only been able to area fire.
The Plan:
At this point I had the ruskies in the woods (circled in green) broken, but I really need the elimination points. Crossing that 50m of open ground was going to be very hard with all the shooters he had (red lines) on my flanks. So I figured I would load a squad and a half plus their HQ in some HTs and try to drop in those scattered trees. This was especially dangerous because I knew he had an AT rifle in those scattered trees.
The Accomplishment
It worked, sort of. One HT made it with the HQ and half squad. The HT with the full squad left before the squad boarded. The lead HT got KO'd, but not before it delivered its goods.
The Results:
Although not as pretty as I hoped, the end result was that I was able to continue to target his men and push him all the way out of those scattered trees. Even better than that, I also broke the morale of my opponent, and we ceased-fire just a few turns later. I had another HT blitz on the way.
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Dogface, looks like you have a smudge on your screen. Can you clean your monitor and print that again?Originally posted by Dogface:RE: sillyvillans
Using the fancy SEARCH button at the top of the page, (picture for you so you dont have to scroll.)
I found 3 links that had BF.c responding to this question. And that was only on the first page of three.As to the rest.
Way to Troll there underbridge dweller.
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The word "genire" is new to me.I see this as being a whole different genire if you like.[/QB]
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Definitely agree with this. SPWs are definitely not a must have.Originally posted by JasonC:Vets mean a lot of extra "rally power" throughout the battle. It is not clear to me an extra half ammo reserve platoon moved left to right late or what have you, is worth that. And this is about the best situation for the MG SPWs as just lifters, that I can think of. I might try either, both have uses. But I don't think I could strongly say the SPWs are always better, even in this best case.
Compare that to unit types that just rock when they have their best case - Tigers against enemies with mostly 76mm guns, Sturms against somebody without enough AA, StuGs, SMG companies in woods, pairs of sIGs with reverse slopes, etc. SPWs are not in that league. Best conditions might make them pay for themselves about as well as budget-limited alternatives. Less than best conditions, and they are overpriced and underpowered.
One other thing that reinforces not getting HTs, is that if you end up losing 300 points worth of them, it is like giving the opponent an extra large flag. I have a 3000 point ME going right now where I selected 8 SPWs. I will post some screen shots when the battle ends (probably a few more weeks).
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yes, they will be moving guns/HMGs/Mortars. But they will also be moving inf sometimes too.
The regular vs. vet comparison is a good point. My maneuver units are always busy, and that is why I feel like I never have enough HTs. 3 HTs for a 3000 point ME isnt usually enough the way I play.
Anyway, I agree with 95% of what you have posted in this thread. But I do feel like purchasing HTs to move what I consider "reserve inf" can be worth the points.
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3000 pt ME QB June 43:
Pz Gren Battalion - 1475
Armored Pioneer Plat - 596
3 squads
3 FTs
1 AA HT
7 251/1 HTs (right at 300 points - 10% of total force)
Leaves 900 points to pick your flavor Armor/Art/Support.
Make contact with the majority of your troops. The 7 251/1 give you freedom to concentrate up two extra platoons to a given area in a hurry. What other units can give you that kind of maneuver flexibility for 300 points?
Trucks? No, their cross-country is too slow
Tanks? Not for 300 points. And it is too risky to tie them up doing transport in order to move troops, thereby not letting them perform their intended purpose of AT/ anti-inf duties
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"General rule - halftracks suck."Originally posted by JasonC:Ah, now we've moved on from the history question to the CM question. General rule - halftracks suck. They cost too much without having the firepower and strength under fire of real armor. An infantry force tricked out with them will be vastly outnumbered by enemy infantry forces that don't bother.
Sorry, but I disagree with this. HT's do one thing better than any other unit - transport. And CM is a game of maneuver. Maneuver to get the maximum firepower advantage.
Undoubtedly, HTs are the best maneuver units in the game. That is extremely important. In large QBs - especially, but not limited to, ME QBs - they are one of the most important units on a map. In fact, in ME QBs with moderate cover, my first goal is to kill all enemy transport units. You can then use your transport to mass forces against stranded pockets.
Should you get one HT for every unit? No Should you charge enemy lines? No Are they useful in every scenario? No.
But they definitely dont suck. And they are not over-priced in most situations.
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Why is the axis MG not in the trench? Play this with making the computer keep the initial placement, and dont area fire the trench before spotting the MG, and it will be much harder.Originally posted by Loeffe:110
...was a cakewalk. Well for me at least, I'm not sure my men agree
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From my experience with airpower, I feel that experience makes a very big difference. Vet and crack pilots are very hard to scare away with AA guns. Not so with inexperienced pilots.
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Your HQ will spot from much further.Originally posted by Cuirassier:Sorry, I never made my point clear. I only hide when I am out of spotting distance (135m)
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From what I have read of the Yom Kippur War, his narrative throws a very heavy slant on the facts. I imagine that is true of the rest of his article too.The only time the Syrian Army even looked good was in the first days of the 1973 Yom Kippur War, when they took the Israeli lines in the Golan Heights. Judging by what I've read, it wasn't so much that the Syrians attacked well as that the Israelis' intelligence had failed totally. So the Israeli lines were nearly empty, everybody on leave for the holiday, and the Syrian tanks just had to drive in. But the Syrians were so weirded out at the easy way they'd rolled in that they sat there, jabbering about how it must be some clever Israeli trick. They Egyptians, who really were fighting well down in Sinai, supposedly begged the Syrian commanders to do their part of the coordinated attack by sweeping down from the Heights and attacking the Galilee. But the Syrians just sat there on their plateau, scared ****less. The Israelis finally woke up, warmed up the tanks and rolled back the Syrians in a few days. They would've headed all the way to Damascus if the US hadn't ordered them to stop. -
I doubt you had MEs in mind, but I have found in ME's that some delaying fire early in the game (e.g. 81mm hitting turn 3 on an enemy's route of advance) can make a huge difference - even though you dont kill the target.Originally posted by walpurgis nacht:Never spend HE on anything, unless you're in a position to completely destroy it.
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Get a cheap pioneer battalion when you are russians. They are your best bet.
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im pretty sure you have that backwards. i think they block fire, but not LOS.Originally posted by Renaud:I believe the new engine will have vehicles blocking LOS but not shot-path.
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Do you use the 'Fast' command to move infantry? I have learned to use 'fast' with good results, and now use it almost exclusively. I do use advance over short distances in cover, but in the open my men sprint.Originally posted by juan_gigante:Does anyone have suggestions for doing proper attacks when on a very sharp deadline?
Now (from what I have read) this is contrary to the JasonC school-of-thought for moving infantry. But 'fast' will get your guys there in a hurry, which is one weakness of advance-and-rest method.
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Jason, I wonder if the 110 scenario should be moved back a bit, or maybe another scenario added before that. Do you really feel like advancing green inf over open ground with no heavy weapon fire support is lesson nbr1? Perhaps advancing the same platoon with one maxim first. And then trying without the maxim.Originally posted by JasonC:part of the idea of this thread is to figure what should be in those briefings, and whether the scenarios need to be tweaked first. In the end, yes I want full briefings, on line AARs, help commentary, etc. But we walk first.
Also, for 110 you dont mention anything about half squads (either in the instructions or in your posts here). I think it makes the scenario much easier to use a half squad or two to get a spot, which leaves you 4 lmg as shooters. If you just have 3 full squads with lmg firing, you dont always get a pin on that german HMG - and until you do, you cant win this.
So for whatever that is worth. My compliments though on whole enterprise.
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You cant believe everything you read on message boards. Thousands of people claim to have been abducted by aliens, and you dont believe that nonsense.Originally posted by ParaBellum:You can actually play the CM series against the AI? :confused:
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Terribly ugly
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Washington has to at least get a nod for relinquishing the sword.Originally posted by Ardem:BAH George washington,
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Originally posted by Tarquelne:
Actually, in general QB purchase terms, the Russian side has an advantage. -
is that combat mission you are playing or gettysburg?
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That is hard to believe considering the firepower and ammo limits of a rifle squad.Originally posted by flamingknives:160-odd for a Romanian rifle squad in CMBB?
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A tactic that I have found quite frustrating to play against in CMAK is the dust screen. I have had an instance where an opponent created a hole in my AT screen, and then stirred up so much dust driving HTs back and forth that I couldnt do anything to stop his inf from just walking across open sand.Originally posted by undead reindeer cavalry:what i miss in this discussion is talk about the merits and abilities of usings trucks and halftracks. going for tanks makes sense pointwise, but it is a bit limiting what comes to fun and/or realistic fights.
Strategic Command Ladder
in Strategic Command 2 Blitzkrieg and Weapons and Warfare
Posted
Are there any SC2 ladders out there. The Blitz ( www.theblitz.org ) has a good ladder system (IMO), and would probably start an SC ladder if there was enough interest.