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Sulman

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  1. CMRT would not start from the Launchpad for me, but it would run if I navigated to it in Finder and used the right-click > open method. Weird.
  2. I returned to Red Thunder having never really given it a fair shake (I don't have F&R but will soon) and resolved to try and grind through the Soviet campaign. I struggle with the Micro at Bn scale but have got used to it now, and I enjoy trying to apply lessons from @Bil Hardenberger's great blog. Honestly I am struggling a bit. The issues with Hammer's Flank are well known (there's at least one huge thread) and It is what it is, but I'm able to get some successes but still can't quite work the Soviet infantry properly. Specifically, I've got competent at scouting but on the third map It's extremely difficult to achieve fire superiority. Time and again I try and set up a base of fire and a defending MG squad overwhelms them with relative ease. The 2 81mm mortars I have for battalion support take 10 minutes for a fire mission and aren't particularly effective as keeping the spotter alive that long is a challenge. The map is wide flat with hedgerows and cottages for cover. There is a slightly elevated railway line towards the back but I am not there yet... The fundamental issue is a base of fire from concealment (hedgerow or treeline) is vulnerable Usually I'd bring up an assault gun but the map is laced with AT guns and they simply can't maneuver into firing positions. Plus the SU76 is probably the most brittle thing out there. I'd picked an approach using the nearest edge of the town, which went okay but as soon as I find a dug in position (just beyond, right on the railway line) the I struggle to get effective fire on it. Then of course the arty comes in, exacerbating things. I cant bring up an SU76 because it'll get popped by an AT asset (there's a big AT gun under the 'Depot' label, plus some others off to the right). The one mortar strike I managed did nothing, and if I position supporting fire troops in the hedge rows they get wasted after a turn or two. Anything inside of 200yds vs an MG42 team needs very good cover. It's really, really hard to pull it off with just infantry. Any tactical pointers are appreciated. I'm thinking I need to use the hard cover of the houses more. I'll try that, but there's a whole company on this flank and bringing them all to bear is difficult.
  3. Like XCOM, you learn that a lot of these things are just a case of ending up on the wrong side of the numbers. Most of the time, spotting works exactly how you'd expect. Other times, it will drive you absolutely crazy. The T-90 is a great tank when you play against similar equipment, it's top-of-the-line, but you soon realise the FCS is nowhere near as good as the Abrams. The commander does has a habit of missing seemingly straightforward spots. Just keep playing and accept that on this occasion the CM2 Gods did not smile upon you.
  4. I understand that, but the TacAI typically plays a role in trying to evaluate and respond to things. The Bren carrier seemed to be treated like it was harmless, when it was in fact killing everyone.
  5. For sure. It's generally a very capably MBT, but CMBS gave me new respect for the T72-B variants and their ability to resist APFSDS. Somebody here (can't find it now...) said the Oplot does not have the best penetrator available.
  6. Haha, yeah. That was a lot of lockdown play ago. I don't know if I'd do much better now, it's just a tough scenario. The difficulty on that campaign (it isn't long at all) really see-saws. Overally a lot of fun though.
  7. They're not like halftracks, not in CM. They can only be harmed by grenades or AT weapons. I don't know whether this is accurate but that's how it is. If memory serves from Graviteam Tactics I think 7.92 ball ammunition could get through the carrier's plate if close enough, but that doesn't appear to be the case in CM2. It doesn't take much hardened armour to stop rifle rounds. I have had a carrier wipe out an entire SS platoon it caught crossing a field at a range of about 100yds. The AI didn't seem to know what to do so kept advancing. That thing killed them all over about three turns. All of that seemed feasible but I did question the possibility of engaging a position in a building on the higher floors. That should give the defenders a slant advantage into the carrier's crew, but apparently did not. But ultimately they're much tougher than half tracks, which can be disrupted by a stiff breeze.
  8. I think it is TacAI awareness that the unit cannot be harmed by rifle/MG fire. Rifle Grenades and hand grenades are a different story. What does surprise me is how well the vehicle occupants are protected from small arms fire. even elevated positions don't seem to bother it much.
  9. Not only are they bulletproof up to rifle calibre, enemy infantry won't even open fire on them until the occupants dismount.
  10. It's nothing to do with my point, though. That's about the tool's efficacy, this is about the effect of mild cover on the spotting algorithm.
  11. There is one mission in particular where the Bren carrier is absolutely essential. The ability to fight German HMG positions with little risk is decisive. They're great in a supporting fires role. The defensive scenarios are an education. They're not bad. BTW as I'm sure you've discovered, using the mortar section and the Bren section together works well. They are good smoke throwers too, and always seem to have favourable LOS.
  12. Haha, be forewarned, the 'Easy' missions are not that easy. I played mission 2 both at Veteran and Green, and the only difference I could see was the German Armour (Stug III vs jagdpanzer) and that was about it. It played much the same. In terms of AFV bogging, I got lucky. I used slow orders when off road and they fared okay apparently. 1st mission I put a single tank watching the right hand field right after the deployment zone (careful with where you put it as it can be in LOS to the AT gun) and the 2nd I moved into the orchard on the left hand side once I was happy the AT gun was down. Neither bogged. There are mines further up that road and at the intersection near the MG bunker. The tank on the right flank has LOS all the way up to the tall Bocage in front of the 2nd objective. Very useful for putting down the ambush teams that in one plan were placed behind it. The 95mm Churchilll can kill a Jagdpanzer from the front with the HEAT round. At CMBN ranges it's no problem at all for it to get enough accuracy.
  13. Clutter seems to have a significant effect on the spotting algorithm. You don't need much partial concealment to gain a pretty decent bonus against being spotted, at least before spotting the enemy. There's a definite first shot bonus to it. It doesn't take a lot either, for example a small shrub in front of a tank parked in a garden seems to buy that tank a lot of security against being spotted (quickly) from that direction.
  14. The first two are tough. Mission 3 broke for me at the 5 minute mark so can't tell you much about it, but after that they're quite enjoyable. Mission 3 is a defend map, the first of a few in that campaign and that's a nice change you don't get much experience of in CM2 solo play. Quite agree about the Artillery support, it is big annoyance and I mentioned it earlier that PT is so stingy with it is as if he is paying for it himself! This is a wider issue of designers being ahistorical and throwing out doctrine because they're looking for a certain outcome. you may note the Germans have no shortage of it. The time limit on the 2nd mission is outrageous too the worst in the campaign. Although my method in that one was to go right (you can get the tank(s) through the farmyard in the middle of the map) but the objective building is extremely well defended and walled by high bocage. As you say you don't need many defenders - just the right kind - to make them practically impregnable. I used the tank HE a lot (I had both Churchills from the first mission). The scoring is very tough too. I said up-thread that if you are given two objectives you better get both of them or you'll be scored harshly.
  15. I don't know about WW2 but one of the armor field manuals specifically mentions the TC dismounting to check corners at city intersections. There's a couple of scenarios in CMSF2 where this would be very welcome if you don't happen to have any infantry nearby (for whatever reason).
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