postfux123

I have upgraded to 3.0 and cant assign keyboard commands to "next unit" and "previous unit". Tried out changing "target" - worked. Tried out to assign "T" to next unit - failure. The gamer seems to accept the change at first, but when I close and reopen options menu there is nothing assigned. Quite annoying since these are the most used commands by me.

womble, i saw the scenario like you and had no problem in waiting for the reinforcements since there is actually a lot to do to shift your forces and prepare for the assault. The frustration comes once you move up the railway dam. Your tanks are getting blown up quite fast while you might take out one enemy tank or another but you wont even get contacts on all ATG. Surviving tanks are popping smoke, retraeating and generally the attack is breaking up. You migght get lucky but chance is you wont. The Panthers are going down as fast as the Panzer IVs. Flank shots and close range is actually not best Panther terrain.

Also tried it out (a bit sloppy I admit) but think the scenario is close to unplayable from the German side. What is missing for them is some LOS for spotting (Allies get it from the shack beside the Railroad and the buildings in the back) and some decent arty support. Without support the assault is just a gamble.

Playing the Allies the piecemeal attacks of the Germans are stupid but even so they took out some tanks. Conducting the counter attack was fun with timing all this arty. Couldnt play it to the end, a bit more resistance would have been ok. Did you try to drop the smoke shells in the center and get the whole tank company up the railroad on your left flank?

I had lots of fun playing it as the Allies with the Germans surrendering as soon as I started to cross the railway. Dont know if it works the other way round. Do NOT cross the railway unless in force. I guess this means waiting for your reinforcements. Remember he has the same problem like you. When you attack choose a flank, drop some shells right behind the railroad just to be sure and push your armor in hull down positions simultanously. Use as much smoke as possible in the center to fragment the battlefield and time your artillery to supress the enemy on the flank you are attacking when you are attacking. Perhaps you get some LOS from second story or roof windows. Push over infantry on the flank where you are attacking (there is some cover on both map edges and in the center) to cover your tanks and scout the enemy. Get HQs on the railway to shift arty fire. Destroy the flank you attacked, cross the railway, turn around and attack the other flank. ########Spoiler alert############ Do it as soon and as fast and as complete as possible.

Exactly that could happen with the old system. There was an incentive to push troops close to a victory flag with the single reason to be close to it. The new system gives you points when you are there and he is not. If you achieve that it usually means you have controll over an area beyond the VL. I agree that a large VL can be annoying but that is a design decision.

If he has a means to communicate Mr. 15cm and his friends might make a difference espacially if there is a battalion bunched in the VL. A single rifle opening up on your superior officer in an area declared secure by you might make a difference for your personal career. Historically a stupid horse sneaked into a VL bristling with enemy troops made a difference to turn a major defeat into a major victory. Trojans didnt get a chance to play gamey Greeks again. Seriously, a VL that takes a company or even a battalion to secure seems to be a design flaw or at least a scenario not very funny to play. You can cover a lot of ground with a single squad. Most scenarios use multiple VL spread around the map and even some touch objectives. If there is a big VL you should put some effort into securing it.

1. I think in RL a single scout can make a huge difference. 2. If he can sneak in a scout, he could sneak in a squad = area definetly not secure. 3. The scenario designer can define a small area as VL making our discussion obsolete. If he decides a large area is your objektive, secure it.

I recently have been blessed with a bundle and would give my soul (and the installer) for three more years with CM .

If I understand the new system and remember the old right I think it is easier now to wrestle a VL from your opponent and more difficult to claim it for yourself. In CM1 you would sometimes just bunch as many troops as close as you could and hope it would be yours. Didnt work for me every time. Right now you can only own it if you take the VL, clear it and make sure not a single scout sneaks back in. Works for me. I think in the end it is a matter of scenario design. Given the new system is more flexible i see it as an improvement.

I disembark/ embark my vehicles a lot. Mostly to use the drivers as gunners in other transport vehicles. I guess this may be considered gamey but for me it is a workaround to drivers refusing to man the MG since its not in their job descriiption. Parking disembarked ammo carriers in your fire base sure is an exploit against the AI given the reluctance of the TacAI to target them. I have no problem with sneeking a crew in a VL. If you can do it the oüüonent dont deserves the VL. I think the only working rule would be not to disembark your vehicles at all. Against the AI it evens things out. On the other hand a see no reason for such a restriction against a human opponent who can manually target abandoned vehicles.

Just reloaded the savegame and have to admit the team firing the bazooka was a dedicated AT team consisting of two men (bazooka and rifle grenade). I shuffled around a bit and gave a team of 4 (bazooka, 3 rifles without rifle grenade) a target light order and they heroically took down the Kübelwagen with rifle shots. Should have paid more attention the first time. But HE weapons might be used by infantry on target light after all.

I am playing "A strange awakening" aka "Shooting fish in a barrel" and had a team sitting right beside an abandonded Kübelwagen (not knocked out) for several turns. Annoyed me that much they got a "target light" order that promptet them to use their most heavy weapon, the bazooka. Was a nice explosion. The TacAI seems very reluctant to fire at abandoned vehicles making disembarking a kind of exploit at least against the AI.

Michael, Sgt. Earlys story pretty much confirms what you already posted above. I also think that if your opponent is able to sneak a crew into a VL with their vehicle close by you rightfully dont "own" that VL. A little OT: Is it possible to target disembarked vehicles and does the AI do it? Thinking about it i cant remeber loosing a disembarked ammo carrier to direct fire.

A story about a gamey tank commander: "A Tank Commander named Robert Early from E Company 32nd. Armored Regiment went on foot to investigate. I asked to go along and we went on the mezzanine of a building and saw the tank. He told me to stay there and he would come back in his tank and try to put the German tank out of commission and I could photograph it. He had one of the new M-26 Pershings with a ninety-mm gun. Sgt. Early said he would turn into the square under me, stop and fire at the German tank." The german tank crew didnt want to play him again. Interesting reading for german speakers: http://www.panzerduell.de/

I just left everything behind for a life of purity. Hope my credit card is still valid when the next module or whatever comes out.

Which one you think was first?

I didnt fully understand the results presented in the Wiki so I played around a little myself and have some issues. My results: To be able to get an indirect fire order the tube has to be equipped with a radio. As far as I have seen there are two ways to get access to a radio: 1. Any vehicle within 20m 2. A HQ with a radio from the same formation within at least close visual contact. (I would not trust an artilleryman getting his coordinates by signs) #2 does not work if the immediate superior HQ has distant visual contact (=not enough to provide radio network). Even the radio from battaillon HQ sitting right beside a mortar is politely denied. This effectively pins the own HQ to the mortars to not risk messing up your indirect fire ability. Anyone knows a way around this?

I have wasted my youth with CMBO etc and managed to get off when this real time thing came up. Now you come back (I realize you came back) with a game that is everything CMBB should have been. Dont you know I meanwhile got a wife, kids and a job?