SDG

I just wanted to say that I am absolutely loving the new German campaign of the DLC (playing on hard). I think it is one of the most difficult campaigns I have ever played.
I had to replay nearly each and every mission several times once I managed to beat them. The Americans are just so much better equipped, trained than the Germans. Not to mention the fact of their sheer numerical superiority. The Germans are inferior to the Americans in every aspect at this stage of the war.
During my CM carreer I always wanted to avoid save scumming and just roll with the punches but this campaign forced me to relad time after time. Losing a critical asset due to the inexperienced crew failing at the spotting lottery or getting an entire squad obliterated by heavy artillery would have meant that I either restart the whole map or reload a previous save. I chose the latter.
All in all, great scnenarios, my only gripe is that they are a biz puzzle-like and you cannot really complete them "blind", as there is just no way that you can afford the luxury of a Pershing popping out from nowhere and decimating your whole force.
Another thing that I have learned was that TDs are practically useless. The Jagdpanther should be a formidable opponent when on the defensive. Not in this game though. On the one hand TDs have spotting issues (see my other topic) and the due to the fact that tanks always shoot at the enemy's center mass, which happens to be gun mantlet/barrel of a TD. This meant that although the JP was able to withstand 1 or 2 rounds from the shermans but I ALWAYS ended up with a broken gun.
I would have much preferred to have simple PZ IVs with veteran crews at my disposal instead of these semi-useless TDs (rotatable turrets and ample MG ammo are a blessing that I have so far failed to recognize) .
But oh well.

I just wanted to say that I am absolutely loving the new German campaign of the DLC (playing on hard). I think it is one of the most difficult campaigns I have ever played.
I had to replay nearly each and every mission several times once I managed to beat them. The Americans are just so much better equipped, trained than the Germans. Not to mention the fact of their sheer numerical superiority. The Germans are inferior to the Americans in every aspect at this stage of the war.
During my CM carreer I always wanted to avoid save scumming and just roll with the punches but this campaign forced me to relad time after time. Losing a critical asset due to the inexperienced crew failing at the spotting lottery or getting an entire squad obliterated by heavy artillery would have meant that I either restart the whole map or reload a previous save. I chose the latter.
All in all, great scnenarios, my only gripe is that they are a biz puzzle-like and you cannot really complete them "blind", as there is just no way that you can afford the luxury of a Pershing popping out from nowhere and decimating your whole force.
Another thing that I have learned was that TDs are practically useless. The Jagdpanther should be a formidable opponent when on the defensive. Not in this game though. On the one hand TDs have spotting issues (see my other topic) and the due to the fact that tanks always shoot at the enemy's center mass, which happens to be gun mantlet/barrel of a TD. This meant that although the JP was able to withstand 1 or 2 rounds from the shermans but I ALWAYS ended up with a broken gun.
I would have much preferred to have simple PZ IVs with veteran crews at my disposal instead of these semi-useless TDs (rotatable turrets and ample MG ammo are a blessing that I have so far failed to recognize) .
But oh well.

I just wanted to say that I am absolutely loving the new German campaign of the DLC (playing on hard). I think it is one of the most difficult campaigns I have ever played.
I had to replay nearly each and every mission several times once I managed to beat them. The Americans are just so much better equipped, trained than the Germans. Not to mention the fact of their sheer numerical superiority. The Germans are inferior to the Americans in every aspect at this stage of the war.
During my CM carreer I always wanted to avoid save scumming and just roll with the punches but this campaign forced me to relad time after time. Losing a critical asset due to the inexperienced crew failing at the spotting lottery or getting an entire squad obliterated by heavy artillery would have meant that I either restart the whole map or reload a previous save. I chose the latter.
All in all, great scnenarios, my only gripe is that they are a biz puzzle-like and you cannot really complete them "blind", as there is just no way that you can afford the luxury of a Pershing popping out from nowhere and decimating your whole force.
Another thing that I have learned was that TDs are practically useless. The Jagdpanther should be a formidable opponent when on the defensive. Not in this game though. On the one hand TDs have spotting issues (see my other topic) and the due to the fact that tanks always shoot at the enemy's center mass, which happens to be gun mantlet/barrel of a TD. This meant that although the JP was able to withstand 1 or 2 rounds from the shermans but I ALWAYS ended up with a broken gun.
I would have much preferred to have simple PZ IVs with veteran crews at my disposal instead of these semi-useless TDs (rotatable turrets and ample MG ammo are a blessing that I have so far failed to recognize) .
But oh well.

A lot has been said in this topic.
My issue and the bottom line of my argument is:
I know its a game, therefore there is uncertainty involved which is represented in the form of dice rolls BUT under certain conditions a unit should become spotted regardless of chance. It is completely unrealistic that:
- in broad daylight;
- within reasoable distance (900 m is nothing if the crew is using sights with magnification or the TC is using his bino)
- a not very well hidden/camouflaged tank
- that is shooting its main gun for several turns
- while also letting it rip with its 50 cal mg using TRACER (!!) rounds
 
can remain unspotted while 3 enemy TDs are closely monitoring the battlefield. And no I dont care if there are certain objects that partially obstruct my TDs view and they dont have a perfectly clear line of sight to the target. That tank should at least become detected to that extent that my tds at least have a rough idea as to where to put their AP rounds regardless of not gettin a full view of the enemy. 
 

A lot has been said in this topic.
My issue and the bottom line of my argument is:
I know its a game, therefore there is uncertainty involved which is represented in the form of dice rolls BUT under certain conditions a unit should become spotted regardless of chance. It is completely unrealistic that:
- in broad daylight;
- within reasoable distance (900 m is nothing if the crew is using sights with magnification or the TC is using his bino)
- a not very well hidden/camouflaged tank
- that is shooting its main gun for several turns
- while also letting it rip with its 50 cal mg using TRACER (!!) rounds
 
can remain unspotted while 3 enemy TDs are closely monitoring the battlefield. And no I dont care if there are certain objects that partially obstruct my TDs view and they dont have a perfectly clear line of sight to the target. That tank should at least become detected to that extent that my tds at least have a rough idea as to where to put their AP rounds regardless of not gettin a full view of the enemy. 
 

A lot has been said in this topic.
My issue and the bottom line of my argument is:
I know its a game, therefore there is uncertainty involved which is represented in the form of dice rolls BUT under certain conditions a unit should become spotted regardless of chance. It is completely unrealistic that:
- in broad daylight;
- within reasoable distance (900 m is nothing if the crew is using sights with magnification or the TC is using his bino)
- a not very well hidden/camouflaged tank
- that is shooting its main gun for several turns
- while also letting it rip with its 50 cal mg using TRACER (!!) rounds
 
can remain unspotted while 3 enemy TDs are closely monitoring the battlefield. And no I dont care if there are certain objects that partially obstruct my TDs view and they dont have a perfectly clear line of sight to the target. That tank should at least become detected to that extent that my tds at least have a rough idea as to where to put their AP rounds regardless of not gettin a full view of the enemy. 
 

Thank you again for your detailed answer!

I have been using your site for many years (with a great degree of statisfaction) but didnt know that you have already updated it to contain the latest DLC!

You can see a break down of each campaign on my site here: https://www.combatmission.lesliesoftware.com/FinalBlitzkrieg/Campaigns/index.html
In the list you can search for campaigns that require the Downfall module and the see the individual scenarios and the various pathways through the campaign.
I am in the process of updating the listing. Final blitzkrieg is up to date now but not everything is.

I am currently replaying the "Broken Shield" campaign of CMRT but noticed this phenomenon in other titles as well.
Tank v. tank spotting is extremely random and borderline infuriating.
There is of course the who gets the first spot thing, which is of obviously very important. I however would like to focus on the aspect of (not) getting spots when a tank duel is already underway.
I know that spotting is a % chance thing and dependent on many factors, e.g. visibility, experience level, is the target moving etc., but I think there should be certain conditions where a vehicle is guaranteed (or extremely likely) to spot the enemy regardless of the above factors.
I have run into the scenario on multiple ocasions when I lose "who gets the first spot contest" and my panthers get fired upon by enemy tanks. OK fair enough. What needs to be changed however is what happens after this, i.e. my tanks (with a veteran or higher experience level and commanders out in the open) being unable to identify the shooter for many turns regardless of getting hit half a dozen times.
Its even worse for King Tigers who should be classified as being "legally blind" and thus recieve the corresponding monthly benefits from the state. Again, not once did it happen to me that a T34 spots my KT, starts firing at it from below 1000 m ranges, and my tank is just sitting there taking it like a champ and not being able to find the perpetrator. 
Funny thing is that in many ocassions, the infantry riding the tank can see the enemy but unable to relay said information to the tank or the tank commander they are sitting next to.
As a summation, my observation is that tank on tank spotting in ridiculously random and in some instances flat out broken.
I do try to scout ahead with infantry, get spots, and share the information but sometimes this is also in vain.
And we are not talking about rookie crews. The tanks are commanded by veteran or crack crew members and German tanks supposedly should have superior optics.
Dont know if the above is a bug or WAD, and also would love to hear some tips and tricks to maximize my chances to succesfully spot tanks in tank duels.
I would also gladly take advice on whether hiding tanks in bushes or trees is a thing or not, and for example does the crown of the tree blocking line of sight of the TC if its literary in his face when I park my tank next to a tree.
Thanks for your insight in advance,

My personal experience is that SMGs greatly outperform rifles in almost any concievable scenario. 
If you take a German squad, the main "damage dealers" are the two machine guns and the squad leader's MP40. The dudes with the bolt action rifles are just glorified ammo bearers and meat shields for the rest of the squad. 
Funny thing is, that one would think that medium to long ranges, rifles outperform SMGs, while in close ranges (<50m) SMGs should dominate. In reality however (at least according to CM's reality) SMG squads are still extremely deadly within 200 meters (pixeltruppen are happily firing deadly burst), and a full smg squad can wipe the floor with dudes carrying only rifles.
As I have said, this is my subjective take on the inner workings of the game after hundreds and hundreds of hours of gameplay. Rifles just dont cut it. They are (obviously) outmatched at close range, but they also suck at long range cause the shooter cant a hit damn thing. 500 meter effective range my ***..
Btw, this is why I dont like the Brits. A single anemic machine gun, one sten gun and loads of useless dudes with Mk. IV rifles. 
 

I consider myself a combat mission veteran, played hundreds and hundreds of ours, own all of the titles and completed most of the campaigns.
I thought I give a try to the battle pack (x days of of summer or something) and jeez am i getting my teeth kicked in.
My biggest problem is that AT guns in huge open maps cannot be scouted (even if i have an infantry screen, they remain hidden until my vehicles show up). The only way to locate them is to actually get shot by them.
I am in the first mission and an AT gun just decimated tons of my vehicles from 1,5 kms away because it was shooting from a direction I was not expecting and caught my force from the sides.
I absolutely hate savescumming, and my favourite part of the game is when I can go in blind. I usually just roll with the punches, but this time I had to restart because i lost 2 tanks and 2 apcs (full of with infantry) and an spg on the very first mission of the campaign.
So, any tips on how do you proceed in such an environment (not enough force to form a continous front line and you can be ambushed by a plethora of AT guns from practically anywhere becuse the map is large and flat)?
Thanks a lot in advance!
 

As the title says.
SMGs are an extremely important part of a squad's firepower (even for non-SMG centric squads), therefore if the person with the weapon gets nailed, I would very much prefer if his comrades would trade their crappy bolt action rifles for the SMG that was dropped.
But they seem to be ignoring it.
The only thing the AI is willing to pick up is machine guns.

As the title says.
SMGs are an extremely important part of a squad's firepower (even for non-SMG centric squads), therefore if the person with the weapon gets nailed, I would very much prefer if his comrades would trade their crappy bolt action rifles for the SMG that was dropped.
But they seem to be ignoring it.
The only thing the AI is willing to pick up is machine guns.

Combat Mission Final Blitzkrieg was the first CM2 game that I have purchased. I remember playing the KG Peiper campaign and giving up halfway through cause i was a CM noob and the AI kept kicking my ass.
Couple years forward, I am now a semi-competent at the game, own all of the CM2 titles and finished most of the campaigns. 
I thought to myself, hey, you never got around completing the Peiper one, so lets do it!
The first 4mission went well, I could keep my losses to a minimum. Then comes mission 5, Stoumount..
OH MY GOD.
Contrary to what the briefing states ("you can approach the city unnoticed"), the 0 visibility is a real hinderance and and an incredibly deadly phenomenon (you practically have to bump into a tank to spot it). This, combined with the uneven terrain (the enemy is in oftentimes in defilades, and once in the city you cant really cover your inf when entering buildings), makes this map into a bloodbath. Oh and lets not forget that the force ratio is almost 1:1.
I was so frustrated that I started savescumming, sg. that I never do in CM. (I have just finished CMRT Broken Shield and the "long" Soviet campaign and had no issue achieving total victory without reloading once).
All in all, how do you tackle this scenario?? I took the southern approach, did some artillery preparation, entered the city, used suppressing fire, then killed anything that popped up with the panthers/whirebelwind/20mm. This approach ceased to be effective when you reach the "cathedral" and start meeting the enemy armor tucked away in the nooks and crannies of the city proper.
 

Combat Mission Final Blitzkrieg was the first CM2 game that I have purchased. I remember playing the KG Peiper campaign and giving up halfway through cause i was a CM noob and the AI kept kicking my ass.
Couple years forward, I am now a semi-competent at the game, own all of the CM2 titles and finished most of the campaigns. 
I thought to myself, hey, you never got around completing the Peiper one, so lets do it!
The first 4mission went well, I could keep my losses to a minimum. Then comes mission 5, Stoumount..
OH MY GOD.
Contrary to what the briefing states ("you can approach the city unnoticed"), the 0 visibility is a real hinderance and and an incredibly deadly phenomenon (you practically have to bump into a tank to spot it). This, combined with the uneven terrain (the enemy is in oftentimes in defilades, and once in the city you cant really cover your inf when entering buildings), makes this map into a bloodbath. Oh and lets not forget that the force ratio is almost 1:1.
I was so frustrated that I started savescumming, sg. that I never do in CM. (I have just finished CMRT Broken Shield and the "long" Soviet campaign and had no issue achieving total victory without reloading once).
All in all, how do you tackle this scenario?? I took the southern approach, did some artillery preparation, entered the city, used suppressing fire, then killed anything that popped up with the panthers/whirebelwind/20mm. This approach ceased to be effective when you reach the "cathedral" and start meeting the enemy armor tucked away in the nooks and crannies of the city proper.
 

Must have been bad luck then.
The IS-2s decimated my Panthers in an open engagement, with the Panthers pinging off left and right from these beasts. I hate restarting missions but my tanks being  useless in frontal engagements caught me completely off guard, as I was somewhat accustomed to the fact that as the Germans, if I win the spotting lottery, the enemy armor is good as dead.
Not this time though. Learned my lesson.
(Btw. the Broken Shield campaign is amazing! I highly recommend it to everyone.)

The repair crew should be right where the camera stats when the scenario loads, by the Tiger. The other group is in the small farm objective near the Hegikastely to your left-center flank. They are also notated in the Unit name.