ctcharger

I may get around to play this at some point, but I started it and looked the the narrow strip of land the enemy has and thought - Oh no, another one of the scenarios where the world end a few hundred beyond my deployment area.
 
Then I looked that the forces I had to defend this large piece of real estate and deemed them inadequate.
 
I looked at the ammo level and thought - Oh my god, I have to resupply in the middle of a battle.
 
So I complained to my higher headquarters.  I requested to defend forward of the bridges.  Denied.
 
I requested an immediate resupply prior to the enemy's arrival.  Denied.
 
I requested more troops to defend this area.  Even a single M1.  Denied
 
I requested another FAC.  Denied
 
Then I sat for moment and considered if this would be even fun to play.  Given my whimsy at the moment, my brain said 'No'.  
 
The I did what I considered the only winning move.  I hit 'Exit' and then put Pink Floyd's 'When the Tigers Broke Free' on the stereo.
 
Seriously, I might give this one a go at some point but when I looked at the map and rechecked the briefing, I thought this is one scenario I am not in the mood to play today.

Interesting headrest you've got there. Must be especially appreciated on cold nights. I used to have a rat terrier that did that.
Michael

Term has existed since at least the original Rogue in 1980

It's a useful tool to learn what you're doing, but it's also a crutch. Use it, then try to ween yourself off it. Discipline, grasshopper.

I think you are on to something.  I am always zoomed out and never really get into the weeds.  When I have, it works out so I need to do that more.  I love the models, the BTR for whatever reason just strikes me as cool and looks great in the game.  
Save-Scumming... yikes, now there is a word for it?   😑  I know it's cheating... I wonder if I should do the quick battle thing instead while I am learning.
I am kinda bummed that it doesn't do contours yet, after downloading a bunch of Vietnam maps I taught myself how to read military maps and got pretty good at it.  A grid would help with my spacing I think.  I keep forgetting that this game has tough love realism and so keeping guys under cover or out of sight, spread-out, but close makes a real difference.  
I also need to learn more about artillery and air support too, when to go heavy vs light etc.  
This is me playing "Ambush" and getting beat bad....that it would be good for a laugh...
 
 
 

I usually watch a full minute zoomed out to get the overall picture. Then I zoom in close and watch the action in the handful of places where stuff is happening or my plan is unfolding (OK unravelling). I used to watch close in in one place and then switch places but I could not stand watching something happening in one part of the map and hear the huge explosion happen 800m away and wonder what that a good huge explosion or a really bad huge explosion.
Your dog looks like they think the are a cat.

I think immobilized also is an abstract for other mechanical problems, thrown tracks, broken suspension etc.  but yes, frustrating. 
When a vehicle is bogged it will transition to un-bogged or to immobilized.  Once immobilized it will remain so for the remainder of the mission.  

They are trucks, nothing more.  Don't let the A fool ya.

I stress this a lot when talking about CM games but WEGO is the way to go (for me, anyway) not because of any realism pros or cons or gaming advantages but for the cinematics. The incredible scenes that play out in any given battle that may be missed because you are too busy in RT trying to manage the ebb and flow of the situation. We all have experienced moments that were so cool and jaw dropping we still remember them to this day. These tiny stories within the bigger battle are what makes this game so awesome. As you play (if you play in WEGO) you will eventually come across your own classic moments and you'll replay them over and over, blown away by the coolness before you. They can end up like a favorite action scene in a movie or description in a first person military book. Of all the bells and whistles in wargaming (or most gaming for that matter) it's the ability to tell a story that truly captures my imagination and CM allows that in spades. And WEGO is what allows you to experience it, more than once, from any angle you choose, as many times as you choose. It's one of the very best features this series offers.
You are like me, I am interested in all kinds of military time periods. So, once you have gotten the hang of Black Sea, you'll have a plethora of WWII action just waiting. You'll find the pace almost relaxing compared to modern (even SF2 feels slower than BS)! And it must be mentioned Red Thunder is different than Fortress Italy which is different than Battle For Normandy and Final Blitzkrieg, so there are plenty of experiences to immerse yourself in. You found a really good series with a lot of depth that will give you more bang for your buck than a belt fed Mg42 on full auto.
I've been here 18 years so that's got to say something!
 
Mord.

Yup, replays are king.....I used to play real-time for small scenarios, but now its WeGo all the way, you learn so much more, even if you can't always react to it quite as immediately.

I am really enjoying the game and I do want to try a PBEM at some point.  Skill wise I need some work as I continually get shot up and ambushed in the few scenarios I have played.  I am learning to love the realism but it has been some serious tough love.  I won't tell you how many times I played the "Ambush" scenario, on the plus side, I know the back of a BTR like the back of my hand now.
I have been playing the smaller scenarios to start.  Is that wise?  I have had a lot of frustration as any single mistake in any part of the scenario can wipe out your force or at least a good portion of it.
Should I try the campaign instead?  
Is there a good hull down video I can review?  I can do pretty much everything else but when I try hull down, they move in ways I do not expect.
If I have 3 APCs in sight, can I call down a precision strike on all 3 at once or do I have to go one at a time?  So far, I can only figure out how to do one at a time and then wait another ten minutes.
Helicopters, any way to watch their view of the battlefield?
Is there a standard difficulty setting people use for PBEM? 
Is there a map mod that has contour lines?  I really struggle with elevation while playing.

That makes sense, I have seen my guys blow up and have no clue where it came from.  In WEGO I at least have a chance to figure it out.  Fulda Gap?  Need to look at that !

They both have advantages and disadvantages.  However a big advantage turn based (WEGO) has is the replay.  IMO when you are first starting out the ability to replay the turn from any angle and from any location on the map greatly helps to figure out what, why and how something happened.  In real time the bigger the battle the more stuff you completely miss because you can't be everywhere at the same time.  I definitely vote for turn based.  You'll learn more, faster.  

Another thing I would suggest if you aren't already doing it is to place the camera down on the 1 level and see how things look from there. A lot of small irregularities suddenly start showing up when you get down that low. Doing a real survey of the battlefield that way would take a lot of time, but just looking at particularly critical ground is not too bad and can really effect your tactics.
Michael

Yep. Cut your teeth on those and work your way up. If anything it'll keep you from being overwhelmed with too many assets. I'd even suggest once you feel comfortable and are dominating in one of these smaller scenarios, try going into the editor and switching out some vehicles. Example: if the scenario is using Strykers go in the editor and replace them with Bradleys etc. That can help get you comfortable with new equipment in a familiar setting, giving you an idea how different vehicles/weapons systems handle. Just make sure you save the game under a different name!
Nope. You'll really get frustrated if you haven't gotten control of the smaller stuff yet. Force preservation can be a huge part of campaigns and losing a bunch of stuff in the first scenario could really demoralize and hamstring you in later battles.
Try searching Youtube. I have never bothered looking for a hull down vid myself.
 
Nope. All you get with air support are communications, fly over and weapons sounds, along with the munitions visuals as they attack.
 
Most probably use Elite or Iron. I prefer Iron.
 
There are grid mods over at CMMODS. Whether or not there is one specifically for BS, I am not sure. You might have to search better than I did.
http://cmmodsiii.greenasjade.net/?page_id=5#search/text=gridded+terrain
 
Welcome to the end of life as you know it. CM is a helluva a game.
 
Mord.
 

Below is the SOP I use for Hull Down:
1. Give vehicle Open Up order.     
2. Give vehicle Armor Target Arc1 entire map 3600.
3. Place Hull Down waypoints on every action spot in direction of OpFor unit.
4. Select first waypoint that allows an Area Target on the desired A/S.2
5. Place a Target Briefly3 order from this waypoint to the desired A/S.
6. Delete all the subsequent Hull Down waypoints.
7. If appropriate give vehicle Hide at final Hull Down waypoint.
Notes: 1)Armor Target Arc will not fire on AT guns. 2)LOS can be blocked between hull down position and desired A/S. 3)This will not cause the tank to fire.
 
Nope. 
 
There is no standard skill level for a PBEM.  You just agree to it before you start.  Also it's not a skill level as in most other games.  It is more like a realism level.  More realistic call times for artillery etc.  There is no giving the AI more hit points or health bars etc.... 
No contour lines.  I had contour lines as a wish in my signature line until just a few months ago.  @Bil Hardenberger does have a mod that shows grid lines on the map which helps a player see elevations better.  I'm not sure if it works with CMBS or not.  I just tagged him so maybe he will stop by and let us know.  Bil also has a Combat Mission Blog you should visit.  I'll let him tell you about it.
Welcome to the forum!!!    

My, my, my, you do have a lot of questions—good ones too. I thought I'd pick this one to try to answer. If you have multiple targets that you want to hit, how many you can hit depends on how many spotters with legal LOS they have to the targets you have and how many artillery units they can call on. In other words, one spotter can call on one arty unit to strike one target at a time.
Michael