chuckdyke
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Posts posted by chuckdyke
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On 6/29/2020 at 1:08 AM, General Jack Ripper said:
See title.
Anyone else got simple advice for new players?
Here's a short list of mine:
- Do not get shot at.
- Shooting makes you easier to see.
- Cover arcs are not magic.
- Maybe allow your troops to wait a minute before flogging them onto their objectives.
- Don't call in that airstrike. No seriously, don't. It'll hit your own guys.
- It doesn't matter how thick your armor is.
- You don't assault a position by running straight into it.
- Use more ammo, you don't get bonus points for frugality.
- Limit your leaders exposure.
- Split your squads. Three guys in one action spot are not as vulnerable as six.
Maybe we can make a community contributed list Murphy's Laws of Combat Mission.
At the very least, let's have a fun thread for once.
Good idea, my golden rule is if you can hit something, something could also hit you. 'High Ground' you see lots and a lot of people could see you. make your units Situational Aware. The fact that Hawkeyes got LOS doesn't mean his friends have it too. Combat Shock and Combat Stress learn the difference. You will be shocked if somebody loses a limb if you lose your limb you have Combat Stress from which you won't recover. Don't ignore buddy aid a number will bleed out.
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23 hours ago, Erwin said:
Agreed the German equipment seems better and if you are creating your own QB's that can be an advantage. In designed scenarios however, the Germans tend to be the underdogs since the Allies are generally given much more stuff.
Also, my understanding re MG42 effectiveness is that while ammo consumption is an issue, it is still superior to the Bren since the Bren has an even bigger ammo problem - the mags contain only 20(?) bullets. The MG42 can keep firing while the Bren has to reload. Easier to have a five hundred rounds on 5 belts than 25 mags to reload. The Bren is supposedly very accurate and the (Netflix) movie "Siege of Jadotville" has a significant plot point where it is used as a sniper weapon. (So, that is definitive!)
30 rounds minus 1. With 30 it was prone to jam and with 29 rounds it was more reliable. You guys compare apples and oranges the Bren was excellent on patrol and was very accurate. The MG 42 which role are you discussing here HMG or the squad weapon it was dual purpose. As an HMG the Vickers had its advantages as a squad weapon the Bren was at times a better choice. The strength of the MG 42 is the fact it was dual purpose but not ideal for either role. Omaha beach was taken because among other things they run out of spare barrels, water-cooled machineguns like the Vickers might have been better. Don't confuse the Bren with the BAR the BAR had 20 rounds in its magazine.
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3 minutes ago, Sulman said:
On a well designed scenario I really don't mind. There's also a good chance there's things I didn't try or get to see. In the case of that first mission there's a variety of AI plans and the defensive lines did differ quite a bit, to the extent that I could not assume I knew the disposition of the other side's forces.
Where I don't like it is on those maps where the criteria are so tight that you really have to 'learn the trick' as it were, as in you must take this route and the objectives in that order and so forth.
For me, the purpose of wargaming is to come up with a model which works in a scenario. I have two people I know who play HOT Seat with me which is a real challenge. Scenario in the Edge of Darkness. The standing or listening patrols of the enemy are in easily recognizable pillboxes. Up to you how to knock them out. The AI is an incompetent opponent therefore scenarios are a teaching tool. I don't knock the editors the AI has obvious limitations. I just set the parameters higher zero casualties. Dealing with dug-in T55's another spoiler it just makes a game a shooting gallery in British Mettle. The maps are beautiful to reveal the probable location of the ATGM's is the spoiler. I agree with you. Cheating is a word I am careful with. We buy the games to have fun.
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4 hours ago, Freyberg said:
One of the 'real world' tactics I like and often use is what I think of as WWI Stormtrooper tactics: infiltrating forward, sort of 'stealthy recon in force', taking out weaker targets but bypassing strong-points, which are then dealt with by the next wave, in true British fashion, slowly, carefully and with artillery support.
That way, by the time the assault on a particular strong-point is underway, I will often have good intelligence on the other strong-points supporting it.
It's especially satisfying if I can actually surround a strong-point before it is reduced. It doesn't make much difference in the game, but I feel like I've achieved something.
This would be true for a probe. An attack is for me terrain focused and an assault means the elimination of enemy forces. With an attack on company level, I dedicate a platoon to initiate a recon in force. The purpose is to identify enemy units and their location. It works as follows squad A moves to contact. Makes contact and withdraws after a quick firefight Squad B or Squad C assaults the identified enemy units which again triggers responses. After one-third of the period has passed the other two platoons are committed. They move only if they remain invisible to the enemy. Fill the Area of Operations with enemy Contact Icons and hope as little of your own forces remain invisible. It makes playing on Iron more fun. Happy 2021
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Thank you there is definitely a generation gap. Handicap at 70 is 50%. The time for a 25-year-old should be 15 minutes for 5 km. I am into computer wargaming too. For me I don't have a problem with the graphics it is actually utopian. My bitch with CM is balconies. If you're not careful your observer stands in full view of the enemy observing the landscape. A happy 2021 for everybody.
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12 hours ago, Wicky said:
Like this
Thank you very much indeed. Best for 2021.
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17 hours ago, Wicky said:
Try using this https://postimages.org
Thank you but how can people see it here? I have plenty of photo accounts but even trying to post a link doesn't work. All the best for 2021.
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59 minutes ago, Erwin said:
Very impressive. When I was 30 and very fit doing martial arts and kickboxing training, I still could not run that. (Hmmm.. Perhaps now in my motorized wheelchair...?)
Really? not fast at all it is 5 k's not 5 miles it would be a 4 hour Marathon if you could keep it up. Have a nice lake here 5k's around flat terrain.
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Just now, Bulletpoint said:
The MG42 is not all that good. The LMG can't really hit anything beyond 300m. It's only slightly better than the Bren.
My experience is the opposite. The MG guy usually gets hit very fast, and then the rest of the squad is useless, while the US squads keep most of their firepower.
The MG 42 is an area or suppressing weapon and the downside is it ammunition consumption and the spare barrels required. The American 60 mm mortar usually deals with this weapon very effectively. You're 100 % correct once it is dealt with the Germans end up with a WW 1 squad vs an American WW 2 squad. The Bren is more useful in the attack. Ammunition consumption is acceptable and for a machinegun too accurate if you want to find something wrong with it. Both the Bren and the MG 42 had their modern versions.
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19 minutes ago, Lethaface said:
Although you probably know, Meijel / Overloon are not in the north of our country but rather in the south ;-). I'd imagine more battles about this and (!) the Schelde battle will be featured more when the next module for CMFB arrives, including the commonwealth forces.
I know I was jumping subjects. I should have explained it. The town was Bolsward in Friesland and had nothing to do with Overloon. The Peel region near the border of Limburg and Braband. We migrated in the mid 60's, the allies ended up liberating the Netherlands from Germany of all places. There was also an engagement near a place called Delfzijl in the province of Groningen. Bolsward is a nice little place and the house of my uncle was in Harlingen Straat about 100 meters from the bridge. Dad was thrown down the stairs because of the explosion. Later everybody was in a good mood and my older brother tucked in a piece of Roast Beef from a Canadian field kitchen he was 10 months old. I wanted to visit this year but Covid threw a spanner in the works.
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55 minutes ago, Sulman said:
I do agree with @chuckdyke to the extend that the LOS tool has some shortcomings that can bite. Norman orchards and the the effect of a reverse slope are a good example. In some scenarios you can test LOS over a field and see it blocked by a reverse slope, even if this is not quite evident from the '1' pixeltruppen view. Often, as the scenario plays out vehicles can be spotted well beyond this apparent limitation. Likewise I"ve seen actual LOS through orchards and multiple tree lines be surprisingly good. Often I hear myself saying 'well ****, they got LOS through all that?"
That being said I still like it as a simple planning tool, but you learn its foibles through experience.
Thank you, I will use the game of cricket as an analogy. The grass is green and kept in optimal condition. I used to play the game socially. Batsman hits the red ball it flies through the air in full view of everybody and it lands 10 meters from John (not his real name). Does John see the ball? No, the other fielders do but not John, John didn't have a LOS when he should have. It is like hitting a target with your sidearm. Yours truly here could hit the UIT rapid fire target inside the 10 ring (playing card size) at 50 meters during a service pistol match. The important thing was perfect LOS, and the target didn't shoot back. Hypothetically speaking if I was the pixel trooper and you click me to shoot at the HQ at 50 mtr while they are surrounded by a company of highly motivated elite troops, I will tell you to jump in the lake by not having an LOS. It is the way the game is meant to be played; I think. Experiment in this game. Scouting games, I liked is 'Edge of Darkness' and 'Insertion and Interdiction'. In 'Edge of Darkness' the TAC Observer never get a direct visual in the game. Yes, the scout before him had a few snipers also but not the TAC Team. Why was that? My theory is the team is highly skilled but not get an LOS. In the game if you identify enemy troops according the game engine, they could identify you (I could be wrong). The game lets you plot an airstrike which get duly destroyed. Snipers are superbly equipped, and I use them as secondary spotters. They confirm the destruction of the target which is important and one of the roles of infantry. Always be conscious if you can hit something, something could hit you. My experiences were on Iron difficulty it may be different on Veteran for example. We bought the game to enjoy ourselves. Wish you happy gaming for 2021
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On 2/28/2015 at 8:03 PM, Hafer said:
Sirs,
we really need a easy-to use line of sight tool. This would make live much easier in CM. Terrain analysis ist key (we all now). But it's soooo complicated to use the waypoint and target function to do this.
So dear sirs from battlefront - what do you think about it?
Thanx
Daniel
I don't use the waypoint and target function system it is gamy, and it doesn't work. A strong 'sound contact' is the indication you may have a line of sight. Sound Contact is misleading just contact is enough. Eyeballing is enough from Camera position one, one notch up with the mouse wheel and you have what an AFV's sees. No LOS also means the unit is not looking. You may have a computer your troops don't. Make sure all your contacts icons are shared. Armor have often a different C3 structure to share the contacts of your security units their HQ's must be in proximity of each other, Arty Spotters too. Your snipers observe and the arty spotter remains blissfully unaware. I read plenty of comments that the game sucks! It doesn't. Your HQ's have their assistants use them and pair them with your spotters. Experiment put them if there is room in the FIST vehicle for example. Use DOPE the sniper's bible. Your computer is your weapon against your opponent. Data Of Personal Equipment get a notebook and pen down what works and what doesn't. I recently found out the Javelin is great in knocking out Kornet batteries, but you need to target it manually. At armor it will do so automatically. You need a Contact Icon first before there is a LOS very rarely, I get an identified icon. I play on Iron for that reason you get a clearer picture of how the game engine works. Kind regards.
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2 hours ago, MikeyD said:
I recall reading a WWII rule of thumb regarding transport (that I'll probably butcher). The troops are to disembark from trucks at 1600 yards (meters?) from forward line of contact, armored half-tracks were half that, disembarking at 800 yards. Or numbers like that. That leaves trucks entirely off a typical size CM map and half-tracks left 2/3rds the way back.
The large maps in CM are 2 km across, I am 70 now and most days I jog. 5 km in 30 minutes, I see tucks therefore as ammunition dumps. IFV's and APC's you disembark troops or using the British term debussing at the terrain feature between your infantry and the objective. You don't waste the firepower of a .50 cal mg or one of the modern rapid-fire cannons. So, it is worthwhile to secure a block of houses they are cover for your APC'S and get infantry to make contact. In MOUT operations get the grenadier to about 50 mtr and get him fire a rifle grenade inside the building. M79 were the tool to use 50 years ago nowadays you have modified assault rifles doing the same job. APC's can breach brick buildings but not in CM. You drive up a building once your infantry suppresses the enemy. An APC is less valuable than a human life but not in a game. You never go wrong if you adapt real tactics. The losses of taking a building can be unacceptable against a hidden determined enemy. The only way to get rid of them is with grenades. Look at a Commonwealth unit once you peel off an assault party. 3 men with 15 grenades and if you're lucky a gammon bomb. Their .303 is pretty useless inside houses.
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43 minutes ago, Erwin said:
One tactical challenge that has puzzled me since CM was published is the "realistic" use of Recon on the relatively small maps we have to play on. Vehicular recon is a complete waste of time unless the maps are several Km on each side where transport becomes valuable. On the majority of CM maps it's best and probably more realistic to dismount the crews and have them recon on foot - so why bother with recon vehicles at all?
The other issue is that the differences between unit types are so subtle (assuming there are any differences) that 2-man scouts split off from a squad seem just as effective as a dedicated recon team from a recon formation. One would think that the effect of extra specialized training should be seen more easily in the game as in RL. Same for other specialized troops such as snipers and engineers. But, it's hard to see any differences, and this leads most players to use all units interchangeably as if it doesn't matter what specialized formation they are from.
So, what does one do with a recon formation vs a bunch of two-man scouts? Does one send the dedicated recon teams ahead of what one initially considers to be the main attack? Or, is it better to send two-man scout teams ahead of the assault troops and reserve dedicated recon teams for wide flanking maneuvers to see what might be out there on the flanks of the main assault route, and also to get into the rear of the enemy (but do everything to avoid having them engage in combat)?
Vehicle Recon? I found a variation of 'Shoot and Scoot' works. Expose and immediately reverse. A few times ATGM's reveal themselves yes sometimes you lose but most of the time you win. You get valuable intel. Kind regards and best wishes.
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Recon the game I like is "Insertion and Interdiction" in SF2. You start with a Platoon Leader with a Squad of United States Marines supported by an Arty Observer and 2 teams of snipers (green) 2 AT teams also green. Your objective is a ridge with trenches in which are located batteries of Kornet ATGM's. Later your get LAV APC's and 2 Abrams and a Cobra attack helicopter. I play on Iron but you must patrol aggressively but not recklessly. Once your reinforcements arrive make sure you share the intel with them. I don't commit my Abrams if they have not received the intel, I use the C2 teams for that move him to the HQ Abrams and the intel will be shared. Patrol on overwatch and the reinforcements in the form of two sections of Marines come to the rescue. An old script but it is fun.
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1 hour ago, Warts 'n' all said:
So the Firefly from 1944 is a figment of BFC's imagination?
It was an AT gun in a tank not a dedicated tank-gun. 2 pounder, 6 pounder and 17 pounder good on the day for brewing up tanks, but not too good if they needed an HE round. 75 mm PAK and the 75 mm Kwk 75 mm were similar but not the same. I think the 77 mm was a good compromise between a tank-gun and a AT gun. A shame the Comet was not in production by the time of Normandy. Let me wish you a very happy New Year. Discussions would be boring if we all have the same opinion.
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The 13 kb is just more than weird. Why can't we post some decent graphics? My restriction is 1.72 kB today.
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To fight British Commonwealth, you must admire the guys. Lee Enfield .303 much the same as the weapon in WW 1 as is the Vickers. The Churchill very much a WW 1 Infantry tank. With their tanks it was 1945 before they adopted the German Idea a modified 17 pounder in the Comet now a called a 77 mm Tank Gun. The Germans had the PAK 75 mm and put it in the Panzer IV and called it 75mm KwK. They did it in 1941-1942. Their artillery was superb we need an article of the 25-pounder field gun. The RAF had the Spitfire the Army the 25 Pounder. In the Netherlands there was a battle on the scale of Arnhem called the battle for Overloon. The British came to the rescue of the Americans, in final Blitzkrieg you can play the beginning of that battle a pity there is not the 2nd phase when the British took over. Meijel Mayhem is the start of it in Final Blitzkrieg. A platoon of Canadian Engineers took the town in the north of the country where my parents were at the time. They were all in the cellar when the Germans blew up the bridge, but the Canadians had their Bailey Bridge up in a matter of hours. Would make an interesting small battle but the Germans had bought time to get away. 3 weeks later WW 2 ended.
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I come in late on this one. A fire team has 1 scout, A section or a squad has a fire team for scouting, A platoon has one squad assigned for scouting aka security. A company has a platoon dedicated for scouting or security. The trick is a unit makes contact so that the other units can engage, and the enemy won't know where they came from. In CM build up data of contacts and you see your spotting problems disappear as by magic. Attackers, attack objectives with sound contacts or icons they don't go in blindly. Closely followed by your Mortars and HMG's. Defending is the same your security is now called outposts. It is like shooting the theory is explained in 5 minutes to practice a lifetime.
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9 hours ago, Erwin said:
Ahhh.... Reminds one of a classic game from the 1990's. Well, CM2 is almost 18 years old so what do you expect?
It is just the resolution today, Iam permitted 1.72 kb! In other words, don't publish here. It was impressive on my computer screen. I think to blame CM is a little unfair. Fog of War camera settings of 5-9 could be a period map or a digital screen. I am 70 and retired and this game is therapeutic, the tactics I know actually work they don't work in any other game. Kind regards and happy New Year.
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2 hours ago, Freyberg said:
I like the British squad, but it is just one part of a larger integrated unit.
The Enfield is an accurate rifle, so it has a longer effective range - the Bren is a good LMG; but you also need your scouts, who are well-armed (3 Thomsons & 3 Brens per section), your mortars, your nimble little carriers, your Vickers MGs, which can keep up sustained fire as long as they have ammo and are excellent at longer ranges, point-for-point an easy match for the MG42 (at range), and of course your mortars.
Commonwealth infantry (especially Motorised Infantry) are a really fun force to play - I love trying to bring all the elements together, and together they can be very effective.
You forget their hand grenades (Mills Bombs.) The Gammon Bomb is wonderful you could manufacture your own at the front half a load to breach a door and a double load to attack a tank. Without them military operations urban terrain would be impossible.
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1 hour ago, Grey_Fox said:
When there's video footage of an unarmed civilian lying on his back being shot multiple times in cold blood, I have difficulty not calling that what it is.
When members of the unit give eyewitness accounts to the inquiry of prisoners being executed as part of initiation rituals, I have trouble not calling that what it is.
How do you know it was a civilian? There is objective thinking and subjective thinking. Like Word War two members of the resistance wore civilian clothing and their executions were not regarded as a warcrime in Nuremberg. It will be an interesting court case, till then they are presumed innocent till found guilty. In modern war a cell phone is what we call a mobile phone is a dangerous weapon indeed. They are triggers for IED's it was the weapon of the Arab spring. What did the videographer do? Just filming and not trying to stop it? Why are we still in Afghanistan? Is the question. I am puzzled the Taliban were allies of the US till they had to give shelter to Bin Laden. That's all it takes in that culture 'Peace be with you' and you are entitled to be a guest for 3 months. Not surprised he eventually made his way to Pakistan. Oh yes there are calls of all members to hand over their medals whether they were involved or not. It seems unfair to me but I could be wrong.
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9 minutes ago, Grey_Fox said:
Doesn't that make these incidents even worse in that case? People are not allowed to commit murder just because "oh, it's not a REAL war". Laws still apply.
And it looks like you are using any warped form of logic to excuse murders just because the people who committed them wear a uniform.
When were they found guilty of murder? I like to report you to the curators of this website. This is a website for hobbyist. We shoot pixels, is that also against the 19th century Geneva convention? The government never declared war in Afghanistan, the Australian army doesn't fight the Afghan army. There has been an enquiry and we just wait how it all works out. But you in your almighty wisdom found these guys guilty. Get of your high horse.
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I think, it has to do with situation awareness. Example scout spots an AFV and through the Communication Networks the info ends up at the Battalion HQ. Now our tanks and forward observes come on the scene. Click them and you see no Contact Icon, I recently teamed the company assistant with the Arty Spotter or Airforce Observer. The Headquarter units are also in proximity of each other. The contact icons become visible with the different branches. Recently in British Mettle the Challengers were more effective by just putting them in the same proximity as the Company HQ Warrior. I just opened them up and the Contact Icons were shared from the Company CO to the Challenger HQ tank.
Why I like playing the underdogs (Commonwealth, Free French, etc.)
in Combat Mission - General Discussion
Posted
Obsolete what an expression. Bolt action rifles ar not obsolete they still use them as sniper rifles. The Bren, Vickers, and MG 42 if you require a larger firing cone in the beaten zone the MG 42 is the better weapon. If you want a static defense nothing much wrong with the Vickers. CM doesn't allow you to use the water-cooled machine guns in the attack properly. You need to split up the team. The ammo bearers are not able to carry the tripod which needs to be put in position first. Followed by the team to carry the gun and the guys carrying the water jacket. On top of that in the game the Vickers can't fire indirectly for which it had a special sight. The Bren remained in service till at least the Falklands war. The Australian army often preferred it above the American M 60 in Vietnam. The Australian SLR couldn't fire officially in full auto mode the Bren complimented that weapon. CM also doesn't have claymores in the game, which makes ambush missions a non-event basically. Some weapons are just area denial weapons and the machine gun is one of them. If you use them to eliminate you just succeed to continue giving your position away.