HOFFNUNG CAMPAIGN feedback *SPOILERS*

[Erwin]

About 25 minutes into the 70 min final scenario #5.

This has been a fun campaign with some surprise scenario situations. However, as I am a very critical bastid, I wanted to point out a couple of issues that there were right at the start:

The map is a bit thin (altho' longish) and one has two companies plus support, vehicles, guns and armor. So, the set up area is a bit crowded. I left all units in their default positions at start except for the platoons I would be using for recon. I tested LOS from all the forward units and couldn't see anything over the rise in front. So, I felt nobody would be shooting at my set-up area.

However, after 3-6 minutes, US arty started to land amongst my densely-packed trucks etc causing heavy casualties. I HATE having set-up zones that are restrictive (for the quantity of units) and somehow in LOS of enemy spotters.

So, I felt this was legitimate reason to restart. This time I put all units back in a line at the friendly edge (just in front of the "optional" exit zone that stretches the entire width of the set-up area so one can get rid of "unwanted" units). No US arty strikes. But, when I came to disembark the trucks, of course everyone jumped out the back straight into the EXIT ZONE. And once in, they cannot get back to the map. They simply disappear! So, I lost a platoon.

Another legitiimate replay of that turn. Moving the trucks forwards 5 meters before disembarking solved that issue. But, both the above are irritations that designers should test for and try to avoid.

Since then, it's been a wonderful scenario. I am sending a recon platoons (defined as platoons that took the most casualties in prior scenarios) along the right and left flanks.

I was surprised that there were no enemy snipers etc in the first cluster of buildings and woods that one encounters on the way to the town objective. As a recon "fanatic" I always send in recon teams carefully, always expecting an ambush. And in general, I do not recall anything in the way of early ambushes or delaying units like snipers in any of this campaign's scenarios. A shame, as it would give just that bit of extra fun.

So, far my recon inf spotted a Sherman in town and I was able to successfully send a Panther to surgically take it out. (And despite my armor's past miserable performance it didn't bog/immobilize on its way!!)

It's also fun to have "Werfers" and 150mm arty to play with in this final scenario. Am using the "tactical trick" of ordering preplanned strikes starting in 15 minutes from set-up using LIGHT intensity, so the strikes last quite a large number of turns. Doing this allows my recon units to (hopefully) get close enuff to the target zones to find out if indeed there are any enemy units there. If not, I can cancel or reposition the mission and save arty ammo.

Repositioning a strike is good as it only takes a couple of minutes - not too many shells wasted on LIGHT, and wham, you have that heavy arty landing on someplace else that actually does have enemy units without waiting for 5-7 minutes for a new order. Of course the spotter will have to have LOS to the new position, but one can usually reposition FO's pretty quickly in CMBN.

So far, with about 45 minutes to go, I feel I have too many units/too much power/arty to deal with the mission. I have gotten into the habit in this campaign when I have two companies of attempting to do the job with one, using the 2nd as support only when needed. But, frankly it's nice to do a campaign with missions in which one is armed adequately for the job, and it's not a desperate 1:1 assault with barely enuff units. (Esp after the infamous "Courage and Fortitude" campaign.)

And you never know, resistance may get much tougher as I get into the objective town.

[JyriErik]

From your description of the scenaro I'm guessing you're talking about "Out of the hills", which is the next to last battle. Look over the map VERY carefully. There's a spot from which an FO can see almost the entire map. Once I realized what it was the US artillery became much easier to deal with.

(The good news is that in the last battle the Germans get to use that same location)

Jyri

[Erwin]

I thought the German assault on Chérencé-le-Roussel was the final battle. You are sayong there are 6 battles PLUS the woods scenario which is an optional 7th when you choose it?

[JyriErik]

Yup, one more battle after this one, which is the Allied counter-attack once you take the town.

If you have enough armour left, then it's probably the easiest battle of all due to the terrain, although if your armour was mauled then it can be tough (albeit do-able).

Jyri

[Field Marshal Blücher]

Hi Erwin,

Very useful feedback. Seems that if I use the "exit unwanted units" idea in the future, I need to make them way smaller and in places that you'd need to deliberately move them to. Sorry about that. I thought the setup zone was invisible to the arty spotter, but I guess there were a few spots he can see.

[Erwin]

Glad to be helpful FMB. And thanks for the heads-up, JyriEric.

[ss11955]

My HQ unit for Inf.Gun unit (only one that controls Nebel---) lost radio therefore can no longer access the Arty ??????? (DENIED, etc.) ANY OTHER WAY TO USE NEBEL FROM THIS POINT ON ? Other HQs CANNOT access NEBEL--- ?! Thanks.

[Field Marshal Blücher]

My HQ unit for Inf.Gun unit (only one that controls Nebel---) lost radio therefore can no longer access the Arty ??????? (DENIED, etc.) ANY OTHER WAY TO USE NEBEL FROM THIS POINT ON ? Other HQs CANNOT access NEBEL--- ?! Thanks.

You should have an FO--unless you lost him?

[Erwin]

That's another good point.

Altho' one should protect FO's, on the occasions that one loses a critical unit like that, the entire campaign can be in jeopardy... Sometime a battle or two later. And who wants to replay battles just to get one's FO back.

Suggest either 2, or a FO reinforcement, or different battles use different segments of the same formation each with their own FO.

[Field Marshal Blücher]

That's another good point.

Altho' one should protect FO's, on the occasions that one loses a critical unit like that, the entire campaign can be in jeopardy... Sometime a battle or two later. And who wants to replay battles just to get one's FO back.

Suggest either 2, or a FO reinforcement, or different battles use different segments of the same formation each with their own FO.

What would be a HUGE improvement to this campaign (which AFAIK is not currently allowed by the campaign editor) would be to designate the chances of one particular unit's being repaired or replaced. This would ease the current bogging issues as well as keep important units like FOs alive. Unfortunately, this isn't possible in the current campaign editor.

I can either assume that people will lose FOs and give them more throughout the campaign (which could be unbalancing if people don't lose FOs), or assume that they won't lose FOs (which can screw people if they DO lose them).

[Erwin]

Agreed.....

So, there isn't a setting like we had in CM1 where one could set a repair/recovery % for units KO'd in missions of a campaign? I recall it even depended on whether you had won or lost the previous battle, since if you lost, you presumably lost the terriai that the damaged equipment was sitting on. Ah nostalgia...

[akd]

There is, but you cannot set it for a specific unit while excluding others.

[tdogg]

How about go with the more FOs and increase repair % option. It might seem unbalanced, but will increase the enjoyment of playing the campaign for the majority of players.

[Field Marshal Blücher]

There is, but you cannot set it for a specific unit while excluding others.

Exactly. What I'd LIKE is the ability to say, "repair the Panthers and replenish the FOs, but don't do anything to the infantry."

[ss11955]

Re last battle -- ("not so fast Fritz" )--US counter-attack -----------a lot of good my "steeple " positioning of FO does--------have no mortar or off map- Arty left. Meanwhile my two remaining Panzers are chewing enemy up !