Allied AAR: Clearing the Niscemi Highway

[ChrisND]

TURN 4

The noose is slowly tightening over my outer line, as two demolition men fall to enemy fire: one from a Renault, and another from Italian infantry. The Renaults are now confidently moving southeast towards the objectives, and a new group of Italian infantry are accompanying them. Meanwhile, the Bersaglieri set up in the woodline by the highway are trading some scattered shots as well. The bazooka gets a shot off at a Renault, but misjudges the distance, the rocket arcing far past and almost off the map.

I'm pulling my demolition men back to the next set of walls. The Renaults now have their locations dialed in, and if Bil pushes hard he could trap half the outer line between two platoons of Bersaglieri. If he continues to pursue me down the hill to the southwest, his force will come into the view of my larger support weapons.

[Canada Guy]

I like the question marks over the vehicles. It is nice to not know what I am facing automatically or perhaps guess I am facing some type of vehicle from the sound.

I also like that if I have seen it just seconds before and cannot now, I should still know it's a tank even though it is no longer in my direct LOS.

[Childress]

I like the question marks over the vehicles. It is nice to not know what I am facing automatically or perhaps guess I am facing some type of vehicle from the sound..

Yes, but. If I understand the new enhanced spotting system correctly we should be seeing three levels of identification: the actual unit, a grayed out symbol (as in CMBN 1.1), and a symbol + question mark. No? I see two levels in the screenshot.

[Destraex1]

It's a Combat Mission CMx2 game so I should expect some similarity. Although this particular map is more foliage-heavy than most. Although even this map as we'll see is still really open. For comparison, here's a map (in progress) from the American Troina campaign:

This shouldn't summon up any memories of CMBN maps hopefully.

I use a GTX 560 Ti and it runs this game (and all others) very well. For what it's worth. Although it's by no means the minimum required, which I actually don't know what that would be.

I have a 460.

That level does look good though. I love the terrain undulation

[tankmajor]

nice map reminds me of monte cassino

[Steiner14]

...and how Otto Skorzeny and his men liberated the Duce! :cool:

[ChrisND]

TURNS 5 - 6

This is as far I'm going for now. I'm going to let Bil catch up with his posts when he gets back.

TURN 5

Looks like I pulled my demolition section out just in the nick of time. As they exit to the next wall at a sprint, brisk Italian rifle and tank fire chases them. A canister shot is fired, hitting the dirt in front of them. Luckily they don't lose anyone, and turn around at the next wall to fight again.

TURN 6

Although the Italian flank and frontal attack hits thin air where my first line had been, they are really putting the pressure on my demolition section now. What I believe are Brixia 45mm mortar shells are raining down from above, although their warhead is very small and requires almost a direct hit to cause casualties. The air is filled with Carcano rounds and tank shells, and I have another close call when a canister shot is fired dead on target, but at a far enough range that the shot scatters and doesn't hit anything. The wall probably saved a couple of lives right there.

Although the demo section is giving as good as they are getting, the Bersaglieri advance is determined and their return fire is accurate. They take three more casualties this turn. They can't just hide behind the wall this time, because the Brixia has their position dialed in and is sending accurate rounds to hit on their side of the wall. It's time to pull them all the way back to the orchard before they are wiped out - and I'll be lucky to prevent even that. I order them to throw some smoke grenades behind them and run like hell to the orchard objective. Meanwhile, one of my pack howitzers has sighted a Renault, and as the turn ends they load a HEAT round and start aiming.

Things are still quiet over in the patch of woods where I left one fire team to watch for flanking movements. This means that so far Bil is sending his forces relatively straight down the hill for the Orchards. There has been no activity along the highway since the first truck was raked by an MG.

[Vinnart]

I really like the improved FoW “?” icons! I was wondering how they would do it. I know this will make a big difference for the real time players who often may miss spotting what the WEGO player can rewind and see.

[Baneman]

Can I ask if, along with the new FoW icons, you also are not told what the unit is ?

[Steiner14]

Good question. I just wanted to ask the same.

[Vinnart]

I am sure they are general infantry, tank ect.. In other words your unit saw a tank, but the player will not know what type of tank from the FoW icon. This makes more sense. If you saw a tank would you not know you were looking at a tank? When I mean “you” I mean the unit on the ground reporting in to the C2 net that it saw a tank rather than it saw a generic contact. Imagine a troop reporting in it saw am enemy to a commander. The next question from the commander would be “well, what did you see? Was it infantry, or armor? “?” means nothing in the gathering of intelligence, and as stated anybody can tell the difference from seeing a tank from infantry, and should be able to pass that more detailed info along the C2 net which the player is apart of as supreme commander. This is more realistic, and I think all will see this is a nice improvement. If I am wrong I am sure Normal dude will explain further if not too off topic.

[Baneman]

Yes, I'm still hoping though, that they will use this opportunity to remove information you wouldn't / couldn't / shouldn't know even when the target is totally identified - at the higher levels of play like Elite/Iron you shouldn't go past "Sherman" as full ID. Otherwise you end up making tactical decisions based on this unrealistic info.

eg. currently you see an infantry icon - you click on it to see which of your units can see it - but now you know it's "ATG ammo bearer" - which kinda tells you there's an ATG out there

I'm still surprised BFC have gone the "full info" route, given that in CM1, you had to be practically within 10 feet of the enemy unit for a couple of turns before you knew it was a, say, "pioneer" or so on. It's a puzzling design decision ( but note that I'm only advocating it for Elite/Iron, so it's not locked out for everyone ).

[James Crowley]

Yes, I'm still hoping though, that they will use this opportunity to remove information you wouldn't / couldn't / shouldn't know even when the target is totally identified - at the higher levels of play like Elite/Iron you shouldn't go past "Sherman" as full ID. Otherwise you end up making tactical decisions based on this unrealistic info.

eg. currently you see an infantry icon - you click on it to see which of your units can see it - but now you know it's "ATG ammo bearer" - which kinda tells you there's an ATG out there

I'm still surprised BFC have gone the "full info" route, given that in CM1, you had to be practically within 10 feet of the enemy unit for a couple of turns before you knew it was a, say, "pioneer" or so on. It's a puzzling design decision ( but note that I'm only advocating it for Elite/Iron, so it's not locked out for everyone ).

I wholeheartedly agree with with this. In fact that very thing happened in a QB I was playing today, when a unit was ID'd as a AT ammo carrier from a hundred yards away. And yes, there was an AT gun!

I mean how would you know this, at any range or that the infantry unit that you are shooting at 200 yds away is the "2nd squad".

Way, way too much information which I try to ignore when playing but, when you think about it, it does spoil the immersion and seems totally unnecessary.

[Steiner14]

What, full unit-ID is still present in CMFI? :mad:

[Baneman]

What, full unit-ID is still present in CMFI? :mad:

I don't know, but I'm hoping, as I said, that if it is, it's not too late to adjust it.

Please BFC

[Vinnart]

There still will be the generic unit “?” from what it says about the feature. These FoW icons are intermediate when units have been more identified. There certainly are times when things are still not as clear so there will still be use of the “?” I am sure when applicable just as these new icons will be used when applicable.

[ChrisND]

The previous description of the new FOW icons was based on a misunderstanding. How it actually works is that the new generic tank/infantry/etc greyed out ?/silhouette icons (as you see in the screenshots) replace the old "?" contact icons. Then they progress to the spotted icon as we all are used to. There's no intermediate clickable "?" icon right now and I can't say yet as to whether that is going to happen.

[Childress]

So what are we gaining?

[ChrisND]

So what are we gaining?

Better contact icons that the general nature of the contact instead of just a "?" ? I just described how it's worked right now, in this AAR build, anyways.

[Vinnart]

Thanks for clearing thing up N.Dude. The guys will see these new Fow icons make more sense once they start playing with them. They will take much frustration out of intelligence gathering for real time play for sure. Good luck in your battle.

[John Kettler]

I remember the CMx1 FOW icons, icons which seemed designed to cause incontinence episodes in the players. Up pops an AFV icon, which asks "Tiger?" Fortunately, it usually wasn't, but the pucker factor was intense until that got sorted out. Of course, if it WAS a Tiger, then you knew it was going to be a long day. It was a VERY long day in Tiger Valley!

Regards,

John Kettler

[ChrisND]

TURNs 7-8

TURN 7

The demolition section pays for my follies and overconfidence with their pixel blood. Other than the fire team in the patch of woods to the west, they are practically wiped out by concentrated rifle and tank fire as they sprint away from the attackers. By the end of the turn, only two men are left clinging to the ground. I can clearly see much of Bil's force now, and although they've taken causalties they appear to still be in good order.

The Renaults continue to push forward, although my .50cal HMG opens up on one of them and gives it second thoughts, stopping it in its tracks.

TURN 8

Not much to report this turn. The Italians are driving hard for the Orchard objective, and my forces don't do much to slow them down yet, since they are still not close enough for the main defense line to see them on the hill, although I think my .50cal hurt the Renault since it backed out of sight and hasn't shown itself.

[TrailApe]

Am pretty sure it was shot in the Brecon Beacons in Somerset as a cheaper stand in for Sicily. I recognize the stone wall...

Bloody Hell Erwin - if anybody from Plaid Cymru reads this and sees you claiming part of Wales for Somerset you are in deep doo-doo.

Death by daffodils is a likely outcome if they track you down.

[Michael Emrys]

Death by daffodils...

Gee, that sounds like the title for a Miss Marple mystery. Or possibly even Lord Peter Wimsey.

Michael

[TrailApe]

Oh you may mock - but when they find your corpse slumped over your reading desk in the library, no clues as to your manner of death but a faint scent of narcissi and Caerphilly cheese, don't come crying to me.

footnote

All Narcissus species contain the alkaloid poison lycorine, mostly in the bulb but also in the leaves.

On 1 May 2009 a number of school children fell ill at Gorseland Primary School in Martlesham Heath, Suffolk, England, after a daffodil bulb was added to soup during a cookery class. The bulbs could often be confused with onions, thereby leading to incidents of accidental poisoning. :eek: