HEAT used instead of HE on buildings for area fire?

[gunnersman]

I've noticed that when I use area fire against buildings my vehicles with HEAT rounds will exhaust the HEAT rounds first before using the HE rounds. I am assuming that the AI views buildings as "armored", to a degree.

I ran a quick test with both Allies and Axis armor such as Priest, Sexton, Churchill, Hummel, StuH 42, and the Wesp. I gave an area fire command at the ground in which case only HE was used. After that I gave an area fire command at 3 different buildings (exact same design) for each of the AFVs. All used HEAT on the buildings until the HEAT was gone.

Is this as it should be? Because this seems like a big waste to me. I would much prefer to use my HE on buildings and save my HEAT for armor.

[Vanir Ausf B]

It could be that HEAT is more effective against buildings. But because of its scarcity I agree that I would rather see it saved for use against enemy tanks. I wonder if this TacAI behavior was carried over from Shock Force where HEAT rounds are plentiful.

Ideally the game would allow us to chose what ammunition type to use. Looks like another example where SOPs would be beneficial.

[dieseltaylor]

I wonder if this TacAI behavior was carried over from Shock Force where HEAT rounds are plentiful.

What can one say but I think you are darn right.

[black_prince]

I've experienced this recently too. My 95mm armed Churchill used up its precious HEAT rounds on a building and had nothing left for the enemy armour. Bit irritating. HEAT rounds might be more efficient at penetrating particularly thick walls but I would have thought HE would be the round of choice for engaging your average building and pummelling it down to rubble if need be. TBH I don't think this is really a good argument for introducing SOPs as I would assume (whilst holding my breath and waiting to be corrected) that a fairly minor tweak of the existing tacAI could fix this behaviour.

[Hister]

Is someone collecting all the remaining issues? Would be great if someone did this and post a list of all gathered remaining issues reported on these forums.

Dunno maybe game devs are already making notes on the fly?

[Artofwar]

What about using TARGET LIGHT according to the manual:

"Target Light is useful when you want to put a few MG rounds into a suspected

enemy location but not waste a tank’s main gun round, or if you want to take

a few aimed shots at a low threat infantry target not too far away without

wasting too much ammo. Target light does not prevent the use of hand and

rifle grenades, though, at the appropriate ranges."

But then the problem is it will only use MG fire so this won't work either right ???

Maybe do a test on a building using Target Light just to make sure ... ???

[womble]

What about using TARGET LIGHT according to the manual:

"Target Light is useful when you want to put a few MG rounds into a suspected

enemy location but not waste a tank’s main gun round, or if you want to take

a few aimed shots at a low threat infantry target not too far away without

wasting too much ammo. Target light does not prevent the use of hand and

rifle grenades, though, at the appropriate ranges."

But then the problem is it will only use MG fire so this won't work either right ???

Maybe do a test on a building using Target Light just to make sure ... ???

As you say, Target Light would only use whatever MG the vehicle was carrying.

I would also point out that the manual may be out of date, since I have found Target Light to effectively inhibit the use of rifle grenades at the ranges a non-target-light-ed squad or team would routinely fire them off. To the point that I will give a rifle grenade-armed element a light area target in order to prevent them wasting their handful of RGs on targets that don't need 'em.

[Baneman]

I wish you could specify when to use rifle grenades. All too often they don't use them when you the player think they should, and use them when you think they're wasting 'em

[womble]

I wish you could specify when to use rifle grenades. All too often they don't use them when you the player think they should, and use them when you think they're wasting 'em

About the closest you can get is to make sure they're in a team that generally gets a Cover Arc. They seem to end up in the AT team when I'm splitting up my squads, and that works pretty well.

[c3k]

This was caught a while ago. I _thought_ that HEAT used first against buildings when HE was available had been fixed. Off to check...

Ken

[Artofwar]

yeah they launch the rifle grenades like 400 meters and its always a miss.. lol