Merville Battery

[John Kettler]

rocketman,

 

Isn't there an option to select what your terrain elevation increments will be? Am pretty sure I've read of it and recall this can be a big help in getting terrain that looks the way you want it to look. Says the man who barely played with the Map Editor in CMx1!

 

Regards,

 

John Kettler

[rocketman]

I actually opened a scenario from CMRT (Bunkers burning) that I knew had a tank ditch in it, and replicated that in the editor. So it is still somewhat of a mystery - but I'll try again tonight (at work now).

[rocketman]

So this is how it works out.

First, in the editor:

 

Second, 3D-view of map (top-down):

 

Seems like putting ground texture (here mud) on the banks and rocky (ditch lock) of a ditch makes it a gradual slope, while leaving grass makes it steep. For straight lines the steep one looks the best, but for diagonal the sloped one is better. Not quite sure yet which ground textures that cause this.

[A Canadian Cat]

If you make the 14 elevation markers also ditchlock does that make things steeper?

[rocketman]

No, it produces the sloped sides as well. 

[A Canadian Cat]

To bad but good to know.

[Bulletpoint]

There's a problem with these kinds of slopes in the game though. In real life, soldiers would be able to scale the slope carefully, peeking over and firing without exposing themselves much. In game, they will either be standing behind the slope or on the top of it in plain view.

 

So, if the scenario calls for this kind of terrain, it means that in-game it could potentially create quite "gamey" maze-like situations, where you can't use the terrain like in real life. Might still be a challenge and you might still be able to win, but it could end up needing odd tactics. Just like some of those artificially constrained hedgerow battles where the scenario designer thought it perfectly realistic to have 500 metres of hedgerow without one single spot for a soldier to squeeze through. Makes for a pacman-like game.

 

Not saying you shouldn't go ahead with the project, I think it sounds very interesting, and I wish you best of luck with it, but just a reminder to design in a way that works well with the limitations of the game technology.

[rocketman]

Bulletpoint, the terrain feature in the pics is the tank ditch at Merville Battery, and it shouldn't come into play, unless the player i suicidal - the guns will kill them before even reaching the ditch. But I'm aware of your concern. Not too fond of long walls of bocage without gaps either. The rest of the map is pretty much flat and open - so the experience will be anything but Pac-Man like - apart from navigating through mines and barbed wire that is  .

[JonS]

OrBat for 716 Inf Div on 6 Jun 1944

716. Inf.-Div. (bo) (7 K.V.A.-H1-K.V.A. Caen) [1]
Gefechtsstand – Caen

Kdr: Generalleutnant Wilhelm Richter
Ia: Major i.G. Bachus
Ib: Major Wolf
Ic: Major d.R. Wiegmann
IIa: Major Heintze

K.V.-Gr. Riva-Bella
* K.V.U.-Gr. Orne
K.V.U.-Gr. Lion-sur-Mer
K.V.-Gr. Courseulles
K.V.U.-Gr. Seulles
K.V.U.-Gr. Normandie

Inf.-Div.-Nachr.-Abtl. 716
* Kdr.: Major Werner Liedloff
Nachschub-Btl. 716
Verwaltungs-Btl. 716
Sanitäts-Btl. 716
Veterinär-Kp. 716

Gren.-Regt. 726 (attached to 352. Inf.-Div.)

Gren.-Regt. 736
* Gefechtsstand – Colleville-sur-Orne (WN 17)
* Kdr.: Oberst Ludwig Krug
* Adjutant: Josef Grüne
I. Btl.
* Gefechtsstand – Ouistreham (WN 14)
* 1. Kp. – Stützpunkt Franceville West (WN 05)
* 2. Kp. – Stützpunktgruppe 08 (Riva Bella)
* 3. Kp. – WN 03 and 04 (Franceville Plage)
* 4. Kp. – Ouistreham-Val WN 09 (Reserve)
II. Btl.
* Gefechtsstand – Tailleville (WN 23)
* Kdr.: Hauptmann Deptolla
* 5. Kp. – Bernières (WN 28, 28a) – St.-Aubin (WN 27)
* 6. Kp. – Stp. Courseulles (WN 29, 30, 31)
* 7. Kp. – Graye-sur-Mer, La Rivière
* 8. Kp. – Tailleville-Tombette (in reserve behind Bernières)
III. Btl.
Gefechtsstand – Cresserons
* Kdr.: Major Pipor
* 9. Kp. – Langrune-Luc (WN 24, 26)
* 10. Kp. – Lion-Hermanville (WN 18, 20, 20a, 21)
* 11. Kp. – in reserve behind Luc-sur-Mer (WN 25)
* 12. Kp. – in reserve at Douvres-la-Délivrande (WN 22)
IV./Gren.-Regt. 736 (Ost-Btl. 642) [2]
* Gefechtsstand – Amfreville
* Kdr.: Hauptmann Heinz Plate
* 1. Kp. – Stützpunkt Franceville (Ost WN 02)
* 3. Kp. – Hermanville (WN 19)
* 4. Kp. – Bavent
14. (Pz.Jg.) Kp. (six 5cm m.Pak and three 7.5cm s.Pak, static beach defenses)

Ost-Btl. 441 [3]
*Gefechtsstand – Crépon (northeast of Bayeux)
* 1. Kp. – Vaux (north of Bayeux)
* 2. Kp. – Reviers
* 3. Kp. – Meuvaines (northeast of Bayeux)
* 4. Kp. – Ver-sur-Mer (northeast of Bayeux)

Art.-Regt. 1716
* Gefechtsstand – Unknown
* Kdr.: Oberstleutnant Helmut Knüppe
I. Abtl.
* Gefechtsstand – Colomby
* 1. Bttr. – Merville (four 10cm le.F.H. 14/19 (t))
* 2. Bttr. – WN 16 (Colleville-sur-Orne) (four 10cm le.F.H. 14/19 (t))
* 3. Bttr. – Bréville (northeast of Caen) (four 7.5cm FK 16 n.A.) [4]
* 4. Bttr. – WN 12 (Ouistreham “Water Tower Battery”) (four 15cm s.F.H. 414 (f))
* 10. Bttr. – 4 kilometers northeast of Bayeux (four 15cm s.F.H. 414 (f))
II. Abtl.
* Gefechtsstand – Crépon
* 5. Bttr. – WN 35b (Crépon) (four 10cm le.F.H. 14/19 (t))
* 6. Bttr. – WN 32 (la Mare-Fontaine) (four 10cm le.F.H. 14/19 (t))
* 7. Bttr. – WN 28a (Bény-sur-Mer) (four 10cm le.F.H. 14/19 (t))
III. Abtl. (attached to 352. Inf.-Div.)

Pz.Jg.-Abtl. 716
* Gefechtsstand – Biéville
* Kdr.: Oberleutnant Kurt Kaergel
* 1. (Sfl.) Kp. – Biéville (ten 7.5cm s.Pak Sfl. Auf Lorraine Schlepper)
* 2. (Pz.Jg.-bo) Kp. – Reviers (nine 7.5cm and three 8.8cm s.Pak) [5]
* 3. (Flak) Kp. – Anisy (one Züg was east of the Orne 1 kilometer west of Sallenelles) [6]

s.Art.-Abtl. 989 (t-mot) (est. 400)
* Gefechtsstand – Reviers (east of Bayeux)
* 1. Bttr. – Basly (four 12.2cm s.F.H. 396 (r.))
* 2. Bttr. – Amblie (four 12.2cm s.F.H. 396 (r.))
* 3. Bttr. – Creully (four 12.2cm s.F.H. 396 (r.))

H.K.A.-Abtl. 1260
* Gefechtsstand – Ryes (south of Arromanches)
* 1. Bttr. – St. Aubin-d’Arquenay (Ouistreham) (six 15.5cm K 420 (f))
* 2. Bttr. – Pointe du Hoc (six 15.5cm K 420 (f))
* 3. Bttr. – WN 35a (Mont Fleury) (four 12.2cm K 390 (r.))

MKB Longues – WN 48 (four 15cm TbtsK C/36) (attached)

[1] Strength as of 1 May was 7,771, possibly not including HiWi. The division did not have a Feld-Ers.-Btl. or Füs.-Btl. organized. The division began to withdraw soon after the invasion and by 1 July began moving to join 19. Armee on the French Riviera. By 20 July it was assigned to IV L.W.-Feld-K. relieving 272 Inf.-Div.
[2] 2. Kp. was disbanded due to lack of strength on 30 May. It had been at Amfreville with the battalion headquarters and is occasionally shown there.
[3] Attached to Gren.-Regt. 736.
[4] Other sources indicate these were four 10cm le.F.H. 14/19 (t)).
[5] The guns were deployed on the low ridge overlooking the beaches from St. Aubin to La Riviere.
[6] The company had 12 2cm mobile guns, probably truck mounted self-propelled pieces. There were also 20 2cm and six 7.5cm (f) static antiaircraft guns in the division zone. The 2cm guns were scattered among the various WN, while the 7.5cm guns were south of Bernieres.

Edited January 16, 2015 by JonS

[kohlenklau]

BFC took a while to introduce "ditchlock".... Now with this problem of your bunkers moving from where you set them to be...be patient, it is gonna take them a while to come up with "bitchlock".

[rocketman]

Thank you JonS. But I can't figure out what formation I should "purchase" in the editor to match this. Would the Grenadier Ersatz Batallion of poor quality be proper?

[rocketman]

BFC took a while to introduce "ditchlock".... Now with this problem of your bunkers moving from where you set them to be...be patient, it is gonna take them a while to come up with "bitchlock".

In anticipation of the "bitchlock" I'll have to make due with the ditchlock. Still experimenting with bunkers and terrain to make something that looks at least vaguely like the real bomb proof ones that was embedded in the terrain. Not easy at all.

[JonS]

I can't figure out what formation I should "purchase" in the editor to match this. Would the Grenadier Ersatz Batallion of poor quality be proper?

*wobbles head*

 

Yeah, after stripping out most of the battalion, and adding back in some guns and what-not that'd probably work. Not sure what you could use for the guns themselves ... maybe the Russian 76mm A-Tk guns?

[rocketman]

I'll try that. The exact guns won't matter much as they are highly unlikely to come into play, unless you really mess up or go about things the completely wrong way.

[JonS]

You could also use the regimental cannon company. Strip the guns out of two of the platoons and re-fill them with scouts, lMGs, and what-not for local defence elements. With the other two (gun) platoons use either the 75mm or 150mm IGs, or swap them out for one of the other guns available (like the Russian 76mm).

[rocketman]

Quick update - for a while I thought the game engine and the editor would grind this project to a halt, it is starting to show some real progress. Had a first "battle test" on a half made map with the main features in hand and it came up quite well. Fierce, bloody, intense - just like in real life. This game and what it is capable of reproducing is simply awesome. After reading a lot about the battle, and studying several map sources, watching it "come alive" is quite fascinating. Kudos to the developers *tips hat*.

 

So, if the gods of war are on my side I will publish first screenshots of this baby by the end of the week-end.

[Bulletpoint]

Sounds promising. What time limit are you thinking of setting for the mission?

[rocketman]

Not quite sure yet, it depends upon how much of the buildup to the battle that is proper (still in research fase). But I guess about 30-40 minutes, with the battle itself being about 20 minutes. It will be intense to say the least  

I will also probably include the option, if you fail to destroy the battery, to signal for HMS Arethusa to shell the battery, which was part of the original plan - just for fun I guess 

[Bulletpoint]

 

I will also probably include the option, if you fail to destroy the battery, to signal for HMS Arethusa to shell the battery, which was part of the original plan - just for fun I guess 

 

 

How are you going to implement that ? A barrage that comes in as reinforcements very late in the battle? With TRP already in place as the battle starts, but only being used once the barrage actually becomes available?

[rocketman]

How are you going to implement that ? A barrage that comes in as reinforcements very late in the battle? With TRP already in place as the battle starts, but only being used once the barrage actually becomes available?

That's pretty much the idea, as the paras had no other artillery or mortars available so the TRP:s will not have much other effects.