Artillery barrage effects

[Alexey K]

What are artillery barrage effects apart from inflicting direct damage?

 

I assume that units being shot at must become disoriented and shaken. 

They sould have higher reaction times, spotting penalties and lowered accuracy of fire.

Are this effects modeled in game?

 

Pragmatical question: are harrasing barrages really useful in "softening" enemy positions before assault even if no unit was destroyed by shelling?

[A Canadian Cat]

Yes, these effects are modelled in game. When units are taking fire or HE is exploding near by the will duck down and take cover. This means the spot less well and do not return fire as often either. Once it stops though they will recover their wits.

Harassing barrages have a pretty low rate of fire. I usually consider using them to create a place where the enemy will not want to go rather than actually effect the enemy that is already place.

[womble]

I find harrassing barrages to be very effective in softening up. If you drop all the ordnance at once, you'll kill and wound the same number of targets, the survivors will have been heavily suppressed and Pinned for a short while and will then rally.

If you drop it over half an hour, the targets will be repeatedly Pinned and suppressed, and I get the impression that's worse for their morale by the time the barrage is done. Haven't tested it though. It might be that the intense barrage overwhelms and sends the targets to Broken.

[Apocal]

Pragmatical question: are harrasing barrages really useful in "softening" enemy positions before assault even if no unit was destroyed by shelling?

 

No, but they do serve to not telegraph the moment when you kick off your assault on the position.

[whitehot78]

I thought that exposed infantry, once subjected to artillery fire, would get a reduction in morale that lasts for the whole game. The effects of suppression would be reduced as they recover, but their status (like "rattled, "nervous" etc) would stay - so if engaged in combat later in the game they would be more easily get suppressed and forced to retreat or surrender. 

[Melchior]

I find harrassing barrages to be very effective in softening up. If you drop all the ordnance at once, you'll kill and wound the same number of targets, the survivors will have been heavily suppressed and Pinned for a short while and will then rally.

If you drop it over half an hour, the targets will be repeatedly Pinned and suppressed, and I get the impression that's worse for their morale by the time the barrage is done. Haven't tested it though. It might be that the intense barrage overwhelms and sends the targets to Broken.

 

Yeah, long barrages usually cause enemies to just flee their positions. A player will usually just make them reoccupy those positions but once that yellow box is over the morale state the damage has been done. Their is serious value to be had in those 15min long 1-2 gun bombardments. 

[womble]

It is incorrect to assert that troops stay Rattled or Nervous for the whole game. The only thing that is permanent is the "brittle" marker, which isn't the yellow box IIRC. Nervous can be rallied from relatively quickly, as can a Rattled state brought on by suppression without too many casualties.

[whitehot78]

It is incorrect to assert that troops stay Rattled or Nervous for the whole game. The only thing that is permanent is the "brittle" marker, which isn't the yellow box IIRC. Nervous can be rallied from relatively quickly, as can a Rattled state brought on by suppression without too many casualties.

but does some sort of "breaking point" exist, or those effect can be reversed to the fullest?

[Stagler]

Generally I notice when fighting they AI, once they becoke "broken" - red box - they flee until captured or MIA. This can happen from a damn good hammering with IDF.

[A Canadian Cat]

I thought that exposed infantry, once subjected to artillery fire, would get a reduction in morale that lasts for the whole game.

A better way to think of it is that subjected to sustained, effective artillery fire it can have a lasting effect on morale. It cannot just be any artillery fire near them it has to be scary for those guys and permanent effect is not quite right but it can be long lasting. However the most powerful effect is to pin the enemy soldiers - which means they feel that they cannot respond to the incoming fire. That effect does not last long after the artillery stops.

[womble]

but does some sort of "breaking point" exist, or those effect can be reversed to the fullest?

The only breaking point that I'm aware of is the transition of the troops to "Brittle". I think v3's UI has a specific (?red?) marker for the status not the box round their morale state). Brittle troops, even if they are rallied all the way to "OK" will not withstand much, if any, incoming fire before becoming Paniced or Shaken, and thus out of the control of the player. "OK" troops are less likely to suppress themselves, or cower at the sound of a light mortar being fired from a position near their flank...

 

Generally I notice when fighting they AI, once they becoke "broken" - red box - they flee until captured or MIA. This can happen from a damn good hammering with IDF.

Generally, the AI is terribly poor at looking after its troops, partly because generally they're the one being rolled over and compressed against their baseline, so the fleeing troops have nowhere safe to sit and get their breath back; if you can arrange some quiet time for your Broken troops, they will (eventually) rally.

[Apocal]

 

Generally, the AI is terribly poor at looking after its troops, partly because generally they're the one being rolled over and compressed against their baseline, so the fleeing troops have nowhere safe to sit and get their breath back; if you can arrange some quiet time for your Broken troops, they will (eventually) rally.

 

They are a spent cartridge though; they'll never fight to full effect and almost any additional fire will send them right back to broken status.

[womble]

They are a spent cartridge though; they'll never fight to full effect and almost any additional fire will send them right back to broken status.

Absolutely. If they've got any automatic weapons with any range, though, they can be useful in adding a bit of suppression to back up your remaining good-order squads; keep them back out of major harm's way. Troops that are still "Broken" can lose the will to even poke their rifles through a hedge and fire randomly in the direction of the enemy at times.