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Questions for Martin (Allied) #3


Guest Big Time Software

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Guest Big Time Software

I closed up the last one just as Pak40 asked a good question about ambushes and unit experience. I answered it there, but discussion is welcomed about it here.

Steve

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A quick follow-up on the ambush question - there will be a good example of an ambush in the next turn (12), where a bazooka team that has been hiding in ambush lets some infantry pass although the infantry runs right through the ambush marker. This is excellent TacAI, IMO, since the bazookas job is to nail Fionns vehicles and not give up the ambush because a few soldiers march along...

Doug - the sound for the bazooka is gorgeous, especially if you play from the Allied side wink.gif

I intend to use the reinforcements to quickly clear the town and then setup defenses. I want to squeeze the Germans out of town from the northern and southern flanks, then turn east. I am not 100% sure where to set defensive positions up yet, but I guess I have a few turns time still, since Fionns advance is certainly taking time (the snow obviously is holding him up).

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Guest Big Time Software

I have seen the start of the house to house fighting. Martin, I think you should make special note of the casualties you are taking. God that is ugly stuff! I haven't done a street battle of that size before and was shocked at your losses. They are realistic IMHO, but it still is tough to see it happen to your forces I am sure.

To all... superiority of numbers in street fighting does NOT mean you get off scott free. Fionn is dead meat, but he is not going quietly smile.gif Too bad you weren't fighting Volkssturm, eh?

Steve

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Oh yeah... heavy casualties. One or two squads lost two, three men within seconds in those buildings. I am trying to achieve numerical superiority to force a quick decision and make sure that the defenders surrender, but the poor squad that has to enter the house first couldn't care less about it...

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Martin,

In regards to rushing and taking that large apartment complex looking building where Fionn is making his last stand for the most part in the town.

Does it help any to rush the complex simultaneously from say 3 sides??? In this case from the N, S, and E say w/ two squads assulting from each direction with support squads in the adjacent buildings set up to provide cover fire???

Also, is there an order available to give to a squad to rush up to the doorways and windows (at ground level) of a building, stop, and then let fly with some gernades into the building buidling prior to entering? Or do they do something like this automatically???

Seems like it might be good to have such an order for just this kind of situation. I imagine it could be done with a combo of orders to run forward and then throw gernades, I'm just not sure if throwing gernades is in the standard list of orders.

Mike D

aka Mikester

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Mike - yep, from what Steve and Charles explained to me, it does help to attack from different sides. From the game it appears to me that the defender then tends to break much sooner and surrenders or runs away. And yes to the covering fire - this always helps, since it can pin down the defender so that he doesn't get too many chances to fire back at your guys. Worked great for me in the game several times.

However, it is difficult to assault the buildings from three sides, since you really have to enter them through the wall with the door. In the case of the center blockhouse, this means there is only one entry point. My platoon that had to deal with that, BTW, has suffered highest casualties of all the assaulting units.

Squads are using grenades at their own discretion and automatically when in grenade range. There is no command for this (necessary). So what you do is you order your guys to move into the buildings, and they will open fire and start hurling grenades already from the outside and then enter. However, I have not tried yet to order them to stop OUTSIDE of the building first, and move in on the following turn - might be a good tactic to try out.

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Martin, I'm impressed with the progress you've made. All the more impressive is that you've done this without any major contribution from your armor.

If you can get the center of the town away from the Germans without crippling losses, and get your new armor into good fire positions, you could ?maybe? stop the German armor from crossing the river.

DjB

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Hi Martin!

I performed search on this board for building damage, but got no matches, so I'm going to ask you. How is building damage handled. Can you blow up just one side of the building or does the whole building crumble, like in some other games. If not, is it possible to use your Sherman to blow a hole into the side of the building for your squad to enter. That way you could enter from three possible directions.

Good luck, Paul

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Thanks Doug! If only that damn' armor would finally arrive frown.gif

Paul - I *believe* that you can either destroy the whole building or nothing at all in the current version. I'd have to ask Steve and Charles to help out on that one...

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Guest Big Time Software

Moon is correct. Right now it is sorta all or nothing. On "The List" is a line item to change that to destroying one wall at a time until the building colapses.

However, rounds can enter a building right now to some degree. This simulates a round going through a wall or window and not doing major structural damage to the point of colapsing the house. So it isn't like a house is a bunker or a pile of rubble.

Steve

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Aahh... that explains it. When I was storming the block buildings, I've had a number of explosions I couldn't really track to hand grenades. I assume that it was a round from one the Panzers or something that went astray and detonated in the building... ugh - cost me a couple of guys. Good guys! frown.gif

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Yes, I saw those hits smile.gif I am not sure either, but if you go back and look at the Fionn's tanks (I forgot to do this) you would probably see puffs of smoke a few seconds before the hits.

Also, Fionn's Mom never taught him to NEVER fire a Panzerschreck in the house smile.gif Bug that is going to be fixed. Cost you a man or two and some time. But you got 'em in the end!

Steve

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Moon, where do you think that your armor reinforcements are going to appear? I hope that they appear soon. It would be terrible if they appeared in the LOS of the german tanks or within range of the advancing german infantry. It might be a benefit to try and defend the area that you believe that they are going to come into. All I know is that I would be praying that they appear soon and out of sight of that panther.

dano6

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Unfortunately, I have not the slightest idea where and when they are going to arrive - IF they arrive at all frown.gif

I have three map edges (north, south and west) where they could arrive, so it makes any attempts to defend those zones pretty much a waste of time, I think. I somehow think that north-northeast is a good candidate (where my last Sherman is currently), but for no real reason.

And yes, I think I would curse for a week when my Shermans would pop out right in front of that Panther. What I am hoping, however, is that they will pop right in his flank wink.gif

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My chances - well, IF some Shermans arrive as reinforcements, I would say that my chances are not bad at all. I have two full companies around the town and although the Germans are breaking through in the east, they're really only fighting one rifle platoon, a bunch of HMGs and a few bazookas for the last ten turns or so. Imagine that!

But what is making me really afraid is the fact that I have one tiny little Sherman M4A3 against four German Panzers! The Sherman *maybe* has a chance against the StuG, but is definitely easy prey for the Panther. And if all four tanks engage my Sherman... hasta la vista!

So, yeah, it's the Panzers I fear the most. My infantry in the town can probably hold out for some time against the Germans and even the halftracks (since the latter are relatively ineffective once the MG gunner is put out of action), but there is not much I can do if the Panzers manage to get into town.

What would force me to rethink? Hmm - good question. If my tanks would arrive soon, I would probably become a bit more aggressive and try to figure something out how to defend the bridge or maybe even counterattack somewhere. One thing I would change straight away is how I fight in the east. Right now, basically, the order was to fight to the last man to deny them the possibility to simply race forward down the road to the town. If I had tanks I would withdraw quicker, care less about the roads but rather try to preserve my forces.

Or if Fionns Panzers would bog down in the snow and he had to attack with infantry only - that would also change my tactics and I would make more efforts to make sure that I can deny them to enter the town at all.

But overall, I am operating with what I would call a minimum of forces against a German armored column. There is really not much I can do against those tanks as of now, and ambushes are the only choice I can see currently.

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Uh... actually further already. We're averaging about 1-2 turns per day right now (although I will be gone for a day tomorrow). So I am going to do turn 19 tonite. Kick Fionn in the butt and you'll get to see the AARs earlier - I've finished mine up to 18. (I think I am going to erase this answer before Fionn gets to read this thread smile.gif)

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Martin,

I know the USA used superior numbers of Shermans to knock out Panthers/Tigers. Do you have a good feel for how specifically they did this without element of surprise? Basically, how do you plan to take out that Panther?

Hindsight is always 20/20 and right now, Fionn is busy right now beating himself up for his defense of the town. I'll give you the same opportunity to change your mind. smile.gif If you had to do it over again, would you deploy your tanks like you did or would you concentrate them so they could support each other? Or maybe you could have hidden them in full defilade to pop up when the enemy was closer?

Keep those AARs coming ASAP! smile.gif

[This message has been edited by fatherof4 (edited 09-02-99).]

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Guest Big Time Software

Doug,

There is a shot of the map from the editor. It is arranged with North as the top.

The way to remember the map is this way...

Village (West)

Forest (East)

Wall line and river both run N/S, roads pretty much run E/W. Main road bisects the map pretty much down the middle.

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Martin, thanks for the perspective shots of the different action areas, as well as the town defense overview shot.

It was pretty cool that the Sherman's crew would get freaked out by the exploding house and bail. It sucked, but it was still cool. That kind of thing never happens in other games.

DjB

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Martin,

Why did you allow units of your delaying force to be overrun rather than withdrawing them under control. Would you deploy any differently in the east with the benefit of experience. I think that the men in your delaying force (any that survive that is) would be justified in thinking you had a little concern for them. I think that they might not fight so hard for you again!

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Simon,

Well, if guys always ran away instead of putting up a fight there would be little to combat. Just drive up, make a lot of noise, then wait for them to run away wink.gif

Seriously, Martin made a decision to stand and fight. He hurt Fionn quite a bit (can't tell you how badly, sorry Martin smile.gif), so it wasn't a waste of manpower. As it was about 1/3rd of Martin's force ran away, but Fionn's Panther and "other vehicle" cut them off and forced them to surrender. Personally, I don't find this unrealistic at all. Sucks for the guys in that force, but such is war...

Steve

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