Mousie Posted September 29, 2018 Share Posted September 29, 2018 So, after getting this game yesterday, I'm having a hard time with it. I'm loving the game regardless of my failures, but I just have to ask, why do tactics fail here but succeed everywhere else? In most other games, there is the general idea of, "push first, and push hard" in order to capture your objectives. While I attack with what I believe are "overwhelming odds" (although without any intel to support this), by the time the battle ends, it was a horrific, bloody draw. In my current game, the first campaign mission, I've gained control of multiple areas, but barely nobody is alive to continue the attack, with most of the units written down as casualties (also, learning how to heal people would be great). So, making my attacks at least somewhat more efficient than a Skaven bumrush would be very useful information. My next question would be about artillery. I find myself completely dry halfway through the battle, which I wouldn't mind if I knew that it was being used effectively. My first targets at the beginning of the match are the objectives, in this case I bombard the school, or other clumps of buildings with hope to suppress or just wipe out many squads at once. What fire modes do you guys use under what situations? In exchanges of fire with other infantry, I tend to use light fire for short periods of time, and for groups like machine guns and infantry in buildings, I would use heavy for short as well. I don't use Long much because I'm worried that the fir will continue long after we push upwards into the location. Something someone posted that got me curious was to "always leave units in reserve". Does this help? Won't your attacking forces just get overrun immediately without strength in numbers? My last qustion is, how can you preserve the health of your units, and how can I reduce the number of times they just drop what they're doing to run away? It feels like the moment a fight begins, a unit is running away, and their fear level is difficult to manage. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sburke Posted September 29, 2018 Share Posted September 29, 2018 (edited) Whew mousie is a good handle, you are popping up all over the place with new threads. You are asking a ton of questions and they are good, but the problem is they are far too broad to get a decent answer in a forum context. Combat Mission is not a game you truly "master", but the good tactics are something you can learn and apply. What you need is some detailed tutorial information demonstrating various aspects of the game and the tactics to handle it. You may still not always win, but you'll at least put up a good fight. So here you go. This is a really good series. Search youtube and you'll find a lot more. Edited September 29, 2018 by sburke 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mousie Posted September 29, 2018 Author Share Posted September 29, 2018 Have to get up to your 16k posts somehow Thanks for the direction 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sburke Posted September 29, 2018 Share Posted September 29, 2018 27 minutes ago, Mousie said: Have to get up to your 16k posts somehow Thanks for the direction no you don't, it isn't healthy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warts 'n' all Posted September 29, 2018 Share Posted September 29, 2018 I'm getting confused. There isn't a school in the first training mission in Battle for Normandy. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blazing 88's Posted September 29, 2018 Share Posted September 29, 2018 http://battledrill.blogspot.com/2013/08/combat-mission-tactical-problems-cmtp.html 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mousie Posted September 29, 2018 Author Share Posted September 29, 2018 (edited) 1 hour ago, Warts 'n' all said: I'm getting confused. There isn't a school in the first training mission in Battle for Normandy. I never said training mission, I'm playing the first *campaign* mission. It's titled "A Moment in Time" Edited September 29, 2018 by Mousie 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted September 29, 2018 Share Posted September 29, 2018 Hmmm, I notice that one of the tags for this thread is rts. If you are trying to play CM in Real Time, you are making it a lot harder for yourself, especially in larger scenarios. That's because you mostly have less control over your troops and what is happening to them. While you are paying attention to one group, something critical may be unfolding on another part of the map. If you can't get over there quickly enough to give them the necessary orders, then the only thing they may know to do is run away or surrender and try to preserve their lives. Michael 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zveroboy1 Posted September 29, 2018 Share Posted September 29, 2018 It sounds like maybe you are trying to push too hard too fast. Remember it is fire that takes ground, once you're in range of the enemy, you don't really need to close. Find good cover, achieve fire superiority, then just blast them until they melt under your fire. And only close to grenade range when they're half dead and there are only a few left cowering. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mousie Posted September 29, 2018 Author Share Posted September 29, 2018 I am playing in rts. Speaking of that, do you know what the primary gameplay mode is? What the game was primarily built around? You may be right about that though, having so much to look at means that I may just be missing things. I guess I assume that orders I issue will be completed before they run away or something. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mousie Posted September 29, 2018 Author Share Posted September 29, 2018 2 minutes ago, Zveroboy1 said: It sounds like maybe you are trying to push too hard too fast. Remember it is fire that takes ground, once you're in range of the enemy, you don't really need to close. Find good cover, achieve fire superiority, then just blast them until they melt under your fire. And only close to grenade range when they're half dead and there are only a few left cowering. I've never thought about it like this before. You did bring up a new piece of information: using grenades and other weapons besides primary. How do I give them that order? Like firing rockets at buildings with enemies inside, or changing to armor piercing ammo for machine guns 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted September 29, 2018 Share Posted September 29, 2018 18 minutes ago, Mousie said: I am playing in rts. Speaking of that, do you know what the primary gameplay mode is? What the game was primarily built around? WEGO turn based. Can't stress too much that this mode offers many advantages, among them the ability to replay each turn over and over, viewing the action from as many angles as necessary to have a complete mental picture of what is going on and to figure out what to do about it. Michael 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zveroboy1 Posted September 29, 2018 Share Posted September 29, 2018 For artillery, some people like to sprinkle it throughout the battle to make it last longer. Personally I'd rather pick two or three big targets only but smash them properly. It is tempting to stop the fire mission after two minutes but often it is not enough, so you end up having to call a second mission to finish the job. It can be counter productive. I guess with modern titles this is a bit more feasible. Also calling arty on some positions far away can be useful if it reduces incoming fire and lets you advance through open ground as a result but it is a lot more useful if it happens right as you are firing on the enemy position as shells are falling. For grenades, you don't have to do anything, it is automatic, you just need to be within 30 m or so, I think it is actually a bit more than that, 32 m maybe. Also on a related topic, the fire light command lets you only use the mg so you save ammo on secondary weapons like submachine guns for instance. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mousie Posted September 29, 2018 Author Share Posted September 29, 2018 Huh... I'll definitely have to try out turn based then! Thanks for that it'll probably make things so much easier to keep track of! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted September 29, 2018 Share Posted September 29, 2018 19 minutes ago, Mousie said: How do I give them that order? Like firing rockets at buildings with enemies inside, or changing to armor piercing ammo for machine guns All that kind of thing is usually handled automatically by the AI. For instance hand grenades. Once they close within throwing range, they will toss them if they have them. Michael 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mousie Posted September 29, 2018 Author Share Posted September 29, 2018 Is it worth splitting off an assault group to rush the target? Does splitting groups provide sufficient flexibility for the lack of total firepower? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted September 29, 2018 Share Posted September 29, 2018 15 minutes ago, Mousie said: Is it worth splitting off an assault group to rush the target? That's a judgement call that depends on how suppressed the enemy are. 15 minutes ago, Mousie said: Does splitting groups provide sufficient flexibility for the lack of total firepower? Another judgement call. I may not be understanding you, but as far as I know there is no diminution of total firepower that comes from splitting squads. Depending on how you have distributed teams on the map, not all of them may have LOS/LOF onto the desired target. Michael 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warts 'n' all Posted September 29, 2018 Share Posted September 29, 2018 1 hour ago, Mousie said: I never said training mission, I'm playing the first *campaign* mission. It's titled "A Moment in Time" For most forumites. Either "Devon Basic Training " or "Task Force Raff Combat Training" are considered to be "the first campaign". I now realise that you are attempting to play the game alphabetically. If I were you I would watch all of the Armchair General videos. Then watch one or more of the videos from Task Force Raff. Then go back to the Game Manual and play both "Devon" and "Task Force Raff". Whilst closely following the advice given in there. It will save you a lot of frustration. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mord Posted September 29, 2018 Share Posted September 29, 2018 WEGO is absolutely the way to go. You will be blown away by all the cool little moments you will eventually see, that you would've otherwise missed playing in real time. You will end up watching these scenes twenty times over, jaw on the floor in amazement. If you stick with this game it will reward you with visual stories that even movies aspire to. When you pulled the trigger on the purchase you unknowingly got one of the biggest bang for the bucks acquisitions you'll ever make with your entertainment dollars. Mord. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjkerner Posted September 29, 2018 Share Posted September 29, 2018 WEGO, and split your squads to allow more flexibility and more likely have lower casualties (in many situations). Much of what you are asking, Mousie, you will just pick up over time. Playing against a human—when you’re ready for that step— is where you will really learn the ropes. Nothing like a real, thinking human to throw off all your well-laid plans! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MOS:96B2P Posted September 29, 2018 Share Posted September 29, 2018 (edited) 5 hours ago, Mousie said: Huh... I'll definitely have to try out turn based then! Thanks for that it'll probably make things so much easier to keep track of! Yes turn base (WEGO) is very helpful, especially for beginners. With WEGO you can watch a turn over and over again and learn from it. I watch a turn the first time at a high zoomed out level to get the big picture of the battle. Then I rewind the turn and watch one of my platoons. Then rewind again and watch the next platoon etc. I also make a special effort to rewind and watch wherever I took casualties or lost a vehicle (the floating icons will flash when a unit takes a casualty). This watching and learning will speed up your understanding of the game. WEGO also adds a type of command pause to the battle. You give your orders and must watch those orders play out for the next 60 seconds with no way to pause the game and intervene with new/updated orders. Example: You have a fire team that runs around the corner of a building and into the path of a advancing enemy tank 15 seconds into the turn. You have 45 seconds to watch (and probably yell at the computer screen) as that fire team handles the situation before you can intervene. Using WEGO, rewinding the turn and watching all the small combat actions across the map is very entertaining and more important many of your "Lessons Learned" will be obtained this way. Edited September 29, 2018 by MOS:96B2P 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warts 'n' all Posted September 29, 2018 Share Posted September 29, 2018 Yeah watching your men suffer whilst not being able to intervene can be agony. But, then watching them kill enemy who suddenly pop up will have you cheering like crazy. And I particularly enjoy it when members of the same Squad start taking on different enemy targets at the same time. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blazing 88's Posted September 29, 2018 Share Posted September 29, 2018 (edited) Big tip for helping your engineers /pioneer platoons survive longer (WEGO)... when you want to breach something with the 'Blast' order, give a 45 sec. pause (at the beginning of the turn) then a 'Blast' order. It takes approx. 15 sec. for a 'Blast' order to be carried out. At the beginning of the next turn, you can prevent the pioneers from moving through the breach into an ambush or whatever and instead move other cannon fodder pixeltruppen through the breach. Pioneers have a tendency to keep following their blast waypoint path through the breach, this is a way to prevent that from happening. One of the best tips I stumbled across on this forum... along with hundreds of others. Edited September 29, 2018 by Blazing 88's 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mousie Posted September 29, 2018 Author Share Posted September 29, 2018 4 hours ago, Blazing 88's said: Big tip for helping your engineers /pioneer platoons survive longer (WEGO)... when you want to breach something with the 'Blast' order, give a 45 sec. pause (at the beginning of the turn) then a 'Blast' order. It takes approx. 15 sec. for a 'Blast' order to be carried out. What do you use Blast for? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mord Posted September 29, 2018 Share Posted September 29, 2018 Making holes in walls and buildings so your troops can move without having to go around a structure or if they want to move unseen or avoid being targeted by the enemy. Mord. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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