Engine 5 Wishlist

[Erwin]

On 3/31/2021 at 5:41 PM, Erwin said:

You need to use the "DISMOUNT" order from the menu BEFORE making any waypoints.  Job done...

And if you'd read my post from a couple days ago, ya woulda gotten there faster...

[Dan Dare]

there are a lot of things...but really...what i want is that the concept of OPERATION of the old CM came back, or at least carry the damage and some wrecks to replay the scenario simulating a breakthrough/defensive battle on a campaing...

I really want to get rid of the feeling of "thats all, you loose, move to attack in another place, even if you have just commit your recon element and got all your forces ready for a breakthrougth and you got the enemy almost broken" when attacking or "great you win, lets defend another position, cause, you know, the enemy will never attack again here, even if you had barely hold the line" when defending....and when it comes to  last year of ww2, it makes me crazy... 

 

[Jabble]

9 hours ago, Erwin said:

And if you'd read my post from a couple days ago, ya woulda gotten there faster...

It's worse than that  - I did read your post yet the information didn't go in!  Now I even remember reading it in the manual, but I think my brain suffers from ROM-syndrome sometimes.  To say fair I maybe forgot it as it's a feature I seldom find a use for - more commonly I have to be careful timing the mount-up before departure.

Edited April 3, 2021 by Jabble

[Jabble]

10 hours ago, chuckdyke said:

It comes down to tactics. A Javelin was not meant to 'shoot and scoot' it takes about 15 seconds to aim and lock on target then up it goes and says: "Here I am". If you can lock on to something, something else can lock on you. I have no personal experience with the Javelin and see it as an expensive precision mortar. Once it is off and flying it is up to the operator to get out of the situation. That is also basic he should think of his tactical deployment before. You can shoot from buildings and foxholes with this weapon distance 1km-3km. Looks a lot better to shoot from hard cover. The tank sees a block of apartments a mile away but is very unlikely to spot the operator. Another idea use it to support your own armor during a melee. Like they say in Australia on its own they stand out like dog balls. 

Sure, but tactics are what you make them.  Blocking choke points has been happening since at least the Battle of Thermopolae in 480 BC, and overlapping arcs of fire has been around since the early gunpowder era.  No reason to abandon such well-proven tactics now just because we have new technology.

Using a Javelin (or other ATGM) doesn't necessarily attract attention if you're well hidden - it's only once you fire that your position is obvious and it's time to scoot.  Certainly if you can choose a distant firing point so much the better, but that's not always possible - the geography is what it is.

I'm not saying I would use such ATGM overlap often, but it would certainly be useful at times and the only reason it's failing is because of a game limitation that doesn't exist in real life.  Or even in other games.  Hence I feel it's a fair request.

Edited April 3, 2021 by Jabble

[chuckdyke]

4 hours ago, Jabble said:

Hence I feel it's a fair request.

It is the nemesis of all ATGMs TOW, MILAN, SAGGERS to name a few. They require the operator to stay with their weapon. Javelin is way ahead in comparison. ATG's in WW2 they were on borrowed time once they fired, 57 mm was about the mobility limit. I pointed out for a new game engine you should have access to the emergency buttons during a turn. But you just can't sprint while carrying a Javelin launcher and a spare missile. 

[RMM]

13 hours ago, Erwin said:

And if you'd read my post from a couple days ago, ya woulda gotten there faster...

Oh I did, but didn't grasp the concept that the dismount had to be ordered first, since I see 'Dismount' appear when issuing a move to the infantry, so thought it was already being done.

[Erwin]

True, it's not as intuitive as it could be...   Us old-timers forget CM2 has a steep learning curve.  

[RMM]

What on earth is this?

Why would someone think to limit how many thumbs up can be given in a day? 

[Jabble]

19 hours ago, chuckdyke said:

It is the nemesis of all ATGMs TOW, MILAN, SAGGERS to name a few. They require the operator to stay with their weapon. Javelin is way ahead in comparison. ATG's in WW2 they were on borrowed time once they fired, 57 mm was about the mobility limit. I pointed out for a new game engine you should have access to the emergency buttons during a turn. But you just can't sprint while carrying a Javelin launcher and a spare missile. 

So maybe CM has got it wrong?  They allow Jav teams to Quick Move (not Fast), though they tire quickly.  The game already includes deployable weapons that take some time to pack up before moving - should Javs be included in that group?

Anyway I'm not asking for any new superhuman powers - I'm just asking for a) the ability to do some teamwork by coordinating missile launches, and b) to react to certain events during the WEGO minute using standard in-game actions, where time is of the essence.  That reaction idea is not just for ATGM teams but for all units, e.g. a Stryker MGS will want to duck behind cover if it gets the first shot in against a tank, or a scout will want to back away quickly if it turns a corner and bumps into a mile-long armoured column.

[Jabble]

19 hours ago, Erwin said:

True, it's not as intuitive as it could be...   Us old-timers forget CM2 has a steep learning curve.  

It's not bad though - there's plenty of abstraction and it's mostly done in a clever way that preserves what is important.  Some games have a much steeper learning curve - think of "Command: Modern Operations" or the recent "Shadow Empire".

[chuckdyke]

3 minutes ago, Jabble said:

should Javs be included in that group?

I would say yes, Deploy and Pack up you look at 15 sec each way. He has a thermal sight so popping some smoke maybe an idea. It is I see an opportunity weapon. I give vital units 45 sec pause and let them make their move in the last 15 sec of a turn. One square on hunt usually does the trick. 

[Jabble]

4 minutes ago, chuckdyke said:

I would say yes, Deploy and Pack up you look at 15 sec each way. He has a thermal sight so popping some smoke maybe an idea. It is I see an opportunity weapon. I give vital units 45 sec pause and let them make their move in the last 15 sec of a turn. One square on hunt usually does the trick. 

Very much agree an opportunity weapon.  That would make sense - throwing smoke to cover packing up and making a sharp exit.

The problem with specific delay timing is that it has to mesh with the opportunity - if the target appears in the last 15 seconds that opportunity is lost. Not just there, but many other occasions where we plan moves that would not exist in reality, to get around a problem with the WEGO time slice.

Hence IMO an automated reaction is a better idea than any artificial 'gaminess' to solve that problem.  The enemy AI would react the same way too, so no extra human advantage there - just a more realistic sim.

[chuckdyke]

1 minute ago, Jabble said:

throwing smoke to cover packing up and making a sharp exit.

You can throw smoke to launch the missile. It has thermal sights, and you can look through it. 15sec you can make it 15, 30 or 45 seconds.

[Jabble]

1 minute ago, chuckdyke said:

You can throw smoke to launch the missile. It has thermal sights, and you can look through it. 15sec you can make it 15, 30 or 45 seconds.

I've just checked a save - my Jav team has no smoke - nor do any of my infantry units.  However if they change the game to make it a deployable weapon (have you requested that?), maybe they could add that too.

But you'd be unlikely to throw smoke before firing - if a target suddenly appeared all the concentration would be on tracking, prep and firing, in case the opportunity is lost.  Once the missile is away then throw smoke and scarper.  Which means that for an automatic 'fire+relocate' reaction that smoke throw would be included.  Is it actually doctrine for Jav teams to use cover smoke anywhere IRL?

[chuckdyke]

1 minute ago, Jabble said:

Once the missile is away then throw smoke and scarper.

You can smoke before he fires if it is available, the unit has thermal sights. Same with NATO MBT's they have thermal sights. Page 62 of the Base Game manual. The Javelin is equipped with an infrared imaging (I2R) system. Combined arms is the answer. Smother the AO with smoke once your intel is complete. NATO units can look through smoke.   

[Jabble]

1 minute ago, chuckdyke said:

You can smoke before he fires if it is available, the unit has thermal sights. Same with NATO MBT's they have thermal sights. Page 62 of the Base Game manual. The Javelin is equipped with an infrared imaging (I2R) system. Combined arms is the answer. Smother the AO with smoke once your intel is complete. NATO units can look through smoke.   

If I have a spare smoke-dispensing MBT hiding in the trees I'll probably just use APFSDS instead of a Jav  

But sure, having some infantry with smoke grenades seems a good idea - I've never thought to look if it's there.

[chuckdyke]

My MBT's like Abrams, Challenger or Leopard 2 use smoke. Your MBT's can shoot through smoke lots of Syrian armor can't.  Artillery has smoke. The fun started under Patton he used to engage Tigers with smoke (White Phosphor) and HE. I think you like to make the Jav team your heroes. Enemy MBT's react on your armor first that is the time to employ your Javelins. Combined arms are the key and make sure your C2 is working. 

[Jabble]

18 minutes ago, chuckdyke said:

My MBT's like Abrams, Challenger or Leopard 2 use smoke. Your MBT's can shoot through smoke lots of Syrian armor can't.  Artillery has smoke. The fun started under Patton he used to engage Tigers with smoke (White Phosphor) and HE. I think you like to make the Jav team your heroes. Enemy MBT's react on your armor first that is the time to employ your Javelins. Combined arms are the key and make sure your C2 is working. 

I'm currently playing through the rather good "Phase Line green" in CMBS, where I have a few Strykers (with Javs on board) but no MBTs. While I might wish for something heavier, there's no cavalry to the rescue.  The map has plenty of trees & reverse slopes, so opportunities are there to scout, hide, dash and take out enemy armour.  Much of the fun of CM is to find solutions with the available toolset, and a few engine enhancements to better reflect reality would help that.

[chuckdyke]

2 minutes ago, Jabble said:

in CMBS,

I don't have CMBS I understand the Russian forces have ordnance comparable with western forces. Whether you play WW2 or 21st century I would employ as much fire power as possible. Basically, SMEAC and METT-TC. Situation yours and the enemy, Execution Who, What Where. Administration and Logistics. Control and Communications. Always look at METT-TC. In the 21st century games I used MBT as if it were WW2 tanks. It is an entirely different beast. Only one way to drive them full speed they shoot more accurate at 3km than a WW2 tank standing still at 500mtrs. 

[Jabble]

22 minutes ago, chuckdyke said:

I don't have CMBS I understand the Russian forces have ordnance comparable with western forces. Whether you play WW2 or 21st century I would employ as much fire power as possible. Basically, SMEAC and METT-TC. Situation yours and the enemy, Execution Who, What Where. Administration and Logistics. Control and Communications. Always look at METT-TC. In the 21st century games I used MBT as if it were WW2 tanks. It is an entirely different beast. Only one way to drive them full speed they shoot more accurate at 3km than a WW2 tank standing still at 500mtrs. 

Yes, the various tech levels are on a par, more symmetrical than CMSF2.  However, that doesn't mean every scenario is so balanced - there are plenty of challenging ones involving a lightweight group trying to deal with a heavier adversary, like the above one I mentioned.  You can use a toolbox in many different ways.

[RMM]

Ability to turn off Wx effects such as rain due to graphics drag and lag in 'lessor' machines.

[RMM]

Points reward for buddy aiding; ie. you essentially save a wounded comrade from later dying. Will make it more realistic in the sense that players will want to try and save their PxlTrppn, but will have to weigh the risks and costs involved. A soldier thus 'saved' would count less towards enemy's victory points for casualties inflicted. Maybe only worth half of a dead one?

[RMM]

Could really use the ability to see in the UI what other weapons a soldier has. For instance, I have a UK Airborne Light Mortar Section, and the mortar carrier shows the smoke-bomb weapon icon, but what's his other armament? Normally, it's a Bren gun, but zooming in on the actual soldier, there's no depiction at all, not even the mortar! I know the game will switch weapon depictions automatically, depending on what the soldier is using in the moment, but it would help me to know for ammo purposes, because at the mo, the unit only has 9mm ammo. If he has a .303 weapon (Lee Enfield or Bren), then I need to get them some appropriate ammo.

Maybe a right-click in the UI, on that soldier, could pull up the other weapon icons?

[chuckdyke]

Click the weapons on the interface and the TacAI highlights the position of the trooper.

[RMM]

2 minutes ago, chuckdyke said:

Click the weapons on the interface and the TacAI highlights the position of the trooper.

Yeh, I use that feature a lot, but the problem is that the actual graphic of the soldier in the game doesn't always fully render everything, and in this case, it shows him completely weaponless! I've come across this elsewhere though, particularly for soldiers that have a light mortar or some such, it would be really helpful to be able to see in the UI what personal weapon they, otherwise have.