Infantry Tactics.

[Sgt.Squarehead]

TBH the idea has some potential for counter-terrorist or other unusual scenario concepts.....Complete the mission before the Triggerman spawns/moves, or the reactor melts-down/the bomb goes off/the volcano gods become angry! 

PS - Yes the last one has actually been discussed! 

[MOS:96B2P]

On 8/25/2021 at 3:01 AM, domfluff said:

The technique that Chuck is talking about is placing a movement order on the enemy location, and drawing a target order from there, to find the friendly location you should occupy for LOS.  Obviously, the LOS tool isn't a perfect match for your solider's eyeballs. The LOS tool uses the pre-built lookup table to generate its result, and so this will only be accurate to a limited extent. Individual weapon systems may still end up behind trees, walls, rises in the ground, whatever.  

+1.  Useful, understandable explanation as always.  

[Ultradave]

On 8/25/2021 at 4:01 AM, domfluff said:

Yes, but in reverse.

The technique that Chuck is talking about is placing a movement order on the enemy location, and drawing a target order from there, to find the friendly location you should occupy for LOS. That's potentially a little faster than plotting a movement order, then a target to the enemy location, finding it doesn't work, then plotting another one and re-testing. I don't really agree that it ruins the "integrity" of the game in any real sense.

Obviously, the LOS tool isn't a perfect match for your solider's eyeballs. The LOS tool uses the pre-built lookup table to generate its result, and so this will only be accurate to a limited extent. Individual weapon systems may still end up behind trees, walls, rises in the ground, whatever.

 

Ah, now I get it.

This seems kind of gamey to me (not that having a bird's eye view of what's going on isn't gamey, but still...) But, hey, to each their own.

Dave

[Erwin]

6 hours ago, Ultradave said:

The technique that Chuck is talking about is placing a movement order on the enemy location, and drawing a target order from there, to find the friendly location you should occupy for LOS.

This technique is faster than making dozens of "test LOS" waypoints.  However, since it is still not totally reliable, it doesn't seem gamey -just more efficient and less time-wasting.

[chuckdyke]

On 9/8/2021 at 1:01 AM, Sgt.Squarehead said:

Just saying.

You don't have to script a trigger? The only secure way is to flatten the compound in other words. 

[chuckdyke]

13 hours ago, Ultradave said:

This seems kind of gamey to me (not that having a bird's eye view of what's going on isn't gamey, but still...) But, hey, to each their own.

It is the principle of "Tracers work both ways." If you rehearse a real mission you can find observation posts and fire positions on a topographic map. 

[Ultradave]

And that's what we do all the time by looking at sight lines from our locations.

You normally don't have the luxury of using a straight edge in 3D from the enemy's location to check that.

But like I said. There aren't any rules, so whatever works

Dave

[chuckdyke]

14 minutes ago, Ultradave said:

You normally don't have the luxury of using a straight edge in 3D from the enemy's location to check that.

In RL I can aim through a real riflescope. I came up with this one to save time. Example, I approach a town place a waypoint inside the church steeple and see right away where I can dismount the units, and plot a firing position for an AFV to lob some HE there. Also I can order 30 men to do an area recon, playing a game you must put yourself in the shoes of 30 different characters. I enjoy playing huge scenarios a lot more. An other one playing Soviet and they have next to no radios. So I exploit the Go to Spotter feature. Since an HQ (With or without radios) can always access Mortars this becomes a hypothetical communications link. An attack is artillery led or armor led. I agree we can never get rid of the Camera 4 position which makes the players administration more manageable. If you play PBEM I hate to see bones of contention in which manner one can play the game. Kind regards. 

[Ultradave]

On 9/10/2021 at 8:09 AM, chuckdyke said:

In RL I can aim through a real riflescope.

Like I said before, whatever works for you or anyone else.

[chuckdyke]

Mines, I found there is no need to find it out the 'Hard Way'. I think 'Hunt' is the wrong way to go about it. The fact that in a certain scenarios you have engineers I regard mines like any other enemy unit. One of the purpose of a minefield is to channel your approach in an area of your opponents choosing. While the other units are sorted in their assembly areas, the sappers attack suspected areas. Their approach is on slow on hand and knees. It seems to work no casualties. 

[Erwin]

An engineer unit has a chance of locating a minefield if it simply stays close to a hidden minefield.  But, unless you already know the minefield's location, you don't have time or engineer units to have the engineers sit around suspected minefields hoping that the engineer will detect mines.

As a result, the challenge with mines is that there is no quick way to locate mines if you do not know where they are in the first place - other than moving into a minefield and setting a mine off.  

Once you know the location of a minefield then as chuck says, it is relatively safe to have a unit SLOW move (ie crawl) into the minefield's location.  The faster the unit moves the higher probability of setting off a mine.  So, MOVE may be ok if the minefield is no dense, but it has a higher probability of an explosion than SLOW.

Of course personnel cannot set off AT mines.  So, a vehicle almost certainly has to explode a mine to locate AT mines.

[chuckdyke]

9 hours ago, Erwin said:

But, unless you already know the minefield's location,

Or assume a minefield is there. You start the game with engineers and the terrain has some good OP among bushes and trees. I found crawling a lot saver than go on hunt. Better be exhausted than dead or the player runs out of patience. You may run out of time it is better than to run out of men. 

[Erwin]

9 minutes ago, chuckdyke said:

You start the game with engineers and the terrain has some good OP among bushes and trees.

You must be talking about small scenarios.  Can't effectively locate mines like that on a 2Km x2Km size map... not unless the minefield is marked so you know where it is.

[chuckdyke]

10 minutes ago, Erwin said:

You must be talking about small scenarios.  Can't effectively locate mines like that on a 2Km x2Km size map... not unless the minefield is marked so you know where it is.

You do it with METT-TC M=Mission on the situation map you're warned against mines. E=Enemy if I have no troops there I would protect T=Terrain (KT) with mines. So the Sappers go slow to reach their KT. T= Troops on hand. The FO the Soviets have only one. It is crucial to set up an effective artillery mission. TC is time and communication. The plan is to punch through the German defenses in the last 30 minutes. Communication the Soviets have little or no radio. HQ's must call fire missions to communicate the attack. It is fun. 

[Erwin]

I guess you must be talking about scenarios where you are actually given at least the approx location of minefields.  In many scenarios that is not done.

[chuckdyke]

On 9/17/2021 at 11:34 PM, Erwin said:

In many scenarios that is not done.

You can guess it too. The mini mission is to protect the FO so that he can approach his OP in relative safety. The enemy as he designed and choose the map knows all likely OP's. We further masks his approach by an initial assault. In this mission as the designer has bushes and foxholes already prepared it is reasonable to suspect a 'Lure and Trap; situation.