Check LOS / distance from certain spot

[terry1040]

After playing CM for a while, there is only one feature I am missing: I often would like to check the LOS from a spot where currently no unit is located. I know, I could do that via CTRL-click and View 1, but that is a little cumbersome and gives me no idea about the distance from that spot to an enemy unit. When I have selected a friendly unit, I could do this via the menu. IMHO, this feature would really add to the game play.

[Echo]

And how exactly would that be accomplished in real life (on a battle field) without sending a scout to the area to see?

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As I walk through the Valley of Death, I will fear nothing, for I am the meanest mother*#*#** in the valley. (George S. Patton)

[Thomm]

And why can I fly there and see for myself?

[Moon]

You can get a rough idea of LOS when flying there and eyeballing, but you will not get a definitive answer (LOS check). This is a pretty good compromise in my opinion, between the all-knowing view of the player and the limited recon of real combat.

[Phoenix]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by terry1040:

After playing CM for a while, there is only one feature I am missing: I often would like to check the LOS from a spot where currently no unit is located. I know, I could do that via CTRL-click and View 1, but that is a little cumbersome and gives me no idea about the distance from that spot to an enemy unit. When I have selected a friendly unit, I could do this via the menu. IMHO, this feature would really add to the game play.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Fugeddaboutit.

BTS wisely has decided not to put this feature in the game. It's totally unrealistic during game play and would not "enhance" anything.

When you deploy your units during set up you can do it. But not during a game. And that's the way it should be.

[Guest Germanboy]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Thomm:

And why can I fly there and see for myself?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

If you are a good commander, you have a map with contour lines, and know how to read it, because someone trained you for years to do this. So I would see this as an abstraction of the map-reading process. Gives you a good idea, but nothing definite.

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Andreas

It is amazing what you can learn from a good book...

[Bullethead]

I agree that the non-availability of the LOS tool where you don't have units is good for LOS purposes. It forces you to do terrain recon with the low-level view modes and take calculated risks.

OTOH, it would be nice if you could measure distances between points where you don't have units. Such ability would be realistic because in real life you could do this with your map for long distances (ex: how far from Hill 209 to a patch of woods in the Valley by the road?). And for short distances (at least in your own set-up area), you could measure them while doing your in-person terrain recon and eyeballing the LOS.

So how about creating a new tool for the set-up phase only that measures distances only w/out providing any LOS info? You'd use it by clicking on Point A and Point B. If both points are within your set-up areas, then you have accuracy to 1m. If 1 or both points are outside your set-up area, then accuracy is to the nearest 50m or so. And you can only use this in set-up, not during play.

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-Bullethead

jtweller@delphi.com

WW2 AFV Photos: people.delphi.com/jtweller/tanks/tanks.htm

[Guest Big Time Software]

BH, this has been suggested before, but we do not feel that it is necessary either. In our opinion exact measurements are not needed, nor are they realistic to have for the most part (i.e. no squad running through a street would be able to tell that the hill beyond is 432m as the crow flies). Just use the LOS tool from a unit and then make rough estimates based on that. After a while you will most likely find that this only is necessary a couple of times a game. A while ago there was actually a whole thread about estimating.

Bottom line is that exact measurements of distance are not necessary from either a game or realism standpoint. Any realistic situation where you need to know distances ball park estimation is plenty good.

Steve

[Bullethead]

Steve said:

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>In our opinion exact measurements are not needed, nor are they realistic to have for the most part (i.e. no squad running through a street would be able to tell that the hill beyond is 432m as the crow flies).<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Which is why I suggested a) that such a measuring tool be only available in the set-up phase (to avoid the "running down the street problem") and be rounded to some nearest large number depending on location (for the "hill beyond" problem).

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Just use the LOS tool from a unit and then make rough estimates based on that.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

This only really works if a point in question is close to the edge of your set-up area. Then you can temporarily put a unit there, use the LOS tool, and voila. But if you are interested in distances out in no-man's-land--say from points were you want to dash a unit to immediately--you've got to do something else.

Despite many months of exposure, I cannot judge distances with any degree of accuracy in any of the CM views except 5 and 6, where the tile edges are easily visible. MAYBE if I played with the editor enough, I could recognize tile boundaries in other views. However, this is still a pretty cumbersome method and does not provide a very good simulation of looking at a map. This is why I think an interface tool of limited availability is called for.

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-Bullethead

jtweller@delphi.com

WW2 AFV Photos: people.delphi.com/jtweller/tanks/tanks.htm