Convoy?

[kb6583]

Playing "Hot Time in Hatten" as the US. So at several times during this scenario reinforcements arrive on a road leading to Hatten. I Shift-Click and highlight those reinforcements and set waypoints for them to travel up the road to Hatten. Then, after letting the time clock move on, I see my supposed convoy scattered all over the map and definitely not on the route I entered. You know, I really want to like this game but I'm about ready to throw in the proverbial towel.

[womble]

A "Convoy" command has been requested since Day 1 of CMx2, if not before. Apparently, it's too tricky even for Charles to code to work reliably. They've tried, and got versions that left as many people unhappy that it was there as it appeased those who had cried out for it from the peanut gallery for years.

If you have the time, try closely watching what happens when you give that column "waypoints down the road"; it should offer some insight into the factors that an automatic "Convoy" command has to deal with.

[MOS:96B2P]

1 hour ago, kb6583 said:

Playing "Hot Time in Hatten" as the US. So at several times during this scenario reinforcements arrive on a road leading to Hatten. I Shift-Click and highlight those reinforcements and set waypoints for them to travel up the road to Hatten. Then, after letting the time clock move on, I see my supposed convoy scattered all over the map and definitely not on the route I entered. You know, I really want to like this game but I'm about ready to throw in the proverbial towel.

What womble said above.  I'll add; for best results you should give each vehicle individual movement orders and use the Pause command.  Example:  Plot the movement waypoints for the lead vehicle.  Give the second vehicle a 5 second Pause and plot its waypoints.  Give the third vehicle a 10 second Pause and then plot it's waypoints etc.  Use extra care when crossing bridges (entire forum threads on bridges).  Depending on the number of vehicles this can be tedious.  If you have the patience to stick with it the process generally becomes easier with time. 

Most important tip.  When you have problems just come to this forum and ask.  Lots of helpful players, scenario designers, Beta testers and BFC employees to answer your questions and assist.  

[chuckdyke]

1 hour ago, kb6583 said:

Playing "Hot Time in Hatten"

I didn't play this scenario as US but Imo not much to be gained by sticking to the roads too much. Conditions freezing and patchy snow. The US 2½ trucks excellent off road performance. I wouldn't worry too much about roads. Doesn't mean you must drive through mud. 

Edited October 9, 2022 by chuckdyke

[Monty's Mighty Moustache]

56 minutes ago, chuckdyke said:

I didn't play this scenario as US but Imo not much to be gained by sticking to the roads too much. Conditions freezing and patchy snow. The US 2½ trucks excellent off road performance. I wouldn't worry too much about roads. Doesn't mean you must drive through mud. 

I did play this as the US and more or less all the reinforcements start at the back of the town in the roads (I think only one of the tank platoons appears on the right) so you have no choice but to navigate the streets in order to get them out in the open. 

MMM

[chuckdyke]

17 minutes ago, Monty's Mighty Moustache said:

I did play this as the US and more or less all the reinforcements start at the back of the town in the roads (I think only one of the tank platoons appears on the right) so you have no choice but to navigate the streets in order to get them out in the open. 

MMM

Thanks for the clarification. With towns I just put a waypoint on each side of the town and leave the pathfinding to the TacAI vehicles won't try to move through houses. But I won't comment here anymore as I never play defender against the AI. I really enjoyed this scenario playing German as I think it is meant to be played. Regards and happy gaming. 

Edited October 9, 2022 by chuckdyke

[Monty's Mighty Moustache]

8 hours ago, chuckdyke said:

Thanks for the clarification. With towns I just put a waypoint on each side of the town and leave the pathfinding to the TacAI vehicles won't try to move through houses. But I won't comment here anymore as I never play defender against the AI. I really enjoyed this scenario playing German as I think it is meant to be played. Regards and happy gaming. 

I dread to think what the AI would do if I just plotted a waypoint outside of the town and let it do its own thing, I had enough trouble with trucks trying to drive between building as it was when plotting detailed moves with delays

I played it H2H and it was a tough slog, managed a draw which considering how little I started with to defend against that combined arms force I thought was pretty good. I agree about playing as the defender against the AI, it's not something I routinely do unless it's part of a campaign.

MMM

[chuckdyke]

23 minutes ago, Monty's Mighty Moustache said:

I dread to think what the AI would do if I just plotted a waypoint outside of the town and let it do its own thing,

One thing to do is to try it out.

[chuckdyke]

*Warning Spoilers* Not much of a problem in an urban environment. As long as you have some waypoints I just let the lines cross buildings a vehicle will find a path.

Edited October 10, 2022 by chuckdyke

[RockinHarry]

Haven´t played Hatten yet IIRC. Re convoy it´s what´s been said already but like to add couple of things that helps not turning convoys into a total mess.

1. Driver/crew experience level plays a role. The better the experience the faster they move off and start executing their orders. That taking into account when setting up a column so. It could help if least experience vehicles are placed at the end of a column.

2. For road movements it also helps if staggering individual vehicles within a column. A roads "road" attribute is bits wider than what is indicated by the roads ground tile. So there is usually enough space to place vehicles both towards the left and to the right (center) of the road. So if sh*t happens, staggered vehicles can pass each other maintaining their way toward next move point without necessarily bumping into each other.

3. Road speed. Move speed (move, quick, dash) is another factor keeping columns together. Depending upon situation either slower or faster could work better.

4. Road turns of ~30°- 45° should take 2-3 move points so the driver can execute a smooth turn while maintaining speed. Sharp turns (90°) is even more tricky within a column. Combined with all of the above in particular. Usually best is to plot a columns move anew when there´s 90° turns or other "obstacles" that the TacAI is too dumb for.

5. Same applies when setting up AI columns but it´s far more difficult to pull off.