What's with all the Smoke?

[robo]

In 1.04, still haven't seen the AI make a standard bombardment while defending or in a meeting engagement. All I've seen are these massive smoke barrages.

[Guest Michael emrys]

Cool! I am just beginning to set up my first 1.0.4 QB and that should make things a lot easier.

Michael

[Guest ACTOR]

Well in a recent scenario I was testing, the AI pounded my boys stationed on a hill.

There was ZERO smoke coming in...all HE!

This was V 1.04 as well.

[Berlichtingen]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>All I've seen are these massive smoke barrages.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Massive smoke barrages can be quite effective. I'm glad to hear the the AI now uses them.

[Phoenix]

It's not that they weren't using them before I don't think, but it's really weird behavior now. It's been mentioned on another thread. Everytime I've played a QB and been waxing the computer, the AI then (after it's too late) comes down with massive smoke and a half hearted attack.

Also, several bizarre instances of AT guns and tanks firing smoke at the enemy, when they should NOT be firing smoke.

Something happened with 1.04 to cause this.

[Guest mch]

I've seen it work this way:

Spotted Armor:smoke

Spotted infantry:HE

[WendellM]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>

Spotted Armor:smoke

Spotted infantry:HE

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I've seen an odd result when both armor and infantry are spotted. I was playing a "tactical what-if" scenario with the AI's attacking American infantry force against my defending 1000-point Heer armor force in a village in March '45. I had an MG team, two rifle platoons, and three arty spotters, but my main firepower came from my three Panthers. I used 1.04.

The early game went as you might expect. The AI moved his force closer, staying in woods. I opened up with my off-map arty as he closed. Once they ran out of ammo and he began moving against the village, I opened up with my MG and rifle squads from the two-story buildings and moved my Panthers out to fire on his infantry.

This resulted in the expected "meat-grinder" with infantry advances being disrupted by mixed rifle and tank MG/main gun fire. He was moving up to within 200-100 yards of my front.

After a few turns of this, the AI started firing smoke at me - all over my Panthers and buildings. If these had been HE rounds they might have surpressed/injured my infantry (some were in light buildings).

With all this smoke, I expected an infantry charge to take advantage of this, but that never came - just light moving up of infantry squads. One penetrated into my center, but was destroyed within a few turns. Around the same time, a lone Platoon HQ charged one of my Panthers and was gunned down a turn later.

Later, the AI fired a line of smoke right in front of my Panthers. I scooted them up past it and continued fighting. The Americans didn't use this to charge, just to make a partial and leisurely advance of his rearward forces toward nearer woods (perhaps two squads did make advances toward my line, but were easily repulsed). Eventually the smoke cleared, and my rifle units opened fire again.

Still later, the AI again fired a line of smoke in front of my advanced Panthers. I found a few more-forward spots for the tanks to move to in order to keep firing. Again, the Americans only partially advanced their rear units into nearer clumps of woods - no big charge (again, only around two isolated squads moved on my line).

During all of this, I never received an HE barrage. That smoke had to be coming from units capable of firing HE, but all I got was smoke.

As it was, I ended up winning a total victory when the AI surrendered (I was still in a defensive posture). If either (a) HE had been used to suppress/damage my infantry, or ( the AI had taken advantage of my smoke-caused blindness with a simultaneous advance of his overwhelming quantity of infantry, then things probably would have been much different.

[This message has been edited by WendellM (edited 08-24-2000).]