The Church of Death: CE spoiler (if there's ANYONE who hasn't played it ?)

[Mark IV]

This is the story of an evil little man, his veteran infantry squad, and a church apparently used to store paint thinner and oily rags. It may be one of the last war stories here based on CE in the Gold Demo, but I just had to talk to someone about it.

I moved an entire healthy platoon into the CE church to fire on the Germans in the little woods east of the church. You may recall that there is also a stand of trees just north of the church. Both were lousy with German infantry.

As my platoon snuck through the church to assume firing positions, a squad fired a few rounds at the infantry unit in the north stand of trees. Now this unit was facing 90 degrees away from the church, west, busily firing at my troops elsewhere.

Suddenly the unit launched a Panzerfaust (at right angles to their facing!) at my squad. The entire church instantly burst into flames! My squads panicked, ran out directly into the fields of fire of most of a German company, and ran in little circles!! They were massacred.

This is the greatest single one-shot disaster I have ever suffered in this game. How advisable moving an entire platoon into the church is, is another matter.

It's hard enough to get German infantry to fire the 'fausts at tanks. I didn't know they could fire at right angles while targeting elsewhere (makes sense, just didn't know they could). And the effects of that little shaped-charge on a large stone building were startling. Seemed a bit unlikely.

JWorthing is the gentleman responsible for this un-christian act, and he is now merrily mopping me up.

[Thomas Norton]

I have/had a German platoon with support in that church of death.

They had beaten off two attacks, and were even starting to think maybe they would take the fight to the forward American postions in front of their position.

That was before the immoblized Sherman fired twice at the church. The first shot did no damage. The second shot blew the entire church up. Got one of those big shock waves, then rubble. No one on the top floor survived. Could not even find the bodies for awhile.

That was a shot from hell.

[Juju]

In CE, I usually flatten a building first, BEFORE I set foot in it!

------------------

I've just about had it with sig's

[ThomasZ]

I admit I've had the church go up in flames (much to my glee as I'd just fled the building in the face of 2 advancing american platoons) but I've also stood my ground in the building and watch as tanks banged away at it in vain, all the while my troops, in relative cover, were able to make quick work of an infantry charge from the trees across the road.

I guess it's a matter of luck, sometimes it goes up, others it doesn't.

[Guest Germanboy]

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

In CE, I usually flatten a building first, BEFORE I set foot in it!

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I learned the hard way, from Major Tom actually, that the only good building in CM is rubbled. When I march into the Valley of Trouble, I make sure that the peasants occupying Plomville get a chance to upgrade their housing stock before my men are even off the start-line. SOP in the Allied armies, SOP in my command.

------------------

Andreas

The powers of accurate perception are often called cynicism by those who do not possess them. (forgot who said it)

[Murx]

I can't find anything special in a squad grunts firing in combat in several directions. A man can turn very fast and shoot in a different direction - But don't expect that from tanks, StuGs or even manpower operated sIG s !

murx

[Mark IV]

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

I can't find anything special in a squad grunts firing in combat in several directions. A man can turn very fast and shoot in a different <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I was surprised because the target line never appeared to change- they were still firing rifles at another unit.

I was more surprised to see the church go up from a Pf hit, though.

[Formerly Babra]

Well, it's no consolation, but churches got windows -- big ones usually.

[Doug Beman]

And they also float in water!

DjB

[Buckeye]

From what I recall, BTS said that Fausts fire independent of the target line. So squads can be firing their rifles/smgs toward other units, and still get off a Faust in some other direction. You won't see the target line change.

[Mark IV]

Yep, I can confirm that (Pf at right angles w/no target line). Got the screenshot, the movie, and the tee-shirt.

The large windows were awfully convenient for Panicking directly onto the Wehrmacht target range- saved walking around to the entrance and paying a fee.

The contractor who supplied the flammable granite, on the other hand, should be prosecuted.

[Guest grunto]

dude sounds like jworthing strikes again as germans in ce. i was amis against him in that and somehow our game got lost but during the time we were playing it was hell... that guy is good. i think he liked some of my moves but for the most part he had me frittering away my force piecemeal.

andy

[Mark IV]

We had a really interesting tank battle, but when it came down to the grunts he frittered mine all at once.

I made some blunders and rolled some snake-eyes, but no asterisks here, he does very well. You make your luck and he made his.

[MrPeng]

My best CE Church story was playing against the hated Elvira: He was the germs and I was the amis. We were slugging it out late in the game. He still held the high woods on the german right. I had the rubble of the two story house, and the wooded hill on the american right. The flag in the road by the church was a big question mark. the chruch was filled with god only knows whom or what. I swung my last sherman wide to the american left and began to hammer away at the chruch. schrecks exploded all around the tank but I held my ground. at second 59 the sherman fired its very last round of HE at the church and RUBBLED it. the next turn I human waved my platoon from the american wooded hill toward the reamins of the church and swept the area with mg fire from the sherman. The next turn elvis surrendered.

Peng sez "elvis died a lot then"

[Mark IV]

(sniff) That was beautiful. CM makes the best bedtime stories.

Hopefully it was the Gold demo, with the 5 kiloton shockwave when the church goes down? That is SO satisfying (unless you're the one in it).

[Guest *Captain Foobar*]

Yesterday I had my first Stug ever killed by a normal infantry squad.

A brutal and enjoyable tank battle took place, and a panzerschreck actually saved the day! He fired a 1st shot kill that kept Jens alive long enough to kill the last Sherman.Unt Jens was the only functional AFV left on the field, and with only 9 HE rounds left, I had to make the most of it....

As soon as the last Sherman got himself perished, I charged my Stug forward from his position beside the Church, and made a right turn, towards the 2-story building on the North side of the map.

The amis had already been forced back out of the 2 story objective bldg, but I found 2 squads of them holed up in a 1-story house on the way to it.

Well, by this time, I was already within 50m, and feeling cocky, so I thought I would try and intimidate them into evacuating.) I was out of HE, and trying to improvise) I drove my Stug within 10m of the house, and start blazing away with the MG's

One squad panics and runs into the wheat field. As the second squad reaches the panic stage, and starts turning to run, they casually loft a grenade in my direction....and PLINK. Those bastards must have thrown in in through a viewport or something.

The funny part was that they were too panicked to capitalise on it, and my stunned crewmen crawled out to occupy the building.

And then, all that was left was a human wave mop-up exercise, and giggling to myself as I review the AAR screen.

I still cant believe I am having this much fun with a DEMO

[This message has been edited by *Captain Foobar* (edited 06-18-2000).]