Perchpole Posted February 12, 2001 Share Posted February 12, 2001 Hi, all. I'd just like to take this oportunity to register my heartfelt thanks and compliments to the creators of Combat Mission. I only downloaded the demo a few short hours ago - and already I am absolutely hooked. I could go on spouting platitudes but I think one sentence pretty-much somes up the way that I feel. In short: Combat mission is the wargamer's wargame. That may not suit everyone but I think it's a fitting accolade for such a superb piece of software.</P> Having said that, however, and just to ensure that my ramblings aren't overly gushing there is one fly in the ointment - that I hope someone will pluck out. One of the demo scenarios includes Artillery Spotters on the side of the Allies. If you choose to play the Axis in this scenario, it soon becomes patently clear that if you want to spare your troops from repeated artillery barrages, the best thing to do is to target the enemy spotters. The net result of this is that at the begining of the scenario, most of your forces will be employed hunting down one or two man-sized targets - which is just daft! On several occassions I've decided to ignore the column of Shermans advancing on my lines - in favour of launching everyhting I've got in the direction of the bloke with the binoculars standing on top of the hill!</P> The primary cause of this problem appears to be in the way that the game reliably informs you of the enemy's positions. Simply place your cursor over an enemy figure, for example, and you will be told (more often than not) exactly what that figure is - which is silly. I've got pretty good eyesight, but even I couldn't tell if a figure, standing on the other side of a valley, were an enemy observer, a postman or even a cross-dressing pastry chef from the local eaterie.</P> Ultimately, and as a leading American once said:That's too much information! In other words, whilst I welcome the so-called "unit-info" about my own troops, any visual data about the enemy should be limited to what I can see on the battlefield.</P> Other than this small gripeCombat Mission is a wholly fantastic experience. I trust there'll be plenty more to come.</P> Perchpole Northampton, England Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forever Babra Posted February 12, 2001 Share Posted February 12, 2001 uh... are you using Fog of War? What you describe doesn't seem to happen in the hundreds of games I've played. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
109 Gustav Posted February 12, 2001 Share Posted February 12, 2001 Originally posted by Perchpole: Ultimately, and as a leading American once said:That's too much information! In other words, whilst I welcome the so-called "unit-info" about my own troops, any visual data about the enemy should be limited to what I can see on the battlefield.</P> Try turning Fog of War on. That way, you will be able to identify units as Infantry (could be anything), then Machine gun?/Infantry Squad/Antitank team/etc. Only when the enemy gets really close can you make a postitive identification. As for the artillery, when you get the full version and you don't know where the spotters are, you'll spend less time hunting for them, because it's usually useless to go running around behind enemy lines looking for one or two guys. To reduce the effectiveness of arty, don't bunch up your troops, and don't open fire until you have to. ------------------ Well my skiff's a twenty dollar boat, And I hope to God she stays afloat. But if somehow my skiff goes down, I'll freeze to death before I drown. And pray my body will be found, Alaska salmon fishing, boys, Alaska salmon fishing. -Commercial fishing in Kodiak, Alaska Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sten Posted February 12, 2001 Share Posted February 12, 2001 Perchpole, Wellcome to the game. The info given to you is very much depending on A) the spotted units behaviour, weather and time of day, and C) the quality of the unit spotting the enemy. The drawback of "too much info" still exists, but as you get to play the full game more, I'm sure that you'll see this as less and less of a problem. As for the realism of dedicating large portion of your forces hunting down spotters, this is very realistic (IF you have the crucial information of their mere existence AND their general whereabouts ). FOs were (and, to a lesser degree, are) considered VERY high priority targets. The trick is to learn to read the terrain well enough to deny the enemy any spotting opportunities and to behave in a manner that allows your FOs to spot the target without being spotted themselves. This is quite hard, but certainly doable. Also, remember that in the demo you have the ENORMOUS advantage of knowing what forces are at the enemies disposal, since you have played the same scenario before. This will not be so in almost any of the games you will play once you get the full game. Would you behave in the same way as you are now if you didn't know the enemy has a FO? Best regards, Sten ------------------ Sten Keep your whisky on the rocks and your tanks on the roll. [This message has been edited by Sten (edited 02-11-2001).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Big Time Software Posted February 12, 2001 Share Posted February 12, 2001 Hi Perchpole, OK, as the others have said it looks like you aren't playing with Fog of War on. Huge difference Still, your soldiers are usually experienced enough to make propper identification of enemy units, depending on circumstances of course. For example, if you have a unit that is experienced, has binocluars (like an HQ unit for example), and is not being shot at, it might very well be able to tell that a unit at 500m, in clear terrain, on a bright sunny day, is PROBABLY an artillery spotter. Two guys moving around with a large radio set strapped onto the back of one leaves little room for doubt Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest *Captain Foobar* Posted February 12, 2001 Share Posted February 12, 2001 Personally, I am a coward with my FO's. I rarely get them any closer than 800 meters of enemy positions. I just use indirect fire, without LOS, and wait a little longer for the barrage to come in. Sure, it's a pain to wait longer, but at least I dont lose any spotters before firing all their shells.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ales Dvorak Posted February 12, 2001 Share Posted February 12, 2001 C.F., yes , but 2 min. looks like a century! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goanna Posted February 12, 2001 Share Posted February 12, 2001 I agree with Fubar, he is a coward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OGSF Posted February 12, 2001 Share Posted February 12, 2001 Aye, Ah hafta gae wi' tha Lizard Boy on thas wun. MacOberGruppen*Stompin*Fuhrer** ------------------ You posture more than Marcia Brady with books on her head and you chatter like a dolphin near the fish bucket. - Dalem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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