Target a sound contact !?

[Puff the Magic Dragon]

I noticed sometimes that the Tac AI let my units target a sound contact - how can it be?

[Gpig]

I've never seen that happen.

I know that sometimes, a sound contact can turn into a "tank" contact. These "tank" contact graphics look just like the sound contact graphics. The boxy gray 3D tanks. *THESE* "tank" icons you CAN target. AND destroy them. I've KO'd "tank" contacts before. But Sound contacts aren't really there (of course).

If this isn't what you're getting at, it also might be a difference between your Line Of Sight tool/order, and your Target tool/order. Your LOS tool will "stick" to a sound contact (I believe) when you move your pointer to it, just like it would one of those last known enemy location flags/stars. But the Target order will not let you target sound contacts (I believe) or those little enemy location flags/stars.

Hope this helps.

Gpig

[YankeeDog]

I wasn't aware that you couldn't but if you ask me you SHOULD be able to target sound contacts - but targeting sound contacts should be treated the same as when you target something that is out of the targeting unit's LOS. Say you had a Tank Sounds contact coming from just behind a rise, and an AT gun position to cover the crest. This would allow you to 'target' the sound contact so the gun would be on the lookout for a tank cresting the rise somewhere around where the sound is coming from, giving the gun a slightly faster 1st shot when the tank crests the ridge.

I dunno. Just a thought.

[Phantom Rocker]

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[ 11-17-2001: Message edited by: Phantom Rocker ]</p>

[Puff the Magic Dragon]

Mh, maybe I misinterpreted something. I thought the generic markers are used for sound contacts only. I will take a look when it happens again.

[SuperTed]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Puff the Magic Dragon:

Mh, maybe I misinterpreted something. I thought the generic markers are used for sound contacts only. I will take a look when it happens again.<hr></blockquote>

Puff,

I believe you are referring to unspecified visual contacts. Those are the ones marked "infantry?," "tank?," or "light armor?." These CAN be targetted. Sound contacts have the same designations except that they are also identified as "Sound Contact." These units are not "solid" and CANNOT be targetted.

I hope that answers your question.

[Bullethead]

YankeeDog said:

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Say you had a Tank Sounds contact coming from just behind a rise, and an AT gun position to cover the crest. This would allow you to 'target' the sound contact so the gun would be on the lookout for a tank cresting the rise somewhere around where the sound is coming from, giving the gun a slightly faster 1st shot when the tank crests the ridge.[/QB]<hr></blockquote>

Depending on the range, you can have the gun place an ambush marker on your ridge crest. That works well enough. If you can't get an ambush marker there, you can at least have the gun pivot to face that direction. This way, when it spots the tank, it doesn't have to waste time training around to line up with it.

[von Murrin]

As has been said, you cannot target sound contacts, but can target generic contacts. What probably happened is your troops/tanks/whatever opened fire as soon as it changed from sound to generic contact.

This is more of an environmental effect of the FOW system than anything else. TQ has an effect, but this happens mostly in heavy fog, night/fog, or especially in night/heavy fog. You'll see it sometimes in night or rain.

One of the clearest examples of this was when I was playing a QB in night/heavy fog and a sound contact appeared 20m-30m behind a Stuart of mine. The crew freaked out and opened up resulting in a KO. Later some ground-pounder or other walked by and the "tank" contact became a KT! I laughed so hard I almost choked.