Artillery: RoT question

[exSpecForSgt]

Even though I've been playing CMxx for quite a while, there are a number of things I just can not for the life of me figure out. I'm hoping someone here can answer my questions and/or answer in a manner I can understand (and accept...).

Let's start with RoT ("Rounds on Target" - a specific part of a 'Fire Request'). But first, a slight degression. If I start a scenario with something like "FO, 105mm, 20 rounds", what =EXACTLY= does that mean? Does it mean I have one tube assigned to me, with 20 rounds (total) available? Or is it an entire battery (6 tubes/arty pieces) with 20 rounds between them? Or an entire battery with 20 rounds per piece? Or just what?! Obviously there is a =big=, and =very= important, difference in how this is answered.

In any case, I have my FO target something and, suddenly, before I can do anything, all my rounds are expended and the damn target is still there, or, even worse, it's knocked out and rounds are still falling!! How?! Why?! What the heck is going on?!

Now, maybe I just don't (=really=) understand how this game works, but I thought it was supposed to be the most realistic thing on the market. Now, I =know= what is entailed in a 'Fire Request' -- I've made a few of them in RL -- and I know that part of it is for how many rounds you want fired at this particular time. This is especially important if you only have a limited number of rounds available for your entire 'action'...

So why does CMxx blow everything at once?! How can I 'correct' this? Hmmm, presuming this -can- be 'corrected', that it's not just another glitch in the program.

[Krazy Canuck]

You seem to be experiencing the same *lack of faith* in your artilary as I. For some reason the enemies is always more effective than mine. I did a quick search and found this , hope it helps you more than it has me.

KC

[Dook]

The number of rounds available to your FO is the total number of rounds for all the tubes availabe. IIRC, an earlier version of CMBO gave the number of rounds available per tube but some people found that confusing.

As for controlling the number of rounds on target, you have encountered one of the limitations of the CM system. Once that minute of play starts, you don't have any control over what happens. That doesn't mean you have no control over the number of rounds fired in any one fire mission though. If you know the rate of fire, you can fool around with the targeting to adjust the delay and exert some control over the number of rounds fired. Not perfect, but the only solution I know.

[JasonC]

The ammo listing is total rounds. The number of tubes is usually 4, and if different from that the FO type says so in the unit information window. Some have only 2 tubes (e.g. some German regimental howitzer batteries), some have 6 or 9 (e.g. Russian 82mm mortar batteries). The FO represents the support of one battery of guns with a definite total ammo limit for the whole battery. Multiple rocket launcher batteries have almost as many tubes as ammo, because each tube is counted.

You are not encountering a limit of CMBB, you are encountering the prep barrage feature, methinks.

If you order a fire mission on turn 1 (only), it is not considered an ordinary fire mission but instead a pre-planned "map fire" barrage, unadjusted by the FO. Line of sight is not necessary. The barrage is always accurate. It lands immediately, firing commencing without delay. The entire module of artillery is fired at the single target selected.

The time this fire lands can be adjusted. The default is right at the start of the scenario - a "prep fire" or pre battle bombardment. The time can be adjusted upward in 1 minute increments, by pressing the "Q" key. Preplanned fires land as ordered even if the FO is dead or has left the map.

So if you want to set a fire plan to hit these woods on turn 4 with this module, and that building on turn 7 with that module, you may. Pre planned bombardments are commonly used by very high delay module types, like Russian corps and army level batteries. Which otherwise face 10-15 minute delays between order and execution.

Starting on turn *2*, ordinary FO adjusted, observed fire missions can be ordered. With those, some error in the aim is possible - particularly if the target is out of LOS of the FO. The fire is delayed from the time it is ordered, some as little as 2 minutes, average batteries 4-5 minutes, some much longer.

Called missions will fire a spotting round or two in the final minute, before the actual fire for effect. During the fire for effect, all guns will fire in ragged salvos, and you will see the delay clock go to the minimum time between successive rounds for that type of gun. When that again gets to zero, the next "flight" is "on the way".

A target reference point (TRP - a "fortification" type available to defenders, representing a registered "concentration") makes called fire always accurate with or without LOS and lets the barrage land within 1 minute - 30-45 seconds being typical. Only for aim points within 20m of the TRP, though.

Once ordered, the delay clock ticks down until the battery starts firing. The aim point can be "walked" in small "adjusts", at the cost of some incremental delay. If already falling, a small adjustment typically causes 30-45 seconds delay, thus allowing some rounds to continue falling but at a reduce rate of fire that minute. Larger adjustments call for a whole new delay clock. You can tell the difference by the color of the targeting line - green means a short delay.

Your control over the rounds fired per mission comes from your ability to cancel or adjust the existing mission or give a new aim point for a fresh one. If you leave it alone, the battery will fire on its last given target until its ammo limit has been reached, then cease fire. If you want to stop after 1 minute of fire, "cancel". If you want to lower the rate of fire, you can "walk" the shells slightly and get half a minute or so.

Target wide gives a scattered pattern, whereas the default sheaf is a tight oval with a long axis along the axis of fire (which is hard coded as east west). In it is "point target" sheaf, in other words. The "wide" sheaf is appropriate for a whole battalion of guns (3 FOs) firing a large mission, at a company or battalion sized target. Rocket sheafs are that large by default, due to inherent innaccuracy. They also come down practically instantly.

I hope this helps.

[ May 11, 2003, 09:35 PM: Message edited by: JasonC ]