Question on armor targeting

[Colonel Warden]

I'm new so please excuse this if it's stupid. I'm playing "Blenhiem Blunder (armor only)" as Germans against the AI. I have snuck up four IVEs and two IIIJs into a draw on the left flank of the British armor with the intention to spring an ambush on the large cluster of Stuarts and Grants. I think I'm in a good spot and send all six tanks up to spring the ambush. What happened was very surprising. My tanks ended up shooting up the Stuarts (eight KO) and two armored cars but failed to target the Grants that were mixed into the group. I know that you are suppose to used the cover arcs to pick out specific targets but it looks like my tankers went for the easy kills (Stuarts) instead of going for the bigger threats (Grants). I had two Grants turned away from me with their flanks exposed and they didn't get targeted.

Are there any alternatives here. Any way to tell the gunners to target the real big tanks and ignore the ones with the little squirrel guns.

[Kingfish]

During the order phase of each turn you can manually select what target your tank will engage, and it will give you a hit percentage as well as what chance (rare, good, etc) it believes it has at killing the target.

However, keep in mind that your tank may simply disregard your orders and shoot at something else. The TAC A.I. will determine which tank is the best target (based on hit / kill percentage), or bigger threat, and target those instead.

[Slappy]

The algorithim that determines targeting in game is a little confusing. It uses a combination of threat magnitude and kill chance to determine the actual target. Here are some outcomes given my experience. Actual results may vary.

Given two identical targets (two grans say) it will target the one that it has the best chance to kill. Sometimes this will mean targeting the Grant with its side facing you rather than the one pointing at you (bigger actual thread due to hull mounded gun). I don't think 'current threat' counts, just 'general vehicle threat'.

For two mismatched potential targets, it will generally take the bigger threat (Grant over Stewart). Unless, that is, the chance to kill on the bigger threat drops below some threshold. I think this is 'low' or worse on the kill chance. So if it has a bad chance at taking down the big threat, it will focus on the smaller. The AI in a Sherman will almost always target a PzIV before a Panther for example due to this rule unless it was a front shot on the IV and a rear on the V. Of course that's if you can get your Sherman to stand its ground at all v. a Panther and not pop smoke and run.

Hope this helps.

[Colonel Warden]

In response to Kingfish: I should have mentioned that none of my tanks has LOS on any target at the beginning of the turn. They were all popping the the crest of a rise and opening fire on the AI selected targets. So, I could not target the Grants.

After reading Slappy's response, I guess that this could simulate real life. After all, your tank gunners may have have a couple of seconds to make a decision and they don't know what the other gunners are decided. You might have one gunner go after a Stuart thinking it's in his lane and you might have another gunner target the same one.

If the game simulates real life then may be this is now it works. If I replay the turn, maybe the tanks will make different decisions. Maybe I'll try it and see how the AI reacts.

[mrpwase]

Originally posted by Colonel Warden:

In response to Kingfish: I should have mentioned that none of my tanks has LOS on any target at the beginning of the turn. They were all popping the the crest of a rise and opening fire on the AI selected targets. So, I could not target the Grants.

Lies! If your tanks are already moving at the start of the turn and the Grants come into view in the first 5 seconds or so (more for slower-turreted vehicles, I think), then you can target the Grants even though you have no LOS, and it will stay on target for a moment just in case the tank reappears - or in this case, your tank maneuvres into a good position.