Target Reference Point

[bill clarke]

Can someone explain what these are for ? and how you assign them in a game.

[Kingfish]

TRPs are locations placed on the map which allow both offboard and onboard weapon systems greater accuracy and faster reponse time. Think of them as a pre-registered point on the map which your guns have zeroed in beforehand.

Any onboard unit that has LOS to a TRP will gain an accuracy bonus, but with one condition - they cannot move from where they were initially placed during set up. If they do then they lose all range calculations to the TRP. They can still fire on that spot, but all bonuses from the TRP are lost for the duration of the game.

Onboard mortars can also fire indirectly onto a TRP, and they do not require a spotter with LOS, but the same no-move condition appies.

Offboard artillery spotters do not have any restrictions with regards to TRPs. They can fire onto a TRP at any time, LOS or not, and can move at any time without penalty.

You can purchase these in the editor under the fortification listing.

[tar]

To clarify: TRPs can be placed ANYWHERE on the map, not just inside your setup zones. That allows you to place them in neutral or even enemy territory, so you don't have to be overrun before they are handy.

[junk2drive]

How about a tutorial on guessing where to place them during setup. I always place them at a chokepoint that the enemy doesn't pass through, or a village that is forever empty. The bigger the map the more stressful placement becomes.

My current PBEM, I forgot to place them in setup, DOOH!. Oh well, I would have put them in the wrong place anyway.

[Cull]

Originally posted by junk2drive:

How about a tutorial on guessing where to place them during setup. I always place them at a chokepoint that the enemy doesn't pass through, or a village that is forever empty. The bigger the map the more stressful placement becomes.

My current PBEM, I forgot to place them in setup, DOOH!. Oh well, I would have put them in the wrong place anyway.

I've often wondered about that as I've had the same experience, at least with the AI. Haven't used them that much, but I am convinced they act much like covered arcs (or the "ambush" command from CMBO) in that the AI enemy can apparently see them. Inevitably when I place a TRP or a covered arc with an anti-tank weapon at a likely point, the buggers will move around it every time, or stop just short of it, or whatnot.

Is it all my imagination, or is the AI psychic?

[Dook]

The AI most definitely cannot see TRPs and is extremely vulnerable to them if they are used effectively. Since the AI's route of advance is usually pretty predictable (it follows cover and tends to go for the closest flag), a TRP placed at a likely massing point can devastate AI attackers.

Humans, however, are a different matter. They are sometimes able to predict likely TRP locations and avoid them.

TRPs are very useful on heavily wooded maps where your artillery might have a hard tiime acquiring LOS to their targets.

[PzTwt]

They are also most excellent when used in conditions of inclement weather (see above).

[MikeyD]

I had played the game for more than a year before I found out the TRP covers ALL weapons, not just artilllery. Makes mg fire more accurate, individual troop weapons more deadly. Basically, it's as though the forces had been given the opportunity to go over the ground previously, get accurate range estimates, zero their weapons, etc.

Besides being able to target out of LOS accurately, targetting a TRP also speeds up delivery of artillery greatly. Without the TRP its a 3-5 minute wait (in LOS) for the first round, with a TRP it's often a minute or under! That feature has really saved my bacon a couple times.

[bill clarke]

So once they have been positioned what next ? di I aim my artillary on to that point ?

[Bannon DC]

Originally posted by bill clarke:

So once they have been positioned what next ? di I aim my artillary on to that point ?

Yup. You pretty much have to stay right on target to get the benefit. Maybe about a 15 to 20m diameter. Most artillery will come down that turn. You can adjust your fire the next turn, but you will need a line of sight. So, if your battery has enough ammo, even if the enemy is not right in the bull's eye of the TRP, you can still walk the arty in if you have a decent view of the battlefield.