Tank Orders Itself Off Map, How Clever

[MichaelU]

First of all, I haven't posted on this forum since late 2000, so forgive my complete lack of knowledge of all posts, Peng threads, Waffles and in-forum feuds that have no doubt developed since then. My only excuse is that right at the start of 2001 an unfortunate event happened to me - I got a job that required me to actually do some work.

So I'm playing this CMAK game, right, and I have some tanks near the back edge of the map who need to scoot along said edge to new and exciting firing positions. So I draw nice "fast move" lines, with the tanks supposed to follow each other in a neat single file. But one tank commander is a bit slow to get moving, and rather than wait, another tank commander plots a path around him. All this happens during the movie turn, and I watch flabbergasted, that's right, flabbergasted, as the second tank just drives off the back of the map. I assume his replot happened to go right off the map. I guess it's vino and women in Rome right now for that guy.

Anyone else seen this happen?

[Gpig]

No.

If you can find that dude, it's grounds for court martial!

Unlucky, that. I did not think it possible. (accidental off-map route-laying, that is. I've seen plenny of "on purpose scaredy-cat off-map route laying.)

Gpig

[tooz]

I haven't seen vehicles exit but I have had shaken infantry exit (routed and broken I can understand, but shaken units run away?).

I am in the middle of playing the Benghazi op (very good, by the way) and I have a problem with armored cars and halftracks refusing to cross the large bridge at the bottom left of the map. Instead of following my plotted move-they fast move the completely opposite direction! :confused:

I have to keep sending them on the right way until they give in and follow my orders. At first I was thinking that the cars and halftracks are afraid to cross the bridge because they are in LOS of a faraway ATG, but their direction actually brings them into LOS of more enemy units. Consequently, a few of these wayward vehicles get picked off. :mad:

This has been the only time that I havenoticed this. Curious.

[Altraum]

Don't remeber the scenario, but I had a Panzer IV go off map in a really thight curve. I liked to take the full advantage off the left side of map, and set the waypoint towards the edge, then a turn to follow the map edge. As it happened the tank went towards the map edge, started to turn, and continued off the map at a 45 deg angel. Morale; discuss all moves with tank drivers in advance before executing them...

[Dschugaschwili]

So, give your tanks some extra space to maneuver. Keeping a safety distance of 10-20m from the map edge should prevent these accidents from happening.

Dschugaschwili

[stikkypixie]

Check the CMBB forum, there's a thread about the exact same problem.

[GreenAsJade]

Gamey map-edge-hugging blighters deserve all they get

[flamingknives]

It's a game feature, to stop gamey people map-edge-hugging for out-flanking maneuvers.

[Redwolf]

Originally posted by stikkypixie:

Check the CMBB forum, there's a thread about the exact same problem.

Actually the CMBB thread is about a slightly different problem.

The case presented here is about a path rewritten on a collision with another vehicle.

CMBB suffers from paths being automatically rewritten without collision, as a result of a fast move directly followed by a sharp turn (to even out the curve). They led to tanks facing their backs to the enemy when the player only plotted forward moves, tanks going off the map, unexpected collisions etc. This has been taken out or made much better in CMAK.

[MichaelU]

Well, I'd say yes, very gamey if I was hugging the left or right side of the map to give myself an invulnerable flank. But on the rear edge?

I will consider myself to have learnt a valuable lesson at the low cost of just one AWOL Sherman. And for others reading this thread, it's a valuable lesson free of charge.

[Sergei]

Hey, look at the bright side - by 'retreating' units off the map, you don't lose points like if you had lost that Sherman in combat.

[MikeyD]

And I always thought flabbergasted has an 'h' in it somewhere (flabberghasted). I looked it up any your spelling is the correct one. Thanks!

Here's the Oxford English dictionary description of the word:

"trans. To put (a person) in such confusion that he does not for the moment know what to do or say; to astonish utterly, to confound. "

[Joachim]

@tooz:

Is the bridge equipped with some neat wire? Only fully tracked vehicles can cross wire. I had a similar problem when I secured a flank by blocking a bridge with wire. The outpost plt got some transport to retreat after ambushing. Tough luck the bridge was the only way fpr vehicles to my perimeter.

If you want to make sure a unit crosses a bridge - plot 1 or 2 waypoints on it. Either in the middle or at the exits. Usually this does the trick.

If you wan tto learn all about bridges - there is a map in the BCR mappack 5 or 7: "Kiev: Bridges of Blood". Several bridges all several hundred meters wide - and you gotta pass islands in the center of the river where you can only get to by boat. You learn how to handle bridges and how to enforce tight traffic control there!

Gruß

Joachim

[karlis]

I'm the one who had a similar post on the CMBB thread. My example of a disappearing tank involved a fast move toward the back, then a right turn. It was explained to me that the TC probably smoothed out the turn, and the replotted turn took him off the map.

On second thought, that tank crew probably deserves some leave; that T-34 resulted in the destruction of a Panther (T-34 fast moving as bait, Panther turns turret to engage, 85mm flak hidden in some trees straightahead about 300-500m away has a fine side turret as a result - BLAMO!) That tank would have been useful for gunning down HMGs and mortar teams, but hopefully I can adapt to its loss.