Some Combat Mission Myths

[manchildstein (ii)]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by JasonC:

To make more tactically correct bocage, don't use the terrain type with that name (which is a tall wall or fence, practically). Instead, make a "berm" 1 elevation level higher than the terrain on either side, with a line of scattered trees or woods along it. (Use scattered trees to allow vehicles through but with a chance of bogging, woods to disallow vehicle passage in this or that spot).

<hr></blockquote>

i did just that in my scenarios on the 17th ss pzgd attack toward carentan

it seems to work well.

it's a funny thing; the other people who end up playing these things seem to always do much better than i - the scenario designer.

[WWB]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by manchildstein II:

first of all, even in small battles, it appears to me that the ai on the attack always leads with tanks.

this would be fine if they were portraying an armored breakthough and tried to move fast through the enemy, but the ai's tanks generally move normally or hunt, with the infantry _behind_ them. this tends to lead to the tanks getting chewed and the infantry then attempting to finish the attack without tank support.

[snip]

the victory flags need to be generic, and the scenario designer able to set their point value.

if the coding were done so the ai took its cues from 'scenario designer input' then this game would really rock!

<hr></blockquote>

It appears the AI leads with tanks, but it is really the AI leads with the fastest unit avaliable. Actually, it is more like the AI moves forward like a horde lemmings and tanks happen to be faster than infantry.

Damn good point on the flags. That might well do wonders to get the AI following the proverbial 'trail of breadcrumbs.'

WWB

[Berlichtingen]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Joel:

Don't you think Jason's approach with [barbed Wire + "Wooded Berms"] is interesting as well ?<hr></blockquote>

And this would be more visually apealing than the bocage tile?

[Joel]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Berlichtingen:

And this would be more visually apealing than the bocage tile?<hr></blockquote>

Anything is !

Another drawback, more important, is that only one side sees the barbed wire at the start of the scenario, so the designer has to alternate Allied/Axis wire to balance the amount of information. There is no perfect solution.

But it has the advantage to allow to draw roads with bocage 60 meters wide instead of 100 meters wide with Mensch's approach. That may not be important with very small maps, but as soon as you have several villages and roads interconnected, the 100 meters wide approach either makes the fields far too small or messes up all relative distances between major landmarks.

I think the 2 approaches are not mutually exclusive, each one has its merits and its drawbacks, and they can be employed in different situations.

Joël

[Conscript Bagger]

(Re: woods + wire = bocage)

There's also this to consider.

Yet another option for narrow bocage lanes is not to use a road at all, just parallel lines of bocage. Ground conditions should be dry to reduce bogging on the "road," however.

[Joel]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Offwhite:

(Re: woods + wire = bocage)

There's also this to consider.

<hr></blockquote>

Yes, I checked that in two small test-scenarios I did. It doesn't seem to be a concern because barbed wire and woods are on top of a berm, so anyway the LOS is cut.

This would need further testing though if employed in a "real" scenario.

Joël

[Berlichtingen]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Joel:

Another drawback, more important, is that only one side sees the barbed wire at the start of the scenario, so the designer has to alternate Allied/Axis wire to balance the amount of information<hr></blockquote>

Here's another drawback... each 'unit' of barbed wire counts against CMBO's internal unit limit... Big bocage map would mean few troops (if any at all)

[Joel]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Berlichtingen:

each 'unit' of barbed wire counts against CMBO's internal unit limit... <hr></blockquote>

With 250 units (= more than 4 infantry battalions) on each side, you have some latitude before reaching the limit.

Add to this that you don't need to put wire in every woods tile, which adds to the realistic chaos of the bocage.

But somehow I suddenly get the feeling that you don't really like this idea...

No problem.

Joël