2 questions, if someone could advise...

[Magnum MGG]

Thanks for your time... again.

1. Is there any way, after a game, to see how well your fighters/bombers did? if they actually got any kills? (like you can with ground units, select and hit enter.)

2. How can I determine effective and maxium range of my mortar units? To target do they have to have a true line of sight? how best to use them, recommendations?

Thank again.

[xerxes]

I think the answer to #1 is no.

Use an HQ to spot for your mortars so they can fire indirect. Direct firing mortars is almost always a bad idea.

[Granger]

I disagree that direct firing mortars is a bad idea. There are times it is good and other times when it won't work. If I can find a nice place to setup behind a platoon with LOS, I might direct fire...especially against single MG units. Other times, I'll setup the HQ and let it do the spotting, such as when I need to mass fire on an area congested with enemies. Depends on what I need 'em at the time.

Why do you not like DFing mortars, Xerxes? Is keeping a mortar safe more a priority than keeping an HQ safe? Or is it more a case of using those weapons platoon HQ's?

[Vergeltungswaffe]

For vehicles and guns, its not too hard to count your ground forces kills and whatever is left, the Flyboys got.

But, if you are interested in infantry kills as well, then you will have to do a lot of adding to determine the kills that are unaccounted for, and so belond to the aircraft.

[Magnum MGG]

I was more or less wondering if they were actually worth using.

My last PBEM game, I had a IL2... attack about 4 turns, it was cool to see him fly over and shoot his rockets... but never knew if he hit anything. lol

[xerxes]

Mortars break fairly easily, then they lose their mortars, then they're useless.

The HQ won't get spotted if you're at all careful. A firing mortar in LOS will most definitely get spotted.

[Silvio Manuel]

Originally posted by Magnum MGG:

I was more or less wondering if they were actually worth using.

My last PBEM game, I had a IL2... attack about 4 turns, it was cool to see him fly over and shoot his rockets... but never knew if he hit anything. lol

I would think that they're pretty valuable... assuming that your opponent doesnt' have substantial AAA and that your planes don't shoot YOU by mistake. They can also provide some indirect intel when they shoot at areas where you can't see any enemy units. They can be a very good investment if they massacre your opp's tanks!

[Tripps]

In regards to Plane Kills, that would be a no. If you are not playing AI you can ask for the opponant to make a note of kills they suffered so that they can tell you after the game.

In regards to adding up all your units kills at the end of the game, i'm not sure this is possible either.

Not that I have tried it, but I think FOW would still be in effect, so it may be your unit has caused 20 casualties, but only registers 10, thats all they can confirm. So following that, your plane would be given 10 kills it did not do

I wish there was an option as well, like, shows your unit(s) with the most kills, he gets a medal or something

In regards to mortars, both having them direct fire and having them as a sort of on map battery with an HQ unit spotting each have there advantages/disadvantages.

I tend to group them (depending on how many I have) in 3-4 mortar teams (had 11 once )with one company HQ spotting for them, the HQ unit heads to something like the second floor of a building, and the mortars are behind the building in a forest or something, within command range of the HQ unit, but hidden from view (good command radius helps here)

OTOH, a single mortar moving up with each of your units can get into a nice position to get LOS to an enemy gun, which the mortar battery might not have that LOS or range to reach.

adapt to the situation

[Tripps]

Originally posted by Magnum MGG:

Thanks for your time... again.

2. How can I determine effective and maxium range of my mortar units?

Thank again.

Oh, for this, hit enter when selected and it will tell you min and max range of the mortar.

I believe they are 'effective' consistantly within this range, depending on experience, bracket/ranging shots etc.

Maybe at longer range it would take more ranging shots tho, not sure.

cheers

[YankeeDog]

Originally posted by Tripps:

In regards to adding up all your units kills at the end of the game, i'm not sure this is possible either.

Not that I have tried it, but I think FOW would still be in effect, so it may be your unit has caused 20 casualties, but only registers 10, thats all they can confirm. So following that, your plane would be given 10 kills it did not do

Actually, it is my understanding that this has been changed for CMBB. As I understand it, in CMBB, on the "Final Map" turn ONLY, actual kills are listed for all units, not just observed kills. I think this is even true for arty spotters, who rarely get "observed kills" that you will see on their info screen during the battle.

AFAIK, there is no way of selecting a FB to see it's kills in the Final Map screen, though, so I guess we're still SOL there.

Another note: On-board mortars' minimum and maximum ranges are indeed on the mortars' info screen. Like most HE weapons, the empirical effectiveness of the weapon does not diminish with range - 500g of HE creates 500g worth of Hurt, whether it hits the ground 100m or 1000m away. However, as you would expect, the accuracy of on-board mortars (and, indeed, all weapons) does fall off somewhat as range increases. At longer ranges, you will see a wider (and deeper) shell dispersal pattern than at shorter ranges. This can be a good or a bad thing. If you're trying to supress a group of infantry units, a little extra dispersal may actually allow you to target several squads with one firing order. OTOH, if you're targeting a single, specific unit like an MG or an ATG, a tighter dispersal pattern is better.

Cheers,

YD

[Tripps]

Originally posted by YankeeDog:

Oh great stuff!

IF your understanding is correct of course

Yeah that was my impression, and also what I have seen in the game so far, makes sense anyways

I wont be a grog and argue tragectories thus differing heights thus differing velocity thus differing impact thus 500g of HE will have a different effect at different ranges

[Mud]

FOW: Yes, once the game is over FOW is lifted completely and casualty counts are true. It can be satisfying to see that "no kills" turn into 40+...

Mortar firebase -- second the command bonus. In particular, the command bonus on the HQ means that the mortars don't even have to be in LOS of the HQ -- so the HQ can be on a reverse slope, spotting (it can't be hidden while spotting, but you can give it a short cover arc) and the mortars can be just behind the ridge. Oh, and the combined effect of multiple mortars, even light ones, can be pretty brutal.

There's also the TRP rule (mortars which haven't moved can fire at TRPs regardless of LOS or HQ), but you won't normally get very many TRPs to play with. Cemetary Hill on the CMBB CD, as the Soviets, comes to mind as example -- especially against the AI, as its most likely path of advance is rather obvious.

Aircraft --

Like in CMBO, they're a major gamble. They can really hurt... although which side they hurt can vary, heh. In a QB, one of my Shturmoviks somehow picked out an HQ tank, repeatedly strafed it, immobilized it, and then killed it... unfortunately, it was one of my own. *grumble* And if they instead get shot down, perhaps after decimating your own vehicles, the cost hurts.

[Dschugaschwili]

Yes, FOW is lifted at the end of the game, but sometimes there are still a few inaccuracies left, so don't worry too much if your kill stats don't add up. Perhaps some of those will be fixed in future patches, but if they aren't, it's not really bad.

The numbers on the end game screen are correct though, so the final score is right.

Dschugaschwili

[Chad Harrison]

If you want to know you max and min range for mortars, it is listed under the unit info screen that can be found by pressing enter when the unit is selected.

As to their effective range? The closer the better obviously. Depends on what you are shooting at also. If you are firing on a patch of woods with numerous units in there, then you are safe firing out to your max range. Trying to hit a gun? Well, you want it as close as possible. I have taken guns out at 500m with a 50mm mortar, but it takes a long while.

Chad

[SteveL4]

I have not been using my mortars properly... when I keep them out of line-of-sight of an intended target and try to use an HQ for spotting purposes, do I have to use any special key-commands to use the HQ for spotting? Or, are my target options (using the HQ) available while I drag the mouse around? Thanks.

[Zarquon]

Originally posted by xerxes:

Mortars break fairly easily, then they lose their mortars, then they're useless.

The HQ won't get spotted if you're at all careful. A firing mortar in LOS will most definitely get spotted.

Just an anecdote from a recent CMBO PBEM:

I had a Coy HQ sneak up to a lonely, large wooden building on a hill on my right flank to provide spotting for three mortars. When he entered the first floor, three US tanks opened fire and destroyed the house in the same turn. Exit HQ.

My opponent said he never spotted anyone on that hill but his tanks had a lot of HE to spend and that house on the hill was such an obvious position for a spotter, well...

[xerxes]

two story buildings just aren't healthy.

1. For a spotting HQ you just need to make sure they have the dark red command line from the HQ to the mortars. The HQ needs LOS.

2. Target normally with the mortars. If the firing line is red, then the mortars won't fire (HQ doesn't have LOS or the mortars aren't in command of that HQ). If it's yeller you're good to go.

[whizbang]

Re IL-2 Sturmoviks. I have been playing around with a beginners scenario and put in two IL-2's to make things interesting. They were so devastating that I then had to give the allies two AckAck vehicles. The result every time was impressive. The Sturmoviks always dispatched the AA's first and on one occasion hit both with one bomb on each one on the same run. They always start with a bombing run, then rockets and finally strafing. It makes me feel quite homesick after hours playing IL-2 Sturmovik before I purchased CMBB.