Muzzleblast - incapacitating range and arc forward (and backward if muzzlebrake)

[HawkerT]

Hi there you grognards you CMBB’s (Combat Mission Beautiful Bastards).

Last night for me was one of getting taught an old lesson.

I was trying to get a friend of mine hooked on CMBB, and thus played the tutorial as Axis against him as Rasputinists. I had downed one T34 and had all his infantry routing home and faced only one green T34 without Commander that had gotten close to my forest. It was there and then I got a little too cocky and thought “what the heck I’ll sprint a squad, using ‘follow vehicle’, after him and try routing him with just grenades - CMBO style”. Well, a case of good intent I guess, but none the less the dang Rodina bugger swings round his 76 and pokes it right at my dashing 6 man squad that gets to see what “Tunnel Vision” (riffled) is all about from some 25 meters out!

KaBOOOoooom … 6 men instantly gone to a better place + 5 dittos in the woods where the shell hit. You guessed it! ... he was shooting at my lumberjacks in the woods ... which mean that my 6 athletes ... dang, I had forgotten all about how dangerous a muzzleblast is.

Well, if nothing else, this little incident was the perfect platform for elaborating on CMBB’s fantastic level off detail and off course my friend was instantly hooked.

I specifically remember reading about this on the forum in the early days, but I can’t seem to find it, so don’t mind if I do pose a question or two. Here goes ...

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1. Am I right in my recollection that muzzleblast from guns, and backblast from recoilless rifles, the “stove pipe” and the like are indeed deadly/incapacitating out to a certain range and that this is simulated in CMBB? The backblast definitely is in CMBO ...
   
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2. If so is the incapacitating zone backward and to the sides due to muzzlebrake also simulated?
   
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3. What is the range and arc of the incapacitating zone from guns forward + backward/sides if muzzlebrake and from backblast weapons backward?
   
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4. Is the incapacitating range somewhat correlated with calibre due to the larger amount of propellant needed, or are there other significant factors in play? If so what kind of shots(AP)/shells uses the largest amount of propellant?
   
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5. What factors influence the arc of the incapacitating zone?
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Any answers are much appreciated.

[ September 12, 2002, 06:17 PM: Message edited by: HawkerT ]

[Liebchen]

Hopefully your analysis is right and this is modeled. Hopefully it wasn't just grapeshot. (You <u>did</u> check to see if it was grapeshot, didn't you?)

[Renaud]

HawkerT:

Your commie pal's T34 probably cut loose with a cannister shell. That's the © ammo type. So, your fascists received a cone shaped swarm of steel balls at a very unpleasant range.

Once I was playing the tutorial and tried to run a HQ squad around to sneak up on a immobilized T34. I almost made it to cover when he shot a swarm of steel balls at 100 meters. The swarm was graphically represented as a cloud of gray fragments and whiffed right around my HQ figure. No casualties at that range, but he instantly broke and ran off in the wrong direction only to be cut down by a wall of maxim fire seconds later.

That's the first and only time i've seen the cannister shot graphic.

Ren

[HawkerT]

Thanks for answering guys.

No it was definately not cannister !!! seen lots of those in "Yelnia Stare" though...

Liebchen, please elaborate on the term "grapeshot"

The distance from the 6 athletes to the 5 lumberjacks was some 75 meters.

(Edited because I'm Danish ... you stinker)

/HawkerT

[ September 12, 2002, 06:35 PM: Message edited by: HawkerT ]

[tiborhead]

Hawker,

Grapeshot, IIRC, is pretty much just as Renaud said; small steel balls designed to spread out upon firing, much like a shotgun.

[HawkerT]

I hear you loud and clear.

Grapeshot=Cannister (for all intents and purposes).

I believe that cannister can be little steel pellets besides shrapnel and steel balls (my athletes had that for sure) as well.

(Edited because I cant spell for crap ... which reminds me - where is Helge these days? He had a hilarious sig that went something like this - "sbeling chequed wyth 'MICROSOFT SPELL CHECKER' vorgs grate")

[ September 12, 2002, 06:52 PM: Message edited by: HawkerT ]

[Bruce70]

Originally posted by Renaud:

That's the first and only time i've seen the cannister shot graphic.

Ren

That is very surprising, I usually see it many times every time I play Yelnia.

[gunnergoz]

One of my less-lucky T-34's apparently knocked itself out in Yelnia by firing downslope into what seemed to be a sort of ravine, and suffering backblast. Whatever, the crew bailed right after they fired. No Fritzs within a country mile with the means to even dent the bugger. Oops.

[scorpius1001]

I was wondering if the muzzle blasts on the T-34's were accurate..I know thier powder was inferior to thier german counterparts. Was or is the differance Muzzle brakes or shell size...I dont remember seeing large flashes from my MK III or Iv's............