freshman Posted March 20, 2002 Share Posted March 20, 2002 Sorry dumb question alert. How do you take prisoners i dont think ive managed that yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louie the Toad Posted March 20, 2002 Share Posted March 20, 2002 Just keep fighting, it will happen sooner or later. These guys will raise their hands and sometimes head in your direction though they are enemy soldiers you will be able to control them to a certain extent. Not a big deal ..... Toad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YankeeDog Posted March 20, 2002 Share Posted March 20, 2002 In my experience, it is difficult to take prisoners until you have lowered your opponent's "Global Morale". This is the morale you see expressed as a percentage in the title bar below the player's flag. You'll never know your opponents' Global Morale, but you can guess at it given the situation. There are a number of things that affect Global Morale - I think the Manual gives a full run-down. Casualties and control of victory flags are two major factors. So, if you've managed to inflict a lot of casualites on your opponent, you control most or all of the VLs, and it's late in the game, try surrounding a unit so it has nowhere to run - this is when I usually get surrenders. An odd thing I've noticed - having too much firepower on a unit you'd like to surrender can be a bad thing - they usually die before they get a chance to surrender. Kinda bad 'cause if you manage to exit surrendered units off of your side of the map, you actually get more points than if you'd killed them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
109 Gustav Posted March 20, 2002 Share Posted March 20, 2002 Enemy units will surrender readily when surrounded or cut off from their own troops. Also, HMG crews will often surrender when there is only one man left, immobilized. He can't run away, so his only option is to give up. Captured units are worth double the points of killed/wounded ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freshman Posted March 20, 2002 Author Share Posted March 20, 2002 Thanks guys bagged a HMG crew last night they didnt fancy a 1 on 1 with my sherman. What a helpful bunch CM players are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gredeker Posted March 20, 2002 Share Posted March 20, 2002 Originally posted by YankeeDog: So, if you've managed to inflict a lot of casualites on your opponent, you control most or all of the VLs, and it's late in the game, try surrounding a unit so it has nowhere to run - this is when I usually get surrenders. Take this with a grain of salt... It seems to me that the computer surrenders when the morale state of a unit switches to "Routed!" but the computer is unable to establish a rout path (hmmm, sounds like ASL ). It's like using the "Withdraw" command - you're only able to "withdraw" in a certain arc away from known enemy units. When a unit's withdraw/rout arc has shrunk down to nothing (due to an enemy unit behind behind it), or the unit is unable to move (like a 1-man HMG team) that unit will surrender instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwolf Posted March 20, 2002 Share Posted March 20, 2002 Interesting analysis. I made these observations in the past: 1) it is pretty hard to capture units, harder than in real life, and pretty hard in relation to the global surrender. 2) Actually surrounding them completely is not neccessary. As hard as surrender is to get, I had quite a few when I was just behind them (between them and their map edge), but definitivly not to all sides. 3) I am pretty sure that a tank has it easier than infantry units. That may blend with your explanation if the tank has a wider arc around it that will disable the withdrawl command, but then it might just be my imagination and I have seen it because it is easier to move a tank behind those folks. 4) When I got prisoners I couldn't make a clear connection to the global morale of the opponent. It seens easier with enemy low morale, but not that much. That would blend with your explanation that the single unit's status is decisive. Of course, this status is influenced by global morale, but if you hit them hard, they will go prisoner even with very high enemy morale. 5) I am not sure than "broken" is the one status that, maybe panic does it as well. 6) What happens if there are enemy units in the withdrawl way which you or the unit in question cannot see? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gredeker Posted March 21, 2002 Share Posted March 21, 2002 Originally posted by redwolf: Interesting analysis. 2) Actually surrounding them completely is not neccessary. As hard as surrender is to get, I had quite a few when I was just behind them (between them and their map edge), but definitivly not to all sides. 3) I am pretty sure that a tank has it easier than infantry units. That may blend with your explanation if the tank has a wider arc around it that will disable the withdrawl command, but then it might just be my imagination and I have seen it because it is easier to move a tank behind those folks. 4) When I got prisoners I couldn't make a clear connection to the global morale of the opponent. It seens easier with enemy low morale, but not that much. That would blend with your explanation that the single unit's status is decisive. Of course, this status is influenced by global morale, but if you hit them hard, they will go prisoner even with very high enemy morale. 5) I am not sure than "broken" is the one status that, maybe panic does it as well. 6) What happens if there are enemy units in the withdrawl way which you or the unit in question cannot see?Your observations sound pretty close to mine - the rout path needs to be away from all known enemy units (possibly within a certain range), and towards the friendly map edge. It seems like armor has an advantage because it can get closer/behind the enemy unit easier. Also, "Routed!" is the worst morale state, beyond "Broken!". My experience is that units which are "Routed!" must run away if they can, and get into trouble (i.e., surrender) if they can't. I have no idea what effect hidden units have on a unit. Maybe checking for withdraw paths would indicate the presence of a hidden unit behind one's forces??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patgod Posted March 21, 2002 Share Posted March 21, 2002 well what do you mean by "hidden". if you mean hidden as in not seen by anything yet i would assume they are not counted. however i'm willing to bet that the "run away" code uses universal spotting and not los. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwolf Posted March 21, 2002 Share Posted March 21, 2002 I am afraid the analysis is wrong or at least too simple. I made a testscenario and a squad happily retreats right through an occucied enemy foxhole, using the withdrawl command. The same applies for an enemy tank, no influence on the retreat lines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozzy Posted March 21, 2002 Share Posted March 21, 2002 Originally posted by redwolf: I am afraid the analysis is wrong or at least too simple. I made a testscenario and a squad happily retreats right through an occucied enemy foxhole, using the withdrawl command. The same applies for an enemy tank, no influence on the retreat lines.The "Withdraw" order in CM is not a coordinated withdraw, but rather a retreat = run like the hell out of harms way. Those guys are running and do not much care for any enemy unit. Hence they even run through enemy positions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwolf Posted March 21, 2002 Share Posted March 21, 2002 Originally posted by Ozzy: The "Withdraw" order in CM is not a coordinated withdraw, but rather a retreat = run like the hell out of harms way. Those guys are running and do not much care for any enemy unit. Hence they even run through enemy positions[/QB]I know that. Our discussion was about the theory that a limited withdrawln route would be directly connected to the event of throwing the hands up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drew Ames Posted March 21, 2002 Share Posted March 21, 2002 Is there any difference in the end if the captured enemy units are marched off the map or are simply guarded by somebody? Regards, -Drew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwolf Posted March 21, 2002 Share Posted March 21, 2002 Originally posted by Drew Ames: Is there any difference in the end if the captured enemy units are marched off the map or are simply guarded by somebody? You have to march them off your map edge, then they count the same as if you had them on-map as prisoners - double unit value points for you. If you march them off any other edge of the map, they count as if they were freed again - no points for anyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gredeker Posted March 22, 2002 Share Posted March 22, 2002 Originally posted by redwolf: I am afraid the analysis is wrong or at least too simple. I made a testscenario and a squad happily retreats right through an occucied enemy foxhole, using the withdrawl command. The same applies for an enemy tank, no influence on the retreat lines.I stand corrected. Back to the drawing board... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RomegIE Posted March 22, 2002 Share Posted March 22, 2002 Just had a Tiger capture 2 AT guns, they gave up without ever firing a shot. I came around a building and there they were facing the wrong direction and only 20m away :eek: . I guess I was to close for them to turn around and fire (lucky me ) so they just gave up and they had plenty of avenues of escape. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gpig Posted March 22, 2002 Share Posted March 22, 2002 Howdy Same topic but from a different perspective . . . How do I "liberate" POW's from the enemy. I'm in turn 10 of the second battle in an operation (each battle is 15 turns long), and my opponent has a long line of my captured crewmen, heading to his rear. I've currently got the upper hand in this battle, and I'm wondering if it's worth my while to push towards liberating said POW's. It would involve overextending my armored forces. But it could be done. My question is . . . what do I do to ensure the POW's switch sides again? Just destroy any nearby enemy units? Gpig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YankeeDog Posted March 24, 2002 Share Posted March 24, 2002 Originally posted by Gpig: Howdy Same topic but from a different perspective . . . How do I "liberate" POW's from the enemy. I'm in turn 10 of the second battle in an operation (each battle is 15 turns long), and my opponent has a long line of my captured crewmen, heading to his rear. I've currently got the upper hand in this battle, and I'm wondering if it's worth my while to push towards liberating said POW's. It would involve overextending my armored forces. But it could be done. My question is . . . what do I do to ensure the POW's switch sides again? Just destroy any nearby enemy units? Gpig1) Destroy or drive off any enemy units that are near the prisoners. This alone MIGHT do it, but usually not. 2) Get some units of yours near the prisoners. Once this happens, the prisoners will usually "escape" and come back under your command. As to whether it's worth it or not to try to liberate them, that depends on the game situation. Prisoners are worth a lot of points, so it might be worthwhile. I'd be careful of risking too much to recapture them, though. Cheers, YD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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