Lt.Reaper Posted May 11, 2001 Share Posted May 11, 2001 Or should I say "out of ammo factor"? I find myself having to micro-manage my troops a bit more than I'd like in the "fire/don't fire" area because of ammo considerations. It happens every battle to me, and it usually takes a few turns for me to find, a MG who is firing at over 400 meters and doing absolutely no damage, or a squad firing at a position 300 meters away with the same results. And before you know it these guys have burned valuable ammo and I'm scrambling not only with the condition of my men but how many rounds they have left. And since I can't give them a do not fire command as they are taunted by an enemy squad prancing across their field of vision at 433 meters going nah nah na nah nah, I'm forced to place them in a hide mode until all vile temptations are gone. Should ammo loads play such a large part in the strategy and tactics of our half hour battles? :confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grim Posted May 11, 2001 Share Posted May 11, 2001 I wasn't there, but I suspect "hold your fire" was being shouted all the time by frustrated sergeants on both sides Running out of ammo is a Bad Thing in CM (as in real wars, I believe) and if it takes a bunch of hide or ambush commands to prevent, so be it. Of course if something really tempting (like a flamethrower) shows up, your regulars are going to fire anyways You might have less hassle with vets or above. They are less prone to loosing off at jaywalkers at 500m. If all else fails, you could try running away - it works for me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coralsaw Posted May 11, 2001 Share Posted May 11, 2001 <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> Should ammo loads play such a large part in the strategy and tactics of our half hour battles? :confused:<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> IMO they should. You simply wouldn't have enough ammo to keep firing for half an hour, IRL... Your point is valid though, squads (and the TacAI) should have had more discipline in firing away like mad. A "Hold your fire" command would be a bonus, but I'm afraid it would have repercussions in the TacAI code, as you'd surely want that pesky MG to start firing again if it gets assaulted by an unseen enemy squad, wouldn't you Blackthorne... A lot of folks and I have asked repeatedly for TacOps-style SOP functionality, but alas, it hasn't happened. TacOps is the dog's bollocks in this respect... Regards coralsaw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BloodyBucket Posted May 13, 2001 Share Posted May 13, 2001 I know using S.L.A. Marshall is like asking for an icepick in the nape of the neck, but here goes... In "The Soldier's Load and the Mobility of a Nation" he claims that most riflemen used only a fraction of the ammo they were issued per day, and that since more ammo was almost always near at hand, they should get rid of some of it! I can't get at my cartridge belt right now (kid is asleep in the next room) but if memory serves (Warning! my memory stinks) a cartridge belt holds ten, eight round Garand clips. Add a bandolier and I think we are talking about 168 rounds or so. I think that for most GI's this was plenty, since if running out of ammo was a common problem we would hear about it more often, or they would have carried more. Now, in CM no infantry unit runs out of ammo, they just get "low". This whole issue might be factored in as the troops getting conservative when they do not have a "surplus" of ammo (the manual points in this direction). In the accounts of battle I have read, there does not seem to be a lot of statements like, "We had them in our sights, but we didn't fire because we were low on ammo". The common complaint seems to be more along the lines of "I couldn't see anybody to shoot at". I don't think the ammo level screams for a fix, but a reasonable person could make a case for upping it a little. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted May 13, 2001 Share Posted May 13, 2001 <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by coralsaw: A "Hold your fire" command would be a bonus, but I'm afraid it would have repercussions in the TacAI code, as you'd surely want that pesky MG to start firing again if it gets assaulted by an unseen enemy squad...<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Not necessarily. A "Conserve Ammo Y/N?" command when turned on could have the effect of stifling a unit from firing at more than, say, 200 meters or whatever you judged its effective range to be. Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edward the Surly Posted May 13, 2001 Share Posted May 13, 2001 Now were back to the TacAI :eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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