First round barrage irreversibility

[Tero]

How hard would it be to implement an option for the first round barrage ?

Now the player (apparently) has no option to select between a preordered barrage with zero delay and regular barrage with the delay in place.

[lewallen]

You can use the Pause function on the spotter when setting up the strike in the first turn to delay it as many minutes (I think) as the scenario is long. The trick then is to time it so you're ready for it when it lands...

~Sam

[lewallen]

WOOOOOOOO! I'm a Member now! Guess that was the magic post... :-D

~Sam

[Tero]

Originally posted by lewallen:

You can use the Pause function on the spotter when setting up the strike in the first turn to delay it as many minutes (I think) as the scenario is long. The trick then is to time it so you're ready for it when it lands...

What if you have very little ammunition and you want to conserve it or you simply need it eleswhere ?

You can not call off the strike if you set it up during the first turn. I just wonder if people would find it useful to have an option between a zero delay "preplanned" and a regular with the appropriate delays. Even during the first turn.

[Cameroon]

Originally posted by tero:

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

You can use the Pause function on the spotter when setting up the strike in the first turn to delay it as many minutes (I think) as the scenario is long. The trick then is to time it so you're ready for it when it lands...

What if you have very little ammunition and you want to conserve it or you simply need it eleswhere ?

You can not call off the strike if you set it up during the first turn. I just wonder if people would find it useful to have an option between a zero delay "preplanned" and a regular with the appropriate delays. Even during the first turn.</font>

[MikeyD]

Oooh, I'm getting nostalgic. The Beta testers went round-and-round on this very subject.

The word from on high was the concept of Opening Barrage is something on the order of Divisional Artillery controlled from high up the command structure, and shouldn't be thought of as an on-call commodity like regular artillery support. You either got it all on the first move or you don't. If you wanted more artillery for later you should'a put TWO artillery spotters in when you made your scenario! Ouch!

I've noticed they've intentionally made life somewhat harder for the poor artillery spotter in CMBB. it's all in an effort to reduce some of the more gamey artillery practices seen in CMBO.

[Andreas]

Pre-ordered barrage - part of the fireplan set up by higher level artillery command. can be set for any location on the map, at any point in the game, through the delay function. Can not be altered if your plan happens to fall foul of the central command's ideas of where you ought to be at any given point. Why? Reality. You own (and presumably have read) Harrison-Place on the straighjacket that artillery can be for an attack.

Flexible barrage - fully under control of local commander. Can fire anywhere, anytime, subject to delays for plotting and inaccuracy if unobserved. Why? Reality. Takes time to calculate target, transmit orders, re-arrange gun layout.

You want to have your cake and eat it? Fine, buy more than one FOO. In a scenario, it is not entirely unlikely that the designer intentionally forced you to make a decision, to demonstrate your tactical acumen.

Who benefits to what level from pre-barrages (generally speaking)?

Minor advantage - mortars, light artillery

Good benefit - divisional artillery

Recommended - Heavy divisional

Unplayable without - super-heavy, rockets

[MikeyD]

Actually, the optional barrage delay can be pretty cool. You postpone your opening barrage for 5 minutes, move your tanks into their jump-off positions, get your men ready, then just as the curtain of rockets starts to fall... "CHARGE!!!" Spectacular (and something that can't be duplicated in CMBO).

The painful bit is when you completely obliterate hill X on the opening move only to realise the enemy was on hill Y all along! Ouch!

[ September 06, 2002, 03:20 PM: Message edited by: MikeyD ]

[Madmatt]

We did realize this very early on during the implementation of Prep Barrages but our consensus was, and still is, that since your only only adding one minute to the total delay of a barrage (since you will call it on turn 2 instead) it's not such a huge deal.

If the extra 1 minute delay is that big of a problem than you probably have much more serious tactical issues to worry about with regards to your game.

Madmatt

[MikeyD]

Message edited, due to my inability to understand the meanings of sentences on Friday afternoons.

Yes Matt, I know what you meant, and that's how it always worked. Regular artillery always has to wait til turn two. Barrage artillery must be implimented on turn one but can be delayed in one minute increments.

[ September 06, 2002, 03:50 PM: Message edited by: MikeyD ]

[Cameroon]

Edited because Madmatt's post indicated that they understood what tero and I were talking about.

I definitely don't "want to have my cake and eat it too". I just don't want to have to wait until turn 2 to start using my FOO as normal, I want to be able to use him "normally" starting with turn one.

I understand this is unlikely to change since it is only a 1 minute delay (have to wait until turn 2). Still, might be cool to see "Divisional Prep" in the command list on turn one for FOOs .

[ September 06, 2002, 03:41 PM: Message edited by: Cameroon ]

[WWB]

Aint gonna happen. Just relax and take the one minute delay.

WWB