Tactical Questions

[General Bolt]

From the CMC site:

...Order units to entrench, be placed in tactical reserve, move out in combat formations or road march (travel move), rest and more.

When a CMBB battle is started the units will be deployed in the manner they were ordered in CMC? Or will there be a "free to place units" option at the start of each CMBB battle?

Ambushing:

Also from the screenies there was the "be seen" mode. Will there be a "hide" order to greatly reduce the "be seen" distance.

Will there be a time when a CMBB is started and one opponent has no idea why it started because he's about to be ambushed? A convoy of vehicles crusing down the highway and in the woods a band of partisians with ATRs open up.

Exiting a CMBB Map:

Can you exit the CMBB map and reappear on the adjecent CMC map hex?

[ParaBellum]

Originally posted by General Bolt:

When a CMBB battle is started the units will be deployed in the manner they were ordered in CMC? Or will there be a "free to place units" option at the start of each CMBB battle?

A "free to place units" option would make no sense if the unit is currently in "road march mode", for example. I guess that the player in such a case will be restrained in placing the units, probably only "on the road" with guns hitched onto their transports etc.

Will there be a time when a CMBB is started and one opponent has no idea why it started because he's about to be ambushed? A convoy of vehicles crusing down the highway and in the woods a band of partisians with ATRs open up.

I hope so. That's actually the one thing that makes these kind of scenarios so interesting. You probably don't know what's out there, depending on your reconnaissance efforts. Might be just a small rearguard, might be a pakfront about to open up on your leading elements or a tank company readying for a counter attack. Quite different from the usual CM scenarios where you can expect fairly balanced fights.

[Moon]

Units appear on the CMBB map in setup zones that correspond to their placement on thre CMC map.

You can also hide/dig in.

CMC indicates which battles are about to be played, so when a CMBB battle starts, you'd know that you have been ambushed already.

Not sure about exiting maps, but I assume that the answer is yes.

Martin

[Steiner14]

Originally posted by General Bolt:

Ambushing:

Also from the screenies there was the "be seen" mode. Will there be a "hide" order to greatly reduce the "be seen" distance.

Will there be a time when a CMBB is started and one opponent has no idea why it started because he's about to be ambushed? A convoy of vehicles crusing down the highway and in the woods a band of partisians with ATRs open up.[/QB]

Good question.

That brings another question up:

will there be the possibility of misidentified units?

I think of tank- and mot.-units being silently moved over night from one front area to another.

For that effect the oponent must still see units, which aren't there anymore.

[Liebchen]

Originally posted by Moon:

CMC indicates which battles are about to be played, so when a CMBB battle starts, you'd know that you have been ambushed already.

So if a unit in march mode is suddenly dumped into a tactical mode, they'd obviously know that they're about to be ambushed. Clearly, they'd deploy and quite likely make a sweep of suspected ambush locations, thus defeating the surprise element almost completely, right?

[Moon]

Not really. The surprise element remains because if you really ran into an enemy without expecting any, you won't know what you're going to fight in the CMBB battle. Since all maps are 2km by 2km, it will be hardly possible to sweep all suspected ambush locations. Especially because the enemy could be practically right on top of you (i.e. in your quadrant) when you trigger a battle. And in all the surrounding quadrants, too.

So once you trigger a CMBB battle, obviously you will already know that there is a battle. But you might still be in for a lot of surprises

Martin

[Sergei]

If you give your unit a travel order and it stumbles upon enemy, how will this be reflected in the battle? Would the units be deployed in a column like formation?

[Reichenberg]

I would guess that it all depends where the two set-up zones are relative to each other....

Assuming: If you are getting ambushed with a unit/ME with a travel order, your set-up zone is only on a street, while the ambushing force can set-up (more or less - depending on their "hiding" skills) around you or at least around your leading elements. And when you can not react on the first move.... you are majorly $creewed.

Is that right? I hope so, because it would make for an awesome variety of CM:BB battles, not seen yet.

Uwe

[Liebchen]

So it boils down to the engagement ranges and deployments. If it is, indeed, an ambush, the ambushees should be deployed in some formation reflecting relative unpreparedness (i.e. perhaps column with guns hitched and troops mounted), while the ambushers should be deployable in close range, perhaps on the flanks, in good cover.

[securityguard]

Since unit positions on the map are relative, I think what you're saying Liebchen is true. Theoretically you could be behind the ambushee and then unload on him. Regardless if the ambushee can drop what he's doing on turn one, he's still going to get mowed apart since you would be relatively close. The element of suprise is still there but it requires the ambusher to prepare accordingly I guess.

If I'm wrong someone correct me, but that's how I see it.

[Ike]

And I suspect that's why some of Moon's responses to questions about maneuver element sizes in CMC contain "...company or platoon sized ...", 'cause you don't want as the ambushee to have your soft-skinned "Wait; I need fifteen minutes to unlimber and get into battery" units unescorted and maybe even with flank and advance guards.

Ah, a genuine light cavalry role for the T-70s!!

[Renaud]

What I am not sure of is the setup for embarked artillery unit in travel mode when they encounter another enemy unit (hiding or otherwise). That's an ideal use for light mech/cavalry/recon units: raiding the rear areas and trashing embarked support/artillery units.

Will these units be forced to start turn 1 embarked and in a crappy elongated setup zone? This would be ideal, but that would mean some major programmatic changes in the CMBB setup code. Or perhaps could they hijack the existing 'padlock' code...hmmm. Are padlocked units unable to be disembarked by the player during setup phase? Can't remember.

[Hunter]

Originally posted by Sergei:

If you give your unit a travel order and it stumbles upon enemy, how will this be reflected in the battle? Would the units be deployed in a column like formation?

Correct

[Renaud]

Aha, thanks for that info!

"Hunter: Man of Few Words"

But what about my question of whether embarked guns will be forced to remain embarked, or can the ambushed player deploy them during setup?

It's actually not that big of a deal, since you will be hosed anyway with a narrow column-like deployment. But forcing at least guns to start limbered would be ideal.

[Steiner14]

Originally posted by Hunter:

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

If you give your unit a travel order and it stumbles upon enemy, how will this be reflected in the battle? Would the units be deployed in a column like formation?

Correct </font>