Infantry

[molotov_billy]

You can let them go prone when you select the Squad and then right click on the posture icon. Then you can choose if they should stand or prone or crouch.

Wow, unbelievable. Do I really have to control the stance of every individual soldier in order to be succesful at this game? Are these kinds of ridiculous features just the replacement for a sensible AI that reacts to its surroundings on its own?

[Knokke]

If you tell them to stand up, or kneel, it doesn't mean that they'll always stand up or be kneeling. This will only give the squad a "prefered stance". If they're shoot at, or if they see danger, of course they'll go prone. But they'll try to resume their prefered stance as soon as they think they're out of danger. Soldiers given an order to assault a trench with the kneeling stance selected might find themselves under such heavy fire that when the first casualties occurs, they'll go prone, and the momentum of the assault will be broken. You dont have to control the stance of every single soldier individualy (unless you want to); you simply give the whole squad a prefered stance.

[alan123]

My tips for all versions of TOW to increase the survivability of infantry are:

1. Order them to hold their fire. This is important. Turn the fire on when you have a target in killing range at all other times leave it off. (same goes for ATGs) A unit searching for targets and firing is more visible and the game models this.

2. Use crawl or sneak when moving close to the enemy or at all.

3. Have them lie down as much as possible.

4. In TOW3Kursk use the adjust posture feature. (I set mine to always crouch when moving generally and then to prone when in contact)

5. In TOW3Kursk have the smart pause on and as soon as you start taking fire halt the squad/cancel orders and go to ground, cease fire (if not already doing so and you cannot see an enemy, which is quite common, or he is way out of range of your weapons) minimise posture and go into ambush setting. If you are still taking fire make smoke and crawl to any nearby cover if not already in some, also try going back the way you came and hopefully out of the line of sight.

6. Assign all your units into groups and learn the hot keys so that you can do the above steps quickly, especially in multiplayer where you do not have the luxury of pausing.

7. In TOW3Kursk and Africa always use the feature where you can turn off the automatic chase function/using own initiative. (this built in behaviour really spoils TOW1 for me but I still play it any way as there is no other game of this sort on the planet, and with Africa and Kursk it is now even better)

8. Move from cover to cover and keep out of the open.

9. Move dispersed while advancing and in bounds using two or more groups of infantry.

10. Use you infantry mostly for finding the enemy, destroy him with your heavy weapons if you have them.

The above seems to work well when attacking/advancing and I can keep most of my men alive for the whole mission however they tend to take enormous casualties in defense when being overrun by waves of enemies or in artillery barrages where no one would have stood much of a chance any way.

Do not get upset when you lose units, its sad but that's life, even if you have been beefing up their scouting ability over a series of missions to make them supermen. It does not really help much anyway and nor should it. Just run with what you have and at the very most change out a bad driver (they are really annoying) when you get one.

Now go try these things and report back with your results, I am sure your infantry playing experience will be better and more realistic.

Look forward to hearing from you.

Alan

[sand digger]

But Alan, its that sort of micro managing which makes most players want to give up on the game. Besides, the way you advocate using infantry is historically inaccurate for the most part.

Really a variety of movement orders should be sufficient to control infantry, as in real life. Something like eg CMAK has but a bit more developed should do it, if modelled realistically.

[Piecekeeper]

I also use "attack" button when advancing with infantry (not tanks). Click the "attack" button and on the ground where you want your soldiers to go, then they will attack more cautiously.

[alan123]

You are right Sanddigger but it is the only way to keep them alive, I hate this sort of micromanaging too, and if you forget just one time not to do any of those things I suggest your squad is almost always wiped out in the bat of an eyelid.

I feel really guilty when my blokes get the chop in large numbers.

AL

[Tartari]

But Alan, its that sort of micro managing which makes most players want to give up on the game. Besides, the way you advocate using infantry is historically inaccurate for the most part.

Really a variety of movement orders should be sufficient to control infantry, as in real life. Something like eg CMAK has but a bit more developed should do it, if modelled realistically.

why historically inaccurate?

the only thing I really miss from CMAK is the ability to set a fire arc. CM way of handling the infantry squad is a lot easier because there 's no friendly fire within the squad. In my ToW experience, very often the infantry losses are caused by friendly fire.

[Knokke]

Besides, the way you advocate using infantry is historically inaccurate for the most part.

I too would like to know what is historically inaccurate in the way Alan123 describe how to use infantry in the game.

Sure, this is far from the tactics (or lack of tactics) that some commanders used during WWII (more like WWI tactics of human wave charging against machinegun nest), but the result of such orders is the same in real life as it is in ToW: an awfully high amount of casualties.

But as a whole, I don't think that what Alan123 has been advocating is fundamentaly against the way it was done during WWII

[robecq]

I also have a problem when I try to order infantry into a bunker or building. Quite often they will run around in circles outside the door.

Also unless I change their unit formation right at the start of the game they all move into one massive long single line. I know I can change it, but its annoying that I have to continuously click two or more buttons to change to something that should be the default setting.

I think the main problem is the standard settings for infantry are set up wrong.

At the moment they fire like sharpshooters, but move around like zombies. very unbalanced.

Has anyone tried a inf. vs inf. only battle?

[alan123]

I too would like to know what is historically inaccurate in the way Alan123 describe how to use infantry in the game.

Sure, this is far from the tactics (or lack of tactics) that some commanders used during WWII (more like WWI tactics of human wave charging against machinegun nest), but the result of such orders is the same in real life as it is in ToW: an awfully high amount of casualties.

But as a whole, I don't think that what Alan123 has been advocating is fundamentaly against the way it was done during WWII

As an old soldier I too was wondering what was so historically innaccurate about what I was recommending, I did it for a living once and not much has changed at squad level since WW2. But let the comment go, nice though that others picked up on it, probably also old soldiers.

One wishes that the in game soldiers did more on their own, but the fact of the matter is that they do not and you have to work around it. You have to think for them which is more real that you might know.

When a war simulator programme starts getting really real it often moves into the no fun zone of complicated clicking and order giving.

What I am pleased about is that the game makes no attempt at all to simulate the paperwork and admin that usually comes with everything you do in the army, and that stuff really is no fun.

Alan

[Gnasher]

What I am pleased about is that the game makes no attempt at all to simulate the paperwork and admin that usually comes with everything you do in the army, and that stuff really is no fun.

LOL! Nice one Alan!

[robecq]

Does the graphic settings regarding grass (no grass, thick grass etc) effect the LOS for infantry/others.?