Seeing setup zones

[womble]

I've been fiddling with some QB setups, and noticed something that seems odd. When I preview the map at force selection time, sometimes I see the defender's setup zone marked out and sometimes the attacker's. I had a squint at the manual and I couldn't see anything where that would be set, and it seems like it alternates, though that's from my memory only, and not a huge sample size. I've consistently been setting American Attacker and picking that as the player side (set it once and left it). Has happened with medium and small QBs, with medium forces on medium maps and small for small. All single player.

I would like to see the defender's setup zone, just so I know how much scouting I'm gonna have to do

[MOSwas71331]

That sure sounds like info you wouldn't have in real life. As a unit commander, you would certainly know where your own troops would (or at least should) be and can deploy. And, for CMBN purposes, these areas have to be exactly defined.

However, you'd have only whatever intelligence info had been developed on where enemy units are and where they might appear. And some of that info could easily be wrong.

[womble]

That sure sounds like info you wouldn't have in real life. As a unit commander, you would certainly know where your own troops would (or at least should) be and can deploy. And, for CMBN purposes, these areas have to be exactly defined.

However, you'd have only whatever intelligence info had been developed on where enemy units are and where they might appear. And some of that info could easily be wrong.

Yeah, absolutely. This is supposed to be a game, though, and having some idea along the lines of "their defense is concentrated around the village" or "we've not encountered any patrols this side of the road", while doable in scenarios isn't possible in QBs. Having an idea, if perhaps a little too precise, of the possible maximum extent of the enemy's initial dispositions, for me, helps bridge that gap and doesn't seem an unreasonable compromise. You still don't know exactly where they are, and can't, therefore, make accurate determinations of fields of fire.

It's a limitation of the QB-with-random-map. Sometimes you'll get given a map meant for a 45-minute scenario with the deployment zones quite close together where you'd rather have started 15 minutes back... Other times, you'll be hoping to get to grips pronto, and instead spend the first quarter of the game tentatively probing for contact (or blunder ahead into an ambush stoopid pork trees). It's just nice to know, in a game, if you want to, what sort of thing you're setting out on.

[MOSwas71331]

A few years ago I posted a request for CMx1 to provide AI assistance in QB setups. As the AI can quickly assess the terrain and the objectives for the forces of whichever side it controls, it could easily do the same for your side. It could then set up your forces for scenario start and allow you to adjust (you would hope improve) those positions.

Would a feature like that take care of your concern?

[womble]

A few years ago I posted a request for CMx1 to provide AI assistance in QB setups. As the AI can quickly assess the terrain and the objectives for the forces of whichever side it controls, it could easily do the same for your side. It could then set up your forces for scenario start and allow you to adjust (you would hope improve) those positions.

Would a feature like that take care of your concern?

Nope. I still wouldn't have any idea whether the enemy was behind the first hedge or the fifth. Which might be realistic, but if I assume (as I 'realistically' should, absent contrary intel) that it's the next hedge, and it turns out to be the 5th, I've wasted minutes of game time and potentially hours of real time stalking phantom enemies through the hedges.

I would like to see the positioning of forces within the deployment zones rationalised a bit. It's verrry higgledy-piggledy and seems to scatter some units at one end and others at the other for no readily apparent reason... I don't want tactical placement; I'll almost certainly have to tear it out and redo, but I do want platoons not interpenetrated, and not to have to scroll across the entire width of the map to see all the elements of a small force...

[MarkEzra]

Thank You for bringing up this question. If the player is attacker he will be able to Preview Map showing the Attacker setup zone ONLY. Obviously the Defender will be able to preview the map showing ONLY the defender setup zone. But that's not really your problem, is it? You've found a bug! Sometimes the Attacker will preview the map and see the defender's setup (only) I will report the bug and thank you, Womble, for posting.

[womble]

Thank You for bringing up this question. If the player is attacker he will be able to Preview Map showing the Attacker setup zone ONLY. Obviously the Defender will be able to preview the map showing ONLY the defender setup zone. But that's not really your problem, is it? You've found a bug! Sometimes the Attacker will preview the map and see the defender's setup (only) I will report the bug and thank you, Womble, for posting.

I did wonder when I noticed it, whether it's related to the problem someone reported where attacker and defender start positions were being swapped.