Dismount query

[SteveW]

Hello, first post under this alias, but I've played the CMx1 series a lot previously, until my latest PC refused to run it. Just picked up CMBN last night and have been spending mucho hours since then playing it.

My query is this. Voluntary dismounts can obviously re-enter their vehicle at will , and I would assume that vehicles dismounted due to enemy fire or damage cannot. Is there any exceptions to this? Can a leadership unit issue a pep-talk or a pistol whipping inspiring enough to re-enter the vehicle :confused:

[John Malcolm]

Hello, first post under this alias, but I've played the CMx1 series a lot previously, until my latest PC refused to run it. Just picked up CMBN last night and have been spending mucho hours since then playing it.

My query is this. Voluntary dismounts can obviously re-enter their vehicle at will , and I would assume that vehicles dismounted due to enemy fire or damage cannot. Is there any exceptions to this? Can a leadership unit issue a pep-talk or a pistol whipping inspiring enough to re-enter the vehicle :confused:

As long as the vehicle isn't destroyed then you can get the crew back into it (once their state allows you to give them orders again). I had a game recently where 2 halftracks got shot up in an awkward place (they were blocking a road). The enemy nearby had been dealt with, but the remaining crew of the 2 halftracks looked as though they would be shaken and out of control for too long. I dismounted some crew from another 2 safe and unharmed HTs and had them jog over and move the damaged ones out the way. I'm not sure this would work with tanks however.

[SteveW]

Hmm ... different crews can man undamaged vehicles of a same type from their own organic vehicle. I wonder if the key is the manner of their disembarkment. If it's involuntary then no re-crewing, but not so if otherwise perhaps?

[Ryujin]

Manner of disembarking doesn't matter. What matters is the state of the vehicle and the crew. They won't mount a destroyed vehicle as mentioned and they as long as they aren't panicked, you can get them back in.

Also worth noting, with complex vehicles like tanks, crews can only remount their own vehicles.

[LJFHutch]

Also worth noting, with complex vehicles like tanks, crews can only remount their own vehicles.

Is that authentic? In a combat situation would a tank crew from a panzer IV not mount an empty panther if there was nobody else to?

[womble]

Is that authentic? In a combat situation would a tank crew from a panzer IV not mount an empty panther if there was nobody else to?

Probably not. Maybe. If the PIV crew hadn't been familiarised in a Panther there might be things that would stop them operating it effectively, like not knowing they needed to rev the engine to get the best turret traverse (I gather). But they won't even get into another crew's PIV if they're mountless and they find a crewless tank.

I would imagine that this is another of those "It wasn't worth coding in because the effort wouldn't match the reward in additional realism. Firstly because it doesn't happen that often in-game. Secondly because it didn't happen that often IRL. Thirdly because making it possible would make it become commonplace that players who've had their veteran crew's tank shot out from under them would have a green crew bail to make room for the vets. Again, yes that happened, but it was so rare as to have been outside the scope of this game," things.

Probably. That's my guess as to why it's so.