Hiding in arty barrage

[beatmasta]

I'm not 100% sure about this since I have not made any tests with it but my observations are that the infantry will survive artillery barrages a lot better if you have chance to hide them before the shells start dropping on their heads.

I have tried it when I have engaged into a firefight against the defender but have not been able to advance. When I see the spotting rounds closing in, I just set all the possible troops to hide for a turn or two and wait the barrage to end. The shooting towards the enemy halts for a while but I think it improves the survivability compared to if they stay in the shooting mode. Some casualties are expected but I think it's less vulnerable than try to run them for cover, which causes massive damage if not done in time

Advancing fast enough so that the barrages can't follow is of course the best way to avoid them, but what you do when you start to get hammered by arty?

[womble]

Hiding is better than nothing; it keeps your troops from getting vertical, and upright troops intersect a greater CSA of the shrapnel cloud than prone ones. It's like 'pre-cowering' them.

That and 'running away' seem to be the best options when you're caught in the open. I hear that excavated fortifications are better against shellburst since the patch, so 'diving into a foxhole' is now worthwhile

[beatmasta]

Running around seems to be a bit 'cowardly' so I rather have them hugging the ground Especially if close to enemy when they get shot also when they start running for cover.

Since I have never been in an arty barrage I wonder what they would do in real life when spotting rounds start falling. I'd quess not running around

[Tiresias]

It was the certainly case in the old CMx1 games that hiding had exactly the effect you describe - namely reducing the casualty rate, although some will still be sustained. I would imagine that in addition the order to hide simulates ad-hoc concealment wherever the soldier in question happens to be - if any rudimentary cover presents itself they will use it in whichever square they are located and therefore reduce their chances of getting hit. This may not be particularly helpful if you're lying in a wheat field, but moreso if you're located in somewhere with an uneven ground level or next to a wall.

I've also noticed that casualties on the AI side of things inflicted by an artillery bombardment are surprisingly low, except where they lose morale and start running. This is probably for the same reason.

[JSB]

When there are wounded soldiers around, better crawl to hide a little further, cause those philanthropist enough to give buddy aid under arty barrage are in great danger.

[Sublime]

I think if youre hiding soldiers dont do buddy aid?

[Apocalypse 31]

Running around seems to be a bit 'cowardly' so I rather have them hugging the ground Especially if close to enemy when they get shot also when they start running for cover.

Since I have never been in an arty barrage I wonder what they would do in real life when spotting rounds start falling. I'd quess not running around

There's nothing cowardly about getting out of the impact area.

In game, if I see spotting rounds landing near my men, I'll haul ass away.

It is also US Army doctrine to move out of the impact area.

[womble]

I would imagine that in addition the order to hide simulates ad-hoc concealment wherever the soldier in question happens to be...

It's been said on a number of occasions by BFC that soldiers already seek 'ad-hoc' cover (concealment isn't any use against high velocity random sprays of jagged metal and blast fronts; they see right through it ). All that Hide does is make them keep their heads down, where default behaviour will have them spending a proportion of their time kneeling up to get a better look around even if unengaged. It's worth just watching an unmolested squad static in various sorts of terrain so you see just how much time they spend upright.

Most artillery explosions are groundbursts which throw killing fragments mostly upwards and outwards, thus keeping flat and low avoids a lot of the deadliness - I've had teams within 3m of an 81mm burst in a flat field take no casualties (or several; luck plays a big part). It's why airbursts overhead are so much more devastating, because they throw metal in all directions, including downwards at the PBI.

[JSB]

I think if youre hiding soldiers dont do buddy aid?

They do.

It's a good thing otherwise, but not under arty fire.

[beatmasta]

There's nothing cowardly about getting out of the impact area.

In game, if I see spotting rounds landing near my men, I'll haul ass away.

It is also US Army doctrine to move out of the impact area.

But would they do that? If theres a possibility of an enemy counter attack, leaving the positions when spotting rounds start falling, would not be a good idea. At least I would think so.

[womble]

But would they do that? If theres a possibility of an enemy counter attack, leaving the positions when spotting rounds start falling, would not be a good idea. At least I would think so.

If you've got 'positions', then hopefully they'll give some protection against shellfall. If you're a gun line behind a hedge, then rather spend a couple of minutes running away to the other side of the field and coming back after the barrage has passed than staying put, being massacred and losing guns for good to injury and morale effect.

[MikeyD]

I think this is a reflex action holdover from CMx1 days. I CMx1 'hiding' used to work. I always 'hid' during artillery strikes in CMSF even though airbursts made trying to hide pointless. Really, there's only two things a guy can do - run or hide, and both seem equally as likely to get you killed. No 3rd option to choose from!

[Wego McPbem]

If I see the spotting rounds and figure out where the arty is likely to land I'll get out of there. If my opponent follows the arty close enough to take the position before I can get back then staying there probably wouldn't have helped much anyway. If I get caught in it I'll hide to keep everyone flat on the ground and wait it out, maybe split squads up and give some slow orders to space them out and try to get into shell holes or any nearby cover. The ground floors of buildings offer good shelter from lighter arty as well.

[MG TOW]

Spotting rounds especially for mortars are pretty slow, with long intervals. When I see a spotting round hit, I try and determine which unit is the likely target. Then I wait for the next round with my cursor over the Fast key. After the second spotting round iI click the fast destination and the squad Di di mau's two bounds away. The impact zone is empty and everyone survives. Very predictable but not real life.

[Michael Emrys]

A few weeks ago I had a three man scout team get spotted. I heard the enemy mortar put rounds in the air at the end of the turn (it was direct firing, so no spotting rounds). The start of the next turn, I had the team do a fast bug out farther back into the trees hoping that it would break contact. Fortunately the first round fell short, so they escaped that one. The second landed where they had been, which was still close enough that one guy received a wound, but they continued to bug out. Unfortunately, the third round was long and landed right on top of them and wiped them out. The fortunes of war...

Michael

[LongLeftFlank]

I hear that excavated fortifications are better against shellburst since the patch, so 'diving into a foxhole' is now worthwhile

Speaking of which, do AI units taken under fire actively seek cover in fortifications (foxholes, trenches and bunkers)? Since the latter basically behave like immobile vehicles (if I'm not mistaken, which also accounts for why entrenched units are spotted far more quickly) would they enter them by default if ordered to enter the Location?

[Eagle2]

Yeah, its definitely SOP to get the hell out of the impact zone. As soon as the first round falls the squad/PL shouts out a direction and distance for the squad/platoon to regroup at. There's nothing cowardly about running away if you only other choice is to sit and die.