Artillery Timing and Vierville

[GerryCMBB]

Hello:

I am having awful trouble timing the artillery, especially the 105mms. The map is fairly flat so it takes a long time to get an observer close to the village. Then the 105s take 7 minutes before they start. In fact it seemed longer as they only seemed to fire a single spotting round for a few turns. Does that seem right? So one side of my advance is just held up waiting for all this to happen.

Any tips?

Thanks in advance,

Gerry

[Wego McPbem]

You could setup a preplanned barrage during deployment and give it a delay of 5,10 or 15 minutes. No need to worry about getting los for your spotter, accurate without any spotting rounds required and you'll know exactly when it's going to hit.

[Jaws]

You could setup a preplanned barrage during deployment and give it a delay of 5,10 or 15 minutes. No need to worry about getting los for your spotter, accurate without any spotting rounds required and you'll know exactly when it's going to hit.

Only detail you dont know if the enemy will be there

[Wego McPbem]

Heh, true but you can't have it all

[DavidFields]

Even without knowing the scenario, I would agree with the preplanned barrage.

You can decide, with it, where you do not want the enemy to be. If they are not there, it is a waste as far as killing the enemy. But if you pick a tactically valuable location, that is the compensation.

And with the delay, one can plan for the enemy "not to be" at a certain critical place at a certain time of the attack.

You are getting me very interested in that scenario. As with many of the Campaigns/Scenarios that come with the game, it sounds as though it is designed to make a teaching point. [Next up, need to make fun scenarios--Band of Brothers stuff, or Saving Private Ryan, etc.]

[Sublime]

Ive also noticed that often I get artillery delivery times of 7-8 minutes away and I order in the strike anyways. More often than not Im pleasantly suprised by a FFE 2-4 minutes earlier than the readout on the UI. Again it varies wildly, but this early delivery of 'the goods' seems to happen quite a bit when its smaller caliber off board assets - 105mm, 120mm, etc.

[womble]

Ive also noticed that often I get artillery delivery times of 7-8 minutes away and I order in the strike anyways. More often than not Im pleasantly suprised by a FFE 2-4 minutes earlier than the readout on the UI. Again it varies wildly, but this early delivery of 'the goods' seems to happen quite a bit when its smaller caliber off board assets - 105mm, 120mm, etc.

I've noticed that too. Seems to happen more with FOs than with other spotters, and the quality of the FO can bring the delivery forward, too, since fewer spotting rounds end up being needed (they've given better initial data, I'm guessing is the 'rationale' for that).

[Michael Emrys]

You can decide, with it, where you do not want the enemy to be.

Exactly. The thing that I expect many players overlook is the tactic of also using artillery to prevent the enemy from moving into a location you don't want them to be at a particular time.

Michael

[Sublime]

I've noticed that too. Seems to happen more with FOs than with other spotters, and the quality of the FO can bring the delivery forward, too, since fewer spotting rounds end up being needed (they've given better initial data, I'm guessing is the 'rationale' for that).

Yeah, FO's definitely have some sort of influence on it. I also noticed that higher ranking officers seem to get faster deliveries too.

[Erwin]

I sometimes order a "preplanned" bombardment for the max 15 mins delay on suspected enemy strongpoints (that are not in LOS) and try to get recon into position to see if there is actually an enemy there. If not, I cancel the bombardment.

But, I wonder if one can adjust a "preplanned" bombardment to another location where there is also no LOS, or does one revert back to having to have FO eyes on the target when one adjusts?

[A Canadian Cat]

But, I wonder if one can adjust a "preplanned" bombardment to another location where there is also no LOS, or does one revert back to having to have FO eyes on the target when one adjusts?

I just posted about that on another thread. Sure you can adjust a preplanned bombardment but you reset the delay again too:-( I set a bombardment on the objective 15min into the game and when I tried to adjust it the new mission had a 15min delay too. As in another 15min so I cancelled it and started over.

[A Canadian Cat]

Exactly. The thing that I expect many players overlook is the tactic of also using artillery to prevent the enemy from moving into a location you don't want them to be at a particular time.

Yes, a very useful tactic - I do it alot. In a recent game my opponent and I had the exact same idea - drop a preplanned bombardment with a delay just on the other guy's side of the objective. We were both thinking the same way - stop the enemy troops from moving on to the objective so your guys can take it first. It was a night fight so LOS was limited and the result was that both sides moved their main force to just outside the objective and waited out the artillery. When is stopped things got bloody really really fast. It was the strangest game I have ever played - no contact for a really really long time and then BAMM all hell broke loose.

[Erwin]

Ok thanks. My question is: Despite the additional 15 min delay when you adjust, can you still order the adjusted bombardment on a location not in LOS of any spotter?

If so, that 15 min wait could still be well worth it if it takes you 15 mins to get a recon unit into position to see if there are enemy positions at the new location.

And after all, you could order a 5 minute pre-ordered bombardment delay and keep adjusting to buy extra time until you check the location for enemy positions. (Yes, it's all kinda gamey, I agree.)

[Wego McPbem]

Ok thanks. My question is: Despite the additional 15 min delay when you adjust, can you still order the adjusted bombardment on a location not in LOS of any spotter?

If so, that 15 min wait could still be well worth it if it takes you 15 mins to get a recon unit into position to see if there are enemy positions at the new location.

And after all, you could order a 5 minute pre-ordered bombardment delay and keep adjusting to buy extra time until you check the location for enemy positions. (Yes, it's all kinda gamey, I agree.)

Nope, your spotter will need los to the place you're going to adjust it to. It's treated like normal arty and requires the whole spotting rounds process to get it on target.

[stoex]

Sure you can adjust a preplanned bombardment but you reset the delay again too:-(

When you think about it, this is actually a really silly and unrealistic design decision. Imagine you are an FO and you call your arty asset and say, "OK gimme 20 rounds on this-and-this location in exactly 15 minutes", and then after 8 minutes you call again and say, "those rounds I ordered a few minutes ago? I need them 300 meters due north-west of the original target designation as we have now pinpointed the enemy location". The asset is not going to answer, "roger, resetting your 15 minute timer". Why should they? It should only take longer than the original call if the recalculations for the new target take longer than the time left on the original timer, shouldn't it? At best, they should actually ask, "roger, do you still want the remainder of the delay or shall we drop the rounds asap now?"

I really think this should be changed. In fact, I think adjusting a mission should allow you to enter a new delay if you wish, not just a new target pattern and position.