Sgt Schultz Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 This thread is dedicated to the use of the purchase screen editor in scenario design. Please share your experiences so all may benefit and discuss. --- The following are just my personal experiences and opinions. I'm no expert... just like to share what little I have found, and get threads rolling that can help everyone. Plus you should keep in mind that I am pure Beer&Pretzels. I work within the limitations of the editor and my imagination. Varying the types of units, deleting some while adding other units, and adjusting attributes can all enhance the experience and add immersion. Who wants to play with factory standard TO&E? Names are not enough. Just because you have chosen one type as your main force doesn't preclude adding other types within that force. It's your world... make it as you will. ------------ I'll start off with my new flavor of the month unit... the 'Armor' Medium Mortar TEAM(not squad). I call it the Pocket Rocket™. 20 HE and either 2 or 4 Smoke depending on Nationality. All contained in a single five-man unit. No ammo bearers, no halftrack. Almost one full turn of 81mm indirect death, or a few select targets taken out in direct fire. Add one in anywhere you want mortar support but not map-covering explosions or lots of icons. Best of all, both sides have the same unit. Strip Ami 60mms and replace with Pocket Rockets in lesser numbers for better balance. Your German players will thank you. ------------ The American 'Airborne' second(of two choices on screen) Scout Team is the only Ami one without demo charges. You can slide one or two into Recon platoons without unbalancing. No one will mind seeing the little parachute. ------------ The vanilla Ami M3 halftrack(medium MG) is the only one that does not have pretentions of becoming armor. The twin MG and .50cal versions should be inserted with caution, as an experienced and aggresive player will use them to great effect(yes, you sublime). A "Transport" vehicle killing Pumas is not usually a design goal. :eek: ------------ The Ami tripod .50 cal. It is my answer to the common MG42. And they ARE common. Lots of MG42s vs a few .50s blowing through light armor at 400 meters. Not as mobile as a .50 cal halftrack, but seem 'better' somehow. ------------ "Recon" platoons - The first custom units I came up with, and a staple for me now. I take an infantry platoon and strip all but one squad. Then I add in scout, breach, LMG, zook teams as needed and one or two scout vehicles directly attached to platoon HQ. No recombines, less morale hits(each unit is self-contained) and easier to read unit description(scout,breach,etc). These custom units can cover a large linear area and fine-tooth-comb it. Losses do not affect 'destroy' points too badly with the small headcounts. The player doesn't have to spend time splitting and watching for recombines. ------------------------ Attributes - All those choices in that menu... they turn more battles than anything else. Experience - Reg/Vet for me in almost all battles. It's a game and I want to PLAY. We don't want Terminators, but it's no fun to babysit either. "Named" easter egg units get the big bonuses. Motivation - Norm/High. For the same reasons as above. I tend towards High to make the troops tougher. Players tend to fold, spindle and mutilate our creations rather badly, so allowances should be made. Extreme works for certain defensive scenarios where you want to make sure the boys hold to the bitter end. Fitness - Fit. I don't do historicals, and as stated before, I don't want you to babysit... I want you to blow cr@p up. Nothing here that cannot be taken care of better in headcount. Leadership - 0/+1 makes for stable forces. -1s show up all on their own when you split or take casualties. +2s are very rare, -2s should be dead by now due to Darwin. Supply - Lots of ways to make or break a battle here. Shermans with Full ammo become Deathstars. Same tanks with Limited will use covered arcs and such ... no full turns of area fire. Mortars and artillery are the units I check most carefully in regards to ammo. For instance... German infantry 81mm on-map squads on Full are basically the same as Ami squads on Limited. 28/6 HE/smoke vs 30 HE. It may be easier to delete artillery ammo than to add opposing troops to make up for the sure casualties. Think frosting ... not cake. It is Combat Mission, not Fire Mission. Headcount - Nice to play with for balance, but be careful with Amis, as they keep three teams no matter what. 70-80% is a nice place for Amis if you like lower numbers. Vehicle Status - Not quite the no-brainer it would seem. Burning vehicles add immersion, as well as illumination in the dark. Placing a burning vehicle, then placing a building on same spot, allows for a burning building. Immobilised vehicles = pillboxes. No HE-thrower Bunkers yet, so use these. Placing them in a setup zone gives player control of the ONE spot the vehicle gets to live in. Using Vet/High/+1 helps negate the fact that the crew cannot move. -------------- More to come --- PLEASE feel free to discuss and add your knowledge and opinions.. --- 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisND Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 For my tank platoons, I like to attach a 3-man demo team on a Kubelwagon or Jeep. Great for cutting them a path through that bocage. A mortar/jeep attached to them as well is useful if you expect AT guns. Oh wait, somehow I was thinking of quick battles. Carry on please. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt Schultz Posted October 23, 2011 Author Share Posted October 23, 2011 NO worries ND. I have opinions and suggestions for QB maps and mechanics as well, but this is more for design work so folks like you won't have to play QBs to have fun. - I like that suggestion and will add it to my list of options for non-rhino bocage battles. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nik mond Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 When selecting an allied rifle platoon with the intent of packing everyone into just enough halftracks. I set the headcount on one of the squads to 70% and have them share a track with the HQ. Another is to set the Plt HQ to 70% instead and have them mounted in an M20utility car. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BletchleyGeek Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 One thing I like to do a lot - either US or German - is to enhance infantry forces by attaching directly ATG guns at the platoon or company level. Another way, and relatively cheap way, to enhance the offensive punch of German leg infantry are infantry guns, especially the 76mm. Easy to move around and give close support in the defense or the attack. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt Schultz Posted October 28, 2011 Author Share Posted October 28, 2011 The German SMG platoon - Ah, the fond memories of setting them to 'puree' and ambushing. Plt HQ, strip everything else. Add either 3 Scout Teams, or 2 Scout Teams and 1 LMG team for each SMG squad. These little bundles of joy are best in MOUT, trench or wooded battles. They are coming soon anyway(they better be). This way you get a jump on the other designers. ---------------------------------- I agree with and copy everything Bletchly stated above. Scout vehicles reporting directly to Btn is nice, but seems gamey to me(i know, me ... talkin bout gamey). I like the closest officer in charge. Makes it easier to rally when bad things happen. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BletchleyGeek Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 I like the closest officer in charge. Makes it easier to rally when bad things happen. Another kind of mixing-and-matching I think nobody has commented on is that regarding units parameters: Leadership, Experience and Motivation. Tweaking those can significantly amplify - or reduce - the effectiveness of the equipment. For instance, having well motivated guys on the HMG's or similar has a noticeable effect on ROF. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fredrock1957 Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Another kind of mixing-and-matching I think nobody has commented on is that regarding units parameters: Leadership, Experience and Motivation. Tweaking those can significantly amplify - or reduce - the effectiveness of the equipment. For instance, having well motivated guys on the HMG's or similar has a noticeable effect on ROF.This is so true, in tests I have taken an Allied Force that was totally dominate on a consistant basis, and with just tweaking both sides Experience and Motivation swung the side to a dominate Axis force. No adding units, and tweaks were along the lines of between green-veteran for Experience and low-high for Motivation... Heck you start using Elite and Fanatic and you have oberste pixeltruppen. I too also try to stay away from the 'canned' units, subtle changes like adding an extra BAR to a squad or removing a weapons platoon from a infantry company but then taking another platoon in the company and loading it up with some M1919XX's or M2's and BARs as a fire support unit. Assigning a M5, M4, PzIV, A/C into a platoon chain of command is another cool thing to use, and if you are developing AI plans, group a platoon like this as it works well. Depending on the scenario or situation, it is also different to have 'more' off map arty units with limited,scarce or severe ammo load outs, this works well if you remove a Weapons Company/Platoon as stated above. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt Schultz Posted October 28, 2011 Author Share Posted October 28, 2011 Depending on the scenario or situation, it is also different to have 'more' off map arty units with limited,scarce or severe ammo load outs, this works well if you remove a Weapons Company/Platoon as stated above. I like doing this. Sending the arty in a bit at a time with limited and/or scarce keeps thing moving, without smothering the map. This also allows multiple simultaneous targeting of off-map assets without, again, covering the map with HE rounds. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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