My frustration with Combat Mission - still!

Sir Slash · February 27, 2014, 12:27:13 PM

You think you're bad. Have you ever have the enemy soldiers laugh at you the way they do me when I play? I swear one German even mooned me one time.

Michael Dorosh · February 27, 2014, 01:52:29 PM

Quote from: undercovergeek on February 27, 2014, 08:48:36 AM
re the shreks - im sure IRL its not a very good idea, BUT if it was choke on smoke and dust and suffer deafness

That wasn't the issue. It was a recoilless weapon firing a ROCKET. The issue was severely burning you and your buddy with the discharge from the ROCKET PROPELLED MUNITION.

Michael Dorosh · February 27, 2014, 01:56:35 PM

Quote from: MikeGER on February 27, 2014, 10:17:50 AM
Quote from: JudgeDredd on February 27, 2014, 08:19:12 AM
QuotePanzershreks wont fire from a building
lol - well, I did say my tactical abilities could be cause for some concern. However that was the best vantage point as the tank was the opposite side to a field of bocage. Is that historically accurate or a limitation on the game?

JD you want a historical accurate answer. :)
i went upstairs and asked my dad (89) he was in the field test platoon feb/mar 44 at the eastern front as grunt, his Schirmeister invented that blast shield you all know from the pictures. 8)
He never shot from inside a building at the eastern front or witnessed other doing that ... simply there where just no buildings in the area, just landscape
He thinks it would have been considered to dangerous that it would have been ordered to do if buildings were available.

I was flipping through a picture book just today about German weapons and it was talking about that shield. Apparently they issued out gasmask and face shields and protective clothing initally and they were all so cumbersome, the shield was finally developed as a much better solution.

I have fired the 84mm Carl Gustav on the range; it is hard to gain an appreciation for those innocuous looking weapons until you experience them firsthand.

Yskonyn · February 27, 2014, 02:19:41 PM

I would suggest you take a look at this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbE8795rt2s

There's a crapload of hints and tips in there on how your units respond, what they can and cannot do and most of all what you should and should not do in relation to the game engine and its inevitable abstraction.
It's a long video, but it'll make you much better as a pixeltruppen commander.

SgtRock · February 27, 2014, 03:18:02 PM

Fighting in the bocage wasn't much fun in real life and guess what? It's not much fun in a game either? ::)

Playing the CM2 demos I never could figure out the spotting, sometimes your selected unit can see the enemy (enemy icon highlighted) it's with-in weapon range but, you can't target the enemy even though they can shoot you? I never even seen anyone in a AAR explain it either, it's like Battlefront said it working so no one even questions it! Remember if Steve said the world is flat then you must believe! ;D

JudgeDredd · February 27, 2014, 03:26:14 PM

Thank you all for the superb advice.

Who would've thought that if you leave your troops to do their thing you'd get better results.

The abstraction is a total pita...thinking you have control when you don't leaves you somewhat bewildered. I do recall now reading that the base of the square is the LOS spot and I remember thinking it was a pita back then.

However - I took all your advice, put my troops on hunt and headed towards the orchard...slowly but surely they started to engage. I took a hands off approach...let them engage...and didn't try arcs of fire or engage - just let them do it. And, for the first time ever, not only did I get a victory, I got as decisive victory.

What definitely helped was not pissing about with the ridiculous placement squares...generally often does. Also understand line of sight helped a great deal.

Sgt Rock - that was the other infuriating thing - having your unit selected and seeing a highlighted enemy unit and not being able to target them, even though they are shooting you up. Now I understand the LoS bollox, I'll take that on the chin a bit better - it'll at least not be confusing anymore (well, until I forget again!) ::)

So thank you...that was, by far, the only enjoyable time I've had playing that game!

And Yskonyn - I will watch that video thanks.

JudgeDredd · February 27, 2014, 06:28:24 PM

And a second total victory...what are you boys like?!

Both tiny scenarios - but the first bit of fun I've had with CM:BfN...not because I won (though that is a nice plus) but because I now know wtf is going on and am avoiding the things that didn't work and I couldn't work out why...thinking it was my idiotic fault when all the while it was the game mechanics and abstraction!

Sir Slash · February 27, 2014, 07:26:00 PM

Congrats Dredd on the wins. I'm looking forward to the JudgeDredd Tactics Video soon to be posted. My favorite tactic is when I get too far behind in a battle, accidently kick the power cord and crash the game. I call it the "Nuclear Option".

undercovergeek · February 28, 2014, 02:26:02 AM

Quote from: JudgeDredd on February 27, 2014, 06:28:24 PM
And a second total victory...what are you boys like?!

Both tiny scenarios - but the first bit of fun I've had with CM:BfN...not because I won (though that is a nice plus) but because I now know wtf is going on and am avoiding the things that didn't work and I couldn't work out why...thinking it was my idiotic fault when all the while it was the game mechanics and abstraction!

Yayyy

He's ready for pbem boys

Yskonyn · February 28, 2014, 03:24:05 AM

Haha! Yay!

The thing I find hardest in any CM game is when to decide the scouting / stealth should be over and a proper attack is the best course of action from there on.
I always think, "But what if my opponent has this annihilation trick up his sleede I have not spotted yet!".

For example; I recently scouted a farm site which I knew was occupied by the Germans. Scouting didn't reveil very much, but it was a victory condition to take it.
Once I started to 'poke by Fire' nothing happened either.
Perhaps its safe to Assault then. So I did, supported by two Light Tanks.
One of them got knocked out immediately by an unknown source once it drove up into the field and opened Fire on the farm.
Argh! And I was so darn careful!

MikeGER · February 28, 2014, 03:47:17 AM

Quote from: Michael Dorosh on February 27, 2014, 01:56:35 PM
Apparently they issued out gasmask and face shields and protective clothing initally and they were all so cumbersome, the shield was finally developed as a much better solution.

this is correct, the early version was operated with a gas-mask, a hood (Schießhaube, called Eulenspiegel by the troops), and long sleeved gloves (Schießhandschuhe) the "Schirmeister" its a Feldwebel rank dedicated to equipment invented the shield. All field testing was under the direct oversight of Generalmajor Ranft... its was kind of impressive for the soldiers involved to see such a high ranking officer so close to a subunit. Also i can report that the Offenrohr was often used in a poor mans 'Artillery' role, cause there were just no other means left....

JudgeDredd · February 28, 2014, 04:05:48 AM

Quote from: undercovergeek on February 28, 2014, 02:26:02 AM
Quote from: JudgeDredd on February 27, 2014, 06:28:24 PM
And a second total victory...what are you boys like?!

Both tiny scenarios - but the first bit of fun I've had with CM:BfN...not because I won (though that is a nice plus) but because I now know wtf is going on and am avoiding the things that didn't work and I couldn't work out why...thinking it was my idiotic fault when all the while it was the game mechanics and abstraction!

Yayyy

He's ready for pbem boys

Probably not ;D

For one, I most definitely do NOT like the 1 minute impulses. I really, really detest them.

However - that could be my lack of understanding of the system...so here's a question...I know you can give movement orders consecutively and watch them carry them out...but what if you have an MG42 - can you issue it a move, then a deploy and they'll deploy at the last movement point? What about Pioneers? Move and blast? Infantry, move, move, assault?

The one thing I do like about the impulse method is being able to replay so you can see what took your team out, or at least maybe get an idea of location.

undercovergeek · February 28, 2014, 05:36:53 AM

yeah you can give a whole list of orders - run to this, hunt through there, stop there, set up mg42 there

tank goes, here, here, here, hunts here, reverses here

not a problem

JudgeDredd · February 28, 2014, 05:44:59 AM

Maybe I'll give WEGO another, erm....go ;)

Nefaro · February 28, 2014, 06:10:27 AM

Quote from: JudgeDredd on February 28, 2014, 05:44:59 AM
Maybe I'll give WEGO another, erm....go ;)

It's much easier to just play in real-time and pause it whenever you need to.

That may not prepare you for PBEM but I get the impression that it's not high on your list. So go real-time is my recommendation. The time between turns is far too long in turn-based mode.