Various semi-newbie questions

[DrOnline]

Hey guys. Long time player of Panzer General/Allied General here, desperately looking for something more complex. This game is just perfect for me, but I have some questions.

Yeah, I could have searched, but.. discussing is more interesting! Also - I have read parts of the manual.

1) Is there any point of using HMGs (MG42) to target trucks and troop carriers at all? Can it possibly destroy it?

2) What does "vulnerable location" actually mean in game mechanics?

3) If my gun has, for example, 100 in attack at this specific range, is there any purpose attacking a target which has 110 in armor from that angle? At which point is it futile to even try to attack it?

4) With Panthers and Tigers, am I better off hanging back and picking off targets from a range rather than rushing in, when fighting, for example M4 Shermans?

5) Indirect artillery - What does the decimal number mean? It often says.. 1.4 etc next to the individual guns in the list.

[KG Erwin]

Oh my, yet another German fan. I can't answer all these questions in detail, but using an HMG against open-topped AFVs can destroy them. Now, if you become a US fan, like me, then you'll quickly realize why the .50 cal HMG is still in service. THAT is one awesome weapon.

As for Indirect Fire -- the number represents expected response time in turns. 0.1 is virtually instantaneous in your fire phase. 1.4 means a delay of at least one turn. If it's 1.5 or above, it may take two turns.

As for the other stuff, I personallly don't give a crap about it in the heat of combat. In the old boardgame days, I might've done so, but when the PC handles most of the book-keeping, I concentrate on tactics and establishing fire superiority. After you played the game for awhile, it becomes instinctive.

If you desire this detail, there are combat logs available inside of each saved game. I've forgotten how one accesses them.

[Goblin]

ORIGINAL: DrOnline

Hey guys. Long time player of Panzer General/Allied General here, desperately looking for something more complex. This game is just perfect for me, but I have some questions.

Yeah, I could have searched, but.. discussing is more interesting! Also - I have read parts of the manual.

1) Is there any point of using HMGs (MG42) to target trucks and troop carriers at all? Can it possibly destroy it?

It can destroy trucks, and suppress armored vehicles.

2) What does "vulnerable location" actually mean in game mechanics?

You have hit a weak spot. Vision ports, turret rings, shot traps, etc.

3) If my gun has, for example, 100 in attack at this specific range, is there any purpose attacking a target which has 110 in armor from that angle? At which point is it futile to even try to attack it?

If you have the ammo, then yes, it is worth it. You may immobilize the target, destroy its gun/engine/etc, panic/stun the crew, suppress the crew, button up the vehicle making its spotting worse, or get lucky and kill it (there is a random number added to rolls, and you also may hit the armor squarely at a zero degree angle).

4) With Panthers and Tigers, am I better off hanging back and picking off targets from a range rather than rushing in, when fighting, for example M4 Shermans?

Hang back if you are able. If you attack, screen with infantry and lighter armored vehicles. Range is your friend when you are using better penetrating guns than your enemy.

5) Indirect artillery - What does the decimal number mean? It often says.. 1.4 etc next to the individual guns in the list.

KG explained this one already.

[azraelck]

1)Machine guns are best used in a suppressive role. While concentrated MG fire can be used to decimate a squad, spread about it can button up a tank or two, reducing their effectiveness and pin down two or three infantry squads. Pretty much anything can drop a 'soft' vehicle, like trucks and jeeps and motorcycles. Only some HMGs, like the US M2 .50BMG, can be used as a light anti-armor weapon. Playing as the US you fall in love with those big .50 cals, and you'll hate them playing against them. As said, open-top AFVs (such as nearly every half-track in WWII, if not all of them) can be destroyed with MG fire. Check each weapon stats to see how effective it is against armor. The aforementioned .50BMG I've found effective against even light tanks, like Panzer I and IIs. I've also personally had armored cars destroyed by a sniper. However, HMG is a broad class, with anything from standard small-arms caliber ammo to 12.7mm ammo. So it varies according to each gun.

2)It means you hit a weak spot. Like the joint between the turret and hull, tracks, or an open hatch or something.

3)Yes, for suppression. Then you can do damage with fast response artillery like mortars, or bring in an AT gun to finish it off.

4)All units and tanks especially are far more accurate if they haven't moved much or at all. This makes them much more dangerous on the defense in a sense. Of course, don't leave them too still, or you'll find them too suppressed by artillery fire to be much worth. When assaulting, use recon to locate enemy threats to your armor, and use artillery to pin them while you bring your main force up. Always screen your armor with infantry. Armor and infantry require coordination and cooperation in order to be most effective, along with air and artillery support.

[vahauser]

To add a little more to the discussion:
 
1.  Small arms fire and MGs can add a lot of suppression to enemy AFVs.  It is an excellent way to defeat superior enemy armor--fire a bunch of small arms at the big nasty enemy tank, then close in for point blank shots with your own tanks.  This is how I take out KVs with Pz IIIs.
 
2.  My experience with vulnerable location hits is that they are largely armor independent.  I've seen MGs destroy tanks if they get a vulnerable location hit.  Also, every AP round gets a random roll added to the base penetration, which means that a base penetration of 100 will actually vary from shot to shot (up to plus or minus 10).  So your base penetration round of 100 could do as little as 90 or as much as 110.
 
3.  If you have better fire control and range finder and penetration, then it is to your advantage to fight at ranges where your advantages are best used.
 
4.  The decimal points when calling indirect fire represent portions of the turn when rounds will arrive:  0.1 = 1/2 or your rounds will land at the start of the next enemy turn and 1/2 at the end of the next enemy turn, 0.2 = 1/3 of your rounds will land at the start of the next enemy turn and 2/3 at the end of the next enemy turn, 0.3 = none of your rounds will land at the start of the next enemy turn and all of your rounds at the end of the next enemy turn, 0.4 = none of your rounds will land at the start of the next enemy turn and 2/3 of your rounds at the end of the next enemy turn, 0.5 = none of your rounds will land at the start of your next enemy turn and 1/2 of your rounds will land at the end of the next enemy turn.

[DrOnline]

Thanks for the answers guys. I will probaby get back to you at some point with further questions, but I understand a lot more about the game now.

And yeah - being European myself, I guess I am more exposed to the history of the European theatre, so this is why I will normally try to play those scenarios.

[DrOnline]

I'm back with another question!

Is it possible to re-attach routed crewmen to my AT gun, or any gun at all? If it is possible, does it have to be the exact same crew? In any case - how?

Answers would be much appreciated!

[Goblin]

Yes. They must be the same crew which abandoned the gun/vehicle, and in the same hex, and unsuppressed. They will automatically make checks each turn these conditions all apply, and if successful, recrew the gun/vehicle.
 
 
Goblin

[DrOnline]

Thanks man!

[Goblin]

[:)]