Smoke and PCO?

[MarkShot]

I remember with CMx1 that you were either choosing between denying LOS or reaching out and touching someone. In almost all cases, it was better to stun or kill someone then to just blind them. Smoke was rarely worth while using except when it specifically blinded something devastating like Tigers or Panthers or the dreaded 88 ATG.

But with PCO, it seems that it is not either/or and that you get some really thick smoke. So, does smoke have a bigger role to play?

Also, suppose you are PBEMing and on the receiving end of a smoke screen, what do you do?

[Mobius]

ORIGINAL: MarkShot
Also, suppose you are PBEMing and on the receiving end of a smoke screen, what do you do?

displace.

[MarkShot]

What about dropping your arty wide into the smoke? Isn't it reasonable to assume something is moving through the smoke?

[Mobius]

ORIGINAL: MarkShot

What about dropping your arty wide into the smoke? Isn't it reasonable to assume something is moving through the smoke?

No, I don't usually go into smoke. I screen out enemy positions with smoke to take them out of long range shots on my units. In real life units going into smoke and emerging on the other side in front of the enemy get silhouetted against the smoke. In the game it just makes it harder to see through but stationary units get an advantage because moving units are always easier to see.

[Mad Russian]

Smoke helps the defender on site specific locations. It reduced the range at which defenders can be seen and you will almost always get to fire first.

When you use it as an LOS blocking feature then it helps the attacker more.

You have to decide what it is you want your artillery and your smoke to accomplish for you.

Good Hunting.

MR

[MarkShot]

MR,

Interesting. So, you are proposing using smoke to create an artificial reverse slope situation? I hadn't thought of that, but then PCO doesn't really have a "beat the clock" style of game play similar to CM.

[Mad Russian]

Those are real life applications of smoke.

At first the attacker wanted to put smoke on the defender so they couldn't see them. Then they learned that it actually helped the defender by hiding them.

So, what they did later was to use the smoke as an LOS screen by blocking off part of the battlefield.

That will work in PCO as well.

Good Hunting.

MR

[rickier65]

Mark,

I tend not to be quite as sophisticated as Mobius and MR. I mainly use smoke to mask an advanced by infantry. and I imagine in that situation, blanketing the smoke are with Artillery would be an effective counter move.

thanks
rick