Combat Report

Decisive Campaigns: Ardennes Offensive is the fourth wargame in the Decisive Campaign series. Covering the battles in the Ardennes between December 1944 and January 1945, it brings to life Operational wargaming by lowering the scale to just above tactical level.

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FelixCulpa
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Combat Report

Post by FelixCulpa »

Hello,
A few basic questions about the combat report.


INITIAL - the att/def strength at the start of combat
@FRONT - What does this mean for this round and subsequent rounds of combat?
KIA/MIA ... - casualties
RETREAT - What does this mean? They seem to be available for subsequent rounds of combat.
ALIVE - sum of subunits available for combat in subsequent rounds.

Thx


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Khanti
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RE: Combat Report

Post by Khanti »

Front - that part of soldiers that participated in combat (if it's not 100% combat ready unit there will be less in combat than in unit generally)
Retreat - that part of soldiers that participated in combat but fled (they can be lost, if unit surrounds by the way)
Alive - successfully retreated or stood with honors in battle
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MemoryLeak
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RE: Combat Report

Post by MemoryLeak »

could someone please try to explain this in excruciating detail so I can understand at least a little bit of this mess of a form? Please.

What the heck is front? What could the person who made this possible mean?

Every attack I make the retreat and the alive is the same. what the heck is this? Who cares?

I would think that one column for the starting amount of troops and one column for the remaining amount of troops after a battle would tell you all you need to know. Why do these developers feel that the more they can complicate a simple event then the more the grognards will eat it up. complications for the sake of complication is a stupid business plan.
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Jagger2002
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RE: Combat Report

Post by Jagger2002 »

Retreat - that part of soldiers that participated in combat but fled (they can be lost, if unit surrounds by the way)

Sometimes indicates units that were forced into retreat and sometimes they are units that just completed all combat rounds. If you watch, when artillery is conducting ranged fire, the individual firing units list as retreated once they complete their firing actions. I think that is true for some units in regular combat as well.
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Khanti
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RE: Combat Report

Post by Khanti »

ORIGINAL: MemoryLeak

could someone please try to explain this in excruciating detail so I can understand at least a little bit of this mess of a form? Please.

What the heck is front? What could the person who made this possible mean?

Every attack I make the retreat and the alive is the same. what the heck is this? Who cares?

I would think that one column for the starting amount of troops and one column for the remaining amount of troops after a battle would tell you all you need to know. Why do these developers feel that the more they can complicate a simple event then the more the grognards will eat it up. complications for the sake of complication is a stupid business plan.

Front is actual fighting force of your/enemy unit. Some troops appear at once in battle, some are coming during battle. Front shows exactly how many are fighting NOW. You need just observe that column during battle to see it. For me it is VERY clear table.
Example: ranged units start as INITIAL, then move to FRONT and fire, then move to RETREAT and ALIVE if survived. Or some stay in MIA/KIA if they are dead.
═══
There is no such thing as a historically accurate strategy game. Every game stops being historically accurate from the very first move player do. First unit that moves ahistorically, first battle with non-historical results, mean we ride in unknown.
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FelixCulpa
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RE: Combat Report

Post by FelixCulpa »

Thanks for your participation in the thread!

If I may summarise.
RETREAT can mean anything from disengagement due to the attacker spending all action points to the defender surrendering the hex and retreating to another (as per the example).
So in the example, all the attacking sub-units spent all their action points by the end of round 5 and "retreated" with no casualties, although this does not mean vacating the hex but expiration of action points.
At the end of round 5 all defenders had retreated from the attacked hex and there are none at the front. A retreat in the usual sense of the word.
Generally, defenders hold the hex after the final round of the attack and these will be listed in the @Front column.

During the rounds of combat, participant numbers will vary depending on individual round results.

pedro0930
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RE: Combat Report

Post by pedro0930 »

ORIGINAL: MemoryLeak

could someone please try to explain this in excruciating detail so I can understand at least a little bit of this mess of a form? Please.

What the heck is front? What could the person who made this possible mean?

Every attack I make the retreat and the alive is the same. what the heck is this? Who cares?

I would think that one column for the starting amount of troops and one column for the remaining amount of troops after a battle would tell you all you need to know. Why do these developers feel that the more they can complicate a simple event then the more the grognards will eat it up. complications for the sake of complication is a stupid business plan.

Because these reports are generated at a per combat round basis. The retreat number changes as the fight plays out.
warnevada
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RE: Combat Report

Post by warnevada »

There is one additional piece of information: defensive units in other hexes may may support an attacked hex using ranged fire. When that happens the Front figures will show only the strength in the attacked hex but the Initial figures include the elements in the supporting hexes.

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MemoryLeak
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RE: Combat Report

Post by MemoryLeak »

Well, that is going to be another aspect of this game that I skip over and don't use. For the life of me I can't comprehend why people make games that are so unnecessarily complex. I think section 4.3.1 of the manual is an example. I'll bet you could ask a PHD instructor at Annapolis to decipher that paragraph and he would run screaming from the room.

I appreciate players who tried to explain the combat results table to me but it is an incomprehensible glob of totally useless data. All anyone needs is the amount of troops/equipment you start fighting with and the amount you have after the battle.

but this caters to the fanboys whose money is greener than mine. But you lose a lot of potential customers with this philosophy.
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FelixCulpa
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RE: Combat Report

Post by FelixCulpa »

GiveWarAchance
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RE: Combat Report

Post by GiveWarAchance »

.
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SwampYankee68
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RE: Combat Report

Post by SwampYankee68 »

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SwampYankee68
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RE: Combat Report

Post by SwampYankee68 »

ORIGINAL: MemoryLeak

Well, that is going to be another aspect of this game that I skip over and don't use. For the life of me I can't comprehend why people make games that are so unnecessarily complex. I think section 4.3.1 of the manual is an example. I'll bet you could ask a PHD instructor at Annapolis to decipher that paragraph and he would run screaming from the room.

I appreciate players who tried to explain the combat results table to me but it is an incomprehensible glob of totally useless data. All anyone needs is the amount of troops/equipment you start fighting with and the amount you have after the battle.

but this caters to the fanboys whose money is greener than mine. But you lose a lot of potential customers with this philosophy.

I have to say that in my years of participating in these forums, I've never seen someone bitch so much about something easily ignored.

I'll hazard that most of the guys that buy Vic's game want higher levels of data.

Your complaints are tantamount to purchasing a Ferrari 488 GTB and complaining that there are too many gears. Repeatedly.
"The only way I got to keep them Tigers busy is to let them shoot holes in me!"
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SwampYankee68
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RE: Combat Report

Post by SwampYankee68 »

ORIGINAL: MemoryLeak

Well, that is going to be another aspect of this game that I skip over and don't use. For the life of me I can't comprehend why people make games that are so unnecessarily complex. I think section 4.3.1 of the manual is an example. I'll bet you could ask a PHD instructor at Annapolis to decipher that paragraph and he would run screaming from the room.

I appreciate players who tried to explain the combat results table to me but it is an incomprehensible glob of totally useless data. All anyone needs is the amount of troops/equipment you start fighting with and the amount you have after the battle.

but this caters to the fanboys whose money is greener than mine. But you lose a lot of potential customers with this philosophy.
Mr. Memory Leak,

Is this your idea of intellectual debate?


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It's particularly amusing given the fact that I replied to your posting your OPINION

Most of the discussions on these boards are positive. Perhaps you should consider moving to Fortnite...
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WYBaugh
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RE: Combat Report

Post by WYBaugh »

You could also not respond to his post
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ernieschwitz
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RE: Combat Report

Post by ernieschwitz »

To me, the combat report that is generated as the combat rounds happen, helps me get a feeling of anticipation. I look at it while it happens and wonder, will I win?

This combat report btw, has been a part of Vics games forever. So it is not something that was developed specifically for this game. I guess the greener money, is less green now :)
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Rosseau
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RE: Combat Report

Post by Rosseau »

I'm not a fanboy, I'm an idiot. But I appreciate that the data is there, although I admit at times I get a bit "frustrated" when trying to interpret some of it. And yet, as I play the game, I just love delving a bit deeper into the combat reports (and all the other data feedback) each time. Maybe I have a rivet loose, but that's just me. [:)]
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