Adding artillery

[Bertram]

Is there an easy way to add artillery in reserve to a task force?

When I have several groups defending, with a central artillery pool, or when I have several groups attacking somewhere during the attack, or the while defending, I want to add (part of) the artillery to a group. When defending this works, kind of, by selecting the commanding unit and the artillery, and giving them a new defend task (clicking "in situ" real fast, or everyone is on the move).

But when attacking and adding the artillery my commanders always will make a complete new plan, delaying things quite a bit. Is thee an other ption besides planning these bombardments manually?


Bertram

[RayWolfe]

No, adding arty (or indeed, any other unit) after you have started an attack plan will force a new plan. Just as in real life you must decide what forces you need to accomplish a task and then stick with it or abandon that plan. This is one of the really good things about HTTR, it makes you think before you act. Just as real commanders have to.
Ray

[Bertram]

Fortunatly (for those commanders) not true. Artillery is usually shared within several groups, who have different priority ratings. A general reserve might be held back as wel. When running into trouble that commander can ask for artillery support, and when he gets it, he does NOT have to wait two hours to redesign his route of approach, his fup, etc., he just executes his original plan (or tries to), but now with some support. This is of course especially true when he had support of 2 batteries, and got one or two batteries added. He has a bit more firepower, lucky him, and will hit the enemy a bit harder, not stop and replan his attack.

As it is now, I have a central xxxth army artillery pool, which comes into range quite often later in the scenario. When one of the divisions runs into resistance, and I want to assign that artillery to them, it might take a day (or longer) for them to figure out that they want to hit the enemy with it. Same goes actually for any addition. If I have a 10.000 men strong division, and (re)attach a 5 gun AT-unit (that was, for example, detached to protect a crossing), that division is going to refigure all its plans, and stop for the next 24 hours to recalculate, reroute and replan. As a result you have either to micro manage those loose units, or just let them be.


Bertram

[KNac007]

It's XXX Corps [:D]

Seriusly, I understand what he says and I agree. But unfortunatly the AA engine hasn't reached that level of flexibility for when it needs or not to replan when you attach or detach.

But Bertram, that's what you have to micromanage (one of the few things you need to micromanage in the game). If you want to support one attack an attack with more arty, then go to artillery pool choose the batteries you want and bombard. That is like if the frontline commanders where calling via a FO (Fordward Observer) for support. Then if you want to change the support to an other point,, just move the bombard order to that point or issue a new one.

It would be cool to attach one arty bn to a task force and they not replanning all again, or their anteriorsupeior not replanning all the defense again. But unfortunatly, as I said, the game hasn't reached that level of flexibility (or smartness) yet.

One conplain I have is superior moving artillery units when I attach to them when they are in range and w/o enemy contacts closer.

[Fallschirmjager]

The AI always does a good job of auto planning mission for me
I usualy just put my artillary somewhere safe and in range and set it to 'on call' and leave it be.

[JeF]

ORIGINAL: Fallschirmjager
The AI always does a good job of auto planning mission for me
I usualy just put my artillary somewhere safe and in range and set it to 'on call' and leave it be.

Same here. The AI usually does a better job than I do.
'On call' really means you have a pool of guns "shared within several groups". Unfortunately, there is no priorities, and it's for all groups.

For the range and flexibility question, I usually split my arty into three to four groups of guns with the same range. And I bring them along my attack (or retreat [:D]) route, one by one. The ones that are not moving can still fire then.
One group is sometimes dedicating to specific bombard missions and rest when they are not firing.

Oh and ... Bn arty assets stay attached to their HQ. In bigger scenarios, most reg arty assets do as well. By default, on attack they support the units attached with their HQ, on defense they support anyone, but it can be changed.

My 2 cents,

JFrL_

[Fallschirmjager]

Another tactic I like is unattaching artillery from its parent regiment or division and attaching it to my overall HQ
From there it can support anyone on the battle field.

I remember playing as the Germans in RDOA and by the end of the grand scenario I would have so much artillery under my overall HQ that I could break up British attack after every unit made just a single bombardment [X(]
Something like 160 guns and rockets trained on one area.