Matrix Games Forums

I completed Charge of the Centaurs playing as the Axis this weekend. The Greek AI sent the bulk of his force up the right hand side stopping my regimental sized attack cold. Unfortunetly, this left no other forces to defend the main road enabling a mixed combat group to drive all the way down to where the road forks, essentially cutting off the bulk of the Greek forces. The Greeks did manage to avoid becoming comletely encircled due in part to my lack of force down the main road and the slowness with which the regiment on the right pursued its attacks. At one point the regiment on the right took 18 hours to form one attack, and it was no more than half fatigued. Eventually I just started attacking with battalions, which worked much better.
 
There was one scary day in the scenario where the Greeks attempted to conterattack near the northernmost main objective and the objective right above. My forces near the main objective were being attacked from three sides. Forseeing the situation they may find themselves in, I deployed all available artillery in this area and conversed ammo until it was needed. With a wall of artillery fire and a fortuitous amount of airpower the attackers were held at bay.
 
At no point beyond the first half-day did the Greek forces ever form a proactive defensive line along any of the routes of likely attack. Afterwords, I started the scenario with the Greeks and it seems they have ample time and forces to form some defensive lines in areas that will be very difficult for the Italians to penetrate.

ORIGINAL: Titus

Hans,

In Malta scenario, did your paratroopers, who landed in the first day, still have basic supplies left and was there any supplies in the 7th Flieger base in the end of the third day?

Looks like I was wrong. Most of the units that landed on day one are out of basic supplies. However, the lack of basics hasn't slowed my progress a bit as can be seen by the position near the end of day three.

I noticed the same thing in the CotC scenario. A number of the units were out of basics by the end of the game. It didn't seem to have a big impact.

Hans,

Let me first say, that looking your progress from your screenshot, I have a lot to learn. My paratroopers were all fatigued after taking the first three airfields in the north and east and I had to use 100th exclusively for attack on Valetta. I didn't even bother with the west side of the island, too low VPs in there, and I didn't have a heart to force march my fatigued little binary paratroopers around the map. You Blitzkriegers may disagree, but at least in my gameplay lack of supplies had a big impact on game. It is a eight day scenario and a fighting soldier deserves his ration, binary or not.

But could you or someone with similar savegame send it to Arjuna, so he could check it? I can't access my COTA computer for the rest of the week.

From the standpoint of reality, yes they definitely need food and water. That the game has a glitch that denies them theses basics is not a good thing and the design team has worked to remove it, albiet with obviously mixed results. That the lack of basic isn't having a sufficiently detrimental effect is also something that likely needs tweaking.

Regardless of the basics glitch, it is pretty much an aceppted military axiom that you can push troops in almost continuous assault for 72 hours before fatigue degrades efficacy to a degree substantial enough to affect operations. I tend to push troops hard for three days and then rest them for a full day. I try to attack in relays or waves that will allow short spells of rest for some units during that 72 hour push so my entire force isn't at the maximum fatigue level by the end of day three. Day four in the Malta scenario tends to be a rest and reorg day to prepare for the assault on the fortified city of Valetta, which usually falls with two days of concerted effort, allowing me to conquer the island in six days.

I'll see if I have the discipline necessary to take sufficient screenshots and notes to be able to do an AAR of my next Malta game so you and others here can see how I go about conquering the island in six days. One caveat is that both times I have done this is with one particular drop pattern. The scenario has several drop patterns, some of which are not as conducive to tthe level of success evidenced in my screenshot. Perhaps I need to see how well I can do with one of the other drop patterns.

I think I can confirm this supply bug. After playing around with the tutorials I dived headfirst into the Battle of the Maltese Cross. Now it's the third day and most of my troops are without supply. Also my artillery ist silent for two days.
Does anybody need a savegame? I know a second patch is comming, but just in case...

Yep, see the Patch 2 thread. I have fixed it now and it's going out to beta testing.