Question: How to lay mines ingame ?

fdlu · Post by **fdlu** » Thu Jun 08, 2000 1:04 am

This may be a stupid question, or answered
earlier.
I read under new features that leg engineers
are able to lay mines ingame. how do i do
this.
thanks for any help.
btw , is there a gameplay difference between the different infantry units ?? (aside fom snipers, engineer but heavy, elite etc.)

Charles22 · Post by **Charles22** » Thu Jun 08, 2000 1:23 am

I'm not sure if the mode, be it advance or defend matters, but hit your space bar and look at the off-colored area, which is the changable fields. I believe it's the last optional field. Normally the engineers troops say something to the effect that they will clear mines. Toggle through that and you'll see there are two other options, and one says something like 'create mines'. In order to reliably create mines, you need to face them towards the hex where you want the mine, and wait. It seems as though some hexes are easier to create mines in, than others. Also, I suggest you change their treatment toward mines in the deployment stage, as sometimes on the first turn they've already created mines. They don't create mines every turn and the ability varies. I've had one create four on the first turn, while others I've had didn't create a single one in ten turns. It seems as though they generally create one mine for every three or four turns, depending. I have been playing Gerry, so probably the create rate is lower with other nationalities early on.

Generally, depending on engineers buliding mines far up the deployment line is all but useless. They need time, and they need to not interfered with for quite a while. If they engage in any shotting it may cancel that turns entire attempt at creating the mines, so keep that in mind. Mine are always with a range of one, so I wouldn't know anything about the ratio of mines being created while they're fighting.

Billy Yank · Post by **Billy Yank** » Thu Jun 08, 2000 1:27 am

Originally posted by fdlu:
This may be a stupid question, or answered
earlier.
I read under new features that leg engineers
are able to lay mines ingame. how do i do
this.
thanks for any help.
btw , is there a gameplay difference between the different infantry units ?? (aside fom snipers, engineer but heavy, elite etc.)

In the unit information screen for the engineers, click on the line that says: "Clear mines in front of the unit." You can change it to "Lay mines..." or "Don't clear..."

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Billy Yank
I don't define "my own" the way you want me to.

Bondy · Post by **Bondy** » Thu Jun 08, 2000 5:35 am

Do you need to purchase the mines (as support "units") for your engineers to lay during the scenario or do engineers automatically have mines on them?

Wild Bill · Post by **Wild Bill** » Thu Jun 08, 2000 9:22 am

Yes, mines have to be purchased. You can also use engineers to destroy bridges. Just take them to the bridge, type "z" and click on the bridge hex you want attacked. They'll give it their best shot

WB

------------------
Wild Bill Wilder
Coordinator, Scenario Design
Matrix Games

Arralen · Post by **Arralen** » Thu Jun 08, 2000 1:19 pm

Originally posted by Wild Bill:
Yes, mines [to be layed in-game by engineers] have to be purchased.

WB

I had some Japs pioneers lay mines without purchchasing a single mine on the starting screen - just put them to "defence" & "lay mines in front hex" and they started laying mines - interestingly enough I wasn't able to figure out on what their "production speed" depends - it seemed rather random to me ?!

Arralen

Billy Yank · Post by **Billy Yank** » Thu Jun 08, 2000 3:51 pm

Originally posted by Arralen:
I had some Japs pioneers lay mines without purchchasing a single mine on the starting screen - just put them to "defence" & "lay mines in front hex" and they started laying mines - interestingly enough I wasn't able to figure out on what their "production speed" depends - it seemed rather random to me ?!

Arralen

I saw the same thing with US Engineers in a long campaign game. I didn't buy any mines. My engineers just created them out of thin air.

------------------
Billy Yank
I don't define "my own" the way you want me to.

Charles22 · Post by **Charles22** » Thu Jun 08, 2000 5:50 pm

Arralen and Billy Yank are absolutely correct, you needn't purchase a single mine. Hmmm, Wild Bill, puts a new wrinkle into the game doesn't it? When I found that out, I just had to restart my two engineer platoon campaign (along with other units of course). This is still pretty new stuff to me, but as I said it seems to fluctuate pretty wildly and I am using Gerry to lay them. Assuming the enemy is coming straight towards the frontline objective areas, and you slow his advance with some mgs and AFV's, I would say the most mines an engineer will lay before the enemy hits the hex (I'm talking a hex between 10-25 hexes behind your own deployment line) is about ten. So the decision then becomes, whether or nor you strengthen the minefields you already purchased, or add at least some amount to non-mine hexes.

At this point I haven't played very many offensive missions, but the prospect that the AI "may" be laying mines wherever they may be, can be quite terrifying. If the AI isn't already doing it, perhaps the next patch could add this aspect to the AI engineers defensive conduct.

Way to go fdlu, your allegedly stupid questions got us to thinking!

[This message has been edited by Charles22 (edited 06-08-2000).]

fdlu · Post by **fdlu** » Fri Jun 09, 2000 1:26 am

Thanks alot for your kind answers and
additional explanations.
That was more than i had hoped for.

)
with a long weekend ahead, maybe i will
get some time to play, if nothing intervenes
(like good weather, friends or real life)
but this game has earned a permanent space
on my hd.
in regard to the patch: sounds incredible,
you´ve outdone yourselves.

Wild Bill · Post by **Wild Bill** » Fri Jun 09, 2000 2:18 am

Were yours generated campaigns or designed scenarios? I had to purchase some mines to make my sorry engineers lay them, but it was a designed scenario. Therein may lie the difference.

WB
========

------------------
In Arduis Fidelis
Wild Bill Wilder
Coordinator, Scenario Design
Matrix Games

Wild Bill · Post by **Wild Bill** » Fri Jun 09, 2000 2:23 am

Okay, I stand corrected. I had the engineer unit set on advance previously. This time I set him on defend (makes sense) and he did place a mine with no mines purchased. THanks guys...WB

------------------
In Arduis Fidelis
Wild Bill Wilder
Coordinator, Scenario Design
Matrix Games

Bondy · Post by **Bondy** » Fri Jun 09, 2000 2:33 am

Thanks for all the info - I tested the engineers laying mines in my German WWII Long Camgaign. Sure enough, they create them without you having to buy them. As Charles22 said if you set the engineers up to place a mine during deployment, then there are usually a couple of mines already laid when turn 1 starts.