Matrix Games Forums

Just a "for your information"

Playing a beach assault (in a campaign) I have found that if I leave a ammo vehicle on the beach and sail the various gun equipped landing craft into the adjacent hex they rearm.

It's not as if this is totally unexpected, but it's the first time I tried it (had about 4 landing craft with rockets, mortars or guns that were floating about doing nothing having expended everything on the opening bombbardment).

Now that is a useful infobite!
After all this time slogging around the Pacific - not once did I think to try that! Doh!

Had me REAL excited, thought you meant my cruisers!! Its a real cool tip though.


Goblin

Originally posted by Goblin
Had me REAL excited, thought you meant my cruisers!!

Goblin

Ditto...I thought there was a replenishment ship on the purchase screen that I missed

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Goblin
Had me REAL excited, thought you meant my cruisers!! Its a real cool tip though.


Hey I like the 8in stuff to guy's - but think about it. If you can keep using your rocket and 40mm ladden LCI's a lot while you are still on the beach, when you get a little farther inland then you can use the "big-stuff" on the real hard points!

Now maybe it's just because of my assault style -

pound the cr## out of suspect positions and douse liberally with smoke on the approach lanes. Repeat as necessary. -

that seems to make rocket and mortar assault craft fairly useless.

I mean, they don't fire indirect or smoke and, by the first turn I've covered the beach in smoke from other naval guns.

Any targets I subsequently pick up are generally too close to my own troops to want to use that heavy fire power. This for fear that I'll do more damage to myself than to an entrenched enemy.

Generally, I tend to cruise the coast and fruitlessly duke it out with a bunker or something until they run out of ammo. The rest of the game, they ARE useful for drawing Opp Fire.

Any recommendations?

Capt,

Same here, buddy. My smoke screen and bombardment makes them of limited use. Now if I could get those cruiser guns reloaded.....

Goblin

Well it is a bit of a sticky wicket that! Of course I understand the fire and smoke problem all to well.
And the way SPWAW handles the Arty. "spread" factor makes for an even bigger chalange I agree!
But I also am for the heavy pre assualt bombardments, don't misunderstand me on that one!
It's just that I like to have (2) or perefrably (3) gunboats around for follow-up work! The 3in DP guns are great for the bunker and cave problems and the 40mm stuff is great for any enemy infantry caught out in the open don't ya know! And more than once I have broken up an enemy flank attack thanks to the patroling gunboats!
I just personaly find them useful for at least 50-60% of the scenarios length, but it varies greatly with the scenario too! And I also like to keep them moving up and down the beaches to draw that heavy stuff that would other wise be directed at my poor grunts!
I have always wished for more of them when I am playing Campaign Series games also. But like motorcycles I think this tends to be a matter of preferance and learning in which ways that they can be most useful to the individuel commander don't ya know!

Sorry - I forgot to mention the last post that I was mainly talking about the support boats with 3 in,20mm and 40mm guns! The rocket support ships are very limited in useage after you land for the reasons posted before! How ever, that being said and all if you suppect a rear area that the boats rockets can reach.
Well then they become useful once again! Same goes if the flyboys spot some area or item you would like to lay some heavy suppression fire on!

Well said WhiteRook. I generally find them useful for about 20-30% of a beach assault, but when I do get to use them, they come in handy. I looooovvvve smoke on an amphib landing!!

Goblin

Originally posted by WhiteRook
Sorry - I forgot to mention the last post that I was mainly talking about the support boats with 3 in,20mm and 40mm guns! The rocket support ships are very limited in useage after you land for the reasons posted before! How ever, that being said and all if you suppect a rear area that the boats rockets can reach.
Well then they become useful once again! Same goes if the flyboys spot some area or item you would like to lay some heavy suppression fire on!

You can use mortars and rocket support ships in an indirect fire way. you would have to set them as computer controlled, the computer would then assign targets, in a few turns and the only thing you would be able to do is move the target location once the computer assigns it

Rick 3/2 ACR

That is great info! I have been playing SPWAW for years and never knew that! Thanks for the info!

5th Recon
Semper Fi

they can be (sort of) used to direct fire a pathway through Dragons Teeth, Mines and Wire and give you a few more locations to land tanks in