Demo question...

[JudgeDredd]

I'm doing what I normally do - micro manage.

So I'm giving a bombard order to an arty unit, and the cross hairs show - but nothing falls on the enemy. On top of that, I try to increase the time for the bombardment - so I click on it to increase it 5 seconds at a time - and after a second, it reverts to the time originally left

Is this a bug in the demo? If so is it fixed in the final version? Am I not using the new interface correctly? I remember from CotA that you assigned the bombard order and clicked the duration to increase it 5 seconds at a time and that was that - your unit would bombard for that duration...but I'm seeing nothing falling on the enemy at all.

The unit has 34% fatigue, 61% personnel, 3 12cm guns and has 163 12cm shells.

This also happened to a Stug unit I tried to give a direct fire order to.

In both cases, when I clicked back on the units, their crosshair for their order was present, but I saw no fire coming from either one - and they had LOS (even if they didn't the crosshair would presumably go as it did in CotA...no?)

[simovitch]

You have to pause first to increase the duration of a fire order beyond the default. Different from COTA, yes... bug or feature? meh.

Artillery should be firing unless the target out of range, too close, freindlies in the way... sometimes at night the bombard task will slip. If you are watching the ammo count you may not see it drop until you come back later or toggle back in forth between other UI views.

Direct fire is very fickle. The firing unit should be above average quality, and the target within effective range and visible. You still may not get a shot off. I think setting high aggro helps.

[Lieste]

Also important is that your firers aren't suppressed too badly, that any heavy weapons have completed their move and deployed weapons.This takes 15-240 minutes depending on weapon type - the bigger the gun the longer it takes, mortars though are fairly fast - 15-30 minutes. (Not just the gun itself, but also sufficient ammunition to fire usefully).

Friendlies too close is the most common problem with IDF. You can also try bombarding the rear of the target area, rather than the centre/front. Mostly target effect will be similar, but the fire will have less effect on friendly troops - plus it does a better job of keeping reinforcements away

[JudgeDredd]

Some things to think about there...especially for the arty.

I like to control my arty, so it could be a considerable pain to pause everytime I want to increase bombardment time. I'll need to run this through and see

As for the direct fire, I'm pretty sure the whole 10 seconds or so my Stug unit was given the direct fire order and the crosshairs were over the target, it was firing at another unit.

Anyway - I'll check these things. It was the transition from morning to night... (EDIT - meant morning to day)

Thanks

[wodin]

JD,

I only control ARty at first I give them a defend in situ order, then when needed I move them up to keep up with the battle with a defend in situ order, I've never had a problem with the AI managing their fire, when needed I will intervene. Try it mate.

Also the new patch is out soon, which so they say makes it like a whole new game!

[JudgeDredd]

I agree that the AI in this game system and the command hierarchy is second to none....and sometimes it is beautiful to watch, but sometimes I like to give individual companies their commands - especially in the smaller battles. And I've always liked issuing commands to arty...in fact there was a suggestion one time to nail it so the user could not take command of individual arty units (argument being it was more realistic with the lack of comms etc) - and I was dead against it as I particularly liked taking command of arty (though I agree - probably more realistic)

It's perhaps "not the way it should be played", but it was the way I liked to play it...otherwise it's just a show you sit and watch - the AI is pretty clever in these games - issue the right commands at the right time and there's a lot of time where you are going to be sitting and watching

Anyhoo - my interest has piqued again in anticipation of Matrix holiday sale...we'll see...for now I think I'll try and master the demo (disappointed there's no save function in the demo Dave) and re-install CotA which I thought was an outstanding game, even though I was very sceptical of the theatre.

[wodin]

The new patch is looking fine. Have you seen the new AAR screen?

Also I too micromanage at times, and like you especially in the smaller scenarios. Usually though I give orders at battalion level, sometimes even brigade in the massive scenarios but never higher than brigade. I've never given orders at division level for instance. That would start to feel like your not actually playing the game

I feel there is no right or wrong way to play. Whatever you prefer is how it should be played. Thats the beauty of the system.

I wasn't trying to say your playing it worng or anything, lets not get into our usual misunderstandings . I was just telling you how I manage the Arty. As I said at the start of a cneraio I will give them all individual dfend in situ orders. Then as the battle moves along I move them up if they are getting towards the limit of their range. I move them up with a defend order. So in a sense I am micromanaging alittle but not their actual fire, unless I need to take control to stem an attack or counter attack.

Giving orders at abttalion level still involves alot of planning and thought.