Matrix Games Forums

Is there any special trick necessary to get "Maus" tanks, railway guns, AT-dogs etc. for my battles? I can see them in the encyclopedia, but I can never buy them, regardless of the date of the battle.

I'd like to try some of those units out, they'll probably make fights a lot more interesting (even though I have no idea how to deploy an "explosion"...).

Any pointers as to what I'm missing?

Originally posted by jnievele
Is there any special trick necessary to get "Maus" tanks, railway guns, AT-dogs etc. for my battles? I can see them in the encyclopedia, but I can never buy them, regardless of the date of the battle.

I'd like to try some of those units out, they'll probably make fights a lot more interesting (even though I have no idea how to deploy an "explosion"...).

Any pointers as to what I'm missing?

Try setting up a battle where you are in a delay action or defend action. This gives you many more options available to you then you would get in just meeting engagements. Also go into the encyclopedia and find out when those weapons are available and make the game after that time period.

jnievele,

for the Maus, you've to set your battle to December 1949.
you'll find yr "big boys" in the armor list, under "Maus section"

As for all the other specialties, you have to do the same, but you'll find 'em ONLY in NORWAY oob.

Originally posted by Resisti
jnievele,

for the Maus, you've to set your battle to December 1949.
you'll find yr "big boys" in the armor list, under "Maus section"

As for all the other specialties, you have to do the same, but you'll find 'em ONLY in NORWAY oob.

Done that, and got almost all of the units, including most of the railway units and the Maus.

Strangely, the 380mm railway gun and the mine dogs were still missing - but at least I get a Maus to play with

the railgun is in the Italy oob, 49

The Norway OOB also has a Railway Gun (improperly named as Rail gun though) this is the one M4 Jess used in his Anzio/The Factory scenario. As for the mine dogs, I'm beginning to believe you will only see them as part of the LV MegaCampaign because I have tired and tried but have never been able to actually purchase them under any circumstance during December 1949, it still may be possible though somehow. Remember that the True Troop/Rarity setting in the preference screen along with the characteristics setting in the realism can also determine if your going to see every piece of equipment available.

Why does Norway get all the cool stuff?

Originally posted by Ograbme
Why does Norway get all the cool stuff?

Simply cause it's the OOB with more available space in it

2 points for Frederico!:)

Originally posted by gmenfan
As for the mine dogs, I'm beginning to believe you will only see them as part of the LV MegaCampaign because I have tired and tried but have never been able to actually purchase them under any circumstance during December 1949, it still may be possible though somehow.

I'm not sure you'd really want the mine dogs. Historically, they were somewhat less than a success although they were a "roaring" success.

IIRC, here's what happened. The Russians got the idea that if they trained dogs to run under tanks, then they could strap a bunch of explosives onto the dogs, set a timer and then send the dogs out to hide under the German tanks and blow them up.

Great idea in theory (for Russians, not for dogs). :p

Well, after they had a bunch of dogs trained to go on these suicide missions, the Ivans decided to try it out. I can't remember the specific battle, but they anticipated where the Germans were going to push with their armour, so they sent the dogs and some of their tanks and men to meet the Germans.

They let the dogs go and the dogs did exactly what they were trained to do. The key word is 'exactly'.

You see, when they were training the dogs, the only tanks they had to train the dogs with were Russian tanks. Specifiaccly T-34s. You guessed it. The dogs ran right for the nearest T-34s and hid under them until the charges blew up both dogs and tanks.

Somehow, there seems to be a difference in tanks that dogs can detect, like smell perhaps. And to the trained dogs, Pzkfw's didn't smell like the tanks the dogs were trained to hide under.

AFAIK, this was the one and only attemp to use such dogs. So perhaps the way to get them in a scenario would be to know the month and year of this experiment for your scenario.

Oh yeah, and get lots of extra T-34s.

Originally posted by arethusa
Somehow, there seems to be a difference in tanks that dogs can detect, like smell perhaps. And to the trained dogs, Pzkfw's didn't smell like the tanks the dogs were trained to hide under.

Slightly offtopic, but I'd say the dogs can tell tank from tank by a)SOUND b)profile c)smell

Dogs (and cats) have as we all know great hearing. How can the dog tell your Suburban from the neighbour's identical Suburban? Because they sound differently to him - engine, transmission, suspension, gearbox, all give these different sounds that we can't tell from the general "car" sound.

didnt they train then with food? and starved them before combat so they would run around the first tank they saw. but it backfired because they trained them under t-34s not panzers so the dog assumed that food was under the 34s when they saw them. so they run under and boom

Originally posted by Hades
didnt they train then with food? and starved them before combat so they would run around the first tank they saw. but it backfired because they trained them under t-34s not panzers so the dog assumed that food was under the 34s when they saw them. so they run under and boom

That's what arethusa said, isn't it? I have no info on the accuracy of this 'legend' but it certainly seems like dog behaviour to me.

Place food under tank, dog learns: "food under tank".
Starve dog.
Release dog, dog thinks: "hungryyy! must get food under tank".

opps thats what i get for skimming heh sorry