Matrix Games Forums

Ok, so I haven't 'read' the manual yet, so sorry if my questions are all obviously answered therein, but I'm sure others might be wondering this as well - if I order, say, the highest HQ unit to defend somewhere, will it automatically call in fires in support from on map mortars (or off map assets) as happens in some other games? Or do all support fires have to be manually called in? Thanks.

You mean, like FSCC control of FPC-RS series? No, in this game, all artillery support should be called by players.

However, I would not use them in this game even if such feature was possible. Due to limitation of shells (especially FASCAM and DPICM when playing NATO), I don't want AI to take control of artillery, wasting precious munitions to less important area or less important target. I would rather have a full control of artillery, under current system of this game. For the same reason, I rarely used FSCC control option when playing FPC-RS.

To me the most interesting aspect of FPC-RS was the fact that lower level units had access to artillery and could call in strikes based on what they were observing. It always seemed a bit too omnipresent to let the player (most likely a brigade level commander) dictate all the targets. Honestly I think that FPC-RS AI calls in artillery on valid targets and sometimes non-valid targets which is how it does go in the real world. It actually gives value to recon units who have extensive training in using such assets and would have priority in accessing them for targets of opportunity.

I'm glad you brought this up though, I'm currently not purchasing the product until I get a better feel on how the AI works. I was hoping friendly units has some autonomy in how they were able to use fire support assets but it seems they don't. If I am understanding this incorrectly please let me know.

I also like that there is some discussion between the two "games" because they simulate the same time periods from slightly different angles.

I think FSCC is perfect for the scale of FPC-RS, while direct control seems more appropriate for the scale and pace of AB, IMO. EDIT: That said, if the dev decides to implement something like that for recon units, I wouldn't say no.

I haven't really even thought much about the automatic artillery for the player side. Like was said, most scenarios have a very limited number of artillery shells, and I'm sure that many players wouldn't like it if the AI used them automatically. This is very much a matter of taste though.

Ok. Thanks.