Matrix Games Forums

does all "plain" field artillery units (non motorized, non mechanized) move at the same pace?

or does smaller tubes (40mm, 60mm) are faster/ capable to keep pace with infantry?

from some experimentation, I believe they all walk at the same slow pace, but would like to confirm

The Militia Artillery model moves at infantry speed. All other Artillery has the same (slow) speed.

I guess that means trucks are needed;

unless the front is static or it is a last ditch effort to defend the base

You're almost definitely going to need trucks if you intend to use them in any sort of offensive capacity, but trucks double the amount of manpower needed to run the unit, have a fuel expense, and make the unit weaker in direct combat in certain terrains. Non-motorized arty also can enter mountainous terrain without roads. Not entirely useless, but it really depends on your economic capacity and geography as to whether or not they'd be worth the expense.

In recent patches, trucks only take up 200 manpower per 100 trucks, actually - the rest gets refunded back to the SHQ at the end of the production process.

All non-motorized, non-militia artillery moves at the same slower then infantry pace.
There is no inherent penalty for going bigger callibre.

I made a suggestion to have smaler guns mater:
https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=4952524
But until something happens here, bigger is generally better.

trying to find what would be the ideal battalion attachment for an early game's offensive oriented infantry brigades. Early on there are not a lot of options for offensive

1) buggies are great for open terrain, but not so against well entrenched enemy in defensive positions

2) early game's economy cannot support light tanks unless I downgrade engine to reduce fuel consumption (or I found oil). That leaves me with an early "infantry" tank, with 40 to 60mm howitzer gun, paper thin armor (5 or 25mm) and a light or medium engine

3) artillery + trucks; which will allow for big calibers, consume less fuel (but more ammo), and are very vulnerable

1) buggies are great for open terrain, but not so against well entrenched enemy in defensive positions

Buggies do still get the bonus from being armored.
Bullet based small arms count as 20mm for the Callibre Calculation. Against that even 100mm armor is a solid -80% penalty.

2) early game's economy cannot support light tanks unless I downgrade engine to reduce fuel consumption (or I found oil). That leaves me with an early "infantry" tank, with 40 to 60mm howitzer gun, paper thin armor (5 or 25mm) and a light or medium engine

We figured out the fuel formula. The engine is the least important part, actually.
95% of the Fuel consumption is from weight and Model Size.
The engine is a miniscule amount being added on top of that.
The only exception are double and tripple engines, which for some reason double and tripple the weight based fuel consumption.

3) artillery + trucks; which will allow for big calibers, consume less fuel (but more ammo), and are very vulnerable

Artillery should never be alone in a Hex. It needs a meatshield of Infantry to protect them.
With the custome Formations, it should be doable to just add 1-2 Artillery + Trucks to a Motorized Infantry.

Did some testing with mechanized... and I am certainly not there in terms of fuel production [:D] ; there is no oil in the planet and my biodiesel was not enough

what I am going to try:
- build a couple or a few hundred trucks
- raise motorized artillery or AT or other slow moving troops, using these trucks
- move them to where I need them
- downgrade to foot artillery/ AT
- repeat if needed for other troops

has anybody tried something like this?

You *can*, but isn't it easier to just use strategic movement ? I guess that using a bit of both would be optimal ?
(I would also be careful to what happens to the leftover fuel of the disbanded trucks, might it end up being lost if not in one of your zones ?)

make the unit weaker in direct combat in certain terrains

How?

3) artillery + trucks; which will allow for big calibers, consume less fuel (but more ammo), and are very vulnerable

Arty calibre is divided by 3, even in direct offensives.

Bullet based small arms count as 20mm for the Callibre Calculation. Against that even 100mm armor is a solid -80% penalty.

Buggies top out at 50mm armour (and as hard armour have some soft HP penalty).

----

Were the AT guns hit by the movement nerf too ?
(My grandfather was 17, studying in an artillery school, when in 1941 the Great Patriotic War hit - he was given an *heavy* AT gun that he had a *lot* of trouble to carry...)

Strategic movement was not an option, because how poor my (relatively early game) logistical capabilities were

motorizing, then downgrading worked; or better to say, I was able to move my experienced infantry brigade from one side of the map, to another, in relatively few turns (at least half the time it would had taken me to ask them to walk), this happened after a major declared war, so time was critical.

I afterwards used those trucks to equip a newly created "siege" brigade,

I don't think I would do it in a regular basis, as strategic transport is more efficient, but in a hurry, it will work

Nice !