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The counterbattery routine for off board guns seems to be that when one side fires, if the other side has guns that are not firing some kind of check is made and if it is passed, those guns IMMEDIATELY counterfire. The counterbatterry fire ALWAYS seems to have a damage effect.

Real life counterbattery fire should be so fast and accurate. Its main effect is to make artillery commanders nervous and displace often, unless dug in.

I propose that the guns that fire for a few turns in without pausing have a chance of being located. If enemy guns are located an AI routine would decide if some offboard guns would be pulled from onboard support to fire counterbattery. If a gun is left unused for several turns, it is considered to be displaced or no longer a potential target of interest to the enemy.

In scenarios where one side is defending, its off board guns would be assumed to be dug in so the chance of it displacing or taking damage from counterbattery fire would be reduced.
The exact numbers of turns, probablilites could be tweaked as preferences perhaps? That would let the supported commander (the player) influence how often the supporting commander (the AI routine) displaces while leaving the exact decision up to the gun commander (the AI routine). Once the off board guns start receiving some counterbattery fire, the chances of the supporting commander protecting his own guns and displacing despite what the supporting commander wants would go up some, then again he might just stay in place and keep the fires pouring out despite incoming (& usually ineffective) counterbattery fire in the best redleg tradition.

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An old soldier but not yet a faded one.
OK, maybe just a bit faded.

Counterbattery is not confined to OBA that has not been assigned a fire mission.

During a campaign I have had a 155 firing, complete its shoot, then blaze away at the enemy rocket battery. Took out the entire enemy battery, too. I repeated the process, on replay, so it was not on the order of a bug-type glitch.

This counterbattery fire occurred during the first turn of a campaign scenario, it was either U2R or Victors, I would have to look it up. This happened just once.

Bing

I personally, would like an option to control your own counter battery fire.
I dont think counter bttery fire now is very effective.

Originally posted by Alby:
I personally, would like an option to control your own counter battery fire.
I dont think counter bttery fire now is very effective.

Still beating your old horse from the anit-arty crusades of sp3 huh?

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Militas Succurimus

Originally posted by CF_Medic:
Still beating your old horse from the anit-arty crusades of sp3 huh?

hehehheh you know it
actually wanting more control of your counter battery fire isnt really "anti arty" is it?

Originally posted by Alby:
hehehheh you know it
actually wanting more control of your counter battery fire isnt really "anti arty" is it?

You've always hated it, and, CB fire DOES make it go away. Eventually does it not?

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Militas Succurimus

The dirty swines usually run out of ammo faster than I can kill them. Funny thing is; it doesn't seem to matter how many off board guns I have; I've never seen more than one battalion counterbattery fire. At least, I think it was one battalion; it might have been one battery firing three times...

Rocket batteries fire all their rounds on one salvo so CBF against them doesn't do anything (or do they reload in 10-15 turns?).

Originally posted by CF_Medic:
You've always hated it, and, CB fire DOES make it go away. Eventually does it not?

It's not cumulative, if that's what you mean (although the damage count does work... it just has no effect).

The current effect is only that the receiving battery retreats for 2 turns. No men are killed or ammo lost, although once in a great great while (like every 20th CBF) one gun may lose it's ammo due to CBF. That's it.