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All Forums >> [Current Games From Matrix.] >> [World War II] >> Steel Panthers World At War & Mega Campaigns >> Road and Track

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Road and Track - 9/6/2000 9:59:00 AM

Wallymanowar

Posts: 651
Joined: 8/1/2000
From: Vernon, B.C., Canada
Status: offline

I've seen some rather odd things happen when my units are driving along the roads. Sometimes, for no apparent reason, they will suddenly diverge off the road and bypass some unseen obstacle. I've got the visible movement on and that road hex will be dark - with no enemy in it and no friendly either. The common factor seems to be a change in elevation - the unit seems to want to take a more gentle slope instead of the steep road, even though this means going 'cross-country'. Another thing that bothers me about road movement is that even though there might be only one friendly unit in a road hex, it is cheaper 'in movement points' to go completely around it, even though in real terms this means that your unit is driving 50 yds out of it's way to go around one vehicle. Now, while I agree that there should be an increased movement cost when traveling though an occupied hex it gets a little ridiculous watching your vehicles go out of their way to get around one vehicle in a hex which covers 2500 square yds

------------------ 'Bitter Mike'

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I never blame myself when I'm not hitting. I just blame the bat and if it keeps up, I change bats. After all, if I know it isn't my fault that I'm not hitting, how can I get mad at myself?
Yogi Berra

Post #: 1

- 9/7/2000 8:22:00 PM

Fabs

Posts: 444
Joined: 6/5/2000
From: London, U.K.
Status: offline

Mike, it does not pay to be too litteral when interpreting hex widths in SPWAW. Villages are not as a rule crossed by 50 yards wide boulevards, and roads in Normandy are not flanked by hedges that are 50 yards apart, yet that is how they are represented in the game. It is a limitation but in my opinion not at all intolerable. I have used the same argument to advocate the introduction of more elevation levels, where it was felt that it would cause unrealistic effects. Having said this, I too am sometimes puzzled by the computer's choice when I ask him to move my units to a distant hex that the "move range" highlight says is accessible. I find it particularly annoying when, for instance, to get to its destination my vehicle crashes through a wall or hedgerow and is promptly immobilized. This used to happen a lot with buildings, and has been corrected as far as those are concerned, but clearly not as far as these other potentially crippling terrain types are. I have learned to get around this by moving my units one hex at a time in the presence of tricky terrain. This is time consuming but I feel realistic, as movement in combat situations is normally done quite deliberately and with some great care. I believe that it also gives your units some concealment bonus to move them like that. ------------------ Fabs

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Fabs

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Post #: 2

- 9/7/2000 8:28:00 PM

Fredde

Posts: 498
Joined: 6/7/2000
From: Goteborg, Sweden
Status: offline

After the pathfinding improvements i only have problems with stone walls. These seem to be treated as passable terrain and units run gladly into them full throttle and in 100% of the cases they are immobilized.

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"If infantry is the Queen of the battlefield, artillery is her backbone", Jukka L. M�kel� about the Finnish victory at Ihantala.

(in reply to Wallymanowar)

Post #: 3

- 9/7/2000 8:55:00 PM

Major_Johnson

Posts: 280
Joined: 6/29/2000
From: Beach Haven, NJ, USA
Status: offline

I had the same problem with the LVT4's in the "Angels of Los Banos" scenario, except that they ran into buildings and got immobilized. But it's a good scenario just the same. I'm at the tail end of it now. ------------------ MJ We serve others best when at the same time we serve ourselves.

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M.J.!
We serve others best when at the same time we serve ourselves.

(in reply to Wallymanowar)

Post #: 4

- 9/8/2000 7:44:00 AM

Wallymanowar

Posts: 651
Joined: 8/1/2000
From: Vernon, B.C., Canada
Status: offline

Don't get me wrong, I'm well aware of the limitations of interpreting hex widths in this game, and most of the time the actions would be considered logical (with the exceptions of driving thru buildings and disabling themselves). However, the times that I've seen this happen in a wide open field with a road running through it bothers my sense of perception. For example, consider a clear hex with a road running through it. Now let's consider this a one lane road. Now if you're driving down it and another vehicle is in your way, you'll definately have to leave the roadway and drive in the field. This can be considered by taking an increased movement cost to travel through an occupied hex. What doesn't make sense to me is that the vehicle would drive 50 yds out of its way to get around that one vehicle by driving into an adjacent clear hex. What seems to be happening is that the increased cost of driving through an occupied hex exceeds the cost of driving through adjacent hexes. This in itself wouldn't be a problem to accept if it were a case of many vehicles, personnel, obstacles etc as well as the road in the hex but it happens regularly in clear hexes. Not that I want to make this a Federal case, it's just that I can't help feeling that it may have something to do with the pathfinding and the regretable occasions when our vehicles disable themselves. By the way I use the same tedious solution to avoid the problem by moving one hex at a time. ------------------ 'Bitter Mike'

_____________________________

I never blame myself when I'm not hitting. I just blame the bat and if it keeps up, I change bats. After all, if I know it isn't my fault that I'm not hitting, how can I get mad at myself?
Yogi Berra

(in reply to Wallymanowar)

Post #: 5