Poopyhead
Posts: 612
Joined: 3/17/2004 Status: offline
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Guess what? I ran a test and the Conventional Wisdom for FO use from CPT Pixel’s guide is wrong (!). The artillery formation leader can call a barrage for his formation’s guns as quick as the FO can. For example, if B is my battery of guns, then B0 can call a barrage as the spotter for all B units and the delay time is the same as if the FO had called it. This is true only for his formation’s guns though, so C0 must spot for his artillery formation’s guns and so forth. I tested this with German, Russian, U.S. Army and USMC units, so if anyone else finds something different, please post. I have also checked about artillery units that you can purchase with an infantry squad as leader. These have the infantry separate (in his own formation) and the artillery in formations where an artillery unit is the formation leader. However, if you deliberately assign an artillery unit to another unit in the deployment phase, then that new leader unit can call a barrage for that artillery unit with the same delay that an FO would give it. This is how it works with infantry platoons that have mortars, too. There is still the chance that the artillery unit will not receive a combat bonus because the new leader may not have a high artillery command score. You could assign a battery directly to, say a scout that you know is going to have LOS, so that you get quick reaction time and accuracy. What about off board stuff or using the FO as a scout? The A0 can call in off-board strikes (artillery/naval gunfire/aircraft) with only about a .2 increase in the delay that an FO would get. Also, if the artillery formation leader calls a shot near the target and a scout with LOS immediately adjusts it on target, again the additional delay is only about .2. Soooo...you don't have to use an FO, unless you use C&C on and you want the extra orders. In small battles or scenarios where your budget is tight (HotM, etc.), it really would be a waste. I have shown, in all other cases, that you should be able to work around not having one.
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Astrologers believe that your future is determined on the day that you are born. Warriors know that your future is determined on the day that your enemy dies.
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