AI smoke usage and SOME topics!

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All Forums >> [Current Games From Matrix.] >> [World War II] >> Steel Panthers World At War & Mega Campaigns >> AI smoke usage and SOME topics!

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AI smoke usage and SOME topics! - 5/21/2000 6:22:00 AM

Fred

Posts: 18
Joined: 5/12/2000
From: Hamburg, Germany
Status: offline

After playing some scenarios and the long campaign as the germans, here are some points that should be adressed in the next update: 1. AI smoke usage Well, there is none. I played some scenarios against the AI where the AI has to assault. There was a river assault, and the AI had medium and light arty. They bombarded but never used any smoke. In SP 1 (ver 1.2), the AI used smoke to screen its assaults, so this is something you have to tweak. Needless to say that it was a bloodbath. SOP would call for a smoke screen on the far river side or in front of my defensive positions. 2. Laser guided rounds I saw a lot of artillery fire (from the AI) that impacts in EXACTLY the same hex, again and again (indirect fire, spotter had no LOS). Looks like artifact code from SP 3 (greater scale means lesser spread). 3. Crews like smoke rounds It seems as if all AFV crews like smoke rounds. When bailing out, they use smoke to cover their retreat. There are smoke grenades on board AFVs ("Nebelkerzen" in german), BUT the crew, when bailing out, usually did not open the containers to grab some smoke ammo...they try to get out of the burning vehicle! So cut down the smoke ammo for bailed out crews to 0 (or max 1). 4. Aircraft and Arty...wherefore are they good? I understand why you toned down the effect of arty and aircraft. Both assets could rule the battlefield and there is not this much to do against it. But, well, they DID ruled the battelfield. Stukas worked VERY close together with ground troops and after D-Day Typhoons were one of the greatest threats to Panzer divisions. My proposal is: do not tone down the effectiveness of arty and ac, but make them expensive. But IF I pay the price for ac or arty, they should do the job I expect. Now two inconsistencies (bugs?) 1. Campaign ending I played the long WW2 campaign as the germans and fought a battle against the French in 1940(they assaulted). Suddenly, the campaign scenario ended with a decisive victory for me. I had all objectives in my possession, but the French had lots of Char 1Bs and most of them were neither routed nor retreating. Why does it suddenly end? 2. Immobilized tanks I had a Pz III immobilized, but the turret was ok. I could turn it around, but it had no LOS in the rear or to the sides, so I could not fire into these arcs... Anyway, great game and thanks to all of you for creating it! Fred [This message has been edited by Fred (edited 05-20-2000).] [This message has been edited by Fred (edited 05-20-2000).]

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- 5/21/2000 7:28:00 AM

Fred

Posts: 18
Joined: 5/12/2000
From: Hamburg, Germany
Status: offline

"I got signals, I got readings in front and behind" - PFC Hudson, LV-426 mission

(in reply to Fred)

Post #: 2

- 5/21/2000 7:58:00 AM

Paul Vebber

Posts: 11430
Joined: 3/29/2000
From: Portsmouth RI
Status: offline

1. Yep, the AI is improved, but only so much can be done at a time... 2. Bascially offboard artillery fire lands in a "line" while onboard artillry concentrates on the target hex. We will take a look at it. 3. Fair point... 4. Artillery was like the little girl in teh Nursery Rhyme - when it was good it was very very good, but when it was bad... For every case one can find of artillery mauling a unit one can find one where it had little effect. Heavy artillery concentrations and aircraft bombardments are OPERATIONAL level in nature. If successful, they would in effect prevent an SP:WaW level battle from taking place at all. At this level, (Btn/Rgmt) aircraft were a haphazard thing the ground commander had no real control over, and artillery could play a significant role, if a lot of things went right. I have seen artillery be virtualy useless, and I have seen whole companies decimated by a couple mortar platoons. And most cases in between. Bugs noted ;-) Thanks!

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Post #: 3

- 5/21/2000 9:08:00 AM

Jon Grasham

Posts: 70
Joined: 5/8/2000
From: St.Louis, MO, US
Status: offline

Fred, For the Campaign battle ending, that is something that will happen. If you control all of the objective hexes, then, (I think!) depending on the oppositions overall morale, the battle will end. I know I have seen the same happen while attacking and defending. If you wanna maul them, and keep the battle going till TURNS run out, let the enemy take/if attacking keep/if defending, at least one objective hex. That way, the battle will go on... and the body count will soar. >-) I do that a lot while defending, let the AI get an OB hex, and even position my defences with that in mind, so that WHEN I know they cannot simply run from the field (end the battle) I can give em all I got. Otherwise, just as the losses are mounting, the battle will end... same in attack, just as all the depleted units that fell back from the front line are about to be engaged again, the battle will end from Objective control. Always nice to get a few dozen extra kills for your units! :-)

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Post #: 4

- 5/22/2000 9:00:00 PM

Charles22

Posts: 912
Joined: 5/17/2000
From: Dallas, Texas, USA
Status: offline

I might add, in order to up the slaughter, in some situations anyway, it's helpful to put one or more of your units in the enemy's retreat hex. This of course may be impossible to determine early on, but if any of your rear units spot them retreating, you can take note of where. I sure hope the retreat hex isn't always the same one. My last battle, I had for the first time, a PZ1 platoon spot where the Polish wz.34's were retreating to and put in a unit in that hex so that they were stuck and which they couldn't destroy (wz.34's only have mg's). BTW, once you've done that, DON'T EVER ignore the crews to smash the armor quicker. Before I plugged the retreat hole, and was trying to destroy/cripple as many of them as I could before they reached that hex, I let one of the surviving crews alone to some degree, and he destroyed one of my 20mm AA halftracks. [This message has been edited by Charles22 (edited 05-22-2000).]

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Post #: 5