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David Heath -> Steel Panthers World At War v6.0 (7/3/2001 12:48:00 PM)
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Yes you read right, we have been really working hard since v4.5 to get a better infantry - squad operations into SPWaW.
The squad light machine gun in Steel Panthers has always been of marginal use, because of the way rifles were handled. Rifles have been able to achieve kills at range, usually more frequently than the light machine gun. In World War II, the squad was generally designed around the light machine gun and the firepower from that single weapon usually equaled or exceeded the combined power of all the rifles in the squad.
Version 5.0+ tried to correct that design flaw, by reducing the effective firepower of the rifles. As a by-product, other weapons were inadvertently affected. In what will now become SPWaW v6.0 the infantry combat system has been completely overhauled. The game fun factor is there again but gamers still require a greater care in the tactics used for infantry combat and is, at the same time, more realistic.
In the upcoming release, players will find the following:
1) Rifles will be effective to a range of about 200 yards. Beyond 350 yards they will only be useful for suppression fire.
2) Squad light machine guns will be effective to a range of about 400 yards. Beyond 500 yards they will only be useful for suppression fire.
3) Medium and heavy crew served machine guns will be effective to a range of about 500 yards. At ranges of 300 to 500 hundred yards they can produce severe casualties against moving infantry. Beyond 750 yards they will be useful for suppression fire. This weapon is now a real killer.
4) Armored fighting vehicle machine guns will be effective to a range of 200 to 500 yards, depending on the type and placement of the machine gun. If the vehicle is armed with a small bore cannon of 37mm or less, it will be useful for the player to turn off the main gun and use the coaxial machine gun at ranges greater than 200 yards and less than 500 yards, as at ranges greater than 200 yards the crew must take an experience check before it can fire the coaxial machine gun and at ranges of greater than 500 yards the cannon may be more accurate than the coaxial machine gun.
5) Artillery is now slightly more effective than in version 5.1.
6) Small units, of 4 men or less, are still size zero for spotting purposes, but are now size one for purposes of being hit and damaged. This means they are difficult to spot, but once spotted, are no harder to kill than normal units. The exception to this is the sniper, who is still quite difficult to spot and kill.
7) Terrain cover has been reworked and is now of significantly greater importance. The player should always keep soft targets, such as guns and infantry in the best cover available. The difference to hit a target in good cover can be of an order of magnitude ten. Soft units in cover now take a good deal fewer casualties.
8) For soft targets, movement is a serious danger. Especially, if moving in the open and within effective range of the attacking weapon. The player will need to move slowly and stay in good cover. A crewed machine gun 300 yards away may kill 6 or more men in a single shot, when firing against a squad moving in the open.
9) Infantry are now harder to spot if 250 yards or more away and harder still, if 750 yards or more away.
10) Catastrophic destruction of buildings will now occur less frequently and require larger bore ordinance to bring them down. This allows greater use as cover.
11) Bridges are now much harder to destroy, especially stone bridges, for which you need artillery of 170mm or greater, a bomb or a satchel charge.
12) The ratio for troop purchase points has been changed from 1:1 to meeting engagements, 1.5:1 for advance missions and 2:1 for assaults to 1:1 for meeting engagements, 2:1 for advance missions and 3:1 for assaults. The increased effectiveness of cover and the disadvantage gained by moving units necessitates greater forces when attacking.
13) The to hit chance displayed in the data box, after a unit has fired, has been recalculated for rifles and sub-machine pistols, when those weapons are in slot one. The value no longer needs to be multiplied by the number of men in the squad. So, now if the chance displayed is 15%, that is the chance for all men in the squad combined, to hit. Please note that since the men in the target receive a saving throw against the fire, they may still sometimes go to ground and take no casualties.
14) Victory Point Change - This is a big change -- for some reason, killed men have always been counted as only 1 victory point, no matter what unit they are from or what their unit cost is. In order to make the set unit costs (and increased unit costs, like general rommel in your example) be counted, killed infantry units are now counted at their unit cost in victory points. Partially-killed units are worth the proper proportional amount.
We now have it working and it seems to really answer just about everyones desires. So maybe we have a a little surprise for you real soon.
Thanks for your Support.
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