Concerned - Do I suck?

[Cath0de]

I'm playing tutorial mission #1, the one on flanking. I had no problem at all with the Germans in the first mission, but when I got to this one, their tanks DEMOLISH mine, no contest at all. Whenever I set my guys up to flank, the german, once my own tanks move into a firable position, open up on my tanks and take them out in ONE HIT, even though I always fight front armor first. I had 5 tanks lined up at the base of a hill with 2 others on the far side flanking the german tanks in the middle. When I bring my 5 tanks up on the ridge to fire, they go down like ducks in a shooting gallery, one after another. I am very frustrated, and would like some expert tactical advice. I'm following they're advice to a T and it doesn't work! All of the options are on, and they have no AI bonus.

[OKW-73]

A smooth sea never made a skillful mariner
Im not sure about that tutorial (never played it), but take a look tips in my SPWaW page, might help a bit...who knows

[Mojo]

Keep trying, go slow and check your line of sight as you go and watch the elevation differences. (I just played it without reading the manual and got wiped out. Forgot that I had reinforcements coming:D )

I was able to bring the southern reinforcements in to point blank range of the southern Germans by using the valley. I engaged the German tanks at long range with the southern/center tanks and when they'd used up their shots, popped up and 2 shots = 2 kills.

Make sure you crank up the Soviet armor toughness to 150 in the preferences section. I still lost a tank to long range fire. If you play as the Soviets get used to that.

[NightCrow]

No worries, just keep playing. I was very badly beaten the first time I played. wow, heh.

[antarctic]

Also, read the manual.. it tells you to turn tank toughness for the soviet side up to 200%, and gradually decrease it.... the 200% increase in armour rating for your side will make this scen alot easier...

Hope this helps....

Antarctic.

[Hades]

Don't worry the German tanks aren't super tanks as the kitty lovers will tell you. I have seen many Tigers die to a M4 at 4 or 5 hexs away. But if you're using M4s you have to fire and hide because if even a grasshopper runs into the Sherman the crew will bail out.

[Orzel Bialy]

in all honesty...just jumped right in and started swinging. Anyway....I'll give you an answer that you will probably say "Dah, that's obvious" to....but I'll give it regardless, because (believe it or not) it tends to some times get over looked.
SMOKE is the best advice for an advance against a set enemy position. Then follow the smoke up with Arty Barrages for suppression value.
Again, having skipped the tutorials I can't say whether or not the one you're playing made allowances for smoke (mortars, arty, etc.) but it is the best support weapon when having to advance upon superior weapons that are placed in superior firing positions.
OK, that was my two cents...

[Bing]

Right you are, Orzel. Smoke, smoke, smoke ... they can't hit what they can't see. 88's never miss these days, so you have to take away their ability to see you. Then do the shoot and run routine - M4's even without the better main armament CAN take out Tigers: I do it all the time, but like standing up in a hammock it ain't easy.

Given the opportunity I do the WAW version of the South Side Chicago drive-by shooting: After the Big Kitty is suppressed, four or five Shermans take turns popping away. Starting about the tenth hit you will probably get results. Let'em see you, let'em shoot at you, you are dead meat. Not only don't 88's miss, they kill Shermans with the first round. Other, heavier tanks maybe two rounds. Its the DUA syndrome: Deutschland Ueber Alles.



Bing

[Figmo]

I haven't tried them lately but have the tutorials been updated for Ver. 7.1? If not that would explain a lot.

Figmo

[Lukke]

I think your best bet is, move your heavy tanks into vision first.
(Those reinforcing from the north and south)

Move the other tanks to the slopes, but don't move up the hills,
Next, move down the heavier tanks, and as soon as they've been shot, you don't shoot back! Instead, you move up another tank -repeat until you have lots of tanks visible from multiple directions.

Then you alternate shooting on one target. (Nice side hits from any of the tanks takes them out easily)

Another thing: It's good to have a small forest hex or something on the side of the tank, so that you can concetrate on a group of tanks without being flanked yourself.

[chief]

Watch out for smoke usage ......in some scenarios it dosen't always block LOS...beware...check it out first. Lost 3 tanks to Japanese recently, if the smoke was good they had an early version of infrared goggles.

[Orzel Bialy]

Chief,
I believe smoke will act differently depending on the weather or at least that has been my experience with it.
Nice sunny days have allowed me to create nice walls of dense smoke...while those I deployed on rainy or poor weather days have tended to be less thick and not last as long.
Again, perhaps that is just my perception of the issue...I can't say for sure that it was built into the game engine to function that way or not.
Does anyone know for sure? Inquiring Minds Want to Know!

[Capt. Pixel]

Originally posted by Orzel Bialy
Chief,
I believe smoke will act differently depending on the weather or at least that has been my experience with it.
Nice sunny days have allowed me to create nice walls of dense smoke...while those I deployed on rainy or poor weather days have tended to be less thick and not last as long.
Again, perhaps that is just my perception of the issue...I can't say for sure that it was built into the game engine to function that way or not.
Does anyone know for sure? Inquiring Minds Want to Know!

Yeah, there's a couple of factors at work here.

One, is the source of the smoke. Artillery and vehicular smoke tend to be more effective, and more persistent than infantry-laid smoke.

Wind (weather) is a factor in the duration. I've never observed a correlation to rain, or thunderstorms, or dust storms, or other weather extremes. You can gauge the wind effect by watching smoke drift patterns. If the smoke trails from your onboard arty (or burning wrecks) are spreading rapidly, any smoke you lay is going to disperse rapidly too. That might be a good thing if you want to 'smudge' a large area with a small amount of smoke. :rolleyes:

The base visibility also affects vision through smoke. I believe that visibility over forty (?) starts making things like forest, orchards and smoke less effect as visibility 'screens'. Flaming hexes are always 100% vision blocked and last for the duration of the scenario, though.

A bit to the side, does anyone know if variable terrain visibility is used to represent, say, a bare orchard in winter, wheatfields just before (or after) harvest, etc?

[chief]

Orzel & Pixel I heartily agree. I was just pointing out that you can't trust smoke entirely. Also not mentioned above....why is the smoke thicker when dropped by a retreating force than if the same force throws same to block LOS?????? I really don't expect an answer just thrown in for Ss & Gs.....