Vehicle reverse ( 8 key) question for all players

[DRG]

Andy and I have noticed a difference in the way Pressing 8 ( reverse) works between our games so my question to everyone is this:

We expect that reversing a vehicle is only done occasionally and some players may never use it but for those that do use it do you simply press 8 and that will initiate the reverse sequence or do you find you have to hold the 8 key down until the vehicle reverses?

[Karagin]

I have found when hitting the 8 key, the vehicle will reverse one hex back, and that it happens right after I press the 8 key. Turret facing will remain how it was, though.

Holding it down doesn't seem to gain any advantage, or I have not seen any.

[zovs66]

I had to press the 8 key and it does work but not every time, but yeah I had to press and hold the 8 key.

[Aeraaa]

For me it's press 8 once and it works.

[DRG]

I had to press the 8 key and it does work but not every time, but yeah I had to press and hold the 8 key.

This is my experience as well

[zovs66]

So far I could only get it to work on MBT, but not in WW2 in version 14 or 15, but I swear I have before in WW2.

[DRG]

For me it's press 8 once and it works.

That is how it works for Andy. For me it's press and hold until the vehicle reverses.

It's a mystery I would like to get to the bottom of but it's not critical. It might have to do with individual computers OR/AND the preferences settings in-game OR/AND GameOptions preferences

[zovs66]

So we have 2 for 2 reported thus far.

Which is a weird mystery.

[Mobhack]

Or as I stated in the WW2 thread on this - the tank has insufficient remaining MP to enter the terrain hex behind it and note wasnt taken of the "X cannot reverse" message that should pop up in the notification window when that occurs.

[DRG]

Andy...... my tests were on tanks that had not moved at all and showed many hexes of potential movement because I play with move radius on

[DRG]

This is going to be a tough one to sort out because everyone seems to get different results
The tanks I tested where on clear terrain and had not moveed...... that is about as "OK" as you can get

[DRG]

I just took another one, moved it three hexes in clear terrain then pressed 8 and it did back up...... on the forth increasingly longer press of the 8 key

[DRG]

So far I could only get it to work on MBT, but not in WW2 in version 14 or 15, but I swear I have before in WW2.

I had been testing MBT but I just checked WW2 and FOR ME....it acts just like MBT... they will reverse but not just with a quick press of 8

[zovs66]

As DRG posted I just started new scenarios and tried to 8 key them, clear, desert and woods.

[geoff]

tap the 8 key. I'm on windows 10, 64 bit desktop, Intel processor.

[geoff]

and I should have said that's in the paid version of MBT

[DRG]

It would appear that for currently unknown reasons some people can just tap the 8 key and after a brief pause the vehicle will reverse but some people have to hold the key down until the vehicle reverses.... WHY ? IDK but all PC's are different and there are multiple ways even win 10 could be running on different machines depending on if auto updates are allowed.

All I know for 95% certainty is when Andy first coded this we both observed the same behaviour and now we don't but he's now using a newer computer with win 11 and I'm using an older one with win 10 and that *might* be part of the reason........or not. I have found with repeated tests on a bare summer map that in many/most cases I only need to hold the 8 key down for at most a second before the vehicle reverses but I have seen it delay up to a 15 count

Weirdness

THAT SAID I turned my machine on this morning and was informed I could restart to update the OS and I have found over and over that if my machine starts to act a bit odd there's a windows update coming so it was with great interest that after the update I tried reversing tanks again but the result was much the same but I did not have any the require a really long press

Weirdness

[whdonnelly]

FWIW I'm using a updated WIN 11 and the paid version of SPMBT. Just tapping #8 gives me immediate backup response.

[zovs66]

FWIW I thought everyone uses the “paid for version” I have been using the paid for version for a decade.

[zovs66]

For some reason can't edit my posts, it just spins.

Mean to say decade and a half.

[DRG]

You need to press the edit key repeatedly otherwise it doesn't "catch"

[Steves308]

I'm using Win 11 and the paid versions for both games. I can press the 8 once, I see a message about vehicle reversing, then after a second or so the vehicle will reverse. When out of movement points, I get the message about vehicle reversing, followed by a message saying the vehicle cannot reverse. This is true for both games.

I changed the message delay in the Settings screen to the lowest level, and I can reduce the delay between pressing the 8 key and the vehicle moving to almost no delay, in both games. But then I can't see messages normally, they flash too quickly during the regular game play. So my 2 cents, it almost appears to be the message delay is a bit longer for the reversing message than other messages. Or maybe, because there is a message for a reversing vehicle but not for a vehicle moving forward, there is an icon delay when reversing so that the reversing message can display?

Steve

[DRG]

I assume when you wrote "Settings screen" you meant the in-game preferences and not the Game Options Misc preferences?

[Steves308]

I assume when you wrote "Settings screen" you meant the in-game preferences and not the Game Options Misc preferences?

Yes, that's correct.

Steve

[Dion]

My computer broke down, so I haven't played in a couple of years, but what I can remember is it worked good but it responded slowly.

[The_Think_Tanker]

Just tested this myself on my copy of WinSPMBT v16-Extended and WinSPWW2 v15-Extended. In both pressing the '8' key to reverse worked immediately and required no holding-down of the key in any instance to work.

I tested a range of vehicles and it seemed to work each and every time I tested it, including the appropriate "[Vehicle] could not reverse!" when there were insufficient movement points available.

I do recall it being a little more finnicky in some of my older versions back when I only had the freebie version of WinSPWW2...but that's only a vague recollection and I would have to check to be more certain.

[troopie]

I didn't know it was there. I pressed 8 and it just happened. No long wait.

troopie

[DRG]

This does look like a case of you either get it to work with a single press or you need to hold it until it reverses and it would all have to do with OS and graphics cards and who-knows-what-else

I am going to add a note in the GG pointing out that some players may need to hold the key to initiate reverse but most just need to press 8 for it to start