Suggestion regarding artillery
 

If there is something like this and I just don't know it, I apologize.

My problem with setting artillery is that when I have more than one spotter/foo I tend to lose time when setting artillery. I will try to explain.

Let's say I have 10 artillery pieces, and 3 spotters. I pick spotter (a) and use artillery units 1-4 to shoot somewhere, I do the same with the rest.

After a few turns, unless I keep using the same artillery for the same observer and same target, I will find myself directing fire for one or more of my artillery with a different observer, by accident.

I hope I am clear so far.

For the artillery bombing screen, what I suggest, if possible, to either have a button which shows the target of the artillery, without telling the artillery to use the current observer.
Or, have, perhaps text, next to each artillery, the designation of the current observer.

I have no idea if I am clear enough with this. :confused:

Re: Suggestion regarding artillery
 

If you click an artillery unit (from the Bombardment unit list), it will jump the Bombardment Map toward the last mission of that artillery unit. Notice the red hexagon outline that indicates the exact place.

So the solution would be:

-Select the FOO
-Open Bombardment Screen and cycle through the list to see which one has the target location (i.e last mission) nearest from that FOO you selected.
-Plot the bombardment.
-Select another FOO and repeat the process.

I assume using multiple FOOs is useful for when they have eyes on target, thus usually the target area is near that FOO. Otherwise, if FOOs are plotting without direct LOS, might as well just use one FOO.

Re: Suggestion regarding artillery
 

That's the thing though, it is more complicated than I would have liked. You have to make notes which artillery is "bound" to which FOO so that if you need to re focus/target something, you don't mess up with the other artillery pieces.
If however you knew (with for example what I suggested) that in the bombing screen what artillery was "bound" with what spotter, you wouldn't need to either memorize everything, take notes on anything, and you would speed up the process without mistakes.

As it is now, say you make a mistake AND you realize your mistake, then you have to find the proper/previous FOO and re order the bombarding. Something that you could avoid if there was an easier way to see who was spotting for who from the same bombarding screen.

Re: Suggestion regarding artillery
 

All I am saying is, this is something that would improve the "QOL" as it would both make it easier to arrange/order bombardment and easier to avoid any mistakes. It's not a bug or problem. Just something that IMO would make the experience of planning bombardments, much more pleasant*.
Anyway.


*that is for everyone other than who ever was going to have to implement this. :)

Re: Suggestion regarding artillery
 

As most of your FOOs are likely to have similar experience all that counts is whether they can see the target location or not - so what difference does it make which FO called the original bombardment?

Sorry I am obviously missing something...

Re: Suggestion regarding artillery
 

Well seeing the target is quite important as far as I am concerned. Accuracy is something that I want to have when I am trying to hit something. Including when I want to order strikes. I am not sure how that is not clear. :confused:

Or have I been playing the game wrong all this time and it doesn't matter if whoever calls for the strike can't actually see the target themselves?

Re: Suggestion regarding artillery
 

Yes sorry - I meant that as long as the "new" Observer can see the target it doesn't matter if he called the initial strike.

Re: Suggestion regarding artillery
 

Amen to this, it is a really good idea. At the moment with large artillery lists and multiple observers I find I have to manually copy the artillery list onto an A4 sheet of paper and write the observer beside each piece or battery. What would be really nice would be to start off with one artillery list labelled "unassigned". Then when each observer is selected to come up with the pieces that he (or she! not forgetting Suhir:)) controls.
Also it would be nice to have lost contact pieces show up in the list as greyed out. At the moment when you see a gold spot you wish to cancel and it has lost contact you have to trawl through the list to find the culprit.

Re: Suggestion regarding artillery
 

Or to make it very simple (I assume easier to implement), have next to each artillery (in the artillery list/bombardment list) a couple of pixels of two colors. One for if the artillery currently has orders by the currently selected observer, one for if it has orders from a different observer, and perhaps a third color if it has no orders or out of contact.

Re: Suggestion regarding artillery
 

Are you saying you want to keep track of which FOO called in the unit last and you swap them round
or
You want to assign FOOs to specific units for the battle, thats not hard buy the artillery in the order of the FOOs your going to assign them to. As there offboard units you could even buy the FOO & his tubes, next FOO & his tubes etc. & still cycle through your FOOs easily.
If its a scenerio so using editor you could even rename them if you wanted though I only do this for planes which have the same names but diffrent weapon loadouts