LOS woes

[PorkNBeenz]

I recently started playing this game a few months ago, and have been having great fun playing small 40 x 40 maps to get a feel for the game. One thing that seems to be beyond me is LOS.

It seems really random. Even from elevated positions where I'd assume I'd have an easier time getting eyeballs out ahead, I end up with crappy spotting. Sometimes I can't even find a really good reason for me to not be able to see somewhere at all. I'm having major difficulty looking at a map and finding good positions where I know I'll be able to watch a fair amount of terrain for the enemy.

So, it ends up a lot of the time playing out as me moving units into positions where I think I'll have at least some kind of sight, only to find out I was sorely mistaken and have committed a unit to a blind spot.

This was especially bad in the last battle I played, US vs Germans in 45, in close wooded hills. At one point I was able to move a company up to secure a large, fairly high hill (35 height, if I recall) But even from the summit, found myself with poor LOS for most of my units. This was endlessly frustrating, as it made my machine gun sections all but useless for direct fire at any kind of distance for the entire fight.

Any tips from the more experienced that might be helpful for figuring this out? Or am I stuck playing guessing games until I lean the intricacies of the LOS mechanic?

Any help is appreciated. Thanks Don and Andy for all the hard work you've put into this excellent little gem of a game.

[PatG]

The unit view button may be of use - it shows all hexes in sight to the selected unit. As well, I am not beyond moving a unit up, checking visibility and retracting the move if I'm in a blind spot. I figure the platoon Sgt is telling off the crew/section for moving to the wrong location.

[Imp]

If your talking level terrain you have to try & figure out if theres a straight line of clear terrain, any part of a higher hex like trees will block.
Slightly raised terrain like fields high grass depends on visibility & vision aids if MBT how many you can see through, same for orchards, normally 2 or 3 for high visibility.
Dispersing smoke/dust is similar.
High ground there will be a formula for blind hexes created which you get a reasonable feel for.
2 hexes from the crest line not that much is blind to you 3 a lot is may not be able to see any level zero but can see some at higher elevation, you get a feel for it.
Treat woods as 1 level higher if they are at level 1 you really need to be at level 3 to see over & down. Comes with practice but you will still get it wrong quite a bit, know theres a good position round there just have to find it.
Suppose could try setting up a hilly map in the editor & place units around the map to see what they can see.
Think real life if you are at level 4 looking over a level 1 hill near buy it wont hide much. Move it away or increase it to level 2 & it hides a lot more.

[Cross]

I found that playing with the Hex Grid turned OFF, helped me read the map, especially hills. I quickly got used to not having a hex grid, and only need to turn it on a couple of times a battle, to nail down where a hidden enemy is probably firing from. Hot Key “.” To turn the Grid OFF/ON.

Use Hot Key “}” to check the all around LOS of your current unit.

Here’s some help from the Game Guide:


Tall Grass and Dry Tall Grass provide some LOS blocking at a low level, some protection for infantry within such hexes. In jungle maps this can be rather tall, representing bamboo, elephant grass and the like. Can also be low-lying scrub of any kind.

Summer Trees , Autumn Tress and Winter Trees -- all Wooded hexes block LOS to varying degrees, provide good cover but cost more MP to traverse, especially for vehicles.

Orchards are lower height, lower density wooded areas, and block LOS less than regular woods. Orchards can represent tea plantations, vineyards and so forth. Can also be used for urban treed areas which are mostly cleared.

All farm fields provide some low level LOS cover for infantry & etc, especially if standing wheat crops. Fields cost a few more move points to cross for vehicles. The types of fields are: Yellow Crops, Green Crops, Winter Field, Ploughed Field, Snow-Covered Field and Crop Stubble in Early/Late Winter.

Vehicle wrecks provide some LOS block, but they count like normal units to stacking costs, each unit or wreck in a traversed hex deducts 1 MP.

If scenario visibility is high, then LOS can penetrate deeper into forests, grasslands, standing crops, light smoke and so forth. When visibility is high (about 60 plus) in high summer months, or in desert or snow terrain, then vehicle movement can raise dust or disturbed snow trails. Low visibility under 10 or so hexes especially, affects air strike accuracy unless fitted with night vision, and causes more glider and paratroop landing accidents.



Cross

[iCaMpWiThAWP]

Some Tool wich tells what hexes you can see from a selected hex would be good for that, click a hex, then click the "tool", Don, andy, ideas for you?

[troopie]

Originally Posted by iCaMpWiThAWP

Some Tool wich tells what hexes you can see from a selected hex would be good for that, click a hex, then click the "tool", Don, andy, ideas for you?

There is one. Select the unit. Right click in front of that unit. It will tell you what it can see.

troopie

[PatG]

Originally Posted by iCaMpWiThAWP

Some Tool wich tells what hexes you can see from a selected hex would be good for that, click a hex, then click the "tool", Don, andy, ideas for you?

Select the unit, press the "Unit View" button - right under the "Preferences" button.

Now if what you want is click any empty hex and display hexes visible from that - I have to disagree. That's far too much information imho.

[Cross]

Originally Posted by PatG

Now if what you want is click any empty hex and display hexes visible from that - I have to disagree. That's far too much information imho.

I agree, maps should have some mystery, until your in the location and looking around.

I sometimes have to scout out good overwatch locations, for ATk guns and HMGs, by sending jeeps, scouts etc. to likely spots. It's all part of the challenge.

[EJ]

Cross,

The link to the blitz must be broken(or the site is down)because I can't get it to take me to your sounds mode download. Any other way I get to the download?

[Marek_Tucan]

Originally Posted by PatG

Now if what you want is click any empty hex and display hexes visible from that - I have to disagree. That's far too much information imho.

Agree. IRL you might look at a map and think that you found a nice observation post, but then you arrive there and will finsd thast way there is a treeline not included in the map that blocks your LOS or there are new buildings... etc.