Realistic Artillery Management by a FOO

[Marek_Tucan]

For targets in direct LOS it is redundant if the target is stationary. Simple solution: don't use it. But I would not like to be denied the option to shift fire with the advance of my infantry.

As for floating strike or smoke counterbattery, again, simple solution. Do not use it and play with players who doesn't use it as well.

[Cross]

What's wrong with a 'floating artillery strike'? I've used this practice and have assumed it was realistic.

Surely a FOO may plan for a future strike at a specific place, and make sure his guns are sighted in before hand...just waiting for the order to fire.

You have already paid the price of delay, which I assume includes a couple of ranging shots that aren't seen in the game.

You are also taking a risk, as your guns have been committed to shoot at a target location where the enemy haven't even arrived yet.

[Mobhack]

Originally Posted by Cross

What's wrong with a 'floating artillery strike'? I've used this practice and have assumed it was realistic.

Surely a FOO may plan for a future strike at a specific place, and make sure his guns are sighted in before hand...just waiting for the order to fire.

You have already paid the price of delay, which I assume includes a couple of ranging shots that aren't seen in the game.

You are also taking a risk, as your guns have been committed to shoot at a target location where the enemy haven't even arrived yet.

You are entirely correct, it is the SP way of simulating
- A silent barrage or
- Time On Target arty

That just one of this forum's resident troll's little pet foibles. Chuckforth has been told what it is before but keeps whining on about it. Ignore him.

Cheers
Andy

[chuckfourth]

Originally Posted by Cross

What's wrong with a 'floating artillery strike'? I've used this practice and have assumed it was realistic.

Hi Cross
I have no beef with delaying the timing of the strike what's unrealistic is moving it around, Ill call it 'floating'.

You can just stretch a "Silent Barrage" to cover it, but with the important proviso that you are assuming that the infantry squad you blundered into just happens to be exactly where you pre-planned artillery strike is. Or looking at it another way, every single hex for the entire width of your line of advance has been nominated as a target in the fire plan, otherwise your registering a new target and a delay is appropriate.

Interestingly a google search on 'Silent barrages' and 'artillery' returns nothing. So even if it did explain "floating" artillery strikes a 'silent barrage' appears to be a case of the exception being modeled rather than the general rule.

Also dont forget that 'floating'(ie zero wait time) para drops, medium bomber strikes and fighter bomber strikes are also unrealistic.
Best Regards Chuck.

[chuckfourth]

Originally Posted by Marek_Tucan

But I would not like to be denied the option to shift fire with the advance of my infantry.

Hi Marek
OK I can do better, how about this,

The game knows if your artillery is targeting a hex in LOS or not, It should also know if the on-map bombardment marker is there or not. What you could do for each artillery peice is make the blue arrowed 'shift button' conditional(visible) depending on wether the target is in LOS or not and wether the bombardment marker is there or not.
So if the hex you want to target isnt in LOS then,
You have the blue arrowed 'shift fire' buttons visible -only- while the Artillery target hex marker -hasnt- appeared on the map. So as soon as you plot the strike into the same hex it fell in before, because its out of LOS you lose your shift fire button, until the next turn.
(You also need to change the delay for targeting the same hex from 0.1 to 0.0 so no rounds "carry over" into the next turn.)
This means you can still keep firing turn after turn without any delay in hexes out of LOS but you cant walk the bombardment marker onto the exact hex you want. So unobserved fire becomes what it should be inaccurate, but in the ball park.
LOS firing remains unchanged.
(alternately just remove enemy artilleries smoke signatures)
Best Regards Chuck.