My first post with some questions

[pdoktar]

HMG -Heavy Machine Gun
AAMG anti-air MG - targets both ground and air units
CMG co-axial MG - targets only ground units
SPAA - Self-propelled Anti-Air (Vehicle)
SPA - Self-propelled Artillery
MBT- Main Battle Tank
APC- Armored Personell Carrier
IFV / AIFV / MICV / ICV - different types on Infanty Fighting Vehicles, usually with autocannons and Anti-Tank Guided Weapons/Missiles (ATGM or ATGW)
RR - recoilless rifle, a low velocity gun, usually anti-tank firing HEAT rounds

Acc - The general accuracy of the gun
Kill - how effective at destroying infantry units
Pen - basic armor penetration capacity of the gun first digit for High Explosive (HE) round, second for Armor Piercing (AP) round
HEAT - penetration capacity of High Explosive Anti Tank round
APCR - Penetration capacity of Armor Piercing Capped Round (or sabot or other special Anti-Armour munition)
Generally bigger is better

If a round has enough penetration when it hits a vehicle, then it will penetrate it´s armor and do damage. For Example 120mm Gun with Pen 32 will penetrate at 0 metres tank armor of 31 and sometimes 32, but not usually armor of 35-50,(APCR might penetrate maybe 70-90 for such a gun). As the range increases, projectiles loose velocity and penetration power (HEAT ammo does not). Remember to check out both armor value and HEAT armor value for a given unit. Reactive armor works differently and will try to defeat a HEAT round before it touches the main armor under it. These armor and pen figures are estimates and corresponde with centimeters of Rolled Homogenous Armor calculations (Armor plate).

In the unit info screen you can click at a weapon system to activate and de-activate it.

[tinkthank]

Thanks very much.

After another week of testing, rather infrequently, unfortuately, I see I still have so much I dont understand.
I still see some of my units "out of contact", even those that moved only 2 or 3 hexes that turn, and are pratically adjacent to their HQ. I dont understand Command and Control enough, apparently. The other thing is weapons -- is there a listing somewhere in "real language" as to what the weapons are -- such as "2x Hydra FFAR"?

When I posted my questions above, by the way, I did read that guide and know about the "w" button -- it just didnt always seem to work for me. Sometimes I would have a target, hit the button, and then the appropriate number, but it would fire all weapons or none. Sometimes it would fire at a different target. (I also suppose I am used to systems which cycle through valid targets -- that is what I expected the "t" button to do. Is it possible to mod the game so that this in fact is done?)

One last question, if I may -- are there scenarios (or could one make them) which involve civilians (in an urban or quasi-urban or suburban setting, for example) and *negative* VPs for harming them as, say, the advancer or attacker?

Thank you very much

[junk2drive]

Part way down the forum page is a thread that I posted FFAR @ FAS.org
I don't have a military background and resorted to google to find the answer.
IIRC the "w" works when your unit already has a target and the weapon number must be selected from the number keys on top of your keyboard, not the 10-key pad.

[Mobhack]

Can make a difference if "num lock" light is lit I think.

Andy

[tinkthank]

Thanks very much.
Did read about that shouting distance, of course, it is stated often in the GG -- I just can't believe my radios are malfunctioning that often!

Is there more detailed information about what "supression" means and how it works? I would also like to learn more about how rallying works (that is, the mechanics of it: Chances of success, number of tries, etc.) -- is there more info I should be reading outside of the GG?

And would you happen to know about a scenario in which harming civilians yields negative VPs?

thank you very much -- great community here!

[Mobhack]

Radios:
remember to check the unit info to make sure you actually have one (and check the unit commander for one as well since both need one to communicate)

Supression:
Game Guide "Unit Information screen"
- Suppression box - describes supression
- Morale box

- Unit leader table - Rally box

And further down, the HQ menu table - Rally is described again

Cheers
Andy

[narwan]

tinkthank said:
Thanks very much.
Did read about that shouting distance, of course, it is stated often in the GG -- I just can't believe my radios are malfunctioning that often!

It's not just malfunctioning radio's but also failures to connect that are modelled. Remember that sub-unit leaders especially usually have to keep track of several radio nets at the same time (within their own unit/vehicle, with his subordinate units/vehicles, with his commander, and with other supporting formations (think a mech platoon and a tank platoon operating together so their commanders have to keep in touch) and possible coordinate artillery or air strikes, etc).
That means a commander may be otherwise engaged and temporarily out of contact with one or more of his subunits.

Narwan

[tinkthank]

All right, I'll buy that, thank you!

@ Mobhack: Thanks, but I think you are referring to the sections such as these:

How badly suppressed this unit is. Suppression reduces morale, and also operating ability (e.g. a suppressed unit finds it harder to spot and to hit targets, and it can reduce number of shots available). Suppression comes from enemy fire, being out of command control, or having routing friends nearby, friendly tanks exploding around you, and so on. Rallying can reduce suppression.

An indicator as to how good this leader is at rallying unhappy subordinates, or himself. This number will reduce during a turn as rallies occur, and be set to zero for the rest of the turn if the rally attempt fails.

The rally rating of that leader. Higher numbers are better. As rallies are done in a turn, this number will tend to decrease. Once a rally attempt fails this number will be set to zero for the remainder of the current turn, signifying that this leader cannot rally himself or subordinates any further this move. Leaders who are in retreat or rout states, can only rally themselves as and until they reach a better morale state. Individual units can only rally themselves, only leaders can rally their subordinates. Company HQ leaders can rally any leaders or units in their subordinated platoons. A0 can rally any troops in line of comms including company commanders.

Believe me, I have read this. And I am sure this is nobody's fault but my own, but these terms are not self-explanatory. Defining "supression" as "how badly supressed this unit is" may be quite exact, but it doesnt tell me how it works. And things like "As rallies are done in a turn, this number will tend to decrease. Once a rally attempt fails this number will be set to zero for the remainder of the current turn" doesn't tell me a thing about how rallies are done in a turn, or how they can fail, etc.

But I think I am beginning to bore you guys with my questions. Obviously I come from a "different corner", have different gaming horizons, etc. It is like we are speaking a different language. That Game Guide was written for a much different target group. So while I appreciate you referring me to the GG, I did actually read it -- my questions are stemming from it, not being answered by it.

I really like the idea of this game, but I think the hurdles may be -- at least for the moment -- too great for me to grasp it. Thanks for your help, sorry to be a pest.

[Mobhack]

to find out what a weapon is, you really need to have the military "knowledge", which only comes from researching the subject matter. There is just not enough space to effectively print a copy of "Janes Weapon Systems" in the GG. (I used to have a copy of Janes Infantry Weapons for 76-77, and it weighed about 10 lbs! . And each volume of Janes requires a mortgage to aquire..

Your best bet is to type "hydra FFAR" into google. Also - to find a nice online website which deals with military acronyms. Fas.org should have one somewhere in its site?.

A quick google of "FFAR" pointed at the fas.org entry for the Hydra series of rockets : Hydra FFAR

Also try globalsecurity.org link

All air Rockets in the game are stated as (X x Name of system) as the "salvo" unit - can be 1 for e.g. the big Soviet 122mm, or 7-8 70mm ones. That allows the 16, 32 rocket pods to be simukated without a separate weapon slo used up for each pod.

Thw W key will only fire one weapon, at the currently selected target and only if the selected weapon is in range and has ammo and a shot opportunity remaining that turn. About the only use I have for this function is to have one of my Russian Guards sections to launch an AT-mine at a tank next door in WinSPWW2, without triggering a close assault which may leave them too supressed to fling a second one if the first failed. Otherwise, I turn off the weapons I do not want to fire the usual way (in the odd circumstance I want to reserve some, about the only time I do that is to preserve an ATGM and biff up a light APC target e.g with the BMPs 30mm and hold the missile) and simply click on the target to fire.

The T key dialogue needs therefore to be used with N and P to navigate to the desired target if no target/not the desired target is currently selected. Again - the only time I use this instead of clicking on the target may be to select a tank for a rifle section to fling an AT weapon at, or perhaps to review the %age to-hit the gunner thinks is best, if selecting between which T-55 to target etc. (Remember that the to-hit %age in the T key dialogue only works for the primary (slot 1) weapon).

Out of contact status is determined at your turn start and the range for guaranteed comms is shouting range between the platoon commander and the sub-unit - 100-150 metres or 2-3 hexes. Any other distance needs both units to have a radio and to pass a radio comms test. You can also be out of contact if the platoon HQ is dead, retreating etc. (Command radius is also irrelevant, if you do not have any need to rally the sub-units that turn.)

cheers
Andy