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View Full Version : Searching? Here's what I found


Gloo
16 Mar 06, 13:05
My apologies if the coming information has already been provided somewhere on this forum. I made a quick search and only found members saying which settings they where using for this game option but no numerical data to back their choices up. By the way, it's also a friendly way to contradict Pepper :p who's thinking that lowering this setting: "doesn't seem to make a huge difference". As you'll see, it does, actually! So here we go.

As an informative note to the beginners wondering about concrete data regarding the Searching option in WinMBT (v2.51), I would like to report a test I made a while ago. It involved a regular inf. squad with 67 xp/71 Morale, moving on open terrain, by a clear bright day, and searching against a static (not entrenched) 1 man squad with 83 xp/77 Morale/Size 1.

-With Searching set between 100% - 90%, detection occured at 150m (3 hex.).
-With Searching set between 80 - 60%, detection occured at 100m (2 hex.).
-With Searching set to 50%, detection occured at 50m (1 hex.).
-With Searching set to 40%, the ennemy unit remained undetected at 50m unless fired upon for suppression purpose.

It's also interesting to note that with Searching set to 100%, the same unit detected a 10 men enemy squad, with high XP, from a distance of 200m (only 150m with Searching set to 80%).

As you can guess, spotting a static, well camouflaged man, in a field at 150m, may not be as easy as the game pretends! I know these tests are incomplete and many variables can appear while playing a real battle, but it's also roughly significative of the game mechanisms. I think the spotting algorithm is "unrealistic" if set above 50%, definitely (some would say "gamey" instead but I prefer to see it as a "difficulty setting", which it is actually). However, for fun sake I also think it's better to use settings between 60% and 80% when playing by e-mail.

In complement, the same tests reported detection of the single man at 150m as well, with the detecting unit suppressed by 6pts! I think there may be a problem here, as it seems that a lightly suppressed unit is still able to detect normally. Seems to me that a suppressed unit should have its movement, firing and detecting capabilities, hindered as weel.
What do you think?

hoplitis
16 Mar 06, 13:27
...
In complement, the same tests reported detection of the single man at 150m as well, with the detecting unit suppressed by 6pts! I think there may be a problem here, as it seems that a lightly suppressed unit is still able to detect normally. Seems to me that a suppressed unit should have its movement, firing and detecting capabilities, hindered as weel.
What do you think?

It already does! (doesn' it ! :eek: ). And 6 suppression points are not much, as you say yourself. As for your numbers ... INTERESTING!

Gloo
17 Mar 06, 13:53
It already does! (doesn' it ! :eek: ).

I know it's supposed to take suppression into account but the question that remains is: at which level of suppression do the searching capabilities of a unit begin to be hindered? Maybe 10pts? Here's another interesting bunch of tests to be conducted... ! :)

And 6 suppression points are not much, as you say yourself.

That's right and I'll investigate further to see where's the lowest cap affecting detection.

As for your numbers ... INTERESTING!
Thanks but, as I said, it's only aimed to inform the beginners... :laugh:

Pepper
17 Mar 06, 15:13
In my defense ... :)

If lowering the setting 10 whole points has no effect (between 100-90), and lowering it between 20 and 40 points (between 80-60) only results in decreasing "spotting" by one hex, I think I'm OK in saying it doesn't have much effect? :laugh:

The admittedly very limited test you ran is interesting regardless. That said, I've played a number of games with searching/spotting reduced to anywhere as low as 80, and frankly, the difference has not in my mind been huge. There is a difference -- snipers are harder to find, for example -- but its pretty minimal. Typical squad sized units and vehicles, when moving, are still seen at about the same place -- maybe they get a hex closer. Units when still are seen at about the same time, maybe a hex later, but certainly upon firing.

You should try to plot all the various variables at play and run a series of tests -- see if you can reconstruct the algorhytym! ;)