Actually, what's the use of ...

[Heldenkaiser]

... fortress artillery? I can't fire them without their becoming mobile ... and they can't entrench. Is all they can wait until they're fired upon? Thanks. :surprise:

[Telumar]

It seems so. Actually this is very bad modeled in toaw.

[Benbur]

I remember somebody saying that after using them in a direct assualt you should put them on Tatical Reserve. This way they'll be active in support of your defense.

I think???? :hmmm:

[General Staff]

It's actually something in the hands of the scenario designer, so to an extent if badly modelled blame them. ;)

[Heldenkaiser]

Actually this is something I've been wondering in my Tannenberg 1914 game ... Germans have lots of those fortress guns, they appear strong, but it seems I can't fire them ... do they support other units, at least?

[Telumar]

Actually this is something I've been wondering in my Tannenberg 1914 game ... Germans have lots of those fortress guns, they appear strong, but it seems I can't fire them ... do they support other units, at least?

They should if set to an appropriate deployment. Certainly it depends on cooperation levels and communication checks.

[Heldenkaiser]

At least I can answer that now ... they do support. Quite nicely, in fact.

Where were those detailed combat results again? Thanks. :)

[Heldenkaiser]

... when should I use direct fire, when let artillery only support? I know that direct fire is twice as efficient ... but being in support the big guns can add their weight to several fights in a row, right? Any hints? Thanks. :)

[Heldenkaiser]

Any hints regarding my two last questions? I'd be grateful for advice. :shy:

[General Staff]

Any hints regarding my two last questions? I'd be grateful for advice. :shy:
In attack I almost always use Direct Fire, because I find it much more efficient, especially in conjunction with a ground attack- I never use Direct Fire just by itself. The problem of course is if your turn ends unexpectedly, in which case your guns will be mobile and won't support anything defensively in your opponent's turn.

I'm sure in the far distant past I ran some experiments and the above represents the results or my conclusions, but I don't have the results to hand and can't remember them offhand. So it's the result of experience really. I do know that if attacking 2 targets I actually usually split an arty unit into 2 and direct fire each piece rather than have them indirectly support each attack at 1/2 strength, so I guess that also means I found this more effective also.

I hope this helps, but you might find it easier to run your own experiments (and please post results!).

[Heldenkaiser]

I'll favour direct fire for a while then, but try both and keep an eye on it. I guess considering the problem of an unexpected turn end it would anyway be best to keep at least a good part of my guns in the supporting rôle so to be safe. (Now at Tannenberg with a movement allowance of 7 for arty, direct fire support is quite out anyway or I'll never be able to dig in again, early end or no early end.)

BTW in a game where one moves very little (Tannenberg again, sorry I am talking about that so much but it's my only other game of TOAW), multiple combat rounds are really the easiest thing to accomplish ... any ML attack is almost guaranteed to eat up no more than 10% of a turn. :)