View Full Version : Newbie Question - Artillery Bombardment
I'm playing Marne, one of the excellent WWI scenarios that shipped with TOAW 3.
Just wondering if I'm doing something wrong. Defence values on these WWI scenarios are so high, you really have to do a lot of artillery only bombardments.
What I'm doing is at the beginning of the turn is....
o setting artillery to Tactical Reserve.
o plot the bombardments
o execute the turn
_After_ the bombardments however, all of the arty gets put back into Mobile stance and if I want to fire with them again, I have to set them all back to Tactical Reserve.
It works, but God it's a click fest and is kind of annoying. Is there any way to get them to keep their stance after the first round of attacks. There's no reason to take them out until they physically move or try to move to a new new hex.
Heldenkaiser
07 Oct 06, 14:49
As far as I can see, artillery that fires directly always ends up mobile. Why? Beats me, but there it is.
Artillery that only supports keeps its deployment status.
For all I can say, bombardment is hardly worthwhile anyway.
For all I can say, bombardment is hardly worthwhile anyway.
I've been causing 15-20% casualties with some of my arty only bombardments (probably the targets that are not dug in)....so it's definitely been worthwhile.
Why? Beats me, but there it is.
Well I think I know why. TOAW is automatically putting ALL units that attack into mobile status because they are moving forward to the attack and may move into the vacated hex. Makes sense for armor and infantry but makes no sense whatsoever for units at range 2 and more since they won't move after the battle.
Just want to add that very big calibre shells (155mm+) are more successfull in reducing the enemy's entrenchment level. Although some of them have a relative low Anti-Personel value.
Pure bombardment is not that effective in TOAW - try to set up a limited attack with a small unit at minimize losses and support that attack with massive direct artillery fire. Some people are regarding this gamey, but as long as it is not done over-extensively it should be alright.
Just wondering if I'm doing something wrong.
Yes, you are...but, we'll set you straight.
What I'm doing is at the beginning of the turn is....
o setting artillery to Tactical Reserve.
o plot the bombardments
o execute the turn
_After_ the bombardments however, all of the arty gets put back into Mobile stance and if I want to fire with them again, I have to set them all back to Tactical Reserve.
When you select them to bombard, they are not in a "support" deployment, i.e., D, E, F, T, or L. They will bombard the designated hexes with their full strength, and are set to mobile deployment. If you leave them in a support deployment, then they will not bombard at all, unless there are combats within range of their hexes.
In short, unless you intend on using them in support mode, you should skip your step one, since it is completely annulled by your choice of step two.
It works, but God it's a click fest and is kind of annoying.
It works, because most of the WWI scenarios that I've seen have some pretty hefty density penalties. It's only a click fest, because you were, in fact, making an incorrect assumption and doing it wrong.
Is there any way to get them to keep their stance after the first round of attacks.
They do keep their stance, which is mobile deployment, when set to directly bombard. If they are in support deployments, then they keep those stances, as well, so long as you don't take them out yourself, and set them to directly attack.
There's no reason to take them out until they physically move or try to move to a new new hex.
I don't understand what you're trying to say here, but hopefully the above explanation of the proper interface operations will suffice.
Glad you're enjoying the game.
In short, unless you intend on using them in support mode, you should skip your step one, since it is completely annulled by your choice of step two.
But if I don't do my step 1 they don't appear in the battle planner and I can't fire with them. They only become available after my step 1.
I must really be missing something here.
Yeah, my opponent is doing a lot of (foolish?) overstacking and has lots of hexes in the red. This is a great way to punish him without using any infantry attacks at all.
But if I don't do my step 1 they don't appear in the battle planner and I can't fire with them. They only become available after my step 1.
I must really be missing something here.
Yeah, my opponent is doing a lot of (foolish?) overstacking and has lots of hexes in the red. This is a great way to punish him without using any infantry attacks at all.
I think what he is trying to say it that you cannot use artillery in offensive support. Either you use artillery by either attacking directly, as with infantery or with setting at tactical reserve and clicking it in the battleplanner. Both these ways is direct fire.
Using the artillery for passive support means leaving it either digged in or in reserve mode, without activating it for direct fire.
Right?
But if I don't do my step 1 they don't appear in the battle planner and I can't fire with them. They only become available after my step 1.
I must really be missing something here.
Simply left click to select the ranged unit you want to fire with, and then mouse over the target hex. You'll see the little scope-sight cursor if it's in range. Then right-click on the target hex, without going into the battle planner. The drop-down menu will allow you to fire with a single unit from the stack, or all of the units in the stack. You can see whether any of your choices will negatively impact your round timing by watching the circlet of stars on the right panel, and looking at the information panel at the bottom of the screen when your cursor is in the bolted panel where the circlet is. If you've done this, then you'll see in the battle planner that the units designated to fire are marked with small arrows in the counters corners.
"...
Pure bombardment is not that effective in TOAW -..."
I see this comment many times on TOAW forums. It seems to insinuate pure artillery barrage is not as affective as it should be. I've also read were people say historically pure bombardment was not that affective but I've read accounts of front lines being shelled into a state of disarray and disorganization with many casualties resulting from the bombardment.
Should the designers look into this more and possibly make changes? (or is this a scenario design issue?)
I know from experience pure bombardment is not that affective even if I load up on a hex with lots of arty units.
hank
I have a little followup question. Strategy this time.
In my game, the arty bombardments are turning out to be quite useful and they burn very little of the turn.
Question is, does it make sense to do it more than once? What's the downside of these attacks? I have to do some experiments but I have feeeling it will burn readiness and supply pretty quickly and that supply will become the limiting factor.
.
Is the halftrack version of the nebelwerfer available in toaw woty? I had a previous cd of the game which was original, lost it and if i remeber correctly that was one of the units available. bought new game cd and im not sure if its the same as the original game from 1998. Is that one of the units on the equipment list of the original game? also on the unit graphics arent the panzergrenadier and mechanized ss infantry units on barbarossa scenario supposed to have a differnt graphic with halftrack and infantry instead of the standard infantry graphic? Im running xp cant see city names either. ver. 1.02does xp mess with unit graphics also?
Is the halftrack version of the nebelwerfer available in toaw woty? I had a previous cd of the game which was original, lost it and if i remeber correctly that was one of the units available. bought new game cd and im not sure if its the same as the original game from 1998. Is that one of the units on the equipment list of the original game? also on the unit graphics arent the panzergrenadier and mechanized ss infantry units on barbarossa scenario supposed to have a differnt graphic with halftrack and infantry instead of the standard infantry graphic? Im running xp cant see city names either. ver. 1.02does xp mess with unit graphics also?:OHNO:
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