Engineers & Wire?

[mangus2000]

Just been reading a report on Engineer Assualt Tactics http://www.lonesentry.com/articles/engassault/index.html and suddenly thought "Hey do Engineers in CM pass over Barbed Wire quicker than normal Inf?". "And if not why not?"

I would do a test but am at work and skiving ;) so thought i would open the question up for all you guys to talk about and try a test myself tonight.

[Lurker]

Just been reading a report on Engineer Assualt Tactics http://www.lonesentry.com/articles/engassault/index.html and suddenly thought "Hey do Engineers in CM pass over Barbed Wire quicker than normal Inf?". "And if not why not?"

I would do a test but am at work and skiving ;) so thought i would open the question up for all you guys to talk about and try a test myself tonight.There's no reference in the CMBB manual about engineers having any special abilities in that regard.
Over all I think the engineer is poorly modeled in CM. In ASL it usually has the highest firepower, but in CM it's typically the lowest. Perhaps the time frame involved for clearing wire is why they're not allowed to do that, although how long would it take to open a path in wire as compared to clearing a minefield, which they can do in a few turns.

[mangus2000]

Perhaps the time frame involved for clearing wire is why they're not allowed to do that, although how long would it take to open a path in wire as compared to clearing a minefield, which they can do in a few turns.
Exactly! One Bangalore, pair of wire clippers or maybe even a bit of old carpet:laugh: would get them over it in no time so why would they not model it I wonder?
I s'pose the Mine clearing is so quick due to just throwing a large explosive at them, does that work in real life as well? I would have thought it would clear some but not all the mines!

[Redwolf]

No such advantage in CM.

The supposed logic behind it is that the 30 minute timeframe of a CM battle does not include any wire clearing.

[Lurker]

The CM games are fun and have given me years of enjoyment, but I think it's time for newer versions of all three theaters and some design fixes.
Do you think that will happen? :laugh:

[Redwolf]

The CM games are fun and have given me years of enjoyment, but I think it's time for newer versions of all three theaters and some design fixes.
Do you think that will happen? :laugh:

Well, there's a lot of work to be done for SM:SF.

But to be honest, I am afraid that BFC, namely Steve, will find a couple of things where they implement "bad ideas" as they did in CMx1. Such as artificially restricting gameplay, being overly pessimistic with vehicle performance data, insisting on rather issuing nonsense automatic orders from the TacAI instead of none just because "something has to happen".

This issue is such as example. So we can't clear wire from engineers in CMx1 because it's below the 30 minute battle timeframe. Fine. But we can clear mines with engineers. How can that fit the timeframe but clearly wire, which you basically just blow up, does not?

[kawaiku]

So you have to order the Engi's to "shoot" the mines to clear them or just have them sit there and with from them to clear a path?
The last time I tried that, I didn't have a whole lotta engineers left (I kinda had them walk through the mines:paperbag: instead of doing whatever you needed them to do..Ooops)

[Redwolf]

You just place them near the minefield and often the minefield will magically disappear after a few turns.

[Lurker]

I'm guessing that the engineer experience level determines the speed with which the minefield disappears? :hmmm:

[Redwolf]

I'm guessing that the engineer experience level determines the speed with which the minefield disappears? :hmmm:

Personally I think it should determine who likely they are to blow up :D

[Lurker]

Personally I think it should determine who likely they are to blow up :D
That would make an interesting thread: CM friendly fire losses. :OHNO:

[Poor Old Spike]

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/PoorOldSpike/sub2/wireA.png


Incidentally wire is the next best thing for taking the wind out of an attacking forces sails, it's impassable to trucks,halftracks and armoured cars, and slows tanks to a crawl.
Like roadblocks, wire can't be placed ON a bridge, but a single wire on the bank at the end of a bridge can cause a tank column to concertina and jam up. If infantry are aboard and the column comes under fire, they'll hop off and probably get caught in the wire like flies in a web, ha-ha..
The slowing effect of wire is most noticeable on roads, a number of wires place in ladder or zigzag pattern down a section of road or open ground will make enemy tanks waste a lot of time crawling through it, think "molasses"..
Incidentally, piling a dozen or more wires in a stack on top of each other has no extra slowing effect on tanks, one is enough.
Wire can't be got rid of in any way by either side, once placed it stays put for the whole game..
(And in all my tests in clear weather, wire never 'bogged' a single tank, so the bogging risk in wire isn't worth worrying about, but maybe ithe risk is higher in mud or snow etc)

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/PoorOldSpike/sub3/wire.jpg

[Poor Old Spike]

A Stug negotiates a fence..
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/PoorOldSpike/sub1/stug-wire.jpg