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Move or attack ?

Guy Miller

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56 minute bombardment? I was encouraged by the devs not to take these kinds of actions but to leave ART up to the AI (though I agree that successful offensive operations, and defensive ones as well, need some human management of ART - and some SMOKE).

Do you often do such bombardments? Don't you run out of ammo?
 

Kurt

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When I allocate a bombardment it will be one of the art bn's I have set aside as " half " so if my starting force has six art bn's I will choose three for my personal control . Whenever I bombard a target I will usually set it for one hour , if its no longer required or the target moves , then I just cancel it . I sometimes run out of ammo for my art units , especially when playing Germans in late 44/45 . A simple trick I often use is to set aside one long range art unit , I will not use it except for emergencies , that way it builds up a substantial reserve .
 
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Daz

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Historically, an hour or more for a preparatory bombardment is not unusual at all Guy.

As you have mentioned its actually the supply, and the availability of targets to fire at, that is the limiting factor on how long you can bombard for.
Knowing how many rounds to fire and when is a large part of the skill in using artillery successfully.
For example do you use all your rounds at the start of the day for the offensive or should you save some for a possible counter attack?
Is the supply route to my artillery vulnerable, meaning I need to keep a large reserve, or can I expect to get constant resupply?
Care needs to be taken not to drain the Corps or Division supply bases with the artillery, leaving the other arms like the armour and infantry short.
Also long term supply needs to be considered. Is the expected supply over the next few days increasing or decreasing?

Proper management of the artillery, also requires proper management of the supply chain, and a good understanding of how it is going to change over the duration of the scenario.
It also requires planning on your part, to decide when the critical time, and where the centre of gravity is going to be in the scenario, in order to give your permission to expend the major part of your limited supplies on artillery support.
All things that a real life commander has to take into consideration, and in my view is an important element of the game.

If the Allies have superior supply, but don't use it, then there is no advantage in having that extra supply.
You should aim to have no supply left by the end of the scenario, or you are throwing away that advantage.
 

Kurt

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Well said , it would be nice to have separate stocks for fuel , ammo , art ammo , basics , ( or at least the option ) .
 

Daz

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I'm not sure if separating the stocks of fuel, art ammo and basics in the base is a good idea. Unless you have enough information to do it in historical quantities.

At the moment the supply is just an arbitrary quantity handled in tonnage, because I assume the historical figures for this at corps and division level are easier to find?
This works quite well for the player, because its like being able to request your own stocking levels, in terms of specific kinds of ordinance (ammo > arty ammo).

For example:
If you suspect that most of your fighting will be done by armour, over open ground against armour, you would tell your quartermaster to ensure a high percentage of your allowed supply tonnage is anti tank rounds (ammo).
If you are fighting infantry in close terrain you would order a high percentage of artillery rounds (arty ammo).

By having the supply converted from the 'push' to whatever ordinance is required when requested by the 'pulling' unit, it allows a certain amount of freedom for the player to simulate that they would have ordered more of a specific quantity of ammunition, because they knew that is what they would need most off.

With regards to fuel, if you are in the desert and have to drive many miles, like in Beda Fomm scenario, you might decide that fuel is more important than artillery ammunition, so order the bases to carry more tonnage of fuel, in place of artillery rounds.
Things might start to run into problems in situations where fuel was historically limited, and take the decision for the percentage of the base stocking levels out of the players hands. You get what you get and if its not enough...to bad.

I imagine basics would be the easier of the three main items to judge quantities for. Just enough to keep them alive will do :p

This is going to add quite a lot to the complexity to the supply. I'm not sure its worth the work to implement it, especially if your not going to include sliders to allow the player to choose what percentage of the different kinds of supply they want, or be able to find the historic stocking levels of the different quantities.
It would certainly add more depth and complexity (which to me is always a good thing), but I wouldn't put it high on my list of requested features.
 

Kurt

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I totally agree with all you have said , I just like the idea of simulating fuel restrictions as in the Ardennes Offensive for Axis . I really like the slider thingy , being able to prioritize certain " goods " . I love the logistics dimension in warfare , like yourself , but as you say its not a priority and it would involve a lot of programming and testing . Hey its good to dream :playful:
 
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