Maintain facing etc - small suggestions plus 'blow bridge now'....

[john connor]

This has been mentioned before. Would be nice to be able to maintain facing when lassoing units into a task force, so that (as happens in, for example, the really big airborne scenarios) when you're covering a lot of ground and still trying to keep within command load by lassoing all the units don't end up facing the same way as the lead unit (useless, for example, when you need to set up a circular perimeter).

Also, I would like to be able to reattach units with an in-situ rider - so that they were re-attached to their parent, and the group, but with everything (facing, location and dug-in status etc included) kept unchanged.

More major (maybe) - why can't we blow bridges (or attempt it) on demand? I would like an order to attempt to blow the bridge right now, when I say. Why not?

 

[Daz]

I agree with the facing, and the in-situ order.

I'm not however overly keen on changing the way the blowing of the bridges works.
I think it adds a lot to the game the way it is at the moment.
Besides I have got good at taking them

Are you familiar with the story of the Remagen Bridge?

 

[john connor]

Great movie, Daz. Just watched part 1. I did know about Remagen, yes, but hadn't seen this movie. I wonder if the footage of men running across etc are all genuine, from the actual time?

This was a failed demolition attempt. We get those in the game too, and I like them - have no objection to them. But I think there should be the option to command units to blow at will, and not wait for the AI to decide when. This is a different point.

It's true, of course, that gameplay would be messed up if at the beginning of any particular scenario the AI could just blow all the bridges! or, say, take 2 days to prep Arnhem - at the beginning of From the Meuse to the Rhine - then blow it, and ditto Nijmegan. But the gameplay aspects could be handled via points, no? There should be a suitable, serious penalty for blowing a crossing, sufficient to make it a huge decision (if the crossing is huge, tactically) and one you might only take with reluctance. But you should have the option, I think.

 

[Daz]

Actually mate that is an excellent idea.
At the moment you get points for blowing the bridge, and usually for occupying the area of it as well.

If every bridge in the game were given an assigned amount of points, over a specific duration of the game, and the earlier you blow the bridge the earlier those points will stop, it would make for an interesting dilemma.
The manual override decision to blow it would be subject to a whole command delay though, and all the other factors like suppression, and engineers being present would still apply.
Or maybe the command delay should be the entire command delay of the on map boss, not just the unit blowing the bridge as if the order came only from him?
It would certainly make it a tense period of time waiting for the order to arrive, while watching those tanks rolling up toward the bridge.

Or maybe you decide to blow it well in advance despite of the point loss, say when the Nijmegen Bridge falls, you decide to blow the Arnhem bridge.
This would doom all your troops still on the Nijmegen side of the bridge however, if you can't pull them back before your order gets through, and if you blow it to early, you might not have enough points for a win.
If you leave to many of your men on the wrong side the Allies will get lots of points from destroying the enemy as well.

At the end of the day if you take all what I wrote above into consideration, maybe its best to just keep the mechanics as they are now

 

[Iconoclast]

original by Daz

It would certainly make it a tense period of time waiting for the order to arrive, while watching those tanks rolling up toward the bridge.

reminds me of a Board game that i am currently playing and writing an AAR for, Battle for Normandy. The Germans have to make a tough call when to demolish Cherbourg Harbour. The longer they keep it intact, the more VPs they get.

How about a hybrid? Let them get into a preimeter around the bridge, from there the player can take over and blow it manually.

Original by peter

or, say, take 2 days to prep Arnhem - at the beginning of From the Meuse to the Rhine - then blow it, and ditto Nijmegan.

There could be restrictions, just as in real life. Some bridges are too importand and higher command just tells you to not blow this bridge, or not to deploy mines in that area etc. There is rarely free reign in your AO.

Historical remark: Remagen and Arnhem are among the few bridges where it was a close call between being captured and blown. Most of the bridges AFAIK in WWII got blown days before OPFOR reached them. So Peters remark about being able to blow them earlier is probably accurate, despite raising challanges in game terms

regards,

A

 

[Daz]

Historical remark: Remagen and Arnhem are among the few bridges where it was a close call between being captured and blown. Most of the bridges AFAIK in WWII got blown days before OPFOR reached them. So Peters remark about being able to blow them earlier is probably accurate, despite raising challanges in game terms

I agree with you "A" but in most of the scenarios, the bridges that were historically blown start of blown, or you actually start the scenario having to build one, like in Race to Bastogne.
It's the ones that were still in contention, as the belligerents advanced, that are more the relevant subject here.