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Return to St Vith Tutorial Planning Aids *Spoiler alert for those playing as Axis*

JArraya

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Daz can you upload the latest .pdf and send me the link? I haven't made much progress but will have some time in the next few days.
 

GoodGuy

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I hope so mate.
I'm still battling away at it, slowly but surely.

Work in progress....

What program did you use to mark perimetes, zones of control etc.?
That's some beautiful stuff. Can you upload it ? Would make for a perfect standardized layout for User-AARs. :)
 

Daz

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They are symbols and brushes I made for Adobe Illustrator.
I've not used Milsketch before but it looks like it would get the job done.
 

Iconoclast

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Milsketch is a pain in the arse, just warning you. Very inconvenient. lot's of clicks and little that you can do once you have made a mistake. Since I have no experience with Daz' program, I can hardly compare that to Milsketch.

I still use MilSketch every now and then though, but just because I am way to lazy and incompetend to make my own "brushes and symbols". reallz impressive.

Cheers
 

EdJaws

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For everyone's info, MILSketch is a free program available at:

http://www.historicalsoftware.com/HSC/HSCdownloads.htm

That link also includes a video tutorial at the bottom of the page and the program itself does have cons and extras in it that you can read about in this review:

http://www.strategypage.com/wargames/articles_reviews/wargame_reviews_200812720.asp

It is a dated program but does seem useful for at least the military symbols. I know I'd prefer to use Inkscape (a vector drawing program) for lines and text though.

Ed
 

Daz

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Would you share them? *GG begging*
I'll take a look at the best way to share them in a few weeks mate.
I'm very busy at the moment as I have a lot of work to do before my holliday next week.
Then I'll be away for two weeks.

Thanks JArraya, really appreciate your help :happy:
 

GoodGuy

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I'll take a look at the best way to share them in a few weeks mate.
I'm very busy at the moment as I have a lot of work to do before my holliday next week.
Then I'll be away for two weeks.

Yay :) I'll bug errr remind you in a few weeks ;)
 

GoodGuy

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I'll take a look at the best way to share them in a few weeks mate.
I'm very busy at the moment as I have a lot of work to do before my holliday next week.
Then I'll be away for two weeks.

REMINDER ! :p
 

Daz

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Here you go mate.
You will need to open it In Adobe Illustrator.
Some of the Map symbols are in the symbols library and others are in the brushes.
Let me know if it works.
I'm not sure if the symbols and brushes are exported with this file, or if I have to send the brushes and symbols files separately.
They are already integrated into my program so its hard for me to test.
 

Attachments

  • Daz Millitary Map Symbols index.zip
    2.3 MB · Views: 19
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Velkan

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These are fantastic! :woot: Thank you for the effort you put into them. One question: it isn't finished, is it? I have a 29 page PDF that ends on D2, 0200.
 

Daz

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Welcome to the forums Velkan and thank you for those kind words :)

It does currently end at page 29 I'm afraid.
When I came back from holiday I struggled to pick up where I left off.
Doing the AAR takes up all my spare time, its summer here so there is lots to do in the evenings outside and on top of that while on holiday we had access to a spar bath, which we loved, so we now have one installed in our garden :D

I also have a desire to play some of the other scenarios, in what little computer time I have got at the moment, and just do very quick AAR's, like the Gamble and Scramble one I did last week. Its nice being able to play the scenarios through fast as you get to keep the continuity flowing.
When doing the St Vith AAR, I do an hour of game play then 2 days worth of writing it up, so its incredible slow going. I do enjoy doing the AAR's so I will get back to it when I am ready.
 

Velkan

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I completely understand, this was already a great example on how to plan (with useful tips!) and execute. ;) I'll check your other AAR's and fully read the manual when I have holidays.

I finished St. Vith before, but made a nr of mistakes: 1) too much emphasis on capturing Obj and crossroads, not enough in destroying the enemy infantry, that retreated into the forests and attacked Steinbruck bridge, Lommersweiler and Breutfeld crossroads at night; 2) Inf Bns are more useful chasing these remnants into forests rather than guarding objectives (HQs with AFVs or AAA can do this); 3) a seemingly broken unit is enough to harass your supply convoys and cause supply issues, specially at night, hence the emphasis on destroying them; 4) Panthers absolutely love Shermans that get caught in the open during sunrise. Two of my Tank Coys were caught in the open, pinned in place for hours and eventually destroyed by sunset.

Btw, anyone knows what's the most effective way to destroy an enemy unit? Encirclement? They run like hell when routing, even Inf.
 

GoodGuy

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Here you go mate.
You will need to open it In Adobe Illustrator.
Some of the Map symbols are in the symbols library and others are in the brushes.
Let me know if it works.
I'm not sure if the symbols and brushes are exported with this file, or if I have to send the brushes and symbols files separately.
They are already integrated into my program so its hard for me to test.

Thank you ! :)

I'll check it out tomorrow.
 

mg422

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Daz,

Huge fan of your work.

Wondering if you will ever complete this one? Did you or do you plan on doing one in which you are defending a position? Curious to know what are optimal settings/tactics for defending ground.

Thanks again!
 

Daz

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Thanks mg422
I hope to carry on with it soon, picking up where I left off, with the consolidation of St Vith and then its defense.

I have never been that good at defending and to be honest I find it a bit boring.
I did a very short AAR on defending Elsenborn Ridge a few years ago.
Peter is good at defending and enjoys it I think, so maybe he would like to chip in with some advice?

My skills with the Adobe Creative Cloud have come on a bit since then I am happy to say.
This is the link to the post. It was in response to a request from Foxendown for some tips on defending in that scenario playing as Allies.

http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=3354076

As a very rough guide when defending:
  • Stay in cover.
  • Defend in depth.
  • Try to remember where the enemy has been dug in if you take their positions or your old dug in positions if you were forced to retreat, as you will become dug in quicker in locations where entrenching has previously taken place. Unfortunately there are not marked on the map, but are in the underlying code I believe.
  • Be cautious using the retake old positions option, as your units will try to retake it with a move order, not an attack. I prefer to leave it off mostly depending on the situation to allow my units to pull back under pressure, then put in a coordinated attack, when I feel the time is right. Usually with artillery supporting fire.
  • Set up kill zones.
  • Position your forces so that it funnels the enemy into these kill zones, especially at first light.
  • Axis armor V Allied armor stay far away.
  • Allied armor V Axis armor draw in close and ambush.
  • Maintain a reserve if possible.
  • Counter attack into flanks once you feel the enemy has stalled, if you still have sufficient strength.
  • Concentrate Artillery onto soft targets (infantry not dug in) in open, or forests.
  • Some Artillery units make excellent defenders against armor once dug in, so don't be afraid to place them on the front line inside important objectives.
  • Make good use of bottle necks in the terrain, which is particularly effective in this game as motorized infantry can not move through forested areas.
 
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