AOTR: Smoke

[Bradley62]

Been having some fun with my discovery of SBs. Aside from a tutorial I first played there has been no option for smoke in any of 10 or so scenarios played so far. Last one played was a meat grinder for SS units.



10-1 losses, even against the AI seems much. I've downloaded many scenarios from the SB site (excellent resource) and just seems there should be more options for cover given to the attacker in scenarios in general. Is this just historical accuracy at play in these nicely crafted battles? I've been trying to get back to PzC but have gotten hooked on SBs. :)

[general_solomon]

I am comming from close combat and panzer command. my only issue to work out with sb is quick movement. if you order the troops to stand up and run they either get killed or get pinned.

I know that it would be suicide to order men to get up from cover and run in a open field. I get the same results while my men are in a town or city. Even when my troops are on higher ground.

I just don't understand this. Dont get me wrong, i purchased all the titles. I have not found a better game thus far. I just have to get used to this limitation.

If anyone else can offer a solution to my movement delema it would be most welcome.

[McIvan]

I think, tbh, that movement while standing up is best left either for moving well behind the front lines OR by fresh troops towards the end of a battle, when enemy weapons are bottoming out at 25% and the unit effectiveness has not only taken a hit but most units are disrupted and pinned.

Early on, standing up too close to the enemy is asking for a full firepower pasting, and that's just the way it is.

Squad Battles is very good at emphasising the need for a fresh reserve.

[McIvan]

It also suggests to me that the AI (I'm assuming it was the AI that suffered such horrendous losses) does too much moving, and not enough shooting. Fire takes ground, not movement. Supress the enemy....fix and flank...and they'll shift off the objective or get overrun. Then you walk onto the obective. Supress first, move second.

Course that all depends on time.

[Ozgur Budak]

This the worst casualty result table I have ever seen. Cant say much how you made this happen but from the snapshot I can say entire Russian troops are standing intact in industrial hexes. No pinned units. I can also say your troops are to dispersed. Given those two observations I think you made two fatal mistakes: 1. Assaulting fortified enemy positions without supressing them. In city fight such supressing fire should be delievered from explosives, big caliber guns or flamethrowers.
2. Attacking enemy piecemeal without any center of weight. In SB, assault is very very risky action. Many operational level wargamers cant grasp how dangerous assault is. You really have to overwhelm enemy position with firepower and numbers before assaulting. Ordering assault without overwhelming enemy who defends an industrial hex is suicide.

[Bradley62]

I should clarify, I was the Russians. Just noticing every scenario played so far, there is no smoke as an option.

[Ozgur Budak]

I should clarify, I was the Russians. Just noticing every scenario played so far, there is no smoke as an option.

Ok sorry. I thought you were Germans. AI cannot perform well in such city fight. I recommend taking the attacker against AI for a challange.

Smoke allowance is scenario designer's decision. Some don't prefer smoke much. I generally give high smoke allowance to scenarios that have assault over fixed positions. I agree that players should be given smoke for attacking manuevres.