Offboard or Onboard Artillery?

[Chipmunk]

When purchasing artillery do you guys tend to go for offboard or onboard batteries? I've tended to go onboard because I like to be able to reload but I realize this makes me vulnerable to counterbattery fire or marauding enemy vehicles. Are there any other good reasons to go for offboard?

[General SP]

I find it depends on the game engine.

WinWW2/MBT I like offboard with onboard mortar support. The offboardbatteries ammo can last almost through the whole game.


For the older engines like SPWAW and H2H then usually onbaord as offboard artillery goes through very fast so like to only have 1 section firing counter battery or keeping the enemy infantry pinned down with suppression.

Of course when Grumbler sees this post it will be a 25 minute dissertation on how the US/Axis militaries in the years 1945 to present have changed/ rearranged/ went beserk on artillery use and what caliber and rifling each piece had :)

[Greybeard]

In MBT and WW2 there is one thing to remember when considering your artillery purchasing. Off-map counterbattery fire..

you need to look at your opponents off-map artillery capabilities.. if he has artillery that out-ranges yours, then it might be wise not to purchase off-map batteries. Not so much in WW2, but especially in MBT off-map artillery will CB your opponents (or yours) with often devastating results..

In a recent game of MBT, we agreed to purchased nearly all off-map artillery - he purchased 105's probably because of the ammo supply and cost.. problem was, that by the end of the game, he only had 1 or 2 batteries left, as all the other's had been CB'd to ineffectiveness by my off-map 130mm batteries.. his 105's had no hope of CB against mine, as the 130's range far out-stripped the 105's.. while my 130's cost more, and carried less ammo, careful use resulted in all of my artillery still firing by game's end.. (there were 175's available for his use - which have greater range than the 130's - so even 2 would have been quite a problem for me)

do a comparison.. and if your available artillery has no ability to counter-fire, then don't waste the points on off-map, and stick to on-map..

Greybeard

[General SP]

[quote=Greybeard]
In MBT and WW2 there is one thing to remember when considering your artillery purchasing. Off-map counterbattery fire..



BLAH BLAH BLAH! Very informative! Now get your arse in gear and get those turns back to me. No wonder my Germans are being pushed back, they get fat and jolly then I have to tell then to fight :)

[matxer]

Speaking of counterbattery in SPMBT, I have noticed that it doesn't seem to work at the beginning of the battle, and until turn 10 or so.
Is that a fact, and why ?
How do you use off-board counterbattery efficiently ?

[wigam]

Counter-battery fire does work on any turn as long as its available. In a game i have going with Fubar, my off map arty c-btry fired and destroyed a battery of his off map arty in turn 1.

Wigam

[matxer]

Counter-battery fire does work on any turn as long as its available. In a game i have going with Fubar, my off map arty c-btry fired and destroyed a battery of his off map arty in turn 1.

Wigam

How many guns did you leave idle ?

[Thor]

Oh good grief....just as i think i'm getting to grips with things a whole new area of gameplay to get the hang of rears it's ugly head. ;)

[Weasel]

I also notice that in MBT it can take MANY turns for offboard to CB. Then I think of my poor grunts getting blasted by the enemy guns and say screw it and let go the dogs of war.

So CB isn't a huge issue in my games.

As for on board, any good player will target those tubes forcing the enemy to keep moving them (hint, only shoot one tube at them and it will be enough to make him relocated) or if he stays then bring everything you have and clobber him.

But all in all, a combo of both is never a bad idea.

[Iwo Jim]

Maybe this is a stupid question but will any of you off/board batteries fire CB missions if they already have a FM plotted?