Patrol Feature in MC

[Aaron]

I had this conversation a few months back about how to get the patrol feature to work against SF units and this is the answer we came up with, i didnt go anywhere with it but everyone seems disappointed that it dosnt work against SF unit so i thought id post this up for opinions and or any other pros and cons. The big one that we came up with is by changing SF units to Partisan and flagging them deception is they would lose the ability to call in airstrikes/artillerystrikes.

Aaron

CONS:
1. Lose ability to call in airstikes/indirect fire
2. Cant move into rough hexes
3. Lose their ZOC

PROS:
1. The patrol feature now does something
2. Since there both partisan and deception their deception effect works 24/7 whether their in deception mode or not.

[FLG]

Aaron

I was thnking of this modfication recently and its likely effect. I came to the conclusion that it won't have a huge affect for campaigns and what ever you do will affect both sides equally. So I don't think it matters too much, one way or another.

It will just be a personal preference thing.

[Aaron]

Thats it, just 1 comment. Thought id get more comments out of this.

Aaron

[Elxaime]

I am thinking losing the ability to call in airstrikes is not a bad trade off for the following reasons:

- correct me, but I think effective FAC requires that the aircraft more or less loiter near enough to respond in real-time, especially with mobile targets like truck convoys or armored formations

- Central Europe, with the dense SAM networks and large opposing air forces, would be a very impermissive environment for aircraft to loiter. It is also unlikely there will be many functional airfields that close to the front lines since those would be early targets for enemy SSM and air attack

This doesn't deal with calling in long-range artillery, but I think the Special Ops units you are trying to portray could be imagined as those which are tasked with strategic interdiction

This brings me to another point. Why not create both types of units?

1. Partisan flagged Special Ops units to represent strategic interdiction efforts far behind enemy borders;

AND

2. Special Op units that would no deception abilities (to make up for the fact they were not subject to the Patrol function), but could portray operational/tactical interdiction as spotters and/or bridge destruction/demolition.

[Aaron]

I just finished about 2 hours of testing and didnt notice anything wrong with the changing of SF units to Partisan, they still assaulted, the ones with 2 hex soft attack range still attacked targets when they came into the 2 hex range and they still went into deception mode and also blew up a bridge. And since their partisan units their deception effects still work even when their not in deception mode,deception mode just helps show them disappearing after an attack, u cant call in airstrikes/art, is the only thing u really lose for having the patrol feature work which adds a little flavor to the rear areas. I do have 2 types of deception units, 1 type is recon first with secondary mission of sabotage and stuff, this is about half the Soviet units and all the WP minor units. The other half have some higher values and a soft attack range of 2 to make ambushes and assaults on lighter armed units but low numbers on hard attack, they all have deception ability. Still no Nato LRRP units in the game, they had a recon mission only and theirs no way to model this, if u mark them recon they need to be supplied (no good), if u mark them SF without deception ability they dont need to be supplied but as soon as they see the enemy they themselves will be seen and they are dead. If u flag them deception well this just aint right,it wasnt a LRRP mission.

Aaron