AI Maximum Defensive Fire Option ?

[Dog Soldier]

I figure the ground commanders within the units determine when to fire. Captains, lieutenants, NCOs. A very mixed bag after contact and casualties. I would think as some would bang away while others could be paralyzed.

The program seems to take into account the difference in morale and fatigue when determining defensive fire. A morale units approached by C or D morale units will fire more defensive shots than if the roles were reversed. Some units will wait until the range is close, others will fire at long range. The units are in contact, but not necessarily centered in the hexes. The game engine simulates this aspect very well!

I would again attribute this to the unit leadership which in an operational game we can not and should not control. Some commanders, in A morale units will approach the defenders' positions in such a skillful way using the terrain in the hex to mask their approach and not offer the enemy any chance to fire on them effectively. The defenders are not asleep!
Unit fatigue also has an obvious effect on whether a unit will be able to direct its' fire effectively from a defensive position.
Combine morale and fatigue at different levels and a pattern will emerge. though do not count on the pattern always being there! The randomness of combat in the PzC/MC games helps reflect those odd situations that defy logic and win medals.

Then there are cases where I would prefer my units keep their powder dry and not fire. Take the case of a unit which just crossed a river by engineer ferry. I may wish to use them to assault the next turn. If they defensive maximum fire they could easily be low ammo, a big loss in combat potential, especially if the unit has an assault factor much larger than their direct soft fire. That is not an uncommon ratio in some units throughout the series. Another easy example is when a unit gets surrounded in the enmy turn it might have a better chance to break out in the friendly turn if it can assault without a low ammo result from DF.

Bottom line - I do not disagree with you guys considering the "game mechanism" as a game for your request for all DF to be shot every turn.
But I prefer the realism side of the game in this case, so the fact we can not get what we want from our units in terms of DF, is ok with me in the operational sense.

Dog Soldier