Question about the combat system

[Lohengrin]

Gent: 

Actually assault is a unique combat / movement action that is separate from artillery and supporting automatic weapons fire. It simulates unit(s) physically moving, firing, and assaulting into an adjacent enemy held hex. Good players will often use artillery and supporting weapons fire prior to assaulting an enemy position to get disruptions that subsequently will improve the chances of a successful assault. However, not all assaults are supported by artillery or other separate direct firing weapons.

I think he may have been talking about depictions of assaults in the real world, which tend to suggest more bloody affairs than are seen in the game, as has been observed. In real life, you may see depicted a lot of firepower directed at the target prior to men actually going in, and it may be believed that the prep was or should be part of the assault.

Of course, in the game and in actual military practice (I assume), assaults are strictly about the ejecting of the enemy from their position which doesn't have to mean a bloodbath. And it's separate from the prep.

[Xaver]

There are 2 types of assaults in game, the less bloody that search win an hex you need and other a lot more bloody orientated to vaporized traped enemy units with no scape route and with very low or 0 combat value.

Assault is not only infantry searching melee, is allways a first part where attacker try soft defender, assaults with no preparation usually are a disaster for attacker... only a "sleeping" enemy or an attack from unexpected direction could win and these 2 situations are not covered in PzC... units allways are ready to fight when are assaulted and they have 360º cover all around.

[Kool Kat]

There are 2 types of assaults in game, the less bloody that search win an hex you need and other a lot more bloody orientated to vaporized traped enemy units with no scape route and with very low or 0 combat value.

Assault is not only infantry searching melee, is allways a first part where attacker try soft defender, assaults with no preparation usually are a disaster for attacker... only a "sleeping" enemy or an attack from unexpected direction could win and these 2 situations are not covered in PzC... units allways are ready to fight when are assaulted and they have 360º cover all around.

Gent:

Maybe it's word semantics here... but there are NOT two types of PzC assaults.

As I stated in an earlier post:

"Actually assault is a unique combat / movement action that is separate from artillery and supporting automatic weapons fire. It simulates unit(s) physically moving, firing, and assaulting into an adjacent enemy held hex."

Assaults are situational. 

Some situational examples:

(1.) Limbered artillery or units in travel mode.
(2.) Dispersed single enemy unit.
(3.) Enemy stack that has some dispersed units.
(4.) A full strength enemy unit in an open hex.
(5.) Enemy units in a bunker. 
(6.) Hundreds of other possible unit combinations and defending terrain.  

However, not all assaults are supported by artillery or other separate direct firing weapons. 

Preparation fire is optional and situational.

Here is how I approach the above examples:

(1.) No prep fire. Assault.
(2.) Maybe no prep fire. Situational (Unit strength, terrain, artillery / support weapons availability. Assault.
(3.) Maybe no prep fire. Situational (Unit strength, terrain, stack composition, artillery / support weapons availability. Assault.
(4.) Prep fire. Assault
(5.) Prep fire. Assault.
(6.) Prep fire (Optional and situational). Assault (Situational)

A good rule of thumb is to ensure that enemy units are dispersed to increase odds of a successful assault.
 

[Xaver]

Well, i explained bad, is only one assault mode in PzC BUT when you play serie a little you notice that you can perform 2 diferent assaults based in what you search-expect as result.

One only search win terrain, to take an objetive, control a key position to cut-off enemy retreat or use ZOC to close a pocket of enemy troops... in general you search use brute force to move enemy from X hex, to secure a success you search do the assault over an hex with all enemy troops disrupted, if not you need or mass a lot of troops for a single assault or try do a sucesion of assault searching push enemy if you cant launch a single massive assault (stacking limits what you can launch to assault) and is allways a ? factor because maybe you need the unit retreat to left but retreat to right position... you only can have a certain control if you manage to do ZOC over the hex you dont want the enemy retreat.

A second one is when you manage to trap enemy troops in a hex with no scape route, (ZOC all around the enemy unit) here you search win the assault not to win only the hex, you search to as primary or secondary objetive destroy the unit or at least kill all soldiers you can to made unit useless for combat for many turns (if enemy manage to rescue it) because an isolated unit suffer a masive amount of casualties when you assault them, disrupted+isolated+low ammo+no scape route when lose the assault means the unit is going to be semidestroyed in first assault, if you manage to launch a pair more you practically destroy the unit (as i said in other post in FWW serie only need now one assault with a little luck because units surrender in this situation, in PzC you even need do some firing to kill last survivors, units not surrender in the engine and require more assaults and some fire rounds to destroy the unit).

The assault is an unique action in PzC BUT based in tactical situation results are very different, bloody assaults need perfect situation+timing with this you can in 4-5 turns open a hole that enemy cant close (i had a battle where with a panzer counterattack destroy 1 soviet infantry division+2-1/3 armored brigades all in a few turns creating a big pocket when i cut-off the enemy spearhead from his rear units).

[Lohengrin]

@Xaver A little English tip: Use the word "seek" instead of "search" when referring to an expectation, as opposed to attempting to find someone. For a minute I couldn't understand what you were talking about.

[Xaver]

Ok, i use search, very rare times looking for and never seek... i allways have in mind "search and destroy" when i use it in wargaming enviroment and pixels are in a deadly situation hehehe.

[Lohengrin]

Ha ha, whatever floats your boat