Artillery Target or Target Wide??

[Copper]

When you launch your artillery there is the normal target option but also a target wide option.... Ive never known exactly what it is and what benefits it would incur. To my understanding does it basically mean a wider spread on your artillery attack...?

I mean my artillery seems to have a nice spread as is without ordering to target wider.... am I on completely the wrong track.?

Bootie

[gangofmao]

...Aloha Bootie
To me playing Russians mostly,i always do target wide
i do not expect kills with my Arty...
at most a disruption,so target wide gives me a better % to do that...

GoM

[DerBlitzer]

Yeah, use target wide if you've got boat loads of artillery rounds and have no idea where the enemy is, but figure he's probably advancing across a broad swath. It's more of a disruption tactic, as GoM said; unlikely to kill a lot of units, since it's not concentrated. Best used, I think, early in a game. It may also lead your opponent to believe that you've got LOS to lots of different places on the map. Once you know where the enemy has clustered, however, use regular Target.

But if you use Target Wide, make damn sure your own units are far far behind the spot, and not to the left or right. The rounds land across a very broad area, on a line roughly perpindicular to the target line (if I'm not mistaken). Not recommended for smaller maps.

[Der Kuenstler]

According to my notes, target wide will come down in a circular pattern, about 120 meter radius from the center. So it is a 240 meter round circle. I use it with the big stuff to cover a wide area, as big artillery hurts even when spread out.

Regular artillery comes down in a 160 meter long, 80 meter wide oval area, oriented East-West. It is more concentrated. To get out of an artillery barrage, it's best to run North or South for that reason.

[Soldier]

Since one almost always has never enough off board artillery available, using it wide seems a waste. Artillery is a great infantry suppressor and killer, used in a normal or tight pattern.
I never use my artillery in a wide pattern..

[spike1234(FGM)]

[quote=Der Kuenstler
Regular artillery comes down in a 160 meter long, 80 meter wide oval area, oriented East-West.
[/quote]
I think it depends on set up zones, cos I have some stuff doing a north south vibe

[Ralph Metzger]

I use target wide when playing the Soviets and using pre planned targeting with delay to hit suspected defensive positions. I normally use fire plan for the Soviets as the spotter delay is toooo long. The pattern is circular as stated above gives a better width coverage for disrupting and suppressing a large area. If targeting enemy I can see, I always use the normal spread.
Ralph

[Ralph Metzger]

[Mike Abberton]

I use Target Wide sometimes when I can't get LOS directly to an area I want to hit, particularly an area I think has units vulnerable to arty (soft units in the open, e.g.). Don't really know that it works any better, but I do it anyway.

[Ratzki]

I think it depends on set up zones, cos I have some stuff doing a north south vibe

I believe it has to do with the friendly edges of the map as that is where the guns would been positioned that the FO is spotting for.
With large HE, I use Target Wide for general suppression, all mortars get the Normal pattern as do any point specific targets.