Booby Trap - Bug? ( NO )

Warnevada · #1 February 18th, 2016, 07:31 PM

In our current PBEM battle, a Meeting Engagement, my opponent was able to deploy a booby trap ahead of his deployment area.

This doesn't seem right for a couple of reasons:

1) Booby traps are a defensive device and takes time to deploy and so shouldn't be available in a Meeting Engagement where both sides are moving.

2) Booby traps shouldn't be able to be deployed outside the side's deployment area.

scorpio_rocks · #2 February 18th, 2016, 07:48 PM

Not sure about PBEM but certainly against the AI booby traps (and in MBT IEDs, etc) used by the AI can be deployed forward of the deployment area. I think this is to allow them to work as intended.

DRG · #3 February 18th, 2016, 07:50 PM

If a player autodeploys that uses the same basic routines as the AI uses in a human vs AI game and the code has been deliberately written to occasionally deploy some units ( not many ) outside the normal deployment area to keep the human player on his toes and to not fall into complacency ASSUMING that they have free unopposed movement to X point on the map because that is beyond the standard deployment zone and it sounds like your opponent knows this can happen and has used it . There is no other way to get units like that beyond the start line so it's NOT a "bug" and we aren't going to change it. He caught you off guard........surprise....war is frequently like that

Don

Warnevada · #4 February 20th, 2016, 05:04 PM

Not sure if I fully understood your reply. If this is only supposed to happen with auto-deploy then this isn't the case here. The deployment was manual and the booby trap was planted on one of two bridges across a stream.

Mobhack · #5 February 20th, 2016, 06:35 PM

Demolitions can be deployed up to the half-way line (plus 1 hex). In any battle type. Including in meeting engagements. Yes, that is ahead of the deployment line in some battle types, and it is fully intended to be that way.

Was the bridge on the halfway line, or in the no-man's land between his deployment zone and half-way?. Then your opponent can place IEDs there.

Try setting up a random game, meeting engagement. Go to misc page, buy demolitions, then go on to the set-up. See where they can be placed.

IEDs are offensive weapons, as well as defensive. Your patrols can be assumed to set them up ahead of the battle, or as the Germans did - left them behind when retreating (and the German AI does sprinkle a couple now and then in the late war). Just as they are used in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere.

So, be cautious past the halfway mark on any map, in any battle. Your human or computer opponent may have left presents for the unwary.

Of course, if you think thay are nasty and horrible things in PBEM meeters - try agreeing an IED banning treaty with your opponent in meeting engagements.

DRG · #6 February 20th, 2016, 06:50 PM

AS WELL.............. the human player in a PBEM game CAN elect to autodeploy his force and SOMETIMES that tosses a unit or two across the start line

Like this............... ( but this was only a 20x20 map a bigger map may give a bigger spread )

It's an OLD trick..You autodeploy units until you one get some deployed forward of the line then you manually adjust your set up of the rest of the units but as Andy said the AI AND the Human player can deploy little surprises up to half way