Newbie Here, with a few newbie Questions.

[DRG]

kongxinga said:
I have figured out the weird tankers problem.
The thing is, I am buying what is called "Armour Group" which is composed of 2 MotorBikes, 4 tanks, and 4 armoured cars a company. The leader (ie the X0 unit), is a guy stationed on a motor bike. From what I guess, motorbikes are modelled like infantry here,

Yes, that was the problem and I didn't see it because I was buying pure tank formations for my tests. Now fixed. Thank you for finding this and reporting it

Don

[Sgt_Walrus]

Hi Guys

I gotta say, the level of support for this game is tremendous.
I know Andy and Don are busy guys and they still take the time to answer all these questions...brilliant effort there by those chaps. I, for one, never take it for granted.

Kongxinga, you may feel like a noobie but I can tell from your questions that you are no fool. You'll soon be up and running with this game, you just need some practice.
I seriously suggest reading the Game Guide from beginning to end, you will learn SO many tricks and gain plenty of understanding of the way these guys have put this version of Steel Panthers together. Also browsing this forum and looking for topics of interest. I have gleaned many tricks from reading the discussions of others here.

Can I suggest that you play the campaign supplied with the game, 006 "China '37". From your posts I know that you wish to play as China but while you are waiting to get your Long Campaign off the ground you could learn many things by commanding Japanese forces in the same theatre, both about their troop's abilities and those of the Chinese forces.

It is a very well designed campaign, 7 battles I think, and has many different types of battle. It would be a great way to start to get to grips with this version of the game and the units in '37 are not too different from the earlier units. There's plenty of cavalry action which is great fun and you must master the basics of the support units to achieve victory which will get you much more used to the speed of units and their ability against different targets. You'll soon see which Chinese tactics and units are causing you the most trouble :-)

The WAW version of this game (as I understand, I never play that version...why bother :-)) treats arty delays in quite a different way. As you say, some are short enough to land at the end of YOUR turn.
I prefer the system here where you have to have the skill to plot your arty where you "think" the enemy will be. I enjoy seeing my arty do a good job of breaking up an attack where I predicted it was going to be in X turns. The skill is in using the shift fire options and FO/X0 units with LOS to master your arty support or at least make the most of it.

ALWAYS use a FO to plot arty (it's the first unit I buy!). Arty plotting is much faster and more accurate even when they have no LOS. Then use an XO in LOS, and as was mentioned, to "shift" the fire by entering the arty plot screen with the LOS unit and using the "shift fire" tab which brings up a red circle.

You can move the landing/aiming point of the tube/battery etc that you are dealing with by 2 hexes for only 0.1 delay (actually that's for an FO. It's 0.2 for any other X0 unit). So, even for an X0 unit, you can shift fire 4/6 hexes for a full delay of only 1 turn or so.

Using small shifts you can keep units firing turn after turn (at a decreased rate of fire as any delay means a few less shells will fall per turn) and make a "creeping barrage" in front of your advance through the forest, or chase infantry around the map and keep them suppressed.

In a campaign I do provide some transport for my A0 and Forward observer. It is correct that their vehicles will be targeted by air units but you can always unload the unit at the end of each movement and if hit, they stand a better chance of surviving. Move slowly, less than half allowed movement and suffer less casualties when attacked, also have better accuracy when firing and better spotting ability.

Be careful with those units and maybe use them to carefully mop up some enemy stragglers near the end of the battles, thus giving them some kills and improving their experience ratings. In my opinion, experience and morale ratings are more important than arty/inf/armour command ratings.
Kills get your experience up. The first five are the most important.

I enjoy campaigns because I have to be very careful to protect core units that have good experience. It's great fun to launch a rescue mission to provide cover and transport for a high rated tank crew that have survived their tank being brewed up. Or to spend 15 turns quietly manouvering a scout or FO that has been cut off by the enemy.
Set you ranges low using the "y" key or even turn your weapons off. Move SLOW..one turn at most and resist the temptation of firing. That way you can sneak through almost any enemy position, especially if they are moving or are "green" troops.

Can I also suggest trying PBEM against human opponents. It is the true strength of this game. The best AI, and this AI is very good and always improving, will always be worse than an average human opponent.

Try www.theblitz.org for a friendly group of gamers with a strong Steel Panthers ladder (all versions). There are mentors who will gladly take you through your first PBEMs and provide help and answers to your questions...I should know, I'm one of them :-)

Feel free to ignore any of the above! Just trying to help eh. It's a great game.
Join The Blitz and I would be happy to mentor you for PBEM in winSPww2. My name there is Walrus.

Cheers
SGT

[kongxinga]

Thanks for all the advice.

I must say that the community here is amazing and the game support is top notch. Very helpful advice, and very diligent and proactive devs. Good job!

I will go start the China '37 campaign. It will be quite fun to NOT be on the receiving end of those GLs. I had no idea that the Japanese were so fond of GLs. I mean their militia unit includes a "militia GL", that is armed with 4 GLS ( which is much more scary than the homeguard or something unit in WAW that was armed with 1. Bamboo spears 2. Claypot Grenades. I kid you not.) Are there any surprises in the Campaign, like the USMC popping up, or the US army coming in from Burma?

On the difficulty advancing in forests, I think I may have come up with a partial solution. The Japanese may have escaped my HMGs and tanks (not that they are anything to write home about, but at least I have an comparative advantage there) by hiding in the forest to force mid range engagements, but I found by dropping heavy smoke and a few artillery rounds in suspected locations work wonders. Having effectively blinded both sides, I make my squads crawl around 1 hex at a time. A lot of times the Japanese get lucky and spot me first, but eating 3 GL hits at range 1 is not much worse than taking 3 Gl hits at ranges 6-12 ( I think). Plus my squads can retaliate with 3 handgrenade shots, and those hurt very badly.

Are banzai charges modelled in WinSP WW2? I recall in WAW I ordered my HQ to enter into the same hex as a retreating Japanese Squad, and ordered a close range assault. A "BANZAI!" sound effect followed, and the Japanese squad routed my HQ who did not even get to strike at the enemy (first strike for Banzai charges). Soviets and USMC can also go similarly berserk I believe.

I like to get close to the Japanese squads, but not that close, so is there a danger when attacking in the same hex?

[Sgt_Walrus]

Hi Kongxinga

No suprises in the China campaign IIRC, just a really solid early war type series of battles. The high tech stuff is not too high tech yet but you realise how effective a small tankette can be when there is nothing around with AP!
You'll enjoy it

Good plan with the jungle fighting. Moving 1 hex at a time is the key, it gives you a chance to return fire even if you are ambushed.
A good trick.....even if you are going to move a unit 5 hexes (for example) you should move 1 hex at a time. If you get ambushed after moving 3 hexes the game only computes the 3 hexes of movement. If you clicked 5 hexes away from your unit and let it move itself, when you got ambushed on the 3 hex of movement, the game would be computing your speed over FIVE hexes.
This is also important for spotting/ being spotted. You can sneak more effectivly ONE hex at a time rather than clicking ten hexes away.
I hope you understand my point. It is going to help you heaps...especially in PBEM :-)

I have never heard a Banzai sound but some types of units do get a bonus when moving into the same hex for melee fighting. Cavalry, Gurkhas, maybe commandoes....read the Game Guide from cover to cover and you will know all these things.

Glad you are enjoying the game.

Cheers
SGT

[kongxinga]

But I rather not start a new topic.

I must say it is quite nice that the DEVs fixed up all the little creases the Nat Chi player may face. Retarded tank commanders, missing AA, only Japanese as enemy is all gone now. Good work.

I am starting a new 60 battle ultra small map (20*20) long campaign. I currently have a HQ, FO, Armour Group, Inf Company +, Pioneers Platoon, AT Gun platoon, Recce Group, Inf Howitzers, Mortars, AAMGs and 2 Extra HMG sections.For support I bought some off map artillery and enough ammo mules and transport mules for my artillery (I find trucks get stuck in the mud too frequently. I am off to play an advance mission in hills versus Chinese Communists.

My question today is, what do you think I should get if I get enough points to spare after the mission? Specifically, is it a good idea to get off map artillery as part as one's core? What are the pros versus cons of on and off map artillery? It seems on map arty is vulnerable to being overrun, or hit by air, or hit by other artillery, while off map arty only need to worry about occaiscional counter battery fire. What I am concerned about is that due to the poor artillery plotting skills of my officers, my off map artillery seldom hit anything, let alone kill. They do make pretty forest fires though. My on map artillery also rarely hits anything, but I can bring them up to kill suppressed crews for experience. Will there be any experience gain for my off map artillery assuming it does not hit anything at all? Does it get the minor exp for participating in a battle, even though it was not on the map?

By the way, is firing AT guns at bunkers a smart way to kill them if one does not have tanks?

Is there a problem with not spending all the support points. I know how much core campaign forces one spends determines the points player 2 gets, but does that apply to support as well?

Thank you all for answering my endless questions.