Units Loaded on Vehicles

[MasterPiece3000]

Is there anyway to see if there are enemy units riding on your opponents vehicles?

[DRG]

Nope

[Mobhack]

There was a report, as I recall back in the original game. It also told you which enemy APC were loaded internally - giving your observers X-ray vision. So that report was suppressed as giving players TMI on the enemy forces back in the MSDOS days.

If you want to know if the enemy tanks have riders - simply hose them down with HMG fire. That's my standard policy with WW2 tanks (who do it regularly, esp Russians) though less valid in MBT as tank riding is less used there with the availability of APC. See clumps of advancing armour - give them some dakka dakka and see what falls off.

[MasterPiece3000]

Yes, I meant as far as occupants riding say on tanks or in open APCs like a halftrack or utility truck that doesn't have a tarp on it. I've been doing the same thing as far as hitting tanks with small arms fire to see if any foot troops disembark but this also attracts fire from the tanks as well which usually results in my unit becoming suppressed. As far as seeing if a covered (enclosed) APC has troops inside, yeah, very unrealistic. I also noticed that the AI will, for the most part, not engage a tank or open APC with small arms if it has riders on it, even if the tank has spotted the foot troops and has initiated first contact but it makes sense since the game doesn't have the capability to "see" riders even in an open APC or on tanks.

[KV7]

Originally Posted by Mobhack

There was a report, as I recall back in the original game. It also told you which enemy APC were loaded internally - giving your observers X-ray vision. So that report was suppressed as giving players TMI on the enemy forces back in the MSDOS days.

If you want to know if the enemy tanks have riders - simply hose them down with HMG fire. That's my standard policy with WW2 tanks (who do it regularly, esp Russians) though less valid in MBT as tank riding is less used there with the availability of APC. See clumps of advancing armour - give them some dakka dakka and see what falls off.

This is good practice anyway as the buttoned tanks lose firing and spotting ability. Shoot with the units far away first and button so the closer ones are not spotted.

[Spledge]

Time-tested tactics mentioned above from our community.

In short, using an infantry platoon's fire has seemed to be the best way to probe a vehicle for whether there are infantry being transported by it. Individual squads within a platoon fire once each with perhaps only one weapon selected, maybe its MG, until a 'hit' is registered on the vehicle. This should lead to the enemy infantry being dismounted and hopefully, a little suppressed too. The single round per squad might allow your squad to remain un-spotted too given some distance from the target and taking into account terrain effects that your squads enjoy.

Id also humbly add that it does seem to be some what realistic too to address your goal in this manner if you think about the 'fog of war' effect. Your troops can not always see well enough to determine whether there are a few enemy troops on the back of an approaching tank let alone inside of a APC/truck. Also in reality, your troops might take a pot-shot at a vehicle too to at least 'button' the vehicle if not kill a vehicle commander standing in a hatchway. Your troops just might not be so zealous as to fire everything that they possess unless they're trying to suppress the vehicle like a tank or destroy a softer vehicle like a truck less they also receive opt-fire in return.