gaining infantry experience

[codman]

Just out of curiousity how do most of you raise the experience levels of your infantry in MBT? I've got a small campaign going in the late 50's between the Chinese and the Soviets and my Russian infantry seem to take a beating everytime I unload them from their AFV's. The Chinese seem to always have loads of rifle infantry squads and my 8 man squads with their AK-47's just get plastered. I try to use cover or smoke but it's always touch and go as to if my guys will stay or rout. Most of my squads are veteran so I'd like to think they'll hang in there but they sure are jumpy. I also wish they'd use their LMG more as it got a longer range than the AK's but I suspect whoever is holding it gets shot first and the rest of the squad won't go near it.

Thanks in advance

Steve

[_Tim_]

Some suggestions:

Use scouts, on the ground or airborne, to find enemy positions at your chosen point of attack. Hit these for several turns with artillery to cause suppression, some enemy squads may not fire at all, those that do will fire with less accuracy, which hopefully means less casualties so less chance of your squads backing out. Lots of artillery is good, especially core units off-map because after a few battles their response time will be quick.

Buy lots of sacrificial infantry with support points, unload these first to take the brunt of the enemy fire, then send in the core infantry.

Have some supporting armour with plenty of HE rounds, but don't advance too close to infantry equipped with RPGs. Enemy armour or AT guns will need to be cleared first or LOS denied with smoke. APCs or light armour with 2 or 3 MGs are effective against infantry so this support role doesn't need tanks. Again, use support units rather than core because the first in are likely to take casualties. Weight of numbers has certain benefits, which favours cheaper APCs.

Don't commit core troops to the fight for too long. If they have taken a beating get them out of the fight and save them for another day rather than risk losing the whole unit and starting from scratch. Knowing when to withdraw units is good leadership - play to win the war not the battle. There is no point fighting to the last man in every battle. I look at the battlefield and judge the relative points score for both sides, if I think I've done enough to get a marginal victory I won't risk core troops for the sake of one more victory hex.

Try to take one set of victory hexes to trigger an AI counter-attack, then you have the benefit of first shot as their units advance. But have your defensive perimeter set before taking the victory hexes and don't leave units near those hexes, AI artillery on flipped hexes is guaranteed.

A lot of players (myself included) use the preferences screen to adjust the infantry rating for the AI. If you don't like the balance try lowering the AI. One of the strengths of this game is the ability to adjust preferences like this - it is not cheating, it is about playing the GAME so that you enjoy it, that is the point after all.

At the extreme end of modifying gameplay the experience values of units, yours and AI, can be edited in CampaignHack, but it sounds like you want to earn the experience of your troops so this would be an option of last resort.

cheers,

Tim

[Companion]

A supplement to Tim's comments:

Well, if your PCs are executing cavalry charges and unloading troops in the SAME TURN all the while enemy is WATCHING, your dismounted Infs are bound to suffer more casualties and suppression than when advancing slowly by foot.

After all, mechanized infantries are still infantries who happen to ride around battlefield protected in steel (aluminium?) taxis.

And... yes, artilleries of every caliber just love infantry.
They love to chew up enemy infantry (AAA class tender meat compared to armors)
and love to support friendly infantry.... (in every army, every terrain, every situation, artillery remains as the truthful companion of infantry)

Good luck

- Comp

[codman]

Thanks guys. Having been spoiled in SPWW2 with rifle squads that had a longer engagement range I must adapt. Just finished up a battle where the terrain was mostly wooded and my guys gave a much better account of themselves at close quarters. Nothing like a wall of burning terrain to screen you and if you remember to fall back before your opponents arty finds the range it's a blast, literally.

Take it easy - Steve

[Marek_Tucan]

Also, thanks to their "area fire" effect, machineguns are vital and great support tool, even if Z-firing them.