Suggestion regarding artillery

[zovs66]

What Andy said. One observer for all. If don't have a dedicated FOO you just use the A0. Plain and simple. No need to keep track on pen and paper.

Also, just click the spot where it last shot and adjust from there or reassign to new spot (with or with out gold spot).


Even if no LOS it will still drop.

[Wdll]

Originally Posted by zovs66

What Andy said. One observer for all. If don't have a dedicated FOO you just use the A0. Plain and simple. No need to keep track on pen and paper.

Also, just click the spot where it last shot and adjust from there or reassign to new spot (with or with out gold spot).


Even if no LOS it will still drop.

Either you don't understand me or I don't you.
I am not saying there isn't a simpler way of doing things by just having one observer calling all the shots. It's just not as good as having dedicated observers (or other units who can call artillery) depending on the target and artillery unit.
With the same (yours) logic, might as well just use the HQ to call artillery and save the money of even one observer...

[Mobhack]

Its as simple as this - whoever you have currently selected on entering the bombardment is the controller for any new adjustments made in the bombardment screen.

There is NO requirement that if battery Z is initially called in by Observer O that you need to only ever use O as its dedicated personal controller. If observer (or command unit) P has LOS to the impact and is the current unit selected in the bombardment screen, it can happily adjust battery Z's mission.

So multiple observers are only needed in order to have several different LOS arcs. Or to give you a few more gold spots, but if the observer is skilled or is 1990s level tech then they can call in fires on impromptu targets fairly quickly anyway, and most gold spots plotted seem to be wasted as the battle occurs elsewhere, in my experience. Gold spots are useful in the early period or in WW2 - or if you have an inexperienced FO. In campaign games, the FO is very valuable (esp in WW2!) so that you do not want to put him where enemy arty will fire.

You could simply use A0, but he isn't as skilled as a dedicated FO at least till he has gained a lot of experience - and as he wont be racking up kills, he will only pick up slowly over time.

I find one FO does the job, and I mainly fire and adjust "blind" without having any need to bother with carting him round the battlefield in a jeep to gain LOS arcs onto targets. In MBT, a foot FO with TI or a radar on a hilltop in my rear zone is all I bother with. If he has LOS to the target, then it's gravy but I do not obsess about manoeuvring him about the place, I do obsess about placing him somewhere the enemy is not likely to drop a shed-load of arty onto because something attracted its attention like say nearby MRL blasting away for a couple of turns, though. I want him well away from anybody else, and preferably on a nice big hill with a good vista.

[DRG]

Simply select the Observer you want to use and adjust whichever arty you want...once you do that then THAT observer is the one the game references for accuracy etc etc. If you move another observer into a better position then click on that and adjust the arty and then THAT one becomes the observer for the arty you adjusted

[Wdll]

Originally Posted by DRG

Simply select the Observer you want to use and adjust whichever arty you want...once you do that then THAT observer is the one the game references for accuracy etc etc. If you move another observer into a better position then click on that and adjust the arty and then THAT one becomes the observer for the arty you adjusted

That works for the first barrage or so. What happens 10-15 turns in the battle? If you have more than a couple of artillery/observers you end up with either having a list per observer, which is waste of artillery, or risk having artillery swapping observer because you clicked on it without knowing that it had another observer giving it orders.

[Wdll]

Originally Posted by Mobhack

Its as simple as this - whoever you have currently selected on entering the bombardment is the controller for any new adjustments made in the bombardment screen.

There is NO requirement that if battery Z is initially called in by Observer O that you need to only ever use O as its dedicated personal controller. If observer (or command unit) P has LOS to the impact and is the current unit selected in the bombardment screen, it can happily adjust battery Z's mission.

So multiple observers are only needed in order to have several different LOS arcs. Or to give you a few more gold spots, but if the observer is skilled or is 1990s level tech then they can call in fires on impromptu targets fairly quickly anyway, and most gold spots plotted seem to be wasted as the battle occurs elsewhere, in my experience. Gold spots are useful in the early period or in WW2 - or if you have an inexperienced FO. In campaign games, the FO is very valuable (esp in WW2!) so that you do not want to put him where enemy arty will fire.

You could simply use A0, but he isn't as skilled as a dedicated FO at least till he has gained a lot of experience - and as he wont be racking up kills, he will only pick up slowly over time.

I find one FO does the job, and I mainly fire and adjust "blind" without having any need to bother with carting him round the battlefield in a jeep to gain LOS arcs onto targets. In MBT, a foot FO with TI or a radar on a hilltop in my rear zone is all I bother with. If he has LOS to the target, then it's gravy but I do not obsess about manoeuvring him about the place, I do obsess about placing him somewhere the enemy is not likely to drop a shed-load of arty onto because something attracted its attention like say nearby MRL blasting away for a couple of turns, though. I want him well away from anybody else, and preferably on a nice big hill with a good vista.

Yes I know there is no such requirement That's the problem, that each artillery gets assigned to another observer by accident because there is no way of knowing which artillery is already assigned to which observer/hex.

I think I will make a short video explaining myself perhaps a bit better with the visual aids. I will have one by tomorrow.

Still thank you all for your replies so far.

[DRG]

...don't worry....eventually everyone will understand everyone else

[DRG]

I already had a suggestion on the list that covers this.

One problem is while advancing you have NO idea where you fire plan is and it's a simple problem on a small map with a few units.... you can click bombardment and see them..... but when you go back to the main menu they go away......again...easy to deal with unless you are on a full size map with 16 batteries and 8 observers and you are trying to advance with the barrage and as you advance your initial foo loses LOS and you have to assign a new one to get it back.

I would like a hot key that displays the bombard missions that would stay on map while you advance and clicking on one would show who the spotter is.

BUT this got backburned last release and we have not discussed the feasibility of it at all

You want to know WHO called the bombardment not who the FOO is you just clicked on..... when you only play using one FOO... the answer is simple

Keep in mind I don't get everything I suggest either...

[DRG]

Another thing that seems to be overlooked is who controls ( called ) a arty mission when you click a FOO ( or command unit ) the ones that FOO ( or command unit ) called show in green




and



so when you pick a FOO and go to the bombardment menu it will show which one that FOO is responsible for and if you don't like his LOS simply pick a FOO that has better LOS and adjust the fire and then THAT new FOO is the controller

The "problem" is....the game only tells you who is controlling it when you enter the bombard menu and then it's whatever command unit you selected so he's the controller if you adjust fire but there is no way to know which of the FOO's you might have on map are the ones controlling a fire mission NOW

I see your point but I see Andy's as well....if you have a fire mission and you have a FOO in a better position to observe it select him and then make an adjustment and then that FOO is your controller...if you don't make an adjustment then it's the original observer who still controls it but the missing info is who that is.....Andy's POV is it does not matter who controls it before you adjust fire only that you did adjust fire with the observer in the best position and now he's the controller for that battery fire mission

[Mobhack]

Wow - you do learn something new now every and then

I have been playing the game as well as going into the actual guts of that part of the code for years and had never noticed that neat little feature!

Cheers
Andy