Question about ammo dumps in PBEM games.

[Skirmisher]

I remember some time ago,I was playing a PBEM game against Double Deuce,where I was India and he was Pakistan. I think it was a 70's game. I had a few SAGGER ATGM inf sections.
These were very effective in taking out some tanks early in the game.But they quickly ran out of ammo (the ammo dumps were deployed next to the artillery).
I know that if I just put an ammo supply right next to them they would have been supplied. But in this game I had a couple land rovers that I was using to "shuttle" the empty ATGM teams to the artillery ammo dumps.
I got them to the dumps and unloaded the ATGM team next to the ammo dump. Funny thing is they were never resupplied,they just sat they for the rest of the game(maybe 10 turns) and at no time did they resupply with ammo.
Is it because the artillery was allready using the dump?

[Pyros]

Hi,

Probably yes.

If the rate of consuming ammo (of the artillery units) was bigger than the resupplying capacity of the ammo provider, then this would be the case (also, was the Sagger a later selection in your army group?)

Anyway, for any unit placed near the frontlines it is best to use ammo canisters (transportable by fast APCs).

cheers,
Pyros

p.s if you had first selected your Sagger units and then your arty, you wouldn't have any problem to re-supply those units.

[Skirmisher]

Interesting , thanks Pyros. I'll keep that in mind for next time. They probbaly were bought after the arty as I usually by arty near the beginning,then buy the dumps.

[Marcello]

"Anyway, for any unit placed near the frontlines it is best to use ammo canisters (transportable by fast APCs)."

I remember the game manual saying something about the warhead size limit of the ammunition that those cannister could resupply.Is that correct?

[Pyros]

Hi,

this is a quote from Andy G. (Mobhack) in a similar thread:


Also - ammo containers are limited to a maximum warhead size (may be shot size) of 3 ISTR.

They are meant to resupply onlt small arms ammo etc, though because of the way the database is organised, may resupply some things they were not intended to (such as MLRS which has a weapon size (just checked - of 1 to enable quick resupply.

looks like ammo supply works off the weapon size and NOT warhead size. Weapon size variable is only used for resupply - so 203mm MLRS and the URAGAN are 1, to enable resupply quickly (palletised ammo), which puts them in the same "bracket" as rifle ammo.. so ammo containers will resupply them. A database quirk which could be utilised as a "cheat" by unscrupulous players, but nothing we can do about it (we wanted quick reload capacity for particular MLRS systems).

As a scenario designer - the AI knows nothing about ammo units. it will "kamikaze" ammo trucks at objectives, etc. HOWEVER - where the AI is static (delaying or defending) then ammo units placed close by (1 hex for most, 2 at half the supply rate for ammo dump and ammo bunker) defenders can be useful to extend the shots available for low round units (SAM, inf-SAM, inf-ATGM etc).

If the AI is defending/delaying - I would consider placing ammo bunkers (less chance of being destroyed to blow up with 1000lb bomb seconadary explosion effects beside key AI defensive units (inf-SAM, SAM with only 1-3 shots, sagger teams with but 4 ATGM etc). This would give the AI better "staying power" against human air strikes, and MBT.


cheers
Andy