Campaigns are tough!

[vyrago]

I've been playing SP games for a long time, but i've only recently began to play generated campaigns. I find them damn hard! I usually just manage a draw each time.

here are my gripes with campaign:

1. You get no intelligence on enemy forces, so I never know what kind of support to buy. I usually just buy artillery, since I get alot of meeting engagements I cant get much.

2. The AI usually buys 1 or 2 tank platoons, then hordes of crappy infantry. I usually have no problem taking out the tanks, but then get bogged down mopping up his infantry.

3. Not being able to 'sell' core formations. might be a nice feature.


anyways, thats my ***** about campaigns. I usually play generated battles and purchase for the AI, just so I dont always have to fight loads of paratroopers or something.

any tips for campaign?


oh, and whats the point in scout vehicles when all they do is get shot up on turn 1 or 2. any way to make them a little more 'stealthy' so they dont always get seen and shot?

[PatG]

What time period, opponents and points levels?
If you don't like facing crunchies, are you setting the AI to tank heavy?
Scout vehicles - pay attention to the AI's deploy lines. You can put the pedal to the metal to a point but once you get close to the deploy lines, slow right down and start getting sneaky. Reconnaissance by (enemy) fire is a legit tactic - just don't put the recce boys in your core.

[vyrago]

Mostly post-cold war time frame. One recent campaign I generated was Ukraine vs Russia. AI tank heavy ON. I still find the enemy buys maybe a platoon or two of tanks, then about a company of foot infantry. takes forever to clean them out, usually the scenario ends before i've finished and I end up with a draw each time.

I'm going to experiment with the "Infantry Toughness" settings, cuz I feel that infantry is a bit too resiliant.

Good point about the recce. I had them in my core, cuz I felt I would need them alot. But they usually take a few shots from enemy tanks, without having spotted a whole lot.

whats a safe movement speed to reduce being detected? 2 or 3 hexes?

[Mobhack]

Of COURSE the AI buys infantry, since it will not have the points left over to buy any MBT. AI tank heavy just means it will buy more tanks if it has the buy points to do so and in the buy loop point when it can buy armour, and infantry generally by the platoon, where it would normally buy a company. It does not mean "only buy tanks". So, in the later years, you will only get huge fleets of clockwork mice when the AI have huge buy points levels.

Recce vehicles don't spot things by simply charging round the battlefield. The faster you move, the easier you are seen after all. Only use speed where you are in known defilade - e.g. behind a hill or wood. Stop for a move before popping ONE hex to the wood front or onto the hill top to look. Then pop back in cover - esp if you received fire. Remember that a vehicle with infantry on board spots better than a "bare" armoured car - esp against infantry. A BRDM plus mounted scouts is better than one without. And even better - dismount your scouts in the previous example, and let them move to the edge of the cover to makee-looksee.

If you expect your infantry to receive fire - then try to keep movement to 1 or 2 hexes, max. That includes any mounted movement - a scout team that dismounts from a BRDM having zoomed up a road for 22 hexes and is in LOS of an ambusher is in a very bad situation!. If you need to zoom mech inf, then remain halted in a dismount position out of enemy LOS, and dismount next turn from the halted vehicles if at all possible. Charge-and-dismount will only work on a completely neutralised enemy.

Infantry are not hard to deal with, in any case. Invest in a few mortars in your core at the very least, and an FOO to call in quicker fires. Invest in a platoon of BMP or BTR infantry per tank company, and follow the tanks with these to spot grunts a little better. When spotted, shell with HE, call in arty, don't close till they are properly hammered by HE fires. I like the 1950's Russians with open-topped APC with a 12.7 and 2x7.62 MG - good "hose down" units, even accepting the fact they are vulnerable to arty.

And remember to call in arty on spots you are going to pass through later, that may contain enemy infantry. A common "newbie" error (apart from not buying arty) is, if they have it, of simply waiting till they have a spotted target to engage. Use arty like DDT to de-louse potential routes of advance by firing speculative fires. Often, that means you will have arty plotted nearby that you can adjust onto any spotted targets with minimal delay even if your normal arty delay is long, when you make contact.

Cheers
Andy

[vyrago]

some excellent tips mobhack! I cant wait to try them out. One problem I find is when im picking my artillery 'hot spots', i'll see an area which looks like a good spot for the enemy to set up. I'll hammer the area, only to find the enemy has chosen a much more 'stupid' deployment. thats why I tend to overcompensate with scouts, since it seems theres a time limit to most missions and you cant spend all day blasting up treelines which may or may not contain sought-after baddies.

I realize that the AI will buy infantry when it cant afford any more tanks. I just would like to see more realistic formations. 2 platoons of T-80 would not likely be deployed with a company of dismounted paratroopers, for example.

its just frustrating to march across the map, smashing through enemy armor only to get held up fighting a few rpg teams which maybe get lucky on a few tanks/apcs, leaving me with a draw despite my holding the objective flags.

[Mobhack]

The victory hexes are not the only thing WRT victory, they merely provide some bonus points on top of points garnered in smashing the enemy force, except for small battles. They also provide the AI with something to navigate to.

If you are battling with the AI around V-hexes, then these will be counted as "contested", and so the game may last longer. Ditto, if you are finding yourself camped out on the objectives fighting off the AI around them, then that is where your artillery pre-planned fires may be handy?.

Also - remember that you can shift fire with little delay, once arty fire has fallen. (Many newbies seem to plot a brand new mission, even simply to fire in the same area). Click on the fire unit's name bar, and then just press the HE button for fire at 0.1 or so delay, or the shift target key to adjust from the last target hex. For a "creeping barrage" - just keep shifting the fires turn by turn.

If you think you will need more time - then use the turn count adjustment available from the View Map button in the deployment screen. Ditto if you don't like the V-hex deployment or map or visibility etc.

Cheers
Andy

Cheers
Andy

[TLAM_Strike]

There are a few things to consider when defending or attacking against infantry. Look at the terrain; is it dense Asian jungles or European woods? Or is it open deserts like Iraq or the Sinai? Or an urban setting? Maybe mountainous Afghanistan?

Areas like woods tend to have lower LOS making your direct fire weapons (Machine guns, tank cannons etc) less effective than indirect weapons (Arty). If you�re defending in a limited LOS area trade off some of your heavy machine guns (US .50 cals or Soviet 12.4mms) for lighter ones (7.62mms). Then concentrate your few HMGs at critical areas (Say a strongpoint or a bridge your enemy must cross) and disperse your LMGs around the battlefield. The LMG units also have the advantage of being faster making movement in woods easier. Arty also becomes more important in woods, instead of having a lot of machine guns in your infantry units have a few more mortars that can lob rounds over the trees. If things get dicey don�t forget your mortars can also be used as a direct fire weapon (ie you can use it like a normal unit�s weapons with the �F� or �W� keys or by clicking on a target). But remember that trees provide cover from incoming shells so aim for a target in the open and put some nasty ambushes or obstacles in the trees to prevent attacks from there. On defense you can also use FARSCAM batteries to lay down mines behind the enemy�s engineer units that are clearing your mines to further slow your enemy.

Open LOS areas make defense different. Search around and find nice long-range weapons, when the Soviets were in Afghanistan their infantry found the Mujihadeen could snipe at them with impunity because they outranged the Soviets and their new Aks with old bolt action Enfields from WWI! Here you want to use HMGs and snipers (especially the Heavy Sniper with the M82 .50 cal since it can defeat unarmored vehicles and even damage some APCs with a side or rear shot). Put down suppression fire on the advancing infantry from out of their range and pin them down for your mortars or if you have them MRLS (Rockets are great at dealing with infantry on the move since they cover a wide area with a single volley- just don�t get the ones with only a few rockets per launcher). Ever see that episode of The Unit when they are forced to take shelter in a forward base and the bad guys capture the base�s HUMVEE armed with their only .50 cal gun? The only weapon they had that had the range to take on that .50 was the Unit�s sniper rifles� of course the geniuses left it in their truck.

On offense different considerations come in to play. Be mobile no matter what the terrain. You will see that when you take the V Hexes the enemy infantry that was spread across the map turns around, abandons their positions and heads for you. Of course by this time your armor has to go on to the next V Hexes or needs to head to the nearest ammo bunker for a fresh load of Frags. So what do you do? Have an �Operational Maneuver Group� as part of your forces. What that? Basically it�s a fast force that�s used to exploit a breach in the enemy�s defenses. Light APCs like the BTR and Helicopters are great for this. If you can take your objective quickly send in your OMG to hold them from counter attack while your main forces moves on. Use infantry, machine guns and mid to short range AT weapons as part of your OMG. You can also carry an Ammo container in an APC or deliver it by chopper make your troops harder to dig out, just remove it after your troops have rearmed. One you have taken your V Hexes and surviving enemy infantry starts to try and take them back your now on the defensive and the tips in the two above paragraphs start to apply.

[Nightblade]

Also - remember that you can shift fire with little delay, once arty fire has fallen. (Many newbies seem to plot a brand new mission, even simply to fire in the same area). Click on the fire unit's name bar, and then just press the HE button for fire at 0.1 or so delay, or the shift target key to adjust from the last target hex. For a "creeping barrage" - just keep shifting the fires turn by turn.

I remember during a long time with WinSP:MBT , i never understood what was the purpose of the shift fire and so i was calling completely new artillery mission after each splashes, making lot of turns between 2 of them.

I was always cursing the AI as it fired very more often than me.

Then, i finally some day what shift fire was all about.
It sure changed a lot of my battles outcome .