Re: Assaults and the mine belt
 

A couple of items

1} I was wrong ( thinking of something else ) mines are NOT reported when you mouse over

2} Specialist engineers and Engineering vehicles clear mines from outside the hex. Stand outside the mined hex. Point your engineers or engineer vehicles at the mined hex and the game will tell you when it's clear.( the mines will disappear ) If you move into a mined hex even with specialists you risk detonation. The more engineer type units you have pointed at a hex the quicker it is cleared.

3} When you deploy if you need more time ( everyone plays differently ) press View Map and then press the "stopwatch" button and increase the number of turns.

4} I know this may sound lame but try bigger maps with the big point games or less points. We increased the points allowed so that people could build big modern tank battles. When you try those big numbers in assualts on (smaller) maps the AI will sometimes build ( really ) big minefields. We may need to tone that down a bit. You used the maximum number of points to build this didn't you? Try again on a 160x200 map.

5} if you have a wreak in a hex the only way to know 100% that it's clear of mines is to send in the engineers

Re: Assaults and the mine belt
 

As Don says - the prime advantage of engineers and engineer vehicles is that they clear obstacles from the next hex, so there is no need for them to enter the obstacle hex, possibly tripping a mine.

That is already stated in the "Mines and field engineering" section of the manual - bullet #2 in that section.

If you assault with a large number of points, the opponent will have more points to use, including buying field defences. Similarily, if you attack on a narrower map, then the opponent has a narrower frontage to fill with defences (and troops!) so you will have to fight through a deeper and denser concentration of forces the narrower the map you select.

So, as suggested - with a very large allocation of points, then you should possibly also consider choosing a wider map, so the defender density will be reduced per unit of area. If you choose a map with double the width, then the defender will have to use double the width of mine belts to close off that width, thus reducing the density by 50%, and the defending troops will be more spread over the map as well, allowing you to gain local superiority that much easier.

If you use lots of attacker points on a narrow map, then it can result in a defended zone more like a WW1 trench system, or Kursk-level defences etc!.

Therefore as suggested - you can increase the number of turns, and that may well be a good idea if you choose an assault battle that is guaranteed to produce a thick concentration of enemy troops and defences to fight through. More turns will let you fight a more deliberate step by step assault, and balance off the extra time the enemy field defences will need to overcome.


Cheers
Andy