Does fire spread?
 

Does fire spread? If not, why not? I was in a wildfire recently, and while watching it nearly destroy all that I held dear I realized just how fast a fire in dry terrain can spread. In less than ten minutes it engulfed roughly four hexes worth of trees, and in two hours it was covering over one-hundred hectares. Fire in dry terrain is no joke!

With this in mind, I'm surprised no massive forest fires develop over the course of a Steel Panthers game. Fire is an absolute monster, and if a lightning strike can cause such damage, imagine what a full on artillery bombardment can do! Fire in the game right now just feels.. Static. You just walk around it. What if fire spread, spreading even faster in summer months or in desert environments? A well-planned defensive line might be ruined because an artillery bombardment and bad luck sent a tidal-wave of death rolling towards the men. Truly terrifying, eh?

Re: Does fire spread?
 

High explosives tend to blow out a fire as much as starting one.

Re: Does fire spread?
 

Try Far Cry 2 I think not the best in the series but it’s set in Africa, if you set something alight and your uphill or the the winds blowing your way can cause a whole rethink as avoiding the brush fire coming your way becomes a priority

Re: Does fire spread?
 

Also memorable gaming moment killing a deer and going to get the meat and realising a male lion is watching you. Quick scan and you realise the pride is closing on you from behind, yikes the animals are a serious threat check they are not hunting before you decide to kill something. Way ahead of its time.

Re: Does fire spread?
 

This is not from Far Cry 2 though. :p
In Far Cry 2 there are no predator animals and while you can kill other animals, you gain nothing from it.

Re: Does fire spread?
 

I think fire should spread, though proportionally to its size, snow balling as it were. I think it would be realistic. On the other hand fire in the game causes suppression, which is highly realistic. It would be even more realistic if it slowly moved depending on the terrain, causing you to relocate to a different hex.

Re: Does fire spread?
 

From what I know wind is not calculated in the game. I could be wrong and if I am please correct me.
If wind is indeed not calculated (ie no wind in the game) and with each turn being (IIRC) about 2 minutes of real life time, how much do you think fire could possibly spread in a winspmbt battle?

Re: Does fire spread?
 

There is wind in the game, but not wind strength. See how wrecks (or fires) smoke builds up in one particular direction "downwind" hex. Each game chooses a direction at random.

There is no fire fighting, or concepts of flammability (e.g. dry grass) to determine if fire could spread, or not.

Re: Does fire spread?
 

One does have to be careful about kindling and fire spreading. Both are possible in ASL, hard to achieve but sometimes when they do and the environment conditions in that game happen you can have quite a lot of burning flames turning into blazes.


There is a Historical ASL that has a problem in the campaign game where 70-90% of the map is on fire due to the environment and large caliber guns. But that is a board wargame.

Re: Does fire spread?
 

Asl?

Re: Does fire spread?
 

Even if possible, implementation of such a major mechanic could screw up alot of scenarios designed without it in mind.

Re: Does fire spread?
 

Advanced Squad Leader, a board game.

Re: Does fire spread?
 

I think it is possible to make a wildfire. However, it would simply be eye candy. Set a pattern of ammo containers with zero crew with increasing reinforcement turn values.

That might do it.

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Re: Does fire spread?
 

In the original SP 1 fires caused casualties to units in the same hex. Now it just causes suppression.

Only a fool fights in a burning house.

Re: Does fire spread?
 

“You know, fighting in a burning building offers a lot of difficulties. Number one being, you’re fighting in a burning building.”

Re: Does fire spread?
 

Thanks. I did not know a unit suffered suppression.

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Re: Does fire spread?
 

In the original game fires were deadly especially to depleted units (half or more casualties) as the fire auto-pinned these and usually killed 1 man every other turn. defending a town was not nice since houses burn, so units would be pinned and crisping away - unless lucky enough to rout away.

Even a tank that ended parked in a flamed hex usually retreated or routed - the classic SP anti-tank "gamey" SP1 defence was a line of engineers who fired in X-fire into the hex in front of them, then waited for the tanks to come through and those not killed by a flame close assault usually routed as they were standing stunned in the flame barrier.

Now fires cause a morale test - putting suppression onto a unit if in such a hex should they fail it.

If fires were allowed to spread then as mentioned - many scenarios would be toast. Players would cause prairie fires by mass use of flame MRL etc, to game the system against the AI. Such happened in ASL so our wargames club introduced house rules on sdkfz halftracs with flame rockets and suchlike.

Re: Does fire spread?
 

In the board game ASL in two or three of the big HASL CGs the defending tactics (i.e., Red Barricades), is to start kindling (setting things on fire) with a company of conscripts to set the map ablaze, since the Russians were the last to occupy those building locations they get the VPs (in ASL squads can’t enter blaze hexes, they die).

So I am glad that Camo fixed the old SP1 code in this respect. In those days Engineers were king, soon you’d see companies of flame toting units with Tigers every where.