Quote:
Originally Posted by Cross
I noticed that when a half-track gets destroyed, it’s typical for all passengers it’s carrying to become casualties.
Test
I set up a quick test with 10 M3 half-tracks loaded with ten man infantry sections.
Then destroyed them with 5.7cm AT guns.
Results
7 times out of 10: All 10 passengers became casualties.
The other 3 times there was 1, 2 and 3 passenger casualties
I did the test again:
7 times out of 10: All 10 passengers became casualties.
The other 3 times there was 0, 2 and 3 passenger casualties
Is this realistic?
I also set up tests with ten 30cwt trucks with ten passengers and then destroyed them once with MG fire and once with HE fire. In both tests the 10 man infantry squads/sections almost always lost just one man.
My intuition says we’re being a bit severe with the halftrack passengers. Especially if you compare the casualty rate to the passengers of soft vehicles that are destroyed.
I'm thinking it would be difficult to find historical data on half-track passenger casualties; but if anyone knows of any, I'd love to see it.
Solutions
If it's decided the casualty rate is on the high side, what are possible solutions?
1. Is there a way to ratchet down the level of passenger casualties when a half-track gets knocked out? Are the passenger casualties directly tied to the vehicles crew survivability?
2. Perhaps the passengers should bail soon after they come under fire, like they do when in trucks and other soft vehicles, and tank riders often jump off the tank once the tank comes under fire.
But I’d rather not have passengers bail out of a half-track under small arms fire. They’re safer in the half-track! I'd guess it can’t be coded to have passengers bail out only when under fire from AP rounds.
cheers,
Cross
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Trucks and other soft skins are treated as tanks - the riders are unprotected. If hit, the survivors jump off.
Armoured APC classes have the protected flag - the passengers are not affected by rifle and MG fire and splinters hitting the vehicle. They will stay in the vehicle.
However, a penetrating hit of a crew compartment with 10 or so men all packed close together will result in either a charnel house, or if the APC kill was at the front end with the engine being trashed, maybe not. In the one case probably not many will get out, in the other most maybe will. And APC kills in the game seem to go that way too.
WW2 APC, and early MBT ones too do not tend to have the survivability variable set very high. It affects the crew (not passengers I think) on a penetrating hit, and also affects the bail-outs, crew and pax included. Your question #1.
Your question #2. If we treated APC crews exactly as for soft skins and tank riders then all APC would be ditching the crews under a light barrage, or if infantry hosed them down with bullets. The result would be much gnashing of teeth from players!.
Cheers
Andy