Question: Re-Crew Abandoned Vehicles and Weapons

[Suhiir]

Originally Posted by DRG

Another use for the "save as scenario" would be to eliminate the fireworks shows that some scenarios have where you go make a coffee and have lunch while the "pre-game show" bombardment and airstrikes go in. ( an exaggeration but there are a few that do go on and on ) Run them then save as scenario and that can be the start of the game and everyone gets the same starting point

Good idea, think I'll do this with that "Vital Airfield" scenario. I KNOW it has an awfully long "pre-game show".

[DRG]

Maybe some people like that.....IDK, I just know I find it tedious but I'm usually running something like that as a test for some reason and it's annoying to get the pre-game show running on and on..... BUT, I may be in the minority.....others may enjoy the show..

[shahadi]

Originally Posted by Mobhack

As I said above - the J key only applies in the deployment phase. It has no effect in the ongoing game, since J acts to instantly reunite the 2 wherever on the map they are placed, which cannot happen in the playing game.

As I said above - to reunite crews in the underway game they have to be moved back to the hex of the abandoned item and left there. And of course only the correct crew will reload onto their vehicle or gun.

Well, I could not get the AI to rejoin a crew with their vehicle when that crew is not in the same hex. I explored waypoints, but of course the waypoint is assigned to the unit not the crew, and finally I tested using reinforcement turn (RT), where I found some success. Placing the crew in the same hex with their vehicle and setting a RT works; however, the value is diminished as the de-crewed vehicles are in an abandoned state and cannot be targeted, so the player would have to wait until the vehicle is crewed (the player may not know the reinforcement turn). However, for a player scenario, say crews in barracks or crews having meals (otherwise, crews surprised), de-crewing vehicles could be woven into a scenario rather interestingly.

More information is needed to determine how damage points would be awarded. If a vehicle can not be destroyed, should the crew value be increased as compensation for the loss of damage points lost due to the vehicle in an abandoned state? No. You see I found the unit cost is the crew cost. When a unit is abandoned, the crew carries that cost less any damage. Question, do we loose damage points because we did not destroy the vehicle?

Without the AI re-joining crews, the player side scenario is most viable as the one Suhiir is developing.

Wait, won't the AI rejoin crews in para drops?

Originally Posted by Mobhack

There will be no repair of vehicles in battles that rarely run for greater than an hour of real time. How long does it take you to repair a roadside puncture? - repairing a broken track takes several hours. Repairing an engine will take your REME fitters overnight at least, plus recovery time to the field workshops.

There is a "thin line between love and hate" (The Persuaders, 1971), and a fine line between a game and a simulation.

[Mobhack]

The AI does rejoin crews - have seen it in battles. It should do also in a scenario when the designer has split things. But it may take its own sweet time about it especially if the crew is pinned etc.

[Mobhack]

Just whipped up a test scenario, dropping sheridans, 105mm howitzers, 81mm mortar teams from Hercules under AI control.

Crew and kit dropped separately on the predetermined LZs. The AI then moved the crews to marry up with the kit, bar one crew which had suffered damage and was pinned, that moved a turn or 2 later.


I then unloaded the planes and spread the crews about then ran the scenario under AI control again. The crews marched to join their weapons and vehicles, as expected.


A simple test scenario, took 5 minutes to lash up. A quick 5 or 10 minutes playing with a test scenario often answers the question.

[shahadi]

Originally Posted by Mobhack

Just whipped up a test scenario, dropping sheridans, 105mm howitzers, 81mm mortar teams from Hercules under AI control.

Crew and kit dropped separately on the predetermined LZs. The AI then moved the crews to marry up with the kit, bar one crew which had suffered damage and was pinned, that moved a turn or 2 later.


I then unloaded the planes and spread the crews about then ran the scenario under AI control again. The crews marched to join their weapons and vehicles, as expected.


A simple test scenario, took 5 minutes to lash up. A quick 5 or 10 minutes playing with a test scenario often answers the question.

I whipped up a similar tests using 4x BMD-3s and 4x AN-12 air transports. My results were as MobHack discovered. So, what we have is a solution under AI control using the "save as scenario" hack.

But, it gets a lot better, I also unloaded the transports in deploy, deleted them, and placed the crews about their vehicles.

It took three turns for the AI to rejoin the crews.

This latter solution is simple: just load the vehicles and weapons onto transports, unload the transports, place the crew and vehicles on the map where desired, delete the transports.

[scorpio_rocks]

Will Russian vehicles never have the ability to be paradropped with the crews onboard as, I believe, is their current standard practice?

[Mobhack]

Originally Posted by scorpio_rocks

Will Russian vehicles never have the ability to be paradropped with the crews onboard as, I believe, is their current standard practice?

No. air dropped vehicles and their crew drop separately. That stops the old way where vehicles or guns were immediately available to drive off. The crews having to find and join up takes time, which is more realistic.