Getting AAA to fire

[Weasel]

I have been scratching my head for some time now as to why my AAA will not fire at a/c. In my current game vis is 60+ and my AAA 40mm bofors are deployed in open fields. Enemy a/c coming flying in 20 hexes away and my guns just watch.

In a previous game I had SP AA-MG escorting my tanks, the a/c flew over them and they still did not fire.

What does it take? The a/c are well above the trees, LOS is long and vis is huge.

I am stumped and am a bit tired of using my AAA as infantry grinders because they fail to do anything else. I have searched the forums and the manual but could find nothing stating what it takes to get them to fire.

[iCaMpWiThAWP]

did you got a "bad-target" message?

[Cross]

Hi Weasel,

I just had a Hurricane shot down by my PBEM opponent (Vesku) yesterday. The plane crashed onto the battlefield. I didn't see a chute

There was quite a few different guns firing at the poor bloke.

I think it helps if the AAA are stationary.

You may need shots left at the end of your turn; so I don't think you can use them to shoot up infantry and then expect them to shoot at aircraft in the same turn.

Perhaps you should ask Vesku what he did right.

cheers,
Cross

[Ironfist]

20 hexes away is a bit too far away. I think AA needs a minimum hit probability to fire.

[Mobhack]

Originally Posted by Ironfist

20 hexes away is a bit too far away. I think AA needs a minimum hit probability to fire.

AAA needs a minimum to-hit chance to fire. The greater the %age, the more likely to fire. SP-AAA that moved are usually highly unlikely to fire in AA mode.

It also has a skill roll to pass to fire - and can fail that.

It also needs shots to fire - if you have been beating up grunts with them then it may not have sufficient reaction shots left, or be targeted on other troops and so decide not fire in AA mode since it is currently locked onto some squaddies.

It also needs LOS to the target. Smoke and dust can cause obscuration.


A bofors has about 40 hexes max range - it will usually fire at about 15-20 hexes or so on fresh incoming air targets. It may well follow a receding target out past 20 hexes, if it has successive shots and so has climbed the ranging ladder.

As with all things - it is very easy to set up a test scenario with some AAA guns on the one side (guarding some trucks as targets say) and some planes on the other targeted into the truck park and see what happens. Then change the parameters such as range to the target trucks, and see what then happens and so on.

Andy

[Weasel]

Ok, the bofors were not moving at all, had never fired from game start, and had been deployed for turns. So since most a/c chance to hit are around 2-5% I am best to assume that my AAA will never fire? I know in one game the only time my a/c got shot at was when they actually flew through a box of guns, but other then that nothing.

As for LOS; if my AAA is in the field, and there is a row of trees at the end of the field and the a/c come in in the hex row behind the trees is the game playing that the a/c are behind and below the trees? I fear this is what is happening, and if so that means his attacking a/c are flying at about 30 feet.

[Ironfist]

if you still have the saved game, I suggest that you adjust the "hit ratio" in game preference to check whether it is due to to-hit probability. Change it to some value like 250%.

[Weasel]

You mean the actual HITTING PREF at battle setup? We have it at default 100% right now, but I can try that as it is a basic security campaign (if it lets me change it)

Thanks.

[PanzerBob]

Strange that your Bofors didn't flash up I've lost more aircraft to those cursed guns than any other.

SPAA I find requires some discipline and sticking to doctrine. If you have two, one should always be stopped within reasonable range of the unit it's protecting with some field of view, this requires sometimes putting the SPAAA in view of the enemy, at least from a distance. The other should moving to the next good site, the over watch unit doesn't move until the moving unit is sited. With any luck a turn after the Alert Unit moves the enemy will be wasting a barrage on where you are not. Of course once the battle is joined all units should pull back some, usually enough not to tempt them into firing at ground troops.

IMHO Bob out

[Ironfist]

Originally Posted by Weasel

You mean the actual HITTING PREF at battle setup? We have it at default 100% right now, but I can try that as it is a basic security campaign (if it lets me change it)

Thanks.

Just a test. NOT when you really play it.