AOP and "Z" fire

[Marek_Tucan]

Playing the Roundhammer campaign, noticed a strange behavior of Sherman AOP.
Using several Shermans for blind fire into a block of buildings to suppress hiding infantry. Normal shermans retained their target hex from last turn so I can continue in shelling using just "F" key. AOP Sherman switches its target hex to the target hex of last artillery unit in arty menu.
Nothing serious, just wonder whether someone else noticed.

[DRG]

Having a save game to work from saves a lot of time and guesswork as to the actual conditions in the game that were present when the problem was first noted becasue, when I set up a test with a Sherman AOP ( including targeted arty ) and I set up a "Z" key target hex then use the "F" key to continue firing my Sherman AOP always fires at the original target hext and not the "target hex of last artillery unit in arty menu"

Now......IDK if the "target hex of last artillery unit in arty menu" was off map or on map arty, light arty, medium arty, heavy arty or mortars. It could make all the difference ( or not )as they are all different unit classes. I've tried two separte tests and both times the AOP Sherman fired at the hex I wanted it to fire at and that was tested over three turns and each time pressing "F" gave me the correct target hex on each turn I pressed "F" so until I see a save game there's nothing else I can do.

Don

[Marek_Tucan]

Sorry for not posting the save, when noticed the behavior I played on without saving and remembered just later to write it down

Now I'm attaching saves from three scenarios I set up to testthe behavior - happens to me in all three (in one the arty is naval, in other it is on-map, inf. howitzers, last is medium arty) - in any of these the Sherman AOP bombards the arty target hex instead the "Z" fire target (in all three located 3-4 hexes in front of the tank). Noticed now the target hex changes right after arty plotting.

[Mobhack]

A spotter (and the AOP unit was probably a spotter for something) will have its indirect/area target hex (IDF hex) set to the hex it fired/spotted indirect/area at last.

Guess what - Z fire is direct area fire - so the IDF hex will be shifted to the Z fire target hex if a unit fires DAF.

This may not be a good idea for AOP units, as it may mean that any indirect arty called in onto a hex is no longer considered on target for that hex even if still in LOS. So best not to do not do DAF with AOP units, really.

Cheers
Andy