Bug Russian M32 Rockets bug?

Gelainey · #1 June 1st, 2016, 05:19 AM

When using unit 581 Russian M32 Flame Rockets I have noticed an oddity. Even when unassigned to bombard they will sometimes fire randomly, and the rockets can land anywhere, even on my own troops or other rocket units. This happens mostly when I buy a battery of the things.
Weird. The only way I can stop them from firing randomly is to stop them firing at all by deselecting the rockets (click them blue) in the right click dialogue box. Has anyone else had this issue?
Thanks, Gelainey

DRG · #2 June 1st, 2016, 06:49 AM

Do you have a saved game ?? It sounds like they were set to computer control in the HQ menu. There is nothing about that unit that is unusual except that it fires a napalm rocket but so do German units 158, 302, 459 and 847.

There is NOTHING in the game that would cause a unit like that to fire all on it's own when set to Human control------- it's a standard UC 151 Rocket launcher aside from the weapon that it fires. Are you sure it's not the German side firing their own ?

Don

Gelainey · #3 June 8th, 2016, 12:36 AM

Thanks Don,
I have been away from home for the past week and haven't had a chance to follow this up. Will hopefully check it all out on the weekend.
Cheers,
Gelainey

Gelainey · #4 June 17th, 2016, 12:38 AM

Well, I have tested the rockets and cannot duplicate the results I got "in battle". The rockets were under human control, but erratic as I mentioned earlier.
I will keep on with the testing until I either duplicate the results, die of old age, or get bored, whichever comes first.

DRG · #5 June 17th, 2016, 07:36 AM

Whenever anyone seeing anything odd happening in the game the best course of action is to make a save game when you see it so we can look at it. Nobody has ever reported anything similar so whatever it was.....it's rare.......it could possibly have been a very low experienced unit and that could have effected targeting....there are a host of random number factors built into the code and you could have been "lucky" and hit the right combination. The game generates new combinations every time it starts which may explain why you can't recreat the problem.....whatever it was........are you CERTAIN that what you saw wasn't the German AI firing it's own flame rockets ?

Don

Gelainey · #6 June 18th, 2016, 03:15 AM

Thanks Don,

Unfortunately I broke my own rule and overwrote the save slot for that game....

But I can confirm that the AI German formations did not have any flame rockets of their own (or any other flame units), and that the Russian units were inexperienced - support troops, not core.

One of the real charms of this game, and that keeps me playing since 1995?, is the occasional random nature of it. Whether you are correct in your suggestion or not, I would want it to be true! I am still surprised and delighted from time to time by what the AI will do or not do.

Warm regards,
Gelainey

Mobhack · #7 June 18th, 2016, 05:36 AM

Did you perhaps assign those units as being under AI (computer) control?

I have myself done that so they go to objectives without bothering me. But if the AI controlled unit is arty then they will get assigned by the computer.

Gelainey · #8 June 18th, 2016, 09:45 PM

Hi Don,
No again!
I have never assigned anything to computer control (just my temperament I think!)
Something like a flame rocket is an area weapon with a relatively short range, and I like to keep a very close eye on where they are shooting, because as support units they never have enough experience to land with any degree of accuracy, but as a direct fire (z key) weapon they are devastating. And that is the weirdness of this whole experience, in that flame rockets that were not assigned in fire missions were firing randomly!
In 20 years of playing I have never encountered this sort of behaviour from any artillery unit. On the map, after an unassigned rocket had fired it was pointed at where it had shot, as they do, and the renegade units were pointing away from the enemy towards my own troops!. Taking control of the unit again in a fire mission made no difference, it just seemed to be locked onto a target hex of its own choosing. I could fire a z key mission wherever I wanted, but it would always go back to shooting at a particular hex that I had not chosen. I just switched it off as a matter of safety. In the two battles of a long campaign where I used a battery of these rockets, in both cases, two of the units behaved in this way.
Cheers,
Gelainey.

DRG · #9 June 18th, 2016, 10:07 PM

Next time take a save........ we can't investigate what we can't see and this is a first when it comes to a problem like this, quite unique. I am inclinded now to put this down to some sort of corruption in the data file

Gelainey · #10 June 18th, 2016, 10:33 PM

Will do!