Unit commands.

[Itkovian]

Salutations.

I have been diligently going through the tutorials these last couple of weeks, and have started playing some scenarios offline (looking foward to the time I am comfortable enough to play this online, though I'll need to rig up my microphone for teamspeak *Grin*), the last of which was Border Patrol, which was very enjoyable (the replay alone was worth it, when I panned the camera around and actually counted the number of enemies in the assault).

That said, I have a question:

Is there a way to order a unit to focus its fire on a specific unit?

For example, in the aforementioned scenario I had a Leo2A4 unit obliterated because they would focus their fire (and consequently orient their hulls) on a certain unit that was not engaging them, while another unit to their 10 o'clock was slowly picking them off one by one, punching through their side armour.

Would there have been a way for me to tell the Leos in question to engage the unit attacking them instead of the one they were focusing on?

Thank you.

Itkovian

[Kingtiger]

go to map, split the platoon and put the tank on "defend" then move the arcs as needed. Should work.

/KT

[Itkovian]

That was what I suspected. I was hoping there was a more direct way to order a unit to attack another.

Alternatly, I could just put the entire unit on defend and re-orient the arc to face the direction of the attacking unit, correct? That should cause the entire unit to orient its hull in that direction, I imagine, but would it also make them focus on targets at their 12 o'clock?

Thank you.

Itkovian

[ChuikovChambered]

Well, it comes down to position. It would have the bots focusing on targets at their 12 o'clock, but they would turn to engage others as well. That's why you should split the platoon so you have bots turned towards other directions so the other bots don't have to worry about their flanks. By the way, does anyone have tips for me on how to survive Border Patrol? I'm not very good with artillery, which is probably why I've only scored 1 major victory there.

[Tacbat]

If you are running the Beta version, there's a bug which makes the AI orient on targets that appear on the map, even if your AI doesn't have an LOS to those targets. This results in the AI turning in that direction, so if more targets appear to their flank, they will be less likely to notice them until it's too late. IMHO this reduces your ability to control your AI forces, and I can only effectively manage about a platoon because of the high degree of micromanagement that is required.

[ChuikovChambered]

Posted by Tacbat

I can only effectively manage about a platoon because of the high degree of micromanagement that is required.

I usually only take a platoon as well, but I can handle a company if required. Listen, Itkovian, leading even a platoon is a big job, assigning routes, formations, retreat routes, splitting the platoon, and all this time making all of this work with the orders of your superiors, while keeping your head on the swivel looking for targets. I recommend you join us on Friday, and take a Blue section leader spot. You'll get used to taking orders from your platoon leader, without too much pressure.

[Itkovian]

Unfortunately I am not available this friday, and in any case would still need to set up teamspeak, but I will try in a week or two.

Also, I am not using beta yet, which I will need to install. Is it worth installing if I do not do multiplayer yet?

As for Border Patrol, my first attempt was actually a victory (and I believe a major one, not sure), though likely more due to sheer luck than anything. I lost my original units to the main assault, and ended the battle with only leo1s left to my forces, aside from the CO of the leo2a5s.

But what a glorious battle that was. Watching the replay was almost as good.

Itkovian

[ChuikovChambered]

My only victory on Border Patrol was by chance too, I believe. A lucky artillery strike played a big part, and I ended the mission in much better shape than you did. As for the beta, install it. The zoom function has been improved with a slider instead of the old zoom switch. But the thing I believe you will like the most is that you can save the AAR's you would only see after the game in the pre-beta release so you can look at them later. As for setting up TS, that shouldn't be a problem. I downloaded TS and joined my very first Friday round the same week. Its interface is so intuitive that it makes Mac OS X look like something Jobs wrote on a napkin while drunk. If you have a gaming headset or microphone (I use a high-quality Logitech USB mike), all you need to do is download TeamSpeak here:

http://www.teamspeak.com/?page=downloads

From there, all you need to connect to the SB TS server is a username and the IP address of the server (it's listed on the Steel Beasts homepage).

Hope that helps.

[MAJ_Fubar]

Border Patrol in its stock config can be a toughie since your Leo IIs only have DM33 and it’s relatively ineffective vs. T-80s at range. Your best bet is to catch the first echelon of T-72s with arty and long range direct fire. Try to drop two slightly overlapping sheaves of ICM (about 200m deep by 400m long at say 2800 mils deflection) approximately 1000m in front of the low ridge to your front left just after you arrive at your first BP. With some prompt repeats on the arty and some good sniping on your part you can wipe out the initial push and the main body will never launch, the mission won't end mind you, but that's the easiest way.

Another tactic you can try is to push your tanks forward of your initial position and try to attrit the OPFOR deep, but this can break the timing of orders in the scenario so you got to be careful there. Of course the easiest thing to do is modify the mission with better ammo or vehicles but that defeats the purpose...:sonic:

[Homer]

From there, all you need to connect to the SB TS server is a username and the IP address of the server (it's listed on the Steel Beasts homepage).

A quick note: If click on the icon next to where this info is listed, it will start up TS and connect you to our server.

[Itkovian]

Border Patrol in its stock config can be a toughie since your Leo IIs only have DM33 and it’s relatively ineffective vs. T-80s at range. Your best bet is to catch the first echelon of T-72s with arty and long range direct fire. Try to drop two slightly overlapping sheaves of ICM (about 200m deep by 400m long at say 2800 mils deflection) approximately 1000m in front of the low ridge to your front left just after you arrive at your first BP. With some prompt repeats on the arty and some good sniping on your part you can wipe out the initial push and the main body will never launch, the mission won't end mind you, but that's the easiest way.

Another tactic you can try is to push your tanks forward of your initial position and try to attrit the OPFOR deep, but this can break the timing of orders in the scenario so you got to be careful there. Of course the easiest thing to do is modify the mission with better ammo or vehicles but that defeats the purpose...:sonic:

Hum, I didn't have any problem taking out the initial force, really, and while some shots did not penetrate most did. I certainly lit up the skyline. While I lost most of my tanks in the long run, near the end I had the two CO tanks (the leo2A5 and leo2A4) in battle positions take out at least ten vehicles before finally being defeated. By then however the main offensive had been beaten back (another unit had taken out the T-80s on the other side of the border), and my Leo1s found little resistance.

Now, I doubt my scenario was modified, though I did install a "scenario pack" when I first installed the sim last year (I don't remember where I got it, someone on these forums told me about it, it was a collection of some of the best homemade scenarios). However, since BP is not in "my scenarios", I doubt it was modified. I will have to check my options, but I am fairly confident I have the realism settings set to the max. Lord knows my tanks bit the dust fairly quickly, aside from the CO tanks.

Itkovian

[Itkovian]

While I am at it, a question about online games: the 29th's guide to get online mentions getting out of teamspeak if the hardware is slow.

Does this mean that playing without voice chat is a viable choice, or even that that is a voice chat feature built in the game?

I am simply wondering how communications are handled online (for example, how to communicate only with your platoon, or your faction, and so forth), given what I've seen (and heard) in youtube videos.

Itkovian

[ChuikovChambered]

TeamSpeak voice communications are vital, for it is what we use to give orders, warn of enemy forces, announce changes in plan, and many other things. Don't let YouTube fool you. TS is not as important as YouTube makes it seem; it's more important. Playing without TS is basically the same as being cut off from your side in the battle. Stop fretting about TS. It's proprietary freeware, so it won't cost you a cent, and as I said in my previous post, it's incredibly easy to use. Just get to work downloading it and setting it up, and you could join us next Friday, when you've gotten some experience.

As for communicating with your side (be it Blue or Red), the SB TS server has channels that are set aside for just that purpose. To join one, just double-click. If you want to communicate solely with your platoon, or another formation, you can use the built-in text chat function in-game. Just hit Enter and use the button on its right side to determine with who you communicate. And no, there is no voice chat function built into the game. The 29th's guide to getting online said you should drop TeamSpeak only if you have a dial-up connection or something similarly slow.

Quoth the 29th's website:

If you have a low-bandwidth connection (56k or poor DSL) you might want to exit TS at this point. If your connection's good, by all means stay in chat

I'm using a medium bandwidth cable connection, and my ping to the gaming server with TS running on Friday night never gets above 100.

Hope that answers your questions.

[Tacbat]

Also, I am not using beta yet, which I will need to install. Is it worth installing if I do not do multiplayer yet?

It's really up to you, but most of the online play is done with the Beta. You might as well try it out as it installs seperately from the regular version, so you can run whichever one you feel like using, whenever you want.

[Itkovian]

Back to unit commands: is there a way to order an entire unit to reload a type of ammo, and wait until that is done before proceeding with previous orders?

Itkovian

[Tacbat]

Yes. If you click on the unit's tac symbol (down neat the bottom right) when in game, the option to reload will be in the menu.

[Itkovian]

And that will make the entire unit stop to reload that ammo, and only resume its previous orders when they're done?

The problem I had is that I would be ordering them to reload, and the moment I switched to a different unit, the one I had previously ordered to reload would just continue on its merry way (now armed with about 1 KE each).

Itkovian

[Ssnake]

It's usually better to create a new battleposition (eventually with Hold Fire orders), to perform the reload there under cover (and eventually guarded by a section of the platoon) and then continue to move to the next destination only after the completion of the reload.

[Itkovian]

So basically I should create a position for the platoon (say, defend?), then split off a section and have the first group hold fire and have them reload while the section covers them, and then have the first section "fire at will" to cover the second one while it's holding fire and reloading. Correct?

If I split off a section from a platoon, does it inherit the routes and orders from the parent unit automatically, or would I have to define its behavior upon splitting it? (I will be away over the week-end and can't check it out, and I'd like to know ).

Itkovian

[Ssnake]

So basically I should create a position for the platoon (say, defend?), then split off a section and have the first group hold fire and have them reload while the section covers them, and then have the first section "fire at will" to cover the second one while it's holding fire and reloading. Correct?[/quiote]

Yep. That's the idea, provided that you have to reload on the fly and at platoon level. If you organize reloads at company level it might make sense to have one platoon as a sentry outpost while the entire rest of the company is in cover and performing logistical operations.

If I split off a section from a platoon, does it inherit the routes and orders from the parent unit automatically, or would I have to define its behavior upon splitting it?

No. It'll be isolated. However, you can quickly create a route that reconnects it to the original plan, or simply ride along the original plan with your section and have the other section trail or bound you by giving movement orders through the 3D view (e.g. by way of Advance to... command).

[alpha6]

Gunner scan left.

[ChuikovChambered]

Uhhhhh.... what was that for?:confused:

[Tacbat]

Think about it.

If you still can't figure it out by tomorrow, repost, and someone with a clue will explain it to you.

[dejawolf]

Think about it.

If you still can't figure it out by tomorrow, repost, and someone with a clue will explain it to you.

whats with the sudden snarkyness?

[Kingtiger]

bad day?