Border Patrol - Managed a major victory though I don't think I deserve it.

[Companion]

Finally played the stock "Border Patrol" scenario.

Interesting situation setting and force balance, why I ignored it until now is a mystery.

Initially, I thought the whole situation is manageable by Team Viper alone (yes, with arty) and restarted every time my (CO) Leo2A5 was either destroyed, got main gun damage, etc.

On fifth try, I decided to jump to B coy's Leo2A4s and fight on after initial Leo2A5 got a surprise flank shot from a lucky T-80. (Viper's XO tank was lost before CO while AI tried to reload the ready rack in front of onrushing enemy... I thought AIs would try to find some terrain or smoke cover before reloading but apparently they don't)

Well, I destroyed the OPFOR battalion to the last man but expected only a pyrrhic victory report for I proved to be a quite lousy commander and lost everything - team viper gone, B coy wiped out, jaguars burning, etc etc - except just 2 Leo2A4s, 6 Leo1s(last minute reinforcement which saw no combat), a few HEMMTs, and a platoon's worth of infantries.

Oh, right, Viper's not completely gone since I managed to save the two Mercedes. (retreated after HQ said "we believe a major attack is on the way", later used to seek out any OPFOR survivor)

Surprisingly, AAR told me that I scored 9XX out of 1000 - A major victory!

The scenario maker truly is benevolent

What is your best result in this scenario?

And any suggestion if I replay this? But no "Cheats" like placing a DPICM mission knowing where the enemy would spawn or anything that is almost solely based on the replay knowledge benefit.

One last question: Thermalless T-80s seem to look and shoot first in general than AI Leos...in mist... Well, just my feelings. T-72s definitely seemed to having a hard time seeing through the mist though.

Shame that I couldn't save my AAR for review. Maybe it's time to install beta version...

[ChanceBS]

The T-80 is equipped with thermals. T-72 is not. The AI T-72 will fire into smoke though just as a human player would if your position is well known.

[Itkovian]

I got a similar conclusion in my last play on this scenario, except I also lost several of my 2a4s and was moving in with the Leo 1s just as the last enemy unit was eliminated (though in their defense, the CO units of the 2A5s and 2A4s absolutely decimated the later enemy formations before taking some unlucky hits).

The way I see it, it qualifies as a victory because the enemy advance was stopped, and the enemy suffered far, far greater losses than the defenders, who were vastly outnumbered. Really, in such a scenario, the odds of the initial defending unit surviving is very, very low (if they attempt to hold their ground in any way, that is), and the real hope of a successful defense against a massed enemy attack lies in the reserve.

Myself, I just completed HtH 1, which was quite a challenge (usually suffered losses to artillery or bad AI moves (such as suddenly leaving prepared positions at the worst possible moment, and being unable to regain it quickly)), and that scenario illustrates that pricinple beautifully (though in this case it depends more on defense in depth and slowly giving ground by jumping from prepared position to prepared position).

Thank you.

Itkovian

[TankHunter]

Isnt that a BlueWings scenario? If it is, and if you won that in single player you did a pretty damned good job. Normally his missions when played in co-op form result in around only a hand full of tanks surviving.

[ChuikovChambered]

Posted by TankHunter

If it is, and if you won that in single player you did a pretty damned good job.

You can extend kudos to me too, because I've survived it myself. The 1 thing I'd like to do with it is play it in co-op. Too bad co-op isn't done on Fridays, at leasy while I can still afford to be awake:frown: (I usually have to wake up early the very next day to catch a favorite TV show).

Itkovian, there's a good place to put your co/A tank when you arrive at Border Post 1. Once at the battle position, leave it and move your tank N along the creek. You'll find a place where the creek shallows out so that the land comes up out of it. Get your tank into this position, and you have a great hull down position that will enable you to become invisible to the T-72s. Just don't stay there. Retreat when you give permission for everyone else to retreat, and whatever you do, don't reload while still in the creek position. I learned that one the hard way.:redface:

[Itkovian]

Thanks, I'll do that next time.

Mind you, it'll be a while, as I am trying to work my way through all scenarios first, or at least the SP scenarios, and I installed a scenario pack when I first got the game, leaving me with a long list of scenarios to play through.

Right now I will be tackling HtH 2. Should be fun (from what I can think, all playable tanks start with no STAB, it'll be WW2 all over again *grin*).

Itkovian