I'm finally blogging something that isn't a random thought or CoH.
I wish a couple of things: that I had gone for the first day and that I had a better camera. Actually my bro has a better camera, but I don't know how to use it properly and it isn't nice taking it without his permission or at short notice.
Narrowly avoided death by chicken nugget in the morning. On the way to Suntec, I dropped by the War Memorial Park and sat around a while, then moved off. Overland around that time is much calmer, more my kind of place than Citylink; only two other people in the park besides me, and they were taking photos.
There wasn't much of a ticketing queue around by the time I got to the hall, so I just picked mine up and walked in. The ticket was slightly reflective and I wondered how they were going to keep track of the pass holders who went in and out. I supposed it was a stamp-like thing, which was right. There were a couple of cosplayers hanging around, but not as many as later. A few I couldn't recognize, but I wasn't surprised since I don't consider myself into animu hardcore-like anyway. The place was smaller than I had imagined, but still pretty big and noisy still.
I was supposed to meet JY, but he didn't respond for the moment. Not that I didn't have anything to do on my own. I walked around the booths, took a look at KKnM, took a look at its queue, and went somewhere else. Had my eye on some figurines in the meantime, but couldn't decide whether to buy them or not. I don't like to spend money on a whim. There was a nice Shining Wind one, but it was $90, and I had $100 for everything including meals and the slightly shiny $5 red ticket. There was a figma Rin, which I would get later in the day, but of course I didn't know that at 10.32am. So I spent an hour browsing for would-be loot. Also walked through the Sky Crawlers and Genius Party sections. The planes thingy looked interesting, but I forgot to look it up at home. A few minutes was spent in front of the Toradora TV. There were some domo-kun shirts and some CDs at the far right end, near the prints, but I suddenly lost interest when I saw the Odex logo. There were figurines to be bought with the money in any case.
Found JY, or was found. Went and watched Melty Blood a while. But fighting games aren't really my type, so I resumed walking around some more after watching the same guy beat coms and random challengers with Nanaya Shiki, trying to come to some sort of decision about where my money was going. Got some general advice about figurines from JY, which will most probably govern my choices in the future. I got the figma Rin when Ian and Dian came, putting an abrupt end to the need to decide if I was going to get a more expensive $90 figure. A decent buy, well within the budget, and great with the lighting where I have it at home. Well-positioned yellow light, dark backdrop and dark wood flooring makes most figurines look good. I'll take a photo with my bro's camera some time. After lunch, Ian, Joel's and Dian's departure, stoning near the Melty Blood corner was the order of the day. I tried reading Paddy Clarke Ha^3, but dozed into half consciousness for about 15 minutes. Guess I shouldn't have played CoH automatch and slept at 2 the night before (and got up at 7). I did win though, against a Brit player who went too heavy on the anti-infantry and died when I did my tank call-ins and vetted my infantry. On hindsight, I could have ended the game earlier by playing less conservatively, like flaming his centre mortar pit, calling in the StuH sooner and sleeping earlier.
Dneo came later, and after some walking around again and purchasing an A3 Hatsune Miku print, which is still waiting for a place on my wall, I watched him play Melty Blood. He played pretty impressively and beat more or less everybody who came around. But he said he wasn't really that good. My eyes and hands are untrained at fighting games anyway. He offered to let me play on his credit, but I didn't want to embarrass myself. I'm content with feeling secure with CoH and RTS anyway.
I felt awkward when Dneo and JY were walking around with me, pointing out things that were cool, while I could only respond with a 'mm' or raise an eyebrow, even though I did think those things were pretty nice. Some really nice figures in the display section. Noticed how they did the lighting. I had seen some of the pieces while browsing online before, like Alter's Chua Churam and a gigantic angel-thing that looked really cool and expensive too.
I don't really need to say much about the May'n concert. One of the first actual concerts I'd gone to that I had taken an interest in. As I looked around, I saw more hardcore fanboys/girls. There was a scary lady, who was jumping up and down. Alas so much for no photography. I liked the songs, loved them Live. The bass sort of reverberated through me and the crowd. And I thought my subwoofer was pretty good. It's striking how much difference in the sound quality there is when you bend down into the crowd to reach your bag.
Got more animu-smart thanks to JY and Dneo yay. Too bad Herrick wasn't around. But I'm sure he's doing good work in Sabah. Next year, we'll all be free from IB. More chalet and more conventions.
=)
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Combat Skirmish Post-battle analysis Part 2
w.r.t topography of previous post.
Gametype: Rubix Assault
Each team has a Rubix Cube in a certain strategic location:
Red: Wishing Well
Yellow: Outside 5.17
The first team to solve their opponents' Rubix Cube wins. Otherwise, the team with a Cube in a visibly more completed state will win at the end of the time limit.
Red and Yellow swapped bases, with Yellow beginning in the IB block, and Red at the Old Audi.
One major difference between Round 1 and this round: Lives are henceforth expendable. The last round depended on inflicting more casualties than those taken, hence truly aggressive play was curtailed by the requirement of survival. Such a criterion is removed in this round, and as a result, the ability to take and hold ground is now of a higher importance than survival. This is because the objective (i.e. solving the Rubix Cube) depends on infantry (since that's pretty much the only basic unit around, save for perhaps support units like MGs or snipers) holding the area around the Rubix Cube long enough for the 'engineer' to solve it.
The most significant action in the early game took place at the IB bridge, with the bulk of Red and a significant mass of Yellow forces engaging there. Yellow committed fewer forces to the bridge, as a decent number, at least 10 were seen in the vicinity of the Admin Office. Another action which would have an impact on later game map control would be Yellow's occupation of the level 4 IB balcony (near 5.1, otherwise known as the Sniper's Nest): 2 MGs, 1 Sniper and 1 SMG.
As with the previous game, the firefight at the bridge produced a similar stalemate in the early stages, but once a base of fire had been established at the Sniper's Nest, Red started taking fast casualties, as there was no cover where Red infantry could simultaneously take cover from the support fire and resist Yellow's infantry on the bridge effectively. As such, the bridge control began to swing in Yellow's favour. Yellow's sniper was delirious with an almost sick kind of pleasure.
Despite the intense early-game action at the bridge, the main theater, if you may have it, of concern would have been the Spaceframe, the control of which would give either side a springboard to solve their opponents' Cube. Unfortunately for Red, the MG/Sniper positions at the SN ensured that any of Red's attempts to exert control over the Spaceframe would be blunted, at least until the SN was cleared. Which it was never, save for one possible close-call instance around mid-game.
Most of the mid-game was composed of pushes and retreats on the part of Yellow at the Spaceframe, likewise with Red, the main difference being the deeper advance of Yellow and hence greater success at solving the Rubix Cube. Effective leadership on the part of Yellow also ensured that pushes were made boldly and regularly. For Yellow, there were 2 components aiding in the success of their advances: Infantry and Support. Groups of about 8+ Yellow ground infantry would contest the Spaceframe, supported by the Support MGs and Sniper in the SN, the latter having a very large field of vision (and consequently, number of easy targets) due to their elevated position. The Spaceframe would be relatively easily taken, as MGs took out what they could see in the Spaceframe and shot at the legs of those at the Wishing Well, aiding the ground advance. Once inside, at the Wishing Well, the ground advance was on its own, unable to receive any support from the SN. Coupled with the ever-increasing numbers of newly respawned Red troops, I imagine it wasn't easy solving the Cube. Nevertheless, at the end of the game, Yellow's Cube was in a more completed state than Red's, thus winning the round. This success in pushing the advance forward came at the cost of more casualties among the assault troops of course, who as in the previous game seemed to all come back to respawn at the same time.
Inevitably, after a Yellow retreat, came the Red counterattack. However, despite the temporary advantage in numbers, Red pushes were not as effective in getting to its objective (the Red Cube). Also, when Red defeated the Yellow blob around the Wishing Well Cube, it inevitably came into line of sight for the SN's support fire crew, who blunted Red's advance at the Spaceframe with volume of fire, giving time for Yellow's ground troops to regroup and push again. In this way, Red barely got to their objective Cube, except for one instance when a small group of Red troops managed to get past the MGs to the General Office area, engaging 2 Yellow troops, including Yellow's SMG guard/close-quarters defence, causing the SN's support crew some short-lived panic.
This round was much more chaotic, and hence more difficult to assess map control as compared to the previous round, but the end found Yellow with a lead in the state of completion of their Rubix Cube. Frontlines kept changing with each push, but for the most part few Red troops managed to push as far as the IB Cube.
The strategic control the SN exerted on the battlefield was significant. The support fire crew at the SN had a full view of both the bridge and Spaceframe, essentially controlling all possible avenues of travel from the Red base to the IB Cube. This dominance was used to devastating effect at the sparse-of-cover, small bridge, with the bridge falling into Yellow's hands early on and staying there. On the Spaceframe side, it served as an obstacle to Red's advances, stopping or at least delaying the advances until Yellow could reinforce with ground infantry. Also, Red made few attempts to remove the SN, with only a few shots being fired at the general direction of its slightly high occupants. Few other vantage points in Red's possession could compare to the geographical advantage provided by the SN. One possible exception was the Old Audi windows, also on the 3.5th to 4th level, and these were used late-game to shoot at the Yellows on the bridge, inflicting some casualties. However, these snipers were spotted by the SN crew, who, mistaking them for dangerous counter-snipers, shot at them a lot, forcing them to withdraw.
Not to forget the ground advance of course, the basic point of playing aggressive and rushing infantry en masse worked yet again. Somewhat crude, but effective, especially against unsupported positions. Red displayed some excellent examples of localized diversion, where one member of the squad charged out as a distraction, while the others followed behind later to complete the killing.
Again, I have less of an idea how Yellow control of the bridge affected the game overall, though it is a high possibility that the action there tied up substantial amounts of Red's attention, easing the resistance encountered by the Spaceframe attacks.
Gametype: Rubix Assault
Each team has a Rubix Cube in a certain strategic location:
Red: Wishing Well
Yellow: Outside 5.17
The first team to solve their opponents' Rubix Cube wins. Otherwise, the team with a Cube in a visibly more completed state will win at the end of the time limit.
Red and Yellow swapped bases, with Yellow beginning in the IB block, and Red at the Old Audi.
One major difference between Round 1 and this round: Lives are henceforth expendable. The last round depended on inflicting more casualties than those taken, hence truly aggressive play was curtailed by the requirement of survival. Such a criterion is removed in this round, and as a result, the ability to take and hold ground is now of a higher importance than survival. This is because the objective (i.e. solving the Rubix Cube) depends on infantry (since that's pretty much the only basic unit around, save for perhaps support units like MGs or snipers) holding the area around the Rubix Cube long enough for the 'engineer' to solve it.
The most significant action in the early game took place at the IB bridge, with the bulk of Red and a significant mass of Yellow forces engaging there. Yellow committed fewer forces to the bridge, as a decent number, at least 10 were seen in the vicinity of the Admin Office. Another action which would have an impact on later game map control would be Yellow's occupation of the level 4 IB balcony (near 5.1, otherwise known as the Sniper's Nest): 2 MGs, 1 Sniper and 1 SMG.
As with the previous game, the firefight at the bridge produced a similar stalemate in the early stages, but once a base of fire had been established at the Sniper's Nest, Red started taking fast casualties, as there was no cover where Red infantry could simultaneously take cover from the support fire and resist Yellow's infantry on the bridge effectively. As such, the bridge control began to swing in Yellow's favour. Yellow's sniper was delirious with an almost sick kind of pleasure.
Despite the intense early-game action at the bridge, the main theater, if you may have it, of concern would have been the Spaceframe, the control of which would give either side a springboard to solve their opponents' Cube. Unfortunately for Red, the MG/Sniper positions at the SN ensured that any of Red's attempts to exert control over the Spaceframe would be blunted, at least until the SN was cleared. Which it was never, save for one possible close-call instance around mid-game.
Most of the mid-game was composed of pushes and retreats on the part of Yellow at the Spaceframe, likewise with Red, the main difference being the deeper advance of Yellow and hence greater success at solving the Rubix Cube. Effective leadership on the part of Yellow also ensured that pushes were made boldly and regularly. For Yellow, there were 2 components aiding in the success of their advances: Infantry and Support. Groups of about 8+ Yellow ground infantry would contest the Spaceframe, supported by the Support MGs and Sniper in the SN, the latter having a very large field of vision (and consequently, number of easy targets) due to their elevated position. The Spaceframe would be relatively easily taken, as MGs took out what they could see in the Spaceframe and shot at the legs of those at the Wishing Well, aiding the ground advance. Once inside, at the Wishing Well, the ground advance was on its own, unable to receive any support from the SN. Coupled with the ever-increasing numbers of newly respawned Red troops, I imagine it wasn't easy solving the Cube. Nevertheless, at the end of the game, Yellow's Cube was in a more completed state than Red's, thus winning the round. This success in pushing the advance forward came at the cost of more casualties among the assault troops of course, who as in the previous game seemed to all come back to respawn at the same time.
Inevitably, after a Yellow retreat, came the Red counterattack. However, despite the temporary advantage in numbers, Red pushes were not as effective in getting to its objective (the Red Cube). Also, when Red defeated the Yellow blob around the Wishing Well Cube, it inevitably came into line of sight for the SN's support fire crew, who blunted Red's advance at the Spaceframe with volume of fire, giving time for Yellow's ground troops to regroup and push again. In this way, Red barely got to their objective Cube, except for one instance when a small group of Red troops managed to get past the MGs to the General Office area, engaging 2 Yellow troops, including Yellow's SMG guard/close-quarters defence, causing the SN's support crew some short-lived panic.
This round was much more chaotic, and hence more difficult to assess map control as compared to the previous round, but the end found Yellow with a lead in the state of completion of their Rubix Cube. Frontlines kept changing with each push, but for the most part few Red troops managed to push as far as the IB Cube.
The strategic control the SN exerted on the battlefield was significant. The support fire crew at the SN had a full view of both the bridge and Spaceframe, essentially controlling all possible avenues of travel from the Red base to the IB Cube. This dominance was used to devastating effect at the sparse-of-cover, small bridge, with the bridge falling into Yellow's hands early on and staying there. On the Spaceframe side, it served as an obstacle to Red's advances, stopping or at least delaying the advances until Yellow could reinforce with ground infantry. Also, Red made few attempts to remove the SN, with only a few shots being fired at the general direction of its slightly high occupants. Few other vantage points in Red's possession could compare to the geographical advantage provided by the SN. One possible exception was the Old Audi windows, also on the 3.5th to 4th level, and these were used late-game to shoot at the Yellows on the bridge, inflicting some casualties. However, these snipers were spotted by the SN crew, who, mistaking them for dangerous counter-snipers, shot at them a lot, forcing them to withdraw.
Not to forget the ground advance of course, the basic point of playing aggressive and rushing infantry en masse worked yet again. Somewhat crude, but effective, especially against unsupported positions. Red displayed some excellent examples of localized diversion, where one member of the squad charged out as a distraction, while the others followed behind later to complete the killing.
Again, I have less of an idea how Yellow control of the bridge affected the game overall, though it is a high possibility that the action there tied up substantial amounts of Red's attention, easing the resistance encountered by the Spaceframe attacks.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Combat Skirmish post-battle analysis Part I
Unfortunately, this most probably won't be as objective as the word analysis belies, but that's always been a problem for war historians, or for that matter any sort of historians. To remedy that, there's always the comments section. Nevertheless, today was, as a friend put it, quite a lesson in tactics.
It's generally politically incorrect to label a winning and losing team, but then this discussion wouldn't get awfully far with the mindset that the losing team needed to be tricked into believing they didn't lose, or that it was a tie. More than a complete ignorance of the actual results, it'd be a disservice to their actual merits and the parity of average combat skill, which unfortunately was trumped by various factors, resulting in, from my humble perspective, clear defeat for Red and victory for Yellow.
On viewing the map in preview mode, I don't think it's all that clear, but that's okay since most of my intended audience should know the place pretty well already.
Abbreviations:
SAA: Area outside the admin office, IB block.
NML: Assembly ground, wide open space
SN: Sniper's Nest, 'Balcony' area just outside 5.1
Yellow Cube: Yellow Team's Rubix Cube, outside 5.17
Red Cube: Red Team's Rubix Cube, at Wishing Well
First round was a deathmatch, team with more kills wins. Red occupied Team 1 base on the IB block side, Yellow occupied Team 2 base in the old block.
Yellow opened with a massive push toward the spaceframe, with a large part of the push later diverting to the bridge.
The existence of this action is quite well corroborated by observations from both Red and Yellow; I myself am pretty sure I saw this happening, in my role as defense fire support. My interpretation of this action and its results was that pressure was put on Red to rush reinforcements to the fronts at the Spaceframe and the bridge. The action was an initiative on the part of Yellow, in line with the aggressive strategy we were generally pursuing. This resulted in the bridge and SAA being contested, with Yellow holding slightly more territory than Red due to the aggressive forcing of the front by Yellow.
In any case, Yellow ended up with a slight advantage in map control in the early game, as well as quite a serious amount of casualties. A wave of dead Yellows came in for respawn right after we secured the bridge, setting a curious precedent for more or less the rest of the games: Yellow tends to push in waves, die in waves, respawn and rush back in waves. That's infantry good old WW1 style I suppose.
While such a high initial casualty rate was worrying in the beginning, on hindsight it did pay off by map control. By the end of the early-game, Yellow had a foothold on the IB block; an important foothold since the heavily-contested bridge would divert Red attention and forces from the Spaceframe and NML, and allow for the late-game encirclement and pinning of Red. In my estimation, the mid-game opened with action at NML (the assembly ground area).
Despite the seeming lack of cover at the Spaceframe and especially assembly ground, I'm inclined to agree with a friend when he commented that you more or less can always find some sort of cover when you're looking for it. Anyway, within the mid-game, Yellow crept up from the Spaceframe to the SAA (outside Admin Office). I say 'crept' because Team Red's resistance from the SAA managed to suppress the advance considerably, until Yellow flanked from the small side-lane near the flowers, and overran the SAA, hardly a blitz there.
There was a major Yellow spearhead led by an officer advancing along the buggy parking lots, and a smaller one of about 4, including myself, advancing along the flower lanes. Team Red had about 3-7 defenders at the SAA at any one time. The spearhead advanced slowly and for the most part, attracted the defenders' attention; so a major firefight enued between them there, accounting for why the advance wasn't too fast. Meanwhile, the Yellow team at the flowers had managed to attract some fire from a well-placed sniper at the stairwell, which led to us getting pinned down for some time. I'm not too clear on what lifted the suppression, though I'm guessing that the main Yellow spearhead with their close-range assault weapons had gotten too close for comfort and started putting pressure on them.
By now, at around the 16 minute mark when I checked my handphone time, late-game had started for a while already. What happened from here would from my perspective, be rather straightforward already. Once the SAA was cleared, the flanking team moved in and enfiladed the corridor, very bad for Red in a couple of ways:
1) Red pinned in corridor
2) Because the corridor is of course, rather narrow, it greatly increases the likelihood of TKing, which quite a few Red players reported.
In short, the corridor became a killing ground, whether or not from Yellow's MGs or TKing will be a question Team Red players are in a much better position to answer. In either case, there was plenty of killing. One thing I'm curious to know is whether Red managed to take back the bridge, or if Yellow's hold on it held for the entirety of the round. If so, that would confirm a few observations.
Nevertheless, it would seem to me that an aggressive strategy, while incurring high casualties in the beginning, was in the end a boon for Team Yellow. Pushing forward first and clearing opponents later does help, since, as a short post-battle discussion brought up, by taking a place and filling it with your infantry in a short time does cause enemy troops to naturally, fall back. Casualties are of course inflicted on your force, as can be seen, but the net result in this case was that territory is gained, and slowly the front is manipulated into a shape advantageous to your team, as can be seen in the late-game, where Red probably took most of their casualties from TK or regular kills.
It's generally politically incorrect to label a winning and losing team, but then this discussion wouldn't get awfully far with the mindset that the losing team needed to be tricked into believing they didn't lose, or that it was a tie. More than a complete ignorance of the actual results, it'd be a disservice to their actual merits and the parity of average combat skill, which unfortunately was trumped by various factors, resulting in, from my humble perspective, clear defeat for Red and victory for Yellow.
On viewing the map in preview mode, I don't think it's all that clear, but that's okay since most of my intended audience should know the place pretty well already.
Abbreviations:
SAA: Area outside the admin office, IB block.
NML: Assembly ground, wide open space
SN: Sniper's Nest, 'Balcony' area just outside 5.1
Yellow Cube: Yellow Team's Rubix Cube, outside 5.17
Red Cube: Red Team's Rubix Cube, at Wishing Well
First round was a deathmatch, team with more kills wins. Red occupied Team 1 base on the IB block side, Yellow occupied Team 2 base in the old block.
Yellow opened with a massive push toward the spaceframe, with a large part of the push later diverting to the bridge.
The existence of this action is quite well corroborated by observations from both Red and Yellow; I myself am pretty sure I saw this happening, in my role as defense fire support. My interpretation of this action and its results was that pressure was put on Red to rush reinforcements to the fronts at the Spaceframe and the bridge. The action was an initiative on the part of Yellow, in line with the aggressive strategy we were generally pursuing. This resulted in the bridge and SAA being contested, with Yellow holding slightly more territory than Red due to the aggressive forcing of the front by Yellow.
In any case, Yellow ended up with a slight advantage in map control in the early game, as well as quite a serious amount of casualties. A wave of dead Yellows came in for respawn right after we secured the bridge, setting a curious precedent for more or less the rest of the games: Yellow tends to push in waves, die in waves, respawn and rush back in waves. That's infantry good old WW1 style I suppose.
While such a high initial casualty rate was worrying in the beginning, on hindsight it did pay off by map control. By the end of the early-game, Yellow had a foothold on the IB block; an important foothold since the heavily-contested bridge would divert Red attention and forces from the Spaceframe and NML, and allow for the late-game encirclement and pinning of Red. In my estimation, the mid-game opened with action at NML (the assembly ground area).
Despite the seeming lack of cover at the Spaceframe and especially assembly ground, I'm inclined to agree with a friend when he commented that you more or less can always find some sort of cover when you're looking for it. Anyway, within the mid-game, Yellow crept up from the Spaceframe to the SAA (outside Admin Office). I say 'crept' because Team Red's resistance from the SAA managed to suppress the advance considerably, until Yellow flanked from the small side-lane near the flowers, and overran the SAA, hardly a blitz there.
There was a major Yellow spearhead led by an officer advancing along the buggy parking lots, and a smaller one of about 4, including myself, advancing along the flower lanes. Team Red had about 3-7 defenders at the SAA at any one time. The spearhead advanced slowly and for the most part, attracted the defenders' attention; so a major firefight enued between them there, accounting for why the advance wasn't too fast. Meanwhile, the Yellow team at the flowers had managed to attract some fire from a well-placed sniper at the stairwell, which led to us getting pinned down for some time. I'm not too clear on what lifted the suppression, though I'm guessing that the main Yellow spearhead with their close-range assault weapons had gotten too close for comfort and started putting pressure on them.
By now, at around the 16 minute mark when I checked my handphone time, late-game had started for a while already. What happened from here would from my perspective, be rather straightforward already. Once the SAA was cleared, the flanking team moved in and enfiladed the corridor, very bad for Red in a couple of ways:
1) Red pinned in corridor
2) Because the corridor is of course, rather narrow, it greatly increases the likelihood of TKing, which quite a few Red players reported.
In short, the corridor became a killing ground, whether or not from Yellow's MGs or TKing will be a question Team Red players are in a much better position to answer. In either case, there was plenty of killing. One thing I'm curious to know is whether Red managed to take back the bridge, or if Yellow's hold on it held for the entirety of the round. If so, that would confirm a few observations.
Nevertheless, it would seem to me that an aggressive strategy, while incurring high casualties in the beginning, was in the end a boon for Team Yellow. Pushing forward first and clearing opponents later does help, since, as a short post-battle discussion brought up, by taking a place and filling it with your infantry in a short time does cause enemy troops to naturally, fall back. Casualties are of course inflicted on your force, as can be seen, but the net result in this case was that territory is gained, and slowly the front is manipulated into a shape advantageous to your team, as can be seen in the late-game, where Red probably took most of their casualties from TK or regular kills.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
CoH: Experimentation: Mortar smoke
The setup was as follows:
Axis:
- 2 MG bunkers covering a single choke point (Angoville right flank, hedgerow high fuel pt).
Allies:
- 3 Rifleman squads (3 x 6 = 18 men)
- 2 Mortar squads
Procedure:
1. Set-up experiment
2. Charge riflemen at MG bunkers
3. Record time taken for the riflemen to be suppressed
4. Record number of casualties taken in first 10 seconds
5. Qualitative assessment of charge as an offensive maneuver
6. Repeat steps 1-5, using mortar smoke to cover riflemen's advance.
Without smoke:
Time taken to suppress infantry: 1.5 seconds
Casualties taken after 10 seconds: 5 out of 18 dead
Assessment: This replicate demonstrates the usual results of charging unsupported infantry straight into machine gun bunkers head-on. Absolutely ineffective and wasteful of initiative and resources.
With smoke:
Time taken to suppress infantry: None, infantry were not suppressed.
Casualties taken after 10 seconds: 0 out of 18 dead
Assessment: A significant improvement over the previous replicate with excellent results. No squads suppressed, no casualties; the riflemen were able to charge past the bunkers almost unharmed, slight damage observed but again, no men lost.
Conclusion: Where outflanking is impossible, such as choke-point heavy maps like Vire River Valley, Hinderdam, The Scheldt, etc, mortar smoke barrages are highly recommended to make infantry charges effective.
Axis:
- 2 MG bunkers covering a single choke point (Angoville right flank, hedgerow high fuel pt).
Allies:
- 3 Rifleman squads (3 x 6 = 18 men)
- 2 Mortar squads
Procedure:
1. Set-up experiment
2. Charge riflemen at MG bunkers
3. Record time taken for the riflemen to be suppressed
4. Record number of casualties taken in first 10 seconds
5. Qualitative assessment of charge as an offensive maneuver
6. Repeat steps 1-5, using mortar smoke to cover riflemen's advance.
Without smoke:
Time taken to suppress infantry: 1.5 seconds
Casualties taken after 10 seconds: 5 out of 18 dead
Assessment: This replicate demonstrates the usual results of charging unsupported infantry straight into machine gun bunkers head-on. Absolutely ineffective and wasteful of initiative and resources.
With smoke:
Time taken to suppress infantry: None, infantry were not suppressed.
Casualties taken after 10 seconds: 0 out of 18 dead
Assessment: A significant improvement over the previous replicate with excellent results. No squads suppressed, no casualties; the riflemen were able to charge past the bunkers almost unharmed, slight damage observed but again, no men lost.
Conclusion: Where outflanking is impossible, such as choke-point heavy maps like Vire River Valley, Hinderdam, The Scheldt, etc, mortar smoke barrages are highly recommended to make infantry charges effective.
CoH: Experimentation: Blitzkrieg and blob squashing
Ranger blob: scourge of the newbie/uncreative/one who lets it get too big. Although the ranger blob is very beatable with combined-arms, not all situations allow an Axis commander the luxury of having a well-configured anti-blob taskforce. Therefore, it is imperative that new, innovative ways of putting an end to this phenomenon. It's always fun to find novel ways of beating the ranger blob.
An investigation of Blitzkrieg: On Squashing infantry.
Independent variable: Use of Blitzkrieg doctrine power.
Dependent variable: Number of rangers squashed.
Controlled variables:
- Number of rangers: 6 x 5 = 30
- Veterancy of tanks (Vet 1)
- Gradient of battlefield (Flat, Angoville left flank)
- Obstacles on battlefield (None)
Replicates 1,2,3: 30 rangers vs 1 Stug, no blitzkrieg
Result:
- Average rangers lost to squashing: 0 of 30
Replicates 4, 5, 6: 30 rangers vs 1 Stug, WITH blitzkrieg
Result:
- Average rangers lost: 2.33 of 30
Replicates 7,8,9: 30 rangers vs 1 Panther, no blitzkrieg
Result:
- Average rangers lost: 0 of 30
Replicates 10,11,12: 30 rangers vs 1 Panther, WITH blitzkrieg
Result:
- Average rangers lost: 1.33 of 30
Replicates 13, 14, 15: 30 rangers vs 1 Stug + 1 Panzer IV + 1 Panther, WITH blitzkrieg
Result:
- Average tank survival rate: 2.67
- Average rangers lost: 14.7 of 30
As such, it can be seen that the chances of squashing the blob increase with increasing numbers of tanks, particularly in replicates 13, 14 and 15. However, it must be noted that in cases where only a single tank is involved, survival rate is 0, making it an expensive tactic, along with the 150 munitions cost for the Blitzkrieg ability. Also, very few rangers were squashed with single tanks, even with high infantry density.
Hence, the Blitzkrieg ability as a ranger squashing tactic is generally:
NOT advised.
An investigation of Blitzkrieg: On Squashing infantry.
Independent variable: Use of Blitzkrieg doctrine power.
Dependent variable: Number of rangers squashed.
Controlled variables:
- Number of rangers: 6 x 5 = 30
- Veterancy of tanks (Vet 1)
- Gradient of battlefield (Flat, Angoville left flank)
- Obstacles on battlefield (None)
Replicates 1,2,3: 30 rangers vs 1 Stug, no blitzkrieg
Result:
- Average rangers lost to squashing: 0 of 30
Replicates 4, 5, 6: 30 rangers vs 1 Stug, WITH blitzkrieg
Result:
- Average rangers lost: 2.33 of 30
Replicates 7,8,9: 30 rangers vs 1 Panther, no blitzkrieg
Result:
- Average rangers lost: 0 of 30
Replicates 10,11,12: 30 rangers vs 1 Panther, WITH blitzkrieg
Result:
- Average rangers lost: 1.33 of 30
Replicates 13, 14, 15: 30 rangers vs 1 Stug + 1 Panzer IV + 1 Panther, WITH blitzkrieg
Result:
- Average tank survival rate: 2.67
- Average rangers lost: 14.7 of 30
As such, it can be seen that the chances of squashing the blob increase with increasing numbers of tanks, particularly in replicates 13, 14 and 15. However, it must be noted that in cases where only a single tank is involved, survival rate is 0, making it an expensive tactic, along with the 150 munitions cost for the Blitzkrieg ability. Also, very few rangers were squashed with single tanks, even with high infantry density.
Hence, the Blitzkrieg ability as a ranger squashing tactic is generally:
NOT advised.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Just in case
Not dead, maybe pretty close. If anyone cared. :'( // // d8
CoH guides after exams, now with screenshots.
CoH guides after exams, now with screenshots.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Tactica 004
It'll be a great day when education gets all the money it wants and the Air Force has to hold a bake sale to buy bombers.
-Author unknown, quoted in You Said a Mouthful edited by Ronald D. Fuchs
-Author unknown, quoted in You Said a Mouthful edited by Ronald D. Fuchs
Monday, June 16, 2008
COH: The Wehrmacht and the Tools of Maneuver Warfare
A great deal of people are undoubtedly aware of the German Army's famous blitzkrieg campaigns to some extent. Bearing that in mind, let's take a look at how the concept of highly mobile warfare works out in COH. I'll be trivializing quite a lot of the real-life theory and practice behind the strategy, but so does the game. Anyone with any knowledge of game design will know the difficulties of implementing real tactical/strategic mechanics. For now I'll discuss the general usefulness of each non-doctrine specific unit and demonstrate the fluidity of Wehrmacht teching and how this influences a combined-arms strategy so important (in my philosophy) to good and flexible gameplay.
One very important aspect before considering the maneuvers one uses on the COH battlefield is the tools with which you execute your moves. Like chess, you can't normally expect to win against a fully stocked opponent with just a pawn and your king. Because you'll most likely be pwned hurhur nvm. I consider Wehr as a faction ideal for doing this because of their teching style and build options.
Tier 1: The Wehrmacht Quarters builds your Volks, MGs, Snipers and Motorbike. This allows you to counter either a US WSC or Barracks start; all you have to do is see which one he builds. Then there's the British, who starts with Tommies and maybe a Bren Carrier, no choice. As can be seen, there's fluidity in choice even at the first step. If he churns out MGs, use a sniper to pick them off. If he spams riflemen, use volks to skirmish them, with an MG behind to support; he can't do the same thing to you since his rifles and MGs are built from separate buildings. If he is an idiot and spams snipers, get a bike and squash them for massive exp. This ability to build everything from the same starting building is invaluable.
Tier 2: What we got earlier was the early game stuff; functional, adaptable, but it's not the best idea to go on using them again and again while your opponent techs higher. Luckily, Tier 2 still demonstrates the same adaptability, this time packaged with more resilience and firepower: Grenadiers; or Grens, Halftracks, AT guns and the Mortar. Grens are excellent infantry, and any player should get at least a squad or 2 of them to maintain infantry superiority. Decking them out with panzershrecks is a good idea to counter the US fast Greyhound strat. The AT gun normally isn't so important just yet, but it's useful to get one especially on wide-open maps, since it's long range can kill those light US vehicles fast. If he's going heavy on rifles, or you suspect ranger spam, bring out a mortar, very useful to have around since it doesn't really need micro, and kills quite a lot of enemy infantry without drawing as much attention as a rattling MG. For those who automatically think of AT-gun when faced with tanks, shreck Grens are a very good alternative, and very much more mobile. Halftracks are also a decent support option, since you can put rocket artillery or double infantry-killing flamers on them, which is cool.
Tier 3: Some choose to bypass this tier in favour of Tier 4. Nothing wrong with that (I stop at Tier 2 sometimes), but T3 does have plenty of nifty stuff, especially the appearance of your first armour. The Stug is your first "tank", a solidly armoured piece which can deal serious damage to any light vehicles and threaten careless allied tanks. Always a nice addition when well-supported by infantry like Grens. The Puma Armoured Car is an deadly infantry killer, and fast too. Nebelwerfers help a lot against entrenched positions and infantry concentrations; not bad at all for 4 popcap. The Officer is pretty low on my priority list, though some of his abilities are fun to play with like forcing his infantry to retreat, leaving his armour devoid of any infantry support, whereupon you can run in with shreck squads and tear his tank up.
Tier 4: Panzer Command. What we've been waiting for, the heavy armour. The tanks you can build here are top-of-the-line, unchallenged in their respective roles by any other faction's tanks (except perhaps the British Firefly, which is pure awesome on a stick). On the Ostwind and infantry, it just kills, kills, kills. The Panzer 4 is a decent MBT to have around, with good armour, anti-infantry and AT capabilities handled by the reliable main gun. The Panther is a serious threat to any allied tank force, with excellent frontal armour and anti-tank ability. But before it scourges your opponents' armour, it'll make a serious hole in your pocket, so get a good economy up. Knights Cross Holders, or KCH, are elite close-combat infantry which just don't die. On the expensive side and limited in tactical repetoire, a single squad is nice to have when you don't have a tank to soak up MG fire, but not a good choice to replace Grens with them.
Contrast this teching scheme to the more compartmentalized US way of teching, and we'll find that it leaves many options open to flexible play, especially in the critical early game. MGs and light infantry come out at the same time, allowing the MG-supported Lt Inf to overcome even heavy infantry like the British Tommies. The MG, played aggressively and shielded behind Lt Inf, is less vulnerable to snipers since the Lt Inf can charge down the sniper and kill it. Using this example, this is one way weaknesses of both the Volks (low health and firepower) and MGs (low mobility and vulnerability to snipers) can be greatly reduced by using them together, as well as bringing forth their strengths: Volks (maneuverable, fast), MG (high firepower and suppression, very impt when fighting tough Tommies). This is but one example we can use to showcase the idea of combined arms and unit synergy.
One very important aspect before considering the maneuvers one uses on the COH battlefield is the tools with which you execute your moves. Like chess, you can't normally expect to win against a fully stocked opponent with just a pawn and your king. Because you'll most likely be pwned hurhur nvm. I consider Wehr as a faction ideal for doing this because of their teching style and build options.
Tier 1: The Wehrmacht Quarters builds your Volks, MGs, Snipers and Motorbike. This allows you to counter either a US WSC or Barracks start; all you have to do is see which one he builds. Then there's the British, who starts with Tommies and maybe a Bren Carrier, no choice. As can be seen, there's fluidity in choice even at the first step. If he churns out MGs, use a sniper to pick them off. If he spams riflemen, use volks to skirmish them, with an MG behind to support; he can't do the same thing to you since his rifles and MGs are built from separate buildings. If he is an idiot and spams snipers, get a bike and squash them for massive exp. This ability to build everything from the same starting building is invaluable.
Tier 2: What we got earlier was the early game stuff; functional, adaptable, but it's not the best idea to go on using them again and again while your opponent techs higher. Luckily, Tier 2 still demonstrates the same adaptability, this time packaged with more resilience and firepower: Grenadiers; or Grens, Halftracks, AT guns and the Mortar. Grens are excellent infantry, and any player should get at least a squad or 2 of them to maintain infantry superiority. Decking them out with panzershrecks is a good idea to counter the US fast Greyhound strat. The AT gun normally isn't so important just yet, but it's useful to get one especially on wide-open maps, since it's long range can kill those light US vehicles fast. If he's going heavy on rifles, or you suspect ranger spam, bring out a mortar, very useful to have around since it doesn't really need micro, and kills quite a lot of enemy infantry without drawing as much attention as a rattling MG. For those who automatically think of AT-gun when faced with tanks, shreck Grens are a very good alternative, and very much more mobile. Halftracks are also a decent support option, since you can put rocket artillery or double infantry-killing flamers on them, which is cool.
Tier 3: Some choose to bypass this tier in favour of Tier 4. Nothing wrong with that (I stop at Tier 2 sometimes), but T3 does have plenty of nifty stuff, especially the appearance of your first armour. The Stug is your first "tank", a solidly armoured piece which can deal serious damage to any light vehicles and threaten careless allied tanks. Always a nice addition when well-supported by infantry like Grens. The Puma Armoured Car is an deadly infantry killer, and fast too. Nebelwerfers help a lot against entrenched positions and infantry concentrations; not bad at all for 4 popcap. The Officer is pretty low on my priority list, though some of his abilities are fun to play with like forcing his infantry to retreat, leaving his armour devoid of any infantry support, whereupon you can run in with shreck squads and tear his tank up.
Tier 4: Panzer Command. What we've been waiting for, the heavy armour. The tanks you can build here are top-of-the-line, unchallenged in their respective roles by any other faction's tanks (except perhaps the British Firefly, which is pure awesome on a stick). On the Ostwind and infantry, it just kills, kills, kills. The Panzer 4 is a decent MBT to have around, with good armour, anti-infantry and AT capabilities handled by the reliable main gun. The Panther is a serious threat to any allied tank force, with excellent frontal armour and anti-tank ability. But before it scourges your opponents' armour, it'll make a serious hole in your pocket, so get a good economy up. Knights Cross Holders, or KCH, are elite close-combat infantry which just don't die. On the expensive side and limited in tactical repetoire, a single squad is nice to have when you don't have a tank to soak up MG fire, but not a good choice to replace Grens with them.
Contrast this teching scheme to the more compartmentalized US way of teching, and we'll find that it leaves many options open to flexible play, especially in the critical early game. MGs and light infantry come out at the same time, allowing the MG-supported Lt Inf to overcome even heavy infantry like the British Tommies. The MG, played aggressively and shielded behind Lt Inf, is less vulnerable to snipers since the Lt Inf can charge down the sniper and kill it. Using this example, this is one way weaknesses of both the Volks (low health and firepower) and MGs (low mobility and vulnerability to snipers) can be greatly reduced by using them together, as well as bringing forth their strengths: Volks (maneuverable, fast), MG (high firepower and suppression, very impt when fighting tough Tommies). This is but one example we can use to showcase the idea of combined arms and unit synergy.
Friday, May 23, 2008
verlassen
i'm hurtling through the air at unimaginable speeds in an aluminium can again escaping the reality that is the holiday which is nottttttt
Saturday, May 10, 2008
The Crucial Years
"Let us get down to fundamentals. Is this an open or closed society?" demanded Lew Kuan Yew in the Malaysian Parliament on 18 December. "Is it a society where men can preach ideas - the novel, unorthodox, heresies, established churches and established governments - where there is a constant contest for men's hearts and minds on the basis of what is right, of what is just, of what is in the national interests? Or is it a closed society where the mass media - the newspapers, the journals, publications, TV, radio - either by sound or by sight, or both sound and sight, feed men's minds with a constant drone of sycophantic support for a particular orthodox political philosophy? That is the first question we ask ourselves.
"And let me preface my remarks with this: that it is not only in communist countries where the mass media is used to produce the closed mind, because the closed society must produce the closed mind. I believe that Malaysia was founded, if you read its Constitution, as an open society, constituting peoples of various communities, of various religions, of various languages, of varying political beliefs, in which the will of the majority will prevail, and in which a large dissenting minority will not be crushed and intimidated and silenced.
(line 40, pg 227 to line 11 of pg 228 of Lee Kuan Yew, the Crucial Years, by Alex Josey)
"And in this Chamber the same technique - not the big men, they are gentle figures, but from the small fry, the hatchet men - howls of vituperation and abuse. Is this the open encounter? Is this the democratic system in which ideas compete for ascendancy? Not brawn or the strength of one's pharynx, but ideas - they cross frontiers, they have brought men into space - and if we try to keep our men rooted, glued to the ground, fixed in an orthodox political society which resists change, the world will pass us by. One day it will come down like a house of cards. It has not the resilience, the sturdiness, the stamina to survive.
(line 40, pg 228 to line 3 of pg 228 of the same)
It is an unspoken word. The Press know it, the public know it. Everyone in the coffee shops speaks of it. But to us in this Chamber it is taboo. Why? Make-believe! But for how long? Even the make-believe is wearing thin. I say let's pause and ask ourselves ... I am talking of the principle of the open society, the open debate, ideas not intimidation, persuasion not coercion."
(line 18 to line 25 of pg 229)
"And let me preface my remarks with this: that it is not only in communist countries where the mass media is used to produce the closed mind, because the closed society must produce the closed mind. I believe that Malaysia was founded, if you read its Constitution, as an open society, constituting peoples of various communities, of various religions, of various languages, of varying political beliefs, in which the will of the majority will prevail, and in which a large dissenting minority will not be crushed and intimidated and silenced.
(line 40, pg 227 to line 11 of pg 228 of Lee Kuan Yew, the Crucial Years, by Alex Josey)
"And in this Chamber the same technique - not the big men, they are gentle figures, but from the small fry, the hatchet men - howls of vituperation and abuse. Is this the open encounter? Is this the democratic system in which ideas compete for ascendancy? Not brawn or the strength of one's pharynx, but ideas - they cross frontiers, they have brought men into space - and if we try to keep our men rooted, glued to the ground, fixed in an orthodox political society which resists change, the world will pass us by. One day it will come down like a house of cards. It has not the resilience, the sturdiness, the stamina to survive.
(line 40, pg 228 to line 3 of pg 228 of the same)
It is an unspoken word. The Press know it, the public know it. Everyone in the coffee shops speaks of it. But to us in this Chamber it is taboo. Why? Make-believe! But for how long? Even the make-believe is wearing thin. I say let's pause and ask ourselves ... I am talking of the principle of the open society, the open debate, ideas not intimidation, persuasion not coercion."
(line 18 to line 25 of pg 229)
Monday, April 7, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
Tactica 003
"Contrary to popular belief, we aren't God. We merely borrowed His smite button."
- Attributed to anonymous artilleryman
- Attributed to anonymous artilleryman
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
How I learnt to stop worrying and love the Bomb
"Gentlemen you can't fight in here, this is the War Room!"
CoH: On Tier 1 Infantry: Panzergrenadiers
Since more people might be starting to play COH, I'll do some expositories every now and then. Today's review is the Panzergrenadier (abbv. PG), from the Panzer Elite faction. Requires Opposing Fronts.
Panzergrenadiers:
At a cost of about 250 MP, these would be the cheapest tier 1 infantry COH offers. But don't be fooled by their cost, I reckon they're at most as tough as Grenadiers (Wehrmacht) health-wise, which is pretty decent. Only they come in 3-man squads, which makes them more vulnerable to snipers, since snipers do take down a head per shot which is 1/3 the squad. Damage-wise un-upgraded, ok in the early game, enough to present a threat to a jeep, though they won't massacre jeeps. Which is why one should keep them in the vicinity of your kettenkrads, to prevent clever Allied players from killing them with an early jeep.
They're probably the most multi-purpose infantry units around, since they fight, build and repair all in one neat little package. They may be upgraded with G43s (50mun), which can actually be quite painful (sort of like better rifles) as well as suppress enemy infantry for a munitions cost.
They can also be upgraded with MP44s (75mun), which are basically close-range weapons. These are very good at their job, and were/are abused regularly prior to the first OF patch. They still are very useful now. They don't have to be upgraded with munitions, as PGs pre-equipped with MP44s can be bought from the Panzer Jager Command. PGs upgraded in this fashion excel at close combat and are called Assault Grenadiers or Ass Grens.
And what's the German Army without Panzerschrecks? This is the third weapon upgrade from PGs: the Panzerschreck (75mun). When upgraded with these, PGs are called Tank Busters. Arguably the best infantry wielded anti-tank weapon, they do plenty of damage to any vehicle (including AT guns) and should be a high priority target for any Allied armour. TBs should be used in a mobile fashion, flanking armour and hitting them in the side or rear for the extra damage.
PGs can also use 2 types of grenades (though these have to be researched). The Incendiary Grenade and the Anti-Tank Grenade. The incendiay grenade is, not worth its munitions cost when used against troops in the open, unless one's desperate. However, they're good against infantry in trenches, buildings or big bunches. It does damage over time, and the longer the unit stays on the flaming spot, the more damage it takes duh. In general, Incendiary grenades suck against stuff that runs around, like riflemen. But they aren't bad against MGs or AT-guns since it forces them to move, or die a nice warm death. Forcing these support weapons to move can be a very good thing. This is a good ability for ass grens, since things in buildings or trenches generally beat them in a firefight. Throw in a flame grenade, make them get out, and hose them down with the lethal MP44s. Either that or they burn. Note that however, these abilities have a very very long cooldown, unless there's a Munitions Halftrack nearby, in which case cooldown is almost instant.
The Anti-tank grenade is well, usually not as high a priority on my research list, sometimes not at all. Sure they do damage against tanks, but not that much. I reckon they'd be more useful against light vehicles, which tend to run around more. Not to say that they're useless. With the Tank Buster doctrine, the passive power "double AT efforts" gives it more teeth, since it allows PGs to throw 2 grenades for the price of 1, simultaneously. Again, long cooldown.
There's a research for PGs called "Increased Squad Sizes". As its name suggests, it increases squad size, to 4-man. It's a good upgrade, as it gives the squad more survivability, especially for Tank Busters, who're spending much time getting hit by the tanks and infantry of a player who realizes the importance of Panzerschrecks. Good for ass grens, since they're charging around and well, assaulting stuff. Actually its good in general; the real question is when you need it, which is a matter of priorities really.
A common feature of PGs is the tendency for human players to group them together. This is called "the PG blob". The research "Group Zeal" probably encourages this behaviour. It isn't a very good tactic against experienced players, who will know how to counter it, but against noobs it has a high chance of success in general, since they might panic and do all the wrong things against it. Details on its exact nature and how to beat it will come in a separate article.
Also, PGs repair stuff. This is good, because after a battle, the infantry can be useful, and repair damaged vehicles as well as reinforce the squad from say an Infantry Halftrack. A research: "Super Repair", makes them repair much faster; it's a really good upgrade if you're using plenty of vehicles. Note that units repairing under fire take extra damage.
There are a few other researches pertaining to PGs, but I don't know very much about them and their effectiveness since I haven't used them a lot.
That's the end for the PG unit description.
Panzergrenadiers:
At a cost of about 250 MP, these would be the cheapest tier 1 infantry COH offers. But don't be fooled by their cost, I reckon they're at most as tough as Grenadiers (Wehrmacht) health-wise, which is pretty decent. Only they come in 3-man squads, which makes them more vulnerable to snipers, since snipers do take down a head per shot which is 1/3 the squad. Damage-wise un-upgraded, ok in the early game, enough to present a threat to a jeep, though they won't massacre jeeps. Which is why one should keep them in the vicinity of your kettenkrads, to prevent clever Allied players from killing them with an early jeep.
They're probably the most multi-purpose infantry units around, since they fight, build and repair all in one neat little package. They may be upgraded with G43s (50mun), which can actually be quite painful (sort of like better rifles) as well as suppress enemy infantry for a munitions cost.
They can also be upgraded with MP44s (75mun), which are basically close-range weapons. These are very good at their job, and were/are abused regularly prior to the first OF patch. They still are very useful now. They don't have to be upgraded with munitions, as PGs pre-equipped with MP44s can be bought from the Panzer Jager Command. PGs upgraded in this fashion excel at close combat and are called Assault Grenadiers or Ass Grens.
And what's the German Army without Panzerschrecks? This is the third weapon upgrade from PGs: the Panzerschreck (75mun). When upgraded with these, PGs are called Tank Busters. Arguably the best infantry wielded anti-tank weapon, they do plenty of damage to any vehicle (including AT guns) and should be a high priority target for any Allied armour. TBs should be used in a mobile fashion, flanking armour and hitting them in the side or rear for the extra damage.
PGs can also use 2 types of grenades (though these have to be researched). The Incendiary Grenade and the Anti-Tank Grenade. The incendiay grenade is, not worth its munitions cost when used against troops in the open, unless one's desperate. However, they're good against infantry in trenches, buildings or big bunches. It does damage over time, and the longer the unit stays on the flaming spot, the more damage it takes duh. In general, Incendiary grenades suck against stuff that runs around, like riflemen. But they aren't bad against MGs or AT-guns since it forces them to move, or die a nice warm death. Forcing these support weapons to move can be a very good thing. This is a good ability for ass grens, since things in buildings or trenches generally beat them in a firefight. Throw in a flame grenade, make them get out, and hose them down with the lethal MP44s. Either that or they burn. Note that however, these abilities have a very very long cooldown, unless there's a Munitions Halftrack nearby, in which case cooldown is almost instant.
The Anti-tank grenade is well, usually not as high a priority on my research list, sometimes not at all. Sure they do damage against tanks, but not that much. I reckon they'd be more useful against light vehicles, which tend to run around more. Not to say that they're useless. With the Tank Buster doctrine, the passive power "double AT efforts" gives it more teeth, since it allows PGs to throw 2 grenades for the price of 1, simultaneously. Again, long cooldown.
There's a research for PGs called "Increased Squad Sizes". As its name suggests, it increases squad size, to 4-man. It's a good upgrade, as it gives the squad more survivability, especially for Tank Busters, who're spending much time getting hit by the tanks and infantry of a player who realizes the importance of Panzerschrecks. Good for ass grens, since they're charging around and well, assaulting stuff. Actually its good in general; the real question is when you need it, which is a matter of priorities really.
A common feature of PGs is the tendency for human players to group them together. This is called "the PG blob". The research "Group Zeal" probably encourages this behaviour. It isn't a very good tactic against experienced players, who will know how to counter it, but against noobs it has a high chance of success in general, since they might panic and do all the wrong things against it. Details on its exact nature and how to beat it will come in a separate article.
Also, PGs repair stuff. This is good, because after a battle, the infantry can be useful, and repair damaged vehicles as well as reinforce the squad from say an Infantry Halftrack. A research: "Super Repair", makes them repair much faster; it's a really good upgrade if you're using plenty of vehicles. Note that units repairing under fire take extra damage.
There are a few other researches pertaining to PGs, but I don't know very much about them and their effectiveness since I haven't used them a lot.
That's the end for the PG unit description.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
aroma
I found a petal on my desk one day. Considering that date, it might not have taken much imagination to deduce where it came from.
It was still fresh, had a faint smell, a little moist, and rather flaccid.
But oh, it's time to learn some of the more technical aspects of it. I pick up and leave.
When I return, it's gone. Oh well, I suppose it'll have shrivelled up left there. A deep breath, and I notice for the first time; the room is filled with a whiff
of its Aroma.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
A Variation on Murphy's Law
Friendly fire isn't, foolproof plans and recoilless rifles aren't, and suppressive fires won't.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Windows
The windows in my class open out sideways. They used to open upwards, for the past 2 years, along with a sometimes interesting view of the rear carpark in the mornings. The cool air would blow in, and on a rare day, the Batmobile would drive by, which it really did once. I have the same view once again, just from a different angle. The same cool air blows in. Perhaps I'll return to my habits later in the year, and stop crashing the classes of my old classmates in the morning.
Last year, when I sat on someone else's table, opened the window and watched what happened on the road below, I felt a little lonely, especially early in the morning, when most people haven't arrived and those who have are sleeping or in a similar state. Then someone else comes along and joins me (sometimes I am that someone else). Eventually, a merry party gathers and we talk about random things or stone together, which brings a warm feeling all of its own to me. But, the bell's got to ring some time and it does.
I'd rather not be alone this year when I watch through the windows. Yet I can't possibly be crashing others' classes or making them crash mine all year can I? Ok, maybe I might be able to, but I'm not persistent enough at 7am for that everyday. And besides, what message would that send to my new classmates? To do that might be like looking out the window on a fresh, cool morning without opening the pane.
The question once more presents itself. But the perceived choice to be made bolts the windows to their pane. What should one do? Use a screwdriver of course. There's probably another option for those who start the answer with the outcome in mind, think of the method a little later and have the strong enough will to carry it out. The true and meaningful ending, for the corresponding solution.
Last year, when I sat on someone else's table, opened the window and watched what happened on the road below, I felt a little lonely, especially early in the morning, when most people haven't arrived and those who have are sleeping or in a similar state. Then someone else comes along and joins me (sometimes I am that someone else). Eventually, a merry party gathers and we talk about random things or stone together, which brings a warm feeling all of its own to me. But, the bell's got to ring some time and it does.
I'd rather not be alone this year when I watch through the windows. Yet I can't possibly be crashing others' classes or making them crash mine all year can I? Ok, maybe I might be able to, but I'm not persistent enough at 7am for that everyday. And besides, what message would that send to my new classmates? To do that might be like looking out the window on a fresh, cool morning without opening the pane.
The question once more presents itself. But the perceived choice to be made bolts the windows to their pane. What should one do? Use a screwdriver of course. There's probably another option for those who start the answer with the outcome in mind, think of the method a little later and have the strong enough will to carry it out. The true and meaningful ending, for the corresponding solution.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Im Westen nichts Neues
Dear Mum and Dad,
I am officially somewhere else, where I am not at liberty to say. In fact, the whole of this land is TOP SECRET; no one is allowed to know where it is. Even the people here have been told to forget that they’re here. Unfortunately, the bloody Germans do know where this is, and they aren’t letting us have it. Anyway, I came here by certain ship, landed by certain transport, at certain time, certain place, all this I’m dead certain. We are allowed to mention the sky, so I’ll say that we have one, and that’s it right overhead, with enough space to stand up. In spite of this luxury, I’m writing this in a hole in the ground. Very convenient; if you get killed they just fill it in and stand in a chunk of rock there. That’s all the cheery news for now, will write again when the situation is less fraught.
Your loving son,
Terry
Extract from Spike Milligan.
I am officially somewhere else, where I am not at liberty to say. In fact, the whole of this land is TOP SECRET; no one is allowed to know where it is. Even the people here have been told to forget that they’re here. Unfortunately, the bloody Germans do know where this is, and they aren’t letting us have it. Anyway, I came here by certain ship, landed by certain transport, at certain time, certain place, all this I’m dead certain. We are allowed to mention the sky, so I’ll say that we have one, and that’s it right overhead, with enough space to stand up. In spite of this luxury, I’m writing this in a hole in the ground. Very convenient; if you get killed they just fill it in and stand in a chunk of rock there. That’s all the cheery news for now, will write again when the situation is less fraught.
Your loving son,
Terry
Extract from Spike Milligan.
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