Newbie Questions Series

[Genosse]

Hello all, I've just gotten into Armored Brigade and am having some relative success - I'm also having a blast learning the game!

One thing I've found useful in the past for big games is a running thread for new players to ask small one-off questions that forum searches or scanning the manual haven't turned up answers for yet.

I will dump my little small scale questions in here as I think of them and anyone else is welcome to add theirs as well.

Apologies if this type of thing already exists, please point me in that direction if so. Thank You, I welcome your input!

[Genosse]

I'll get things started with this question:

Can someone wake me up on this game's philosophy on ammunition for armor? Typically when I look at infantry squads their ammo loads make sense to me, but tanks often seem to show as little as 13 rounds, and that split between anti-armor and HE. I'm no expert, but I would expect cold war tanks to at least have more like 30.

I recently played the Twin Valleys US armored cav scenario and my Bradleys were showing 2 TOW ATGMs a piece. However, they massacred many enemy units, not all with their cannons, and some TOWs must have missed. They never appeared to lack for ATGMs during the mission.

Do armored units 'reload' their magazines from internal stocks or something weird like that? What am I missing?

Thank You!

[Romka94]

Yes, if you click on information button near unit icon, you will see how much ammunition it has in storage. It will load that ammunition after using ammunition that it already had loaded.

[Viss Valdyr]

Originally posted by Romka94:

Yes, if you click on information button near unit icon, you will see how much ammunition it has in storage. It will load that ammunition after using ammunition that it already had loaded.

Hey you, nice seeing you here as well.

It will reload ammo from storage to ready, but only when the vehicle is doing nothing. So if it is engaging or driving, it won't reload the ready ammo. So you need to give it some time after engagement to reload their ready ammo

[Romka94]

Originally posted by Viss Valdyr:

Originally posted by Romka94:

Yes, if you click on information button near unit icon, you will see how much ammunition it has in storage. It will load that ammunition after using ammunition that it already had loaded.

Hey you, nice seeing you here as well.

It will reload ammo from storage to ready, but only when the vehicle is doing nothing. So if it is engaging or driving, it won't reload the ready ammo. So you need to give it some time after engagement to reload their ready ammo

i think, fan base of RTS games and wargames is partly the same.

[Genosse]

That makes perfect sense, thank you both for your kind responses!

[afrocigar]

Any smaller scenarios with not many units? There are too many for me to keep track of while I play the game. Or are could someone tell me how they move multiple units? I know I can click and drag, but some units seem to be attached to one unit and can move as a group.

[Genosse]

Click on the 'Formation' visual over the formation leader - could be a section platoon or company. Orders will go out to the whole formation and they will remain attached to command. If you need to adjust an individual tank's positiion for example, you can then go into Orders and click reattach - then they will follow the formation again.

Try 'Twin Valleys' or something like that - manageable US armored cav on defense. Tough, but you can get a feel for defense with a mixed company force.

[Genosse]

New Question: When you have the option to add a recon section of Main Battle Tanks to your force, do those tanks have special attributes that make them better spotters or is it more to be able to forward deploy some armor in the middle of the map?

I doubt they have better optics equipment, but do the crew have special training or something? Curious as to the answer.

Thank You!

[Morvana]

Originally posted by Genosse:

New Question: When you have the option to add a recon section of Main Battle Tanks to your force, do those tanks have special attributes that make them better spotters or is it more to be able to forward deploy some armor in the middle of the map?

I doubt they have better optics equipment, but do the crew have special training or something? Curious as to the answer.

Thank You!

I had the same question, and after looking into the data base I didn't find anything special with the recon units (at least the ones I looked into). And even the price is the same... So I guess a recon unit is objectivly better then the same unit in an other tab, because you can forward deploy them. (I guess it's balanced by the few points in recon units by default).



I also have a question. Is it me, or formations are bugged ? I can't move a company, or even a platoon, with a fast move on a road without BIG problems. I took an hour to test all the movement options, but I can't find something which work for them ! The vehicules of my mechanized infantry make strange moves on the roads, go at 1/3 of their max speed... I even made a race with the infantry, which almost won against the last transport ! Why would I use mechanized infantry if they are so... bugged ?

If I make an individual order for each units, I have less problems (there is still some strange moves sometimes, but at least they go full speed). But if I want to micro 100 units there is other games which are probably better... So, did i miss something ?

[VeitikkaStudios]

Originally posted by Genosse:

New Question: When you have the option to add a recon section of Main Battle Tanks to your force, do those tanks have special attributes that make them better spotters or is it more to be able to forward deploy some armor in the middle of the map?

I doubt they have better optics equipment, but do the crew have special training or something? Curious as to the answer.

Thank You!

They are harder to detect than other units and they have an improved spotting capability. Dismounted recon units can use the 'infiltrate' capability in the battle setup phase.

[VeitikkaStudios]

Originally posted by Morvana:

I also have a question. Is it me, or formations are bugged ? I can't move a company, or even a platoon, with a fast move on a road without BIG problems. I took an hour to test all the movement options, but I can't find something which work for them ! The vehicules of my mechanized infantry make strange moves on the roads, go at 1/3 of their max speed... I even made a race with the infantry, which almost won against the last transport ! Why would I use mechanized infantry if they are so... bugged ?

If I make an individual order for each units, I have less problems (there is still some strange moves sometimes, but at least they go full speed). But if I want to micro 100 units there is other games which are probably better... So, did i miss something ?

The units in formation cannot move at full speed all the time, because they try to synchronize movement with the other units. If you want to move on the road you should use the 'march' formation and place a few waypoints along the road you want to follow. The more waypoints you place the more closely they follow the road.

[Genosse]

Originally posted by VeitikkaStudios:

The units in formation cannot move at full speed all the time, because they try to synchronize movement with the other units. If you want to move on the road you should use the 'march' formation and place a few waypoints along the road you want to follow. The more waypoints you place the more closely they follow the road.

Can confirm March is the way to go for your desired outcome.

[Genosse]

Originally posted by VeitikkaStudios:

Originally posted by Genosse:

New Question: When you have the option to add a recon section of Main Battle Tanks to your force, do those tanks have special attributes that make them better spotters or is it more to be able to forward deploy some armor in the middle of the map?

I doubt they have better optics equipment, but do the crew have special training or something? Curious as to the answer.

Thank You!

They are harder to detect than other units and they have an improved spotting capability. Dismounted recon units can use the 'infiltrate' capability in the battle setup phase.

Wow, so even main battle tanks are harder to detect? That was my question, I get recon units overall but wondered about the tanks in the recon tab having boosted capabilities.

Thank You for the responses.

[Morvana]

Originally posted by VeitikkaStudios:

Originally posted by Morvana:

I also have a question. Is it me, or formations are bugged ? I can't move a company, or even a platoon, with a fast move on a road without BIG problems. I took an hour to test all the movement options, but I can't find something which work for them ! The vehicules of my mechanized infantry make strange moves on the roads, go at 1/3 of their max speed... I even made a race with the infantry, which almost won against the last transport ! Why would I use mechanized infantry if they are so... bugged ?

If I make an individual order for each units, I have less problems (there is still some strange moves sometimes, but at least they go full speed). But if I want to micro 100 units there is other games which are probably better... So, did i miss something ?

The units in formation cannot move at full speed all the time, because they try to synchronize movement with the other units. If you want to move on the road you should use the 'march' formation and place a few waypoints along the road you want to follow. The more waypoints you place the more closely they follow the road.

Yeah I tried, but the results aren't great. They stop their movements at each waypoint, so they don't even have time to have some speed. My APC which could go at 90km/h have a max speed of 40km/h.

But with your comment and my new test I now understand why the formations movements are so ineffectives: if there is any disturbance, it will be slowwwwww. If there is ennemy fire, even on the last vehicule, they will wait for it. If they must turn, even a bit, the whole platoon will slow down until the last vehicule pass this point. If there is an other unit on the road, it's the end. At least one of the vehicule will have problem to pass it and the whole platoon will stop to stay in formation.

The units try way too hard to stay in formations (even in the free formation setings).


Maybe I don't understand something, but most of the time it's way more effective to give the same order to each units, and not to their formation, even if it's to make the same thing. (especialy for "contact",it's always ridiculous to have a formation stop at the second the first unit spot something and the other wait without helping...)

Maybe having on option to have the units of a platoon completly ignoring their friends to execute their order could be implemented ? It could solve some issue.

[nick93ts]

I tend to use FREE formation for such purpose.