Infantry squads: Trenches are almost useless. Digging deep foxholes is ten times better.

[Battle Puffin]

The trenches you can build don't seem to increase the survival of a whole lot. They're susceptible to heavy arty, mortar fire, tank shots. The trenches can be crumbled and have to be rebuilt. However, having infantry in foxholes . . . especially the third tier foxhole that your infantry can build is crazy with how much direct fire infantrymen can take. Someone rode a T-60 right up to the edge of a rifleman's foxhole in an online match and poured 200+ rounds of autocannon fire into that poor rifleman and he still didn't die. PLUS foxholes don't crumble like trenches so when the infantryman occupying the foxhole dies you can just order the reinforcements to run back into the hole again. The only possible upside to trenches is to MAYBE create communication trenches and run back further and create a secondary line of defense but you can just do that with fox holes too because there is no limit to the amount of holes you can dig. So if you were extremely attentive you could set the squad in a line > dig holes > run backward > dig holes again. When people bring out the super heavy arty it completely destroys a squad in a trench. It's incredible the amount of explosive ♥♥♥♥ infantry will survive in foxholes.

[JustJusi]

Totally agree..
Even the Bunkers are pretty useless.. feels like 1 or 2 men shoot out of it while the other 3 doing nothing but chill.
Trenches should have ( my opinion ) kinda have some MGs or Anti tank guns to be usefull or a Radar for Sight increase

[recluse]

In f2 in the editor when I construct a trench and then micromanage Ai soldiers into trench (via f1) then they run to the trench but stop near the side of trench and not go into trench. By default in-game without micromanagement then Ai soldiers (moving at free will) will enter trenches and some shooting while others stop and stay where they are, as above post said, they not doing anything. I think in-game trying to micromanage Ai soldiers already entered trench by itself cannot be micromanagement to leave trench. I will have to check again and update this comment. Cheers.

[Randombandit]

Originally posted by JustJusi:

Totally agree..
Even the Bunkers are pretty useless.. feels like 1 or 2 men shoot out of it while the other 3 doing nothing but chill.
Trenches should have ( my opinion ) kinda have some MGs or Anti tank guns to be usefull or a Radar for Sight increase

Buildings in general are a liability and trenches of any kind beat them....sandbags beat buildings.
SOME of the low tier crew weapons CAN set up inside a trench line.

The advantage of trenches over foxholes is only that they give you maneuverability. You can run from position to position to evade indirect fire and shoot from different angles.
A secondary advantage is that the engineer team can dig an entire huge trenchworks as fast as a normal troop can dig a hole.

The downside of the foxhole is that not everyone carries a shovel...but ultimately, I agree they are really preferable.

[Agonythy]

How do you keep them in the trenches? When i have a squad in a trench and give them the order to move to another position in the trench, they leave the trench to get there if this is the shorter way...

[Battle Puffin]

Originally posted by Agonythy:

How do you keep them in the trenches? When i have a squad in a trench and give them the order to move to another position in the trench, they leave the trench to get there if this is the shorter way...

Same here. There doesn't seem to be a way to keep them from exposing themselves.

[Friends with Benedicts]

Originally posted by Agonythy:

How do you keep them in the trenches? When i have a squad in a trench and give them the order to move to another position in the trench, they leave the trench to get there if this is the shorter way...

same problem

[Randombandit]

If you dont tell them to sprint to the location clicked (double-click move order) they tend to follow trenches to their ordered position when moving. I have had some run really far out of the way just to stay in the trenchworks as long as possible. If you mean separate foxholes, you can usually rightclick to move into a foxhole then hold and drag to get the team to spread into other foxholes. only downside is they will also choose local trees and barrels as spots to post up when you do that...so YMMV.

[I Push Fat Kids]

What do you mean by foxholes? All I've been seeing is trenches, dugouts, and bunkers (the latter two seem to be the same) as available things to build into the ground.

[Randombandit]

Originally posted by I Push Fat Kids:

What do you mean by foxholes? All I've been seeing is trenches, dugouts, and bunkers (the latter two seem to be the same) as available things to build into the ground.

it is in the tutorial i believe.

Select a guy and give him a shovel ( works on whole squads and will cause ANYONE with a shovel to dig) then stand him on diggable ground facing the enemy. Next to his trench option there is a "exploding the ground with a shovel" icon. It will cause him to dig little foxhole really fast to lay in and avoid fire, if you click it again when he is done he will dig it deep enough to kneel in, if you dig it yet again he will dig one last time and make it standing depth (which can then be dug sideways to make a trenchline later, if you want). after the thrid, you can click the button, but it doesnt do anything...you gotta use the trnching button next to it.

[I Push Fat Kids]

Right okay I clicked it again and they built a trench after the very first dig