Is this true?

[Hooch]

Game looks very cool. But in reading reviews, one negative review caught my attention. I was curious if this was a legit criticism or not because if it is, it's a no-buy for me.

----------------------snip-------------------
1) You can move into and out from ANY kind of obstacle from any angle without much happening, but more so - you can actually shoot trough it all. In other words an enemy gun can sit behind 6 blocks of houses and (magically) shoot a straight shot at you. Which is reflected in a bit of retardedness like mortars shooting OUT of houses etc.

2) the game *BLATANTLY* cheats by knowing where all your units are. And yes it WILL sit miles away and pound them with artillery, cannons, etc (trough a ton of stuff) because it magically knows where you are.
---------------------end snip-------------------

Both seem to negate the element of surprise and line of sight, which is important in a tactical game.

[Steevodeevo]

That's completel nonsense.

[Bandanner]

Yeah complete nonsense, objects block LOS.

As for arty, if your units are hidden then they are hidden and they can't be targeted by the AI. If however you open fire and reveal your position (without certain bonuses) then obviously the AI can return fire.

[CageyMoose]

Yes, shooting mortars from inside of fully intact buildings is a thing. I'm still unclear if this is a bug or working as intended. Seems like a strange design decision if the latter is true.

I don't ever feel as though the AI is cheating.

[Edmon]

The A.I. does not cheat. If your being spotted, something is spotting you.

[Hooch]

Thank you for the responses.

There seem to be some conflicting info about mortars though.

What about being able to fire a mortar from inside a building?

[Edmon]

Originally posted by Hooch:

Thank you for the responses.

There seem to be some conflicting info about mortars though.

What about being able to fire a mortar from inside a building?

Infantry Mortars can fire from inside a building, but what is happening really is that the mortar team will be firing the weapon out of a window, doorway or hole in the wall... obviously not through the roof.

It was felt conceptually that it made more sense than not letting them fire.

[Steevodeevo]

A mortar crew can be based in a building right now, I always consider them to be moving the mortar outside to fire. Mortar crews now and in WW2 could move, set up and retire to safety For me not a big deal and if it becomes an issue I'm sure it will be changed. As as been said, line of sight and spotting is all core to the game.

[Darial]

Finished the entire American campaign and LOS and spotting was key to the whole tactical experience. An elite scout team with the right skills is worth its weight in gold.

The "points" noted in that review are incorrect. LOS and concealment are key elements in the game and I didn't notice AI cheat on it.

[Runthgar]

I don't believe the AI is cheating, on the occasions where I am getting hit by artillery from long distance, I have always found a turn or two later a unit that was hidden and remained hidden, (not attacking directly) that was in a position to spot my units.

[Oleksandr]

Originally posted by Hooch:

Game looks very cool. But in reading reviews, one negative review caught my attention. I was curious if this was a legit criticism or not because if it is, it's a no-buy for me.

----------------------snip-------------------
1) You can move into and out from ANY kind of obstacle from any angle without much happening, but more so - you can actually shoot trough it all. In other words an enemy gun can sit behind 6 blocks of houses and (magically) shoot a straight shot at you. Which is reflected in a bit of retardedness like mortars shooting OUT of houses etc.

2) the game *BLATANTLY* cheats by knowing where all your units are. And yes it WILL sit miles away and pound them with artillery, cannons, etc (trough a ton of stuff) because it magically knows where you are.
---------------------end snip-------------------

Both seem to negate the element of surprise and line of sight, which is important in a tactical game.

No the game has a very detailed Line of Fire / Line of Sight system.
1) That is incorrect - there are lots of objects on the map that block Line of Fire and Line of Sight - houses, walls, forests, tree lines, large objects, etc. You can enable Line of Fire outline by pressing the button next to a minimap. Also, please see Manual for more details about Line of Fire.
2) The AI follows exactly the same rules and has exactly the same information as any other player would.
There are ways to scout ahead - use units with high Camouflage and high Spotting parameters, like Scouts and Snipers, or generally any Infantry unit could work as well. You can totally spot the enemy before his units spot you. In general - armored units are much easier to find, and they have difficulty finding more inconspicuous units, like infantry. Also, please see Manual for more details about Spotting system.

We also replied to that reviewer pointing that out. It you still have doubts - you can always read Manual first and check out the Line of Fire and Spotting sections.
Hope this helps.

[Steevodeevo]

Done. So close down the thread?

[Cryptic]

The AI definitely does not cheat

[JoeBob6041]

Originally posted by Steevodeevo:

A mortar crew can be based in a building right now, I always consider them to be moving the mortar outside to fire. Mortar crews now and in WW2 could move, set up and retire to safety For me not a big deal and if it becomes an issue I'm sure it will be changed. As as been said, line of sight and spotting is all core to the game.

Except when they were outside the building firing the mortar, they were exposed.

[Steevodeevo]

Originally posted by JoeBob6041:

Originally posted by Steevodeevo:

A mortar crew can be based in a building right now, I always consider them to be moving the mortar outside to fire. Mortar crews now and in WW2 could move, set up and retire to safety For me not a big deal and if it becomes an issue I'm sure it will be changed. As as been said, line of sight and spotting is all core to the game.

Except when they were outside the building firing the mortar, they were exposed.

Yea, they would, that was my guess, it was wrong. The Devs explained their thinking, even in this thread I think. Best you pick the correct explanation to expand your criticism on. In a nutshell the Devs consider mortar teams as highly mobile, non vehicular Infantry with ranged HE capability. Hence their flexibility in set up locations. Makes sense to me.

[JoeBob6041]

Originally posted by Oleksandr:

Originally posted by Hooch:

Game looks very cool. But in reading reviews, one negative review caught my attention. I was curious if this was a legit criticism or not because if it is, it's a no-buy for me.

----------------------snip-------------------
1) You can move into and out from ANY kind of obstacle from any angle without much happening, but more so - you can actually shoot trough it all. In other words an enemy gun can sit behind 6 blocks of houses and (magically) shoot a straight shot at you. Which is reflected in a bit of retardedness like mortars shooting OUT of houses etc.

2) the game *BLATANTLY* cheats by knowing where all your units are. And yes it WILL sit miles away and pound them with artillery, cannons, etc (trough a ton of stuff) because it magically knows where you are.
---------------------end snip-------------------

Both seem to negate the element of surprise and line of sight, which is important in a tactical game.

No the game has a very detailed Line of Fire / Line of Sight system.
1) That is incorrect - there are lots of objects on the map that block Line of Fire and Line of Sight - houses, walls, forests, tree lines, large objects, etc. You can enable Line of Fire outline by pressing the button next to a minimap. Also, please see Manual for more details about Line of Fire.
2) The AI follows exactly the same rules and has exactly the same information as any other player would.

The game does not work this way. AI can fire through intact buildings.