Rate the five battles

[SlySniper]

Please provide some feed back on the scenarios for this Tournament

I would like to see this type of format as part of your post and reply ( but feel free to do whatever, just a concept as to how)
I really do feel this was the best 5 battles that I have done for a Tournament as a whole - My biggiest shortfall is scoring as to how the results score in some of the battles
The good news is, if you were in the top half of your bracket, then that is the score that matters as to if you played well.

Battle 1 - Dirty Fight - Canadians attack a village rating: 8 like: early stage dislike: scoring
Battle 2 - Schooled - Americans attack a village with 88s as part of the defence rating: 8 like: challedge of map to the Americans dislike: retricted set up zone for germans
Battle 3 - Ambush - Rangers forest road block rating: 7 like: difficult task of the Germans dislike: map
Battle 4 - Break and Breach - German assault in arid reqion rating: 8 like: the dessert dislike: contact at the start of battle
Battle 5 - Night Moves - Kiwi Night operations behind enemy lines. rating: 8 like: unusual task dislike: hide and seek play

 

[Lethaface]

I agree the battles were all good, the last one wasn't the most exciting but that was probably partly due to how I played / it played out. So indeed another great tournament, probably on overall mission quality I think you are correct that this was the best; although I also enjoyed the other tournaments!

I think my preference of battles is: 2,4,1,3,5

But then again in another situation I might have gone for aggressive patrolling in battle 5 and it could have changed up the whole game.

2 and 4 are very close imo, in both I was on the attack, with competent mech forces, against complex terrain. That's probably also my favorite mission type, although I enjoy complex
terrain defense on a similar level.

1 and 3 also very close, all hard fought battles. I prefer 2 and 4 probably because I enjoy a bit bigger scale ; more options and choices / less predictability.

5 wasn't predictable necessarily but I chose a lazy defense / ambush and probably that wasn't the best choice

 

[Raging Al]

Yes, another great tournament, @SlySniper, long may they continue, please.

Battle 1: 8 - I always enjoy the challenge of playing the Italians. Clever opening turns, having to fight off the infiltration teams whilst protecting the tank crews as they scrambled to their mounts. And planning defence on the fly, whilst looking for opportunities to counter-attack. Nice map and force selection for either side.
Battle 2: 9 - despite losing this one as the US, I really enjoyed the scenario, map and concept. That town was one tough nut to crack, especially against a defender as whiley as @Bleskaceq! Lots of toys for the US player, and a variety of approaches.
Battle 3: 5 - my least favourite because of the dense forest terrain even if I did get a lucky win. Nice force mix, but hard work to play through.
Battle 4: 6 - this would probably have been more fun played as the US attacker. As the defender, I felt this was quite scripted with limited set up zones, and was always going to be difficult to pull off a victory against a half decent attacker with so much HE to throw at infantry in trenches. Fast & furious though which was a positive.
Battle 5: 8 - an unusual and surprisingly enjoyable scenario as the attacker. Search & destroy/hit & run - had a real SAS feel to it which made a pleasant change - long periods of stealthy movement with violent little firefights thrown into the mix. Would have been nice to have this as third or fourth battle with battle 2 or 4 as the climax to the torunament, but no complaints otherwise.

Keep up the great work @SlySniper. I’ll definitely be signing up for the next one.

 

[Hilts]

Yep, thanks for organising this @SlySniper .

Battle 1 9 Like : Despite just losing in this I felt it was the most realistic battle of the five in terms of the map and force mix. Dislike : I hate playing as the Italians!
Battle 2 10 Like : Very enjoyable. I just chucked everything at the town. Dislike : none
Battle 3 5 Like : I managed to get the points as the Germans despite withdrawing! Dislike : The map and the mission.
Battle 4 6 Like : Er, I can't think of anything. Dislike : The battle didn't feel very realistic.
Battle 5 7 Like : An interesting concept. Dislike : First 20 minutes was a bit boring.

Any ideas for the next one @SlySniper ?

 

[SlySniper]

I was thinking maybe CMFB, but I have not started anything . So not commited to any game yet, but also not likely to get the next one started too soon either,

 

[Raging Al]

I was thinking maybe CMFB, but I have not started anything . So not commited to any game yet, but also not likely to get the next one started too soon either,

Hopefully Battlefront will have brought out the long promised “Commonwealth/to the end of the war” module by the time you’re ready to start, otherwise it’s just US v Germans (maybe you know something we don’t, @SlySniper, considering you’re now an official scenario designer ).

It’s the variety of nationalities and toys available in CMFI (with GL & R2V modules) that make it the most appealing setting for me:

1943 to 1945
Allies
United States
United Kingdom
Canada
New Zealand
Poland
South Africa
British India
Free French
Brazil
Axis
Italy
German Heer
German Luftwaffe
German Waffen SS

 

[JTimo]

I’m trying the rate the battles but I keep thinking of the challenges each one posed, and they all turn out to be great.

Game 1 Rating - 9
Like - Playing as the Italians (always a challenge)
Dislike - Playing as the Italians (I can’t figure out how to use them)

Game 2 Rating - 8
Like - Halftracks, a game where you can plan your AOAs
Dislike - Ineffectiveness of 88s. Although they did some serious initial damage to my forces, they really didn’t have much of an impact on the outcome of the game.

Game 3 Rating - 9
Like - Ambush, Hide-n-seek in the woods. Executing a road march to counter such things. Makes for a fun challenge
Dislike - Road was a bit long, leaving German player no alternative but to make a late game “run for it”

Game 4 Rating - 9
Like - The challenge of planning and executing a well timed combined arms attack, although I didn’t feel that I timed it very well. This game put the German right into it due to the setup zone being in LOS of the defender.
Dislike - Maybe the defender could have received his reinforcements a little earlier in the game

Game 5 Rating - 10
Like - This game was unique. Never played one like it before. I like games where stealth and scouting are keys to success.
Dislike - Losing. Used the dismounted drivers to setup forward observation posts, but a single man doesn’t spot very well, so I needed to be more aggressive by sending some other units (e.g. HQs) out to help with that.

Looking forward to the next FW tournament, although I don’t blame Sly for wanting a little break.

 

[JTimo]

One addendum to what I said earlier, and this is a general diislike. When playing as the attacker, with significant reinforcements, I was disappointed when those units initially appeared totally opposite of the side I have chosen as my main advance. This was particularly the case in game 2 where I marched my initial forces across the whole width of the map, and then saw my reinforcements come in forward on the far right. I expected them to appear in the same area as my initial force.

 

[SlySniper]

Like - Playing as the Italians (always a challenge)
Dislike - Playing as the Italians (I can’t figure out how to use them)

I like this comment, I feel the same way all the time with weak forces.

Love them but hate them when I cannot play well with them.


It does amaze me that they do nothing to make them weak, its just the settings used in the game and the equipment they are using that will create their weaknesses. Maybe it would be fun to create a kick ass Italion unit that actually dominates a battle, that would shock some folks.

 

[SlySniper]

One addendum to what I said earlier, and this is a general diislike. When playing as the attacker, with significant reinforcements, I was disappointed when those units initially appeared totally opposite of the side I have chosen as my main advance. This was particularly the case in game 2 where I marched my initial forces across the whole width of the map, and then saw my reinforcements come in forward on the far right. I expected them to appear in the same area as my initial force.

My bad, I am trying to remember to be clearer in my briefings as to where reinforcements are coming in at on the maps. Something I have learned from doing these. but it appears I am still making mistakes there and not getting it in.

 

[SlySniper]

( considering you’re now an official scenario designer ).

(Not exactly correct)

I am a beta tester (which is in itself a unusual thing with BF company)

So I should be running and testing for errors with their beta software. And I get to play and comment on scenarios designed as to things that are good or not so good.

But in truth, they never approached me to design Scenarios, I just volenteered myself by creating and submitting a few since they appeared they could use the help, I being willing to put myself out there since I felt I could do a decent job and had some of the needed skills.

But I am not what I consider a real dedicated designer or have I been asked to be..

Some of those guys put a ton of effort in as to research, map creation and then getting it to play and score correctly.

I am just a guy that likes playing around with it and seeing what what I can get it to protray.



Yes, they have used my scenarios and I will continue to help them there.

(but official is too strong of a word - volenteer and you get what you pay for is more my view on it)

 

[Guardsman]

Battle 1 - Dirty Fight - Canadians attack a village rating: 10 like: Really enjoyed this one, pick of the bunch for me dislike: maybe the time frame forcing rushes but not major.
Battle 2 - Schooled - Americans attack a village with 88s as part of the defence rating: 8 like: tough ask as the defender but pretty realistic i guess, enjoyed the challenge dislike: restricted set up zone for germans, 88's werent much cop due to LOS restrictions.
Battle 3 - Ambush - Rangers forest road block rating: 7 like: tough ambush battle but enjoyable dislike: nothing
Battle 4 - Break and Breach - German assault in arid reqion rating: 5 like: the forces present were great for both sides and could have been a great battle dislike: unrealistic nature of having our whole force paraded before dug in anti tank guns, mortars and armour, then reinfs spawning in same fashion for pure cannon fodder. Just felt like a US target fest.
Battle 5 - Night Moves - Kiwi Night operations behind enemy lines. rating: 7 like: unusual task, enjoyed patrolling about dislike: its night time but enemy have snipers to pick off the armoured car crews with impunity...not aware of night vision scopes in ww2 ? (maybe they did!)

 

[dkchapuis]

Sly, thanks for providing this tournament. It was quite enjoyable. Feedback below:

Overall Tournament:
Likes:
- double blind scenarios are my favorite way to play, and it is nice knowing that there is no way for someone to look at the scenario details since you provide passwords
- tournament scoring is based on how you compare to other players that played the same side vs the in game score. I think this is vital for CM tournaments!!
- I like the short time frame. 30 mins games keep the tournament moving
- I like the variety of units and getting so use units that are not seen as often

Dislike (somewhat):
- My favorite types of games are meeting engagements that allow for a good use of maneuver elements. None of the scenarios fit that description, so that was a little disappointing.


Game 1: Rating - 8. This was my favorite. It allowed for decent maneuver as the attacker and defender. And the forward setup zones for both sides was nice.
Game 2: Rating - 7. Very enjoyable game. I liked that the Germans could deploy some troops in the forest. The 88s were hard to use, but that wasnt really a scenario design issue.
Game 3: Rating - 5. This game had less tactical options than the first two. The fight for the center valley was fun, but eventually my German opponent just drove vehicles straight down the road - which seemed to happen in quite a few battles. I dont think the 30 min time allowed for much more in terms of tactical choices.
Game 4: Rating - 3. I enjoy blowing up tanks as much as the next guy, but I didnt like the spawn locations for the German units. Meaningful tactial options for this game were really limited.
Game 5: Rating - 0. Im glad other people enjoyed this game, but for me this was the most boring CM game ive ever played. I'll just leave it at that.

Thanks again for all the work that you put in for this tournament. As i stated above, overall it was quite enjoyable. I really enjoy AARs on games where multiple people play that same map/scenario. It really adds to the fun.

 

[SlySniper]

One comment that keeps showing up that I like to comment on.

Its the time allowance in the battles that are too tight for the task i have given.

No question, a good complaint, but there is a direct reason it is happening. and its not by accident.


First, I am pretty determined to keep the turns to 30 if at all possible just to keep the tournament moving.
If It was just a Scenario being created for your use, I will be the first to agree more time would be assigned to some of the battles.

With that in mind, I would rather you have battles that have more task than you will be able to handle than one with a task that will most likeky be totally completed by most players. Again since it is a tournament and I am trying to judge you against each other. It provides a better gage if the results are more of a percentage of completion compared to how well a totally completed task is done.

But I do have a few I have create that I do expect most will complete,.

But in general , the time for task will most often be a little short for what might be asked of players.

 

[Guardsman]

best thing about this tournament was the real variety of challenges, it made you think hard and no doubt took some of us out of our comfort zones, plus we got to use units that we may not have ever used. I liked the maps too. Thanks for your efforts in setting this up Slysniper

 

[Raging Al]

One comment that keeps showing up that I like to comment on.

Its the time allowance in the battles that are too tight for the task i have given.

No question, a good complaint, but there is a direct reason it is happening. and its not by accident.


First, I am pretty determined to keep the turns to 30 if at all possible just to keep the tournament moving.

i really like the 30 minute format. It keeps everything fast moving and generally means you’re going to get thrown in at the deep end. That, the double blind, and the fact that your score is based on how well you did compared to your peers, is why I will keep coming back for more of these tournaments.

 

[Stafford]

Thanks for the great tournament @SlySniper , all the games were interesting challenges in their own ways. From a gameplay perspective I have no gripes, just some annoyances with CM itself, specifically the spotting mechanics (as usual).

Anyway, on with my thoughts on each battle in turn.

Battle 1 - Dirty Fight - Canadians attack a village.

As attacker I feel I had the easier run of it, Sherman tanks might as well be King Tigers when going against Italian armour, poor sods don't even have anti-tank weapons to be wary of so my armour could pretty much run amok once they landed on field. It wasn't all my own way though, infantry attacking into a town is never easy and my opponent put up a pretty decent fight given I had to push hard due to the time constraints. Overall I was reasonably satisfied with my performance, could possibly have pushed harder but erred on the side of caution.

Battle 2 - Schooled - Americans attack a village with 88s as part of the defence.

This battle really soured me due to CM spotting mechanics, I moved a couple of the 88s during set up, checked that their lines of sight were good, and then began the battle, however once underway those two 88s simply couldn't see a thing despite clearly (by eye) being able to see over the small shrubs in front of them - I think the issue here is that the shrub sprites are actually bigger than what we see, the transparent part of the sprite is in fact blocking the guns calculated line of sight.
Being effectively down to a single 88 and the remainder of my force, I pushed a squad wide into the nearby copses to set up some ambushes for the infantry that was sure to push through there, they did, but I didn't expect that many enemy forces to be coming in at a rate of knots. I used the town as cover best as possible but @Lethaface did exactly what I would have done in his position, systematically destroy every building with all the firepower at his disposal.
When my guys did manage to get shots off through keyholes, they did inflict decent casualties thanks to their quality. But even falling back as the buildings fell and casualties mounting IIRC I only managed to contest the final objective.

Battle 3 - Ambush - Rangers forest road block.

This battle was a lot of fun as defender, I think it went the way of most games, Germans playing whack-a-mole for the first half and then a mad dash at the end, it was pretty chaotic and I think if my opponent had laid smoke first and then rushed he would have had a better time of it, but by the time he did it was too late.


Battle 4 - Break and Breach - German assault in arid reqion.

A fun and chaotic battle. I set short covered arcs on all my guns until I knew what I was dealing with, unfortunately this allowed my opponent a full minute of unopposed fire - I don't think I lost anything significant in the first minute, and holding fire let me manually target multiple guns onto single important targets, some guns died in the next few minutes without doing much, some had kill lists a mile long. I got a lot of use out of the halftrack mounted AT guns, they helped stop a push on my left flank with some good long range fire, before the Stuarts arrived and cleared that flank altogether.
I attempted to push back on the left flank but there was still simply too many enemy guns in play to make that happen. A late push on my right flank was being contested by the arrival of the three Shermans and could definitely have turned bloody, but I was reasonably happy with the outcome.
The only irritant was once again, spotting mechanics, but it is what it is.


Battle 5 - Night Moves - Kiwi Night operations behind enemy lines.

Attacking here was a lot of fun, handicapped only by my lack of knowledge of how well troops spot in night battles, therefore I was probably a lot more cautious in the first half of the game than I really needed to be, and could have used those vital minutes in the end to finish off all of the supply trucks.
All in all a fun battle to attack in, I can imagine it could be boring and or frustrating as defender though?

 

[SlySniper]

Final scores and awards are posted

 

[Monty's Mighty Moustache]

Great tournament, @SlySniper and thanks for all the hard work.

Battle 1: 8 - Not played as the Commonwealth forces in a while and I vastly overestimated the effect the dark would have, or lack thereof, on my ability to be sneaky. Ho hum. Nice map though and interesting challenge as there's not a lot of places to hide.
Battle 2: 9 for the battle, 2 for the experience (not your fault) - this was just a frustrating experience and I must admit my interest did start to wane towards the end. I actually liked the scenario and found it interesting, especially with that much US armour on the map. I think the 88s were a bit hard to use well on this map but there were probably more keyholes etc than I found. And spare a thought for those poor HT gunners, my oppo must have lost a couple dozen at least.
Battle 3: 10 - I really enjoyed this one, it did come down to a thunder run at the end and one of the StuGs that @Raging Al managed to get out got a bazooka up the bum on the way out too but thems the shakes.
Battle 4: 8 - this was a slaughter, but I actually like tough scenarios you have to try and fight out of. Bit of indecision on my part caused grief and I found that many units hard to coral as the Germans but it was an interesting one nonetheless.
Battle 5: 10 - I think as the NZ attackers this was my favourite, nice change of pace and lots of sneaking about. I didn't manage to get two of the ammo dumps but I did know where they were, just ran out of time trying to get a good position to call in the artillery. I liked the concept though, and the map had plenty of room to roam about in.

 

[KGPanther]

Game 1 Rating - 9
Like – Realistic scenario
Dislike – That I assumed too much, which led to high casualties until I got my act together and situational awareness…good breaking in (would have done it a lot differently in hindsight)

Game 2 Rating - 8
Like – Having anticipation that my 88s would rock America’s world…
Dislike – 88s not rocking American’s world…duds- lines of sight pre start were incorrect. I was able to inflict some casualties and stop a complete blowout…but really was saved by the bell.

Game 3 Rating - 9
Like - Ambush, Hide-n-seek in the woods. Countering/shifting troops to stop line breaches. Fun challenge
Dislike – Agree that road was a too long which allowed German player to make a literal last minute rush of a few vehicles to take the win (when in reality, they would have been done at that point)

Game 4 Rating - 9
Like – the fact that my defense did well, guns good LOS and that I still was puckering my sphincter when I saw all the Germans attacking. Glad I wasn’t playing the Germans LOL

Dislike- Not too much.

Game 5 Rating - 8
Like – Agree this game was unique.

Dislike - Losing. Felt I did not have enough time to get into positions and/or find what I needed- so that forced high risk moving fast blindly….still took out 3 depos but ran out of time once I found the last one.


All in all, thank you SlySniper for all you have done to set up and create the Tourney….I know it is a lot of work and I am sure I speak for all that we really appreciate it. I look forward to the next one…great experience.

Cheers!