Omniscient Artillery Fire Support
Posted: 19 Aug 2012, 20:13
You know, the ones "automatically assigned to nearest sensor or CB tower".
This is not true: Artillery emplacements can and will attack anything within anyone's sight or sensor range.
I noticed this in the Gamma 3 campaign mission. I'd wiped Nexus's Gamma base off the map, cleaned up all the stragglers, but the mission was not complete yet? Turns out there were four or five Nexus units sitting on top of that isolated hill on the extreme NW corner of the map, one of them a Vindicator Hover. (That explains where the SAM's were coming from, at least). I edge a sensor hover of my own into that area, and my Hellstorm emplacements start raining shells down upon them.
But the mission was still not over yet. So I send out a VTOL to scout the area, and discover there are 1-2 cyborgs still up on that hill, just out of ground sight range. My VTOL does not attack them (I didn't order it to) - but just as it's starting to fly back, my Hellstorm emplacements do and I get "Objective Accomplished".
Wait, what? Why are my defenses opening fire when I have nothing to spot targets for them?
To be precise, I did not have any sensor towers able to see them (I did have one tower nearby, but they were just out of range). And I'm okay with mobile sensor units being able to spot for artillery emplacements (commander-firing-support style). But I just flew one VTOL unit into the area, and suddenly all my defenses open fire?
This is just not right.
(It also explains why Beta 7 (capture NASDA central) is suddenly so difficult: Not only are there enemy sensor towers stationed near your LZ, but once any enemy unit approaches your LZ, your away team goes down in a hail of Ripple Rockets.)
Simplified example - try it yourself!
1 - Start a skirmish on T2 Sk-Rush.
2 - Build some Mortar emplacements around your perimeter power resources (the ones with hardpoints around them).
3 - Move a truck to the oil derrick at the edge of your sensor range (but don't build on it yet). This will bring enemy hardpoints within sight range.
4 - Your mortar emplacements are now shooting at enemy hardpoints despite there is no actual sensor within range of them.
5 - Return your truck to base; enemy hardpoints are now outside of any sight range but your defenses are still firing. In fact, they will continue firing until not just the first target is destroyed, but all targets are destroyed.
This is not true: Artillery emplacements can and will attack anything within anyone's sight or sensor range.
I noticed this in the Gamma 3 campaign mission. I'd wiped Nexus's Gamma base off the map, cleaned up all the stragglers, but the mission was not complete yet? Turns out there were four or five Nexus units sitting on top of that isolated hill on the extreme NW corner of the map, one of them a Vindicator Hover. (That explains where the SAM's were coming from, at least). I edge a sensor hover of my own into that area, and my Hellstorm emplacements start raining shells down upon them.
But the mission was still not over yet. So I send out a VTOL to scout the area, and discover there are 1-2 cyborgs still up on that hill, just out of ground sight range. My VTOL does not attack them (I didn't order it to) - but just as it's starting to fly back, my Hellstorm emplacements do and I get "Objective Accomplished".
Wait, what? Why are my defenses opening fire when I have nothing to spot targets for them?
To be precise, I did not have any sensor towers able to see them (I did have one tower nearby, but they were just out of range). And I'm okay with mobile sensor units being able to spot for artillery emplacements (commander-firing-support style). But I just flew one VTOL unit into the area, and suddenly all my defenses open fire?
This is just not right.
(It also explains why Beta 7 (capture NASDA central) is suddenly so difficult: Not only are there enemy sensor towers stationed near your LZ, but once any enemy unit approaches your LZ, your away team goes down in a hail of Ripple Rockets.)
Simplified example - try it yourself!
1 - Start a skirmish on T2 Sk-Rush.
2 - Build some Mortar emplacements around your perimeter power resources (the ones with hardpoints around them).
3 - Move a truck to the oil derrick at the edge of your sensor range (but don't build on it yet). This will bring enemy hardpoints within sight range.
4 - Your mortar emplacements are now shooting at enemy hardpoints despite there is no actual sensor within range of them.
5 - Return your truck to base; enemy hardpoints are now outside of any sight range but your defenses are still firing. In fact, they will continue firing until not just the first target is destroyed, but all targets are destroyed.