How to make sensor tanks behave sane?

[doppelkeks]

Hi, I just discovered Warzone, playing single player campaing, great fun

I just got indirect weapons and badly need them in the current mission (Alpha 5), but my mobile sensors are a constant source of headache and fail.
No matter where I place them, they eventually start sacrificing themselves, going on senseless suicide missions into the enemy's tank nest. They also ignore "hold position" commands.
I have to nonstop supervise the sensor tanks, to catch them and call them back. As soon as they are back, they turn around and try to get killed again. I have no time to do anything else; So either I lose because I run out of time, or because I lost all mobile sensors.
Isn't there a way to keep them in safe positions?

Another issue: I mark a target for infantry, and quite often, the sensor will not stay in sufficiant distance, but run over until it touches the target. When I call it back, I lose the target mark, and mortars don't shoot.

[Emdek]

For a workaround you can try to set them to retreat when damaged.
But it's also possible to win without using them at all (I don't know how to workaround better, I'm not using them...).

[doppelkeks]

Retreat when damaged sends them to LZ and I temporarily lose artillery :/
So you only use towers? Or no artillery at all?

[macuser]

Or commanders, which seem to work fine.

[doppelkeks]

ah, I haven't invented commanders yet.
Played the level again, and this time the units acted much saner. Now I'll have to suss out which conditions trigger stupid behaviour. Experience doesn't influence the AI?

[Roux Le Corps]

maybe it was a one in a million glitch... I've had this issue before, i used to think they just disappeared

[macuser]

maybe it was a one in a million glitch... I've had this issue before, i used to think they just disappeared

LOL sensor tanks just dissappearing

[Roux Le Corps]

they didn't they were either off for a wander or just getting mortared...

[3drts]

Did you try setting it to fire at long range?

[Emdek]

So you only use towers? Or no artillery at all?

I'm using towers, but in fact I'm not using mobile artillery so much, until I have commanders (should be available after that or one of next missions).

[Spik3d]

I have the same problem, I ended up just putting cheap sensor tanks on an infinite production loop and sent them to where I wanted them to sensor. I watched about half of them drive themselves to their deaths into the base they were spotting.

[banson]

i know your new, but i can give you a tip to fighting.. in campain. just use 10 machine guns and have 4 mobile repar turrets follow them and allways be close.. have the tanks set to shoot at long range. retreat the whole groop at times just to repair them. dont try to take on a base def all at once.

when you can build stronger machine guns recyle them all and build the new ones. build repar bays if you can near the area your fighting or at it so the tanks can just retreat to it
once the commander is build, put 10 on him u dont need more
set them all to retreat at medium damage.
once u get lancers.. its game over for the enemy in campain 1. recycle the guns and make lancers. and dont use track till last alpha mission. half traks add life while still enableling you to have the speed you will need.
keep building the repair bays where the fight is so they can always retreet
just a little behind at times incase u need to pull back

on last alpha mission. if you use same strat and micro manage it well, them 10 lancers is all u need
but till you can get it down a brigade of bombards on sensor works well , espesialy on the first mountain of defences you run intoo

[banson]

my sensor tanks never do it that often,if your using them, u cant leave them with enemys around , systematicly target the closest enemy object and provide a long path for him to see it. and put him on hold position. you should be fine

[XHero_of_ChaosX]

I have found that terrain can be the cause of this. If the ground is elevated just enough or in the right angle, the sensor turret will act as if there is no way to spot the target. thus, it will charge in and die trying to get a better view on the target.. Also, try to keep a small escort with the sensor tank.

[Outlaw325]

It's stuff like Terrain issues which means you should use towers, not sensor tanks.

Towers can 'see' over any elevation change, and actually have a longer range. Sensor tanks might be mobile, but clearly this is a bad thing if they're suiciding into the enemy. I'd say just use towers, it'd be cheaper than replacing a bazillion scouts