Frustration!

PC : Battle Academy is a turn based tactical WWII game with almost limitless modding opportnuities.

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stanhannan
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Frustration!

Post by stanhannan »

In many ways I love the game and have enjoyed most of it.That is until I came to "COBRA" ..frankly this is unrealistic and almost impossible. The Stugs move like Nascar,blow up everything like Tiger tanks and are impervious to Shermans.....and then they appear from nowhere at warp speed? I dont have to luxury of time to keep repeating or fiddle with Mods.Therefore I have abandoned the game in utter frustration. The game needs to be slowed down its too much like a cheap arcade game in its movements... and it needs some tweaking to be realistic.I hate to be negative because in many ways its thoroughly enjoyable.The option to bypass a scenario should also exist.You will lost many customers in their frustration who do not have the skills or capacity to mod.
IainMcNeil
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Post by IainMcNeil »

The difficulty in a few places definitely seems an issue. We'll look in to it.

Having difficulty levels is somethign we will look at. Others have had success with this mission and may be able to post some suggestions.

We definitely do not want people to become frustrated.
Obsolete
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Post by Obsolete »

that is until I came to "COBRA"

What units are you purchasing? You're probably doing something wrong...
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Smirfy
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Post by Smirfy »

No doubt Cobra is hard and the Stug's are deadly. I let the German Armour fall on my positions and while they struggle with infantry I and hit them on the flanks. I attack along the Southern Flank once the two villages are taken and bomb the hill every chance I get. I found the 2 Priest option was better for taking out emplacements. Took me about 6 times to beat it.
adherbal
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Post by adherbal »

It's been a while since I played this but i think keeping your forces together after clearing the initial defenses, as well as good use of the bombardments (target the tank depots early on to catch some tanks while they are still there) and the bishop(s) should do the trick.

And I'm pretty sure you are aware of it but for each of the initial villages you capture you get some reinforcements.
LOGAN5
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Post by LOGAN5 »

Push almost everything you got up the left side and try to get that depot. The Tigers should go down pretty easy if you just stay back and let them come to you.. You need to use your infantry in the forest below the hill to try and kill the tanks, then once you get the AT guns on the hills with your support and the tigers are gone, you can sneak in across the smallest gap, but watch out because there are Waffen SS in the woods.

The game gets a lot harder as you get into the Bulge missions, this is not a game that you can expect to beat these scenarios the 1st or 2nd time around, just relax and have fun if you lose then try a different tactic, don't try the same failed attack 5 times and wonder why its not working
stanhannan
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Post by stanhannan »

Thank you, excellent advice passed on and once I have cooled down from my ten defeats I will tackle it yet again with the advice I have received.
stanhannan
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Cobra

Post by stanhannan »

Having played it again...and defeated again...even with good advice.This is what really frustrates:On three seperate occasions the STUG (out of the shadows mind you)took out one unit...buzzed around the corner and took out another. Similarly a PZ IV at "warp" speed blew a Sherman away then buzzed around the trees and blew an M 10. The design has weighted the firepower on the Stugs and PZIVs (to a lessor extent) way beyond any remoteness to reality! Its one thing to feel that its a scene from star wars....but frankly as a serious gamer this is beyond my tolerance. I enjoy good AI but what this has done is take away a sense of reality and fairness....so for now you have lost me.I will keep up with the forum from time to time to see if there are changes. Simply put the "arcade" speed with which these units move is offputting to play and the "multi shot capabilty of the Stugs on the run...takes away tactics. This has the potential of a great game....but these elements rob the sense of realism and fun in my opinion. Having fought for the village, beaten the first rush of stugs then destroyed the Tigers to get to the hill (having bombed it to ruins) and find a bunch of stugs hearty, healthy and buzzing around was more than patience allows. By the way "Operation Cobra" was the "breakout" of US forces not the wave upon wave of German tankd hurtling forward in banzai charges.
LOGAN5
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Post by LOGAN5 »

Try not to leave your Tanks out in the open at the end of your turn. I went through this same thing just a few days ago, it is a hard mission. You can't go face to face with those Stugs they will destroy you quick, what you need to do is focus more on advancing your army and positioning yourself so that you don't get killed on his turn by hiding around the corners., a lot of the time you will kill them when they move next to your infantry or you tanks can hit them by surprise. Make sure you capture both villages because that will give you reinfocements, and take them and send them all to the left, you can kill the tigers with maybe 1 or 2 tanks and a bunch of infantry. Its not as far fetched as you would think if you leave a sherman in the middle of a field and there are a bunch of Stugs that hit you by surprise i highly doubt they would stand a chance. Take cover or you die.
jomni
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Post by jomni »

Turn the tables.
I think you whould be the one who does the shoting and scooting.
Your allied tanks are speedy enough.
Obsolete
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Post by Obsolete »

I'm not a fan of arcadey type feels either, but during beta it seems that is what the majority wanted. The problem is you can't please everyone.
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Post by tim1966 »

I think the best way to solve these complaints would be to have levels of play - arcade/semi realisitic and grognard say. A lot of game have these levels - Close Combat had the green/normal/veteran/grog levels if I remember correctly. Each level just needs different stats - slower armour, more vunerable infantry etc etc.
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cptkremmen
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Post by cptkremmen »

I like the game just as it is, possibly the easiest approach is to make more scenarios and have some easier than others.

Otherwise yes have 2-3 difficulty settings and give the AI a bonus/penalty on armour penetration, speed etc.
IainMcNeil
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Post by IainMcNeil »

In the next update we will be removing the locks that prevent you continuing a campaign if you cannot complete a single battle to avoid too much frustration. We'll look for other ways to help too!
Deadmeat1471
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Post by Deadmeat1471 »

LOGAN5 wrote:don't try the same failed attack 5 times and wonder why its not working
It worked in WW1.










....Eventually.
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Post by PirateJock_Wargamer »

Depends what your definition of 'worked' is deadmeat ... must be a very loose one ;)
adherbal
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Post by adherbal »

Not really true that, by the end of WW1 they had new weapons like light tanks, ground attack aircraft, flamethrowers, submachineguns, ... and they learned to use them much more effectively. So it was hardly the same tactics being repeated :)
Deadmeat1471
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Post by Deadmeat1471 »

adherbal wrote:Not really true that, by the end of WW1 they had new weapons like light tanks, ground attack aircraft, flamethrowers, submachineguns, ... and they learned to use them much more effectively. So it was hardly the same tactics being repeated :)
Thanks for ruining my joke :(
pipfromslitherine
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Post by pipfromslitherine »

I got it ;).

Cheers

Pip
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