Can't beat that one damn mission...!

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

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St1gar
Lance Corporal - Panzer IA
Lance Corporal - Panzer IA
Posts: 17
Joined: Wed Jul 08, 2009 11:04 am

Can't beat that one damn mission...!

Post by St1gar »

So I just downloaded Battle(field) Academy again, (had to buy the whole damn game all over again. Grrr.), and figured I'd try the first mission in the "Battle of the Bulge" -campaign. I don't remember what it's called, but it was the one where a US unit is caught off guard by a German offensive of some sort, and you need to hold your ground for twenty turns. There are two "bases" - the actual frontline, and a fallback-position a little further back. Assorted sandbags and bunkers here and there.

First of all, I have to purchase the soldiers and assets that I will use in the battle. I pretty much go all anti-tank, because in my experience, infantry in this game is pretty much only good against other infantry - the only actual threats are tanks and other vehicles.

So I start the game, and... damn. The first wave is easily repulsed, as it consists only of something resembling half-tracks and a few hapless infantry-idiots whose only contribution to the German war effort is to die a lot and run away, screaming. (Standard Battle Academy-infantry, in other words.) But then stuff gets tougher. And then tougher. And then shit really starts hitting the fan with intense force as they start bombarding me with artillery and airstrikes between each turn, and send all sorts of weird and wonderful tanks at me with no end in sight. Usually at five or six turns in, I find myself scratching my head and admitting that there's no way I'm going to survive this for fifteen more turns. I even once swallowed my pride and balls and decided to switch on "Easy Mode" (Although I think that in this mission, it could perhaps rather have been called "Barely Playable Mode".), but, nope, still freakishly hard. My AT-guns usually either get "Suppressed" every other turn, or simply never find themselves in range of any targets. My tanks can't penetrate the armour of their (apparently superior) tanks, and because I only have a limited supply of them, each one I lose is a crushing blow. They bomb the shit out of my stuff with their unlimited barrages, and keep sending an unending onslaught of tanks that always dances right outside of the range of my AT guns. (Also, those Bazooka Teams sure are useless.)

So what am I expected to do, here? Or, rather, what did you do? What troops did you pick? At what point did you choose to relocate to the fallback-point? (I never did.) Where did you place your immobile stuff? Generally speaking; exactly what should I do? :?

Please give me some tips, if you can. :oops:
IainMcNeil
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Post by IainMcNeil »

Why did you have to buy again? You should be able to redownload. If you have any issues just let us know.

On Christmas Surprise you have to make sure you use hodl fire a lot. You dont want untis revleaing positions. Don;t put too many units in the front line as they get hit by bombardments. Suppress enemy infantry with your mortars to keep them back from your lines. Hit and run with your nfantry squads, shoot and withdraw inside the forsest to minimize casualties.

Use your tanks against infantry and support vehciles and only for flank shots on tanks. Make sure they can shoot and scoot as they will die in frontal atttacks. Stuarts are only useful as infantry support - useless against enemy tanks.

Bazookas are vital. Wait for flank and rear shots on enemy tanks. You ened to strip them of their infantry supports so they are going forwards blind and you can take them out. Shoot once and if you are not discovered think twice about shotting again. As usual place in positiosn where they can shoot and retire.
St1gar
Lance Corporal - Panzer IA
Lance Corporal - Panzer IA
Posts: 17
Joined: Wed Jul 08, 2009 11:04 am

Post by St1gar »

Why did you have to buy again? You should be able to redownload. If you have any issues just let us know.
No idea. Whenever I applied to re-download, I just got an E-mail telling me they were "Unable to process request".
On Christmas Surprise you have to make sure you use hodl fire a lot. You dont want untis revleaing positions. Don;t put too many units in the front line as they get hit by bombardments. Suppress enemy infantry with your mortars to keep them back from your lines. Hit and run with your nfantry squads, shoot and withdraw inside the forsest to minimize casualties.

Use your tanks against infantry and support vehciles and only for flank shots on tanks. Make sure they can shoot and scoot as they will die in frontal atttacks. Stuarts are only useful as infantry support - useless against enemy tanks.

Bazookas are vital. Wait for flank and rear shots on enemy tanks. You ened to strip them of their infantry supports so they are going forwards blind and you can take them out. Shoot once and if you are not discovered think twice about shotting again. As usual place in positiosn where they can shoot and retire.

What is supposed to be my main unit to use against tanks? You keep telling me that I should conceal my troops, but seeing as tanks can't hide in the woods - I think - and AT guns are perpetually immobile, that only leaves the Bazookas. And so far, they just seem utterly useless. They have an insanely short range, and even when they do get to shoot, they rarely penetrate, in my experience. You also keep talking about hitting them from the flanks and rear - I'm assuming damage is location-based? That tanks are more vulnerable from behind? I don't think the tutorial-level ever told me this...
St1gar
Lance Corporal - Panzer IA
Lance Corporal - Panzer IA
Posts: 17
Joined: Wed Jul 08, 2009 11:04 am

Post by St1gar »

Tried the mission again. Just... **** off. That mission has got to be one of the single biggest miserable, joyless, frustrating grinds I've ever experienced. What were you thinking?

This is... completely ******* nuts. I can't imagine what you must have been smoking when you came up that concept, but what ever it was, puff-puff-give. I really shouldn't have to tell you this, but the foremost emotion you should seek to never ever ever ever inspire in your players whatever you do, is frustration. Challenge, fine. Everyone likes a challenge. But frustration is a solely negative emotion, that no-one likes, and you should avoid inflicting at all costs.

Scenario balance, people. Make it hard, but never make it borderline impossible. Never.
admin
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Post by admin »

If you get any download issues contact us - Part of our promise is you can download for free for ever. If there are glitches in the system we need to work them through.
Brummbar44
2nd Lieutenant - Panzer IVF/2
2nd Lieutenant - Panzer IVF/2
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Post by Brummbar44 »

I just finished this mission successfully. I found it challenging, but not frustrating.

The key is to funnel the Germans into kill zones. Set up your AT assets in as much cover as possible (don't be fooled by the prepared positions, find key wooded areas). I kept units in reserve but the Germans never got past the funnel. Be sure to keep some infantry in the woods forward of the town objective to keep any wandering Volksgrenadiers at bay.

I did think the end was near when the Panthers showed up en-masse...but again, my AT funnel worked well. Lost only 5 units (3 of them because I got cocky near the end) and retook all of the objectives.

Buy AT assets (Bazooka's on hold fire) and deploy them with infantry to support. Hide your armour for flank shots and hunker down. It can be done!
pipfromslitherine
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Post by pipfromslitherine »

It's also worth remembering that you can switch in and out of Easy mode at any time. This can be a way to get past any frustrating missions - you can always come back to them later once you have worked out the best tactics to manage the situation :).

Cheers

Pip
Merr
Captain - Heavy Cruiser
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Post by Merr »

St1gar wrote: Everyone likes a challenge. But frustration is a solely negative emotion, that no-one likes, and you should avoid inflicting at all costs.
Avoiding frustration isn't the key ... Indentifying frustration and not letting it control the player is the key.

As an enroute air traffic controller, a challenge is handed to me everytime I plug-in to the radar sector. I never let it get frustrating because I can lose control. I can only give you tip's that I tell my radar trainee's, and the tip's fit into gaming because working air traffic is just a real life game ...

:arrow: Pre-Plan Your Moves ;
- Indentify each aircraft (enemy unit)... e.g. for BA ... type, speed, armor value, attack values.
- Where is the aircraft (enemy unit) going? ... Estimate it's destination so you can ambush it.
:arrow: Never Let the Sector (scenario) Control You ;
- If you go down the tubes (frustration maximum), you lost control.
:arrow: Know Your Limits (your unit capabilities);
- If a bazooka can't get the job done, then find another use for it ... e.g. lower a tank's morale and hit it with another, stronger unit.
:arrow: Take Control! (Do Something!) ;
- Don't sit back and bitch about it (first sign of frustration).
- Find a solution and deal with it.

Overall, Christmas Suprise is probably one scenario that meets historical design.
The Allies were going down the tubes ... But they dealt with the frustration and stopped the Axis.

If you can't beat the scenario, then learn from it ... Then, move along to another scenario.

Merr
Obsolete
Lieutenant Colonel - Panther D
Lieutenant Colonel - Panther D
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Post by Obsolete »

infantry in this game is pretty much only good against other infantry
Don't infantry come with two units of ordnance against armour?

I also don't remember having a problem with that scenario, so I can't say the developers made it frustrating.
Image
Experience Ratio = (def exp level + 2)/(att exp level + 2)
Entrenchment Ratio = (def entr rate + 1) /(att entr rate + 1)
Piglet71
Private First Class - Wehrmacht Inf
Private First Class - Wehrmacht Inf
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Post by Piglet71 »

It took me 2 attempts to beat this one, the first time I just got overran and left too many units at the rear to cover myself in retreat and who actually took no part in the fight. On the second run I moved more units up, placing 3 units in the forward farm house on hold, and a further unit hidden to the right in the woods by the dug in defenses. I had noticed on my first run the the enemy spend a lot of time attacking and clearing the farm house, so with 3 units in there I took out the passing tanks and shot up the halftracks etc, this caused the halftracks to deploy early and then come under morter fire and .30 and .50 machine gun fire. This then left the remaining tanks to attack the ridge line unsupported by infantry and they were then cut up by the AT guns. Placing infantry and MG's in the woods to the left and slightly forward of the ridge line also broke up the attack and attracted the attention of the tanks attacking the ridge line, this then helped me get my own tanks up close and to the rear of the enemy tanks.
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