z fire

[Walrus]

Hi
I seem to have posted at the same time as you before
Interesting to see we have very different opinions.

I agree that it can be tedious to lay against. But tedious doesn't equal unrealistic.

Yes, but tedious does equal tedious. When I play this game, I enjoy realism as far as I can create it...but it is a game, I play it to enjoy it and watching never ending sheets of z fire , most of it ineffective, is not fun.
I have watched enough now to be bored to death with it.
It will affect my choices of opponents in the future.
Hopefully there will be a few players left out there who do not feel they have to shot every weapon of ever unit in every turn of the battle.
I play first to have fun, and second to win.

As to the accuracy, I find z-firing into hexes you can't see with the firer to be very inaccurate. Maybe only one in ten 'rounds' hitting the actual hex. A lot depends on range though, the further away you fire, the bigger the likely drift.

As you well know, the accuracy into blind hexes has more 'spray' now after a couple of SPCAMO tweaks in the last few patches.
However, as I am sure you are aware, there are ways to keep the spray fairly tight and if you have enough units firing into a small enough area, it can be very effective. I tend to have a problem with that when the target area is well out of LOS and the fire keeps hammering the same spot.

It is a function of the 'eye of god' game style. Your example before of the german MG fire in WWI that killed Brits well in the rear of the tranches by 'plunging' fire is fair enough...but they couldn't 'see' the enemy. As you said, it was probably blind luck...coupled with the fact that they knew where the enemy trenches were, even if they were out of LOS at that moment.

In a Meeting Engagement recently, with visibility being 10 hexes, and plenty of smoke around, I was being accurately z fired by every unit that could...some firing 2x LOS (20+ hexes)...EVERY turn, EVERY unit...most of their available shots for that round.
He knew where to shoot because he has 'eye of god' vision.
THAT is the problem for me.

As I said before, it is a valid tactic in many circumstances, but I think it is being over used by many players recently and personally feel it detracts from my enjoyment of my favorite game :(

And there are drawbacks, besides the mentioned information it gives the receiver on what's out there there's also the chance of the z-firer appearing on the map as 'spotted' (similar to arty units).

This is true. Also z firing units will sometimes 'smoke up' the hexes they fire from helping you discover their position.
The spray of fire into non-LOS hexes is better now too, mush less accurate.
Sometime units will z-fire their friendly neighbours with wildly inaccurate bursts.

I do use it in every game at some point. I tend to restrict it to MG type weapons and try to keep it to the edge of LOS if possible.

I just find heavy use...tedious.

Each to their own I guess

I am interested to hear the opinion of others on this topic.
Perhaps I am in the minority?

Cheers