Question on tanks with HIDE status

Weasel · 07-27-2012, 07:04 AM,

Will my tanks engage a target if I have them set to HIDE? I couldn't find anything about it except for infantry, and if I remember correctly infantry won't engage with the HIDE status.

raz_atoth · 07-27-2012, 09:33 AM,

I'm not really sure how hide really works for armor. Why would you want to hide it in the first place? I don't think it will be harder to spot. It would be awesome if the 'hide' command for tanks would mean 'camouflage it and make it less visible to the enemy',but i'm quite sure something like this isn't implemented. If you just don't want to engage enemy targets give it a very short cover arc.

rampantone · 07-28-2012, 02:02 AM,

Was reading through the manual the other day again, HIDE: Vehicles - Vehicles will hold fire and not move trying to keep a low noise profile. Hiding vehicles that are struck from a projectile, or spot an enemy vehicle targeting them will automatically un-hide.

Infantry will engage if they feel threatened or they are undisciplined in stats and experience. Page 87 of the manual goes in to more detail, though it doesn't say if armor will react to infantry in hide mode, probably something to test in the scenario editor.

Weasel · 07-28-2012, 04:05 AM,

I was looking at HIDE for armour as in shutting off the engine, low noise profile etc making harder to spot. It does appear that I missed something in the manual though, because tanks will arouse themselves, thanks rampantone.

My experience with grunts is they just get clobbered.

rampantone · (This post was last modified: 07-28-2012, 05:45 AM by rampantone.)

I was wondering the same thing about shutting the engine off. Most videos I've seen of WWII tanks firing up are usually hand cranked or primed in some way, this video here for example Tiger Tank Start Up Another question would be were the crews confident enough they could shut the engine off and fire it right back up and get out of dodge if needed? Also didn't most of the turrets hydraulics run off the engine in which then the turret would need to be hand rotated? If the opposing force heard a tank or several shut off the engines could it be an opportunity to launch an attack? Shutting off engines sounds like it could be more a recipe for disaster then a tactical advantage. Would be cool if an armor grognard around here could give us some insight on this.

Weasel · (This post was last modified: 08-03-2012, 04:23 AM by Weasel.)

(07-28-2012, 05:06 AM)rampantone Wrote: I was wondering the same thing about shutting the engine off. Most videos I've seen of WWII tanks firing up are usually hand cranked or primed in some way, this video here for example Tiger Tank Start Up Another question would be were the crews confident enough they could shut the engine off and fire it right back up and get out of dodge if needed? Also didn't most of the turrets hydraulics run off the engine in which then the turret would need to be hand rotated? If the opposing force heard a tank or several shut off the engines could it be an opportunity to launch an attack? Shutting off engines sounds like it could be more a recipe for disaster then a tactical advantage. Would be cool if an armor grognard around here could give us some insight on this.

I am an ex-zipper head and we use to shut off our tanks in a hide or hull down position when staying put for a while, but not on the battle run (obviously). My CM tank has been sitting for about 20 minutes, we would have shut off by now in RL, but then that is a modern tank. I believe the Tiger was hydraulic and the Sherman electric (and thus faster traverse).

enigma6584 · 08-03-2012, 05:23 AM,

That is a good question Weasel. I think the good answers have already been posted here. Don't think I've ever heard of anyone actually using it in game myself. It would be something to try and see how it works in a test mission. The only thing I could think of using this in game is if you've got tanks hiding behind a hill, put them on hide and thus enemy will be unhable to hear the vehicles...thus your opponant would not get any "question mark" icons etc., perhaps if they were not in hide, your opponant would get some sort of icon behind those hills indicating your troops hearing something back there. Again, I don't know though.

Weasel · 08-03-2012, 06:01 AM,

That is my concern, I "heard" my opponents Shermans behind a forest long before I spotted them, so I am sure he "heard" my tanks too which would foil an ambush.