Barbarossa II - Smolensk Beta 2 Options

[ScrapyardBob]

The changes look great. I took a few hours and ran around the map by myself on a local server:

a. Tank scrape E of G1. Very nicely sized. I love how you can easily scale the wall from the inside (over the L/R sides). The gap in the front railing is going to make it a prime sniping spot for overlooking G1. Two changes would be sweet. (1) The inside of the scrape is about 8-16 units too deep. (2) If the slope on the west side (outside of the scrape) could be flattened a bit, germans could use this position to also cover the swamp approach.

The russians definitely need to take and hold this position (it allows them overwatch of both G1 and G2).

b. Trench overlooking the stone bridge town (SE side) on the hilltop. Bit of a pain to climb out of except at the ends, yet it seems like you should be able to climb out the middle. The trees in town are a good addition (lowering the sniping factor from this location). I'd like to see the trench both deeper and shallower in places to make exits more obvious.

Maybe flatten out / lower the ground behind the trench (east side). It's so wide back there that I can see parking a tank there overlooking the village. I did get a tank hung up on the S end of the trench (oops).

c. Given the trench overlooking the town, the tank scrape E of G1, and the ability to park another tank between the scrape and the trench in hull-down positioning... I think G1/G2 are extremely vulnerable. In some ways that's very good, as long as the germans are strong on the north flank. Possible counter-balances if this proves to be true:

- Move the G1 pak gun to the south to (-23525 -19729 455). This would give it a better view
- Move G1 base farther west. Either just across the river below the G1 pak, or just west of the current G1 pak position.
- Move G2 NW to (-22693 -11957 517)

d1. (-23019 -18080 532) This is the spot N of the G1 pak gun. If this hilltop were resculpted just a hair, a tank could go hull-down in a way that it could overwatch G1 by looking SE.

d2. (-18684 -20461 696) If the middle of this little patch of terrain were lowered about 24-32 units it would provide germans a way to sneak up on the tank scrape to the E of G1 (making it a bit more bowl-shaped). Plus a tank could settle in there (although it's not an ideal spot) for ambush.

d3. (-14886 -19824 543) The swamp overlook (W end). This is nearly perfect. A way for infantry to sneak out of the swamp by going along the S fence, climbing the hill, and slipping around the top of the cliff. A single tree or bush to hide them from view as they come around the corner would be great (-15483 -19574 500). After that, they could sneak into the "pump pond" area and head downslope to G1.

d4. Ground color is still off along the base of the trees that run E-W on the north side of the swamp. I think the light gree pine trees could be stood off from the wall about another 32-48 units to break up that long straight wall.

d5. Love the new cattails / bullrushes.

d6. Trenchworks overlooking the swamp. Walls in front of the bunker openings could be higher (as much as 32 units). The trench wall on the right side of the 45mm gun is almost non-existent. That 45mm gunner is gonna be sniper-fodder for any germans in the village.

Maybe a tree on the hill N of the trenchworks (halfway towards town). Something to shield that area a little bit.

e1. 45mm gun overlooking the swamp. Could use another 20 degrees of angle to the right. Maybe shift the gun left about 32 units to allow more coverage to the right. (Left side coverage of the swamp and elevation +/- is perfect.)

e2. (-12295 -17812 303) The 2-rail fence on the S side of town. There's a single section missing. It would be great if that missing section could be widened to 2 or 3 open sections, making it possible to bring tanks through that spot.

e3. (-15479 -16802 441) Bunker exit SW of town. The rock on the right side (as you look SE) could be larger/taller. This would block the opening from being fired upon by the 45mm gun overlooking the swamp.

e4. (-16407 -13851 396) Road between stone bridge and town. Nice little rise/fall of the road there allowing some hull-down tank shooting into town (and at the stone bridge).

e5. Pak gun to the SSW of the stone bridge. Maybe hollow out a bowl-shaped depression here? The gun has excellent coverage and the sandbags help, it just still feels a little "hanging in the wind". I'm picturing a tank sitting next to the pak gun in the depression looking ENE to help with defense.

e6. Pak gun in the german spawn. Tough choices of where this may or may not be better placed. The opening in the haybales may need to be widened to match wider gun coverage.

- (-25799 -13119 188) Left side of spawn exit by the low stone wall (edge of the field). Which could give it a 160 degree field of view (from almost due N to almost due S).

- (-28245 -12750 188) Back left corner of spawn, looking SE with only 90 degrees of coverage. It would be able to defend the spawn area.

- Left in place. Needs about 10 more degrees of left movement and the left side haybales need to be shifted left as well.

- (-28417 -15260 157) Bit SW of where it is now, along the side of the building instead of in the front. It might look funny sitting in the middle of the road though. It would be ideal for covering both the NE approach and the E approach. Or maybe put it at the corner of the building which would accomplish the same feat.

f1. (-23768 -9729 474) Trenchworks on hill ridge between G spawn and G3. Nicely done. Deep enough to be useful, easy to get out of at obvious exits. Makes a decent tank scrap for looking NE as well.

Still some off-color ground to the NW of this spot.

f2. (-25252 -6820 438) NW corner of map (W of G3). Almost perfect little bowl-shaped corner. The E side of the bowl could be raised up a bit and the NW corner lowered slightly. As-is, it's a good position for laying down cover fire across the field in front of the german spawn (to the S).

f3. Love the rocks and bushes in the valley near there. The germans are going to have to watch that area for infantry. That whole river that runs from the stone bridge to the NW corner of the map is great.

f4. (-19438 -3329 637) NNE of G3, edge of map. There's a little hilltop here that is almost perfect for germans to watch east and north. It would be ideal if it was a little more bowl shaped and offered a touch more protection to the south. The height along the east edge is good and it's a strong defense against attacks from the east. Just a smidge of sclupting and I think it's a natural defense point.

f5. The road that runs N-S to the NW of G3 on the hilltop (more of a straight patch of dark brown then a road). If this stretch were lowered a touch and the W side raised a touch it would provide a defensive line for the G3 hill against attacks both W and E. Also a staging point for russians to start attacking SW towards the german spawn. There's a PzIII parked there in BAS.

f6. The pak gun at G3. The tall med green pine tree is a PITA (it blocks your view due to branches sticking into the pak gun's FOV). Maybe shove that pine tree about 16-32 units farther south. It could also use another 10-20 degrees of left coverage. And another 10-20 degrees of right coverage.

FYI - this pak gun can hit R3.

It would be useful if the ground behind the cliff edge were more depressed. It would provide a bit of cover from return fire while not requiring sandbags or haybales. Ideally, the whole area behind that pak gun could be depressed and bowl-shaped. That would provide the germans a defensible overlook to the SE.

I envision a tank parked to R of the pak gun looking towards the pillbox area. Or a portable MG setup there to cover the slope. I can also see a tank parked to the L of the pak gun with overwatch east. (I'm trying to strengthen the north flank to counterbalance the russian strength on the south flank.)

f7. (-19992 -9799 386) There's a tree to the S of G3 along the slope. If it was another 8-16 units away from the wall, it would be possible to sneak past it. Right now, you can't quite fit through the opening between the tree and the wall.

There's also a dark brown bush father upslope that could be stood out from the wall more to provide something to hide in.

f8. I know you said you won't move bases... but I still wonder if moving G3 to the NW so it's down closer to the river will help. Meh... we'll have to all see how it plays.

f9. The tank scrape SE of G3. Easy to get a tank in, slightly difficult to get a tank out. Also, since it's downslope from the german base, it would be good if it was another 24 units deeper. Not sure if it can be made larger like the scrap near G1 that you added. Maybe even ditch this and use the detail elsewhere.

g1. The pillbox defensive-works. I like those now (I think you changed them slightly). Some sections of the trench could stand to be 16-24 units deeper. Especially the sections on the NW side (since the G3 base is upslope). The trenches near the bunker entrance and behind the pillbox should probably also be deeper (32+ units more).

Regarding the vehicle issue. What if the stakes on the W side were moved up to surround the entire defensive works? Between the stakes and the barbwire, you could surround the entire installation, limiting approaches and preventing vehicles from driving over these trenches (and getting stuck).

Maybe a coil or two of barbwire on both sides of the pillbox, forcing you to go wider around it to sneak around the back (rather then just slipping along the side.

Bottom lip of the pillbox opening needs to be lower. The pak gun cuts into the wall at the lower depressions. The pillbox gun needs another 30 degrees of left and right traverse.

Not sure that the light inside the pillbox is required.

g2. Trench W of R3 (top of hill). Nice! Bit difficult to climb out of the N end of the trench. I'd shave away the mound on the R3 side of the trench. That would allow it to double as a trench / tank scrape looking SW. Depth is just about perfect along the entire length. Maybe make the E end of the trench slightly deeper (or raise the mound). The shadow at the N end is going to be a prime sniper vantage.

g3. (-15507 -4558 541) Pine tree and bush on S side of that pass with the trench. Both pieces of foliage should be stood out from the wall a bit, allowing infantry to sneak up that small ravine towards R3 with less chance of being seen by russians in the trench.

g4. (-13892 -3282 564) The house WNW upslope from R3. The crawlspace beneath it needs to be a bit deeper so that infantry can move around easier underneath there. It's an awesome ambush spot / sniper spot. It's just a bit too difficult to move around in there. Might have to open up the floor a bit more and put a slanted board in for access. The windows by the doors are perfect height to serve as murder holes.

The tree on the W side could be lowered a touch to make it more difficult for approaching enemies to see behind that house. The ground behind the house might be flattened and bowl'd a bit to provide more overwatch of the south approach.

The stable across the way is nicely placed. The pine tree downslope could be stood out from the wall a bit more.

g5. The boxes by R3. Move the bush at that corner of the wall outward and put the boxes closer to the wall. That would allow them to be used in defense against both upslope (NW) incursion or to ambush incursion from the south approach.

g6. (-15408 -8500 630) Small hill that overlooks the NW side of the town. It's a 3-way pass. S looks at the pillbox, NW looks towards the valley between R3 and G3. I'd like to see the NW pass turned into more of a depression leading into a shallow bowl shaped area that provides a tank scrape overlooking the town. So there would be a ridge along the side that faces the town and the ground would fall away to the NW.

Also provides a staging point for an assault into the town on that side.

g7. Bunker exit from the pillbox that faces the NW corner of town. There are bushes on both sides of the exit that I think should be stepped away from the wall a bit more. that would provide more cover for exiting the bunker and keep the bushes from passing through the walls in the tunnel.

Some of the top fence slats near where the jeep is parked could stand to be removed. Maybe the top slat of the section at the bush, and a top slat over by the gate. That gate can be jumped, but it's tricky.

h1. Lamp in the church. Too bright?

h2. Love the bathtub on the edge of town.

h3. Town is great. I see that you've removed a few top slats in fences here and there. Might be one or two more spots that could use that treatment (SW side).

h4. (-9687 -6768 287) N of town. This is that flat piece of ground that runs around to the south approach to R3. Anyway to undulate the ground there a bit? Give it at least some rise/fall as it goes around the corner? A broken fence? Maybe turn it into a small patch of field?

h5. (-8676 -7860 434) There's a level piece of ground here. on the W side of the road. If it was about 32 units higher, tanks could sit here and attack the russian fortifications on the other side of the "moat".

h6. N end of the road (burned out truck). A section of fence should be removed here (lower slat, or both slats) on both sides of the road so that infantry can sneak across the road at this point. Maybe move the two pine trees on the W side of the road away from the wall 32-64 units so that infantry can be shielded from view.

h7. N end of the "moat" river. Reshape the ground slightly so that you can sneak from the river up to the crater without being seen. (Lower the section by the fence, raise the hills to the S just a touch.) Even if you have to crouch to do it. Might need a bush or two along that fence for cover.

h8. Love the addition of the new footbridge on the S end of the "moat" area.

h9. I like the new 45mm gun position at the S end. It could use another 5 degrees of R traverse and about 15 of left traverse. It actually needs a few less degrees of depression (the barrel cuts into the wall). I think the boards above should be extended down to block sniper fire from the church tower (or allow the gun to hit the church tower).

I'll have to test this to see if it can hit bases (G2 is possible, I think...).

That building is easy enough to get in/out of. Bigger bushes at the W end of the footbridge would help infantry get to it.

The river bank is a bit angular and too up/down at the river crossing by the 45mm position. Could be disguised with foliage.

i1. The defensive trench at R1 is very nice. I think the hill behind R1 (S side) needs to fall away from the high ground a bit. The back wall of R1 is so deep into the terrain that I suspect it might be possible to use a russian jeep to climb up onto the roof of R1 (and thus down inside). Well, not quite... but I was able to get in by jumping from a russian jeep to a german PzIV to the top of the bunker.

Plus, it would be nice if a tank could go hull-down behind the bunker to guard against approaches from the north and east. (Or hull-down in a shallow bowl up on that hill.)

i2. (-2009 -17241 261) The S road. You've removed the west house, but left the 3 bushes. Those bushes might do better up around R1 (maybe leave one behind near the remaining house). I think you should put another "tilled field" texture in place of the old house. Something to provide visual interest beside that house.

i3. The S road. It's a nice stretch of road... just a little... flat. A bit of elevation tweaking along there (not much needed) would be nice looking.

i4. The river S of the trainyard. The west bank looks great, the east bank looks "flat" in comparison. One or two trees placed in the middle would obscure the sight lines. Maybe move bushes that are 3/4 into the wall so that they are only 1/4 into the wall in there.

i5. (6318 -11525 -30) E side of the trainyard. There's a full height grey fence surrounding a blue sided building. The yard that is enclosed is a deathtrap. I think the backside (E wall) should have a section knocked out if possible.

i6. 45mm gun in the crater at the N end of the trainyard. Wish it had 20 more degrees of left traverse.

j1. (-5256 -14085 512) I jumped onto the corrogated roof then tried to walk the edge of the wall. Got stuck. That whole wall is probably problematic on the inside.

j2. (-5262 -9841 462) The tank scrape on the N side of the road in the defensive works. It needs to be 64-96 units wider so that you can slot a tank in and turn it. I tried to put a PzIV in there from the side and got hung up (blowing the tank). You could even make that one 64 units longer. Another 32 units of depth wouldn't hurt either.

j3. Similar issue with the tank position on the S side of the road there. Deeper, wider, longer. It's a very exposed position. Plus, if it's wider, infantry can slip along side of the tank more easily. Better protection also makes it more worthwhile to position a tank there (since you have to back into position).

j4. Might be worth eliminating the northernmost 45mm gun position in the defensive works. Especially if it allows more trees, berms, foliage to allow infantry to slip the north wall over the river and into the north end of the defensive works.

j5. I think the pair of 45mm gun positions in the south end of the defensive line could also be converted to deep / wide / longer tank positions as well. Eliminate the wall with the opening on the W side of them, make them more like the "j2" tank scrape. That would give the russians (4) total tank scrapes rather then having to use the same one or two all the time.

j6. (-4975 -11426 439) The boxes here are stacked too close together. Easy to get hung up on the middle stack.

j7. Lights in the bunker tunnel at the russian spawn seem to be too bright. (Could be that it's not a full lighting render, but they seem brighter then in other bunker tunnels.)

j8. Satchel charge in the bunker tunnel at russian spawn. Maybe it should sit on the same crate as one of the lamps?

k1. (-4117 -14125 510) Pass at S end of defensive works (leading into russian spawn). Feels too open and exposed. Trees / foliage / rocks? Maybe make it not so flat?

k2. (-5939 -14018 485) There's a double-section of wall that has been inserted about 64 units behind the W wall. It should be moved about 64 units to the north so that you can slip around the S end of it.

k3. (-5553 -15205 491) Almost a perfect little tank scrape looking WNW, except for the little bump in the middle where the terrain is a little angular.

k4. I like the approach on/off the W end of the wooden bridge. Feels very natural. The fence is broken / missing in enough places to feel very infantry friendly as well.

k5. (-20253 -13823 247) Near G2. The stone wall (which is perfect height and well done) butts up against the zone wall with a bush or two at the corner. It really feels like you should be able to slip through that corner, but it's not quite wide enough. Maybe make the end pillar larger so it goes closer to the zone wall.

k6. A bush or two underneath the wooden bridge (russian defense line). I've seen a few players that like to hide underneat there and spring out to surprise unsuspecting tanks. It might also help to hide the flatness of the W side of the river at that spot. But if it was a choice between foliage underneath that bridge or farther N where it could cover flanking infantry... I'd chose farther north (to allow german infantry to sneak).

k7. (-8818 -14710 278) A big fat piece of pass-through foliage here would be great. That way, it will be somewhat of a surprise when the german armor column comes rolling up the river from the swamp area and turns that corner. Even if the defensive line is manned, germans could attempt an armor break through along the river at the S end, bypassing the defensive line. But it will be difficult if the russians can see them coming from over at the woodend bridge.

...

Base analysis:

G1 - Depends on who controls the swamp and the hill to the S of the stone bridge. If the germans do not control that flank, both G1 and G2 can be shelled easily. Reinforcement is somewhat easy, but easier if the base was on the german side of that river (-22647 -19859 170).

The tank scrape on the hill to the S of the stone bridge is key. It needs to be bi-directional so that both sides can use it effectively. We may even want to turn that tank scrape around 180 degrees and make it face east over the swamp. That would strengthen the ability of germans to hold the S flank.

G2 - Troublesome. If the hill on the E side was higher and the base were lower, it would be protected from the pillbox 45mm. Or shifting it 50m west to the edge of the wheatfield. Or put a house on the east side of it so that you can't hit the base with the pillbox 45mm. Or raise the E side, lower the base, and put a fence on the E side.

Easily reinforced but it's going to be bloody (unless the pak gun near it is well protected).

G3 - Very vulnerable due to being on an exposed hilltop. It's a long way from the spawn with lots of cover around it that infantry can use to sneak in and plant. It's possible that the hill could be resculpted to protect it from the pillbox 45mm. (Lower the base, make the hill steeper and higher on the side facing the 45mm gun.) Large boulders or mounds of rubble could also be used to block 45mm gunfire.

Alternately, I suspect it will need to be shifted 50-100m to the NW. Either halfway to the river or down by the river.

It might be defendable if the germans have enough tank scrapes / overwatch positions along the east and south approaches. It is "high ground" with a long distance view. This hilltop needs to be easily defended against direct attack (forcing russians to either sneak up the hillside on foot or sweep up the river and flank from behind).

R1 - I think this is going to be one of the most difficult for the germans. Unless trees are put in to obscure sight lines between R1 and R2, germans will have a difficult time getting tanks to R1 without being cut up by russians in the defensive line. Strong possibility that I can figure out a way to shell this from the hills near G1 (or even G3) due to the altitude of the base.

R2 - Moderately difficult. Due to being in town, planting will be easy. Shelling it is also easy (from the swamp or from the NW side of town). Could be a heavily contested location. The only other alternative location would be at the N end of the defensive works near the wooden bridge.

R3 - Probably the easiest of the 3 russian bases to crack. The new defensive positions will help quite a bit, but it's still a big bottleneck on the south approach. Defusing a bomb is going to be very difficult. Wish there was another back passage to 3 or that the southern approach was wider. I expect this base to rarely survive a round.


(sigh) I forgot to change the title to "beta 2" on the end... guess I need to bow and scrape and beg a moderator to fix that mistake!

/beg
/grovel

[ScrapyardBob]

Sniper roosts (not an exhaustive list by any means):

A1. Town church tower.

This is the one that almost everyone will think of. Both teams can hold this position to their advantage. Covers all compass points. There's been some foliage added to reduce the effectiveness of this vantage point. Such as the trees / rocks on the S side of town, allowing infantry to slip out of the swamp and into town.

Any gunners on the russian 45mm overlooking the swamp are sniper-fodder from this location. Also tough to exit the bunker entrances behind that gun if german snipers are in the church tower.

There should be a few more slats removed on the W side of the tower.

A2. North end of the "moat" road.

Not really a great sniper spot, but you can cause a little havoc for either side. Or at least pick off snipers in the church tower from an unexpected direction.

G1. Bunker exit SW of town or pine tree in corner.

There are rocks/trees that you can lay down behind to get a position on any church tower snipers and the SW side of town. You may find it better to go to the pine tree a bit south of there to snipe at the tower. You can also attack the R1 swamp 45mm gun position, but that gunner can return fire.

G2. G1 pak gun hilltop

German snipers holed up on this hill will be able to cover the G1 area and pick off snipers on the hill to the east. It's not a great spot but it is a ridgeline with moderate advantage.

A bush on the S side of the pak gun would provide more cover for infantry as they attempt to slip along the south fence and down into the G1 river area.

G3. The G3 base hill.

A commanding view of the pillbox trenches and the exit from the R3 base area. Lots of trees, lots of flat spots. Lots of ways to escape retribution.

G4. The russian spawn hill

Allows you to look down into the trainyard from multiple vantage points.

R1. Trench on SE hill by stone bridge.

A natural spot to snipe G1 / G2 / G2 pak / stone bridge area. Vulnerable to return fire from the G2 pak gunner. A closely related spot is the tank scrape on the hill nearby. Snipers can easily retreat into the bunker tunnel, or slip across the hill into the thick foliage around the water pump. So I suspect germans will have a difficult time keeping russian snipers off of this hill.

R2. Trench at NE end of field by german spawn.

A brave russian can sit here and plonk shots down into the german spawn. The sniping is best done by not being in the trenches (rather lay on the NE side). This allows you to fade away to the NE into the river area with lots of cover (and multiple escape paths).

R3. Trench on hilltop W of R3 (or the house W of R3)

Great view of the G3 hilltop. A few places to hide up here.

R4. Trenchworks by russian spawn.

Lots of hiding spots with a pretty clear view of the entire town.