Part 10: Base and some info about vehicle mechanics

Base


Helena and Feodor both grabbed enough Xp to reach their first skill. Both get Heavy Weapons, as all the good guns work with this skill. You basically want to give it to everybody who isn't a sniper or on permanent vehicle duty. Very few people will manage to reach their second skill, so it's important to dictate their roles straight away.

This time, we also get intelligence reports about the two new gangs.





Their descriptions are kinda neat, but it sadly doesn't really matter. In the OP, I mentioned that there would be a minor choice during the campaign. This will come up in the next mission, and you have to decide which gang you help destroying the other. Sounds neat at first, even putting you in a bit of a moral dilemma. But the reality is that it will only influence how the next mission is played out(and there isn't even much of a difference), what scenes/voices will come up during it, and what gang you will fight for the two missions after that. I'm going into a bit more detail during the next mission, but it's pretty underwhelming overall. That's really a missed opportunity, as it would have been cool to have some real changes in the following missions. But as it stands, it's all very minor and bland. And that's why I decided to not make a vote for this.

Let's look at happier things..

I have exactly enough time to fix the BMP and my BTR. No armor this time, and our trusty Humvee also has to stay damaged. Judging by my screens, it took some damage during the attack on Vigo's villa, without me really noticing. It's no problem however, as I already said that I would stop using Humvees after the next mission. It did some good things for us, and earned a honorable discharge.

Before we take a look at our new tank, let's visit Wlad and buy some gear!

Oh hey, he also offers a BMP. If I hadn't salvaged one during the last mission, I would have tried to get it. I would probably have enough stuff to get in range for a bad trade, but I'm not sure if I could have gotten extra ammo for it.


First up, I get rid of some junk and buy gear for my soldiers. Nothing new here though.

Then I buy the good stuff.

The first three things are for the BMP. Armor piercing and high explosive shells, and a couple of AT-2 anti-tank rockets. Just as a heads-up, I'm going to abbreviate the shell types from here on out. I assume ya'll know what AP and HE stands for.

And lastly, I grab some 125mm HE shells.

Maybe we'll have a use for them real soon

Let's quickly swing by the lab before going back to the garage.

Now my whole commando squad is a bit more beefy.

So, on to the main attraction of the show...




Beautiful, isn't it? Like the BTR, the BMP has fixed weaponry and can only be loaded with ammunition that it can use. Aside from having a respectable amount of armor, it's main advantage is the rocket launcher. That thing has a surprisingly long range, good damage, and will never miss since it counts as guided. This makes the BMP pretty good at ambushing other tanks. It's not a tank-hunter per se, but with the element of surprise, two BMPs can fuck up a T-55. But the launcher also has some downsides. For starters, there is a noticeable delay between each rocket, so you'll likely eat a shell in return. And a direct hit with a 125mm shell will still do significant damage. Not so much if it's an HE shell, but you can never know that in advance. Also, the ammo for the launcher is kinda rare, so it's not a good idea to just go nuts with it. But used with a bit of care and brains, the BMP will stay useful until the end of the game.

So, now would also be a good spot to explain how vehicles with multiple weapons/ammo types actually handle. I have one word for you: Micromanaging



I grabbed this shot from the last mission, but it should be enough to illustrate what I'm saying. See those green lights next to the slots? You can flick those on and off, and tell your unit what it can or can't use. You pretty much have to do this, since the AI isn't smart enough to adapt to what you are shooting at. So by default, it will happily waste AP shells on infantry, or shoot all the HE shells at tanks that it can hardly damage. If you have two shell types active, your unit will just keep using what it currently has loaded in the gun, and only switch when the respective stack is depleted. Kind of a hassle, but then again, it's forgivable seeing how old the game is. It's also easy to get accustomed to it, and I'm not bothered by it.

However, the micromanaging is a bit more important, when units have special ammunition like the rockets. Basically, it will just fire them at any target in range when it feels like it. Really annoying to waste a rocket on some lone soldier who fucks around at the edge of the battle. So I developed the habit of switching the launcher off at the beginning of a mission, and will only turn it on when I actually have a good target for it. Also, if I don't want to use multiple rockets, I immediately switch it off as soon as the rocket has left the tube. It just minimizes the risk of wasting a precious rocket. And as said, they are valuable and you never know how many you will get.

Another aspect of having multiple guns, is that units are able to use all of their guns at the same time. So, if something is in range for all your guns, all of them will fire at it. That's pretty neat, as machine gun fire can do some respectable damage and can also be fired while your unit is on the move. That's kind of a gamble though, as units sometimes refuse to do that, and you can't actively order them to. There is a small exception to what I just said, but I'm going to bring it up when we have the unit that it applies to.

The finer points of vehicle combat

So how does vehicle combat, and especially damage actually work? Truth be told, I'm not too sure. There is a lot about the mechanics in this game that is mysterious and not documented anywhere. But I'm going to tell you what I learned while playing.

So let's work with this little picture.



The bars are similar to the ones that your soldiers have. The green one is armor, and the blue one is health. (Which is called "Structure" in this case) Losing armor is not a big deal and can be repaired, but losing the structure bar will destroy the vehicle. Weapons have two properties, damage and penetration. Since those properties are not represented with numbers, it's hard to say what the exact effects are. But in basic terms, damage will eat away armor first, and penetration dictates if you also cause structure damage at the same time. If a vehicle has high armor, you need a lot of penetration to damage its structure. Otherwise, you have to deplete its armor bar before you can damage the structure. I personally have salvaged vehicles that had fucked up structure while still having armor, so I'm fairly sure that it works this way. Or at least close to this.

Another aspect of the penetration value, is that it also dictates if you can damage the crew of a vehicle. I really can't say how it works exactly, but killing the crew of a vehicle disables it, and turns it into salvage for you. Though, random enemies can still jump into the vehicle again, and it probably will get destroyed before you can take out the fresh crew. This is also the reason why all your vehicle crews should wear armor. It's kinda easy to overlook the status of your crews when shit hits the fan. And a vest will make them much more durable. They still won't survive if the vehicle explodes though. Paying attention to penetration, is important when you want a steady score of salvage. And believe me, without it you won't be able to afford all the good stuff that you can buy later. So it's sometimes a good idea to fire AP at a weak vehicle, to turn it into money instead of debris. This isn't foolproof though, as damage isn't generalized and subject to the RNG to some extend. But, there is also a special type of 125mm shell that is designed to damage crews. It has the highest penetration value and will do minimal structure damage. So this type of shell is what you want to use to bag some juicy tanks, without fucking them up. Yeah, the condition of a vehicle actually influences how much it is worth to Wlad. With that said though, this type of shell is extremely rare and should be stashed until the last leg of the game. By that point, some very expensive things will be available, and you basically have to trade multiple tanks to even have Wlad consider a trade.

Well, that concludes the for today. If you have any questions about this, just fire away!