Update on the Siege of Cartagena requisition gold medal: I got it, but at what cost.
Still very RNG-heavy, and I suspect I basically abused mechanics. Turns out, the batteries, armor notwithstanding, are vulnerable to the SMK + WP combo. I guess being artillery takes precedence over its armored condition. Here's what I did:
- Set up all the markers.
- Send FO to P9 in hopes of finding the coastal batteries. Instead, I got a reading for the third target (command post), but it had a discrepancy with the original readings, and it was big enough to completely miss a DRIL shell. Useless. Total req spent up to this point: 1.
- Send FO to N3 (if batteries weren't found near P9; if there's a battery in each cliff, restart). In my case, they gave me the bearings to the nearest battery. I guesstimate a segment of that bearing line where the battery could be, and I shoot a SMK shell to a place that covers that segment and the place where I hope the other battery will be so I can immediately follow with WP. If it doesn't hit both, I pray that the post-shot air recon will show me where they are, and that they are close enough to each other for the SMK+WP combo. If they're not, I'll have to restart the mission. Thankfully, the air recon does show where they are, and they are indeed close to each other, so there goes the combo. So, an FO, two SMK shells and a WP shell. Total req spent up to this point: 16.
- Blow up the first priority target with a DRIL shell. The three distance readings always seem to be spot-on so I've no reason to double guess. Total req spent up to this point: 19.
- Go after the second target. SMK + DRIL to be sure. Total req spent up to this point: 24.
- Same goes for the third target. I got really lucky, because the post-shot air recon showed up a group of eight infantry units nearby. Seven of them were grouped tightly enough for me to hit them with SMK + WP, and a DRIL for the eighth one. So, SMK+DRIL, SMK+WP, and another DRIL. Total req spent up to this point: 44.
- Sound the horn, deploy the two SMK shells when prompted, leave. Grand total: 48. The remaining 2 req points wouldn't have made any difference at all had I been slightly unluckier, like I was all the previous attempts.
I love to plan to such fine details and stretching my resources to the limit, but I don't particularly enjoy the strategy only working if the mission map is generated just right. I think this could be more accessible by raising the requisition limit for gold and/or guaranteeing that the coastal batteries spawn near each other and we get readings on at least one of them. Or maybe don't make them armored so we can kill them with DRIL shells, I don't know. Of course, if the SMK + WP combo was never intended to work, or if armored units shouldn't be affected by suppression effects, then req limit should be greatly increased because there is no realistic way to locate and destroy the batteries, the infantry units and the priority targets without getting extremely lucky.
Or, crazy idea: allow us to complete the mission without destroying the batteries. I actually managed to do that in one of the first tries for the medal, only to discover I actually needed to blow them up. If we don't have to spend req points finding and destroying them, the req limit is suddenly generous enough for us to counter bad RNG, while still being reasonably tight, and the 10-minute limit that starts after our 3rd shot lands gives us a fair challenge.
Now, this whole ordeal made me reflect on the cost/utility ratio of some shells:
- SMK shells suppressing enemies, while realistic, makes TEAR shells completely obsolete. SMK shells cost way less and have a larger radius (1 km vs 0.62 km). It's true that they pull allied troops into it, but when you're going after the req gold medal you don't care that much about friendly fire. If they die, they die. I don't think SMK shells should neither cost more nor lose its suppressing effect, but clearly TEAR shells are way too expensive for what they bring to the table.
- Similarly, WP shells make PHGN shells redundant. Identical cost, they both repel enemies (or kill if suppressed), but WP shells have a larger radius (0.75 km vs 0.62 km) and have a chance to start fires. Again, I think PHGN shells should be somewhat cheaper, since they feel like the LE equivalent of chemical shells.
