Kemco Games

[ElricJC]

Okay, I've had the same coral of American units for a while, including of all things an S class supply truck, and I use it every mission I play and no matter what - it never dies! Oh it might get knocked down to one unit sometimes, but it always comes back, and it just amazes me that after 20 missions this homely little supply truck keeps surviving. The latest adventure of Zippy the Wonder Truck truck is as follows...

While playing Sumatra Tiger I deployed Zippy to resupply a group of Abrams and a Paladin, dropped off by a San Antonio assault ship to reinforce a group of Spec. Forces that had been deployed to Southern Sumatra on a facility capturing spree. Zippy came under fire by a Lynx assault chopper and then a Gazelle, compliments of the Brits, and the Lynx didn't score a single kill, while the Gazelle grabbed one, and the might Zippy destroyed 2 Lynxes and 2 Gazelles with its little machine gun. Zippy then took the offensive against a group of Starstreak SPSAMs and destroyed 4 of them (2 were weakened already), and was then brought under attack by a Braveheary SPH, where it lost 4 units. Later Zippy returned, repaired, and finished off the last two of the same Braveheart squad that damaged it earlier, following up a concerted attack by an Abrams and a Paladin column. With combined air strikes the Brits were neutralized, leaving only the Japanese. In all another 4 squads of Cobras came after the mighty Zippy, but Zippy lives still! The Japanese were forced back, and a group of Spec. Forces was ready to capture the HQ, but a pesky Japanese SPAAG remained on the base, and only one unit could reach it.

Zippy finished it off, and the Spec. Forces marched in, case closed. And Zippy lives to fight another day.

All hail Zippy!

[Adoug]

The little supply truck(s) that could...
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"The path to Knighthood is paved with strength and nobility, not LSD and sideburns." Black Knight from Family Guy.

[MisterToad]

LOL, That's a great story, Elric.

Those supply trucks do fill a nice utility role now and then. Many times I've used one to polish off an enemy unit which is reduced to 1/10, saving my stronger units for bigger things. And I must admit to having employed "suicide truck" tactics now and then when in a tight spot. Leave 'em there to delay the enemy and soak up punishment while saving more valuable units.


Regarding S units, I think it's a bit unrealistic to to absorb unlimited replacements to your decimated leveled-up units and not have to suffer any dilution of the experience level. But I can live with it.
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Steve

[SemperFi2382]

[MisterToad]

I see your point, Semper Fi, although I don't entirely agree with it. I wouldn't care to make the assumption of a 100% punch-out rate for pilots who's planes have just been blown up with AAM's.

And as far as rebuilding your land units are concerned, I agree, I don't think the US would fill the ranks of a Marine or Ranger unit with bumbling n00bs straight out of Boot Camp or Basic. But the US doesn't have much history of refitting units which have been almost completely wiped out. But even so, our support-heavy WW2 army in the ETO was having trouble scraping together infantry replacements by '45. Just take a look at the Germans. They just started running out of men - period, let alone having time to train them to elite standards. By '44, there were more than a few Hitler Youth kids filling out the Waffen SS ranks in Normandy.

Anyhow, as long as I get to keep my S units always leveled up against the AI, who am I to complain about it ?

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Steve

[ElricJC]

Well, I've finally played another US mission utilizing this immortal truck, and boy was it a slug fest!

I played as the US in Battle Creek (instead of Japan), and Zippy was once again a major part of the battle. Hanging back with the green truck drivers, this S class scion of the supply tankers hanged back and kept the troops fit and ready. This battle took a gruelling 67 turns on Hard, especially since my S class units appeared to made out of paper when struck by the mighty (snicker snicker) Chinese units. I mean, I lost 7 out of 10 S class F-35s to a bunch of E class J-10s. You tell me that ain't screwy!

Anyway, I created a slowly grinding wall of MBTs, backed up by SPHs, Patriots, and ATACMS, after a rather unsuccessful drive through the eastern mountains and a failing central force had to pull away. I lost a large number of attack planes to enemy fighters, but Zippy kept trucking. Zippy ran into a full strength group of Type 86 IFVs, Israeli scout trucks, and a partial strength unit of Type 98s that managed to streak through my lines, and Zippy killed the tanks, tore up the enemy trucks, and after repairing and replacing some lost trucks, Zippy defended the southern airport from the Chinese IFVs all by itself. From then on the enemy seemed to ignore Zippy and concentrated more on my line and my SPHs, and after hard fighting and a concerted effort from 4 cruise missile packing S-class B-1s, an F-18RC, a Stratotanker, and a fully loaded Osprey took control of the Israelis by carefully moving through the radar shadows, all forces were brought to bear on the Chinese.

The U.S. suffered a very high casualty rate of 587, but all enemies sustained 3,767 combined casualties. And, of course, Zippy lives to fight another day. Go, Zippy!