Giving the Confederates a purple nurple. - Broadcasting Live.... The Devils Den

[Michael Slaunwhite]

I will be broadcasting live my next scenario which will be "The Devil's Den" later on today, and this particular scenario even though one of most favorites of the lot makes me cringe knowing all to well how tough this puppy can be to win since the confederates seem to want that golden nugget I'm sitting on at the start of the scenario.

So before I do broadcast this live for all to see I am wondering if I can get some pointers on how to eek out a few extra points here, and perhaps win the day?


Note: I will be letting you know when I start to broadcast live.

[william1993]

Stay back. Don't go concentrating down in that triangle past Smith's battery where the Confeds come up through or they'll just run you over

[Michael Slaunwhite]

Stay back. Don't go concentrating down in that triangle past Smith's battery where the Confeds come up through or they'll just run you over

Thanks William for the advice.

[Michael Slaunwhite]

I am going to start broadcasting this live now...

Link: http://www.livestream.com/mikesla

[Hancock the Superb]

The only way I have ever won it was by creating three lines. One with the two biggest regiments along the stone wall at the creek, two more along the walls halfway up the ridge, and the sharpshooters in Devil's Den itself.

I also make sure to bring all of my regiments, including the detached ones. Unfortunately, the pathing causes all of Hood's troops to funnel right at Devil's Den (something which never happened), causing a huge pile up of Confederates.

[Michael Slaunwhite]

The only way I have ever won it was by creating three lines. One with the two biggest regiments along the stone wall at the creek, two more along the walls halfway up the ridge, and the sharpshooters in Devil's Den itself.

I also make sure to bring all of my regiments, including the detached ones. Unfortunately, the pathing causes all of Hood's troops to funnel right at Devil's Den (something which never happened), causing a huge pile up of Confederates.

Haaaa, where were you before I started?

Well if you folks didn't catch the live broadcast then you can watch it at the links below.

This comes in two parts ==>

Part 1: http://www.livestream.com/mikesla/video ... m=ui-thumb
Part 2: http://www.livestream.com/mikesla/video ... m=ui-thumb

Well the final report is that it was inconclusive. I only had about 2000 plus points. I normally give way close to the beginning of the battle, and pull back to the wheat field (to the right), and hold the fence, and stone wall, then I normally wait it out until the rebs vacate the objective which allows me to step back in, and rack up the points. Unfortunately this time I waited too long, and my poor men were very tired.

All in all, it didn't go to my master plan.

At the very beginning I moved two regiments to the wooded area (top of hill), and I forgot the confederates where there... damn surprised the hell out of me, so I let them battle it out far too long, and I wasted good men for naught.

Next Time.

Update: Oh one more thing. You will hear music playing throughout the battle. If anyone is wondering how to play music while playing the game, just hit your tilde key ~, and enter playmp3:yourmusic.mp3 file. Just make sure that your music files are placed in your <driveletter>:\NorbSoftDev\Scourge of War - Gettysburg\Base\Music directory.

[Marching Thru Georgia]

Well the real Birney didn't fare much better. You already pinpointed the biggest error; trying to defend on Big Roundtop. Other than that, you fought the battle in a historic fashion. You were just overwhelmed by superior forces. However, if you are intent on accumulating enough points to achieve a major victory, you have to forget about historic play. The sole goal is to maintain control of the objective, nothing else. Bring all your forces to Devil's Den. Where was your 2nd sharpshooter regiment? Defend it and the valley between Roundtop and the Den. Hang on until help arrives.

[Michael Slaunwhite]

Well the real Birney didn't fare much better. You already pinpointed the biggest error; trying to defend on Big Roundtop. Other than that, you fought the battle in a historic fashion. You were just overwhelmed by superior forces. However, if you are intent on accumulating enough points to achieve a major victory, you have to forget about historic play. The sole goal is to maintain control of the objective, nothing else. Bring all your forces to Devil's Den. Where was your 2nd sharpshooter regiment? Defend it and the valley between Roundtop and the Den. Hang on until help arrives.

Thanks MTG. I have played this scenario allot, and it always ends up the same way meaning having to pull back, re-group, and take the hill again when my support arrives, and hope the new arrivals keep the Confederates busy (making it far more easier, for me any way). I have only really beat this scenario once by letting the other commanders take the brunt of the attack, and I moved unseen back to the hill by way of the woods, and held the hill for the rest of the scenario without mishap (never happened again no matter how hard I try to duplicate my previous wins tactics)

I have to say that facing the Rebs on that hill is a monster task, and I have always been over-run, and beaten to a pulp if I don't concede to the fact I'm not a master at battlefield tacts, and I had better pull back before disaster strikes, and makes me to weak to counter attack.

I'm going to try it again but by sending two regiments (regular, and my snipers) to sit tight the woods (hide out amongst the boulders, and deeper brush) this time, and tell them to hold at all costs no matter the losses, or until they break, and run.

Thanks for the reply, and support MTG!

[Hancock the Superb]

Well there are a few stupid parts to the scenario.

The first is that the entire 2nd Sharpshooters is out there in the field, when in reality it was just a very few companies behind a stonewall.

The second is that the pathing always causes Hood's entire division to march through Devil's Den. This makes no sense in historical context, but for some reason, the game pathing always makes the entire division go through Devil's Den. You must take your brigade and defeat 18 regiments...an impossible task.

Third is that Hood's second line (Benning and Anderson) come up far too early.

So there are really two good ways to win this. The first is to force each brigade to halt and deploy before they get too close to Devil's Den. Do this by engaging each brigade with one regiment then having those regiments flee quickly to the main line. This will prevent the bottleneck of Confederates at that cabin in front of Devil's Den from occuring.

The other way is to stack every regiment you own into the triangular field area, and praying that you survive.

Ward and his five regiment lasted a long time (over 1 hour) at Devil's Den. At first he only combated the 1st Texas and 3rd Arkansas with the 124th NY, 86th NY, and 20th Indiana. After the 124th charged down the triangular field, Law's 44th and 48th Alabama came up on the flank of the 124th, and shot it to pieces. The 4th Maine moved down Plum Run to engage the two regiments.

After the 124th was forced back, the 44th and 48th concentrated on the 4th Maine, ultimately driving it off. The 44th eventually took the cannon at Devil's Den, but both regiments were forced to retreat due to the arrival of the 99th Pennsylvania.

At this point, Benning's brigade came up, and the North recieved reinforcements in the form of the 6th NJ and 40th NY. Only about the time when the 17th Maine was ordered to retreat from Wheatfield was Ward's Brigade ordered to fall back.

For most of the battle, Ward's 7 regiments (+ 17th Maine) battled 2 to 8 Confederate regiments, from Law's, Robertson's, and Benning's Brigades.

[Michael Slaunwhite]

Well there are a few stupid parts to the scenario.

The first is that the entire 2nd Sharpshooters is out there in the field, when in reality it was just a very few companies behind a stonewall.

The second is that the pathing always causes Hood's entire division to march through Devil's Den. This makes no sense in historical context, but for some reason, the game pathing always makes the entire division go through Devil's Den. You must take your brigade and defeat 18 regiments...an impossible task.

Hi Hancock the Superb, and thanks for the reply.

I already have resigned myself to the fact that it's a matter of course getting one's britches beaten, and I hope I will learn from my mistakes, and take what you good people suggest. I know I will eventually beat the godlike Confederates who seem to have copious amounts of courage, and fight with such blind eye enthusiasm that I always seem to run toward the wheat field (not because lack of courage, only for preparing myself, and my men for a full scale counter attack), and stand my ground by the stone wall. :huh:

Thanks Sir, I like your explanation of the pathing issue's with this scenario, and I will use it to my advantage (at least I hope so).