Malaysian-Chinese Fish War, 2023 -- new beta for testing

[Mgellis]

My newest beta is a straightforward fish war. Chinese maritime militia vessels are attacking Malaysian fishing boats. Malaysia sends its coast guard to stop the carnage. But how will the Chinese react if Malaysia needs to fire on the Chinese militia?

As always, I'm looking for feedback. Anything and everything. Do the orders make sense? Are there any issues with the scenario, the missions, the scoring, the events, playability, the units chosen for the scenario, etc.? What can I do to make the scenario more fun and more challenging?

Thanks in advance!

Version 3 uploaded 7:30 PM CST 10/6/2023

Malaysia 2.JPG (253.76 KiB) Viewed 828 times

[HalfLifeExpert]

Cool! Haven't played yet, but I did notice that the provided operating area for the trawlers doesn't seem to match with where they are actually located, and also looks to me like it's beyond Malaysia's EEZ (200NM from shore).

Perhaps it was just a mistake in the briefing text, but please have another look at the written zone coordinates.

[Mgellis]

Cool! Haven't played yet, but I did notice that the provided operating area for the trawlers doesn't seem to match with where they are actually located, and also looks to me like it's beyond Malaysia's EEZ (200NM from shore).

Perhaps it was just a mistake in the briefing text, but please have another look at the written zone coordinates.

I'll check. If need be, I can make some changes. If need be, I can modify where units are located, etc. Let me know if you notice anything else that should be addressed. Thanks.

[Mgellis]

Just uploaded version 2. Moved patrol areas, ship positions, etc to reflect realistic EEZ for Malaysia. Also ran through about a dozen playtests to see when things happen, etc. Much improved from version 1, I think. Please try it out and let me know what you think. Thanks!

[HalfLifeExpert]

I've played version 2:

The Operation zone makes much more sense now, thanks (just one small typo in the briefing, it mentions the longitude coordinates as 106E and 104W. I know it is meant to be 104E, as otherwise the OPAREA would be a band around half the earth! )

I got to a Triumph score with no overt losses to my forces (my cutters did take some damage in the battle), but there was no victory message. I just kept playing till I was sure the Chinese were thoroughly beaten.

I just have a few suggestions, which I consider to be optional rather than critical:

1) Mention in the scenario description that the scenario uses the new Time of Day limitations on Air Ops, simply because it's a new feature that players may not be used to yet. Was initially confused as to why my Hawks were not taking off, then I remembered this new feature and confirmed by loading in Edit mode that this feature was enabled. I'm fine with the feature being used, I just think it's early enough that it should be mentioned.

2) Since this scenario setup is based heavily on UNCLOS and Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ), perhaps you could add a string of a handful of reference points to denote the rough extent of Malaysia's EEZ in the area, so as to more visually show the illegal Chinese encroachment on Malaysia's fishing grounds.

3) The two Flankers that are avaliable to the player, when armed with AShMs make things a little easy for the player. Just a rough idea to feel free to ignore, perhaps there could be 2-4 PLAAF J-11 Flankers or J-10 Firebirds on the Fiery Cross Reef airbase, with basic A2A loadouts, as a sort of PLA emergency response to the skirmish.


Overall a very good scenario that I really enjoyed, and definitley reinforces my wishes for future 'Gunboat Diplomacy' features like Ramming and warning shots.

[Mgellis]

Thanks for the feedback.

I'll fix the typo and will try to figure out a way to pass on the necessary information to players.

Thanks again for the feedback. It was very helpful.

I've played version 2:

The Operation zone makes much more sense now, thanks (just one small typo in the briefing, it mentions the longitude coordinates as 106E and 104W. I know it is meant to be 104E, as otherwise the OPAREA would be a band around half the earth! )

I got to a Triumph score with no overt losses to my forces (my cutters did take some damage in the battle), but there was no victory message. I just kept playing till I was sure the Chinese were thoroughly beaten.

I just have a few suggestions, which I consider to be optional rather than critical:

1) Mention in the scenario description that the scenario uses the new Time of Day limitations on Air Ops, simply because it's a new feature that players may not be used to yet. Was initially confused as to why my Hawks were not taking off, then I remembered this new feature and confirmed by loading in Edit mode that this feature was enabled. I'm fine with the feature being used, I just think it's early enough that it should be mentioned.

2) Since this scenario setup is based heavily on UNCLOS and Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ), perhaps you could add a string of a handful of reference points to denote the rough extent of Malaysia's EEZ in the area, so as to more visually show the illegal Chinese encroachment on Malaysia's fishing grounds.

3) The two Flankers that are avaliable to the player, when armed with AShMs make things a little easy for the player. Just a rough idea to feel free to ignore, perhaps there could be 2-4 PLAAF J-11 Flankers or J-10 Firebirds on the Fiery Cross Reef airbase, with basic A2A loadouts, as a sort of PLA emergency response to the skirmish.


Overall a very good scenario that I really enjoyed, and definitley reinforces my wishes for future 'Gunboat Diplomacy' features like Ramming and warning shots.

[Mgellis]

I've made a few improvements (like adding the Chinese fighters suggested by HalfLifeExpert). Before I post version 3 here so people can playtest it, are there any more suggestions, observations, etc.?

Thanks.

[Mgellis]

Version 3 uploaded. It should be a bit more challenging now since the Chinese have a bit of air cover.

As always, please let me know what you think. Are there any issues or problems that need to be addressed? What can I do to make the scenario better, more fun, more challenging, etc.?

Thanks in advance.

[Mgellis]

Any thoughts on version 3? Suggestions for improvements? Errors that need to be fixed? What else can I do to make the scenario more challenging, plausible, fun, etc.? Or, is this version ready for the Community Scenario Pack? (If it is, please let me know.)

Thanks in advance.

[Mgellis]

Just checking...any final suggestions for this scenario? Or is it ready for the Community Scenario Pack? (If it is, please let me know. Thanks!)