The Raiders Break Through

[blackcloud6]

Here's my first shot at a naval scenario. It is a small action of a Soviet task force attempting to find and destroy NATO commerce shipping, or as the USN, a small TF is trying to find the Soviet group and prevent them from finding the shipping.

Feedback requested.

Raiders Breakthrough v1-04.zip

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[Fido81]

Round 1, as the US:
If 2 Ticos is a small TF, I'm terrified of whatever you consider to be a substantive SAG!
The helicopter armed with Mk46s is a nice touch.
When I first detected an EM Sovremenny, it showed up as neutral. Is that intended?
The entire force was destroyed by a bunch of Shipwrecks before the I could do anything, which was frustrating for a couple reasons:
1. It wasn't clear from the briefing that ROE permitted me to fire as soon as the enemy was detected
2. I thought they'd be going for the merchants first based on the briefing

Round 2, as the US:
This time I toggled on the radars immediately, and send the northern group of merchants due south to get close to the other group and concentrate my high value assets.
On high timewarp, I lost a Perry and a Tico from the battle force. I launched the Kidd's Harpoons, and the second Tico was lost before hers could be brought to bear. Again the merchant ships were unscathed.
This really is demonstrating what the old analyses say about how Soviet ships were tactically offensive but strategically defensive, and USN ships were (are) tactically defensive and strategically offensive. I can't really bring any weapons to bear.
I just checked the enemy fleet composition - no wonder I was getting my head handed to me, trying to take on the Kirov. Shipwrecks have great range for an ASM - they're designed to take out carriers.

Round 3, as the USSR:
I launched the first Helix, set it to max alt, and detected the enemy fleets within a few minutes.
After killing both the merchant task groups, I fired the remaining 11 Shipwrecks BOL at the main enemy TF. They were all swatted down by the Aegis system, but as I'd sunk all the merchantmen, it wasn't that big a deal.

Thoughts:
For the US, this is basically a king of the hill game - but there's no clear hill. Does the player win if they get the merchantmen to a patrol box next to Iceland? If everybody survives the next day? If all the Russians are sunk? What exactly is my victory condition?
More broadly speaking, I think there's a balance problem here - the Russians have better recce and longer ranged weapons than the US does, and on top of that they don't make an attempt to go for what the player is told will be their primary target first. This makes it really hard to counter them as the player (at least I haven't figured it out yet). AI Russians might be enticed to go after the merchantmen first by requiring target ID before firing, or by being assigned to a strike mission targeting them. Alternatively, perhaps the Russians just shouldn't get helicopters altogether?
As the Russians, this felt like a turkey shoot - the Kirov fills a role in Russian SAGs like the carrier in a CSG, and there was really nothing the US merchantmen could do to defend themselves from it. To that end, maybe all the US forces should be grouped together? It'd simplify the targeting situation for the Russians somewhat, but it'd also give the merchantmen much much better local air defenses than they have in the current scenario - and that'll help make the the game more challenging for the Russians.
This is a scenario whose replay value I think would be significantly enhanced by moving all the units to new locations on scenario load.
You should also consider adding neutral merchantmen the everybody is forbidden to attack - at least when a human is playing as Russia, that might spice things up a bit.
As I understand it (I've never worked up the courage to try making one myself), two-side playable scenarios are really tough to balance, but this has the potential to be a very interesting one.

[blackcloud6]

Fido81:

Thanks for the excellent feedback. This one started out simply as a scenario to through some ships on the map to duke it out in a surface fight and then it grew a bit and I kept on working on it.

It is set to give the AI played side a variable set up each time, I hope that is working.

I too feel this can be one sided quickly in favor of the Soviets if the US group does not detect the Soviets first.

The premise of the US TF had only recently received orders to protect merchantmen and is racing to do so. This they set up not with the merchantmen.

Yes, neutrals are a good idea. I can easily add those. Some else suggested NATO air too, that might help. I too have thought about the USN player getting points if the merchants get to a certain point. I just have to figure out how to do so.

I'll try to integrate your thoughts.

I've ran this one many times and, on a few occasions, the US shoots down all or most of the shipwrecks and then clobbers one or two of the Soviet ships.

I did learn much about the weapons in designing this. I'm not the sharpest tool in the boathouse when it comes to Navy stuff; I'm a retired infantry officer.

Again, thank you much for your Feedback.

BC6

[blackcloud6]

Oh...

Maybe I have the groups set for variable course and not variable set up. I can't remember which I did. Dang, I'm getting old. But having both would be cool.