Wrong TF Mission # in editor??????

[shortty]

I'm using Rich Dionne's Excel PacWar Editor and I'm noticing that some TF Mission values get screwed up. When I go to the TF tab I see, say, a Transport task force with a Mission value of 55 when it should be 5. In the game the task forces with the bogus values don't behave correctly. The comments in the editor spreadsheet say its unknown why multiples of 10 are added. Does anyone know why the game does this and how to avoid it?

[Rich Dionne]

Shortty,

I'm pretty sure that these multiples of 10 are added to a task force's mission number when it has either completed or abandoned its original mission and is headed back to home port. If you try to change the destination of this task force and send it on another mission before returning to a home port, the task force will tend to not respond well to attacks upon it and may even ignore your new destination request. You should return task forces in this state to a home port, disband them, and then rebuild a new task force, which will have the normal task force numbering scheme.

One other comment, if you change both the destination and home of the subject task force, this usually resets the task force number down to normal range, and sometimes improves the task force's behavior; however, this does not always work, and you will probably be better off returning home and rebuilding the task force.

Regards,

Rich Dionne

[shortty]

That's too bad but I always figured it was something like that. I do delete and recreate the TF or fix the value in your editor - both work but its still a pain

PS: Thanks Rich for your editor. Every few years I dig out PacWar and usually get more enjoyment playing with the editor than playing with the game itself

[bradk]

Hello Rich.  I'm using the old DOS editor which doesn't have TF edit capability.
 
So what you're saying here is the TF mission has information on turns at sea and even if it returns to port that doesn't reset to no turns at sea?

[Rich Dionne]

Brad,

Not exactly. The TF mission does not hold the # of turns a TF has been at sea. The # of turns at sea is actually held in a separate location, and that number does get reset when a TF returns to its home port. The TF mission number holds the mission type, and in addition, it holds another value that is a multiple of ten and gets added to the mission number when a TF either completes its mission, or cancels it due to excessive combat with the enemy. For example, when a cargo TF completes its mission the mission number typically changes from 4 to 54, and when a transport TF completes its mission, the mission number typically changes from 5 to 55. I have seen air combat and surface combat TFs have 60, 100, or even 110 added to their mission number when the TF decides to return to port. These multiples are a normal part of the TF mission process that seem to indicate that a TF is now heading home and will be less aggressive on its return.

Now, I'm not positive on this, but I believe that if you don't periodically disband and then reform a TF, that is, if you keep the same TF together, and you constantly send it on new missions, then it appears to me that the TF will gradually get less aggressive, and eventually may even not carry out a mission. I have seen this occur on cargo TFs and bombardment TFs, where eventually they just will not go to the same base they have been going back and forth to for several turns. But if I disband and then reform the TF, all of its old aggressiveness returns. I have also had some success if I just reset the TF destination and home base, as this resets the TF mission number, and seems to keep the TF active and aggressive, at least for awhile.

Wow, that was pretty long-winded. I hope I've conveyed what I'm thinking, and I hope I'm not imagining this. But anyway, my normal practice is to always reset TF destination and home values (by reset I mean just setting the destination and home again) from turn-to-turn if I don't want to disband and reform a TF. Eventually (say once a month); however, I do disband TFs and reform them to ensure proper action.

Regards,

Rich

[bradk]

Thank you Rich.  It explains some behavior I've observed with air combat TFs.

[Capt. Harlock]

But anyway, my normal practice is to always reset TF destination and home values (by reset I mean just setting the destination and home again) from turn-to-turn if I don't want to disband and reform a TF. Eventually (say once a month); however, I do disband TFs and reform them to ensure proper action.

My experience is that an Air Combat TF that sits in port for more than one turn gets "locked" to that location. It won't move no matter what orders are given, until it is disbanded and re-formed.

[shortty]

Rich,
You are definitely not imagining this. I play with the editor open all the time and am constantly checking those values. I haven't figured out the pattern but it feels like more enemies around make them chicken out faster and get the "wrong" mission number. Once that number is "wrong" the TF is virtually useless.

Haven't tried resetting dest and home base but I'll give it a try.

If PacWar ever had a new release this is one of 3 things I'd fix.