They Grey Ghost from the East Coast - really easy?

[ColonelMolerat]

I'm just about to revisit The Grey Ghost from the East Coast (I've not played it since it released).

I remember it being an interesting scenario, but very easy - I simply charged the Ghost into close range and blasted away with the guns.

I've heard others say it was more difficult, though. Did I just win through the bravery of the naive? How did others find this scenario? Not just in difficulty, but general thoughts too?

Edit:

Just completed it again. Again, it felt very easy, but reminded me of why it was one of the campaign highlights for me.

I enjoyed it so much because it reminds me of one way in which CMANO isn't like other games - it's not a case of the difficulty ramping up and up until the campaign ends, CMANO has a strong 'explanatory' streak running through it. This mission feels like it wasn't put there as a challenge, but as an interesting 'what if?', to highlight the differences in missile and gun warfare and explore a fun hypothetical scenario. It highlights CMANO's function as a simulator and 'toybox' - an adult's box of toy boats, rather than a military thriller novel. I like these missions that highlight the differences in platforms, and explore their strengths and weaknesses.

A brief AAR:

Quite shortly after the mission started, I identified a large group of helicopters to the North of Iceland. I sent an Orion to investigate, and it found two enemy fleets. I risked a bit of a suicide mission and hit a couple of enemy boats with Mavericks before getting shot down.

I closed in both of my fleets, to arrive at roughly the same time (and adjusted formation so no ships were too much further ahead). At first, my fleets took a bit of a battering, though luckily the enemy ASMs were too primitive (or my missile defences too advanced) to do much damage. At this point I sped up to flank speed to bring all guns close enough to bear.

And that was pretty much the end of it! Got very close and chewed up the enemy fleets, one after the other.

I lose one Orion plane and one DD 786 ship.

The Soviets lost...
2x SKR Kotlin [Pr.56 Spokoinyy]
2x Ka-25Ts Hormone B
1x BPK Kanin [Pr.57A Gnevny]
2x EM Skoryy Mod [Pr.31 Besshumny]
2x KR Sverdlov [Pr.68bis]
1x SKR Kotlin Mod [Pr.56PLO Spokoinyy]
1x VT Altay [Pr.160]
1x Ka-25BSh Hormone A
1x BPK Kashin Mod [Pr.61M]

I definitely feel I'm not doing this mission with much finesse, but it's fun to zoom and boom!

[Darkwing]

It seemed pretty easy to me--at first I did a lot of dancing around the two fleets to get "a better position" but in the end I just charged in there and blew them away no problem.

[mikmykWS]

Bravehearting that shite! is a time-proven valid strategy. Leroy Jenkins would be proud!

Mike

[ultradave]

After the hornet's nest of Beware of the Badger, Grey Ghost was almost an anti-climax. Easy win, but with significant damage to the "Grey Ghost". I then figured out what to do to avoid that -

**SPOILER ALERT ** **SPOILER ALERT ** **SPOILER ALERT **






You want to attack the 2 Sverdov CL's and you have about 2 nm range advantage over them. Which I squandered the first time around by just setting attack and letting them go at it. A win but with a lot of damage. Setting "Ignore plotted course" to no allows staying out of the CL's 6" gun range and just pounding them with 8" shells from long range.

[spinecruncher]

I lost Newport News!

[ultradave]

You’ll need to find a way to use the range advantage of your 8” guns. I’ll leave that for you to figure out with one hint. Take a close look at your rules of engagement. Short scenario. You can rerun and try things. The 8” guns on NN have a 2 mile range advantage over the Soviet light cruisers 6” guns. You can use that.

[spinecruncher]

All my air assets got taken out too. I feel like I need to learn combat management a little more, IE, when and how to engage. It is one thing to get the units in the theater of combat, but another to lead them though to success.

[ultradave]

Yes, mostly it will come by learning through the school of hard knocks.

"ooooh, that didn't work at all"

"&*#*& !!! where did they come from??!! "

[spinecruncher]

Shouldn't the units be able to fend for themselves to some extent? In the naval tutorials the naval unit AI did it's thing.. But here they all die unless I manage them closely.

[spinecruncher]

Why cant my task group w Newport News fire at any enemy 9 miles away? My ships are sinking from torpedoes and we have not been able to use any ordinance. certainly the Newport news and other dd's must have ordinance range more than 9 miles? Cannot fire at enemy helicopters that fly-over. I am not understanding something. I try both manual and auto attack and none of the ordinance is available. To make matters more difficult, My P3B orions only have Ferry load-outs and our useless for any form of weapons engagement.

Edit: I have to create a mission for the task force to do engage.

Edit: Okay gotta major victory but I feel that was only by combining the two surface fleets into one common ASuW patrol mission. And after I got the major victory announcement one of my dd's got sunk. that blew the air outta that sail!

[ultradave]

Missions are your friend. The Mission Editor is incredibly more capable (and complex) than when the game first came out. There is a lot you can do there. And in bigger scenarios it's essential to prevent getting bogged down in managing too much yourself.

[spinecruncher]

Is there a good Hunt for Red October type of scenario?

[spinecruncher]

So i played Opening Moves and able to get an M.V. This was pretty much having 90% of the game on missions. Lots a missions. But seems too easy this way. Should I be able to get a major Victory one week into the game?





8/7/1975 11:39 PM: Score changed from 0 to 100. Reason: Event Action: 'Soviet Submarine Sunk Points' has been fired (part of Event: 'Soviet Submarine Sunk')

8/7/1975 11:51 PM: Score changed from 100 to 200. Reason: Event Action: 'Soviet Submarine Sunk Points' has been fired (part of Event: 'Soviet Submarine Sunk')

8/8/1975 12:01 AM: Score changed from 200 to 300. Reason: Event Action: 'Soviet Submarine Sunk Points' has been fired (part of Event: 'Soviet Submarine Sunk')

8/8/1975 12:19 AM: Score changed from 300 to 400. Reason: Event Action: 'Soviet Submarine Sunk Points' has been fired (part of Event: 'Soviet Submarine Sunk')

8/8/1975 12:19 AM: Score changed from 400 to 250. Reason: Event Action: 'NATO Unit Sunk Points' has been fired (part of Event: 'USS MacDonough Sunk')

8/8/1975 12:19 AM: Score changed from 250 to 100. Reason: Event Action: 'NATO Unit Sunk Points' has been fired (part of Event: 'NRP Almirante Coutino Sunk')

8/8/1975 1:01 AM: Score changed from 100 to 200. Reason: Event Action: 'Soviet Submarine Sunk Points' has been fired (part of Event: 'Soviet Submarine Sunk')

8/8/1975 1:15 AM: Score changed from 200 to 300. Reason: Event Action: 'Soviet Submarine Sunk Points' has been fired (part of Event: 'Soviet Submarine Sunk')

8/8/1975 1:37 AM: Score changed from 300 to 400. Reason: Event Action: 'Soviet Submarine Sunk Points' has been fired (part of Event: 'Soviet Submarine Sunk')

8/8/1975 1:50 AM: Score changed from 400 to 500. Reason: Event Action: 'Soviet Submarine Sunk Points' has been fired (part of Event: 'Soviet Submarine Sunk')

8/8/1975 3:10 AM: Score changed from 500 to 600. Reason: Event Action: 'Soviet Submarine Sunk Points' has been fired (part of Event: 'Soviet Submarine Sunk')


Edit: Spoke to soon. Can't seem to close the deal with some Russian subs evading all manner of pursuit.

8/8/1975 10:35 AM: Score changed from 600 to 450. Reason: Event Action: 'NATO Unit Sunk Points' has been fired (part of Event: 'USS Misspillion Sunk')

[ultradave]

Wait until you get to Beware of the Badgers. That one will stretch you. Lots of missions supersonic killer cruise missiles...

The scenarios seem to build in intensity.

[Roby7979]

LOL...not so easy[:-]