FASCAM and ICM mixed up?

[WABAC]

At least that is my experience in the Big Red One campaign. First noticed when the artillery seemed to be firing mines at Pact HQ or arty units. Presumably ICM were intended, but it seem like those should be saved for observed missions to begin with?

Save game attached.

[WABAC]

Qui tacet consentire?

[CapnDarwin]

Was this AI or your FSCC?

[WABAC]

Was this AI or your FSCC?

It was my FSCC and me. If I want to lay mines I choose ICM. The FSCC will fire at detected target like artillery and HQ's, and you can see the minefield being laid down instead of the twinkly ICM effect.

I made a little .gif animation showing the mining process, but it is too large to upload here.

[cbelva]

I think we were misinterpreting what you were seeing as the problem. Let me know if I'm wrong. You trying to fire ICM into a hex and instead seeing a FASCAM minefield or what you think is a FASCAM minefield. ICM spread minelets onto the target. It leaves behind duds and unexploded minelets on the ground. What you are seeing is not a FASCAM minefield being laid. You are seeing a field of potential minelets. I have moved thru them without problems. But the potential is there. Occasionally I have sustained losses moving thru these fields. When you fire ICM, it will always leave behind that marker to show you the potential hazard.

[WABAC]

I think we were misinterpreting what you were seeing as the problem. Let me know if I'm wrong. You trying to fire ICM into a hex and instead seeing a FASCAM minefield or what you think is a FASCAM minefield. ICM spread minelets onto the target. It leaves behind duds and unexploded minelets on the ground. What you are seeing is not a FASCAM minefield being laid. You are seeing a field of potential minelets. I have moved thru them without problems. But the potential is there. Occasionally I have sustained losses moving thru these fields. When you fire ICM, it will always leave behind that marker to show you the potential hazard.

Well. The ICM residue is a new one on me.

But I have been trying to fire FASCAM missions. They suit the scenario. And I have seen no positive result.

As you can see from the attached pictures, the FASCAM mission is leaving nothing behind in the hex under direct observation of the forward observer. And the animation that does play is reminiscent of the ICM effect from Red Storm. So you can see why I might be confused. I see no evidence that FASCAM are working as intended.

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[WABAC]

Definitely something odd with FASCAM.

I created a stand alone version of Tall Order. Then I fixed the ammunition load out so that it wouldn't show a negative number.

Then I tried another FASCAM mission. Still no visible result.

Maybe there really are mines there. Maybe they just aren't displayed for some reason. But it seems odd to me that minelets would be displayed and full-sized mines would not.

I subsequently tried it with a load out of FASCAM only. That didn't work either.

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[CapnDarwin]

Definitely looks like a bug. I'll see if I can replicate it and then JIRA the issue for the guys to review. Thanks for the details and the pictures.

[cbelva]

And I apologize, I should’ve mentioned this yesterday and forgot. I did notice the bug with FASCAM when I was testing. The correct rule for FASCAM is that you have to have 40 rounds in the hex to create a minefield. I noticed yesterday that it takes more than 40 rounds. I did report this upstairs to the developers to look at. if you increase the number of rounds fired into the hex, it will create a minefield.

[WABAC]

And I apologize, I should’ve mentioned this yesterday and forgot. I did notice the bug with FASCAM when I was testing. The correct rule for FASCAM is that you have to have 40 rounds in the hex to create a minefield. I noticed yesterday that it takes more than 40 rounds. I did report this upstairs to the developers to look at. if you increase the number of rounds fired into the hex, it will create a minefield.

That's very interesting. Thanks. I'll see if I can find the magic number while I drink my morning coffee.

But I'm still curious about that negative number from overloading the carrying capacity. I mean, it might be fun, if you weren't worried about realism.

[WABAC]

45 seems to be the magic number. Might want to set that in stone. There's no good reason to fire more, or less.

[cbelva]

The stone is forty and not over forty. We need to get that fixed. I have made a JIRA for this for the developers to see, FPSS-4370. This was based on feedback we received from an arty officer. It takes a certain number of rounds to produce a minefield via FASCAM in a specific area.

[WABAC]

The stone is forty and not over forty. We need to get that fixed. I have made a JIRA for this for the developers to see, FPSS-4370. This was based on feedback we received from an arty officer. It takes a certain number of rounds to produce a minefield via FASCAM in a specific area.

Thanks Charles. Please pass on my suggestion that the mine load be allocated such that the scenario designer can never assign too few, or too many

Any thoughts on the ammo overload in the scenario? Working as designed?

[cbelva]

I think it is working as designed. I can't answer the question about ammo load overloads. I will have to bounce that to the programmers themselves. I had the same question at one time and meant to follow up with them about it, but other issues got me distracted.

[cbelva]

You can't save the number if the carrying capacity is negative (you added more ammo than it can carry). In the attached pix you will note that the "Apply" button is greyed out. It won't accept a negative number.

[cbelva]

I was told that the negative number is by design. The negative number shows the player that he needs to adjust the number of rounds since he is over the carry capacity. As stated above, you can't accept the number of rounds until you no longer have excess ammo above its capacity.