New Scenario for Testing NF #41 Tour de Force

[RSMC]

One hour of game time in - initial feedback

Yankee Notch are targeting the neutral facilities on Spitzbergen, may want to either forbid targets of opportunity or let the game run 1 second for WP, to clearly label neutrals as such

Neutral fishing boats are being targeted by coastal SSMs and SAG long range missiles, same potential fixes as above.

Check out the SAG helicopter deployments, I think you have AEW birds in the ASW mission and the ASW birds not assigned to any mission.

Pace for the first hour is frantic - in a good way. Scoring - starting in the expected hole, -350 (-300 tankers, -10 each for 5 fishing boats sunk by WP)

As usual the work you put into these is very impressive.

Keep up the great work.

[Gunner98]

Thank you... fix one thing and it breaks another...

I'll get a quick fix out for this one shortly.

Happy New Year

[Gunner98]

OK here is a quick fix which should sort out the issues RSMC mentioned

Thank you

[alghblag]

@AndrewJ, you are good at this game! A lot of my aviation destroyed during raids that you seemed to handle easily. Wondering how you dealt with the refueling, etc...

@Gunner98, great scenario! I failed miserably at the beta and haven't had time to play the updated version, but serious kudos are due. One thing that I think might be helpful is more reminders for various player tasks -- after a while I lost track of what needed to go where for refueling/rearming.

[AndrewJ]

Hi Alghblag,

The main thing I do is micromanage almost everything, which means I am an excruciatingly slow player. I use missions for things like AEW and ELINT paths, and ASW patrols, but other than that it's usually all by hand, and that gives a lot more flexibility to chose routes, time the arrival of recce assets, manage when and at what range to fire, etc. There's a lot of terrain following, sheltering in the steep Norwegian fjords and valleys, that the AI simply isn't equipped to do, which can often help me get planes in close enough to attack before they are shot down, and escape again afterwards.

For a scenario of this size, I had to do a bunch of 'external' work to keep track of everything.

I had maps for various patrol zones and areas of operation.


I saved all the intel messages and made a little event tracker to keep tabs on the due dates and status of my assignments.


I had a very messy attempt to plan and track my logistics, looking at the different fuel and munitions needs to try and make the proper warships meet the proper replenishment group.


I found UNREP to be a bit clumsy. For example, a carrier would often try to fill its magazines with hundreds of rusty old iron bombs, before getting to the few AAMs it most desperately needed, so I began to use the editor to swap munitions, to simulate control of munitions loading. (Subtract X iron bombs that you hadn't really wanted the carrier to load, add them back to the logistics ship, subtract an equivalent weight of AAMs from the logistics ship and add them to the carrier.) It's not perfect, but it was certainly helpful.

All of this was far more involved than a normal scenario, but that's what made it such a vivid game experience.

[CHM]

ORIGINAL: AndrewJ

I found UNREP to be a bit clumsy. For example, a carrier would often try to fill its magazines with hundreds of rusty old iron bombs, before getting to the few AAMs it most desperately needed...

I too find this annoying. I wonder how complex a priority system would be to add? Similar to the reload priority system for weapon stations (telling a sub to load torpedoes over TLAMs, for example). Split down into weapon types, for simplicity (Guided Weapons, iron bombs, etc).

[Gunner98]

Thanks alghblag

As Andrew describes, you're going to need notes and tools. There is a Special Action timer to help as well.

I almost always have a spreadsheet and word document open when I play larger scenarios, for planning and just simple calculations. You'll want to build checklists and schedules, take notes, assign tasks etc. This helps keep it organized.

You're doing the job of hundreds when managing a scenario this large so think it through hierarchically. Try to look at it this way:

-Your orders come from CTF 20 every 24 hours. You get an Intelligence Report @0600 (I think), a FRAGO at 1200Z daily, ISTAR orders @ 1800. You will notice a pattern developing (which is why I did it this way) - the FRAGO will tell you to do things that are related to the ISTAR tasks the previous day and tomorrow mornings INTRP will give you some clues of where your going next.

-You are acting as Comd TF20, so you've got a staff of about 80 on the USS Mount Whitney. In this role you cannot look after everything all the time so set yourself a schedule - every 4 hrs or maybe 6 hrs. Here is what you want to do:
*Decide how you will do your major tasks - task resources, provide additional help if needed etc
*Check on progress of your major TGs and the tasks you have given them.
*Check the general situation for ships arriving/departing, routine air patrols etc
*Check logistics

-You have about a dozen or so major TGs but only one or two will be in action at any one time. Set yourself a schedule - put yourself in the position of the commander of that TG
*You will want to check on them all at least once between your TF20 review
*For the backwater TGs or bases set up to check a few every hour
*For your 'in action' TGs you will want to keep more of an eye on them, every 20 min or so
*Review their tasks, review their status. Make adjustments, set a time to check again and move on.

-Your major tasks and some popup issues will require min-min coordination. I use many more missions than Andrew describes but he seems to have more success than I do[:'(] --this is the tactical fight and each one is almost a scenario in itself

The trick is to be organized, and try and for each of your checks at each level try and put yourself in the shoes of the nasty enemy (or scenario designer) and what just might be in store for that group.

Hope that helps.

[pjb1]

When I download latest update to this scenario it shows NF 44 "into the bastion" as the scenario in the zip file

[Gunner98]

Crap

OK here is the proper one. Sorry bout that

[pjb1]

Yeah we are all human here!!

[morphin]

Hi
I manage ASW, AEW and AAW Patrol with Missions (like AndrewJ). All other i micromanage

I have a few issues:

In the log i see a lot of this messages:

"3/18/1994 12:08:00 PM - [WP] Shotgun weapon state has been set to Beyond Visual Range (BVR) exhaustion, however aircraft 892nd IAP #12 (Su-15TM Flagon E/F) is only armed with Within Visual Range (WVR) weapons. The aircraft will therefore return to base immediately. Change the Shotgun weapon state to Guns or WVR, or use Winchester weapon state."

And a lot of smashed into the ground missiles (To many i suppose. I know there was an error on earlier version of the game and i fear this bug is here again)
"3/18/1994 12:10:34 PM - [WP] Weapon: SS-N-19 Shipwreck [P-700 Granit] #10980 has smashed into the ground"

Also both torpedos fired against my british ship denotated suddendly and unexpecpted hortly after firing

"3/18/1994 12:10:12 PM - Weapon: 65-76A Kit WH #11013 has detonated, 0m from intended target point.
3/18/1994 12:10:12 PM - [NATO] Contact TORPEDO #910 has been lost."

->Really strange behaviour of the game....(Lucky for me!)

Also i have strange path changes (see https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=4933666)
and outofmemory Messages (first in the logs and then the game crashes). Do you see also errors in the logs?

I strongly think that the game has problems with string and INT Data Types handling. (on big scenarios)

(-> I made a lot of ASW Missions with quite a lot of Reference Points also.)

PLease have a look in the log Directory. It is often helpfull to sea errors you don't notice while gaming

Andy

[morphin]

AndrewJ

May you share your excel files?
Thank's
Andy

[morphin]

Hi Gunner98

I have the following while playing 4 houres:

"3/18/1994 12:02:30 PM - [WP] Svalbard Cargo #1 (An-26 Curl A) departed Severomorsk-1.
3/18/1994 12:02:35 PM - [WP] Aircraft Svalbard Cargo #1 (An-26 Curl A) is assigned to a ferry mission but it cannot land at the desired destination. Unassigning aircraft and returning to nearest base."

"3/18/1994 12:08:00 PM - [WP] Shotgun weapon state has been set to Beyond Visual Range (BVR) exhaustion, however aircraft 892nd IAP #12 (Su-15TM Flagon E/F) is only armed with Within Visual Range (WVR) weapons. The aircraft will therefore return to base immediately. Change the Shotgun weapon state to Guns or WVR, or use Winchester weapon state."

It is a great scenario. I would even include amphibious invasion force for the last days....

Andy

[AndrewJ]

ORIGINAL: morphin

AndrewJ

May you share your excel files?
Thank's
Andy

Sure. It's just a list and a handy place to store screen-shots, and doesn't do any automatic calculations or anything like that, so it probably won't be much use to someone else, but you're welcome to have a look. The list of events on the second page may be spoilers if you haven't played the whole scenario yet.

[Gunner98]

Thanks for the tip on the log, I'll take a look.

The Su-15 issue and the An-26 are easy to fix, thanks for picking them up.

Ohh and for Amphib.... wait for it!![:D]

[morphin]

Thank's

Main reason is that i don't have to type all the names for creating own excel-file and i'm interested in the assignment for the replenisment ships

->yes. i will delete the second page

[morphin]

ORIGINAL: AndrewJ

ORIGINAL: morphin

AndrewJ

May you share your excel files?
Thank's
Andy

Sure. It's just a list and a handy place to store screen-shots, and doesn't do any automatic calculations or anything like that, so it probably won't be much use to someone else, but you're welcome to have a look. The list of events on the second page may be spoilers if you haven't played the whole scenario yet.

What's the meaning of "D,O,G,Sp"?
Thank's
Andy

[AndrewJ]

ORIGINAL: morphin

What's the meaning of "D,O,G,Sp"?
Thank's
Andy

Types of fuel: Diesel, Oil, Gas.
(The T-AOs have their diesel crossed out to remind me not to give it to other ships, because they use it themselves.)


Ph = Phoenix, Am = AMRAAM, Sp = Sparrow

[morphin]

Hi
I have inserted new page in the Excel-File from AndrewJ with all Units, Weapons and Weapons Amount. Maybe useful for somebody for Planning

AndrewJ: I hope this is ok for you.Otherwise tell me please and i can remove it again

[AndrewJ]

No problem at all. I'm glad it was useful.