Combined Historical Scenario - General

[Andrew Brown]

ORIGINAL: eMonticello
Aside from an Aussie weather station and a Pan Am way station, there was little military activity. I suggest moving everything out of Noumea.

Already done - Noumea is now empty. Th only thing left there are the mines, and I don't know how, or whether, those shold be removed. I think the mine placement in Allied ports is automatic - when I made Portland into a port it suddently had 300 mines as well.

I will look at moving VMR-252 to Pearl Harbor instead of San Diego if that is considered to be more correct.

[Herrbear]

I notice that you have prevented ships traveling between Ceylon and India. I believe that a rail link from Ceylon to India exists also.

[Andrew Brown]

ORIGINAL: Herrbear

I notice that you have prevented ships traveling between Ceylon and India. I believe that a rail link from Ceylon to India exists also.

There was almost a rail link - a ferry was used to cross the strait between India and Ceylon, though (until 1964 I believe).

[michaelm75au]

Hi
Just a note of warning regarding air groups slots
If you use up too many of the slots 2200-2399, you will cut back on the number of divided air groups players can have.
As we have found out, these are the slots reserved for splitting AGs currently, although it is not actually mentioned in the Editor manual.
Michael

[Bodhi]

ORIGINAL: michaelm

Hi
Just a note of warning regarding air groups slots
If you use up too many of the slots 2200-2399, you will cut back on the number of divided air groups players can have.
As we have found out, these are the slots reserved for splitting AGs currently, although it is not actually mentioned in the Editor manual.
Michael

I'm sure there are lots of other little undocumented gotchas hanging around waiting to be uncovered as well. Just hope you manage to steer clear of them all when making the mod, although how you're meant to navigate around the uncharted ones is anyone's guess.

[Don Bowen]

ORIGINAL: michaelm

Hi
Just a note of warning regarding air groups slots
If you use up too many of the slots 2200-2399, you will cut back on the number of divided air groups players can have.
As we have found out, these are the slots reserved for splitting AGs currently, although it is not actually mentioned in the Editor manual.
Michael

Thanks Michael

I'll clear ALL airgroups from 2200-2399. The editor does not move pilots when their assigned airgroup is moved but luckily there seem to be very few pilots assigned to these high numbered groups.

I notice that the 2200-2399 range is for allied air groups. Is there a corresponding section for Japanese??

[michaelm75au]

No. Both sides share these slots. This is where the problem has been obvious. The IJ uses up the slots by splitting his AGs and suddenly the Allied guy can split his big BGs.

In fact, the Allied groups should probably really finish at 2199. I think what has happened is that the database has been designed with numbers upto 2399 for Allies. Then someone realised that some slots were needed for "splits" and just picked the numbers from the end of the database back.

Apart from the inability to split, the game engine seems to handle the Allied groups intermixed with the "splits" from either side.
Michael

[Herrbear]

ORIGINAL: Don Bowen


I'll clear ALL airgroups from 2200-2399. The editor does not move pilots when their assigned airgroup is moved but luckily there seem to be very few pilots assigned to these high numbered groups.

I notice that the 2200-2399 range is for allied air groups. Is there a corresponding section for Japanese??

It will be hard to clear all of these because that is where a lot of the Replacement AC groups are along with the Navy and Marine land based squadrons and the added seaplane sqds for the Commonwealth.

[Don Bowen]

ORIGINAL: Herrbear

ORIGINAL: Don Bowen


I'll clear ALL airgroups from 2200-2399. The editor does not move pilots when their assigned airgroup is moved but luckily there seem to be very few pilots assigned to these high numbered groups.

I notice that the 2200-2399 range is for allied air groups. Is there a corresponding section for Japanese??

It will be hard to clear all of these because that is where a lot of the Replacement AC groups are along with the Navy and Marine land based squadrons and the added seaplane sqds for the Commonwealth.

It's a big job but I have faith - and WITPLOAD!

[Mr.Frag]

Your other option is to rework the groups into squadrons so there are no splits at all. If you do so and get rid of all the comment type stuff, you have room for 2399 units. (keep out of 2400+, used for partial units)

As far as sorting out the pilots, it's a pretty simple exercise in Excel ...

Add a lookup to the pilot table and grab the values pre cleaning.

Keep that value with the air group table as a column.

After shuffling everything around, do another lookup to get the before value and read the new value based on that lookup.

Use that new value for the pilot table as a column replacement.

Same works for leaders.

Just avoid record #1 in any table, it has a tendancy of dropping data in the editor.

If you clear out all the comment type fields, you should have a large increase in capacity.

[Don Bowen]

I'm extracting into a database with WITPLOAD, renumbering there, and loading back. I'm going to expand all groups to squadrons and we are adding quite a few squadrons. I'll run up to about 2175 with almost no "blanks" for dividers.

Big job, about 1/2 done.

Don

[Mr.Frag]

I think the mine placement in Allied ports is automatic - when I made Portland into a port it suddently had 300 mines as well.

Mines are automatically placed at the scenario start on key locations. You don't have control over it.

[Don Bowen]

ORIGINAL: Don Bowen

I'm extracting into a database with WITPLOAD, renumbering there, and loading back. I'm going to expand all groups to squadrons and we are adding quite a few squadrons. I'll run up to about 2175 with almost no "blanks" for dividers.

Big job, about 1/2 done.

Don

Oops - Now make that 0/2 done! I think I'll take a break!

[Don Bowen]

I've received the supply/resource updates from Lemurs and some additional adjustments (for Australia only) from Andrew Brown and both have been implemented. There are some remaining questions with facilities and garrisons at Aden and Middle East that will probably have to wait until after the first "Alpha". I'm sure there will be many questions on supply and resource items.

I found an entry in "Chronology of U.S. Navy Submarine Operations in the Pacific 1939-1942" that states:
April 15, 1942 - SubDiv 53 (S-42, S-43, S-44, S-45, S-46, and S-47) previously based in Panama arrive in Brisbane, Australia with tender Griffin.

All seven ships were coded for a 420301 arrival at San Diego. They appear to have been stationed at various points on the East Coast and Caribbean on December 7th. I changed them to be 420201 arrivals at Panama City. It would be more accurate to place then at Cristobal (Coco Solo Naval Base) but we have not yet decided if the Panama Canal will be navigatable.

I have also coded two Seaplane tenders that operated on both sides of the Canal to be on the Pacific side (for the same reason).

I did not add the 8 S-boats of Submarine Squadron Three as they operated only in the Caribbean.


Navy Patrol Wing 3, based in the Caribbean, had two squadrons at Coco Solo - VP-31 and VP-32. I have added them as "West Coast" units - assigning one to search and one to ASW. Note that the third squadorn of PatWing-3 (VP-33) is already in the OOB due to a 1943 deployment to the Southwest Pacific.

Reviewed US Coast Guard Cutters in response to a forum post that I copied some time ago:
Spenser now arrives 24 October 1944 at Panama City as an AGC
Ingham now arrives 29 November 1944 at Panama City as an AGC
Bibb now arrives 22 February 1945 at Panama City as an AGC
Campbell has been added to arrive May 14, 1945 at Panama City as an AGC
Duanne was also mentioned but her history indicates she was in the Atlantic for the entire war.


The first Alpha will go out today via Personal Message (unless you request the artwork). It will include the actual scenario (number 55) and the aircraft art (if it arrives in time). Each player must be sure their other art is up to date:

Matrix Basic Ship art files

Tankerace's V1.3 additions from Spookys (both
Allied Upgrade OOB Graphic Mod - v1.3 (Link Fixed - Thanks Tankerace)
Allied Upgrade OOB Graphic Mod 1.3 small Fix

Andrew Brown's Modified Map from Spookys
and the Aden/Panama Update (link posted during recent chat).

The additional Ship art is a 4+ meg file that will be sent with the scenario to those that requested it. I already have requests for the art from: Ron Saueracker, Pry, TheElf, CobraAus and bstarr. Everyone else, if you don't have it, send me your actual email address (file too large for fmail).

Let's go Alpha!

[Tankerace]

Just FYI Don, your links to both my art files go to the same file, the patch. The correct link for the main art pack is :

Allied OOB Mod 1.3 scen and art.

[Don Bowen]

Last minute adjustments.

Cobra has pointed out a naming problem with Argonaut - fixed.

I've made a last minute attempt to adjust the supply, resources, and facilities at Middle East, Aden, and Karachi - with some guidance from Andrew.

The original Karachi (Scenario 15 adjusted by our previous changes) had:
Starting Supply: 60k
Starting Fuel: 180k
Daily Supply: 11k
Daily Fuel: 9k
Starting Oil: 10k
Starting Resources: 10k
Manpower (device 520): 33
Heavy Industry (device 521): 300
Resources (device 519): 300

This appears to represent not only those supplies/resources/facilities actually at Karachi but those in the supply line feeding it (which were not represented until now). Therefore, I have reduced the supplies/resources/facilities at Karachi to a minimum and moved most of them back to Middle East, with a few at Aden. This is a complete work of estimation and can not possibly be correct but it is the best I can do. Please wait until after you receive the Alpha to begin recommending changes.

[Andrew Brown]

Hi Don,

Juat a couple of last minute quickies (but they can wait for post-Alpha):

- Aden should have 50 repair yard as well as ME, as ships cannot actually get to the ME base (the repair capacity at ME is in case a ship arrives there and gets attacked by the Japanese before it moves - no other reason).

- A couple of people have mentioned that there was no real movement of supplies/fuel etc. through the canal, only troops/naval units. If this is true (and I am not sure), then most of the daily supply/fuel (3,000 I think) should be removed from Cristobal and retored to the "USA" base, from which I stole it.

Andrew

PS: I am not sure if I have all of the latest artwork for the scenario. If not then I will need a copy as well. I will review the posts you have made later, then contact you if I think I may be missing something.

[Don Bowen]

The Alpha is out - without the updated aircraft artwork for now. The combined Alpha and Ship art files are large (over 4 Meg) and I had some problems when I sent them. At least one addressee was refused as "non-deliverable" but I'm not sure which one (or if it was all).

If you asked for the artwork with your alpha AND HAVE NOT RECEIVED IT, let me know.

Don

[Don Bowen]

Done tonight:

System damage added to ships under refit/overhaul at Pearl Harbor

Eight "training" airgroups added to Japanese air OOB

102nd Reserve Division moved forward to 12/15/41 at Cagayan

Negros Island set to 200 supply.

Aden shipyard upped to 50

Fort level set to 50 for Hong Kong

New artwork received for Dewey Dry Dock, Barracuda class, Soerabaja, Flower, and a modified Load Screen for Combined Historical Scenario.



Controversial, can be undone:

Barracuda class SS (two classes and three ships) added

Dewey Dry Dock added.





Proposed, not yet done:

Proposed replacement of 5in/38 on US CVs with less effective weapon (new 5in/38 or 5/25)

Possible inclusion of US Naval District inshore patrol squadrons

Possible renaming of US Marine VMR squadrons to VMJ

Movement of several US Merchants to Canal Zone (just pick a few from assorted bases)

Rename base 472 to Malir (currently duplicate Hyderabad).




Up for debate:

Use of one remaining ship's gun device slot, one remaining ASW device slot, and two mine slots

Possible inclusion of some part of the Soviet Pacific fleet (in 1945).

Inclusion of just-after-the-war ships: Midway class, Vanguard, others??




I'd like to hear from folks on these open items. It would be great to get them agreed to and nailed down. Also any concerns or problems. I've heard few problems on the Alpha and perhaps we can move quickly to a beta.

Don

[Tankerace]

Don, just a heads up, tonight or tomorrow I should have a huge set of graphics for you, to add in for US submarines, various schemes and conningtowers throughout the war. Roughly 3 fits per boat, with 2 for the S and Tench.