Matrix Games Forums

Lads!

sPzAbt653 and myself are trying to put together a comprehensive collection of various TOAW TO&E files in order to help current (or future) scenario designers to have quick & easy access without 'wasting' their creative minds with painstaking TO&E research. And here's how it is supposed to work:

The TOAW TO&E files provide templates for unit TO&E's. There are three files, one for the original equipment file that is used by TOAW (named TOAW TOE's-1), the other two are for the alternate WWII equipment files (TOAW TOE's-2 and TOAW TOE's-3). The files are in scenario form, allowing designers to open the desired file and view units and their TO&E's in the editor. All unit TO&E's have been submitted by scenario designers.

You can find units of different countries by using the 'b' key on the keyboard and then typing in the country you are looking for. Hit the spacebar to remove the units from view and reveal if there are footnotes for any unit you are interested in. Footnotes are currently listed in the briefing, but if that gets too large, the footnotes will be moved into a separate text document.

TO&E submissions can be in the form of .xml files (or a .txt or .oob dump the Oberst prefers) or screen shots of the unit(s) in the TOAW editor (the way sPzAbt653 prefers). Submissions can be for any of the three equipment
databases. Submissions are encouraged to include any notes of importance (source, specific features of a unit, name of the submittor, etc.) but are not required. This information will be converted into footnotes (we don't intend to put together extensive notes and explanations).

Feedback naturally is appreciated and I am aware that this is a 'dicey' subject, e.g. why the use of Rifle Squads and NOT Heavy Rifle Squads for certain units etc etc etc. Well, one can easily modify the TO&E for any specific scenario, right? Again, the idea is to give scenario designers a prep'd bundle they can use with ease and without reseraching for, let's say the TO&E for the 653th Eng Rgt in 1942 in Russia...

So lads, keep posting and any suggestions are welcome.

kLiNk, Oberst

Uhm...are there enough unit slots? Seriously. Some of the armies changed their unit TO&E as often as one would change a babies diaper. Perhaps time 'slices' would be appropriate. Beginning and mid year maybe.

You can still have more than one .OOB file. And the plan is not to list every unit zee Jaymans etc. had. Ir's not gonna be an OOB collection (TO&E it is). So, what's your general feedback Kamerad? And yes, we'll use a kind of 'time stamp' to show when/why this particular unit had a certain TO&E.

kLiNk, Oberst

Some of the armies changed their unit TO&E as often as one would change a babies diaper. Perhaps time 'slices' would be appropriate. Beginning and mid year maybe.

Perhaps like this ??

... or this ??

In another example, German Welle's can be seen in division form and in the individual division components.

Submissions can be in the form of .xml files, .txt or .oob dumps (as the Oberst prefers); or as screen shots for my simple mind, like this :

Of course we are not doing the OOB. If so then you would be certified as insane and get locked away in your own little padded room. [:D]

Forgot to ask. What equipment database(s) are you using?

That would be a lot of screen shots.

We intend to keep the footnotes simple.

ORIGINAL: Panama

Uhm...are there enough unit slots? Seriously. Some of the armies changed their unit TO&E as often as one would change a babies diaper. Perhaps time 'slices' would be appropriate. Beginning and mid year maybe.

There's also the difficulty that what the TO&E was in theory, and what it was in practice were two different things.

For example, British infantry divisions had a 'reconnaissance' regiment from at least 1940 on -- in theory. The first time I'm aware of one actually appearing in action was at El Alamein -- and even then, it didn't serve with its parent division.

I need to ask someone to please confirm the designer of this Alternate Equipment file :

And also the designer of this Alternate Equipment file :

That's fine with me. If they weren't used before/at/after certain campaigns the scenario designer just drops them. But it's nice to have the TO&E of the Reece Rgt. *pls send*

kLiNk, Oberst

That would be a lot of screen shots.

I like screen shots ... what's wrong with screen shots ?? [:(]

What equipment database(s) are you using?

Um ... explained in post 1 ? (all three).

Yes, I see three are named. But where does one find them? Can I do a search using those file names to locate them? I don't recall having come across those particular ones but the game is several years old so I imagine there are quite a few different equipment databases running about. [;)]

There are only three that I know of that have to do with WWII, the original and the two I posted screen shots of above. The file names above are what we renamed them. I don't know where they are, I think we pass them around ourselves, or maybe they are on Gamesquad.

I believe both of them are still on Gamesquad, if you take the time to browse through the download section.

sPz and Oberst
Great idea!
my two pfennigs:
MMG/HMG issue:  I feel the MMG is the standard company/battalion level MG.  Despite the terminology published TOE referring to HMG,  in the HMG in TOAW refers the .50cal/12.5 MG (note that  the AP/AT values for  HMG are the same as the AAMG in TOAW).  Thus assigning the 7.62mm/7.92mm as an HMG confers a greater AT strength to the unit...

Similarly, and this is more of a personal opinion here, the standard German rifle squad should be Heavy Rifle Squad vs Rifle Squad for the Soviets, and include only the heavy weapon platoon/company MG in the assigned equipment roster.  (I cannot accept a German 7.92mm MG34 with an assistant gunner and 500 round basic load, would be equivalent to a Soviet 7.62 DPMG with half the basic load).  This has been discussed on the Forum my better experts than I and I am not sure there is a concurrence...

Transport (again, this has been an issue of several Forum topics), I feel the transport value represents transport assets, not actual vehicles.  I put is a low number for leg infantry and adjust it to give a reasonable rate of movement (maybe 50 km a day for a fresh unit on a road), and a similar but much higher number for motorized units.  In Road to Moscow for TOAW- I Crossing the Boarder, 12 truck units and 12 horse-drawn units gives an initial movement rate of 6 (@ one-day turns/10-km hex).  Even this appear to be a bit high, but rapidly degrades to a rate consistent with the German advance.  Whereas the sample TOE above of 93 trucks would give a rate of 9.

Just a couple of minor points- great idea!