Question about mines and wire

[ChrisMaiorana]

I am new to the game (and the editor) so please forgive me if this question has been asked/discussed before.

I am working on a simulation of a battle along the Gothic Line. The German defenses relied heavily on mines and wire along the crests of the ridges they were holding. Has anyone created a map layer modification for this?

Chris

[wodin]

There was a mine layer done for a mod of a scenario for COTA once...but it just made the area impassable and didn't destroy units. Mines was at one point going to be a feature for BFTB but it never happened.

[jimcarravall]

ORIGINAL: CapHillrat

I am new to the game (and the editor) so please forgive me if this question has been asked/discussed before.

I am working on a simulation of a battle along the Gothic Line. The German defenses relied heavily on mines and wire along the crests of the ridges they were holding. Has anyone created a map layer modification for this?

Chris

There is no modeling of minefields, obstacles, or wire embedded in the game's design engine.

There was some discussion later in the summer regarding a short impassible river on a map for one of the recently released Greek Pack scenarios (unfortunately I can't remember which one). It was basically a couple of kilometers of impassible river across a mountain pass that denied movement along a road, with no historical evidence the river ever existed.

Consensus from the discussion was the river emulated the effects of mines that had been emplaced across that road.

So, there is some precedent of using river terrain as counter mobility emplacements.

Though not exact representations, for the most part, the river tends to emulate the tactical reason for employing minefields: http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/ref ... FM5-31.pdf

They aren't designed to destroy units on the scale of those used in Command Ops, but to force those units to slow, or change direction.

The developers have said that providing static counter mobility emplacements for scenario design are part of the long term plans for the game.

Doing that efficiently involves not only portraying the counter mobility effects, but also allowing for engineers to assemble hasty emplacements, or breach enemy emplacements during certain game timescales.

If you proceed with your scenario by using a class of river terrain to mimic the counter mobility effect you desire, I'd suggest adding a label to the map to indicate you're showing a mine field / line of obstacles to avoid confusion between providing an accurate map, and gaining the combat effect you desire.

If nothing else, it'll make it easier to correct the map when the designers provide the counter mobility enhancement.

Hope this helps.

[ChrisMaiorana]

Hi Jim and Wodin. Thanks for your responses.

Jim, so to simulate the impassable barrier in the Greek scenario they used a major river? Or did they somehow change the stream or minor river layers? I don't know enough about the editor to know if that is possible.

Thanks.

Chris

[jimcarravall]

ORIGINAL: CapHillrat

Hi Jim and Wodin. Thanks for your responses.

Jim, so to simulate the impassable barrier in the Greek scenario they used a major river? Or did they somehow change the stream or minor river layers? I don't know enough about the editor to know if that is possible.

Thanks.

Chris

Since I didn't design the map myself, I wish I could remember where the discussion started, so I could direct you there for confirmation, and a screen shot of the map.

The screenshot showed a line across the pass with the characteristics of major river (draw the line where you want it, and then click on Major River in mapmaker).

Since it went from terrain impassible to at least road traffic, across the road, and to terrain impassible to at least road traffic on the other side, it cut all road movement through the pass. I can't remember if the terrain was so rough that it also blocked foot traffic.

The drawback to this method is there's no option for a force to emplace or remove mines or the obstacles represented during the combat time frame.

[ChrisMaiorana]

Cool. Thanks Jim. I appreciate it. I will try this!

[wodin]

It was a user made scenario for COTA that got minelayer I think..best ebt is to trawl COTA forums see if you can find it. Not even sure if it was an Africa scenario or not..can't remember. I think they used the fortification symbol..the grey one.

[ChrisMaiorana]

Thanks Wodin!

[jimcarravall]

ORIGINAL: CapHillrat

Cool. Thanks Jim. I appreciate it. I will try this!

My memories didn't serve me that well.

The thread was initiated after the Greek Pack was released.

Here's the thread I was referring to: tm.asp?m=3416205.

The scenario was Eisenborn Ridge in Battles from the Bulge.

The discussion centered on a river that couldn't be located on an actual map, but apparently was inserted to mimic the effects of Dragonteeth along the Siegfried Line.

The scenario file is Eisenborn Ridge.cos, and the map file is Losheim.cop.

Hope this helps.

[ChrisMaiorana]

Jim thank you!