Return to ME Campaign

[edward77]

I have enjoyed coming back to Middle East Campaign after a long absence. Particularly liked the Bir Lahfar 3 scenario which is fought in four distinct phases, early Israeli dominant fire power, then giving way to a steady retreat in the wake of superior numbers, then swinging right to counter act the threat to the Radar base, then finally back on the attack with the reinforcements.
I noticed one of the quirks of AI indecision is still there. Three adjacent Egyptian lorries repeatedly moving one hex back and forth until they all exhaust their action points.
Not too keen on the new visibility method filled with hexagons. The old method of shading for EF and WF was easier on the eye and blended well into the terrain. I guess there must be a good reason for changing it but I cannot think of one.
Quite a lot of the larger scenarios have objectives with too low victory points which are drowned by the point losses eg in Bir Lahfar 3 the total objective VP count is 350 whereas the VP loss is likely to be well over 1000. So even if the Egyptians take all the objectives they will still suffer a major defeat. Even so a great scenario!
The Lua script development is really exciting. I hope we can get a template script along the lines that Richard Bodley Scott used for Pike and Shot. This was a great success and had a lot of us using it, initially with simple parameters and later with more complex logic. The standard template made the learning curve less steep and of course being able to see it,we learnt from one another.
Its all good stuff

[berto]

ORIGINAL: edward77

Not too keen on the new visibility method filled with hexagons. The old method of shading for EF and WF was easier on the eye and blended well into the terrain.

The old way is still there, as an option. Try: Options > Hex Highlights > Hex Shading

I guess there must be a good reason for changing it but I cannot think of one.

Here's two:

[*]Personal preference.
[*]Some people find the graphics artifacts, the glitches in the shader method at some of the zoom levels, to be unsightly.

So, we give players options. Three in fact, including: Hex Shading, Hex Block, Hex Outline.

Take your pick.

[berto]

Note that for Hex Highlights, you can change the hex outline color too: Options > Highlight Colors > ...

[berto]

Hex Highlights, with Options > Highlight Colors > Yellow selected:



Orange works well too. There are 16 colors to choose from. Again, take your pick.

[carll11]

I am having an issue with visibility working during editing.

See attached image, the binoculars on the toolbar are activated, yet, nothing...under hex highlights I have hex block selected...I have tried the others, no love.

[carll11]

Looks like I have stumbled on the fix so to speak.

There needs to be a unit in the hex to activate the siteline visibility code. In editing I would prefer 'seeing' before I 'place', but I'll live with it[;)]

Also apropos editing; I was hoping a hot button would be provided for Fixing units...could you please consider that re: Vietnam? A case of beer for the Dev. team if they can do it...

[carll11]

well, I may have spoke to soon................in the valley of tears 6 Final Fury, scn. I was in editing mode, I wanted to check some things and activated Viability but, no Israel unit will open that function, though any Syrian unit I choose will shade the appropriate visible hexes......see image;

[Big Ivan]

Hi Carll11,

Ran into the same issue a while ago. The visibility shading only works in edit mode for the side that's flagged to move first.

I believe I told the team about it and its in somebody's notebook somewhere. Another feature that would be nice
would be range display in editor mode. I think that's out there too somewhere.

[berto]

Yes, you are right, in the current CSME 2.01 public release, it functions as you described. Sorry about that.

In the latest CSME under development, this has already been fixed, the Visibility highlight displays for both sides in the scenario editor. Available in future releases (but that's a good long way off, again sorry).

[Big Ivan]

Thanks berto, figured you folks were on it.

Don't be sorry, its livable at the moment. Understand there are bigger things at hand right now that need attention.

Cheers!
John[:)]

[carll11]

ORIGINAL: berto


Yes, you are right, in the current CSME 2.01 public release, it functions as you described. Sorry about that.

In the latest CSME under development, this has already been fixed, the Visibility highlight displays for both sides in the scenario editor. Available in future releases (but that's a good long way off, again sorry).

Thx berto and the work around is easy enough, just go into the header and change the move first side from A to B and back....

[carll11]

ORIGINAL: Big Ivan

Hi Carll11,

Ran into the same issue a while ago. The visibility shading only works in edit mode for the side that's flagged to move first.

I believe I told the team about it and its in somebody's notebook somewhere. Another feature that would be nice
would be range display in editor mode. I think that's out there too somewhere.

Amen brother! Range check per unit, a hot button to Fix units and Command Range would be nice too..........

[edward77]

Three questions please.
1. How do you get to the objectives actually in the Suez Canal(AIW #22)?
2. What and how do I build a bridge across the Canal.
3. How do I use the single Gillois Amphibious Tank Carrier.(Manual states that you need three to build a ferry bridge.)
Thank you.

[Jason Petho]

ORIGINAL: edward77

Three questions please.
1. How do you get to the objectives actually in the Suez Canal(AIW #22)?

I didn't design this scenario (or any of the AIW ones for that matter), but looking at it you have the ferry you can use or your M113's are also able to float.

Obviously, you would want to secure both banks before you decide to run a ferry or M113 in the water.

ORIGINAL: edward77
2. What and how do I build a bridge across the Canal.

You cannot. Although, you can capture the Egyptian pontoon bridge on the far west of the map, or you can ferry over troops (one platoon at a time) using your ferry.

ORIGINAL: edward77
3. How do I use the single Gillois Amphibious Tank Carrier.(Manual states that you need three to build a ferry bridge.)
Thank you.

I don't see where in the manual it states this. You can build a hexSIDE bridge, but you cannot build a full hex bridge.

[edward77]

Thanks Jason.In AIW #22 There is a single Gillios ATC present in the canal. Statement about requiring three units is in the F2 viewer not the manual.

[Jason Petho]

P226805
Built in Germany for the French Army, the Gillois Amphibious Tank Carrier was used by the Israelis to move paratroopers and armored forces cross the Suez Canal during the Yom Kippur War (1973). This is a very large unit, that when linked with three other units can produce a ferry bridge to move heavy equipment across canals. These units give no cover for the equipment on the bridge because of the lack of armor on its sides.

Ah yes, I see what you mean. I think that is just a general statement on how they were intended to perform in RL and not how it is supposed to interact in the game.

That unit acts as a ferry in the game, you need to load and unload units from the shallow hexes to the other shallow hexes on the other side of the canal. This procedure has been changed with Vietnam.

[edward77]

Jason, Ah yes, I did not cotton on to the significance of the shallow water. Thank you.
In the process of looking at the various engineering functions I came across the Pontoon Ferry company in the Israeli OOB which consists of 2 Bridge Engs, 4 Ferries and 6 Engineering Trucks. So logically a truck for each unit. However the ferries do not load.(Message:- "No valid unit for loading"). In the F2 viewer it specifically states that the ferries are transported by Engineering Trucks!

[Crossroads]

ORIGINAL: edward77

Jason, Ah yes, I did not cotton on to the significance of the shallow water. Thank you.
In the process of looking at the various engineering functions I came across the Pontoon Ferry company in the Israeli OOB which consists of 2 Bridge Engs, 4 Ferries and 6 Engineering Trucks. So logically a truck for each unit. However the ferries do not load.(Message:- "No valid unit for loading"). In the F2 viewer it specifically states that the ferries are transported by Engineering Trucks!

I don't quite recall how it went with this, there was a bug, but it was fixed in 2.01 IIRC.

Here's the procedure for loading a Ferry (or Boat, Raft) to an Engineer Truck:

[*] Load Engineers into Ferry, first.
[*] Then load the Ferry, with Engineers on it, to Engineer Truck
[*] You end up with Ferry loaded into Engineer Truck, and Engineers unloaded.

For unloading the ferries, just unload at shallow water.

A bit complicated maybe, but this depicts how the engineers would load up the trucks with this engineering equipment.

[Big Ivan]

Yes Crossroads,

There was a bug in CSME 2.00 which a few others and I talked about, but it was fixed in 2.01 as I remember.

The process for loading ferry's and boats is as you describe. I think that procedure goes back to JTCS.

[:)]

[edward77]

Ah, good. Thank you both.