Vietnam Combat Operations 2 - Aces8 vs AI

[comte]

Battle at LZ Albany

Here are the results for the battle at LZ Albany north of X-Ray by 2/7 Cav Battalion.

[comte]

Operation Road Runner - Road Security

On the 10th of November the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Infantry Division have been tasked with clearing a 13 km stretch of road for the safe passage of the 7th ARVN Regiment. There have been several encounters with small Viet Cong units in the opening phase of the operation but they were brushed aside quite easily by the 3rd Brigade units conducting the operation. This concludes Turn 30.

[berto]

Several months ago, out of frustration with the lack of progress towards fixing some of the serious issues and omissions in TOAW (especially as they relate to deficient naval/air operations, and simulating combat in the WWII Pacific Theater), I gave up on TOAW and uninstalled it from my game systems.

Seeing your ongoing VCO AARs, I am reminded that -- apart from everything else -- TOAW/VCO is a pretty decent Vietnam War game/simulation.

Maybe I'll reinstall TOAW if only for the pleasure of playing VCO.

[berto]

By your AAR graphics images, it's apparent that you have (just recently?) upgraded to TOAW 3.4.

IIRC, VCO was vetted only for TOAW 3.3 (and before?).

Have you observed any problems running VCO with TOAW 3.4? Do you have any authoritative info about current VCO compatibility?

[comte]

ORIGINAL: berto

By your AAR graphics images, it's apparent that you have (just recently?) upgraded to TOAW 3.4.

IIRC, VCO was vetted only for TOAW 3.3 (and before?).

Have you observed any problems running VCO with TOAW 3.4? Do you have any authoritative info about current VCO compatibility?

I haven't seen any problems with gameplay in version 3.4 but I have seen some minor problems with the graphics since I upgraded. When using the PNG graphics the units don't quite match up such as the NVA regulars I have in this screenshot they should have the infantry icon instead of the guerrilla icon. Also I noticed that the Royal New Zealand Artillery icon is screwed up. Also Phong Dien south of the DMZ has boxes next to its name for some reason. The PNG files need to be updated for these scenario's. I have no idea how to do this I gotta contact Boonie about this and see if he can fix it. I only started using the upgraded graphics to try and get more excitement and interest for these scenarios. I've been using both types of graphics for screen shots. The only thing keeping me from updating more frequently is helping my wife take care of my 4 month old baby and work. I only use TOAW for the Vietnam scenarios but there is also an awesome World War I what if scenario by Bill II that involves the Confederates and the Union fighting it out in 1914 I'm looking forward to playing that when I get a chance. Any way welcome back Berto [8D]

[berto]

ORIGINAL: Aces8

I haven't seen any problems with gameplay in version 3.4 but I have seen some minor problems with the graphics

Given the problems you describe, it seems that for VCO, there's pain without gain upgrading to TOAW 3.4.

I only use TOAW for the Vietnam scenarios

TOAW is only as good as its scenarios. Yes, I think I will reinstall TOAW (likely 3.3; and I actually prefer the 3.3 graphics) just in order to play VCO.

[berto]

I re-installed TOAW yesterday and patched to 3.2.29.27. I also downloaded and re-installed the entire current VCO set, Volumes 1-14.

Now what I need are a good two or three military histories of the Vietnam War. Our public library has books galore about the conflict, but focusing understandably on the politics and the protest of the era. Not so useful to a war gamer looking for detailed, nitty gritty background reading about the fighting.

[Boonierat]

The single best volume on the ground war is Shelby Stanton's Rise and Fall of an American Army:



For more in-depth reading, the first two volumes of the US Army in Vietnam series edited by the CMH are absolute must-haves and are available for free to download in pdf:


http://history.army.mil/html/books/091/91-5/index.html


http://history.army.mil/html/books/091/91-4/index.html

For more suggestions, check my bibliography thread over at ACG: http://www.armchairgeneral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=42241

I've recently re installed TOAW 3.2.29.27 to play my entire series of scens again, enjoy.

[comte]

Hey Boonie long time no see. I have abandoned this aar but I'm thinking about doing a new one. I wanna do your Tet scenario using the newest patch.

[berto]

ORIGINAL: Boonierat

The single best volume on the ground war is Shelby Stanton's Rise and Fall of an American Army ...

... I've recently re installed TOAW 3.2.29.27 to play my entire series of scens again, enjoy.

Thanks for the reading suggestions. In-depth readings are the motivation I need to play your scenarios.

[berto]

ORIGINAL: Boonierat

The single best volume on the ground war is Shelby Stanton's Rise and Fall of an American Army:

I purchased the e-book.

I've recently re installed TOAW 3.2.29.27 to play my entire series of scens again, enjoy.

I infer that VCO is compatible with that version of TOAW only.

A pity, because it doesn't appear that 3.2.29.27 supports wide-screen displays (1920x1080 in my case). Is there a secret to this?

I don't want physically larger hexes stretched out to fill a larger display. I want to see more standard-sized hexes, more of the map in a single panoramic view. Not a smallish porthole view, with lots of scrolling and jump map clicking.

So why not use the latest 3.4 (which supports wide screens)? I've had bad experience playing older scenarios on 3.4. That you, the scenario designer, still choose to play VCO on 3.2 strongly, definitively suggests that VCO-on-3.2 is still the way to go.

It seems that Matrix now only offers 3.4.0.202 for download at their website. A year or two ago, they offered 3.2.29.27 and still earlier versions for download. Fortunately, I had saved a copy of the 3.2.29.27 installer. Too bad that Matrix has seen fit to remove the older installers.

[Curtis Lemay]

ORIGINAL: berto

A pity, because it doesn't appear that 3.2.29.27 supports wide-screen displays (1920x1080 in my case). Is there a secret to this?

I don't have a readily available 3.2.29.27 copy installed on my PC to check that, but I do have 3.3.0.6, which is only slightly different from it, and it has no problem with that. Note that 3.3.0.6 is included with the 3.4 update.

It seems that Matrix now only offers 3.4.0.202 for download at their website. A year or two ago, they offered 3.2.29.27 and still earlier versions for download. Fortunately, I had saved a copy of the 3.2.29.27 installer. Too bad that Matrix has seen fit to remove the older installers.

All the updates are still on the site. See the attached screenshot.

[berto]

ORIGINAL: Curtis Lemay

ORIGINAL: berto

A pity, because it doesn't appear that 3.2.29.27 supports wide-screen displays (1920x1080 in my case). Is there a secret to this?

I don't have a readily available 3.2.29.27 copy installed on my PC to check that, but I do have 3.3.0.6, which is only slightly different from it, and it has no problem with that. Note that 3.3.0.6 is included with the 3.4 update.

I would want to hear Stéphane's opinion about VCO's compatibility with 3.3.0.6 before undertaking that.

It seems that Matrix now only offers 3.4.0.202 for download at their website. A year or two ago, they offered 3.2.29.27 and still earlier versions for download. Fortunately, I had saved a copy of the 3.2.29.27 installer. Too bad that Matrix has seen fit to remove the older installers.

All the updates are still on the site. See the attached screenshot.

I am referring to what I see listed here:

http://www.matrixgames.com/products/latestdownloads.asp?a=2



When you try the download link ("All [1] Downloads For This Product"), you see only 3.4.0.202.

Before Matrix removed the pre-3.4.0.202 installs from that customer-facing view, I had taken the precaution of downloading every available update, as far back as v30017. (I have retained these.) I have visited the download page multiple times over the years, and I don't ever recall seeing 3.3.0.6 listed there. Maybe just my bad luck. (3.3.0.6 is the one I don't have, but with your screenshot, I now know how to get it. Thanks for the geeky hint.)

If the earlier installs are still publicly available (and not in a geeky, insider sort of way), Matrix is doing a good job of obscuring that.

Anyway, for greatest enjoyment, I would very much prefer playing (vetted) VCO on wide-screen. I'd like to hear if and how Stéphane achieves that.

[Curtis Lemay]

ORIGINAL: berto

Before Matrix removed the pre-3.4.0.202 installs from that customer-facing view, I had taken the precaution of downloading every available update, as far back as v30017. (I have retained these.) I have visited the download page multiple times over the years, and I don't ever recall seeing 3.3.0.6 listed there. Maybe just my bad luck. (3.3.0.6 is the one I don't have, but with your screenshot, I now know how to get it. Thanks for the geeky hint.)

If the earlier installs are still publicly available (and not in a geeky, insider sort of way), Matrix is doing a good job of obscuring that.

As I said, 3.3.0.6 is contained within the 3.4.0.202 release - it was never an offical release itself. If you have 3.4 installed, it will be found in the main TOAW III directory.

One man's geeky is another's standard operating procedure. Personally, I can't imagine trying to download a 220MB file without using an FTP server. So, hopefully, anyone reading my post now knows that ftp.matrixgames.com is the ftp site, and can now access it using FileZilla or such - like an insider. [:)]

[berto]

ORIGINAL: Curtis Lemay
As I said, 3.3.0.6 is contained within the 3.4.0.202 release - it was never an offical release itself. If you have 3.4 installed, it will be found in the main TOAW III directory.

Ah, I missed that.

One man's geeky is another's standard operating procedure. Personally, I can't imagine trying to download a 220MB file without using an FTP server. So, hopefully, anyone reading my post now knows that ftp.matrixgames.com is the ftp site, and can now access it using FileZilla or such - like an insider. [:)]

I deal in IT geekiness, night and day, virtually without escape. You have no idea. [:(]

[berto]

I reconfigured a 3.4.0.202 install as 3.3.0.6.

In the 3.4.0.202 Whatsnew file, I saw no reason to doubt that 3.3.0.6 should work with VCO.

I then launched 3.3.0.6 ... and still no wide-screen resolution. [:(]

In the 3.4.0.202 Whatsnew file, it says:

35. There is now an Opart 3.ini switch to set the screen resolution for TOAW. This setting, if chosen, will only be in effect while TOAW is running, and will revert to the PC’s original setting after TOAW exits. This can be useful on hi-res screens that otherwise leave TOAW text too small to read.

Unfortunately, what this switch might be is not indicated in the Whatsnew AFAIK. And the default Opart 3.ini showed no such switch.

A Google search ("toaw screen resolution") uncovered this tip at the Operational Warfare Developer's Blog (http://operationalwarfare.com/post/2010/09/21/Toaw-34-187.aspx):

3.4.0.187
Added support for changing screen sizes. This doesn't work while remote desktopping into another PC. I wasn't able to do anything good with the UI, but if you change the N to a Y it will change the screen resolution and will change it back when it's done.
ChangeScreenResolution=N
ScreenY=600
ScreenX=800

But it's all moot, because of course this only applies to 3.4+, not to 3.3.0.6.

Another listed search result (http://forums.gamesquad.com/showthread.php?86607-About-screen-resolution) had this to say:

Got the right bypass, play the game in XP compatibility mode

It works fine, thanks to Ralph

And indeed, that did the trick! [:)]

edit> I should add that my gaming system runs Windows 7.

Viewable wide-screen (on a 1920x1080 monitor; the left-half of my dual monitor display), the large-map, monster VCO scenarios are now playable. So happy for this! [8D]

[Boonierat]

ORIGINAL: berto
Viewable wide-screen (on a 1920x1080 monitor; the left-half of my dual monitor display), the large-map, monster VCO scenarios are now playable. So happy for this! [8D]

I run 7 too, and yes, XP compatibility is the key to play 1920x1080.

[comte]

Future Test for AAR

[Hellen_slith]

Looks great!!