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New Scenario: Tactical Operations Center


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I've yet to get round to playing this scenario but out of interest for when I do; I wondered how those that have played, feel about this potentially played as a coop game (with the implicit slight limitation that saved PBEM moves has in this respect). I can just imagine that, with all the advanced planning, record keeping and coordinated action that this scenario appears to demand, how joint-planning (with a clear division of forces under command naturally) might enhance game play even greater than MOS has already achieved.

Indeed has anyone actually tried playing this as a coop already? 

Thoughts, views? 

Edited by The Steppenwulf
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TOC is definitely not designed as a H2H game.  But, it's possible to have one player in charge of the Ukrainians and one ico the US.  However, the Ukr have only their small QRF that has offensive potential.  The other Ukr troops are primarily static guards - so may not be very interesting for the Ukr player.

One could have a 2nd player ico one of the US platoons.  But again, you would only have one platoon to play with.  Have to decide who is ico the support assets, drones, arty, engineers etc.

The TOC challenges are not the average challenges/missions of a typical CM2 game - it is more about resource allocation and logistics in order to accomplish varying objectives like tracking down Separatist war criminals, searching for their bases, opening up supply routes by locating and destroying roadblocks and resupplying units, escorting Defectors back to be safely evacuated from the FOB, guarding Detainees so they are not "broken out of jail" by Separatist forces, guarding strategic locations, rescuing beleaguered friendlies etc etc...  

Edited by Erwin
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It might indeed be possible for two players to cooperate as the US and Ukrainian COs (with the limitations Erwin describes).....I suspect it would be rather good fun, especially if you limited your communications to what would be plausible in the timeframe.  B)

Have to say, it sounds like my Ukrainians were a bit more adventurous than @Erwin's in testing.....I should have saved some images of the adventures of 'The Three Amigos' and their armoured car!  @MOS:96B2P saw some of it IIRC.  :D

HTH would end badly I suspect.....There are Russians out there and I fear an 'International Incident' might prove irresistible to the Red player.  :unsure:

Edited by Sgt.Squarehead
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12 minutes ago, Sgt.Squarehead said:

HTH would end badly I suspect.....There are Russians out there and I fear an 'International Incident' might prove irresistible to the Red player.  :unsure:

WelI I wasn't thinking about H2H play in my enquiry since I was aware that there are some innovative game contraptions implemented that might render H2H altogether inappropriate.

If that's not actually the case and if I'm right to infer something more from your statement above; is it that there could be some specific rules introduced for the Red player in a hypothetical H2H game that would restrict how the game plays out; ie rules that might specifically dictate how hot the game develops? 

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2 hours ago, The Steppenwulf said:

WelI I wasn't thinking about H2H play in my enquiry since I was aware that there are some innovative game contraptions implemented that might render H2H altogether inappropriate.

If that's not actually the case and if I'm right to infer something more from your statement above; is it that there could be some specific rules introduced for the Red player in a hypothetical H2H game that would restrict how the game plays out; ie rules that might specifically dictate how hot the game develops? 

well for one, the blue player option to eliminate base camps and therefore reinforcements would require the red player to voluntarily push those units into an exit zone upon arrival.

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5 hours ago, IanL said:

The civilian vehicles mod is actually stated to provide additional flavour objects. So, if you designed the scenario using these additional objects what happens to those objects when someone loads the scenario who does not have the mod installed? Can you point to a grid section that has these vehicles? I would be interested in seeing what is there with and without the mod.

I'll answer my questions plus - I owe you guys for my dumb forgot to read the manual stuff from earlier :D

First what happens if you play the scenario with out the additional vehicles mod. The answer is the game an existing flavour object (I am going to guess last but it could be first or random) Here is checkpoint Eagle 1 without any mods:

20180831120641-7a1f38a8.png

 

I created tagged versions of the mods for crops and the Ukranian digital cammo (but not the additional vehicles since they are additional flavour objects not replacements).

Now using the vanilla scenario the separatists use the digital cammo:

20180831120638-49b02ed2.png

 

And the Blue For Ukranian's use the default cammo:

20180831120639-f2ff0356.png

 

Then I tagged the scenario and fired that up.

It is a little dark but notice the face mask - the separatists are using the mod.

20180831120645-8c997586.png

20180831120643-73207cd4.png

 

and the Blue For Ukranians are still looking their default goodness:

20180831120646-779681ee.png

 

@MOS:96B2P I will PM you with the tagged mods and scenario and you can check it out.

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12 minutes ago, Sgt.Squarehead said:

That's weird Ian, when I placed the vehicles in Trumpton and removed the mod (exactly to test what would happen) I got nothing.....My car parks were empty!

That is interesting. I opened the shipped scenario without the mod and took those screen shots. I have no idea why the bahaviour would be different between us. Other than @sburke 's concern about your safety.

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@IanL I know there is a lot to read and digest in the briefing.  At the very end of the briefing there is a Shift Commander's Checklist.  This checklist, if followed, generally keeps the player aware of the changing situation and reduces confusion. 

SHIFT COMMANDER'S CHECKLIST:

Check TOC building for Ukrainian liaison officers.

Check interview room for new defectors with intelligence.  (In the name field of the defector in the user interface)

Check North Outpost HQ for new defectors with intelligence.

Check motor pool for vehicles returned to service.

Check UAV surveillance areas.

Check HLZ for reinforcements.

Check friendly reinforcement arrival times & locations.

Remember:  US Engineers & Separatist defectors must exit before the end of your shift (1700hrs).     

GOOD LUCK!!  

 

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1 hour ago, Zveroboy1 said:

This scenario requires v4 I imagine, right?

It was created with Engine 4 but I can't think of a reason why it would not run on engine 3.  It has supply dumps so it should be played on Elite or Iron for the supply dumps.  That's the only thing I can think of.  

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Since the scenario is released, I could post some screenshots I took, no spoilers though. MOS will have already seen most of these. I've been meaning to get back into the scenario, but it's something I would need to block off a whole day for. I just can't enjoy Combat Mission in bite-sized chunks.

 

5g96X0o.png

A couple of jobs right off the bat. NEED AMMO seems rather easy...

 

dTRCCs9.png

Terrain can prove challenging. I hope y'all brush up on your forest fighting skills.

 

MAVhhcB.png

Engineers are worth their weight in gold.

 

cZACOhq.png

Sometimes I really wish we had helicopters. Oh, well. Strykers are pretty cool too.

 

J90xPTd.png

I once read the posting entitled, "Clearing Buildings, Quick and Agile," but the only thing I could think of was, 'Why didn't they just plaster the building with 40 mike-mike instead?'

To this day I still don't understand it.

 

P8pR2BU.png

Managed to take one alive. Rare occurrence.

 

K668gXR.png

A modern-day Kampfgruppe. Engineer Team, Machinegun, Platoon HQ, and the Battalion S4 on safari.

 

gdHAT1t.png

Occasionally, you will get into VERY close contact.

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Loads of fun @MOS:96B2P! I am only 13 minutes in and already I have had guys ambushed, a hit and run attack plus various decisions about resources and managing who gets priority on the road network. I also took a chance on some likely bad lintel - yeah that didn't go well :D

 

On 9/1/2018 at 1:33 AM, sburke said:
On 8/31/2018 at 7:32 PM, IanL said:

Thanks I saw that - that is my plan too.

Opening with an agessive air assault move to kick things off.

Ballsy.  Careful with that axe Eugene!

Cool and fun events ensued. Saying no more.

 

Learned something about tagging I thought I would share. I did the work getting the tagging setup on my new gaming notebook - all good. I tested it there and then started my actual game there too. Then I moved everything to my normal game machine and played the scenario before putting the tagged mods in the correct location. I was just too excited to play :D . An interesting thing happened - the extra flavour objects (cars and trucks) were permanently replaced with forklifts. Once I put the mods in the correct place and restarted the game the crops and uniform mods were displayed as expected but the forklifts remained. So I went back to the game save I made on my notebook and all was well even on my main machine. It also continues to be fine.

My conclusion is that the game updated the flavour object references when it could not find the missing objects to something that made sense and saved that new value. In this case it replaced references to vehicle 2 and 3 etc. with vehicle 1. So additional flavour objects only work if you have them installed form the beginning. Not really a problem or even that enlightening, or for that matter likely to be seen again but just in case...

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5 hours ago, IanL said:

Loads of fun @MOS:96B2P! I am only 13 minutes in and already I have had guys ambushed, a hit and run attack plus various decisions about resources and managing who gets priority on the road network. I also took a chance on some likely bad lintel - yeah that didn't go well :D   

Thanks Ian!!  I hope you enjoy it and find it interesting.  Depending on your choices it will probably get even more interesting in the next 15 minutes or so.  Also should experience a new form of intelligence dissemination in that time frame.  Thank you for the comment at the Scenario Depot. 

Thank you @sburke,  @Sgt.Squarehead and @Erwin for comments at the scenario depot and for testing.  It means a lot to the designer of a scenario to get feedback on the scenario.    

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