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Del Shand

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    Manitoba, Canada
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    IS Professional

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  1. I have tried the replay and it's asking to load a map. What map was used?
  2. Del Shand

    Merry Xmas

    Merry Xmas and Seasons Greetings to All!! At this time of year, I wish that all TACOPers get kissed under the mistletoe than get 'kissed' by a TOW missile. Peace
  3. In Brief: TacOps - played in one minute turns - stylized maps with only three elevations. Maps do not have a zoom in or out feature. - units are typically platoons or company. Units can split down to sections. Units are issued orders by platoon / company. Copy and Paste feature for orders - easy to use interface - multi-national OOB - lots of unit types - simplified airstrikes - a full in-game editor capability (umpire mode) for CPXs. ATF and BCT don't have anything like this. - excellent multi-player via Hotseating, Lan/Internet or PBEM - excellent tech support - very active user community - can be played on a low end machine Armored Task Force - basically, BCT on steriods with multiple enhancements and allowing individual units. - real time with up to 8X time acceleration. There is a pause feature to give orders if real-time gets to be a handful. Maps also have 8 levels of zoom - realistic maps with multiple heights - can be played at company, platoon, section and single vehicle level. Units can be issued orders at each level and are interchangable. Units are typically platoons. Groups of platoons form a company hierarchy which can be given orders. - AI can handle sub-units if you give commands to attack, defend, breach etc to company-level units. Copy and Paste feature for orders. - interface can be a handful at times, with a variety of right click menus and toolbars. - very limited OOB. US Army, US Marines and OPFOR. - limited unit types - detailed air support. Aircraft are treated like another unit, meaning aircraft can loiter and remain on station and make multiple passes on targets. - more detailed artillery model than TacOps - multiplayer is lan / internet. Limited number of players in multiplayer. No PBEM. - has a scenario builder but can't design new maps and unit database is small. - average tech support - limited user community (game is new) - needs high end machine as game can stall while it processes the game play. Time skips of up to a minute or more are common on a average-power machines. Brigade Task Force - in brief, BTF is the predecessor of ATF. Unlike TacOps or ATF, unit sizes are fixed in sections, platoons, or companies. Units cannot be broken into smaller sub-units. - simplied air-support model - unlike ATF, cannot give orders to hierarchy and have have AI handle sub-units - interface is a bear to learn and master - multiplayer is lan/internet and is limited to two opposing players - has a scenario builder with multi-national units. Has several add on modules, acquired separately. - average tech support - active user community Recommendations for a new player - in order. TacOps followed by ATF followed by BCT. TacOps, while the maps seem crude to ATF, has the easier interface, umpire mode (a huge plus in my book), a large multi-national OOB and unit database, excellent multi-player, outstanding tech support on-line and a very active user community. While your friend is not a multi-player, the PBEM feature of TacOps is one way to play against an opponent without dedicating the time to play in a CPX. The real-time nature of ATF and BCT doesn't allow for PBEM. Another thing to consider... My two coppers... [ December 10, 2002, 02:51 PM: Message edited by: Del Shand ]
  4. Sign me up. I prefer Blue but will play any side.
  5. I am available anytime between Xmas and New Years, so best day isn't critical for me. Sign me up for Blue Force.
  6. James: I read your review on DA. How long does it take to get a handle on the interface - an evening? Or is it like the game GO - 'a lifetime to master' I am thinking of getting the game - TacOps and ATF is satisfying my tactical appetite but I have a craving for a modern operational level game. Thanks [ November 25, 2002, 11:18 AM: Message edited by: Del Shand ]
  7. You can simulate a artillery delivered tactical nuke strike easily enough. Just enable umpire mode and use the 'kill unit' on the target area. I don't have any data on what the lethality radius of arty nuke is. That said, I would say that a arty nuke would most certainly kill the target and any units in the immediate (couple of hundred meters radius) of ground zero. [ November 25, 2002, 10:46 AM: Message edited by: Del Shand ]
  8. Another game worth looking at is Armored Task Force. ATF is about the same game scale as TacOps, and handles the same subject matter. Some aspects of the game are superior to TacOps - like the terrain modelling, map zoom and the method of handling formations and subunits among other features which may vary in taste with players. It also boasts real-time ( 1 sec = 1 sec) with up to 8X time. But it does have a steep learning curve and the interface is not as 'intuitive' compared to TacOps. TacOps is superior for its ease of use, the multi-national OOB and when it comes down to being a tool for military training, TacOps wins out hands down. Also, multi-player in ATF is limited to two people and it would take a stretch to use ATF as a CPX tool. Still, the game has merit and I am rapidly warming to it. In fact, I am thinking of doing a comparison between the two games and posting a review. I want to have more screen time with ATF since the game just got released in the last week and I want to do the review only after being fully familar with ATF. At any rate, for those who want to try the demo, it is available at: http://www.shrapnelgames.com/downloads/ As a sidenote, the game is designed and coded by a serving artillery officer in the US Army. [ November 22, 2002, 04:16 PM: Message edited by: Del Shand ]
  9. Del Shand

    OPFOR Mix

    Actually, one of the most interesting courses I took at university was a course on the American Civil War. During this course, to develop an appreciation of the subject matter, the entire class participated in a wargame. The wargame was an SPI game by Richard Berg called Terrible Swift Sword, a huge three map boardgame of the Battle of Gettysburg. The class was divided into Union and Confederate players and the students got to command a regiment or division. During gameplay, the instructor (who was a wargamer) would make historical commentary about elements of the battle, what happened historically and the repercussions. I tell you, actually fighting the battle out gave me a whole different understanding of warfare of that era, as well as a better appreciation of that particular battle - far better than the standard - this battle was fought here for this long, resulting in X casualties and resulting in a victory for Y. I took that course over twenty five years ago and I still remember it clearly. Can't say the same for any other course that I took ... Just food for thought as to a different approach to teaching... Del Shand Capt, retired Canadian Armed Forces
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