Sgt.Squarehead

Meh.....Can't face another dynamic test of the same mission (this is where I get the burnout) so soon (especially considering how well I know the damned thing), it would be easier if I didn't know which AI plan I'm testing, but I kind of have to!

That is exactly the type of thing I want to create.....I'm rewriting "Changes At The Top" as a tiny squabble, about 1.5 platoons per side, no heavy weapons and with the bad guys mostly trying to run off as usual. Basically your current regimental commander will be attempting to 'arrest' your previous regimental commander. Naturally his tribe won't like this at all and will feel obliged to kick up a fuss, so regardless of the outcome you won't have heard the last of it.....If he actually gets away (and I really am trying to give him a fighting chance to do so) you will lose the battle (assuming I'm getting my VPs right) and you won't have seen the last of him. "Taking It To The People" is on hold for now, but it will be pretty familiar to you when it reappears. "Ring Of Iron" is parked.....I got a bit side-tracked experimenting with a section of the map while trying to get my head around exactly what the AI is doing. But in the process I generated a fairly amusing (if initially terrifyingly brutal and utterly one sided) minor scenario which will reinforce one of the campaign subplots (unless the player completely cocks it up, in which case it will probably just annoy him). As yet untitled, it's a bit of a nightmare to begin with.....You start up with the survivors of an ambush and the ambush isn't over (you will almost certainly take further losses immediately, but these will not affect the outcome pointswise) however you did manage to get a radio message through to base and both a mechanised infantry platoon and one of those shiny new gunships are on the way.....Just please don't all die before they arrive! In tests thus far I've survived until the gunship arrives and directed it against the ambush position, but I got cocky and didn't live to see the results (which is important for the campaign subplot)! Some more tweaking still required there I feel. Anyhow back to "Cutting Back Prophets".....I've already tested one plan successfully tonight, now for the next one.

It's OK, I think I've sussed it out.....I was a bit tired and fed-up when I posted yesterday, too much staring at the AI panel and trying to understand why units sometimes do what they do. I'm working on some really small scenarios just to establish the storyline. Hopefully if the player does well I can structure things so they will receive benefits in the more significant battles. If they balls them up completely the Mujahideen may come looking for them one dark and stormy night. "Cutting Back Prophets" mostly works and I do like the scenario, but it definitely doesn't work as an opening mission (you will be throwing mortar at each other and Hinds may become involved). I need to start the campaign with a couple of skirmishes depicting the wave of detentions and killings that triggered the next round of the Mujahideen uprising (adding a spattering of disgruntled Daoud loyalists to the various anti-communists and royalists up in the hills since 1973). I'm still trying to shape the AIs behaviour into something that resembles a plan (rather than a suicidal zombie march), if you've ever tried doing this, you will know why it's taking a while.....Part of my irritation yesterday is that I want to get something posted and get some feedback, but that feedback is useless if post something that I know has big holes in it. I really would appreciate input and discussion at any level.....If any of you guys have advice, requests or suggestions I'd really be interested to hear them. If anyone wants a copy of the amended 'Herat' map to mess around with or critique I can upload it easily enough. Right.....Back to it, again!

Having a bit of a frustrating time at the moment, the scenario is working, but it is still 'bigger' than I wanted and it definitely won't suffice as an opening scenario for the campaign (although it is fully playable in and of itself). Can anyone recommend a really good platoon level scenario (or a couple) for CMA or CMSF that I can pick apart in the editor for ideas?

Yeah, I mean wargamers are such a threat to national security.....All these dumb algorithms took all the intelligence out of intelligence and that's a fact.

I only discovered it quite recently, but it's been an absolute revelation and an inspiration!

It's not even showing up as spam.....This only ever seems to happen with CM files. Testing is proceeding well, the first AI plan seems to work (in static & dynamic tests), so I'll add a couple of variations and then move on to balancing the VPs and writing the briefing.

I didn't receive the mail.....Looks like Yahoo is playing up. Don't think 'firstattempt' is one of mine.....I believe it's from the repository. Not to worry anyway, I've got plenty to keep me busy.....Just been working up some alternative scenarios to test AI tricks and try out some new ways of getting things going. Quite pleased with one of them (a Mujahideen revenge attack) and it will almost certainly be added to the (still developing) campaign storyline (possibly as a consequence of blowing an earlier mission). In the mean time, having finally sorted (well, found a workable compromise for) some very odd AI behaviour, the first scenario now has what appears to be a fully functional AI (give or take the usual wonks).....Due the fairly radical change in character of this scenario I've renamed it "Cutting Back Prophets" (it may no longer be the first scenario either). I will test it myself over the weekend and try to get the briefings done ready for uploading at some point next week.....No firm promises though, I really am very busy right now, often when I least expect it.

ANA forces prepare to enter 'The Old Town': Rebuilding this part of the map took ages (all the internal doors connect properly and there are many), but it should make for a very challenging battlefield!

Well, put it this way.....I'll give it my best shot! As you know I have quite a few other commitments, especially for the next couple of months, but I'm still working on the project, often as a welcome break from sanding road-wheels or assembling L&L track. I still wasn't happy with the new version of the scenario, so I've downsized it yet again, the player controlled forces remain the same, but I've removed the tribal leader and his forces from the OPFOR, so it's just the player vs. the imam (and his mates). I'm trying to make him a particularly slippery customer but the AI can be unforgivingly thick at times, so I suspect he is dead meat unless the game gets lucky on the routefinding. I've been doing a lot of experimentation on this front,.....As you probably noticed I always use all of the available unit slots in the vain hope of simulating something resembling tactics on the part of the OPFOR, but without triggers it's something of a thankless task. Basically you have to attempt to second guess the player's approach routes and movement rate and attempt to get the AI to respond in a fashion that will at least appear to be appropriate. Obviously I know what all the mystery question marks on the map are when I test it myself, so with the best will in the world I know I must be skewing the outcomes.....This is where you guys come in. I'm not after detailed AARS or anything of that kind, at first all I want to know is; 1 - Did the scenario feel plausible and match the briefing? 2 - Did the behaviour of the OPFOR units seem plausible & if not how so? 3 - Did you enjoy it? Hopefully with some feedback on area 2 I can fine tune the AI to a best average based on the different approaches various testers take.....Indeed I could post single AI plan versions of each scenario and use feedback from them to generate more complex multi-plan AI scripts for the finished items, but would you guys be willing to play them? PS - Erwin.....Do you still have the original .btt? I don't seem to have a copy right now, I suspect I overwrote it when I started the latest incarnation. If you do still have it is there any chance you could e-mail it to me please?

I've just started revamping Scenario #1 "Changes At The Top" for the umptieth time.....It's all too easy to turn what's supposed to be a fairly violent opening skirmish into a full scale pitched battle. The current version features the following units for the player's amusement: Deployed 1x Khalq Militia Company 1x Khalq Special Militia Group + Technicals 1x ANA Mech Platoon (BTR) - Guarding Soviet Consular Buildings (Unless something untoward happens.....Which of course we know it will!) The Khalq Special Militia Group (Not a Death Squad honest!).....Off to kill arrest a radical imam and an uncooperative tribal leader. Reserve (Nominally.....You just know they'll be coming!) 1x ANA Mech HMG Section (BTR) 1x ANA Mech AGL Section (BTR) 1x ANA Infantry Company + Battalion HQ & Heavy Mortar Section 2x Soviet Advisors (With serious Hind gunship support should something untoward happen.....Which of course we know it will!) How much of this firepower the player will actually be able to bring to bear on the bad guys remains to be seen.....Getting shot dead is not their top priority at this stage in the proceedings! Much mucking about with the AI trying to get the timings right is the next hurdle.....Once I've got a couple of plans that seem to work I'll upload the .btt file here. Briefings will be complete but cursory to begin with, tactical maps will come eventually.

Nope.....I'm still here. Haven't done anything for a while because I've been very busy with the GBs (and real life stuff).....Once I've got those under control (a couple of builds finished) I'll devote some serious time to the first three scenarios and upload them.

The premise of the campaign storyline is that you are the commander of a slightly better than average Soviet trained ANA regiment with background political connections to the Khalq faction headed by Nur Muhammed Taraki. The first scenarios (set in April-June 1978) feature the arrest of political and tribal leaders with connections to the former government of Daoud Khan and traditionalist religious figures who stand in opposition to the communist government. This in turn brings the player into contact with the already existent insurgency, which itself is (in part) a legacy of Daoud Khan's 1973 overthrow of the monarchy. By mid year the focus of the campaign turns to the infighting between Khalq & Parcham factions (with the growing Mujahideen insurgency continuing to put in appearances to add variety), September brings a major turning point. I've had to rework my 'storyline' a little in light of information gleaned through some new books which gave me a clearer insight into the (initially bloodless) Saur Revolution.....I don't doubt I'll make further revisions as my knowledge base broadens. While these may be fictional scenarios, I'd like them to be set against an authentic background, hopefully presenting the player with a growing sense of doom (WE know the Soviets ARE coming after all and for Khalq, that changes everything), but still leaving the player enough options to remain interested up to the end. Still messing about with Zveroboi bits elsewhere, but the autogyro is now (mostly) off my desk.

Just dropped in to say I'm still here and still working on this.....Acquired some new books which have made me rethink a couple of scenarios (notably the first one, again) and I'm pretty busy with a Group Build on a modelling forum (up to my eyeballs in SU-152 bogeys and Autogyro innards).

I believe those were pickup truck conversions and maybe something on the UAZ (discussed in LLF's Ramadi thread).....I've looked for them in the repository and couldn't find them, but TBH it's a mod for the taxi that I was really hoping to find (for asym warfare purposes as usual).

Things are progressing slowly at the moment due to commitments elsewhere, but if you are interested (and it's OK to do so) I'll attach individual .btt files here for you to have a look at.....It'll be a while before I can string 'em into a full campaign.

Cheers dude.....I've rewritten that one now with a slightly more plausible starting set-up, just trying to coax the AI to do what I want. In the mean time I've pretty much finished a stand-alone Blue scenario 'Up In Smoke'.....I'm just doing a few tests and tweaking the AI.

Dude buy the full game.....At the price Shock Force is a steal, there are lifetimes worth of scenarios out there for it if you have the full version.

I figure I'll concentrate on writing the stuff and then attach a couple of .btts here.....People can take it or leave it.

Are Erwin & I really the only people still interested in CMA?

Cheers Erwin.....I really appreciate your help. As I said in my message it can be hard to be objective about something you've put ages into creating, so any external feedback is always very welcome. I'm still learning as I go, but with your help I think I've got the force balancing and AI scripting mostly sussed out. I'm still a bit vague about victory conditions and have adopted a 'suck it and see' policy thus far. If anyone is interested in testing out individual scenarios for a fictional (but historically inspired) campaign set in the pre-invasion period April 1978 to December 1979, please PM me. Here's a screenshot of my revised version of the 'Herat' map (QB Afghan A-C sno_026).....This map or parts of it will feature in several scenarios, including the first. I'm using amended versions of the stock maps throughout, I reckon they can look OK with a few tweaks.

That's some mighty impressive map building.....Any new progress?

More than enough I think.

Pack it in the pair of you. This cr@p is why I don't usually sign up to gaming forums.....Grow up. Does anyone have any actual news on Armata or is this just a willy-waving thread?

Could you expand on that statement at all please, for those of us who are still new to scenario design?