After tutorial :) what missions next?

[Rolf]

Hallo

TacOps 4 has arrived (to Germany! From friday to monday! unbelievable!) and first I would like to say THANKYOU to Major Holdridge for such a complex simulation with this deep and tactical possibilties! I have a bunch of RST-Games like C&C, Sudenstrike and others with much eye-candy and good gameplay in my self, but TacOps opend a whole new world to me.

As a player with no military experience there are plenty of things to lern. But the documetation (better say a whole library – I love it) is great! Now, after I played the tutorial, I will do the right steps to lern this simuulation step by step.

Therefore I ‘m looking for missions with a light learningcurve and withot to mucht frustrations *g*. But there are so many missions in TacOps 4. Could you give me a tip, witch 5-10 missions I shout play next?

Thanks und

greetings to all other TacOps-player

Rolf

[tar]

I would start with just about any of the Team scenarios.

(Except Team Krempp -- it's nearly impossible even for experienced players).

They are fairly small and short situations. Most of them are defenses, although some of them let you attack.

One good plan would be to play through Team O'Hara or Team Ostle a couple times. The AI has more than one attack plan, so you would get some variety in defense. After you solve that puzzle, you can try Team Mcmains or Team Meyers, which are a little more challenging in their setup.

[Rolf]

Hi Tom

thanks for yout tips. I will do so.

Greetings

Rolf

[Covert Sniper]

I would recommend any scenario that invloves a defensive/delaying action, including the larger scenarios if you cared to try a more involved game with lots of units. Delaying actions help to hone shoot and scoots skills, handling the range of engagement slider and positioning yourself so that OPFOR in engaged by numerous friendlies at the same instant. Also the AI keeps OPFOR moving towards your positions most of the time. Delaying scenarios also reinforce the idea that you need to stay on the move or else you get slaughtered by OPFOR artillery.

A note abput Team Kremmp: I rarely lose a team Kremmp mission but it is a VERY frustrating scenario. You have to be willing to accept huge casualties. If I finish with three units on the board it is miracle. I am of a non-military background and this is only a computer simulation but I still cringe each time a skull and crossbones appears on any of my markers. I simply could not ever imagine the emotions that a real CO would go through if he ever found himself in the Kremmp situation on a real battlefield with real human life at stake. I would hope that US or Allied forces would NEVER have to deal with that scenario on the battlefield.

Randy

"Nobody ever won a war by dying for his country, a war is won by making the other SOB die for his county!" General George Patton

[Redwolf]

I only played Krempp once against the AI: points 231:41 12%:L84%. Guess I was lucky and I didn't enjoy it enough to try again.

As for the other scenarios, I recommend that you also play scenarios which specify that you have to exit a certain portion of your troops. TacOps plays almost like a different game when you either just shoot everything in sight until you are out of units, or on the other hand if you have to kill what you can but get out with a useful force. Very tough decisions to be made here, and very useful training to later take on human players (when force preservation becomes more important because they will intelligently exploit it when you are low on units in an area, which the AI can't).

The Team Kelley variants are of that kind, but of course you can set your own exit goal in any scenario.

[Rolf]

Hi Randal,

Hallo Redwolf,

also you both thanks for the tips.

Now it's time to learn, lose and win

Greetings

Rolf

BTW: Somebody knows any TO-fanpages or so?

[Goran]

»The Team Kelley variants are of that kind, but of course you can set your own exit goal in any scenario«

Setting one's own survival/exit goals is a good way to increase the difficulty level of any scenario. It is very easily done to let a unit stay just one more turn for just one more shot at the enemy, but it's that extra turn that kills it -- very frustrating, and a good lesson. Being usually too lazy to set out retreat plans for all my units at scenario start, I often lose ca 50% of my units even when I do pretty well against the AI.

[ September 20, 2002, 02:14 PM: Message edited by: Goran ]

[Jeff Gilbert]

Once you get comfortable with TacOps, I am a big fan of the whole Mizokami series. Big, tough and fluid battles.

[MajorH TacOps Developer]

For the benefit of new players ...

The Task Force Mizokami and Task Force Nankervis scenario sets are intended for expert players with a lot of available time.

Jumping to those scenarios prematurely can be discouraging.

Shame on you Jeff .

[Jeff Gilbert]

Okay, you will probably want to save TF Mizokami 'till you are very comfortable with the game.

I would suggest Team Cahoon or Davis for some good tank/mech work. Both are smaller maps, managable force sizes and, in my opinion, great re-playability.

Good gaming!