How do I take screenshots?

Command Ops: Battles From The Bulge takes the highly acclaimed Airborne Assault engine back to the West Front for the crucial engagements during the Ardennes Offensive. Test your command skills in the fiery crucible of Airborne Assault’s “pausable continuous time” uber-realistic game engine. It's up to you to develop the strategy, issue the orders, set the pace, and try to win the laurels of victory in the cold, shadowy Ardennes.
Command Ops: Highway to the Reich brings us to the setting of one of the most epic and controversial battles of World War II: Operation Market-Garden, covering every major engagement along Hell’s Highway, from the surprise capture of Joe’s Bridge by the Irish Guards a week before the offensive to the final battles on “The Island” south of Arnhem.

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Gizuria
Posts: 199
Joined: Fri Apr 06, 2012 7:56 am

How do I take screenshots?

Post by Gizuria »

I've just won a Marginal Victory in 'Hell on Wheels Counterattack' as the German side (49 vps) with no help at all, Realistic Orders Delay and I wanted to do an AAR of this mission but I can't find a way to capture screens. How do you guys do it?
Lieste
Posts: 1823
Joined: Sat Nov 01, 2008 10:50 am

RE: How do I take screenshots?

Post by Lieste »

I use PtrScrn and Photoshop.

Don't know if Fraps works, I seem to recall that Dave needed something else to record video though, so it may not?
The difficulty (if you want 'regular-ish' entries) is that I (at least) tend to get so engrossed with the unfolding situation that I completely miss whole (and usually very interesting) segments of the scenario.
You can use 'run-until' to regularise this to some extent, but I find that interrupts the flow of the OODA cycle which takes something from the enjoyment.
CharlieMike24
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Mar 04, 2012 4:04 pm

RE: How do I take screenshots?

Post by CharlieMike24 »

I look forward to AAR. I can only get a draw. Trying to get units to disengage and withdraw whilst exhausted and under fire is all in the timing. Keen to hear how the commander was thinking..... I bet Model was proud of you!
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Gizuria
Posts: 199
Joined: Fri Apr 06, 2012 7:56 am

RE: How do I take screenshots?

Post by Gizuria »

FRAPS definitely doesn't work. I tried using it and got nothing. I'll give PrtScrn a go later today. Unfortunatley, I don't have any 'proof' or pictorial history of my mission and a text account is all that I can offer. My mission plan was quite simple, but first, a bit of background. I played this mission a couple of times as the US to learn the ropes. I remember being told that there were a company of Tigers defending the Conces Ridge objective and I thought it would be fun to play around with those. So, I fired up my first attempt as the Germans and selected the Favour Axis option. I got about half way through Day 1 and was having a blast (after recovering from my disappointment about not having any Tigers. FOW rules in this game generate false reports... very cool indeed!). Then I had an attack of conscience and thought it would be better to play this without any favours. So I quite and restarted, this time with the normal settings.

Here are the AAR notes that I was keeping up until Day 2...

Hell on Wheels Counterattack

Axis Side
No Reinforcements
Normal Supply
Realistic Orders Delay

Looking at the map, I'm in a very good defensive position but my troops are very tired. The Amonines objective is a very defensible position and I'm hoping that the two Engineer units and the Stug company will be able to hold this position throughout Day 1. On the other flank is Magoster and Beffe. I'll instruct the Engineer in Magoster to wait in Ambush to maximise the casualties they inflict at the start of the mission.I don't like having the Pak Platoon stuck out as far forward as it starts so I give it a Move order to withdraw to the woods behind Beffe. I'd rather have this asset available on day 2 than expend it in a bid to delay the US from seizing Beffe and Magoster too quickly. Finally, in the centre, we have Concy Ridge. I'm not changing anything there as it's a very good defensive position too.

There is a reserve Battalion (III Battalion 4SS) in Dochamps at the back of the map. I want to keep this force fresh so I will hold them there until Day 2, at least, allowing them to rest, depending on how the situation develops. However, I do send one company from this platoon up the road north to guard the crossing over the L'Aisne river and to protect the Amonines defenders' backs.

The actual plan is this. I want to force the Allies to fight as hard as possible for Amonines, Concy and Beffe. I'll withdraw the Magoster defenders as soon as their position looks too grim and I expect to lose it early on Day 1. On the right, I will withdraw the Amonines defenders along the road. I don't expect the Allies to break through quickly on this flank and with the 10.4 Inf Company defending the river crossings behind them, I think this area wil be secure for the duration of the mission.

I don't expect to hold Amonines or Concy for very long on Day 2. In fact, I'll probably abandon these positions after darkness falls and create a strong second position in front of Devantave.

Here goes:

Day 1 - Up to 19:20

As expected, the Amonines position held throughout the day. The 1 Coy Engineers 2SS was disbanded midway through the day and amalgamated with the 15.4. With the 14.4 sitting in Ambush positions near the crssing in their rear, I feel that they are safe there and I hope to hold onto this position throughout the night to deprive the US of control points. I will withdraw them before the Allies strike on day 2. I will leave the Engineers on the road while withdrawing the Stugs all the way back to Dochamps and then have them join the fight for Devantave.

Day 1 - 23:00
I decided to abandon the Amonines objective at 23:00 as the US are infiltrating the position with several units. I think the defenders have done enough and so it's time to pull the Engineers back to defend the river crossing and the Stugs, the long way through to Laidprangaloux.

I've also issued the I Battalion 4SS with a Delay Order from Beffe back to Devantave with waypoints on the edge of the woods along the way. Soo, I'll have to abandon Concy Ridge as well.

I've also ordered the Pak Platoon II Batalion to Move from Concy Ridge back to Devantave. Hopefully, it will complete its move in time to get a rest before dawn on Day 2.

Day 2 - 00:00 - 07:00

The Amonines objective is abandoned to the US. The Engineers start the day behind the river and I hope that they'll be able to hold up any attack down this flank long enough for me to respond to it if necessary.

I also order the Concy Ridge defenders to move off of the hill back to Devantaves as they are quite exposed sitting so far forward. At around 02:00, the US start a major night attack on the ridge so I hope I've ordered the move on time.

But I think I was too late ordering that move. At 07:00, the US are hitting the II./4SS battalion really hard and nobody has started moving yet. The delay move from Beffe back to Devataves in in effect so hopefully, I will have enough force available to stave off a major attack on Devantes today.

07:00

the US are hitting the II./4 on Concy ridge really hard and I dont think many of them are going to make it. The Allies are also attacking down the Amonines road but the Engineers are doing a sterling job holding them up so I'm going to leave them to do the job and not divert any reinforcements there unless they break.



Unfortunately, the action got too intense for me to keep taking regular notes but this is how it went on. I never was able to withdraw the Concy Ridge defenders but they fought a good, hard fight on that ridge tying up the US forces for the best part of Day 2. This allowed me to rest up the Devantaves defenders. Late in the day, the US drove very hard down the L'Aisne river road. My Engineers did a stunning job holding off the superior forces for most of the afternoon, long enough for me to send a second company from the reserve to cover that route. The Engineers broke later in the afternoon and the US drove hard and fast to the south turn where they got held up again. The weight of force bearing down on this flank caused me to issue one of the Devantaves Battalions and one of the Pak teams to move under cover of night to reinforce the back line and that turned out to be a game-winning decision.

Day 3 saw the US pound hard on Devantaves and Dochamps. But my troops were in good shape and so they held off the attacks throughout the day. However, I was driven out of Devantaves later in the afternoon and the US were pouring through the gap.

Day 4 - I decided to Probe back into Devantaves to tie some US forces down there and that action succeeded in its aim. Dochamps was solidly defended and the US just couldn't break the position even after bombarding it with artillery. The game clock ran out and I got a Minor Victory.

And that's it.
Lieste
Posts: 1823
Joined: Sat Nov 01, 2008 10:50 am

RE: How do I take screenshots?

Post by Lieste »

One thing that is really useful is to save the progress as you go - this is less disruptive than fiddling with photoshop, and you can peruse the situation at your leisure and in more detail after completion if you save (say) every hour or two. Currently a pain to do without using 'run-until' which I find kills most of the fun (too fast speed, too much clockwatching etc). With the option to specify the game did this automagically it would ease this aspect considerably, and it is on the list of suggestions - along with about a million and one other things...
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