Re-Testing 'Hot Tamales'

[Gunner98]

Guys

If you've got some time I'd like to re-test this one. I've shortened it by a day, fixed and tweaked a bunch of things and added angsters fantastic code for generating downed pilots.

Caribbean Fury 1 - Hot Tamales, 1994

You’re commanding the USS John F. Kennedy CVBG on routine patrol in the Caribbean. Although homeport is Norfolk Virginia, the Battle Group has been operating out of New Orleans Louisiana for most of the past year due to the increased tensions in Central America. The air wing (CVW-7) has just completed 4 days of intense training with the Army up at Fort Hood, and you now heading to Roosevelt Roads Puerto Ricco for some ASW and ASuW work.

You still haven’t decided if you’ll take the northern route past Cuba along the Florida Strait, very tight confines but sends a message to the Cubans who’ve been getting uppity of late. Or the southern route through the Straits of Yucatan past the Cayman Islands and Jamaica and take a look at Venezuela, which has also been flexing its muscles. Either way it should be a pleasant evening with perfect Caribbean weather.


This one is solid 5 complexity and the first 12 hours are probably that in dificulty as well but it settles down after that.

There are two versions - playing with Chains of War (CoW) really adds some fun, makes those pesky Migs a real problem.

B

[RSMC]

Not that the first few hours need more complexity, but the pilot ejection certainly adds it - angster - well done. Makes you appreciate the brass balls on CSAR pilots.
Minor quibbles: a shot down drone can generate a pilot to rescue, -5 points for failing the pickup seems harsh vs. -3 for plane and pilot.
Wishes for future: I didn't try a pickup with a ship, but I did with land units from Guantanamo and that didn't work.
It would be really cool to be able to pick up some shot down Cubans/Russians. Possibly additional intel to be gained?
Could the code be modified for survivors of a surface ship sinking?
Could a pass with the right fixed wing aircraft like a coast guard hercules buy more time without being able to do the rescue?

[JPFisher55]

I'm in the early part of this scenario. The pilot rescue only works with helos with ferry loadout. But, so many downed pilots mean that trying to save them takes too much time and is very distracting. Also, the new pickup function for helos and ships does not seem to work for downed pilots. Otherwise, it is a fun scenario.

[RSMC]

JP - I made pickups with loadouts of ferry, SAR, cargo, and troops - basically any helo that was ready to fly from Key West. Didn't try with an attack helo, but it has worked in real life.

[angster]

Good work gunner! Liked what you did with the scripts.

[Andrea G]

I started playing it and it's impressive!
Until now I played it 99% of the time at compression 1:1; so many things happening all over the area that I constantly have to jump around to check how things are developing.
I'm a little worried when things will become hectic, how could I keep all forces under control?

Great Job Gunner!

[Vulcan607]

It's a shame the Javelin and Javelin S15 Starburst are not in game to replace the blowpipe would make the British forces more survivable.

[Gunner98]

Hay guys thanks for testing. On the road and somewhat out of communications at the moment. Will sweep up some comments:

-I'll reduce the lost pilot penalty to -2. The added hit to moral and the press about a pilot not rescued so close to home etc.. but -5 is a bit harsh.
-Never thought of the drone angle - consider it recovery of the sensor package will see what I can do but no promises.
-Pick up should work with ships. Land unit should as well but it has to get very close
-Will think on the enemy capture angle, it would be cool.
-I'll leave the last two for angster to think about, interesting.

-The rescue is speed based not platform so any helo or ship, or even land unit should work.

-Thanks angster - your code is great, appreciate the help.

Andrea G - remember the Ctrl+# hot keys, they are essential in this scenario, allows you to jump around a lot.

Vulcan607 - Agree, if you have any data on the Javelin the Dev's may be able to add it into the DB, once they do I'll add it to the scenario. Starstreak is in from 2001 onward - isn't that HVM? Anyway the Blowpipe has a 45% PoH, and I don't imagine the Javelin would have much more than 65%. You need to protect your Brits in other ways, and there are ways.

Glad you're all enjoying the scenario, one of my favorites. CF 2, 3 & 4 are in the works, hopefully CF 2 before easter.

B

[Andrea G]

ORIGINAL: Gunner98


-Pick up should work with ships. Land unit should as well but it has to get very close

I have tried to pick up "grounded" crews with CG boats from Key West but it was never succesful.

[Andrea G]

So far I have lost a lock in Panama Canal and Guantanamo is near to be overrun by a mech brigade of cubans.
Howard, Key West and Homestead air bases have been bombed, the design of this scenario is super!
Having lot of fun playing it.

I have only one question, why the US armed forces didn't defend the airbases in CONUS with AD assets?

[Andrea G]

The cubans have been annihilated under a deluge of TOW's, 120mm HEAT and Hydra Rockets.
The only player that didn't added his voice to the symphony were the M113's armed with TOWs.

Here is the message I got when I tried to fire the missiles; don't know if it's a problem of the scenario or of the DB.

[Gunner98]

Thanks - I thought I had fixed that one.

Cheers

B

[Tailhook]

I'll give the new version a run sometime soon, I hope.

[Gunner98]

Anything else on this one guys? Will clean up and put back on the community thread this weekend.

thanks

B

[Andrea G]

Well I'm still battling the cubans and get wasted most of the times, so far I havn't found other bugs, I have still 1d and tens hours to go and so little time available to play it.

I want only to ask you a question:

The Leahy CG cruising between Honduras and Panama is dead on the water because I burned the last drop of fuel oil; it's my fault because I didn't check the level in the tanks or can be it a situation that you want to amend?
Pity there is no alarm when the tanks get at Low Low level.
It's funny because my job is about Ships Monitoring Systems designed to avoid dumb chief engineers like me to run dry in the middle of the sea [:D]

[Gunner98]

I'm afraid, that's the way its designed. You need to get her down to Panama to refuel before giving her any real tasks. There are some other ships in the same situation. There is a Kaiser T-AO which is also almost empty near Miami, you need to get her into Miami, load her up and she can help but time is your issue. Getting the AO down to the USS Dale is not really an option but I suppose it could be done, your best bet is to steam her into the port at Panama and refuel her.

She is the most powerful force south of Cuba so letting her dead in the water is a major hit.

That's a good point about a warning message. One thing I also noted in the Tech forum was that it took the same time to refuel a Patrol Boat as it did to refuel the AO with 180,000 barrels of fuel oil. Probably something needs to be added to fix that, probably based on size of pier etc.


B

[TheOriginalOverlord]

Small note..You might want to trade out the TF-16Ns for F-16Ns. The "TF"s were two seaters...I know its alternate history but IRL there 5 F-16Ns and 1 TF-16 at NAS Key West. Or maybe a mix of the two

[Gunner98]

OK

Thanks for that. Will fix it.

B

[TheOriginalOverlord]

One more..port of Cristobal...has AGM-84 Harpoons... those are air launched...should be RGM-84s for ship launch versions.

[Maromak]

Hi B,

Thanks again for another great immersive scenario.

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