BETA After Action Report
Moderators: IronManBeta, CapnDarwin
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- Joined: Wed May 01, 2002 9:52 pm
BETA After Action Report
Disclaimer
This AAR is based on a beta version of the game which is constantly being changed to fix bugs and add new features.
The graphics, in several cases, are just placeholders and should not necessarily be considered representative of the final game.
Scenarios are not finished and are for game testing at this stage.
This is also my first AAR for any game and so I would appreciate any feedback or comments.
I am an external beta tester and have been testing the game for the last 2 months.
[CENTER]Flashpoint Germany[/CENTER]
FLASHPOINT GERMANY (FPG) is a fast paced, command orientated game of modern grand tactical combat.
Each side represents anything from a strong brigade / regiment down to a weak battalion. This force is in turn composed of individual manoeuvre units. All of these units plus various off-map supporting units are under the control of the player in charge.
Manoeuvre units are company sized for 'line' units such as tanks and infantry, and platoon sized for specialist units such as engineers, reconnaissance, and supply troops. Artillery is organized by battery (typically six or eight tubes each), and aircraft and helicopters by flights of four to six machines.
This is a command-oriented game - your job is to give the orders and then stand back - not a simulator where you must perform every soldier's job.
You must make your plans and allow time for your intentions to be disseminated down the chain of command. This is represented by giving you the opportunity to issue orders only every 30 game minutes during a stop-time orders phase. When issuance is complete the clock will be restarted and the turn is resolved in one-minute increments.
The game ends when one side achieves victory, one side drops below 20% of its starting line strength, or the time limit for the scenario is reached.
Scenario : Nato Mobile Defence
"A NATO battalion defends the first and second quadrants of the map against a Soviet regiment that begins in the fourth quadrant.
The Soviets are seeking to occupy the first quadrant with a secure line of communications to their rear."
[NOTE : This is just the brief scenario description. The detailed mission briefings are not yet in the game.]
This is one of the smaller scenarios that is in the game at the moment.
Each map is divided into twelve 5 km by 5 km quadrants for victory point (VP) purposes. The screenshot shows the Staff Summary screen. This serves several functions but for planning it shows the layout of the battlefield in the top left corner. This shows which quadrants of the map are important in terms of victory points to each side.
The 1st Quadrant is the most important to both sides (200 VP's to the Warsaw Pact and 150 to NATO).
This AAR is based on a beta version of the game which is constantly being changed to fix bugs and add new features.
The graphics, in several cases, are just placeholders and should not necessarily be considered representative of the final game.
Scenarios are not finished and are for game testing at this stage.
This is also my first AAR for any game and so I would appreciate any feedback or comments.
I am an external beta tester and have been testing the game for the last 2 months.
[CENTER]Flashpoint Germany[/CENTER]
FLASHPOINT GERMANY (FPG) is a fast paced, command orientated game of modern grand tactical combat.
Each side represents anything from a strong brigade / regiment down to a weak battalion. This force is in turn composed of individual manoeuvre units. All of these units plus various off-map supporting units are under the control of the player in charge.
Manoeuvre units are company sized for 'line' units such as tanks and infantry, and platoon sized for specialist units such as engineers, reconnaissance, and supply troops. Artillery is organized by battery (typically six or eight tubes each), and aircraft and helicopters by flights of four to six machines.
This is a command-oriented game - your job is to give the orders and then stand back - not a simulator where you must perform every soldier's job.
You must make your plans and allow time for your intentions to be disseminated down the chain of command. This is represented by giving you the opportunity to issue orders only every 30 game minutes during a stop-time orders phase. When issuance is complete the clock will be restarted and the turn is resolved in one-minute increments.
The game ends when one side achieves victory, one side drops below 20% of its starting line strength, or the time limit for the scenario is reached.
Scenario : Nato Mobile Defence
"A NATO battalion defends the first and second quadrants of the map against a Soviet regiment that begins in the fourth quadrant.
The Soviets are seeking to occupy the first quadrant with a secure line of communications to their rear."
[NOTE : This is just the brief scenario description. The detailed mission briefings are not yet in the game.]
This is one of the smaller scenarios that is in the game at the moment.
Each map is divided into twelve 5 km by 5 km quadrants for victory point (VP) purposes. The screenshot shows the Staff Summary screen. This serves several functions but for planning it shows the layout of the battlefield in the top left corner. This shows which quadrants of the map are important in terms of victory points to each side.
The 1st Quadrant is the most important to both sides (200 VP's to the Warsaw Pact and 150 to NATO).
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- Posts: 38
- Joined: Wed May 01, 2002 9:52 pm
I am playing the attacking Warsaw Pact forces against the AI controlled NATO defence.
So what do we need to consider to draw up a plan?
Mission
I need to capture the 1st Quadrant of the map (top left corner), so any plan should concentrate on that goal and not necessarily destroying all the enemy forces.
If either side has units in the Quadrant then they get their VP's. So if it is still contested at the end of the game, both sides will receive VP's for it. I must therefore plan on not only entering the Quadrant but clearing it of all enemy forces.
Enemy
We have limited intelligence on the enemy. We only know that it is a Battalion of NATO troops (in game terms this could be US, UK or West German forces).
Given they are on the defence, it is likely that they will start dug in and may have emplaced minefields. Mines can be pre-laid or laid during the game by Engineers or artillery.
Terrain
The terrain type is very easy to figure out both visually and by just moving the cursor over a location (terrain type and elevation for that location is then shown to the bottom right of the screen).
Elevation data is shown visually by the shading of the map. Darker areas are lower and lighter areas are higher (so my forces are at a low elevation with higher ground to the west).
The maps really look great but unfortunately don't give an immediate feel for the lie of the land at the moment. They are an area of the game that is under development (contour lines may possibly be added to the maps) and a further elevation tool is being added to the next version in response to beta tester's feedback.
So looking at the map, my forces sit astride a secondary road which rises towards the west. Significant cover is available from two urban areas either side of the road and a forest to the south west.
I feel it is likely that enemy forces will be covering the road from this higher elevation.
It is also possible that the road will be mined so I will try to avoid moving along it.
There is a large expanse of territory to the right of the NATO position which will be difficult for him to cover with a single Battalion.
An important aid to working out positioning is the Light of Sight (LOS) tool. A simple CTRL-left click can show what a unit could see from any spot on the map.
Troops Available
I command the 45th Guards Tank Regiment with some Divisional and Army level artillery.
HQ / 45 GTR - 1BTR-80, 1 BTR-80 Gremlin, 1 T-80K HQ
Sam Platoon - 3 BMP-2 Gremlin
Engineer Co - 3 BTR-60, 9 CEV
1 Recce Plt - 3 BMP-2
2 Recce Plt - 4 BRDM-2
HQ 1/45 GTR - 1 BTR-60, 1 T-80K HQ
1 Tank Co - 10 T-80U
2 Tank Co - 10 T-80U
3 Tank Co - 10 T-80U
HQ 2/45 GTR - 1 BTR-60, 1 T-80K HQ
1 Tank Co - 10 T-80U
2 Tank Co - 10 T-80U
3 Tank Co - 10 T-80U
HQ 3/45 GTR - 1 BTR-60, 1 T-80K HQ
1 Tank Co - 10 T-80U
2 Tank Co - 10 T-80U
3 Tank Co - 10 T-80U
HQ 4/45 GTR - 1 BMP-2K HQ
1 Rifle Co - 12 BMP-2
2 Rifle Co - 12 BMP-2
3 Rifle Co - 12 BMP-2
Mtr Battery - 8 MT-LB 120mm Mortar
SAM Platoon - 3 BMP-2 Gremlin
AGL - 2 BMP-2 + AGS-17
1 Battery Arty - 6 2S1 SP 122mm Howitzer, 2 Command Vehicles
2 Battery Arty - 6 2S1 SP 122mm Howitzer, 2 Command Vehicles
3 Battery Arty - 6 2S1 SP 122mm Howitzer, 2 Command Vehicles
Div Arty - 6 2S3M SP Howitzer, 2 Command Vehicles (off-map)
Army Arty - 4 2S7 203mm Gun (off-map)
The screenshot shows the initial position of my forces. I set them up in these positions during the Deployment Phase at the start of the game.
During this phase, units can be positioned anywhere within a pre-defined deployment area.
This is the "zoomed-out" view of the map with grid lines switched on (the heavier lines denote boundaries between Quadrants). Each grid on the map is 500m wide.
So what do we need to consider to draw up a plan?
Mission
I need to capture the 1st Quadrant of the map (top left corner), so any plan should concentrate on that goal and not necessarily destroying all the enemy forces.
If either side has units in the Quadrant then they get their VP's. So if it is still contested at the end of the game, both sides will receive VP's for it. I must therefore plan on not only entering the Quadrant but clearing it of all enemy forces.
Enemy
We have limited intelligence on the enemy. We only know that it is a Battalion of NATO troops (in game terms this could be US, UK or West German forces).
Given they are on the defence, it is likely that they will start dug in and may have emplaced minefields. Mines can be pre-laid or laid during the game by Engineers or artillery.
Terrain
The terrain type is very easy to figure out both visually and by just moving the cursor over a location (terrain type and elevation for that location is then shown to the bottom right of the screen).
Elevation data is shown visually by the shading of the map. Darker areas are lower and lighter areas are higher (so my forces are at a low elevation with higher ground to the west).
The maps really look great but unfortunately don't give an immediate feel for the lie of the land at the moment. They are an area of the game that is under development (contour lines may possibly be added to the maps) and a further elevation tool is being added to the next version in response to beta tester's feedback.
So looking at the map, my forces sit astride a secondary road which rises towards the west. Significant cover is available from two urban areas either side of the road and a forest to the south west.
I feel it is likely that enemy forces will be covering the road from this higher elevation.
It is also possible that the road will be mined so I will try to avoid moving along it.
There is a large expanse of territory to the right of the NATO position which will be difficult for him to cover with a single Battalion.
An important aid to working out positioning is the Light of Sight (LOS) tool. A simple CTRL-left click can show what a unit could see from any spot on the map.
Troops Available
I command the 45th Guards Tank Regiment with some Divisional and Army level artillery.
HQ / 45 GTR - 1BTR-80, 1 BTR-80 Gremlin, 1 T-80K HQ
Sam Platoon - 3 BMP-2 Gremlin
Engineer Co - 3 BTR-60, 9 CEV
1 Recce Plt - 3 BMP-2
2 Recce Plt - 4 BRDM-2
HQ 1/45 GTR - 1 BTR-60, 1 T-80K HQ
1 Tank Co - 10 T-80U
2 Tank Co - 10 T-80U
3 Tank Co - 10 T-80U
HQ 2/45 GTR - 1 BTR-60, 1 T-80K HQ
1 Tank Co - 10 T-80U
2 Tank Co - 10 T-80U
3 Tank Co - 10 T-80U
HQ 3/45 GTR - 1 BTR-60, 1 T-80K HQ
1 Tank Co - 10 T-80U
2 Tank Co - 10 T-80U
3 Tank Co - 10 T-80U
HQ 4/45 GTR - 1 BMP-2K HQ
1 Rifle Co - 12 BMP-2
2 Rifle Co - 12 BMP-2
3 Rifle Co - 12 BMP-2
Mtr Battery - 8 MT-LB 120mm Mortar
SAM Platoon - 3 BMP-2 Gremlin
AGL - 2 BMP-2 + AGS-17
1 Battery Arty - 6 2S1 SP 122mm Howitzer, 2 Command Vehicles
2 Battery Arty - 6 2S1 SP 122mm Howitzer, 2 Command Vehicles
3 Battery Arty - 6 2S1 SP 122mm Howitzer, 2 Command Vehicles
Div Arty - 6 2S3M SP Howitzer, 2 Command Vehicles (off-map)
Army Arty - 4 2S7 203mm Gun (off-map)
The screenshot shows the initial position of my forces. I set them up in these positions during the Deployment Phase at the start of the game.
During this phase, units can be positioned anywhere within a pre-defined deployment area.
This is the "zoomed-out" view of the map with grid lines switched on (the heavier lines denote boundaries between Quadrants). Each grid on the map is 500m wide.
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- Posts: 38
- Joined: Wed May 01, 2002 9:52 pm
Initial Plan
My plan is to advance either side of the road with 1st and 2nd Tank Battalions. This is intended to distract the enemy whilst 3rd Tank Battalion makes a detour around what I hope will be NATO's right flank. The 4th Battalion (in BMP's) will follow the main assault as a reserve.
The 5 available artillery batteries will be split between providing On Call fire support to my advancing troops and Counter Battery fire missions to silence enemy artillery.
I have issued orders for my forces to start advancing using standard Move orders. This type of move is slower than the Route March order but provides more protection in case of attack.
I have no idea where the enemy is and so will lead with my 2 Recon platoons with the Tank Battalions close behind.
HQ's must advance with their subordinate elements to maintain command and control (4km radius). However I must be careful not to let them get into the fight as their loss slows order reaction times and will hamper the attack.
I have annotated the previous screenshot using an external paint program to show the plan.
My plan is to advance either side of the road with 1st and 2nd Tank Battalions. This is intended to distract the enemy whilst 3rd Tank Battalion makes a detour around what I hope will be NATO's right flank. The 4th Battalion (in BMP's) will follow the main assault as a reserve.
The 5 available artillery batteries will be split between providing On Call fire support to my advancing troops and Counter Battery fire missions to silence enemy artillery.
I have issued orders for my forces to start advancing using standard Move orders. This type of move is slower than the Route March order but provides more protection in case of attack.
I have no idea where the enemy is and so will lead with my 2 Recon platoons with the Tank Battalions close behind.
HQ's must advance with their subordinate elements to maintain command and control (4km radius). However I must be careful not to let them get into the fight as their loss slows order reaction times and will hamper the attack.
I have annotated the previous screenshot using an external paint program to show the plan.
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- Posts: 38
- Joined: Wed May 01, 2002 9:52 pm
The game starts at 07:30. It is daylight, lightly raining with 2000m maximum visibility (this means that only all weather aircraft will be able to fly). The weather conditions can and do change during the game.
07:30-09:00
My forces move out but there is no enemy contact. Having moved several km's, I decide to take a more circumspect approach to the advance.
I set my Recon platoons to advance using Stealth movement. This makes them move slower but reduces the chance of the enemy spotting and engaging them.
The picture shows the orders panel for one of my recon elements (clipped from the main screen - ignore the graphic which is just a placeholder).
Orders issued to a unit take time to be executed depending on distance from HQ, training, fatigue etc.
You can see here that the new stealth movement order will take around 27 minutes to process and also the estimated time of arrival of the unit at it's planned destination.
Note the word estimated - this is a best guess and the "friction" of war could change it.
07:30-09:00
My forces move out but there is no enemy contact. Having moved several km's, I decide to take a more circumspect approach to the advance.
I set my Recon platoons to advance using Stealth movement. This makes them move slower but reduces the chance of the enemy spotting and engaging them.
The picture shows the orders panel for one of my recon elements (clipped from the main screen - ignore the graphic which is just a placeholder).
Orders issued to a unit take time to be executed depending on distance from HQ, training, fatigue etc.
You can see here that the new stealth movement order will take around 27 minutes to process and also the estimated time of arrival of the unit at it's planned destination.
Note the word estimated - this is a best guess and the "friction" of war could change it.
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- Joined: Wed May 01, 2002 9:52 pm
9:00-9:30
"Contact - Wait Out" cries 2nd Recon as it discovers two American tank companies (B & C Coy's/2-67th Arm Bn) at only 500m.
US forces have the element of surprise and each company destroys 2 BDRM wiping out the unit. Well at least they did their job and have probably found half the American force.
Something else to note in this screenshot is the Message Traffic Level indicators at the bottom of the screen. These show radio emission levels from my Regimental HQ.
As I have been issuing lots of orders, this is getting quite high. Once past a certain level, enemy forces may pinpoint my HQ and hit it with an artillery barrage.
"Contact - Wait Out" cries 2nd Recon as it discovers two American tank companies (B & C Coy's/2-67th Arm Bn) at only 500m.
US forces have the element of surprise and each company destroys 2 BDRM wiping out the unit. Well at least they did their job and have probably found half the American force.
Something else to note in this screenshot is the Message Traffic Level indicators at the bottom of the screen. These show radio emission levels from my Regimental HQ.
As I have been issuing lots of orders, this is getting quite high. Once past a certain level, enemy forces may pinpoint my HQ and hit it with an artillery barrage.
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- Posts: 38
- Joined: Wed May 01, 2002 9:52 pm
9:30-10:00
I have decided on an all out attack to pin the American armour that I have discovered. 1st Battalion will attack the northern unit with 2nd Battalion attacking the southern one.
I want to ensure that each Battalion's 3 companies of 10 T-80's co-ordinate their attacks to try and overwhelm the defenders. Co-ordinated attacks are set up using the Waypoint/TRP Inspector (see screenshot).
This screen allows the selected units to co-ordinated their movement by adjusting their Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) and allowing them to arrive simultaneously.
I could also have integrated artillery fire into the plan on the same screen but I will do it later manually.
[NOTE - the Waypoint/TRP Inspector is under development to get it just right, so it may not look this way when finished.]
I set up the assaults for 10:14.
Meanwhile, my second recon element has also stumbled upon the Americans and was again wiped out. This time however direct fire from the enemy tanks only accounted for 2 of the BMP's. The 3rd one was destroyed by enemy artillery firing in support of the armour.
Fortunately I had given two of my artillery batteries Counter Battery orders. This order gives the battery a chance of spotting enemy on-map artillery each time they fire. Both units spot the NATO battery and fire a barrage.
As I have no line of sight to the NATO unit, I don't know if any damage was caused. On-map artillery will "Shoot and Scoot" after firing missions, so it may have displaced before my fire mission arrived.
I have decided on an all out attack to pin the American armour that I have discovered. 1st Battalion will attack the northern unit with 2nd Battalion attacking the southern one.
I want to ensure that each Battalion's 3 companies of 10 T-80's co-ordinate their attacks to try and overwhelm the defenders. Co-ordinated attacks are set up using the Waypoint/TRP Inspector (see screenshot).
This screen allows the selected units to co-ordinated their movement by adjusting their Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) and allowing them to arrive simultaneously.
I could also have integrated artillery fire into the plan on the same screen but I will do it later manually.
[NOTE - the Waypoint/TRP Inspector is under development to get it just right, so it may not look this way when finished.]
I set up the assaults for 10:14.
Meanwhile, my second recon element has also stumbled upon the Americans and was again wiped out. This time however direct fire from the enemy tanks only accounted for 2 of the BMP's. The 3rd one was destroyed by enemy artillery firing in support of the armour.
Fortunately I had given two of my artillery batteries Counter Battery orders. This order gives the battery a chance of spotting enemy on-map artillery each time they fire. Both units spot the NATO battery and fire a barrage.
As I have no line of sight to the NATO unit, I don't know if any damage was caused. On-map artillery will "Shoot and Scoot" after firing missions, so it may have displaced before my fire mission arrived.
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- Posts: 38
- Joined: Wed May 01, 2002 9:52 pm
Time to prep the targets with some artillery.
This screen shows the orders panel for one of my off-map artillery assets. (The difference between on and off map, is that off-map units are not subject to Counter Battery fire).
Here I am setting up a barrage of High Explosive (HE) on a specific target. (HE also includes Improved Conventional Munitions (ICM) which the unit will fire (if available) against appropriate target types).
Artillery units can also be given the following orders :
- 'On Call' to hit targets of opportunity
- 'Counter Battery' to specifically target enemy artillery units
- 'Direct Support' to fire in support of a specific unit (this gives a faster response time for the Warsaw Pact forces only)
They can also fire artillery delivered minefields and smoke.
I set 2 Batterys in direct support of the most advanced tank companies, 2 firing direct barrages on the last known positions of the enemy armour and 1 on Counter Battery.
This screen shows the orders panel for one of my off-map artillery assets. (The difference between on and off map, is that off-map units are not subject to Counter Battery fire).
Here I am setting up a barrage of High Explosive (HE) on a specific target. (HE also includes Improved Conventional Munitions (ICM) which the unit will fire (if available) against appropriate target types).
Artillery units can also be given the following orders :
- 'On Call' to hit targets of opportunity
- 'Counter Battery' to specifically target enemy artillery units
- 'Direct Support' to fire in support of a specific unit (this gives a faster response time for the Warsaw Pact forces only)
They can also fire artillery delivered minefields and smoke.
I set 2 Batterys in direct support of the most advanced tank companies, 2 firing direct barrages on the last known positions of the enemy armour and 1 on Counter Battery.
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- Posts: 38
- Joined: Wed May 01, 2002 9:52 pm
10:00 - 10:30
A side note on combat :-
During this AAR, I have summarised combat results for the whole of a 30 minute turn. However during the turn resolution, combat has much more of a flow to it.
Each unit can fire once during each 5 minute period during the turn resolution.
In combat the side which fires the first shot often wins the fight due to the lethality of modern weaponry. Various factors determine which side has the initiative and fires first although it is usually the defender.
So to illustrate the flow of a generic combat :
- the unit with the highest initiative will fire.
- if the target survives and does not feel the need to retreat, it will return fire with it's remaining strength.
- repeat until one side withdraws or the turn ends.
- units that have the same initiative will fire simultaneously with their full strengths before combat results are calculated.
- combat phases may also include artillery support if batteries have On Call orders.
Back at the battle :-
My tanks roll forward although unfortunately not in the perfect formation that I had hoped for. Even using the Waypoint/TRP Inspector, all order times are estimates and in this case some delay or misunderstood order has caused my perfect advance to become fragmented.
So all 3 companies arrive at different times during the turn. Whilst it is only a few minutes difference, it will prove critical allowing the American tanks to pick off the units one by one.
During the phases of this 30 minutes turn, B Coy/2-67th Arm Bn destroyed 21 (out of 30) of 1st Battalion's T-80's for the loss of 7 M1A1. 17 of the T-80's were killed by direct fire with the rest destroyed by supporting artillery.
The game accurately reflects the difficulty of moving vehicles in the presence of a dug in enemy and my poorly timed artillery strike failed to suppress the enemy tanks (although a hasty frontal assault against 14 well dug in M1A1's was probably never a very good idea!).
In the southern attack, C Coy/2-67th Arm Bn had withdrawn either because of my artillery preparation or it may have had Screening orders (the unit defends a location but can move to another if it offers a better position).
It had only moved back 500m to join another company of armour (D Coy/2-67th Arm Bn). One of 2nd Battalions T-80 companies has the misfortune to discover this at 1000m and is wiped out without reply under the devastating fire of 28 M1A1's.
Fortunately the other 2 companies move to positions which cannot be spotted.
My Counter Battery fire has again been active this turn and hopefully will have silenced some of the NATO guns.
A disappointing attack has achieved little damage for the loss of a battalion of armour.
However on the plus side, the enemy has been located and should be focused to their front.
I can now therefore move 3rd Battalion and hopefully hit his rear echelon units.
The screenshot shows the "zoomed in" map view of my ill-fated attack on the B Coy/2-67th Arm Bn position.
A side note on combat :-
During this AAR, I have summarised combat results for the whole of a 30 minute turn. However during the turn resolution, combat has much more of a flow to it.
Each unit can fire once during each 5 minute period during the turn resolution.
In combat the side which fires the first shot often wins the fight due to the lethality of modern weaponry. Various factors determine which side has the initiative and fires first although it is usually the defender.
So to illustrate the flow of a generic combat :
- the unit with the highest initiative will fire.
- if the target survives and does not feel the need to retreat, it will return fire with it's remaining strength.
- repeat until one side withdraws or the turn ends.
- units that have the same initiative will fire simultaneously with their full strengths before combat results are calculated.
- combat phases may also include artillery support if batteries have On Call orders.
Back at the battle :-
My tanks roll forward although unfortunately not in the perfect formation that I had hoped for. Even using the Waypoint/TRP Inspector, all order times are estimates and in this case some delay or misunderstood order has caused my perfect advance to become fragmented.
So all 3 companies arrive at different times during the turn. Whilst it is only a few minutes difference, it will prove critical allowing the American tanks to pick off the units one by one.
During the phases of this 30 minutes turn, B Coy/2-67th Arm Bn destroyed 21 (out of 30) of 1st Battalion's T-80's for the loss of 7 M1A1. 17 of the T-80's were killed by direct fire with the rest destroyed by supporting artillery.
The game accurately reflects the difficulty of moving vehicles in the presence of a dug in enemy and my poorly timed artillery strike failed to suppress the enemy tanks (although a hasty frontal assault against 14 well dug in M1A1's was probably never a very good idea!).
In the southern attack, C Coy/2-67th Arm Bn had withdrawn either because of my artillery preparation or it may have had Screening orders (the unit defends a location but can move to another if it offers a better position).
It had only moved back 500m to join another company of armour (D Coy/2-67th Arm Bn). One of 2nd Battalions T-80 companies has the misfortune to discover this at 1000m and is wiped out without reply under the devastating fire of 28 M1A1's.
Fortunately the other 2 companies move to positions which cannot be spotted.
My Counter Battery fire has again been active this turn and hopefully will have silenced some of the NATO guns.
A disappointing attack has achieved little damage for the loss of a battalion of armour.
However on the plus side, the enemy has been located and should be focused to their front.
I can now therefore move 3rd Battalion and hopefully hit his rear echelon units.
The screenshot shows the "zoomed in" map view of my ill-fated attack on the B Coy/2-67th Arm Bn position.
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- Posts: 38
- Joined: Wed May 01, 2002 9:52 pm
10:30-11:00
I set all my artillery to bombard the last known positions of the enemy armoured units. I am using saturation bombardments that use up 3 units of ammo a mission but do more damage.
Unfortunately, I have been issuing too many orders and NATO artillery have located my HQ. They unleash a bombardment on the Regimental HQ. Fortunately it is ineffective and no units are destroyed. Time to bug out and the HQ is ordered to move!
I order my Third Battalion to start it's move into the enemy rear towards Quadrant 1 and bring up 4th Battalion (Rifle) into the main advance.
The screenshot shows the Hardware Inspector which gives information on all the units in the game. It can be used to browse the units in the game or by clicking on a specific unit.
I set all my artillery to bombard the last known positions of the enemy armoured units. I am using saturation bombardments that use up 3 units of ammo a mission but do more damage.
Unfortunately, I have been issuing too many orders and NATO artillery have located my HQ. They unleash a bombardment on the Regimental HQ. Fortunately it is ineffective and no units are destroyed. Time to bug out and the HQ is ordered to move!
I order my Third Battalion to start it's move into the enemy rear towards Quadrant 1 and bring up 4th Battalion (Rifle) into the main advance.
The screenshot shows the Hardware Inspector which gives information on all the units in the game. It can be used to browse the units in the game or by clicking on a specific unit.
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- Posts: 38
- Joined: Wed May 01, 2002 9:52 pm
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- Posts: 38
- Joined: Wed May 01, 2002 9:52 pm
12:30-13:00
My advancing forces make further contact with the enemy.
The first BMP company of 4th Battalion has the misfortune to hit a minefield (1 vehicle destroyed) which is being observed by the last American Tank company (A Coy/2-67th Arm Bn). In the ensuing fusillade of cannon shots, 6 BMP-2's are destroyed for no return as the survivors understandably retreat.
In the meantime the remnants of 1st Battalion with 2 BMP companies of 4th Battalion resume their attack on B Coy/2-67th Arm Bn. For the loss of a further 5 T-80's, the last 6 M1A1's are wiped out.
This time my artillery was more effective and the mass of units overwhelmed the remaining enemy tanks.
At the end of the turn my advancing left flank comes across an American recon unit.
My advancing forces make further contact with the enemy.
The first BMP company of 4th Battalion has the misfortune to hit a minefield (1 vehicle destroyed) which is being observed by the last American Tank company (A Coy/2-67th Arm Bn). In the ensuing fusillade of cannon shots, 6 BMP-2's are destroyed for no return as the survivors understandably retreat.
In the meantime the remnants of 1st Battalion with 2 BMP companies of 4th Battalion resume their attack on B Coy/2-67th Arm Bn. For the loss of a further 5 T-80's, the last 6 M1A1's are wiped out.
This time my artillery was more effective and the mass of units overwhelmed the remaining enemy tanks.
At the end of the turn my advancing left flank comes across an American recon unit.
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- Joined: Wed May 01, 2002 9:52 pm
13:00-13:30
The T-80's of 3rd Battalion destroy the American recon unit (6 M3 CFV's) although not without losing 8 of their own vehicles to a combination of direct fire and artillery support.
This screenshot shows the Tactical Operations Centre Staff Diary that records all the details of the battle.
The T-80's of 3rd Battalion destroy the American recon unit (6 M3 CFV's) although not without losing 8 of their own vehicles to a combination of direct fire and artillery support.
This screenshot shows the Tactical Operations Centre Staff Diary that records all the details of the battle.
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- Posts: 38
- Joined: Wed May 01, 2002 9:52 pm
13:30-14:00
I have been issuing too many orders again and experience a close shave as the HQ BTR-80 Gremlin is destroyed by incoming artillery. If the Regimental HQ had been destroyed, order times would have been significantly disrupted whilst command was passed to another unit.
14:00-15:00
My left hook is now well in the American rear. 3rd Battalion destroys an American Engineering company and the remnants of a M-109 Howitzer battery (my previous Counter Battery fire had some effect after all).
15:00-17:00
2 hours of consolidation take place whilst I manoeuvre units into position to re-start the attack.
Units that need it are given Rest And Refit orders which allow them to recover morale and fatigue.
3rd Battalion has reached Quadrant 1 and sets up in defensive positions.
At 16:00 the weather improved enough that a A-10 strike was launched against one of my artillery positions destroying 3 2S1 Howitzers and a command vehicle. Up until then the 2000m visibility had thankfully restricted flying.
17:00-17:30
I no longer know where C & D Coy's/2-67th Arm Bn are so I advance one damaged T-80 company (2 tanks) towards their last known position. The unit completes it's mission and I will have to remember to award a posthumous medal for it's commander.
17:30-18:30
All artillery units drop fire on the target in a one hour preparatory bombardment. They run out of ammo at the end of the turn.
There is no real logistics in the game. If a unit runs out of ammo it receives a small emergency re-supply if it is within range of it's HQ.
19:00
The game ends before I can get my remaining units into the attack. Most were suffering from severe fatigue which was increasing the time it took them to react to orders.
I also forgot when the game was due to finish!
The screenshot shows the final positions of all the surviving forces (note the darker look to the map that denotes that the sun has set).
US forces were reduced to A Company (14 M1A1) and D Company (5 M1A1).
C company must have been destroyed by my artillery fire along with a large portion of D.
Curiously NATO also had a flight of 4 Cobra helicopters which never got into the fight (helicopters are only partially coded at the moment which may explain this).
I have been issuing too many orders again and experience a close shave as the HQ BTR-80 Gremlin is destroyed by incoming artillery. If the Regimental HQ had been destroyed, order times would have been significantly disrupted whilst command was passed to another unit.
14:00-15:00
My left hook is now well in the American rear. 3rd Battalion destroys an American Engineering company and the remnants of a M-109 Howitzer battery (my previous Counter Battery fire had some effect after all).
15:00-17:00
2 hours of consolidation take place whilst I manoeuvre units into position to re-start the attack.
Units that need it are given Rest And Refit orders which allow them to recover morale and fatigue.
3rd Battalion has reached Quadrant 1 and sets up in defensive positions.
At 16:00 the weather improved enough that a A-10 strike was launched against one of my artillery positions destroying 3 2S1 Howitzers and a command vehicle. Up until then the 2000m visibility had thankfully restricted flying.
17:00-17:30
I no longer know where C & D Coy's/2-67th Arm Bn are so I advance one damaged T-80 company (2 tanks) towards their last known position. The unit completes it's mission and I will have to remember to award a posthumous medal for it's commander.
17:30-18:30
All artillery units drop fire on the target in a one hour preparatory bombardment. They run out of ammo at the end of the turn.
There is no real logistics in the game. If a unit runs out of ammo it receives a small emergency re-supply if it is within range of it's HQ.
19:00
The game ends before I can get my remaining units into the attack. Most were suffering from severe fatigue which was increasing the time it took them to react to orders.
I also forgot when the game was due to finish!
The screenshot shows the final positions of all the surviving forces (note the darker look to the map that denotes that the sun has set).
US forces were reduced to A Company (14 M1A1) and D Company (5 M1A1).
C company must have been destroyed by my artillery fire along with a large portion of D.
Curiously NATO also had a flight of 4 Cobra helicopters which never got into the fight (helicopters are only partially coded at the moment which may explain this).
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- Posts: 38
- Joined: Wed May 01, 2002 9:52 pm
Overall the result was a decisive Warsaw Pact Victory.
Whilst I could not capture Quadrant 2, I got the VP's for Quadrant 1 and stopped NATO from getting any.
US forces lost 62% of their troops whilst I took 56% casualties.
The Battle :
I think my plan was sound although the execution of the initial attacks was poor due to lack of artillery preparation and an over hasty attack.
Whilst losses may seem extremely high, I think they are realistic due to the high tempo and lethality of modern combat. Artillery and manoeuvre are critical to force units out of prepared positions.
The Game :
I am not going to comment extensively on a game that is still in development but I will just say I'm thoroughly enjoying testing it.
There are obviously things to do but Robert Crandall is fantastic at responding to feedback and bug reports and the game improves with each new version.
Once again I would just caution people that this AAR is based on a BETA version of the game and is not necessarily representative of the final game. Hope you enjoyed it.
Whilst I could not capture Quadrant 2, I got the VP's for Quadrant 1 and stopped NATO from getting any.
US forces lost 62% of their troops whilst I took 56% casualties.
The Battle :
I think my plan was sound although the execution of the initial attacks was poor due to lack of artillery preparation and an over hasty attack.
Whilst losses may seem extremely high, I think they are realistic due to the high tempo and lethality of modern combat. Artillery and manoeuvre are critical to force units out of prepared positions.
The Game :
I am not going to comment extensively on a game that is still in development but I will just say I'm thoroughly enjoying testing it.
There are obviously things to do but Robert Crandall is fantastic at responding to feedback and bug reports and the game improves with each new version.
Once again I would just caution people that this AAR is based on a BETA version of the game and is not necessarily representative of the final game. Hope you enjoyed it.
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- Joined: Wed May 01, 2002 9:52 pm
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- IronManBeta
- Posts: 3335
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- Mac_MatrixForum
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- Joined: Tue Apr 11, 2000 8:00 am
- Location: Finland
That was a great AAR. I really like how the artillery and C&C are integrated into the system. It is obvious that the artillery wasn't an afterthought that was tacked on at the end of development.
Hope you can get the helo tactics and AI down.
I will buy this game. Until then, hope you can pump out some more AAR's.
Hope you can get the helo tactics and AI down.
I will buy this game. Until then, hope you can pump out some more AAR's.
Smoke (HC) and WP
How is the use of smoke portrayed? I saw the impact indicators for artillery (though ICM using mines would not produce such an indicator), but I did not see any indication of the use of smoke as an obscurant as concealment for defensive positions and withdrawls, especially as standard Soviet practice at the time was to use the engine smoke generators during an assault to cover the follow-on echelons in the attack. I would have expected the US BN to cover a withdrawl to new fighting positions with WP from its supporting 4.2" SP Mortar PLT.