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questions - 8/8/2007 11:48:25 PM

irishman

Posts: 256
Joined: 6/13/2004
From: Emerald Isle
Status: offline

Hey guys,
not sure if anybody still uses this forum!

Just bought the game and it's pretty good. A few Qs though. Is there a FAQ anywhere?
1- Do Warsaw Pact artillery units 'on call' support other units? or is this only for Nato units?
2-If 'Individual Sighting Required for Combat is checked' can artillery units still attack indirectly?
3-Is there a definition of the bonuses for the 'special characteristics'? e.g. how much better is chobham armour etc?
4-Is there any explanation of the attack strength vs armour equations? e.g. will an attack rating of 4 always bounce off an armour rating of 10 or will it just have a reduced chance of penetration compared to say an attack rating of 12?

Cheers!

_____________________________

The greater the difficulty, the greater the glory - Cicero

Post #: 1

RE: questions - 8/9/2007 3:27:14 AM

CapnDarwin

Posts: 8467
Joined: 2/12/2005
From: Newark, OH
Status: offline

We are alive and well and working hard on the new game. As for the questions:
1. WP forces can be "On Call" and also have the option for Direct Support.
2. As long as the unit has been spotted (directly or via counter-battery means) Arty will fire.
3. As for in the book definitions not really, in the guts of the combat code units with special abilities run though some additional routines to cover those items. In the case of Chobham it is a better armour rating against HEAT attacks, Reactive armours get an improved chance to reduce HEAT and AP pen values (AP for Kontact-5 equippend tanks). Not alot a help I'm sure, but we do cover a number of items "under the hood".
4. FPG uses a moderate exponential curve for pena nd armour values as related to actual millimeters of pen and armour protection. The scale is 0 to 15 which runs the range from zero mm upto about 1500mm. The basic combat system looks at an equal value as being about 50% chance to "penetrate" and knock out a target. Knock out is a relative term too since it could be anything from a damaged target rendered combat ineffective (gun damaged, engine damaged, etc) to a brew up. As the pen value get greater then the armour rating the percentage to knock out goes up. On the other side of the coin as the value goes below the armour rating the chance to get the kill drops off rapidly. In some cases you will see a Recon vehicle with a small gun take down a MBT, which is within the realm of reason if it gets a shot off at close range and gets a lucky "flank" shot. One thing to remember is that FPG does not model facing given the size of the squares, but we do cover the ability to get a flank or rear shot in the combat model as the range in combat closes.

Hopefully answers most of the questions. The new combat system looks at armour and pen values at 15mm of resolution versus the 0 to 15 system of FPG. This should add a bit of better combat resolution for various weapon systems, but I'll be in the long run the numbers in a fight come out pretty close.

Enjoy the game!

_____________________________

OTS is looking forward to Southern Storm getting released!

Cap'n Darwin aka Jim Snyder
On Target Simulations LLC

(in reply to irishman)

Post #: 2

RE: questions - 8/9/2007 3:57:44 AM

irishman

Posts: 256
Joined: 6/13/2004
From: Emerald Isle
Status: offline

Thanks for the reply,
1- The manual states that 'NATO artillery units that are On Call can fire support missions for any unit within their chain of command. Apart from this instance of artillery support, prep time is 0 and combat strength is 25%.' This is slightly confusing. It seems to indicate that ONLY NATO can use 'on-call' fire support?
2- Thanks.
3-I know what the characteristics mean but there are a lot of disagreements about their impact e.g. how effective 1st gen reactive armour is against depleted uranium sabot rounds. It would be nice to see how much you guys weighted the various factors. (On the other hand, it can end up reducing the game into a spreadsheet. Maybe some things need to stay under the hood!)
4-Fair enough. An explanation of the system should be in the manual!

What's the new game and more importantly when can I buy it!

_____________________________

The greater the difficulty, the greater the glory - Cicero

(in reply to CapnDarwin)

Post #: 3

RE: questions - 8/9/2007 5:13:38 AM

CapnDarwin

Posts: 8467
Joined: 2/12/2005
From: Newark, OH
Status: offline

No problem,
1. I'll have to go back and look into this one a bit more. I know both side will use it and I know NATO response is faster. I'll get back to you on this one.
2. Ok.
3. 1st gen reactive armour is given no effect to AP rounds. Only the second gen Kontact-5 get a chance to effect the pen of the AP round. Looking at the code we give 2nd gen reactive about a 10% chance of breaking a long rod dropping its pen by one point (doesn't sound like much but with the exponential scale that is a big hit). 1st gen reactive has about a 65% chance to reduce the heat shot by about 50% and the 2nd gen is at 85%. Most of those numbers are some educated guesses based on coverage of panels and the little bit of info from various unclassified sources. It is really tough to get solid info in many of these areas.
4. True on the manual, but with a two man team it is tough to cover everything. We try to make the manual a "how to play the game" versus "this is why the game works". Granted both would be nice. Perhaps we'll give that some though with the new game and talk to some of the game engine methods we used.

The new game(s) are called Flashpoint Campaigns. The first of which is the Arab-Israeli Wars 48-79. WE are working now on getting a beta out to our testers, finishing database work, artwork, etc. The game will ship with editors for maps, scenarios, and data. Most of the artwork can be modified. Very much like "TANKS" meets Flashpoint Germany. More info should be getting posted soon on it.

_____________________________

OTS is looking forward to Southern Storm getting released!

Cap'n Darwin aka Jim Snyder
On Target Simulations LLC

(in reply to irishman)

Post #: 4

RE: questions - 8/31/2007 1:56:59 AM

irishman

Posts: 256
Joined: 6/13/2004
From: Emerald Isle
Status: offline

Another few Qs!
1- Weapons with exactly 500m range, mainly RPGs. Can they hit the next square? or are they limited to targets in the same square?
2- Sometimes after the Rest & Refit order, the Hold order is not available to units. Why?
3- What is the role of the FSE unit? It has artillery so shouldn't be used on the front line yet contains MBTs so is wasted in the rear echelons. Shouldn't these units be split up?
4- Excellent game. Why has it has not been bought in the millions and why are you not therefore on your yacht in the caribbean?

_____________________________

The greater the difficulty, the greater the glory - Cicero

(in reply to CapnDarwin)

Post #: 5

RE: questions - 8/31/2007 3:46:08 AM

CapnDarwin

Posts: 8467
Joined: 2/12/2005
From: Newark, OH
Status: offline

Some quick answers...
1- They can by math reach into the adjacent square. Center to center would be 500m.
2- It takes time to get to hold and units must be in a posture that supports going into hold. You should be able to set them to screen and then go to hold after that.
3- The FSE (Forward Security Element) is a formation used to probe the enemy forces ahead of the main force body. It's job is to kill enemy recon units or delay larger forces until the rest of the unit can be brought to bare.
4-