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Support Category: Transport - 10/19/2020 12:37:08 PM

PongoDeMer

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Joined: 8/22/2008
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In my day, a company consisted of 3 x rifle platoons plus company HQ. The latter would consist of the OC, the 2IC, the CSM whose responsibility was ammo resupply plus signallers. Normally, this would amount to three Landrovers, but depending on the circumstances, there might be other odds and sods attached, such as FOOs, MFCs plus fire support elements such as GPMG SF.

When generating a mission, pretty much all of the HQ elements/battalion or Division assets can be found in the Support Category tab. However, there is one glaring omission. There is no transport included. What this means is that rifle companies in a mechanised unit have their own transport, HQ assets are on foot.

This strikes me as unlikely. Pretty much every unit - airborne or airmobile excepted - should have its own transport. In the British Army this might consist of Warriors (in a mechanised unit) or bog standard 4 ton trucks plus three quarter ton Landrovers for everyone else.

It may be that there is a method in the game for assigning transport to units in the Support Category tab. If so, I have missed it. If so, could somebody please help?

Thanks in advance,

Pongo de Mer.

Post #: 1

RE: Support Category: Transport - 10/20/2020 6:20:54 PM

Veitikka

Posts: 1304
Joined: 6/25/2007
From: Finland
Status: offline

In our game the mechanized category has HQ formations, where the transport is the HQ. So the HQ assets do have transports, even if they cannot dismount.

It's possible to use the database editor to give the support formations transports. However, the AI opponent doesn't use them smartly, and to be honest I don't see any good solution for this because if we give all of them transports then we will get more flak for incompetent AI behavior. It's possible that in the sequel the support units will have transports, but it will definitely benefit the human player more than the AI, if we want to keep the generated battles and have not only missions carefully scripted by the scenario designer.

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RE: Support Category: Transport - 10/21/2020 3:22:07 PM

PongoDeMer

Posts: 81
Joined: 8/22/2008
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I still feel that more transport should be included. Yes, command elements and signallers are all part and parcel of HQ units and I accept that they can stay mounted. However, the same does not apply to the rest of HQ Company (British) or Weapons Platoons (US). Stuff like mortars, assault pioneers, snipers and GPMG SF (MMGs) still need transport, particularly in encounter battles.

While hearing what you are saying about the AI, there must be ways around the problem. From first hand experience, I know that the scenario designer should tailor his scenarios to a game's strengths whilst avoiding its weaknesses. However, in the case of Armored Brigade, the problem of campaign and mission generation remains. My solution will be to produce my own specially tailored database which will be geared specifically to a number of scenarios that I have designed. I will make it clear that scenario and mission generation are excluded. The database will be for those scenarios only.

You have said that it is possible to use the database editor to provide support units with transport. There doesn't seem to be a database editor manual, so I would be very grateful if you could show me how this is done. What I want to do is to produce a small preliminary mod, both as a learning exercise and as a feasibility study. I will need to include British Army long base Landrovers plus 4 ton trucks. There are no sprites/graphics for these and I don't know how to create them. I would therefore be very grateful if you could help me, or/and put me in touch with someone who can.

I have already logged on to the 'How To Create A New Editable Database' on the Slitherine forum, and as a result, I now have my own moddable database which is accessible via 'Settings' on the start up menu.

Thanks in advance,

Pongo de Mer

(in reply to Veitikka)

Post #: 3

RE: Support Category: Transport - 10/22/2020 7:14:23 PM

Veitikka

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Joined: 6/25/2007
From: Finland
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Recently the Steam forum has had discussion about adding sprites: https://steamcommunity.com/app/1089840/discussions/0/2976275080132473501/

Here I'm giving transports to the Finnish 95mm RLC sections. In the first image is the original formation.

Then I add the transport units. They must be listed before the passenger units.

Seem to work in the mission generator...

I tested them in the game and was able to mount and relocate the guns.

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Post #: 4

RE: Support Category: Transport - 10/23/2020 7:08:01 PM

PongoDeMer

Posts: 81
Joined: 8/22/2008
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Thanks for this.

To recap, what you are saying is that it is possible to add transport to units but that the AI won't always use these in an intelligent way. However, this shouldn't be a problem if the player (not the AI) is controlling them.

Taking that into account, the first thing I want to do is to create a customised database, a fully functional British HQ/Support Company to go with it, plus a couple of scenarios to showcase what I have done.

Very loosely, the composition of the HQ/Support Company will be as follows: 1) Mortar Pn (6 x Mortars plus transport) 2) Recce Platoon (6 x dismounted scout sections plus transport) 3) Anti Tank Platoon (8 x Mobat/Milan/Rapier plus transport) 4) AA Section (1x tracked Rapier/Rapier plus transport. 5) Sniper Section (5 x sniper pairs plus transport) 6) Assault Pioneer Platoon. I would like this to comprise 3 x sections of infantry equipped with demo charges, but I cannot find anything resembling this in the Brit support category.

As always, I would be very grateful for your ideas, advice and comments.

Pongo de Mer

(in reply to Veitikka)

Post #: 5

RE: Support Category: Transport - 10/23/2020 9:26:21 PM

Veitikka

Posts: 1304
Joined: 6/25/2007
From: Finland
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: PongoDeMer

To recap, what you are saying is that it is possible to add transport to units but that the AI won't always use these in an intelligent way. However, this shouldn't be a problem if the player (not the AI) is controlling them.

If you create a formation that should be selected only by the player or the scenario designer then I recommend setting the 'Auto-purchase' value to zero, so it's never selected by the auto-purchaser AI. The attribute is found under Factions->Formations.

quote:

6) Assault Pioneer Platoon. I would like this to comprise 3 x sections of infantry equipped with demo charges, but I cannot find anything resembling this in the Brit support category.

If you need infantry units that can breach obstacles then there's the 'engineer' attribute for that purpose. I think none of the official database units use this and I haven't tested the feature for a while, but I believe it's still functional.

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Post #: 6

RE: Support Category: Transport - 10/25/2020 8:08:43 PM

PongoDeMer

Posts: 81
Joined: 8/22/2008
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Once again, many thanks.

As of now, I am finding my way around the scenario editor and I am well on the way to completing my first scenario. Once that has been done, I will start figuring out the database editor. But before I do, I have a couple of further questions. When generating the mission that my scenario is based on, I chose the west side of the map to deploy my units on. By default, the enemy forces deployed on the eastern side. Is there a function in the editor that allows the OPFOR to deploy elsewhere, north or south for example? Also, apart from changing the size of the deployment zones, is there any other way of deploying forces other than recce in the centre section of the map?

PongoDeMer

(in reply to Veitikka)

Post #: 7

RE: Support Category: Transport - 10/25/2020 10:47:39 PM

Veitikka

Posts: 1304
Joined: 6/25/2007
From: Finland
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: PongoDeMer

When generating the mission that my scenario is based on, I chose the west side of the map to deploy my units on. By default, the enemy forces deployed on the eastern side. Is there a function in the editor that allows the OPFOR to deploy elsewhere, north or south for example?

This can be achieved by painting 'no-go zones'. For example if your force is in the west side and you want the enemy to deploy north then you probably want to restrict access to south-east.

quote:

Also, apart from changing the size of the deployment zones, is there any other way of deploying forces other than recce in the centre section of the map?

No, but some factions have tanks and such as recon units, so it's not for light scouts only.

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Post #: 8

RE: Support Category: Transport - 10/27/2020 11:24:53 AM

PongoDeMer

Posts: 81
Joined: 8/22/2008
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Thanks (once)again.

Next question: The scenario editor includes the following buttons: 'DEL LAST WP' AND 'DEL ALL WP.' However, I cannot find any buttons for setting waypoints. Is there some way of doing this that I have overlooked? I badly want to be able to do this as it would give me the ability - for example - to send an OPFOR column along a specific which would facilitate ambush scenarios.

Also, is there any way of setting up reinforcements - for either side - to arrive from a given map edge location at a given time?

PongoDeMer

(in reply to Veitikka)

Post #: 9

RE: Support Category: Transport - 10/30/2020 5:33:07 PM

Veitikka

Posts: 1304
Joined: 6/25/2007
From: Finland
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: PongoDeMer

Next question: The scenario editor includes the following buttons: 'DEL LAST WP' AND 'DEL ALL WP.' However, I cannot find any buttons for setting waypoints. Is there some way of doing this that I have overlooked? I badly want to be able to do this as it would give me the ability - for example - to send an OPFOR column along a specific which would facilitate ambush scenarios.

Currently it's not possible. We're planning to have more control for the scenario designer in the sequel.

quote:

Also, is there any way of setting up reinforcements - for either side - to arrive from a given map edge location at a given time?

You can have a long map and place the formations close to the map edge and then lock them, so it will take some time before they reach the front line. Other than that, it's not possible to have timed reinforcements.

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Post #: 10