Airborne Assault

[Werewolf]

Just got AA by Panther Games and all I've got to say is I'm very
impressed by what this Australian publisher has produced.

Airborne Assault is a simulation of WWII Operation Market Garden.

The gameplay is what I've been looking for in an operational/tactical level wargame for a long time. One can issue orders at any level from the top right on down to
the platoon level and watch the battle unfold as the AI acts as the
subordinate unit commander (if that is what one wishes).

For example last night I played a scenario that pitted the 82nd
Airborne against the 10th Pz. Since it was division level I only gave
orders to the div level support units and to each regimental HQ (but
you can give orders to all units if that is your desire). The AI did
an excellent job of carrying out those orders in most cases.
Occasionally I would break a battalion loose and order it to cover a
flank that the HQ AI wasn't watching adequately but in general it felt
like I was filling the role of division commander.

It was refreshing not to have to micro-manage each of the units (and
in this scenario it went down to company and in some cases platoon
level - and that's a lot of units to manage). It was especially fun to
watch the battle unfold (without having to control the actions of each
and every unit) wondering if this regiment would be successful or not,
should I toss in my reserve regiment, should I up the aggressiveness
or call off an attack, when to rest units, when to reorganize and have
a relatively good feeling that when I gave a regimental HQ an order it
would be fairly well carried out.

AA does not uses hexes (about time - why do we need hexes in a pc
game? they made sense for a paper game). The map is a work of art.
Time scaling is set up so that it can run as fast or slow as one
wishes (or stop and give orders at your leisure). The wide variety of
orders, formations and options used to control units add a level of
realism not seen in many wargames. Weather is adequately modeled and
so are the effects of supply and command and control.

I Haven't tried multiplay yet but imagine that MP will really make
this great game shine. All of us SB'rs that want to command our forces from the map - well AA does it and does it right.

AND IT COMES WITH A REAL "BY GOD" MANUAL! Not a crappy PDF on disk
that will cost another $20 bucks to print out. The manual is the size
of a book (well over a hundred pages) and as near as I can tell
explains in great detail and a well organized manner every aspect of
gameplay. And it's printed in a font that's actually readable by human
eyes without the assistance of a freaking microscope like so many
other manuals lately.

My only real complaint is that the ability to make one's own maps and
scenarios is not a trivial task and that both the scenario editor and
map maker are still technically in beta. Panther Games has essentially
said yes there are bugs - live with it while we work to improve it.

Other than that I consider AA the sleeper wargame of the year and
highly recommend it.

And at $40 bucks plus $7 shipping (ordered on Sunday and had it by
Tuesday - USPS Priority Mail - two days was way quicker than I
expected) it's well worth it.

You can get it online at http://www.battlefront.com

[Werewolf]

OKayyyy!

I just played my first MP game tonight. All I've got to say is that anyone of you guys that fancies himself as a divisional or regimental commander has to get this game. If you play it like you are the Divisional or Regimental commander and only give order to your directly subordinate units - well - you will come about as close to experiencing the frustration, excitement, pride etc as those guys do in real life without actually being a Col or General. It'll all boil down to how well you plan, how well you take into account that Col A isn't to great at what he does and Col B is fucking Rambo. It'll all boil down to how hard you push and if you push to hard or don't push hard enough. It'll all boil down to C&C.

This one's a keeper - SB may just go on the shelf for awhile!

[Moggy]

i'll have to check this one out wolf. I haven't put down DA since you
recommended it...working on my 4th scenario in DA...a historical representation
of the battle for the Falklands.

What is the scenario editor like in this AA game?

Mog.

[Werewolf]

i'll have to check this one out wolf. I haven't put down DA since you
recommended it...working on my 4th scenario in DA...a historical representation
of the battle for the Falklands.

What is the scenario editor like in this AA game?

Mog.

If you've got a map and can use the Operation Market Garden OOB or parts of it not really a terribly difficult task.

That said - making maps is a real bitch but probably right up your alley Moggy - they use layers and graphical drawing tools that I'm sure anyone that's used a CAD/CAM program or has the graphicall ability you do would very likely find to be trivial.

Units on the other hand are a different matter. The game uses what are called establishments and you can make them yourself (but Panther games says - "It ain't a fun thing to do". However there is an export facility that one can use to export the Establishment to a tab delimited file that could be imported into Excel, Word or Access for editing. Doing that might make editing an existing Estab more of a mod but you'd have to I believe keep the number of units and be satisfied with renaming, changing equip, ammo levels, command ratings, morale etc and probably cannot delete records or add records just change them.

It's more work than I want to do but Panther is going to release an estab that has the complete MG OOB for both sides sometime in December. One guy has taken the current OOB (which you can use any part of) and made a Juno Beach map from which he created a pretty good hypothetical D-Day scenario that has been well received.

By the way where can I get those DA scenarios you've made?

[Moggy]

wolf. Go to warfarehq.com and go to the scenario archive section and select
DA. I only have my latest there...but between us, it is damn good. download Goose Green v2. Then Goose Green v3. Overwrite v3 files on v2 files. You need the map from v2, opord red from v2, and the rest (scenario, terrain, opord blue) from v3.

v2 was a test scenario. v3 is close to the final product. It is quite inventive. Between us, the community over there has never really pushed the game capabilities. I think my Falkland scenario is pretty inventive.

Also, the guys over there don't comment about stuff much...I would appreciate an ole SB buddies thoughts. I am working on version 4 right now. I am trying to push the envelope as much as possible. I think DA is virtually unexplored. It doesn't help that the game designer pushes the doctrine side of the game so much, that scenario designers are psyched out of "thinking outside the box". Honestly, I took it as a challenge to design something novelle.

You have all the RN ships in Falkland sound. helo resupply, Argie fighters trying to sink every ship in sight, Paras and Royal Marines attacking fortified postitions, supply is strained to the limit (no LOC access at all). Make sure to read the special instructions to play it right.

Mog.


http://www.warfarehq.com/

[Werewolf]

wolf. Go to warfarehq.com and go to the scenario archive section and select
DA. I only have my latest there...but between us, it is damn good. download Goose Green v2. Then Goose Green v3. Overwrite v3 files on v2 files. You need the map from v2, opord red from v2, and the rest (scenario, terrain, opord blue) from v3.

[Edited on 11/11/2002 by Moggy]

Headed that way now.

[Moggy]

Hey Wolf. Ever play a game called Harpoon? It seems to have a lively following.
Never played it myself, but it looks kind of like DA for the navy. wondering what
it is like.

Mog.

[Sean]

Hey Wolf. Ever play a game called Harpoon? It seems to have a lively following.
Never played it myself, but it looks kind of like DA for the navy. wondering what
it is like.

Mog.

Harpoon is an awesome game. I spent a lot time playing HOL on AOL/gamestorm and the MP play and teamwork required to be victorious vs human opponents made it a blast despite the bugs. Harpoon 4 has been under development for 4 years now and harpoon 3 is available and has a MP component under testing. It requires a good understanding of all the weapons platforms, timing and strategy.

http://www.harpoon3.com has a demo available I think.

Sean

[Moggy]

Sean. It does sound a lot like the current game I am obsessed with..decisive action...but I am confused about something...what is harpoon 97? harpoon Classic? harpoon 2?

Are they the same game in different versions? Seems like harpoon 97 is being rereleased as classic?

Which one should I get.

ps. I don't want to wait for harpoon 4...the twats at Ubi will screw it up I bet anyway.
thanks for the advice.

running win XP here...so dos versions out, they don't run right on XP.
Mog

[Sean]

Sean. It does sound a lot like the current game I am obsessed with..decisive action...but I am confused about something...what is harpoon 97? harpoon Classic? harpoon 2?

Are they the same game in different versions? Seems like harpoon 97 is being rereleased as classic?

Which one should I get.

ps. I don't want to wait for harpoon 4...the twats at Ubi will screw it up I bet anyway.
thanks for the advice.

running win XP here...so dos versions out, they don't run right on XP.
Mog

Harpoon classic/97 is being redone by a team of guys and has been released as harpoon 2002. You have to have the old harpoon97 cd to play it and its a $10 download.

Harpoon 3 is harpoon2 with all the bugs fixed and a few new features + it runs very fast and stable. Jesse spears (the lone programmer working on it) has been very responsive and open to suggestions from the community. Hes working on a multiplayer component. H3 is $50.

Keep in mind that neither of these are going to be beautiful, eyecandy filled games. Both are fixes and addons of old versions. I have H3 and I like it so far. I haven't had any problems with it yet. I dont play too much since theres no MP, but once there is, I'll be hounding my old HOL buddies to buy it so we can battle like old times.

H4 - Stormin Norman is no longer on the job. :( This has been in development forever - I think it was started in like 1997. Its been dumped on 2 different developers. Its been given a very low development priority, cancelled and uncancelled, and we will be lucky if it ever sees the light of day. Despite Larry Bonds assurances to the contrary, I think ubisoft will just let it die soon. Development has hung by a thread for years now. H3 is my best hope for viable multiplayer.

EDIT: Both new versions work in windows XP. I never made clear my preference. GET H3! Its the most realistic naval sim you can get, and its being licensed by at least one navy.

[Moggy]

thanks Sean. Actually, I hate games that should be simple graphics wise, but they have to add all this extra graphics crap to make it sell.

Mog.

[Koen]

Werewolf,

How would you compare AA to DA ?

Thanks,

Koen.

[Moggy]

Sean.

Been messing around with harpoon 3 demo for two hours...seems like a nice game...but it has locked up on me 3 times. Is this a problem? Or is it just the demo.

Mog.

[Werewolf]

Werewolf,

How would you compare AA to DA ?

Thanks,

Koen.

Different Games.

DA is for those that are into very detailed planning, combined arms operations, the effects of logistics at the divisional and corps level etc. DA is for micromanagement GEEKS but it is also fun when that's what you wanna do.

AA is similar but more flexible and abstracts much of what is something that must be managed in DA.

For example in AA the Divisional base is a subunit of the Div HQ. Order the HQ and it's support units to setup and defend 3Km behind your divisional regiments and you be done. In DA you'd have to manage the posture and movement of each and every unit as well as the path it takes to get to where you want it. You can do that in AA if you wish but the AI is so freaking good I've found no reason to do it most of the time.

AA is more of a role playing experience whereas DA is more of a case study. Both are fun. If I'm in a mood where I'm looking for an intellectual challenge I play DA. If I'm in the mood to role play a division or brigade commander and watch a battle unfold very realistically then I play AA.

[Werewolf]

Hey Wolf. Ever play a game called Harpoon? It seems to have a lively following.
Never played it myself, but it looks kind of like DA for the navy. wondering what
it is like.

Mog.

What Sean says except that I prefer H2 over H3. H3 is just H2 using the windows interface instead of running in DOS. But I've never had any problems running H2 in DOS on my w98se machine. It's all in knowing how to set it up.

I've played Harpoon Classic too and I think it is more fun than H2 but H2 is a more accurate simulation of Naval warfare I believe though both are very good.

H2 Admirals Edition may be - hell probably is - impossible to find whereas H3 is available. H3 was reprogrammed to run in windows and it doesn't surprise me at all that you're having problems with it in XP.

[Moggy]

Ya wolf. After battling with the demo all afternoon, I just deleted it and will look for other games...It was locking up constantly. and I figure if the demo is this frustrating....too bad, it looked real neat. have to check out this AA you are talking about.

Thanks for the info.

[Werewolf]

wolf. Go to warfarehq.com and go to the scenario archive section and select
DA. I only have my latest there...but between us, it is damn good. download Goose Green v2. Then Goose Green v3. Overwrite v3 files on v2 files. You need the map from v2, opord red from v2, and the rest (scenario, terrain, opord blue) from v3.

v2 was a test scenario. v3 is close to the final product. It is quite inventive. Between us, the community over there has never really pushed the game capabilities. I think my Falkland scenario is pretty inventive.

[Edited on 11/11/2002 by Moggy]

Moggy went to warfarehq.com and got your DA scenario. Only v3 was available.

Installed it to the appropriate directories but no map available. Got the .sce, .ter and .rtf files but no BMP or JPG which is the map.

I may be doing something wrong on the install (but don't think so).

I'd suggest building a zip file that retains the directories that the scenario files come out of so they can be dropped back into the correct DA subdirectories.

After reading your brief I was looking forward to playing this one as it is a definite departure from the standard DA fair. It took a guy who thinks outside of the box to put that together.

[Sean]

Sean.

Been messing around with harpoon 3 demo for two hours...seems like a nice game...but it has locked up on me 3 times. Is this a problem? Or is it just the demo.

Mog.

[Edited on 12/11/2002 by Moggy]

Really? Damn, this is the sort of problem that will kill a game with already so small of a community. Please send jesse a email regarding your problems.

From the H3 website:

Harpoon3 Windows Demo (7.6MB)

The zip file contains "Harpoon3DemoInstaller.exe". Run it and it will ask for a location. Wherever you specify, it will create a folder named "Harpoon3Demo" with everything you need inside of it.

Note: When the Windows demo runs for the first time, it will print information into the Console window, and create a file named "Harpoon3.ini". It has NOT crashed. Read the information it prints out (which will most likely tell you to hit any key to continue).

If you want to run at a higher resolution, "Harpoon3.ini" is the file you need to edit (see included Harpoon3 ReadMe file for information on how to do that).

Please send any bug reports to me immediately. techsupport@harpoon3.com

[Moggy]

Wolf....I posted version 3 as an add on for version 2, but to save space the moderator over at warfarehq deleted version 2. Another member over there emailed me and pointed this out, so I reposted a new zip with everything in it, including map, etc..

go back and re download. i look forward to your comments. I really like this scenario, and am working on version 4. Adding Exocets for the argies.

Mog.

ps. I am working on a detailed Designer Notes about the scenario. if you like it I will email it to you for your comments.




Sean...I did everything you said, and it ran fine, but the demo locked up on me 4 times, the video screen started flashing once, I have no idea why. he says that it runs fine with windows XP. I have nver had problems with anyother game. The demo was a nightmare. i sure wish it wasn't, because the game looked EXCELLENT. I sure wish it would run on my machine.
Mog.