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The Art of Scenario Design


mapman

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In the route from the assembly area behind a forest to the BPs before and after the bridge crossing I specified and incremental time in the embark condition so that, after a unit had reached said check point, it waited for 2 minutes and then headed for the bridge.

Also, on that same route I had a retreat condition, so if the unit(s) were fired upon they would retreat. I had thought that once, upon retreating to the original check point, these same units would re-embark upon the same route after the specified incremental time of two minutes, but they just sat there and I ended up doing away with the retreat condition on that route.

Good thinking. It should work, but the units have some short time memory which may have interfered. Create a second route from this waypoint (can be almost identical and on top of the other), and have embark conditions like before (and retreat conditions like before), but with Random variable NEW <50% or between 50 and 100% to pick either route after two minutes. That should do the trick.

:)

Like wise it would be nice (and I hope it is added to SB2) if a single condiiton can reset itself after it has been fulfilled so it can be fulfilled again at a future date.

They do. It's Events that don't.

As a side note to Snake and Al, it would be nice to be able to copy Artillary pre-plotting along with their conditions for deployment and regions too like we are able to copy routes and route changes now.

Good idea!

I'll put it on The List.

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Thanks Guys!

Ssnake...Do you mean to say that Conditions reset in SB1 now or that they are already implemented in SB2?

If they reset now, how would I go about that?

I experimented with this by making two small regions about 500 meters apart. I wrote a condition to be true if more than 0 AFVs entered each region. I attached an event message to tell me when each condition was true....(ahhh...maybe that is the problem) and then ran a circular route that went back and forth between the two regions but only got the initial messages....

Lite bulb just went off.....If a condition resets and an event does not, but an event message is one of the things we wish to create with the condition being true more than once, then we are just out of luck because events only happen once?

So...I would have to create multiple events that refer to the one condition, but that do not check that condition until x amount of mission time has passed so as to give the condition time to reset? Is this correct?

Also, it sounds like the only other thing that consistantly resets itself is the NEW variable. Is this correct?

Thanks for all your help!

mm

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Hey I'd like to contribute to a sce manual...

Elf, go to the site Mapman has set up. Look it over, see what you think, then put something suitable together. If you want to write a chapter, send me a PM or e-mail so we can talk about what's needed.

Shot

Elf....all contributions are welcome! See:

http://www.steelbeasts.com/scenariodesign/

Ydnar...Since Shot is working on Scoring now, do you want to send in or post here what you have on time scoring for holding one objective. I think you said something about 5 minute periods?

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MM - checked last night and it appears the retreat condition causes the "NEW" variable not to repeat - I think the 2nd route would be the better option.

I can see where that should work.

Thanks Poker...I will play around with that and see how it works.

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I experimented with this by making two small regions about 500 meters apart. I wrote a condition to be true if more than 0 AFVs entered each region. I attached an event message to tell me when each condition was true....(ahhh...maybe that is the problem) and then ran a circular route that went back and forth between the two regions but only got the initial messages....

Lite bulb just went off.....If a condition resets and an event does not, but an event message is one of the things we wish to create with the condition being true more than once, then we are just out of luck because events only happen once?

You could use events to count up - wasteful, but possible.

To use your example:

Event1: Units in Region 1

Event 2: Units in Region 2

Event 3: Units in Region 1 AND Event 1=true

...

Event 7: Units in Region 1 AND Event 5= true

etc.

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This wouldn't be useful very often, but it would be nice to have counters that we could modify:

"If Condition [units in Region 1 > 0] becomes [true], then [increment counter C1] by [1]"

For a silly variation on this idea, create a string of regions off the map; have a humvee start in the first region, and embark to the next region whenever the condition "units in region 1 > 0" is true. The problem with this is the humvee won't distinguish between a continuous stay in region 1 and a leave-and-return; at least, I can't immediately think of a way it could.

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Well, still playing around with "resetting" conditions I was unable to get an event response on the following:

Condition 1: If friendly AFVs in Region 1 > 0 then True

Event 1: If Condition 1 is True - Message C1 True (that worked)

Condition 2: If Condition 1 is true AND friendly AFVs in Region 1 <1 then True

Event 2: If Condition 2 is True - Message C2 True (that did not work???)

So I thought I can add a score to each condition and then watch the score in test mode and see what happens.

Well...the scoring did not recognize Condition 2, but it toggled with condition one right along with a green message - Condition one met - Condition one not met - etc. etc.

So the scoring parameters already do what I was hoping to get conditions and events to do!

Which brings up another design thought for SB2 Ssnake. In the event and condition dialog boxes, we have the choice to have another Condition or Event effect how the current one will behave. It might be a good idea to add a third option of Mission Goal or Scoring Condition to that.

In other words, If Score Goal One is True, then .......

Just a thought...

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  • 2 weeks later...
Well, still playing around with "resetting" conditions I was unable to get an event response on the following:

Condition 1: If friendly AFVs in Region 1 > 0 then True

Event 1: If Condition 1 is True - Message C1 True (that worked)

Condition 2: If Condition 1 is true AND friendly AFVs in Region 1 <1 then True

Event 2: If Condition 2 is True - Message C2 True (that did not work???)

So I thought I can add a score to each condition and then watch the score in test mode and see what happens.

Well...the scoring did not recognize Condition 2, but it toggled with condition one right along with a green message - Condition one met - Condition one not met - etc. etc.

Condition 2 as written above can never be true.

Given:

Condition 1 = more than zero friendly AFVs in region one.

Condition 2 = Condition 1 AND less than one friendly AFV in region one.

( Assume that friendly AFVs are discrete objects that can only be counted as whole numbers, e.g., you cannot have .78 AFVs.)

Apply assumption to Condition 1

"more than zero friendly AFVs in region one" = "at least one friendly AFV in region one."

Substitute new Condition 1 into Condition 2

Condition 2 = (at least one friendly AFV in region one) AND less than one friendly AFV in region one.

Evaluate Condition 2 with truth table for AND operator

Condition 2 contains two conjucts that can never be simultaneously true, therefore it will always be false.

Q.E.D.

p.s. If Condition 2 were a disjunction, it would always be true.

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  • 5 weeks later...

Researchers Needed

I would like to add a link page to the Design Guide for all the really good threads on this site that discuss the different aspects of scenario design and logic.

If any of you run across a really good thread, or you feel like searching for some that you remember as being very helpful, please copy and paste the link here with a brief description about the general idea of that thread.

I plan to orginize and compile this into a link page for the Design Guide Site.

Thanks in advance for all your help!

~mm 8)

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  • 4 weeks later...

Ummm.... as one that has been really quiet for a long time, I hate to even suggest this.... but............ (& even more.....'s :P ) might there be an updated version of this fine learning tool developed when SB Pro PE comes out? I for one have loved reading every new chapter that has been written... & I can't wait to use this knowledge on the new beast :D

(hmmm.... mental note.... must try to stop drooling over just the thought of the new version... )

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I also have some contributions brewing for submission, Shot. A proposal for a slightly expanded TOC and sections on Scoring, some "How To" sections (AI convoy routing, berm drills, random AI moves, radio chatter, triggered arty, variable scenario events) revision of the Briefing checklist into the briefing chapter, and some stuff on map graphics & visual control measures. Should have some by week's end, next week at latest.

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  • 2 months later...

The guide is still alive and well and being worked on; thought I'd let interested parties know. I'm working on routes and conditions and so forth now; this section will contain links to Gary Owen's excellent article on Boolean logic and to Jayman's equally handy Excel utility for same.

You won't see anything new until SB-Pro PE is released, though. The screenies I took for illustrating the guide are from -Pro and while the risk of spilling a secret is minimal, I'm not going to chance it. The guide will be compatible forward and backward, to the extent practical, though as more of us acquire SB-Pro that will become less and less an issue.

Shot

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  • 5 months later...

Okay, it's only been a year since we started the thing. The scoring chapter is about ready, awaiting only someone or -two to take a gander at it and tell me what needs changing. If all goes well, it should be to Mapman by next week and posted shortly thereafter.

I'm not waiting for SB-ProPE to come out, I'm pressing ahead and I'll fix what needs fixing when comes the big release. In the meantime, scoring; coming soon (like in the next couple of weeks) to the SBSDG.

Shot

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  • 2 weeks later...

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