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Afgan Convoy Escort


ChanceBS

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Just uploaded to site,

 

This mission is a convoy escort through questionable secure area.  Commanders will be escorting friendly afgan civilians and supplies.

 

Mission assets are 4x NZLAV-IMV with troops.  Forward Operating Base near by will supply support if you get into trouble.

 

Enjoy.

 

Feedback is welcome.

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I did a quick playthrough of the mission. I like the concept, but the mission feels like it isn't finished. Here are some things that I feel could be improved upon:

 

1. Write out a briefing for the start of the mission. I was able to figure out what to do from looking at the map, but it adds dimension to the mission if you are actually given more information about the Area of Operation, the Enemy, the specifics of your mission, etc. 

 

2. Put the 4x NZLAVs as one Platoon. It was tedious having to give commands to one section and two separate vehicles just to move them to the first phase line.

 

3. I would recommend removing the wire-obstacle from the road into the FOB, since my vehicles ended up just driving over it. 

 

4. The enemy's Order of Battle was confusing. Are they meant to replicate Afghani Insurgents, or is it supposed to be a kind of hybrid threat? It seemed like an insurgency, up until the Tank began an attack on my forces. 

 

That being said, I really liked the concept, and the close engagements this mission offered. I have rarely fired my Commander's 7.62 while giving fire commands to the gunner in Steel Beasts, so this was a plus. I think with some more work, this can be a very cool mission. 

 

 

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Echoing some of the things Mirayev said:

  1. The scenario needs a briefing. What are we doing? What is the intel on the enemy?
  2. I recommend disabling the display of AI routes (right click, display -> off). There are routes all over, and it gets confusing with too many. Players can also accidentally delete them and ruin your plan. 
  3. Remove the C-wire from the road at the first Afghan checkpoint. It only damages friendly vehicles.
  4. I would remove all the BLUE infantry (I'm guessing these are Afghans?) and rather put the "Afghan" forces on the GREEN side [make allied with blue], as to not see all of them on the map. Also, give them a different uniform. 
  5. Check your troops and bunkers. Without giving away spoilers, your enemy squads weren't taking positions in the bunkers. This may have to do with the squad sizes. 
  6. Give the US machine gun teams M240's instead of MG3's.
  7. Soviet uniforms for Taliban?
  8. The farm situation was odd. Not sure how you want do 'trigger' the enemy attack, but it needs to be refined. I was already through the farm (killed all the baddies) when things suddenly started exploding
  9. Nobody says 'MAYDAY' on the net. That's something for pilots (this is nit-picking)
  10. ......And the Taliban tanks. You just need to decide what setting you want for this scenario. My initial impression was that this was a counterinsurgency scenario, but when the tanks and BTR's arrived I was confused. This COULD be mitigated through a briefing (enemy forces) so that the player has an idea of the enemy composition. Even so, I think BLUE is a little outgunned. 
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Thank you for the feedback.

 

The wired obstacle in front of the FOB had to be placed to deter AI drivers from entering into FOB.  For some reason AI drivers would enter into complex, play bumper cars and get trapped.  Same thing would occur

when routed around FOB. The trailing AI drivers would try and catch up to the lead by staying on road which enters FOB maze of walls.

 

Same thing was happening to vehicles with stay orders near this FOB.  They would not "stay" and find a way into FOB to become trapped.

 

The wire was/is to give incentive to the AI to go around and/or stay out.

 

There appears to be some confusion as to why T-55 tanks make an appearance in this scenario.  They had them.  Rare, but they had them.

 

Below is an extract from:  http://www.nuui.com/Sections/Afghanistan/Taliban Military.htm

 

The Taliban’s military forces (prior to hostilities) (non-subscriber extract from Jane’s World Armies’ Afghanistan entry)

Infantry: Of the 45,000 men available to the Taliban, Pakistani and Arab religious volunteers have played an increasingly important military role. The Arabs, deployed mostly on front lines north of Kabul, number an estimated 500 to 600 and form part of Osama bin Laden's `055 Brigade'. Pakistani volunteers are far more numerous. By mid-1999 as many as 9,000 to 10,000 Pakistanis were believed to be serving in Taliban ranks, some in combat roles and others in rear support, static guard and administrative functions.

Armour: The Taliban are estimated to field some 100 main battle tanks (MBTs) for operations and about 250 armoured fighting vehicles of various types - a number of which were captured from enemy forces in northern Afghanistan during the Summer and Autumn of 1998. There are doubts as to the serviceability of some of these, but it is significant that, during the lull in fighting between 2000 and 2001, many armoured vehicles operating in the Kabul theatre were reconditioned. Some armour has been organised into an armoured brigade (or brigade equivalent) tentatively identified as Armoured Force No 4 and based in Kabul. However, this unit has never operated as an independent armoured brigade, and most of its assets are allocated to infantry units when required. Other armoured elements are attached on an ad hoc basis to infantry task forces. In July 1998 Taliban forces used an armoured column of T-54/55 and T-62 MBTs to achieve a breakthrough on one flank of a twin-pronged advance on Maimana, in northwestern Afghanistan. This appeared to be the first time the Taliban had used armour in an independent armoured role, as distinct from employing them in a mobile artillery or fire-support role.

 

The point of this scenario is a simple tactical riddle.  Survive an Ambush.  As this is a combat Simulator, chances are that any given scenario is going to provide you with combat.  In this

one....   You are going to be ambushed.  So the riddle here is when the ambush triggers,  How are you positioned to deal with it.  As stated it should not be a surprise that you are being ambushed.

So it is a question of how do you have your units approach suspected or probable ambush sites.  How well are they position to combat the OPFOR units if ambush occurs.

This is what this particular scenario design is trying to present to the "player".  Approach and survivability of probable ambush sites. Without Artillery this tactical riddle is far more difficult to solve. (No Artillery in the scenario as to not blow up friendly villages occupied by enemy).

 

The lack of briefing:

 

I don't write them. I am not well versed on what a written military briefing even looks like. Nor am I versed in Military Jargon.  The briefings that I have written are on the very short spectrum.

So I provide needed Information on the map.  Simple instruction as to what the scenario is presenting and how to execute.

 

In this scenario the brevity of information is intentional.  Wanted players to go into mission without a good intel report. By Design.  Consider a poorly planned assignment of convoy escort duty organized 20 minutes before orders arrive to your platoon. Orders arrive with a Chart of area with simple instruction scribbled on it.  "Go".

 

 

 

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12 minutes ago, ChanceBS said:

There appears to be some confusion as to why T-55 tanks make an appearance in this scenario.  They had them.  Rare, but they had them.

 

 

Yes, but the confusion is based on the time period for the scenario. I am assuming that it is set after the conventional part of the War in Afghanistan. This means that *if* the Taliban still had any operational tanks, it seems unlikely that they would risk their destruction by committing them to an ambush on a supply convoy. Also, a T-55 would draw theatre-wide attention from BLUEFOR's higher, since it would mean a significant chance in the enemy's combat capabilities.

 

Again, I think some form of briefing would better prepare the player for this. It doesn't necessarily have to be a Good Paragraph OPORD, it just needs to communicate the mission and the threat, especially since the player is not familiar with the conditions in the Area of Operations.

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I'd say ditch the armor (tanks and BTRs) unless you are willing to re-balance the scenario for BLUE (LAV's can't beat the tanks) and change the story; as Mirzayev stated, Taliban T-55's wouldn't survive long in a COIN environment. 

 

You have the opportunity and groundwork for a good/challenging counterinsurgency scenario without the enemy armor. 

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Tanks are not effecting balance, not that I entertained game balance in any mission I have designed. Care more about the tactical riddle versus "Game" balance.

 

I really don't see a problem with the appearance of the tanks. LAV's don't have a chance against them for sure. So what do you do?

 

In this scenario if the tanks  are not being dispatch quickly then your not doing it right. 

 

You would know that if scenario was played to conclusion.

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21 minutes ago, ChanceBS said:

Care more about the tactical riddle versus "Game" balance.

 

You drive into an open area and get ambushed by a stronger/numerically superior force. There's not much of a "riddle" there. There's no tactical problem or dilemma for a player to solve. In fact, doctrine dictates that during a near-ambush you fight through it. There's nothing to think about, just fight. 

 

26 minutes ago, ChanceBS said:

In this scenario if the tanks  are not being dispatch quickly then your not doing it right. 

 

You would know that if scenario was played to conclusion.

 

You said feedback is welcomed, and I'm giving you feedback. If you don't want to hear it, then don't ask. I'll do you a favor and stop providing it after this though. 

 

Don't expect players to play your scenario the way you want it. That will only happen if you put actual in-game restrictions on how they play it. You don't have a briefing, so its hard to expect players to play the mission the way you want it. I think a mission briefing, even if its not doctrinal or even military-like, will mitigate some of the expectations. 

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Don't mind the feedback I asked for.  

 

Just disagree about the your feedback about the tanks. Most of the rest is excellent feedback.

 

During play testing the tanks were taken out quickly by support arriving from off map.

 

This may have not happened in your play through. Maybe killed before they arrived? Thus not solving the riddle.

 

Pre position LAV's over watching suspected ambush site.  Send Infantry to investigate area.

They should easily spot enemy ambush.

 

LAV's light em up... On their terms.

Riddle solved.

 

Enjoyed the discussion with you. Sorry you found the scenario below your expectations.

 

 

Edited by ChanceBS
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Just now, ChanceBS said:

 Sorry you found the scenario below your expectations.

Not true. As said, I think you have the base work for a great scenario that just needs some refinement. I thought I was playing a COIN mission - I was excited because COIN missions are extremely hard to develop because they are normally more complicated and require so much other 'stuff' occurring simultaneously- ie - unique environment, involvement of civilians, IEDs, dynamic scripted OPFOR, etc - some of which you have covered. 

 

1 minute ago, ChanceBS said:

During play testing the tanks were taken out quickly by support arriving from off map. This may have not happened in your play through

I saw that you had AH64's when I looked at the mission in the editor, but they did not show up during my scenario play through. 

 

3 minutes ago, ChanceBS said:

Pre position LAV's over watching suspected ambush site.  Send Infantry to investigate area. They should easily spot enemy ambush.

I was able to easily destroy all the enemy in the farm area by using positions of overwatch and bounding movements, but my dismounts didn't stand a chance when they were hit by 2-3 large enemy squads from the high ground PLUS indirect fire, plus the arrival of tanks and BTRs. If I was doing this in REAL life, I would have UAS overwatching the farm (which we have in game), and would be sending scout/sniper teams along the ridges covering our advance.

 

I also emptied an entire ready rack of APFSDS 25mm into one of the T-55 with no effect. 

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