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'nother n00b thread


Wrench

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Hey guys,

I'm all-new to SB and I've been doing some studying.

I'm hoping some members might have time to walk me through some basics RE commanding a platoon.

I'm a pretty experienced DCS flight simmer and decided to give SB a try.

I'm playing through (writ attempting) the Camp Hornfelt missions, and I'm embarrassed to say I'm stuck on mission 1.

I'd go in to detail here, but I think it will suffice it to say I'm looking for the basics for commanding the two sections to protect each other, and specifically how one uses cover/concealment/hull-down positions etc. in terrain such as that featured in the mission.

Ironically, I've made some pretty simple missions to start with on the "Greek Island" map, and generally have a pretty easy time, even though I use random spawning/routes so I don't know where the enemy will be.

 

If anybody would like to jump in a session and give me some pointers, I'd much appreciate it.

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Well pretty much all of that was in the other thread too. ;)

 

e.g.:

On 1/12/2019 at 5:32 AM, Gibsonm said:

Welcome!

 

Can I suggest you work your way through this:

 

http://www.steelbeasts.com/sbwiki/index.php?title=Starter_Pack

 

Then eventually perhaps have a look into Thank God Its Friday (TGIF) a multi-player, quasi serious event held, surprisingly enough on Friday evenings, US time.

 

There are a few "Virtual Units" out there who will help you along, the one that is best for you will depend on your availability, etc.

 

 

Edited by Gibsonm
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On 1/20/2019 at 7:52 AM, Mirzayev said:

Mission 1 is, in my opinion, one of the hardest missions in Camp Hornfelt. 

 

I think this is pretty close to a metaphysical certainty.:D  I've actually tried it multiplayer at least twice, and we still lost badly.

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Honestly, I'm glad to hear it.

Normally one would 'ramp up' the difficulty of such mission packs, so I was worried anyone with an ounce of sense would breeze through the first mission.

Man, the second one was really easy.

I didn't mention this earlier, but I 100% cheated and changed the M1A1s to M1A2s, figuring I'll start with the most modern tech and work backward to the older, more difficult systems.

Looking forward to getting this figured out.

 

RE: Camp Hornfelt mission 1, it seems to me that the enemy tanks are in just about the best possible positions on that map (which makes sense) but it sure makes assaulting them much more difficult.

If you can see them, you're exposed.

If you're in a good hull-down position, you can't see them.

That a tough nut to crack.

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6 hours ago, Wrench said:

RE: Camp Hornfelt mission 1, it seems to me that the enemy tanks are in just about the best possible positions on that map (which makes sense) but it sure makes assaulting them much more difficult.

If you can see them, you're exposed.

If you're in a good hull-down position, you can't see them.

That a tough nut to crack.

I don't know if this will be of any help, but maybe ---

 

The intent to that first scenario was to replicate the value of the 'Tanks' scenario from SB1.  That scenario consisted of a single player tank on a small plot of rolling terrain and nine enemy tanks that moved around in a semi-random pattern.  It was very helpful in learning how to maneuver using terrain and avoiding skylining, et cetera.  The point of the first Camp Hornfelt mission was to try provide something similar but with a platoon rather than just a single vehicle.  The point was to distinguish when different movement techniques would be appropriate -- e.g., travelling or bounding with overwatch by sections.  The way the scenario is constructed is to spawn enemy by time.  The spawning is semi-random to allow for re-playability.  The longer it takes for the platoon to approach the objective, the more heavily it will be defended.  Move boldly, but don't get rash.  More caution is wise as the objective is approached, but don't dither around getting there.  Also, if I recall correctly, smoke is your friend, call for some every now and then.

 

Cheers.

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I should mention, setting the difficulty to hard makes things much, much harder. Many people tend to immediately set realism and difficulty to the max (let alone the graphics settings), maybe because many modern games are light on the challenge rating. Also, it may be that over time a mission may become progressively harder if adjustments to ammo or the armor protection model go against the player's advantage.

Personally, I don't care much about balance since I'm looking at SB Pro mostly from the simulation & training perspective, not so much the game aspect. Balance is important for games, but irrelevant in the other areas. So, while I recognize that it is of significance for many, I still cannot let that get in the way of adjusting the simulation parameters when necessary. Also, what migzht make once scenario harder might make another easier.

 

Just mentioning this as possible explanations why a certain mission intended as a tutorial may appear very difficult when usually you try to make tutorials rather easy. If several factors come together - an harder than normal mission design to begin with, lack of experience with the effect of difficulty settings, plus maybe adjustments in subsequent release versions - the end result may be nightmarish where each factor in isolation might not be so bad.

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On 1/22/2019 at 7:28 AM, Wrench said:

I didn't mention this earlier, but I 100% cheated and changed the M1A1s to M1A2s, figuring I'll start with the most modern tech and work backward to the older, more difficult systems.

 

Changing the tanks in Camp Hornfelt is 100% NOT cheating. Practice with the platform that you want to learn, be it a Strv 122, a Challenger 2, an M60A3, or an M1A2.

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Ssnake,

I respect not making compromises on your principals for "balance." I've never even played (insert unnamed tank-based game here) and even I've hear all the buzz (whining) about "balance" and the devs constantly pushing updates to that effect.

 

As I said, I'm a DCS simmer, so I'm comfortable with that.

 

I realize now the way I phrases that really sounded like there was a "however" coming.

 

IIRC I did set the difficulty to "hard" given I assume it could as easily have been called "realistic."

 

GaryOwen,

I guess my takeaway there is that I'm too timid, having no qualms about taking several minutes to think about moving across a clearing, let alone doing it. :P

I also need to remember to use supporting fires more.

 

Mirzayev,

I know it's not really cheating, and I did make the change because that's the vehicle I'm most interested in. (I like my shiny new toys) However, I imagine it does make the mission easier having all the fancy optics.

 

Hey! There was a "however" after all!

 

Thanks for the replies guys.

We'll see how much I can soak in as I get some training.

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