Scenario creation and OOB info

[Dr Zaius]

Is there a tutorial somewhere that explains in detail the process of creating custom scenarios? If there is one on the CD, I must have missed it. Speciically, I'm looking for information on how to set up an OOB. How does the import OOB feature work? It always seems to be greyed out.

I have a lot of questions about this process, but before I get started I wanted to see if there was an in-depth tutorial available.

 

[Hub]

I don't recall seeing a tutorial. I never tried to import an OOB for any scenario I made, so I don't know how that works either. I did find that creating custom OOB's for any particular scenario to be quite easy- what questions do you have?- I will try to answer them for you, if I can.

 

[MajorH]

No tutorial. Frankly, I always thought of it as too simple to need a tutorial but that might be wrong thinking.

For TacOps v4.

Designing a scenario for human vs human play based on one of the custom scenario templates.

Run TacOps.

Check mark the box labeled "Standard Scenario".

Check mark the box labeled "Two Players" or the box "Multiplayer Teams - Network" [plus the Host box]. I prefer to design in "Multiplayer Teams - Network [Host]" mode. Technically you can design in any mode, but the other modes can be confusing to a new user because they include modal limitations.

Click the OK button.

When asked to select a scenario, choose one of the following custom scenario templates - Custom Scenario US Army.sce, Custom Scenario USMC.sce, or Custom Scenario CA CMBG.sce. Which to choose depends on whether the Blue Force is to be Canadian, US Army, or USMC. Picking the appropriate template will provide a useful short cut for later adding predefined unit groups for that branch. If you don't care about that shortcut then it doesn't matter which template you use.

When asked to select a map, choose any TacOps map.

When asked, enter a blue password or leave blank. When asked, enter a red password or leave blank. Most people leave the passwords blank at this time as a convenience. If passwords are later desired they can be added with the Options/Change Password menu item.

At this point you should be looking at an empty map.

Check mark the "Orders/Blue Unit Orders" menu item. This lets the program know that whatever you do next is to be done for the Blue Force. When you want to work on the Red Force you would check mark the "Orders/Red Unit Orders" menu item. Same for the other available force colors.

From here on its pretty much just adding unit markers to the map by (a) using the "Options/Add One Unit" menu item to add one unit marker to the map at a time (example: one tank marker containing 1 to 15 tanks) or (b) using the "Options/Optional Units" menu item to add a predefined group of unit markers to the map (example: Armored Cavalry Regiment).

When using the "Options/Add One Unit" menu item, you are free to add units from either the Allied list or from the OPFOR list. In other words, if you are adding Blue units you can choose to equip Blue with either or both Allied or OPFOR items - same for Red and the other colors.

Same goes when using the "Options/Optional Units" menu item. You can equip Blue with an OPFOR Motorized Rifle Battalion, etc.

Explore the Options menu list for other things that you can do.

 

[MajorH]

> I have a lot of questions about this process

A. Read the previous message.

B. Skim "Chapter 18. Scenario Editing And Umpire Tools" in the User Guide.

C. Just start. Its way easier to do than to explain.

D. Ask questions here.

E. Once you advance to wanting to set something up for an umpired network game, read "Appendix K - Multiplayer Teams Network Mode" in the User Guide.

 

[Red]

I have figured out most of what you said above, but I just cant figure out how to save a edited template as a scenario?

Its probably stated somwere in the manual, but I cant spot it...

 

[MajorH]

How does the import OOB feature work? It always seems to be greyed out.

You have to check mark the "Options/Use Umpire Tools" menu item in order to activate the "File/Import or Export" menu items.

At present the primary purpose of the export/import OOB feature is to provide a workaround in case a developmental change to the game engine causes it to no longer be able to load saved game files from previous versions. The other uses that folks have found for this feature are unsupported "frosting" - such as to transfer order of battle info from one scenario (saved game file) and or map to another scenario and or map .

Page 69 of the current v4 user guide says this about the Import/Export feature...

Import Order of Battle

Note: The Options/Enable Umpire Tools menu item must be check marked in order for this menu item to be available. Loads a previously exported order of battle file for one force color. This feature (in combination with the Export Order of Battle feature) allows the user to extract and reuse unit markers from a scenario. The user can choose to import the units with their old map locations intact or he can choose to place them in a new deployment window for set up in new locations. The user can also extract unit markers from one scenario and map combination and transfer them to another combination. For example, the common situation where a standard order of battle is used on different maps for different exercises. With this feature, the user can build a particular order of battle one time and reuse it or share it with others – with or without minor modifications. This feature can also often be used to recover order of battle information from a saved game file that can no longer be loaded by a newer version of TacOps because of developmental changes to the game engine. In this case, the user would load the saved game file using the previous version of the game and then use the export feature to extract and save the order of battle information to a new file. The user would then run the newer version of TacOps and use the import feature to recover the information in the exported file.

Export Order of Battle

Note: The Options/ Enable Umpire Tools menu item must be check marked in order for this menu item to be available. Extracts and saves the current order of battle information (unit markers) for one force color to a disk file. The information is saved in a simplified format that is more likely to survive future developmental changes to the game engine. Changes that often make it impossible for a new version of TacOps to load saved game files from an older version. The export feature saves the information in an Excel compatible spreadsheet format (tab delimited). The exported file contains the following information for each unit marker in play of a given color: type code, strength, facing, map location in x/y screen coordinates, transportation status, player identification number (PIN) if any, and optional text name if any. These data fields were chosen because they are unlikely to change in the future and because they provide the minimum information necessary to reconstruct the most labor intensive parts of a user designed scenario. With care, the user can also edit the exported OOB file using Microsoft Excel so long as he carefully observes the data conventions and saves the edited file in a tab delimited format.

 

[MajorH]

I have figured out most of what you said above, but I just cant figure out how to save a edited template as a scenario?

"Scenario" can be confusing in TacOps because everybody calls everything a "scenario".

Technically, a TacOps "scenario" is a factory provided program data file that ends in ".sce". Everything else is a saved game file. Currently I am the only person who can create a file that ends in ".sce" for TacOps v4.

When folks build a custom game setup by using one of the custom scenario templates, they can only save their work as a saved game file that ends in ".tac". They then call it a scenario which always confuses new guys and sometimes even confuses me. The internal structure of a ".tac" saved game file is completely different from the internal structure of a ".sce" scenario file.

 

[Red]

"Scenario" can be confusing in TacOps because everybody calls everything a "scenario".

Technically, a TacOps "scenario" is a factory provided program data file that ends in ".sce". Everything else is a saved game file. Currently I am the only person who can create a file that ends in ".sce" for TacOps v4.

When folks build a custom game setup by using one of the custom scenario templates, they can only save their work as a saved game file that ends in ".tac". They then call it a scenario which always confuses new guys and sometimes even confuses me. The internal structure of a ".tac" saved game file is completely different from the internal structure of a ".sce" scenario file.

Okey, that was actually wery enlightening.

Thank you very mutch for sorting this out.

 

[Dr Zaius]

So from what I can see, there is no hierarchy of command to units in TacOps, right? There are no true companies, battalions etc, or command elements. The units are grouped in the "OOB Report" by unit type, not by any type of unit of assignment.

 

[Hub]

So from what I can see, there is no hierarchy of command to units in TacOps, right? There are no true companies, battalions etc, or command elements. The units are grouped in the "OOB Report" by unit type, not by any type of unit of assignment.

Nope- you can cross-attach to your heart's content...

 

[Dr Zaius]

So there is really no point in re-naming units, right? (i.e. changing a APC, M2 Bradley IFV to 1/D troop or whatever).

 

[MajorH]

So from what I can see, there is no hierarchy of command to units in TacOps, right?

Correct. There are no "command" rules in TacOps.

Something like a hierarchy of command usually appears coincidentaly in a multiplayer teams network game because umpires usually divide the units amongst the available players according to traditional groupings. A platoon , company, or battalion is given/PIN'ed to one player. Something similar is given/PIN'ed to another player. In that situation a hierarchy of command will be revealed in reports by the inclusion in each line of info of the player PIN for each unit. Most reports can be optionally sorted by PIN when in multiplayer teams mode.

 

[MajorH]

So there is really no point in re-naming units, right? (i.e. changing a APC, M2 Bradley IFV to 1/D troop or whatever).

It can come in very handy in multiplayer teams network games for finding units on the map and for sorting units into groups in reports.

For example, in the situation report, if a unit has been given an optional text name then its info will be presented in the report sorted by the optional text name rather than by its common type name. Thus you could get all units in A Co to show up near each other in the situation report. The same happens in other unit list type reports.

Some players do it in other modes just for flavoring.

 

[MajorH]

Since we are on the topic of using optional unit text names (i.e. A Co insteand of APC Bradley)...

If you press the Tab key once, text will be drawn on the map to the right of every unit marker. If a unit has been given an optional text name, that will appear beside its unit marker. If not then the unit's common type name will be drawn. Pressing the Tab key again will erase the text.

If you press Shift + Tab, the PIN assigned to each marker will be drawn.

 

[MajorH]

You should experiment with right button clicks on unit markers and on lines in any kind of window that includes a list. There are often useful short cuts and special features to be found with right button clicks.

Examples:

Right click on a friendly unit marker produces a pop menu of shortcuts to the most commonly used unit orders.

Right click on a line in the logistics report and you can resupply a unit running low on ammo without having to search around for its map marker.

Similar useful right clicks are in the Situation Report and the Support Report.

Right click on lines and objects in the list part of the Arty and Air support windows.

There are more (I think).

 

[Dr Zaius]

Hmmm, that's good information. If I do some scenarios of my own, I may include the unit names just to add flavor and to make the reports flow smoothly.