General

Hi All, So I've been thinking about Harpoon and related matters recently, and one of the suggestions made was that I might want to get my hands on a copy of the paper rules in some form. I doubt i could actually play, but maybe it would help me get an idea of naval tactics, or at least understand what's possible a bit more. I can seem to find almost everything except the rulebook in an electronic form. I have the "Dance of the Vampires," scenario book, and can get a copy of the "High Tide," data annex. There are miscellaneous books from the Admiralty Trilogy Group available at various places. I suspect this is probably a lost cause, but does anybody have contacts…

File Name: SimPlot Viewer (beta) File Submitter: kmart494 File Submitted: 16 Jun 2016 File Category: Application/Tools/Mods/Docs SimPlot Viewer (beta) is a SimPlot application for multiplayer Harpoon games. When a referee sends SimPlot turn files to players, the Viewer will allow them to create their own unit range circles, reference points, and plot the suspected location and type of enemy units (independent of the referee and other players). A new feature that I am testing is selectable icon size. Four sizes are available: 8x8 (dots), 16x16 (reduced), 24x24 (default), and 32x32 (enlarged). This is very similar to NTDS standards for icons. The "dots" s…

File Name: Eastern Baltic File Submitter: kmart494 File Submitted: 03 Apr 2016 File Category: Maps This is a map of the eastern portion of the Baltic Sea near Estonia. The map is intended for use with the "Blow in the Baltics" scenario from Harpoon Naval Review 2000. Shown are the letter codes for the various sub-scenario starting locations. The map scale is 4.1 pixels/nm. Click here to download this file

File Name: One China - Port Arthur 2 File Submitter: kmart494 File Submitted: 03 Apr 2016 File Category: Scenarios This is the setup file for the One China - Port Arthur 2 (Lushun Revisited) scenario from Harpoon Naval Review 2000. Several units are placed on screen, but the exact location and formation of the PRC task force and Helix helicopters would have to be determined by the Red player. The map for this scenario is available in the map download section. Click here to download this file

File Name: Port Arthur (Lushun) File Submitter: kmart494 File Submitted: 03 Apr 2016 File Category: Maps This is a map of the Port Arthur (Lushun) area of the People's Republic of China. This map is intended to be used with the One China - Port Arthur 2 scenario from Harpoon Naval Review 2000. The graphic is "fine scale" because the scenario is primarily an ASW exercise, and so the map is smaller but has finer detail than most other SimPlot maps. The map scale is 10.9 pixels/nm. Click here to download this file

File Name: One China - Skunks File Submitter: kmart494 File Submitted: 02 Apr 2016 File Category: Scenarios This file is for the "Skunks" scenario from the "One China" scenarios in Harpoon Naval Review 2000. The starting position of most units is included, but the PLAN SAG group formation will need to be determined and put into the scenario before beginning the battle. This scenario is designed for use with the Northern Taiwan / PRC map. Click here to download this file

File Name: One China - Bogies File Submitter: kmart494 File Submitted: 02 Apr 2016 File Category: Scenarios This is the "Bogies" scenario from the "One China" scenario trio in Harpoon Naval Review 2000. This scenario file shows the starting locations for units with a fixed location, and the general areas for units or formations that would be set up per player desires. The exact composition and formation of the US CVBG, the CVBG airborne assets, the PLAAF attack aircraft formations, and the PLAN submarine locations would have to be determined and put into the scenario before beginning the battle. This scenario is designed to use the Northern Taiwan /…

File Name: Northern Taiwan / PRC File Submitter: kmart494 File Submitted: 02 Apr 2016 File Category: Maps This map depicts the area of northern Taiwan and a portion of mainland PRC. The map was created for use with the "One China" sub-scenarios "Bogies" and "Skunks" from Harpoon Naval Review 2000. The map scale is 3.9 pixels/nm. Click here to download this file

The following are procedures you can use to make background maps for Harpoon/Simplot scenarios. Presently, there are no "official standards" for SimPlot maps. I am still experimenting with various color combinations to make the gaming experience better. If a scenario does not require the presence of land features or specific starting points, ending points, or objectives, then a background map is not necessary. Procedures for using Internet maps: 1) Using your favorite Internet mapping website, select an area of interest for your scenario. If the area is not very large, then you may be able to get the entire area within the screen. 2) Using your fa…

File Name: Persian Gulf Map File Submitter: kmart494 File Submitted: 06 Feb 2016 File Category: Maps This is a blank map of the entire Persian Gulf area. The map scale is 1.7 pixels/nm. Click here to download this file

File Name: SimPlot Reference Card File Submitter: kmart494 File Submitted: 04 Feb 2016 File Category: Application/Tools/Mods/Docs This is a quick reference card of Simplot's keyboard and mouse commands. Also included are tables of keyboard commands that are used in the various phases of Harpoon turns. Click here to download this file

I have discovered that the in-map text (place names, etc.) tends to look good even when displayed at different zoom levels, except for any text that is within the background area (the black area if you are using default colors). I think this may be because I am using a transparent background (so that users can select whatever color they want). I think the text I add to the maps looks better when drawn on a colored area. This might be due to anti-aliasing. I do have some (not published) maps with a black background instead of transparent that make the text look good all over. The caveat is the background color cannot be changed from within SimPlot. I would like to…

I am not well versed in helicopter ASW operations. I am interested in learning more about how to implement such things in H4.1. So, I have a few questions if anyone knows the answers. 1) During a Tactical Turn, are sonobuoys dropped before or after the helo moves? Although it is not usable for another Tac Turn, the location may be important if the helo and sub are moving in opposite directions. Every inch might count. 2) Are sonobuoys sensitive enough to classify targets? 3) I saw some good info in the HCE forum covering aircraft ASW ops, but I don't know if it's the same for helos. Does anyone know about standard search patterns for helos? With the limited numbe…

File Name: The Last Exocet File Submitter: kmart494 File Submitted: 21 Nov 2015 File Category: Scenarios This is a SimPlot scenario setup file for "The Last Exocet" scenario in the South Atlantic War publication from The Admiralty Trilogy. I had to take some liberties with the UK starting positions as some things were not clear (maybe just typos in the original scenario). This scenario uses the Falklands 1 map from the Map section. Some aircraft units have no velocity. This is to simulate aircraft in a holding pattern. The aircraft that just launched from Rio Grande are climbing/accelerating and have a reduced speed and altitude. Please note ther…

File Name: SimPlot Readme File Submitter: kmart494 File Submitted: 21 Nov 2015 File Category: Application/Tools/Mods/Docs This file is the Readme for Simplot v_1.6.2.0. If anything is unclear, or if I missed something, please let me know. Click here to download this file

File Name: Falklands 1 File Submitter: kmart494 File Submitted: 19 Nov 2015 File Category: Maps This is a map of the general area between the Falkland Islands and Argentina. The map was inspired by the scenario "The Last Exocet" from Best of GDW's Harpoon SITREP. Shown on the map are several of the major airbase locations. The map scale is 2.5 pixels/nm. NOTE: The old background was a transparency that caused problems with text rendering. This version uses a black background that cannot be changed from within SimPlot. Click here to download this file

File Name: Straight of Hormuz File Submitter: kmart494 File Submitted: 14 Nov 2015 File Category: Maps This is a "blank" map of the Straight of Hormuz area. You will have to create a new scenario and add bases and units to meet your scenario needs. The scale is 3.4 pixels/nm. Click here to download this file

File Name: Indian Ocean Escort Map File Submitter: kmart494 File Submitted: 13 Nov 2015 File Category: Maps This map supports the Indian Ocean Escort scenario from Harpoon Naval Review 2003. The scenario setup file is in the Scenario download category. The map scale is 2.3 pixels/nm. NOTE: The old background was a transparency that caused problems with text rendering. This version uses a black background that cannot be changed from within SimPlot. Click here to download this file

File Name: Indian Ocean Escort Scenario File Submitter: kmart494 File Submitted: 13 Nov 2015 File Category: Scenarios This is a blank scenario file for the Indian Ocean Escort scenario from Harpoon Naval Review 2003. The map and scenario file must be in the same SimPlot scenario folder (or sub folder). There are no starting units since their locations are determined by the referee or player. Click here to download this file

File Name: SimPlot File Submitter: kmart494 File Submitted: 13 Nov 2015 File Category: Application/Tools/Mods/Docs SimPlot (simple plotter) provides Harpoon4 players with the ability to add, delete, modify, and move Harpoon units using a graphical environment. Even a background map can be used to increase scenario realism (although a map is not required). See the SimPlot Readme pdf file for instructions on how to use the program. A copy of The Admiralty Trilogy Harpoon4 paper rules are required to use SimPlot to its fullest potential. The program is available for Windows only, and has been tested on Vista and Win7. Click here to downloa…