JSF

Sounds like another challenging scen. Hard to cope with your speed, Mark.

My vote for Mark Gellis. Why? He is one of the best scenario designers I´ve ever met in Harpoon. His brilliant micro scenarios use the hidden details up to the utmost. Remember Jap Fish? Five units or so - and how thrilling. Recently he switched from HC to H3 and learnt VERY fast how to write challenging scens for this sim, too. Ralf

Gunny, Respect! You have delivered. Well done, old friend! Ralf

Hi Steven, your first published scenario - isn´t it? If so - congratulations! Just downloaded it and try it out. Comments will be posted here. Regards, Ralf

Hi Mark, gave it at try. Some observations: - the Soviet subs are all on one mission, thus sometimes simply crwaling like a train over the map. Idea: Give each sub an own mission. - For a VERY long time, nothing happens. At start, the subs are far away and - since on a mission - they only creep along Ideas: a) put them closer at scenario start assign them to plotted missions with a somewhat higher speed. you ahve to decide, though, if they should patrol around the island, or if they simply should break the blockade and reach open seas. Regards, Ralf

Well, this isn´t an issue, it´s just an option. One of H2/H3s many details making a high level of micromanagement possible. Just set it to auto data links, like almost all players do, and you´re fine. Regards, Ralf

Hi Mark, Interesting question. Since starting with the nearly identical H2 back in 1994, I´ve almost never played with Full Realism setting, always auto data links. Just tried it: Assigned to one sub a Transit Mission and to another one a Plotted Mission. Both dived, disappeared...and never surfaced again. Then I looked into the current ANW Manual: ""When a submarine reaches the end of its Plotted Mission, it will set it speed to 0 knots and will be facing in its last ordered direction." No word about an automatic re-surfacing. That is really interesting. Thought I knew the sim Regards, Ralf

Some major changes compared to Mark´s last version = version 3: - There is a second Soviet base on the peninsula. This one built without generih airfields just to give a hint how this typically looks like - the Soviet surface group is much meaner now - more Soviet subs, MUCH closer to you... - traps, many traps.... - you are outgunned in this version - ...but dont´shoot a) too fast and at your allies who may try to defend you... - you´ll have to break a real wall before you can bomb your primary targets - if you don´t play it cool, you soon find your assets on the bottom of the sea - watch your six... - don´t think you have several days left to re-organize your forces. This is war and you were just caught off guard with several task forces which only can survive if they join forces asap

Tony, Brad...could you give us an own subforum called "Harpoon 3/ANW War Room/Tactics" where to discuss how to improve and how to beat the AI? thx in advance, Ralf

File Name: Alaskan Tango - Modified Version File Submitter: JSF File Submitted: 1 Nov 2011 File Category: Scenarios DB Used: HUD 3 V 1.6.1 Authors: Scenario idea/concept/previous versions: Mark Gellis Battleset: Standalone for HUD 3 Alaskan Tango A Scenario for Harpoon 3 ANW/HUE 3.10 Database: HUD 3 V 1.6.1 A large Cold War Battle far away. Will You achieve a decisive victory by storming the barricades of the Kamchatka Peninsula? It is your Carrier Battle Group, reinforced with several subs, versus ... an strong and well prepared opponent. Be on your guard, watch Your six...and have fun! Scenario idea/concept and older versions by Mark Gellis This heavily modified version was written by Ralf Koelbach Click here to download this file

Nice stuff, Silent !

Hi Gunny, alter Franzose, Great! You´re doing a wonderful job. I´ll finish a scenario with HUD 3 V 1.6.1 today and then I´ll switch over to HUD 4. Regards, Ralf

Some ideas: - give him many more assets than you give to the human player. A ratio of 2:1 is often not enough, better 3:1 - give him intelligence! Many AEW birds, long-distance Patrols, subs close to hostile units - give him a real tough defense by... ...removing auto-detection of his land facilities while editing the scen (home-key) ...a layered SAM belt with many radars ...assigning powerful units to the AI - make it harder for the human by... ...giving him only scarce ressources, especially ammo ...giving him less powerful units

Mark, you´re one of the finest scenario writers around, and obviously a very nice guy, too. Your H3 scen building improves by the day and sooner or later you´ll make me looking like an idiot regarding H3 Ok, I´ll finish my "expanded and modified version" in an hour or so and release it. Ralf

Steven, One of the most important things is to give the AI very good intelligence. Give him tons of recon birds, ships and subs close to your units. Thus the AI can detect you better and direct his forces in your direction.

Crazy...in the first attempt I deleted the generic airfield, replaced it with discrete units, including hangars...and could not add a single aircraft to them. This has happened to me once before and I think Darren said it had to do with lost comm links, not sure. In the second attempt I left the generic AF alive and simply tried to remove (my first thought was that the capacity used to a 100 per cent) and then re-add ac - same. Could not change anything. Don´t know for sure if it is the 3.10 scenario editor, but it really looks like. Anyway, no way rebuilding the base this way I fear. So I´ll focus on the Russian Surface Group and the subs. Stay tuned, hope to finish it tonight GMT.

...On the other side...rebuilding with and for 3.6.3 may be a futile effort, since players focus on ANW 3.10. So I´ll just create a modded version with 3.10 and the HUD 1.6.1 You used. Ok?

Hi Mark, I usually start with a Comm Center. Then I add runways (if possible, according to an available base blueprint) and a Control Tower. Then hangars, one or two ammo dumps, fuel depots, several buildings. Normally I turn off auto-detect for all facilities, this makes it much harder to kill the base. You first have to localize them and can run in some nasty traps. I never use generic airfields or something like this stuff. Micromanaging bases/ammo dumps etc. is one major H2/H3 strongpoint. Now we come to SAMs and radars. I always try to set up a strong, layered air defense for the AI side. That means an outer SAM belt, an inner one and point defenses. All in all I love to create detailed bases with lots of facilities, turned off auto-detect and brinkling with SAMs and AA guns. If the base is close to the shore, I usually add SSMs. Hope that helps, Ralf

Mark, not, it´s not you and the scenario is neither bad nor boring. It simply suffers from several ANW game engine shortcomings. That´s why I recommended that you write your next one with 3.6.3. Use the inbuilt Standard Database or the db2000 V 10.0.0. Why the db2000 has become old, yes (it is of 2006), you get the best combination of game engine and fitting database. If you agree, I´ll rebuild "Alaskan Tango" with 3.6.3 and db2000. Thus you, and others interested, can feel what I am talking about. Is that ok? Ralf

Enough ANW for the next year or so - what a terrible AI performance. The last Flankers came in dumb, too. Still no defense for the Kiev and its escorts, thus another Turkey Shoot. Stumbled over another strange issue: SSN Groton closed (without ANY resistance of the Kiev Group) first close to and then right in between the group and fired torpedo after torpedo - to no avail. Don´t know if this is database or game engine related. It simply is annoying. Mark, if you got HUE, you got H3 V 3.6.3 as well. Try this one. Write a similiar scenario and look how the AI here handles its fighters, subs and ships - you´ll be baffled.

Mi Mark, Interesting idea. I think both Dale and Freek have used it. Try it out! Regards, Ralf

Ok, switched my strategy to a massive pressing, sending the Tomcats as close to the hostile base as their SAMs (Grumbles = approx. 50nm) allows. Gort one more Flanker (maybe the last one), one more Mainstay and 13 Foxhounds- Lost two more of my beloved Tomcats. But six Tomcats for 24 Flankers, 13 Foxhounds, three Mainstays, six Mays and six recce Bears is ok, IMO. Looking for what comes next.

Got 23 SU-27, a dozen backfires, six Mays, six Recce Bears and the two Mainstays so far. Lost four Tomcats in return. Doubt that there is much air ressistance left. It´s a shame how ANW handles those beautiful and agile Flankers, they are coming in dumb and not aggressive enough. Same with the AI controlled subs in my test runs with the scen´s older version: they creep around on some mission and are by far not aggressive enough to threaten any halfways experienced human opponent.

The AEW-50 Mainstays still are too far out and unguarded. Just got two and a May.