FreekS

I nominate Herman Hum, for the creation of so many video-AARs, the harpoon for dummies video manuals on youtube, multiplayer AARs, for tirelesslz helping new players get into the game, and many years contribution to the game. Freek

363 definitely has a better AI, and i prefer it over ANW. i still make all my scenarios in the 363 SE so they work in 3.6. Of course 363 also has bugs, the most annoying of which is probably the visual sighting bug which means ships always see each other at 20nm range. Freek

Ralf, This is one of those 'features' that has hidden uses. If A and B are hostile and vice versa and C is friendly to A and B and vice versa, then A and B still see each other as hostile, but do share through C, course, speed, mission name etc. Interestingly, they cannot fire upon each other. Now suppose C is has only one unit, and it is destroyed after a while by a side D, then A and B lose contact are are free to fire on each other. Ive used this very often to either delay hostilities, or even to ensure that two sides played by AI dont fire on each other but only on the player side. Freek

Mark, No problem, glad to be of help. Good luck with Harpoon and RL Freek

Donald, many of the HC scenarios have been rewritten in ANW for PlayerDB. Freek

Steve, No, in the scenario editor you can load as many planes as you want. Only in the Game engine is arethe aircraft logistics operational. This is intentional i think to help scen designers to load planes without having to load ammo dumps first. FreekS

Steve, sounds like a Database issue. have you tried with another database? Freek

Mark, on your Q below, try this. Two ways of doing it: 1. after you have finished assigning ships to formation stations, move the whole group a few miles. This will move all ships to the PZ you just assigned them to 2. Exit the formation editor, create w new window around the group, look at unit display, and then change position of the ship you want to move. Freek Quick question...once you have assigned a ship to a group can you change its initial position? If so, how? I can set up patrol zones easily enough, but sometimes I look at the formation and think, "No, I really want the destroyer HERE." But the only way I can move it to expel it from the group, use the Move command to change its position, and then add it back to the group again. Or is this how you are supposed to do it?

I believe this is possible. Just create a base, drag a ship to it, open the base with formation editor and assign the ship to a patrol zone. FreekS

I continue to build scens and play using the PlayersDB. main reasons are the great support I get in creating new platforms for new scenarios (just got HMS Tiger added), the great support in testing, the fact there are so many great scens out and last but not least the availability, now since a few years, of a nearly continuously operational Multiplayer server. Of course after a while you get used to a database and tend to stick with it, as that minimizes the maintenance work needed too. Freek

I remember your formation being so wide (50nm accross at least) that I could have my Buccaneers avoid the escorts and try to go for the Kiev and its Amphibs in the centre. Now, Kiev proved to be more than capable to handle my poor old bombers, but when in the next strikes I focused on the outer screen it was much easier because they could not defend each other. The thought of refueling a Kilo at sea, close to enemies,..... brrr. Freek

Ok in this scen I played NATO and had squadrons of fighters, P3s and fighter-bombers in Kevlavik and Stornoway, E3s, a big SAG around a Iowa-class and a pair of SSKs. I lacked airborn tankers, real subs, and the ability to cross reload my F15s and UK F4s on each others bases. I managed to keep all three E3s up for most of the game (several days), and had around 7 pairs of fighters airborne to intercept bogies more than 300nm from my bases. Silenthunter tested my UK defenses with Mig29s and Su27s, and my Phantoms there needed to be supported by F15s (which had a limited on station time due to distance). I lost quite some Phantoms but the F15/Sparrow were invincible! I detected his amphibs with Kiev and lots of escorts and managed to get 2 full strikes in (with 6 hours reload). In the second strike a group of 9 Phantoms came in on the deck and bombed and strafed Slava which was playing radar pickets. none of the phantoms survived but neither did the cruiser I also picked up a lot of subs, and SH did manage to get a SAM off on a P3, but I killed about 7 subs (4 by strafing them on the surface). His strikes were not too well coordinated, but when he started flying towards one target (Kevlavik) and then at the last moment change for Stornoway he did get some Kelts off which killed a radar. My harpoons were useless but Iowa's Tomahawk sank 5 amphibs/merchants (which were my primary targets). I think I killed about 40 Tu22/Bear/Badger bombers and managed to not let too big holes fall in my AEW coverage when the E3s refueled (used Cruisers with radars on, which cost me three ships to SSM) and also managed to keep 14+ F15s up at all times. The fuel-load of the F15 and its speed and Sparrow missiles clearly were the key to not allowing SH to attack my bases. Great game, we must have played about 4 or 5 sessions and covered maybe 40 game hours. Freek

Here is my side of this AAR! Yesterday Silent Hunter, Herman and I met to play "Shadow the Boomer"; a three-side playable submarine scen for PlayerDB. Silent Hunter played a USN Los Angelos-class, I had a UK Trafalgar, and Herman played the Russian Delta IV that exited the harbour with heavy escort. At the start of the game, I had neutral contacts only (mostly fishing boats) and I approached Severomorsk harbour sprinting and drifting. During one of my drifts I detected an unknown submerged contact which seemed to be close and stopped. This could be an SSK, and as my orders were to shadow the Delta without being detected I spent nearly 2 hours creeping away and around him. I had a bearing and blade-count on the Delta, but no localisation. Suddenly I heard distant torpedoes in the water; something was shooting and I heard a Delta running at 24 knots. Another submerged contact was detected ahead, and yet another one was detected running away later - sounded like a 688. When the torpedoes had stopped the SSK behind me was gone, as was the unknown sub contact ahead. The Delta was still moving at 8 knots and as the bearing did not change I settled down to a 2 knot drift thinking he was coming my way. The 688 was back also, firing TLAMs to try to suppress the Bear-Fs and occasionally shooting at an escort. It seemed to be about 15nm off. Some hours later I had a clear position on the Delta, it was 6nm ahead of me, turning left to course 339 and moving at 6 knots. I got in his baffles and closed the distance at 9 knots untill I was 2nm behind the boomer andcould monitor his course and speed. Suddenly sonar called out "Torpedo, Topedo, Torpedo". Two torpedo contacts were detected at the same bearing as the the Delta. I reacted automatically, firing 3 Spearfish (yes the 81 knot ones!) - one more than the number of decoys a Delta can fire at a time. The I turned and ran. My spearfish killed the Delta and the Delta-s UUSET were moving at 29 knots and cound be outrun. I set course to my egress point and was awarded victory later. It was great to really get into the baffles of a boomer undetected! Herman later told me he was shooting at the 688 and never had any indication another sub was shadowing him! Freek

LCF de Zeven Provincien Freek

I've been working most of this sunday on making 'Pacific Recon' comply with 3.9.2. It features a massive Backfire strike on Kity Hawk. Scary to see forsure! However unless the darn Backfires have reliable Reconnaissance that burns through the jamming of the CVBG they tend to be just targets. Still working on it - watch this space! Freek

For me it would be the missile destroyer/cruiser. The bloody things always prevent me from getting to the Carrier with my airstrikes and on those rare occasions when I do leave a flaming carrier behind, more often than not I lose the whole airgroup that carrieed out the attack. Always wodered what the Admirals are thinking when NO aircraft are retuning from a strike.... Freek

They must have learnt of that route through Scenario 'Katyusha Hunt' in Second Lebanese War battleset; PlayersDB, Harpoon3.6 or 3.8 ANW! Freek

AAR MP: Matrix Siege -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This morning I played Matrix Siege against Rene Haar. Matrix Siege is an old Harpoon Classic scene converted to ANW/PlayersDB by Herman Hum. It covers an exercise in the Kattegat between two US warships and about 15 European light frigates and fast attack craft. Rene chose to play Europe and I played the US. I launched my Cobra gunship to start recon took both ships out of the formation and moved them independently south at speeds I hoped would make them mistaken for neutrals. Rene switched on the radars on his Norwegian patrol boats and although they were in Harpoon range, I decided to ignore them as I figured as I moved south I would never come in range of the Norwegian SSMs. The Cobra worked south and found a pair of enemy FFLs. As I apprached to attack Cobra was shot down! Further Recon would need to be done by my ASW helo. With a perfect solution on two FFLs I fired 6 harpoons and soon both ships were 'presumed sunk' When the ASW helo started picking up over 10 new fast targets I realised I had wasted harpoons on ships without SSMs. From now on I used the harpoons only for the missile boats, igoring the Parchims and other light craft. Out of harpoons I kept coming south and brought my ships back in formation for needed missile defence. Rene must not have had a good solution, as my FFG got to 20nm and destroyed a Norwegian missile boat with SM-2s SAMs! Then Rene fired 10 Exocets from his remaining two missile boats. All were shot down. Their launchers soon joint them in the deep - again using SM-2s. Now I was in my assigned patrol zone and my 127mm gun made short work of the heavy but poorly armed Parchims. In the end I destroyed 9 ships, reached my objective and lost one helo.

AAR Hugo's Folly #1 Flight of the Governor -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi Herman talked Eds and me into trying our hand with scen#1 of Hugo's Folly. This scen is made by Herman, tested by me for the PlayersDB. So I did have an unfair advantage of knowing the scen. I played Netherlands. Intel said an invasion by Venezuela of the Dutch ABC-islands was imminent but I was not authorised to fire first. My mission was to bring my fleet to St Maarten and to extract the Governor and millitary staff by Fokker plane and helo's. Thinking it over I decided the politicians in The Hague were dreaming if they thought I could defend the islands with one FFG, 2 coast guard cutters and one F16s armed for photo-recon. The force was there to deter Hugo and if that had failed it was time to get OUT. So I had the group form up and race at 23 knots to St Maarten in a straight line. I launched the helo when it became ready after an hour and landed it on Mearsk. Three hours into the game Eds had started moving his fleet to the islands but I had not seen his fearsome Flankers. Strongly worded diplomatic notices did not deter Eds fleet from entering my territorial waters, but no shots were fired. After 4 hours, with Eds fleet close, both my Fokkers took off escorted by the F16 and reached St Maarten hours later. A few Flankers were detected but did not come close. Then I ran into a sub, detected about 10nm in front of my formation and drifting. I fired a torp from 10nm away to chase the sub away (which it did at 5 knots!). I stationed a helo on top of her and boxed the group around the sub. Dutch pilots are known for their initiative, and in a moment of communication loss, my helo pilot dropped a torp on the sub and killed her. The Commodore decided to publicise this event as deterrent. Hours later a second sub was detected as well, and the helo was more disciplined and just maitained station. Still no threat from Flankers. Maybe the deterrent worked. However then the Venezuelan fleet, now fully assembled started bombarding the islands and building after building were lost. Panic sat in and the Fokkers were ordered to take off from St Maarten, return to Aruba and rescue more marines. The flight to Aruba was uneventfull. Having landed, they took off 30 minutes later and used their radars to avade the fleet, though one did decide to identify the Venezuelan fleet for a future 'gesture' by my reloading F16. For the second time the Fokkers flew towards St Maarten, now on a more northerly track. Several passenger planes evecuating refugees flew further South. One of these 737s was intercepted by a Flanker but with Latin flair the pilot let the plane full with women and children pass and RTB-d. The Fokkers landed a second time. Finally y F16 took off from Aruba, last man out, shot down an orbiting helo and made its escape. Mission accomplished. With two players with fast connections the game ran pretty fast and we finished the 12 hour gametime game in about 2 hours running 15:1 seconds. Eds took the islands but did not prevent my units from escaping - probably due to the large number of cluttering neutral planes and ships and controlling his large number of units. I' sure he'll play different next time!