TEPonta

I couldn't agree more with your statement, Brad. Hey, Warhorse! What's your take on this one? Buddha

Pretty interesting, thanx for the link. I shipped out of Japan for 10 years, and had the opportunity to cross-deck to a JMSDF destroyer for 2 weeks when I was on Midway. They may not call it a Navy, but they have some crack operators, particularly when it comes to ASW. If things had hit the fan, I would definitely been glad to have them on our side. Buddha

Tony, Great pic. Clearing the alert doesn't seem to silence the associated sound, though. It kept beeping at me until I launched an aircraft, when the launch sound cut it off. Is there something else I need to do to shut it off? Buddha

It's been a little longer than that for me Akula, but the way you put it certainly makes sense to me. Similar to computing the odds when throwing dice. Then agai, I never was the math prodigy that some of the other guys involved in this thread seem to be. Buddha

That last statement isn't really unlike reality if you think about it. You probably have intel on what types of A/C the enemy has at his bases. You also can pretty much expect him to attack your bases eventually, and a general idea of what he'll likely attack with. The real mystery is when, and as you said, time variations take care of that aspect. Buddha

Those aren't ships running aground. There's a problem with where the ships were placed when the author wrote the scenario. That's what I was getting at. Just because the group is placed in open water doesn't necessarily mean all the ships in the formation are. Since the formation for your group may be miles across, it needs to be expanded and checked if you're starting in proximity to land. They may not run aground so much as start aground. Buddha

Very true. Unless the old man was in a coma, he's no doubt going to take the blame for this mess. Buddha

One thing about ships running aground is that when you design your scenario you'll see a single icon that represents the entire group you're dealing with. The fact that the group is displaying in open water doesn't take into account that while the formation center may well be clear, screening and picket units may not be. I was working on a scenario involving a CVBG sailing from Subic, and had outer units sitting in bars in Olongapo. Be sure to check the Unit and Formation Editor windows to ensure all your units are, in fact, clear of land. I've also seen this in the island chain north of Hokaido when transitting that between NorPac and the Sea of O. Buddha

Well, Wombat, I for one learned something here. I never knew I could get away with skipping the ViCond's headaches when writing a scenario strictly for bug testing purposes. Thanx, Buddha

If I remember right, AI groups will always attack any of the player's surface, air, or subsurface groups they encounter. I believe the limitation to preprogrammed attacks only applies to installations. I think the logic is that the AI's intel should have the locations of the player's installations, as the player has on those of the AI. Surface, air, and subsurface groups, on the other hand, are moving as the game progresses, and may also be assigned to more that one starting point and path. Tony or one of the other guys knowledgable about the guts of the program should be able to either confirm or correct my assessment. Buddha

I hate to admit it, but what I do is open one of the canned scenarios and format my orders the same way. The difficulty as I see it is making sure that a player following the orders can achieve the victory conditions. That's an easy thing to screw up, since when you're designing the scenario, you're privy to a lot of information, such as unit locations, etc. that the player won't have. Victory conditions that are impossible to achieve within limits of orders can be frustrating, as I can attest to from having blown it myself that way. Buddha

Well, that seems to have cleared that up. Buddha

I just got around to trying this one out. I am also seeing the blank entries for the carriers. Buddha

I still remember the days of CVAs and CVSs. I believe the whole idea of the CV concept was the provision of an ASW capability to the attack carriers. This seems like a step backward to me. Buddha

It is a common quirk. I've had this situation with all the WestPac scenarios for as long as I can remember. You'll find that if you change the water display to textured or dark, the dark water color forces the black boxes to turn light by contrast, and the unit symbols can be seen through the boxes. This indicates to me that the symbols are always there, but textured land display attaches the boxes to them, for whatever sense that makes to anyone. Or maybe the boxes are normally transparent, but textured land turns them black. Buddha

Actually, I believe the display of 32/32 under Max Speed in the first report indicates that the full 32 knots is currently available to the platform (IE, not reduced due to any damage), and not the speed the platform is currently using. This is similar to the 107/107 immediately above for Damage Points. Buddha

I ran this several times, with basically the following results. After loading the saved game, the Blue A/C is carrying 2 AMRAAMs and 4 Pythons, indicating 2 AMRAAMs have been expended somewhere. The helo is detected, followed by the usual Intercept Dialog, and is shot down using the 2 AMRAAMs. A second Helo is then detected, and the Intercept Dialog plays out , folowed by the downing of the Helo by 2 Pythons. If I load and run the Scenario from its start, the Blue A/C launches carrying 4 AMRAAMs and 4 Pythons. Subsequent play is pretty much the same, except the 2 Helos are shot down using 2 AMRAAMs apiece. A check of Game Status when the Saved Game is loaded indicates a Red Helo has been killed, which probably explains the 2 expended AMRAAMs. I don't know if this helps or not, but it's what I have. Buddha

I still remember the Bhopal disaster. France sent doctors, Canada sent wheat,... and the US sent lawyers to file class-action lawsuits against Union Carbide... Why doesn't that surprize me? There are more lawyers in D.C than in the entire nation of Japan. I guess they need something to do. Hard as it is to believe, there was a time when becoming a lawyer was an honorable aspiration. Like a lot of other things, that era is long gone. Buddha

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Removing the S-3's from our CVs is a mistake. I just hope our guys don't learn to regret it the hard way. Buddha

Right on, man. The least they could have done is throw those poor guys an anchor to make sure they didn't drift away. Maybe they were aware of the latest ruling by the idiots on our Supreme Court here in California regarding Good Samaritans. Sadly enough, your observation regarding lawyers is probably correct. Buddha

I see the pirates who siezed the tanker got their ransom money and promptly capsized the getaway boat, drowned, and sent the money to the bottom. Edward Teach must be rolling over in his grave laughing. Buddha

I've seen an item or two today on the news about Gary Sinise going to the ME to entertain the troops. The man strikes me as the second coming of Bob Hope in this regard. In an age where celebrities like Charlize Theron, Johnny Depp, and others can only seem to find time to bad-mouth our president and the troops he commands, I find this a refreshing change. I won't even get into my sentiments towards the Dixie Chicks. As a military veteran of Viet Nam, and a civilian on the ground for the first Gulf War, I salute Gary Sinise. Buddha

We have a sizeable Arab population here in San Diego, and I know quite a few of them fairly well. (Most of the liquor stores here are owned by Iraqi's, which probably explains that). When a lot of them find out that I used to live in the KSA, they often take the time to shoot the breeze about the area. Far from wanting to take sides and protest, I find that most of the guys I know left that area to come here and get away from all that grief, and just want to sell their booze and be left alone. Most of the protests I've seen here consist of ignorant, bored, spoiled people who seem to feel that watching CNN makes them experts on international affairs and protesting somehow makes them noble. I've seen coverage of what you describe in London, as well as other European cities. Since I tend to take news coverage of stuff like this with a grain of salt, if not a shakerful, it's good to hear from a group member who actually lives there and knows what he's talking about. Thanx: Buddha

I'd venture to guess that I have as much personal experience in the Middle East as anyone in this group, and probably a great deal more than most. I have some very definite opinions on this situation, and I'd be willing to bet that most Americans wouldn't disagree too strongly, with the possible exception of any news media types we have. In the interest of not creating unrest and possibly being banned from the group, I keep my opinions to myself. I will say this much. I live in San Diego, and if rockets were raining down on my neighborhood from Mexico, I'd sure as hell expect the government to put a stop to it by any means necessary. Buddha