The HCDA - HCE 'Americas' Database

[CV32]

In anticipation of the soon to be released BattleSet Builder, in which HCE players will now be able to play scenarios across the entire globe, I've put together a new database that focuses on the 'Americas' - North, South and Central.

 

The Harpoon Commander's Edition Database - Americas (HCDA) contains a wealth of new aircraft, ships, submarines and installations for the theater, as well as retaining and/or adapting many platforms from the official database of the Harpoon Commander's Edition simulation, the HCDB. This allows the fullest range of scenarios to be created with the BattleSet Builder tool, from Soviet/Cuban interventions in Central America and the Caribbean basin, to the 1982 Falklands conflict between Great Britain and Argentina, to an action by the People's Republic of China to protect its 'investment' in the Panama Canal, to a Second Civil War between the States.

 

As always, a database is forever a 'work in progress' and the HCDA will continue to be improved, updated and expanded as time goes on. I would be happy to receive your requests for new additions to the HCDA (especially if you're writing scenarios for the rest of us to enjoy!) in the same manner as I have for the HCDB. And, as before, the HCDA will retain the same general database philosophy as the HCDB.

 

The initial release version of the HCDA is now available from the Downloads section of this website.

 

Stay tuned. There's more good news in store for HCE players, particularly if you're big on the Second World War.

[wmarsh]

This is great! Ever since I got the original Harpoon years ago, I've wanted to make Falkland War scenarios.

 

Can I make 3 observations/suggestions regarding HCDA.

 

1) It is impossible to load the complement of Harriers and Sea Kings on Hermes and Invincible that were flown from them in the 1982 war. This is because they were overloaded intentionally. My research shows Hermes with 26 FRS1 and 11 HAS5; Invincible with 22 HRS1 and 11 HAS5. Can overloaded variants be added to the data base?

2) It is impossible to load any planes on Atlantic Conveyor or Atlantic Causeway. Can the MRCH Atlantic class be changed to load 28 planes?

3) It is impossible to bomb Port Stanley Airfield from Acension with Vulcans even with tankers. Admittedly this was an extraordinary operation, but if this can't be simulated, the the Arg side can rebase Super Etendards to Port Stanley and demolish the Brits. Two possible Fixes -- allow a variant of Vulcans with range 3400 and a variant of Victors with range 7000 to make this raid possible (prefered) or put Acension in non-realistic location 1800 nm from Port Stanley so this raid becomes possible with current HCE and aircraft.

 

I have not been able to figure out how to load HCDA into platform editor to make these changes myself.

 

Thank you! I will try to load my Falklands trial scenario up next. Even with these flaws, its still fun.

[CV32]

I will certainly take a look at accommodating all of these requests. The objective of any database is to get scenarios made for it, so stand by.

 

Btw, to make changes to the database on your own, extract the database to your HCE directory and then use "Import" in the Platform Editor. Any changes you make, of course, may be overwritten in the next version of the database that I release, unless they match.

[wmarsh]

Thank you CV32, you are most helpful.

 

I have 2 other requests:

1) ARG land based Exocets -- on trucks -- like what hit HMS Glamorgan

2) RAF Mount Pleasant, the new base operational 1986.

 

I was going to ask for something to represent South Georgia, but possibly I can figure out how to make a group containing only land units.

[CV32]

1) It is impossible to load the complement of Harriers and Sea Kings on Hermes and Invincible that were flown from them in the 1982 war. This is because they were overloaded intentionally. My research shows Hermes with 26 FRS1 and 11 HAS5; Invincible with 22 HRS1 and 11 HAS5. Can overloaded variants be added to the data base?

 

You're going to have to provide sources for your info. My H4.1 SAW2 annex says 20 aircraft (10 FRS.1, 9 Sea King, 1 Lynx).

 

2) It is impossible to load any planes on Atlantic Conveyor or Atlantic Causeway. Can the MRCH Atlantic class be changed to load 28 planes?

 

Simple error fixed. Will appear in next release version.

[CV32]

Thank you CV32, you are most helpful.

 

Thanks, I do try.

 

I have 2 other requests:

1) ARG land based Exocets -- on trucks -- like what hit HMS Glamorgan

 

Good one. Consider it done. Does anyone know if the Argies had any radars operating in association with these ad hoc coastal batteries?

 

2) RAF Mount Pleasant, the new base operational 1986.

 

Already in the HCDA.

 

I was going to ask for something to represent South Georgia, but possibly I can figure out how to make a group containing only land units.

 

Same as ship groups.

[broncepulido]

The radar for the truck mounted exocet is RASIT, a battlefield surveillance radar :

http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/jfq_pubs/jfq1605.pdf

http://www.taringa.net/posts/offtopic/9548...-Glamorgan.html (in spanish)

 

About the Thompson-CSF RASIT:

http://www.defence.co.kr/bbs/data/sdiarms4/GSR_summary.htm (Korean page with good range data, states 20-30 Km. range for helicopter detection)

http://www.pakdef.info/forum/archive/index.php/t-610.html

http://www.slavery.org.uk/InnerVoiceTargTrackBehavInflu.doc

[broncepulido]

Ed Kettler original South Atlantic War (GDW Games 1991) states:

HMS Hermes:

Inicially: 12 x Sea Harrier FRS.1 and 9 x Sea King HAS.5 (4w/MAD),

By 21 May 1982: 15 x Sea Harrier FRS.1, 6 x Harrier GR.3, 6 x Sea King HAS.5, 2 x Lynx HAS.2 (equipped with decoy gear/blip enhancer), 1 x Wessex HU.5.

HMS Invincible:

By 21 May 1982: 10x Sea Harrier FRS.1, 9 x Sea King HAS.5 (4w/MAD), 1 x Lynx HAS.2 (equipped with decoy gear/blip enhancer).

Atlantic Conveyor:

8x Sea Harrier FRS.1, 6 x Harrier GR.3, 8 x Wessex HU.5, 5 x Chinook.

[CV32]

Thanks a bunch, very helpful.

[wmarsh]

You're going to have to provide sources for your info. My H4.1 SAW2 annex says 20 aircraft (10 FRS.1, 9 Sea King, 1 Lynx).

 

Hastings and Jenkins and S&T 103 both say:

Hermes 12 Harriers 18 Sea Kings

Invincible 8 Harriers 15 Sea Kings

These are old.

 

Naval-History.net agrees with broncepoledo

http://www.naval-history.net/F20faa.htm

This is probably the most reliable info I have seen.

 

falklandswar.org.uk says there were a total of 28 FRS1 and 10 GR1

http://www.falklandswar.org.uk/ac.htm

 

I suspect some sources are double counting, as planes would fly off the Atlantics or San Carlos but be serviced on the carriers.

Given that the Atlantics will be able to base planes, we probably can have the right totals without changing the stats for Hermes or Invincible by basing the additional planes on the Atlantics.

[gkm]

Any advice on how to properly insert the .rsr file into the game directory? I assume that this is the battleset map for that region. I have been getting "memory allocation failures" when I have the HDSU.RSR and .RES files in the game directory.

Goes for both Falklands and Carribean region files.

[TonyE]

Any advice on how to properly insert the .rsr file into the game directory? I assume that this is the battleset map for that region. I have been getting "memory allocation failures" when I have the HDSU.RSR and .RES files in the game directory.

Goes for both Falklands and Carribean region files.

 

Can you be more specific about what you are doing/conditions of the error?

 

What I did was download the Carribean battleset that Rene made, unzipped it into my 2008.024 install. Then I opened the SE, changed to that battleset and had no error. Then I opened the GE, changed to that battleset, and loaded a scenario, no error. This was all with HCDB-080122 as the database.

[gkm]

I unzipped the hdsu.rsr and .res files into c:\Matrix Games\HCE

 

I am running the latest version delivered by Matrix Games (Build Aug 12 2007)

 

When starting game engine:

NewPtr: Memory Allocation Failure on program start splash screen. I remove the files in question, program starts normally.

 

When starting Scenario Editor:

I can call up any of the battlesets, however the files in question show up as merely "t" on the battleset listing. I can access any of the other battlesets in the scenario editor program, however if I try to access "t", I get NewPtr: Memory Allocation Failure, and then crash.

 

I have tried re-naming the files to hdsm.* in case the problem was non-consecutive naming of files, since the last battleset appears to be "hdsl.*".

[TonyE]

I unzipped the hdsu.rsr and .res files into c:\Matrix Games\HCE

 

I am running the latest version delivered by Matrix Games (Build Aug 12 2007)

 

You have the right procedure, wrong version of the game. Grab 2008.024 http://www.matrixgames.com/games/downloads.asp?gid=325 and let us know what happens. Perhaps Rene will update his descriptions to indicate the target game version.

[gkm]

Thanks. Will have to go to a WiFi location for the download, I am still in dialup hell.

 

 

5 May 2008 - works with update.