HarpGamer, in conjunction with Advanced Gaming Systems Inc (AGSI) and Matrix Games, is launching what we call the “HCE Challenge”.

 

The Harpoon Commander’s Edition (HCE) Challenge will be, for all intents and purposes, a scenario design contest, the goals of which will include:

 

• providing an interesting, enjoyable and potentially rewarding way to learn how to write scenarios for HCE; and

• generating new and challenging scenarios for potential inclusion in the new official HCE BattleSets: Caribbean, South Atlantic, South Africa and the Middle East).

 

The HCE Challenge will have a competitive aspect, and the “winners” will receive rewards which may include any of the following (the final details are yet to be worked out, and may differ from the suggested possibilities identified below):

 

• a period of access to the latest HCE beta version without the usual and strict prerequisite of active participation in the beta testing process (although we’d certainly invite your help as a beta tester!);

• a free copy of another Harpoon version, such as Harpoon 3: Advanced Naval Warfare or the Harpoon 4 paper rules; or

• a discount on other Matrix Games titles;

 

And, of course, most importantly:

 

• Inclusion of your winning scenario in an official HCE BattleSet!

 

Don’t be intimidated by the competition, however, as we intend the HCE Challenge to be a fun experience and in any event, participants will be organized according to their scenario writing experience. We hope to have at least two participants in each of three tiers (Novice, Intermediate and Advanced), for a total of at least six participants overall (and hopefully quite a few more!). How a participant is assigned among these individual tiers will, in turn, be determinative of how complex their scenario project will be.

 

The format for the HCE Challenge has not yet been finalized, and we thought it might be prudent to gauge your opinion, as HCE players and scenario writers, in how it should proceed. The following three potential formats have been suggested (and if you have another, please let us know):

 

Suggested format No.1:

 

a. Two players (Blue and Red) are paired up in each of the three Tiers (Novice, Intermediate, and Advanced).

b. Each pair chooses from one of the four new official HCE BattleSets (Caribbean, South Atlantic, South Africa, Middle East).

c. Each pair comes up with a storyline.

d. The Blue player chooses his order of battle (OOB) from a narrow set of available choices, and crafts his scenario accordingly.

e. Once Blue has finished, Red chooses his OOB, again from a narrow set of choices.

f. Red takes the scenario as provided by Blue and adds the Red forces and actions as AI to try and defeat Blue.

g. Umpires now have complete scenarios.

h. The two players each play the scenario as the Blue side and send in their results.

i. Umpires also play the scenarios as the Blue side and make their notes.

 

Suggested format 2:

 

a. Two players (Blue and Red) are paired up in each the three Tiers (Novice, Intermediate, Advanced).

b. Each pair chooses from one of the four new official HCE BattleSets.

c. Umpires present a storyline and the Red OOB (or a close approximation of what it might look like).

d. Each player chooses his Blue OOB, from a narrow set of choices.

e. Umpires refine the Red OOB (as necessary).

f. Final data is presented to the player, and he crafts his scenario (both sides of it, Blue and Red).

g. Umpires now have complete scenarios.

h. The two players each play the scenario as the Blue side and send in their results.

i. Umpires also play the scenarios as the Blue side and make their notes.

 

Suggested format 3:

 

a. Two players (Blue and Red) are paired up in each the three Tiers (Novice, Intermediate, Advanced).

b. Each pair chooses from one of the four new official HCE BattleSets.

c. Each pair comes up with a single storyline.

d. Blue player chooses a Blue OOB, from a narrow set of choices.

e. Red player chooses a Red OOB, from a narrow set of choices.

f. OOB's are refined (as necessary) and then revealed to each player.

g. Each player crafts the scenario, to be played by Blue or Red (whatever suits them).

h. Umpires now have complete scenarios.

i. The two players each play the scenarios and send in their results.

j. Umpires also play the scenarios and make their notes.

 

We expect that the scenario design process – from start to finish – would take approximately two (2) months, followed by the umpires’ evaluation of the scenarios.

 

Please let us know (by posting here in this thread) which of these suggested formats you prefer, or if you have another brilliant idea you’d like to share for the HCE Challenge. As soon as the format is ironed out, we hope to get this project underway!

One question... regarding "...new official HCE BattleSets: Caribbean, South Atlantic, South Africa and the Middle East." Where might we find these battlesets so as to create scenarios for them? I am currently running version 2008.024 (Build Feb. 13, 2008). Did I miss an update?.. do I need to purchase these?..

One question... regarding "...new official HCE BattleSets: Caribbean, South Atlantic, South Africa and the Middle East." Where might we find these battlesets so as to create scenarios for them? I am currently running version 2008.024 (Build Feb. 13, 2008). Did I miss an update?.. do I need to purchase these?..

 

As TonyE reminded me, they're all here :

http://harpgamer.com/harpforum/index.php?a...&showcat=15

Any takers on the HCE challenge? Any at all

Any takers on the HCE challenge? Any at all

 

Sorry.

Me.

Comments, ideas later (too many things to write, only so much carpal pain one can take, and well, so little time 8p)

Well i'm going to dust off the scenario from hell i was working on and see what happens.....sound cool?

be prepared for some <bleep> questions!

 

Joe

Good for you, Joe. Give someone else the pleasure of giving it a test run.

I'm almost done now...i think!!!...i can guarantee that it wont be a cakewalk this time..blue has its work cut out....

anyhoo pm me if you feel like being lab rat again...lol

 

Joe

I noticed there weren't many positive responses to this. May I suggest another approach?

 

The challenge could work like this...

 

1. A general concept for a scenario (e.g., France is mad at Yemen and is going to destroy two of their military bases) will be posted by Harpgamer and/or AGSI. The concept will include certain guidelines, restrictions, etc. (e.g., "BLUE will have a French CVBG with up to six ships and two submarines, one friendly base in a nearby country, and no more than 50 aircraft and/or helicopters. RED may have..."). The scenarios do not have to be part of a "series."

 

2. People write and submit their scenarios to Harpgamer.

 

3. Other people play the scenarios and report on how cool they are. (This includes how good the orders file is at fleshing out the "story.")

 

4. Harpgamer and/or AGSI makes a decision on which scenario is the best. That one wins.

 

This could be done for any number of scenarios.

 

Any thoughts on this?

 

Mark

Nothing wrong with your suggested approach, Mark.

 

A possibly collaborative and staged approach was being suggested because of the impression that many people were unfamiliar with the Scenario Editor or scenario writing in general, and might benefit from some 'hand holding' along the way.

 

It appears, however, that the specific method of how to proceed is not the problem.

 

Rather, there simply isn't enough interest or enough people willing to become involved.

Well i'm interested but am still learning the ropes......but i think that after a couple more attempts i may have a scenario worth something.....

anyhoo i'm in like flynn

 

Joe

I'm in too, but I have a problem- I reloaded my OS on my older computer (XP Home) and my SE no longer works. I seem to recall that SE does not run under XP. I have downloaded Virtual PC 2007 to my laptop (XP Pro)and will attempt to get a virtual Win 98 setup going, so I can resume making scenarios. I'm not a computer whiz so this may take a while.. Any help or suggestions are welcome, including an existing virtual machine that I could use. Once I'm up and running again I can provide a scenario every month or so. Sorry to not be more prolific.

Patrick

I seem to recall that SE does not run under XP.

 

I haven't converted to Vista, I'm running XP and the SE runs fine with it. The SE doesn't run under Vista 64 bit without an emulator. Hopefully Tony will have some answers for you.

I seem to recall that SE does not run under XP.

 

I haven't converted to Vista, I'm running XP and the SE runs fine with it. The SE doesn't run under Vista 64 bit without an emulator. Hopefully Tony will have some answers for you.

 

Brad is right. We'll need more detail about how the SE isn't working in your installation.

For what it's worth, I ran the SE on an XP system from my initial purchase until last December and never had any OS related problems. On my Vista machine, the SE is the one thing that's never given me any hassles. That's the 32 bit version, I've never tried the 64 bit one.

 

Buddha