campaign problems
 

Hi,

I downloaded WinSPMBT, what a great Simulation, I have some problems with the campaign though, the spotting preference does not work in the campaign, anybody can spot with a radio, this is not the case in scenarios or generated battles etc, also even when you have no airstrikes allowed, if you buy a hello and then delete the formation,all of a sudden you now have an airstrike available and you can then buy air. Is this what was intended by the team, or did I miss something?

thanks
Shaun

Re: campaign problems
 

Is this a user campaign, or a generated campaign?.

I will look at the spotters option - as I have never turned that off in the last 5 or so years (I doubt anyone has). And in my campaigns, only the "0" units or FOO teams can call in arty. although after battle 1, if you have had a commander killed then another unit other than "0" will likely be the new formation commander - see the HQ menu for which element of the formation has replaced "0".

As to the helo - in battle #1 of a generated campaign, it seems that support helos come up in the options, even if air strikes are indeed 0. And if you buy a gunship and release it, you will get credited an air strike point. Does not happen after battle 1, but I will have a look at that hiccup.

Cheers
Andy

Re: campaign problems
 

This is in the generated campaign, and definately even when the spotters option is on, anybody with a radio can spot for art, try it you will see, I did notice that this same problem also happens with winspww2(long and generated campaign), as I have both. I can only say this for the first battle of the campaign though as I have not gone further that that yet.

Re: campaign problems
 

Re spotting ON / OFF

I loaded a generated campaign with MBT and tried this and could NOT get a non leader to spot for arty UNLESS the spotter options was OFF

I then loaded spww2 and set up a generated campaign and the same thing happend.

I think what the problem here is a misunderstanding .

Spotters ON ( only leaders call arty )is the normal position that keeps subordinates from calling arty. Spotters OFF removes that restriction and allows anyone to spot

from the GG

Don

Re: campaign problems
 

Ahhhh HA! I see the problem here--it looks like one problem breeds the other

If I buy just infantry and arty, spotters work the way they should

If I buy a gunship and infantry and arty, the spotters work the way they should

If I buy a gunship then delete it and buy an airstrike THEN anybody can spot even with the control on. I ran that test twice, the first time everybody could call an airstrike, the next time I tried they couldn't

Fun little bug

If you have seen this happen without playing with helos or air in the core let us know

Don

Re: campaign problems
 

Hi Don,

I have uninstalled it, re-installed from scratch, still same problem it does not matter what you choose for your campaign core the problem is there, I have been using the SADF(south africa) against Angola, but I see now that if you choose any other country it then works properly(have not tried all the countrys but US, Russia works). Tried this with the germans winspww2(long campaign) spotting works properly,but in the generated campaign any german with a radio can spot

Re: campaign problems
 

Hi Don,

it looks like this problem could be country specific.

Re: campaign problems
 

Well that always makes it more interesting.

I will try some of the nations you mentioned but first, did you try to buy any air in the core first ?

Don

Re: campaign problems
 

Hi Don,

I take back my words for winspww2, I tried it again and long & generated campaign, and now seems to work with germans,in WinSPMBT, if you pick SADF against angola, angola, then mozabique, pick a mech co with some art, the problem is there, all ratels and mech inf with radios can spot, tested it with a inf company alone with art, it works properly, strange, but it does not matter though its not really a big problem

Re: campaign problems
 

OK, I think it might be time for you to post a save game so we can look at what you are doing. Zip it up and attach it from the preview screen

-I loaded MBT.
-I selected SA vs Angola in a generated campaign starting in 1977
-I picked a variety of troops and deployed
-I started the game and picked a non leader unit that had a radio ( in this case it was X2 ) and attempted to contact the arty

- the message on screen was "rifle section can't assign artillery"

Preferences are set to spotters ON

- I loaded WW2
- I selected Germany in a generated campaign in 1942 vs Russia
-I picked a variety of troops and deployed
- BEFORE ending my deployment I picked a unit at random and attempted to have them call arty. They could, any unit can before deployment is complete. I then ended my deployment and tried to call arty with that same unit and was told
"Luftwaffe Grp can't assign artillery"

I then tried a non leader mortar unit. It did have a radio and I again was told "8cm GrW Grp can't assign artillery"


So, when exactly did you test this..... before the end of deployment or after ? Or perhaps one time before and one time after deployment ??

Don

Re: campaign problems
 

No did not buy any air in the core first, bought helo gunship in the support, this problem is strange,it looks like if you pick the SADF(south africa) against another nation(tried US and angola) and you pick a mech co, and some art and anything else, then everybody can spot, but it only loooks like this problem is with the SADF and when you pick a mech co in the core, it proberly could be in other places, but I have not tested.

Re: campaign problems
 

Heres the saved generated campaign games folder zipped,

king deployment 1
king deployment 2
king2 ingame
king3 ingame

you will see eveyone can spot

Re: campaign problems
 

OK, we'll keep digging into this

Don

Re: campaign problems
 

Good catch (twice! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif)

Buglet #1: The code that allowed you to purchase helos in your core force was only checking that it was battle 0 of a campaign. So, when you arrived at the support forces purchase for battle 0, this still kicked in, and the helo formations were allowed, whatever the air superiority points were set to in the actual battle. So, buy a gunship section and drop it and you had an air superiority point "credited" back to you.

Buglet #2: has been there a LONG time as well, it appears. The test to see if the unit can bombard had been altered to allow barges, light and heavy amphibs to allow any of these to call bombardment in an amphib assault (since in the original game you could not dismount in the water on turn 0?). By allowing the transports to call, you could fire naval gunfire support during the waterborne assault. (Think that was the original problem, was 5+ years or more ago! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif).

barge amphib assault code now fixed (to be tested properly though) - only amphib vehicles for the assaulting player and on a beach assault mission, should be allowed to call arty if have a radio.

- Sub bug:
that piece of code checked that the unit's index was 0, in a formation as the leader is assumed to be 0th unit. However in a campaign, unit index 0 is not necessarily the leader any more (if the leader was destroyed and replaced by another platoon member). Fixed.