HESCOs.. I need 'em bad!
 

Afghan battles need HESCO bastions, but how to simulate them in our maps?

My USMC guys need the Hescos like yesterday. Any ideas?

The Afghan conflict has been nearly from the outset very much like the 7th Cav of the old west. Or, of more recent memory, of the camps from the Nam where platoons patrolled the perimeter. I don't want to use hedgerows, I want something simulating a Hesco.

What do ya say, can it be done?

Re: HESCOs.. I need 'em bad!
 

The closest thing we have is a hedgerow. What the game could use is a "desert hedgerow" that is plain earth.

Don

Re: HESCOs.. I need 'em bad!
 

There is no ingame terrain that can stop infantry movement, besides perhaps water.

Some combination of mines, wire and dragon teeth would be the normal way to represent these things.

Re: HESCOs.. I need 'em bad!
 

HESCO is most like a fortification in game terms, so I would use an appropriate bunker icon that allows 360 degree firing (ie has an invisible MG turret like some of the MG bunkers?) and place some dragon teeth, mines or barbed wire around it perhaps.

Or use a hollow square of a few stone buildings similarly surrounded by dragon teeth etc as the buildings will stop direct fire into the hollow square in the middle of "camp"?. Leave a gap as the camp gate, or put a single building back a hex as the guardhouse to allow vehicular driving in/out the "entry" whilst stopping direct shots into the courtyard of your "Fort Laramie".

Andy

Re: HESCOs.. I need 'em bad!
 

I am trying to understand how to build shp files using the game supplied ShpEd program according to a post in the Mod forum entitled, "How to Edit Icons."

After reading the excellent posts thus far, I realize now, the task is not as simple as creating a modified hedgerow. I must not only create say a modified hedgerow, but add the characteristics of a trench, barbed wire, dragon teeth, and a structure with sufficient density to "deflect" infantry fires.

The problem, however, remains to create the structure in ShpED with the characteristics described above.

A fortification as the base structure is appealing to me and may easily lend itself to proper density and height. However, will the fortification prohibit infantry movement, thus necessitating some kind of breach action is critical.

Any ideas?

Re: HESCOs.. I need 'em bad!
 

The short answer is no, fortification will not prohibit infantry movement anything like that would be the same as setting up a line of bunkers side by side


Don

Re: HESCOs.. I need 'em bad!
 

You can make infantry movement very difficult by setting up a bunch of fire hexes.

Re: HESCOs.. I need 'em bad!
 

Hmm... now I am thinking that since water will prohibit infantry movement, why not create a Hesco by changing the water icon to that of a Hesco? What do ya think?

Re: HESCOs.. I need 'em bad!
 

How are you going to get the height & los blockage? Hedgerows would serve better infantry can scale them with effort

Re: HESCOs.. I need 'em bad!
 

I'm thinking the hedgerows, or some modification of hedgerows is the way too go, although I may not be the guy to make it happen. I'll continue to study shp files, but I feel as thought there is more to this than creating an icon.

Such questions as you pose here may be addressed with another design tool. In a pickle here and need some help. Anybody?

Re: HESCOs.. I need 'em bad!
 

modified impassable terrain icon+ level 1 hill? just thinking out loud...

Re: HESCOs.. I need 'em bad!
 

As already mentioned, I think the best option is to mod hedge icons into Hesco.

You get the height, and the LoS block, and SP (earth mound) hedges probably have a similar defensive value as Hesco.
What really gives Hesco bases defense is the amount of fire power you put in them, otherwise they're just a large circle of large sandbags ;)
Of course you could add trenches, barbed wire, mines and the occasional bunker independently; but many bases may only warrant the Hesco/hedges with MGs positioned at the corners and front gate.

Perhaps a second option would be to mod the icon of the largest multi-hex stone building into a Hesco base. It would have to be an 'infantry only' base that you couldn't put vehicles in. But from a modding standpoint, it would be easier than the hedges.


Cross

Re: HESCOs.. I need 'em bad!
 

This captured my imagination, so I put together a multi-hex building and replaced one of the large factories with a basic infantry only - platoon sized - Hesco base; just to give you an idea of what you could do.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...en.print.2.png


SCALE
The base is 20 Hescos x 15 Hescos

Hesco come in a variety of sizes. I used a Hesco size of 42”x 32” and scaled them according to SP AFVs of 6” to a pixel.

DEFENSE
The base is considered a ‘stone building’ so infantry would get roughly the correct protection. My understanding is that a single Hesco will stop rifle bullets, but RPG can get through 60” or almost the thickness of two Hesco. But RPG can go right over the top anyway.

COLOURS
This base is made with light sand colours, but perhaps a darker sand and red sand base would also have to be made if you were using them on other types of map.

ZOOMS
I only made a zoom 4 shp file for now. To complete this mod the other 5 zooms will have to be made. I may do it if I get time.

DAMAGE
I was concerned that heavy arty damage would look odd on a Hesco base, but I think it looks alright.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...en.print.4.png

Here's the BMP icon (slightly improved from the screen shot version):

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...Ter27z4.30.bmp

I'll attach the zoom 4 shape file, which will you can see in-game, but only at the second highest magnification (zoom).
I modded the icon 30 in the shape file.


Cross

Re: HESCOs.. I need 'em bad!
 

HEDGEROW HESCO

I modded a hedgerow icon and put it in the game:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...reen.print.png


PROTECTION
Hedgerow Hesco will offer the same protection as hedgerows. SP hedgerows include a large earth mound, so it may be about right; but not quite as good protection as the multi-hex Hesco infantry base. You could consider the infantry base has additional built-in protection.


SCALE
These Hedgerow Hesco are larger than those around the multi-hex infantry base. IRL the Hesco you see around large airfields tend to be larger than the Hesco you see around smaller remote bases.


HEIGHT
Map editing will let you change the height of the Hesco wall, just like we can with hedgerows.


MOD COMPLETION
21 icons make up each zoom.
With 6 zoom levels 126 icons would have to be edited, and put in shape files. You can get away with editing only 42 icons if someone has a copy of SP1 or SP2 and DOSBox.

Here’s a thread with more information about zoom levels and using DOSBox to create icons:
http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/showthread.php?t=49288

Here’s the zoom 4 hedgerow icons that would have to be modded:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...0z4.hedges.png
The above image is of shape file Ter50z4.shp

The angled hedgerows may be a bit tricky to mod, but I think it could be done. Could even make some sort of sandbag post for some of the corners. A nice thing about the Hesco icons is if they don’t line up with each other precisely that will just make them look more realistic.

Hedgerow Hesco BMP Image
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/....hedges.1c.bmp


MAPS
If this mod was finished and installed, be aware that all maps with summer hedgerows will now have Hesco walls instead. But you can easily switch your Hesco and Hedgerow shape files depending on what you wanted on your maps.


Cross

Re: HESCOs.. I need 'em bad!
 

Excellent. I want to play with the mod. I am interested in the sandbag/OP idea on the corners... a good place to put a HMG. This is a two thumbs up!

I am excited and I've yet to DL the mod. I mean I'm that guy that nearly flunked 8th grade wood shop and barely passed 11th grade drafting because I could not draw a straight line with a rule. So, yeah, I'm excited.

Re: HESCOs.. I need 'em bad!
 

I finished the other zoom levels for this mod and posted it in the mod forum here:

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/showt...700#post821700


Cross

Re: HESCOs.. I need 'em bad!
 

Great job Cross. Can we configure the Hescos as we can the Hedgerows, or is that yet another model project?

Re: HESCOs.. I need 'em bad!
 

I'm not sure I understand the question.

But the Hesco Infantry Base mod is just like a multi-hex stone building, with all the properties, defensive characteristics, height, and LoS blocking of a stone building. Only the icon is changed.

If a 'Hedgerow Hesco' mod gets made, that would have the properties of hedgerow. So when map making, you would be able to lay out Hedgerow Hesco just like you currently do Hedgerow, and you could also adjust the height, just as you can hedgerows.

Hope that helps.
Cross