A0 as Aircraft
 

I was reading the pre-planned bombardment thread and it was noted that an off-board (reinforcement) A0 unit causes problems. I have a battle in which the proper A0 is in an airborne Command and Control aircraft and did not arrive on the ground till the end of the scenario. I therefore took the advice to have it on the map from turn one but changed it into an ABCCC plane.
It seems to be doing Ok so far in my play testing (I do not move it during the battle) but is there a hidden code handling problem that could cause problems?

Re: A0 as Aircraft
 

The A0 should be an HQ as default, or at the outside a ground vehicle. Anything else is likely to cause problems.

The A0 is really just a comms link to your off-map units is all. If nearby it can help rally like a coy HQ. If left as the HQ unit class, it is a second class FOO.

All my HQ ever does is sit in the back well away from units that may attract AI arty or aircraft.

Re: A0 as Aircraft
 

You may consider an alternate solution similar to what I proposed in the Delayed Bombardment thread. I am uncomfortable making the A0 unit off-map or exposing it unnecessarily.

In this case, I suggest making a AbC3 unit a company then cross-attach FA units.

Further, you may not want to make a vehicle as a company leader, in that case insert a FWD Obs in the aircraft, make the FO a company and cross-attach FA units and the aircraft to the FO.

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Re: A0 as Aircraft
 

Which is a major reason not to change the HQ to something easily destroyed & larger than size 0.
Unless you are talking a very small map it will never get detected. Place in cover away from other units roads & victory hexes and it will be unmollested.

Re: A0 as Aircraft
 

It is an Airborne invasion. I will revert the A0 to an HQ inside the plane and test it on-board along the map edge from game start and not move it.

Re: A0 as Aircraft
 

Just have A0 on board away from the action - think of it not as an actual unit but the radio connection to higher command.

Re: A0 as Aircraft
 

Well, you could parachute him in in a reasonably early turn, targeted where some others had dropped already. Or if there is a definite player edge (no enemy nearby, its not a drop to be surrounded by an enemy encampment say - just place him on the map edge. (He could always have jumped with the pathfinders, who you could represent with a couple of scout teams also pre-placed, having jumped in well before the drop via a sneaky HALO insertion).

If you really must, you could turn it into a light helicopter, but those tend to attract fire and go "boom", especially if the player is too aggressive with them.

Losing A0 is bad for force morale, and also for comms to off-map batteries etc. So best left as the default unit type, headquarters are not meant to "go Rambo". In the original SP1 where you only had 24 or so core elements, then it made a sort of sense to make the HQ a more "warry" type since your core was so small.

Re: A0 as Aircraft
 

Good suggestions but unfortunately it is a historical battle and the A0 for this represents a General who did not land till the third hour which will be scenario#3 in the saga.

Re: A0 as Aircraft
 

Then in Scenario #1 & #2 A0 is the radio link to that general and NOT a unit. Stuff it out of the way (but on board) and stuff will work much more smoothly...

Re: A0 as Aircraft
 

Sounds like Vietnam ...
Make A0 and infantry/FO unit, buy your aircraft as B0. Allow A0 to arrive as a reinforcement any turn up to 50 (I use 49 myself to allow for error).

Re: A0 as Aircraft
 

We agree it appears that the A0 unit ought not be an aircraft, or vehicle.

I am curious about the first two scenarios, the scenarios before the arrival of the general. What are the force composition in the first two scenarios.

Knowing what the scenarios are about will help determine how (and where) to position the A0.

Personally, battalions on down my A0 is in the thick of the fight.

If we are concerned about spotting and fire control that is better represented by an FOO as noted in previous posts.

Is this general going to parachute out of an "aircraft," or step off a helo?

In other words, it would be most instructive to know more about the third scenario.

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Re: A0 as Aircraft
 

1st scenario is the first 90 minutes 0530-0700 (30 turns) of an airborne assault by 2 battalions. A0 is in an EC-130 ABCCC.
2nd scenario is SOCOM raids to the north of 1st scenario location during the same time period as 1st scenario. A0 same.
3rd scenario is a continuation of 1st scenario, 90 minutes 0700-0830 (30 turns, A0 lands turn 20 and transfers CP to ground location. Events from 2nd scenario overlap into 3rd which is why the break between 1st and 3rd.
I have each turn envisioned as '3 minutes' to replicate the tempo of the real events.

It is only the first two scenarios that it has a 'no home' problem.

Currently in my playtesting I have the A0 in a plane on the left bottom map edge. I am not moving it around. I am content with it but am just trying to find best solution for other players and avoid code conflicts.

Re: A0 as Aircraft
 

When I take a look at the code this winter I think I will have a look at whatever is selecting the cursor - there may be a simple way to get it to advance on to an on-map unit (if there is one!).

Otherwise - just tell the end user to press N key to get to first playable unit in your intro text if A0 is off-map on deployment.

Re: A0 as Aircraft
 

Would this include not having units that fled off map, then rallied, showing up as you N through your force? (ie RTB Helos)

Re: A0 as Aircraft
 

The problem I had was that it selected the next unit after A0, since A0 was off-map. But that unit was an off-map unit (reinforcement). Sine there were no visible friendly units, it was not until I either pressed N, or examined the map more closely that I realised that there were actually some friendlies to play with :)!

I need to look at the code that is selecting units, and ensure it is an actual on-map unit of some sort. (the N key does this correctly - so it is probably the routine that sets the initial unit cursor that is (probably) not skipping past any allowed unit type that happens to be a reinforcement). Once that is done, even if say BB0 was the only currently on-map lowest indexed unit then at least the player would have the initial map on a turn centred on BB0, not on the top left with no friendlies in sight (as was the case here - the friendlies were deep South of the top right edge). It'll use the top left since anyone off map is at -1,_1 internally (the reason the original SSI game sometimes had fire-fights between "off-map" units since their code did not correctly check for off-mapness and all units that are so of both sides, live at that hex location:D.

Re: A0 as Aircraft
 

What aircraft have you selected as the ABCCC. This is doable. What are the AA threats to the EC-130?

We could modify EW rating and/or lower AA threat capability with vision experience and morale modifier changes.

I was thinking of an AC-130 Gunship stripped of weapons with boosted EW, radio, and vision.

This would give a simulation of the EC-130 within the scenario.

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Re: A0 as Aircraft
 

When I had made the A0 into an aircraft I just replaced it with a c-130 and renamed it as EC-130. Since it was advised to keep it as a ground unit I have taken a C-130 and renamed it as an EC-130 and loaded the A0 into it. It stayed well away during the battle in real life but the AAA threats are Zu-23-2 and quad Czech MK53 guns.

It works OK since I don't move it but the game will not let it spot artillery. This is not crucial for me since the only fire support in the first scenario is 3 AC-130 gunships. I edited attack helicopters into AC-130 so they are on board and do not have to be called as arty.