Scenario designers- how much research do you do?

[Mustang]

I was wondering how much research that the scenario designers do and put into their battle. I can't find any topographic maps on the net to make a battle map, and it's extremely rare to find details of a small tactical engagment like the ones depicted in WinSPMBT. Does a lot of guesswork go into your scenario design, or can you really find sources to give you details on these battles?

[Pyros]

Hi,

It depends on the battle... If you wish to design a battle with historical accuracy then you must choose one with a lot of coverage.

Usually in a period of 30 work-days, I would spent 15 days for historical research, 7 days for a topographic huge map, 5 days for tactical analysis and the rest (3 days) for pure scenario construction.

The hardest thing to find is the tactics and evolution of the battle that historically happened.
Next is the amount and availability of support assets.

Anyway, I would suggest you to search in various TO&Es forums for the details concerning the composition of historical opponents and then try to find some aero photographs of the region (or a similar region).
Also try to study various topographic maps (find ones that resemble with the region) in order to understand basic topographic principles.

cheers,
Pyros

[Mustang]

Thanks, Pyros. It's just that I'm into really obscure battles in general, and it's almost impossible to find coverage for them. But I'm satisfied with making random maps and hypothetical battles. It's the fun of the game that counts IMO, not the accuracy.

[Double_Deuce]

I would research and get as much information on the battle as you can, then make the rest of the stuff up so it fits into the storyline in a believable manner. As long as you explain that in your briefing/text files most players will have no issues with it since they know up front why you made the design decisions you did.

[Pyros]

Mustang said:
Thanks, Pyros. It's just that I'm into really obscure battles in general, and it's almost impossible to find coverage for them. But I'm satisfied with making random maps and hypothetical battles. It's the fun of the game that counts IMO, not the accuracy.

Making a historically accurate battle doesn't mean that you will make a balanced or even enjoyable battle!!

But even with random maps it would help a lot if you could find some military archives and basic topographic maps.

Concerning resources, the best place to look is the military department of history and the geographical military department. With a small fee you will be able to gather all the resources you need.
For instance, for one of my new projects I will have to spend 20 Euro for 6 official journals and something like 30 Euro for 3-4 topographical maps.
The above is the not the rule, but it will save you more than 50 hours of historical research in the NET.
Another way to design a nice historically accurate battle is to look for a good book in a specialized bookstore.
There are some very detailed books that will provide you with all the required details, plus topo maps and movements of the involved forces according to the time of events.

On-line research
Something interesting, concerning a historically accurate battle is that in order to achieve 50% accuracy you may need 4-5 hours of research, while in order to achieve 70% accuracy you may need 15-20 hours of research.
Finally, if you are crazy enough to aim for a 90% accuracy you may need up to 50 hours of historical research.

Official (military) printed archives
With 4-5 hours of research you will achieve 90% accuracy.

cheers,
Pyros

[hoplitis]

Important: Seek and cross check information from sources belonging to both sides of the battle and from third parties (neutral)if possible.

[Mustang]

Hoplitis, I heard that's especially an issue with the Arab-Isreali wars. It can get ridiculous. I've heard that they often understate their losses in certain battles by 9/10!

I wish I had acess to the military archives, Pyros, but I'm 14 years old and my parents won't really buy any of that stuff. As for the web, is there any specific things you can do to speed your research? Or do you just type in "Soviet offensives into Panjshir Valley" or something and hope to find a good site? Are there any sites out there that consistently produce a lot of good battle info?

[wulfir]

Mustang said:
I was wondering how much research that the scenario designers do and put into their battle.

Well it differs, the research part is part of the fun IMO. I tend to do more hypotetical stuff with MBT (compared to SPWW2) but I try to make the scenarios beliveable and usually the map and forces are based on the real deal - BUT at the same time there is pretty much always some level of artistic licence (at some point you gotta say "ok, enough research, let's roll" and get to work).

If you've been thinking of making the plunge, there is really only one rule I think is relevant:

...and that is be sure to make the scenario you yourself would like to play.

[Mustang]

Thanks, everyone. I'm just really interested in really obscure battles, like the ones in Afghanistan and the third world, and it's extremely hard to find details on them. But thanks for the advice anyway, and I'm sure it'll be of use.

[markgame]

I know this might sound like heresy, but I like to see unusual weapons, platforms and situations, even if they are hypothetical. winSPMBT has such an incredible variety of units it's fun to see something unusual, even if it is unlikely.