Map: HESCOs.. I need 'em bad!

[shahadi]

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?

[DRG]

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

Don

[Mustang]

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.

[Mobhack]

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

[shahadi]

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?

[Cross]

Originally Posted by shahadi

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?

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

[Cross]

Originally Posted by Cross

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.

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.




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.



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



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

[Cross]

HEDGEROW HESCO

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




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:

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



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

[Cross]

Originally Posted by Cross

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



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.

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

[DRG]

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