Honest Critique of AATF and Interface

[El_Pistolero]

I have been an avid fan of the series, starting with BCT and on through the series. I would like to offer my critique of the game. When things go right, you never even notice because they work effortlessly. But when things are clumsy, when they don’t work as expected, you notice. That is why I write, to help improve the series and make it live up to its potential.

This game series was based originally on the Harpoon system, which is quite a successful and time-tested system. The core of this system was a basic windows-style layout. As AATF moved away from this system, it has been to its detriment in my opinion. I don’t think changing the interface will attract new fans necessarily; the game is so complicated no amount of streamlining could make it more accessible, and streamlining can be done within the confines of a windows-based system. Instead, the fixed-windows system takes away customizability that gamers expect and need in order to manage so much information. It adds little and takes away much.

The biggest asset to the windows-system is that it is customizable. You can view anything you need to view at any time. Having information like unit hierarchy, time, and other buttons is a plus, but it is not how I would (and do when I can) organize my screen space. With a windows system, we can customize our gaming experience, including and excluding windows we need. For example, I like maximum information, so I prefer to have fire mission logs, spot reports, and vehicle info going simultaneously. In Harpoon, I use the options to control what information appears in those reports. These capabilities are not available in the current fixed-window system. I have to view one piece of info, close it, and open another. I cannot view the report while I play the game (because I am dependent on buttons), and I cannot manage information inside those news feeds. This makes the spot report feature unusable.

Two more features feature that available in Harpoon (and previous games in the series) are hot keys and the right click. Harpoon can be played without pushing a single button. Through right-clicks and key strokes you can do so much, and more importantly, it frees up the right-hand button palate. I am dismayed that there is no right mouse-click option. Hot keys and the right-mouse click are like a heads-up display: they help you keep your eyes on the map, and your cursor near your objects, not off on the side-bar. The current system, of selecting a tool with a pointer, on the right hand side of the screen, is inefficient and frustrating.

Another feature that I am surprised has still not been implemented is an “attack these targets” feature. There is a suppress feature, but that works poorly for moving targets. There is a mission order, which is close, but it is too complicated and requires a chain of command. While the ability to plan complex planned mission is necessary (although I seldom use it), there should also be the ability to tell a single unit to attack another unit, or the ability to delegate missions to individual units. They will move toward the target and engage unless you tell them to halt, as in Harpoon. In a real battle, each individual “vehicle” would think for itself, select targets and pursue them. An “attack this target” would simulate the inherent intelligence of each individual unit. This is a two click process, rather than an elaborate mission.

The scale is not fine enough, especially for urban terrain. The Mogadishu missions that require you to converge upon a building, for example, are impossible. You have no idea what is going on. I don’t see why from a programming perspective there cannot be infinite zoom in this game.

Fine resolution is necessary for urban environments, and so is the modeling of the urban environment itself. Star and Crescent had buildings modeled which one could enter, as a type of defilade position. This was most effective when I raided the Egyptian air base, only to be decimated by RPGs “entrenched” inside buildings, completely unassailable from the outside. I think adding more of these buildings would be great. Perhaps you could combine the urban terrain feature with the defilade feature, so that you can turn any urban-designated terrain into a defilade zone. Another alternative is to have a second map layer: A player can enter a building, they are removed from the first layer and enter a second layer. This would be good for entering buildings or underground tunnels. When being attacked from the outside (from the outside layer) all sorts of entrenchment modifiers block (or enhance) shots, simulating concrete or earth protecting those inside (or concussion effects harming those inside). When moving inside, attacking and being attacked by targets inside, maybe different modifiers would be in effect, simulating hiding behind furniture and whatnot. Of course all of this is moot if the scale is too large and you cannot zoom in to the level of individual buildings.

Vehicle spacing and formations still need improvement. Even if a formation isn’t specified, each vehicle should have a bubble around it, keeping distance from other units. Too often a stack of unlimited choppers will occupy the same space, or there is a convoy of twenty vehicles converged on a single spot. If there was a bubble around them they would naturally space out across the LZ. It would also make unit selection easier. Additionally, aircraft and helicopters should be smart enough to continue to loiter around an area and engage targets once they have run out of commands. This was done in the past through the triangle system, which I miss (lines connecting arrows should remain an option, as well as more “show all lines” options, which have also been omitted).

A final feature that would be very beneficial is 3D terrain capability. I am not talking about anything elaborate, just a 3d view of the topography with 2D icons, along the lines of Battle Command. This would make the game more immersive. Already Google Earth has added so much to my wargaming experience.

Many of my suggestions are easy fixes that can be made to the interface. Many of them are features that existed in previous versions of this game but have since been omitted. While there is so much more to be done in terms of adding gaming features, especially urban, civilian, and cultural features (another topic), I don’t mean to be a wet blanket, but I think it would be good to stop, recess the basic interface of the system, and maybe take a few steps backwards in re-implementing old features, so we can move forward with new ones.