New campaign parameters (WOI)

[+Johan217]

WOI brings us a few new parameters in the campaign ini files...

These are the ones I found, maybe there are more?

 

[CampaignData]

SurpriseAttack=TRUE ----> I think this reduces enemy air activity in the first mission(s)

 

[Force00x]

AirOffensive[001].FocusArea=Cairo ----> gives more control over which targets are chosen

AllowRandomAceCreation=FALSE ----> self explanatory

UseFAC=FALSE ----> prevents the use of random FAC aircraft (useful for heavily modded installations)

 

[GroundUnit00x]:

StartOffensiveDate=06/06/1967 ----> instructs groundunits not to go on the offensive before a specific date

 

Another new thing in WOI is that the frontline data are now included in the campaign_data.ini rather than in the terrain's movement ini.

[+Gocad]

Interesting.

[Roberto Skylord]

Good that frontline now is on campaign data. Make much more sense since front lines aren't static over time.

[+Baltika]

Useful info there, thanks.

 

Looks like I'm going to have to take the plunge into WoI :yes:

[+Gocad]

Good that frontline now is on campaign data. Make much more sense since front lines aren't static over time.

 

Front lines did move already when a ground offensive was on, but it would be cool if you could move them on a specfic date set in the campaign_data file.

[Roberto Skylord]

Front lines did move already when a ground offensive was on, but it would be cool if you could move them on a specfic date set in the campaign_data file.

 

I know. But if you wanna make different front lines on campaign start, you need copies of parts of terrain on another folder or swapping files when you will fly a campaign.

[+Gocad]

I know. But if you wanna make different front lines on campaign start, you need copies of parts of terrain on another folder or swapping files when you will fly a campaign.

 

Good point, but if you change the front line (i.e. move it further south), would the allegiance of the target areas that might now be on the other side, switch also?

 

Because the front line doesn't tell you at all which target areas (cities,airbases, etc.) are hostile and which are friendly...

Edited February 27, 2008 by Gocad

[+Johan217]

Another new thing: I just had my first ever Armed recon mission during a campaign! It happened in the Yom Kippur campaign. Cool addition :)

 

Good point, but if you change the front line (i.e. move it further south), would the allegiance of the target areas that might now be on the other side, switch also?

 

Because the front line doesn't tell you at all which target areas (cities,airbases, etc.) are hostile and which are friendly...

I expect the allegiance of target areas changes according to the position of the front line. So far I have seen no problems with placing allied airunits in e.g. Jordan, even though these bases are set to ENEMY in targets.ini. The enemy will also task missions against these targets.

Edited February 27, 2008 by Johan217

[Roberto Skylord]

Good point, but if you change the front line (i.e. move it further south), would the allegiance of the target areas that might now be on the other side, switch also?

 

Because the front line doesn't tell you at all which target areas (cities,airbases, etc.) are hostile and which are friendly...

 

Well, for some objects like AAA or SAM if not specifically defined, such placing a SA-2 or HAWK, the engine put one of the corrected side from who those area belong. I saw it on a merge install of WOE and WOV. Suddenly I start facing SAMs that doesn't are in use at Vietnam War. Investigating the terrain files, I saw those SAMs defined simply as SAM. The places are in general defined as Strategic nodes (I may be wrong about names, I'm in work now) and is in campaign files that you say who holds that place.

 

Please forgive my bad english.

[+Johan217]

Some more findings:

 

You no longer need to include coordinates for the strategic nodes. This will save a lot of headaches. It used to be:

[StrategicNode004]
Area=DMZ South
ConnectTo[001].Target=Quang Tri
ConnectTo[001].BasePoint=574100,537600

Now it's just:

[StrategicNode004]
Area=DMZ South
ConnectTo[001].Target=Quang Tri

 

Also for strategic nodes, you can define a node as:

LocalObjective=TRUE

I think this sets the node as win/lose condition for the campaign, but I am not sure.

[+Gocad]

I expect the allegiance of target areas changes according to the position of the front line. So far I have seen no problems with placing allied airunits in e.g. Jordan, even though these bases are set to ENEMY in targets.ini. The enemy will also task missions against these targets.

 

I did bring this up becuase after I had moved the front line on Edward's Western Desert map further east I got a mission to strike a target (flying for the German side) that was actually inside my territory. When I checked the target area I was told to attack it turned out that its allegiance was still set to FRIENDLY (which made it an English base). It was a single mission, though.

 

Anyway, I really like what you've posted about the campaign code changes. :yes:

[Roberto Skylord]

Some more findings:

 

You no longer need to include coordinates for the strategic nodes.

 

Hey, it's a great improvement!!

[+Johan217]

Some more clarification straight from TK:

http://bbs.thirdwire.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?p=31823#31823

Ground units in campaign attempt to move toward enemy Base Node. In WOI campaign, which has 3 sides, we didn't want units on Syrian front moving toward Cairo, etc, so we added LocalObjective=TRUE to specify multiple nodes that ground units can move toward.

 

SurpriseAttack=TRUE makes it so the first DAY of campaign, there are very little enemy air opposition, and more strike missions are generated.

 

AirOffensive[001].FocusArea= is just a clue to the campaign engine to say where the mission targets should be around. This only applies to the main strike mission, and other missions (including secondary strike missions) may be sent elsewhere.

 

TK

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[jtin]

Very cool! Some interesting scenarios can be created with this!