Upgrading stock campaigns: Northern Sabre...any other ideas?

[Tannethal 2]

Hi there,

beefed up NA Campaign in a similar fashion as mentioned there, added a new CV63 carrier group and Airwing (2xF-4J_74 ; 2x A-7E_74 1xA6A, 1xE2C) at the end of the campaign_data.ini.

The Carrier group is now naval unit 5, and the new squads are slightly altered copies of the original Nimitz Airgroup pointing to the new naval unit 5.

 

Added the Phantoms, Crusaders and Intruders as flyable in the campaign.ini.

 

However, each time i start a campaign with one of the new squads, i'm being assigned to the Nimitz carrier group, while all the other new squads show up on the CV-63 carrier group.

If i select one of the stock flyable squads i'm placed correctly on the Nimitz and all the new squads appear on the CV-63 group.

 

Anybody got an idea where i may have done something wrong?

 

Regards

 

 

Tannethal

[macelena 1,070]

Had the same trouble, i don´t know of any solution. Perhaps the campaign has some other ini or anything sending any embarked unit to the Nimitz, or it may be something about the engine with naval maps, wich i doubt is the issue. This would be the main trouble.

 

However, not adding a carrier group could keep the balance, as including it adds just a bit to the variety, that being another nearly identically composed air wing, with different units but a different carrier model. I wish it could be done, however, as it makes sense to have both carriers operating in the area and it would be just cool.

[Tannethal 2]

Found the culprit!

Your carrier Task forces need to follow each in oder in campaign??_data.ini. So first naval unit is the Nimitz, the second is now the Constellation, the third is the LHA-1 marines reinforcement, the fourth is the kiev, the fith is the soviet surface group and the last is a "new" reinforcement convoy of the soviets. Some renumbering is to be done to the naval unit references for air and ground units.

Likewise i keept the order for the Navy squads, so added the Constellations Air Group right after the Nimitz ones and renumbered the rest. Works like a charm, now Constellations squads take off the right carrier when flown by player.

 

Also did a little ini mod for the RF-8G form the Vietnam Air and Ground expansion pack to create a RF-8G_77 that was already in place in the campaign files. Added a deceptive jammer and counter meassures launcher, and set the roles to: naval_search, recon. Now VFP-63 takes to the skies in every mission and looks for the soviet fleets.

 

If anyone is interested drop me a PM.

 

S!

[macelena 1,070]

It works perfectly now, did a few modifications, since currently i have a vanilla install, like changing the carrier to the America.

 

I also added VMFA-314 with F-4Ns in Keflavik (anybody knows of an East Coast Marine F-4N squadron wich could have been deployed?) and B-52Ds from RAF Leuchars in the entries for the RAF Phantoms..will have to find a place for them later. I don´t know how will Buffs work based off-map, however, they are not deployed until the 21st (i´m now about to try the A-Strike on Kiev BG)

 

Loved the idea of the soviet reinforcement convoy, but had Rigas replaced by Kashins. Will tell you how it works, but yet again, thanks a lot

[macelena 1,070]

Had a lot of spare time lately, so i finished the campaign with VF-213 off USS America, couldn´t get the Buffs to show up, been suggested it is due to Leuchars being too small for them, but anyway, i´m thinking on replacing them. Flew a little over enemy airbases, SA-8s were giving mud movers a bad day. Also, escorting three Alpha Strike, while not being in the tip of the spear, is cool, will try again with Corsairs. Already did the stock campaign with 57th FIS Phantoms, i don´t think it will be much of a difference with land based F-4Ns, but any input on wich squadron it could have been would be great.

 

BTW, during the whole campaign i flew not a single sortie against cruise missile attacks...is there anything like them being directed against nimitz and beung dealed with their tomcats, or does the success of CAPs diminish their capabilities? Most caps i flew, i had two or three recon bombers in sight, and killed as many as i could

Edited February 9, 2013 by macelena

[Icarus999 70]

Found the culprit!

Your carrier Task forces need to follow each in oder in campaign??_data.ini. So first naval unit is the Nimitz, the second is now the Constellation, the third is the LHA-1 marines reinforcement, the fourth is the kiev, the fith is the soviet surface group and the last is a "new" reinforcement convoy of the soviets. Some renumbering is to be done to the naval unit references for air and ground units.

Likewise i keept the order for the Navy squads, so added the Constellations Air Group right after the Nimitz ones and renumbered the rest. Works like a charm, now Constellations squads take off the right carrier when flown by player.

 

Also did a little ini mod for the RF-8G form the Vietnam Air and Ground expansion pack to create a RF-8G_77 that was already in place in the campaign files. Added a deceptive jammer and counter meassures launcher, and set the roles to: naval_search, recon. Now VFP-63 takes to the skies in every mission and looks for the soviet fleets.

 

If anyone is interested drop me a PM.

 

S!

 

 

How does that F-8 search? Does your RF-8G use radar to Search for the soviet fleet? If it finds the enemy, does it trigger the American surface ships to launch cruise missiles? I am curious about this because I have Ticonderoga and Iowa class surface/ land attack ships that never ever fire a missile in SF2NA and it is really starting to bug me?

[+daddyairplanes 10,236]

Macelena, the following Marine units used the F-4N during the Northern Sabre timeframe :

out of MCAS El Toro VMFA-314, 323 and 531. 323 and 531 both deployed on the Coral Sea in Nov 79. VMFA-134 used them also but from 84 to 85

VMFA-112 out of NAS Dalas

VMFA-321 out of Andrews AFB

also VMFA-351 out of Atlanta, but short lived only lasting from 77-78.

 

 

lemme know if you want Navy and or S units.

[macelena 1,070]

Thanks a lot for the info. Initially, the USMC squadron i originally flew in the campaign was VMFA-323, as it was the stock squadron for the overall grey USMC skin, however, while i was at it, found out about their deployment aboard Coral Sea during the Teheran hostage crisis. I would love any information on Js, too, the only issue is that, as i intended to keep it as stock as possible, DECMs wouldn´t appear, however, it could be lived with since it seems to be not much of aan issue. Thought of VMFA-333 as a J squadron, as it used to deploy aboard Nimitz, IIRC.

 

Any Naval Phantom unit to reinforce Keflavik would be great. Would love to have them embarked, but i don´t know if carriers would be a bit overcrowded. I thought of adding VMFA333 to the Nimitz.

 

To summarice, I´m looking for any unit using stock stuff of any DLC or merged install wich could have been deployed to the area adding a bit of variety. Skyhawks could be fine, like an A-4F being a place holder for A-4Ns....the whole reason of using stock is because mod heavy installs affect performance

[Tannethal 2]

Having that RF-8G_77 in naval search lead to quicker gathering of inteligence on the soviet surface groups. Once they are located game engine assigns naval alpha? strikes (strike: A7E/A6E with Walleyes or Harpoon ; SEAD: A7E/A6E with Standart Arm or HARM ; EA6B for jamming and 2 flights of fighters for cover) against them. So practically the surface groups are relative early found and wiped out in campaign play.

 

Applied the RF-8G_77 mod to the first unpatched NA release and wasn't buggered with that soviet surface group sailing right into your carrier group and killing you basically right on the deck.

 

However Iowas and Ticos from Samurai Shipyards should attack surface units when in range. One could always set up a single mission with editor to try that. Otherwise in campaign create a surface group for each side and give them roughly the same ObjectivePosition= to see what happens then.

 

S!

[macelena 1,070]

I tried a couple of recon missions with F-8Ks standing for RF-8Gs over Iceland and it is great. Despite the lack of SAMs (other than SA-8s) flying thru the canyons evading pursuers is cool.

 

Btw, DA, is there any way to find out the composition of 2nd MAW fixed wing aircraft in the era for the Keflavik deployment? Or maybe some detachments aboard carriers.

[+daddyairplanes 10,236]

Take a bit for specifics. for most part would say in '79 go fer F-4J/N, A-4s, A-6s. EA-6 and AV-8A in the mix as well. damn shame is the rotors are on other sites that dont share with us. Would need AH-1J, UH-1N, CH-53 and Ch-46.

[macelena 1,070]

Yep, a shame about choppers. It would be great if we could just put LVTPs instead of M60s to represent marines if they had allways Cobras for CAS.

 

As of WIKINTEL

 

 

MAG-14

 

 

A-4M Skyhawk squadrons

VMA-223

 

AV-8A Harrier squadrons

VMA-231

VMA-542

 

EA-6B Prowler squadrons: Presumably VMAQ 1 thru 4

 

MAG-31

 

F-4J Phantom squadrons

VMFA-115 (not sure, had F-4Bs earlier, maybe still had those)

VMFA-122

VMFA-251 ( deployed to Keflavik in 1982)

VMFA-312 (could have been deployed to West Pac)

VMFA-333 (was usually attached to CVW-8)

VMFA-451

 

 

A-6E Intruder squadrons:

VMA(AW)-224 not sure about model on that particular squadron, i guess all A-6Es by that time

VMA(AW)-533

 

 

I don´t know how many of them to put on carriers, Keflavik or other bases.

Edited February 13, 2013 by macelena

[+daddyairplanes 10,236]

VMFA-115 had J's til 83. deployed on Forrestal 80-81 while VF-11 was transitioning to the tomcat. i know made a tga for them......

can lookk up the others for what model tho i believe most were J or S. straight B's phased out by 78. however who exactly is VMFA-501? aint any Phantom phlyers i've read about. did you mean 531?

[macelena 1,070]

http://en.wikipedia....1960s_.26_1970s

 

now they are the training unit for F-35s, however, at the time they were VMFA-451, my bad, will correct

 

Edited February 13, 2013 by macelena

[+daddyairplanes 10,236]

lol one hell of a typo there.

[macelena 1,070]

yep, if you are gonna fail, go for epic lol

[Viggen 644]

VMFA-115 (F-4Js) was actually at Keflavik for two weeks during Sept 1979 which is when Northern Sabre begins. I've been doing the same thing, upgrading the stock campaign as well as making a 1978 campaign (F-4Cs).

 

 

It also appears that RAF No. 56 and 111 Squadrons spent some time at Keflavik in 1979. Anyone have details on that?

Edited February 17, 2013 by Viggen

[macelena 1,070]

Then the answer to wich Marines Phantom squadron to put on Keflavik seems pretty clear lol.

 

Btw, i´m not sure about it, Viggy, but i think i heard someone say that F-4Cs from the 57th FIS were painted in SEA camo, instead of ADC grey

Edited February 18, 2013 by macelena

[+daddyairplanes 10,236]

yes they were. went to ADC Grey only a few months before the E's arrived. first checkerboard on the rudder then in a similar pattern to the stock decal.

[Viggen 644]

Only a couple of the F-4Cs were repainted in ADC Grey when they came back from from overhaul in Spain before the F-4Es came in.

[macelena 1,070]

It is curious. Those F-4Cs were 401st TFW from Torrejon. Apparently, the unit converted to F-4E in 1970, around the time our wing at the base recieved F-4Cs to refit and replace F-104Gs. In 1973, the 401st switched to F-4Cs, then, in 1978, they where replaced by F-4Ds until 1983 when they got F-16s

[Tannethal 2]

One simple addition to SF2NA in general is to get some soviet bombs [Lindr's pack or Gunnys] and edit especially the loadouts of the stock Mig-27.

That stock CAS loadout with just two UB32 pods is just patetic. Some cluster bombs to the fuselage stations do a good deal more harm to the NATOs efforts in retaking Iceland.

 

And if one is into it get some ARM missles for SEAD loadouts on the wing stations too.

 

S!

[+daddyairplanes 10,236]

depends on what they were able to bring with. most shipboard space would be dedicated to ground force supplies. air weaponry would likely be flown in but then the Central European front(remember this takes place same time as Red Lightning in SF2E) would take the precedence due to logistic trail and desperatness. so after the first few missions it would be down to rocket pods.

[macelena 1,070]

That´s the same reason why there is not an integrated SAM network on red Iceland; there is no time to mount it with the limits of air transport it would require..

 

...But now that i think about it, it would be great to be able to deploy SAM sites, specially if you can relate the deployment of such a network to the arrival of that reinforcement convoy youTannethal, included in your campaign with Cargo Ships and such, as part of the ground reinforcements. However, as far as i know, the only way to deploy SAM sites is by the terrain inis and not triggered by any campaign event

[macelena 1,070]

I uploaded a first version. I would like to find a way to add more soviet opposition for balance and help a couple of issues, but so far it is not bad