Advantages to Not Using SF2:NA?

[PFunk]

I know that if you do not merge SF2:NA with the rest of your installs, you do away with some of the idiosyncrasies of the campaign, like the enemy focus on sinking naval battle groups and focusing strikes on land targets.  Are there any other advantages to running without North Atlantic?  I know the user misses out on the F-14 Avionics.dll, but are there other trade offs that make the game better?

[+JSF_Aggie]

I believe your strikes being focused on enemy naval fleets has soley to do with a flag in the campaigns _data.ini file, some like NAVAL_CAMPAIGN = TRUE.

I don't think which executable you use affects this.

[+Menrva]

39 minutes ago, JSF_Aggie said:

I believe your strikes being focused on enemy naval fleets has soley to do with a flag in the campaigns _data.ini file, some like NAVAL_CAMPAIGN = TRUE.

I don't think which executable you use affects this.

Exactly. Also to remember the NavalMap=TRUE statement inside a terrain's .ini file, which affects the behaviour of single missions, particularly those involving strikes and bombings.

IMHO there is no advantage in not merging SF2NA with the other titles. It's actually a loss. To merge SF2NA with the older titles gives more features at your disposal, which can be used or not. 

[Stick]

Well, I disabled Naval campaigns and reinstated pre-NA style carrier entries for campaigns and hey presto: I now have night operations in ODS!

[PFunk]

On 4/13/2019 at 5:37 AM, Stick said:

Well, I disabled Naval campaigns and reinstated pre-NA style carrier entries for campaigns and hey presto: I now have night operations in ODS!

Okay, thank you for confirming that works.  I haven't reinstalled anything yet, but I'm glad that someone could clarify for me that this works.  The lack of night missions in campaigns is unacceptable.  I think the thing I would probably miss the most from running SF2NA is the carrier battle groups.

[+gerwin]

The way I read Stick's comment is that one can still use the SF2NA game to get Night Ops in ODS, but that the settings for Aircraft Carriers must be in the old pre-NA style,  either in the Terrain or Campaign INI files. Right?

[+Menrva]

1 hour ago, gerwin said:

The way I read Stick's comment is that one can still use the SF2NA game to get Night Ops in ODS, but that the settings for Aircraft Carriers must be in the old pre-NA style,  either in the Terrain or Campaign INI files. Right?

Yes. Use NAVAL_CAMPAIGN=FALSE in the campaign's .ini file, and add carrier stations as in the SF2 Vietnam campaigns. The terrain's ini can still have NavalMap=TRUE, it affects single missions only.

[+gerwin]

Good. I still have some ways to go back to game versions from 2010/2011 before the release of SF2 North Atlantic. But these older game version are impractical since they cannot handle the later 3D model format introduced with SF2NA (LOD version 8).

[Stick]

On 20/04/2019 at 12:35 AM, Menrva said:

Yes. Use NAVAL_CAMPAIGN=FALSE in the campaign's .ini file, and add carrier stations as in the SF2 Vietnam campaigns. The terrain's ini can still have NavalMap=TRUE, it affects single missions only.

Correct.

On 20/04/2019 at 2:28 AM, gerwin said:

Good. I still have some ways to go back to game versions from 2010/2011 before the release of SF2 North Atlantic. But these older game version are impractical since they cannot handle the later 3D model format introduced with SF2NA (LOD version 8).

Confirmed - effectively best of both. My peeve was flying Guru's Tonka in ODS and being restricted to day missions with the Naval Campaign setting on (especially after reading an Air Power Review of Tornado operations which would not allow me to settle for less)

 

[pazpbrotons]

HI,
I'm a long time lurker, but haven't made any posting before.
I've been studying this topic with interest but I haven't been able to make carriers work the "Old Way" in Nato Fighters 5 install with other ships of the Carrier battle group. 

I can make it work with the "New way" (NA) or I can make it work the old way (and thus have night missions what was the reason for all this trouble) with only the carrier but with NO ships around. 

I was ready to accept that the old way means have only carrier with no surrounding battle group ships, but then I've studied eburger68's "Strike Fighters 2: Vietnam Air and Ground Expansion Pack" and it does work there: the old way and carrier battle group.

This is what I did:

In terrains/GermanyCE:

1) GERMANYCE_NATIONS.INI
added: 
...
Location016=North Sea

...
FriendlyNation011=USN

 

2) GERMANYCE_TARGETS.INI
added (targets copy/pasted from eburger68's Vietnam terrain _TARGETS.INI changes for 1968):

[TargetArea449]
Name=NorthSea1
Position=322753.00,797363.00
Radius=16971
ActiveYear=0
Location=16
Alignment=FRIENDLY
CarrierStation=TRUE
Target[001].Type=USNDestroyer
Target[001].Offset=-1500,1750
Target[001].Heading=340
Target[002].Type=USNDestroyer
Target[002].Offset=-1500,-1250
Target[002].Heading=320
Target[003].Type=USNTanker
Target[003].Offset=2500,1000
Target[003].Heading=325
Target[004].Type=USNTransport
Target[004].Offset=3000,-1000
Target[004].Heading=305
Target[005].Type=USNDestroyer
Target[005].Offset=6500,1500
Target[005].Heading=335
Target[006].Type=USNDestroyer
Target[006].Offset=6500,-1500
Target[006].Heading=315
Target[007].Type=USNTanker
Target[007].Offset=10500,1250
Target[007].Heading=315
Target[008].Type=USNTransport
Target[008].Offset=11000,-750
Target[008].Heading=295
Target[009].Type=USNDestroyer
Target[009].Offset=14500,1750
Target[009].Heading=305
Target[010].Type=USNDestroyer
Target[010].Offset=14500,-1250
Target[010].Heading=325
Target[011].Type=SpyTrawler
Target[011].Offset=-2500,0
Target[011].Heading=305

In campaigne3 folder:

campaigne3_DATA.INI

...
NavalCampaign=FALSE

...
[AirUnit092]
AircraftType=F-8H
Squadron=VF24
ForceID=1
Nation=USN
BaseArea=NorthSea1
CarrierBased=TRUE
CarrierNumber=60

...
[CarrierUnit001]
CarrierType=CVA-59
CarrierNumber=60
UnitName=USS Saratoga
ForceID=1
Nation=USN
BaseArea=NorthSea1
NumSquadron=6
BaseSize=MEDIUM
Experience=100
Morale=100
Supply=100

As a result, I can fly Navy campaign in F-8 from a carrier, and have night missions, but the carrier isn't surrounded by other carrier battle group ships.

What am I doing wrong here?

Really appreciate your answers and time, thanks in advance.

Paz P.

 

Edited November 11, 2019 by pazpbrotons
STRIKETROGH WORDS?