John Tiller Software's New Panzer Campaigns: Tunisia '43

This release caught me by surprise. Got it last night and played a bit.

JTS appears to be on fire! Three releases since Tiller (sorta) parted ways in December 2010.

These are the last throws of the Allied campaign in Africa, but not less exciting than other battles in Africa. The game covers (in separate scenarios) from around November 1942 through mid-May 1943.

Some screenshots follow. Click on them for an expanded view.

Cheers,

John Tiller's Squad Battles Modern War - Collateral Damage

If you are playing Tiller's Modern War, have you noticed the grey icons that look like objectives, named "collateral"? A while ago I was just shooting at whatever insurgent would dare to stay in those. Bad idea: these are "avoid collateral damage objectives" and every time I order my troops to shoot at their location I get negative points for the victory calculation.

 

These collateral damage objectives can generate some tough situations like the one above. A company-sized infantry force (US Army, green counters) has gained a foothold in an Iraqi city (don't wan't to disclose exact location so not to spoil the scenario for you) and has to push northwest. Two objectives have been already taken (small green square thingies in the middle of the screen, labelled 20 and 50). Highlighted with yellow circles, the insurgents in those two locations. If I order fire at them, I will get anything between 10 to 30 victory points taken from my tally. Yet I have to advance.

Cheers,

War Games and Flight Simulators Manuals Need to Catch Up with the Times

I'm looking at my Falcon 4.0 printed manual as I write this. Hundreds of pages of quality writing for ubiquitous enjoyment: the lap of the virtual pilot while he flies, the table of the lunch room at work, the bed during those last minutes of consciousness before succumbing to sleep. Games and flight simulators have an extended life beyond the computer that runs them, and reading the manuals is a big part of it.

If we were to speak of a non-disputed death in the gaming genres we entertain ourselves with, that would be the death of the printed manual delivered along with the game.

We now get pdf files for manuals and while they are convenient in some aspects (searchability and reduced physical/shelf storage space), they are attrocious in others. In my case, I really don't like alt-tabing out of my flight simulators to check the manual.

Right now, the sim du-jour is DCS A-10C and many fellow simmers have chosen to print the 600+ pages of the manual. I read somewhere that in the near future the DCS A-10C printed manual will be available for sale somewhere. I will probably order a copy when it comes out, but I am not overly enthused at the prospect of buying or printing a copy of manuals that I already have in other format.

A solution for reading the manuals without alt-tabing from your game/sim is to have another computer showing the manual. A laptop is a natural choice, but it lacks in the portability department. Comfortable reading portability, I mean: it feels like cumbersome web browsing instead of actually book reading.

In this brave new digital world, there are now ultra-portable readers for digital media: the tablets and the e-book readers. If you are in the market for one, please make sure that the device can display native pdfs. In the limited research I have done, pdf manuals can be shown and read decently in only two devices: the Amazon Kindle DX and the iPad. These cost $379 and $500 respectively (although now that the iPad 2 is around the corner you can get 1st generation iPads for $350 from the Apple store).

Can't afford those but if I would have the money, I would aim for the iPad because in the long run is more bang for the buck (internet browsing and the other super-duper apps). In addition, I have a sizeable collection of technical papers in pdf format that I would love to have ready without having to boot up a laptop. Ey! This is actually a great excuse to present to the wife ("See? Its for work!). :)

Another choice would be the now cheaper e-book readers. But again, not all of them can show native pdfs in a decent way. If it's not the screen size (a screen real estate of 7" is a tad small to read a pdf document that was intended to be printed and read at double that size), it's the native pdf issue (not all devices read native pdfs and need to be converted/re-flowed resulting in loss of figures or even text). E-book readers are intended for reading things formatted as e-books from scratch, after all.

So, here is to hope that someday our beloved game/sim developers will someday publish their manuals in a format that can be read into inexpensive e-book readers.

Cheers,

Postcard from the Front: Dear NATO pilot, Wish you Were Here ...

Playing this WWIII scenario in The Operational Art of War 3 (published by Matrix Games) had to chuckle at how always opportunity strikes me when I am not prepared.

0600, May 9th 1990. Surprise attack by the Soviets into Germany. NATO divisions caught unprepared and frantically travelling towards the border. This scenario features the sector in southern Germany where NATO tries to held the red tide before it reaches Munich. Seen below, a small area of the scenario where the 11 Panzer Grenadier Brigade is holding up the Soviet 9th Tank Division in the city of Deggendorf (145 Km northeast of Munich, 50 Km southwest of the border with Czechoslovakia).

Click the image for an expanded view.

I have pulled almost all the reconnaissance companies from the border and I am trying to hold the Soviets as much as I can at the Donau River. I have blown many bridges and some 10 kilometers north of Deggendorf, the 9th Tank Division is coming out of the woods.

Click the image for an expanded view. A close up of the tactical situation at Deggendorf.

See the pile-up of red counters in the image above? These are great targets for a battlefield air interdiction mission.

Alas, there is no NATO air assets available ...

What a flight of 4 A-10Cs could do here?

On a side note: did you know that the US Air Force has chucked the battlefield air interdiction mission from its doctrine?

Cheers,

The End of "Monster" Wargames?

Depending on what definition you use, I am not a so-called "grognard". I like serious games and simulations and I make no difference whether their format is a flashy immersive first/third person 3D environment or an older, turn and hexes counters on a map. However, I reckon I missed all the fun of what many have called the golden age of board-based war gaming. In other words, I have no traditional war gaming pedigree and thus I am no grognard if I measure my qualifications against that experience.

That's why I like to read and listen to those who have that experience.

One of the fellows I follow is Michael Peck, who writes for the Training and Simulation Journal. He obviously likes the computer war game format, but I suspect he has the board game experience too. In the latest print issue, he reviewed Gary Grigsby's War in the East. The byline of the review is that War in the East is among the last of monster war games.  It is a positive review, but the doomsday tone is everywhere.

For 30 years, legendary designer Gary Grigsby has been churning out classic war games with Jurassic interfaces. WITE at least progresses to the Neardenthal stage, but in a Darwinian world where e-mail is dismissed as too slow and people have the attention spans of fruit flies, this kind of intensive simulation falls somewhere between anachronistic and intimidating.

There may be a sequel to WITE, perhaps on the Western Front. But his branch of gaming, this style of gaming - one that demands time and commitment yet offers much in return - is fading. Farewell to the monsters, and the giant void they'll leave behind. 

I heard that type of tone many times (war games/flight simulators are dead), yet I hardly can keep pace with the many great offers out there. And I am very picky in what I play! In addition, for what is worth, a quick glance at the official WITE forums at Matrix Games shows a lot of youngsters playing this war game.

Maybe no genre is actually dead or dying. Maybe we are confusing these deaths with the death of long spans of leisure time?

Cheers,

DCS: A-10C Warthog - Death Came Through the Clouds - Debrief of a Close Air Support Mission - Part 3

I've just spotted the Marines in the ground and I am getting ready to be talked on my target. The air support operations center (ASOC) is monitoring my radio exchange closely and that is good because they will have to clear me hot when I find the target (Note: ASOC is mentioned here just for fun and are not featured in the sim). There is no official joint tactical air controller in the ground ... yet somebody has to clear my shots. War has its bureaucracy too.

The Marine describes the village as a built up area, sized 2 x 1 km, with the squad located in its eastern extreme. The insurgents have a truck-mounted AAA gun south of their position and would be visible when approached from the east.

As I approach the town from the northeast, I start turning southeast, keeping the village on my right and avoiding getting to close to it. A moderate left bank is great for keeping the targeting pod on my right wing clear of visual obstructions (airframe, wingtips, the fins of the Sidewinder missiles).

Below the cloud deck. The village I am observing with the targeting pod is NOT the one seen near the water bodies in the background but one located a bit farther.

The tactical awareness display (TAD) is a great asset to keep your head in the battle. The position of the US Marines squad is the yellow "6" mark (actually a waypoint I manually entered when they gave me their coordinates). The rings are 20 miles each.

Finding targets with the pod is not easy when the enemy is located within the clutter of built up areas. The FLIR imaging helps but let's not forget that I am observing from 8 miles away. I play around with the gain of the imaging system and it improves the picture. I find the target some 2 minutes later ... it is my lucky day.

Target acquired. I mark it with the laser so it becomes a mark point in the navigation system and its position can be stored and used by the inertially-guided JDAMs.

The ASOC wants out of the radio conversation (I am sure they are busy routing flights to other fights) and clears me hot..

I put the target on my rearand I fly away from it in a shallow climb. After gaining altitude I am going to turn into the target and drop the JDAM through the clouds.

A close up of the tactical awareness display as I fly away from it. "A" is the mark of the target. The wedding cake symbol indicates that markpoint A is now the "sensor point of interest" SPI. The diamond is the position where the targeting pod is looking at. The ring is 10 miles.

I have done my area ingress checklist some minutes before, but it I like to double check my weapons selection. The stores management system shows I have selected the GBU-31 on station 5.

Altitude comes at a high price for a bomb-loaded A-10 and he pays in time and airspeed. I am now above the clouds, at 6,000 feet and 248 KIAS. I can't imagine doing this in a conventional battle zone infested with radar guided missiles.

I now turn into the target. The pod has gone blind, but it is still pointing to the target. 15 nm to go!

The HUD is in the continuously computed release point (CCRP) mode. The triangles inside the ring are the minimum and maximum release distance cues. The vertical line is a guide to fly the bird within an acceptable bombs release flight path. The diamond/square/tadpole combo graphic is the position of the target.

I check and re-check that I have selected mark "A" and not any other navigation point. A distracted pilot can forget about this and have the pod aimed at and the bombs delivered to a navigation point. Believe me, when waypoints/marks/steerpoints start to get close to each other and you are dodging AAA fire, you will never notice the difference. Needless to say that in this case we can't even see who is who below.

My waypoint 6 is the US Marines' position. Have to make sure that waypoint 6 is not selected.

With no JTAC to clear me hot I rely on the authorization given by the ASOC a few minutes earlier. I contact the Marines to report the impending strike.

I pickle and wait for the computer to do its thing. Release!

It feels surreal ... The bomb drops towards the clouds deck in search for its target. I can't avoid to marvel at the technology behind all this.

Bomb away.

My altitude at the point of release is 8,000 ft.

The JDAM gliding towards its target.

Final seconds before utter destruction.

The JDAM falls a few meters off the insurgent truck ...

But the destruction radius of the bomb makes it up for the lack of accuracy.

The Marines can now disengage and move out to a safe place.

I will be posting some notes about this scenario.

Cheers,

DCS: A-10C Warthog - Death Came Through the Clouds - Debrief of a Close Air Support Mission - Part 2

I am about to support a US Marines squad down below the cloud deck, which is at an uncomfortable 3500 feet above ground.

There is no JTAC available and the Marine on the radio has given me his coordinates and elevation. I punched in a waypoint ("Fox", the position of the Marines) into the control display unit (CDU) and I am flying towards it.

To engage the target, first I will have to acquire it. I will do that with the AN/AAQ-28 Litening AT Targeting Pod. This technological marvel is equipped with a CCD and a forward looking infrared (FLIR) camera and is invaluable to acquire and mark targets.

The targeting pod is the third gadget from the left.

The targeting pod cameras can't see through the clouds, though, and I will have to go below 3,500 feet to acquire the target. Unfortunately, below 3.500 feet I will become a target for both the ZSU-23 anti aircraft gun and the IR-guided missiles the insurgents may have. What I will do is to acquire the target while flying  below the cloud deck and keeping a distance of no less than 5 miles from the target, mark the target location with the targeting pod and then climb for a through-the-clouds bomb drop. The weapon of choice is a GBU-31 JDAM, a so-called smart bomb that has GPS/inertial guiding that can glide directly into the position marked with the targeting pod. 

The targeting pod is active in the right multi-function display (MFD). The targeting pod is pointing towards the position of the Marines, but the cloud cover masks any type of image.

Now that I am coming down from the clouds, the targeting pod is showing terrain. Still 33.4 miles to go towards the Marines.

Acquiring distant targets with the targeting pod from a low altitude frequently produces some disorienting, low-angles lines of sight. Please see below.

I am still 31.5 miles from the Marines squad. At this distance, off course I can't see them with the targeting pod.

The Marine told me his squad was located in the edge of a village, but all I can see when I point the targeting pod at their position is an open field. The targeting pod is now using the FLIR camera.

What actually happens is that the targeting pod crosshairs are pointing towards the coordinates of the Marines and the village, but the line of sight collides with a rolling hill in front of them. Note the trees emerging from behind the hill.  

The targeting pod camera is in FLIR mode (hot objects in black). I finally spot the Marines in the village (one Marine can be seen between the crosshairs and the left edge of the multi-function display), from 12.7 miles away!

It has been 8 minutes since I checked in with the US Marines squad. I get ready to be talked into my target.

To be continued ...

Cheers,

Interstellar Marines - An Indie, Sci-Fi, First Person Shooter

This one brought to our attention by a reader of the blog.



Looks absolutely fantastic. The gameplay is still a bit generic for my taste, but I am looking forward to see their first release.

Cheers,

DCS: A-10C Warthog - Death Came Through the Clouds - Debrief of a Close Air Support Mission - Part 1

I am in a holding pattern, on call for close air support to the troops below. The insurgency is well and alive, and the 4th US Marines is having a hard day of fighting. My wingman had to return to base because he was hit in the last mission. With enough loiter time for a couple of hours and a hog still loaded of weapons, I decide to stay. It is lonely and quiet up here. With no enemy radar-guided launchers in the whole theater of operations, the tactical air situation is low threat. But the insurgents are known to have IR guided SAMs, so it is advisable to keep distance, altitude or both from suspected insurgent positions.

One joint tactical air controller (JTAC) interrupts my wait. Oddly, his not calling in for support for the company he is fighting with, but to brief me about a Marines squad in need of a hand. He heard about this Marines squad on the battalion radio network and passes me a frequency. This Marines squad has no JTAC.

I tune in to find out what's going on, and the first I hear is gunfire and yelling on a hot mic. Pretty intense. I patiently wait for a break on the hot mic and it comes after a loud thump. I offer firepower from above and all I get is a "get the hell out of this network!". This is not the type of misunderstanding you want when you are under fire, Marine!

Eventually, the Marine on the other end comes to his senses and we both rejoice. There is nobody with air controller experience down there. I will have to get talked to my target.

The Marine squad was on patrol when it came under heavy fire from a village. Their AAV threw a track and its main guns jammed. The Marines can't withdraw and are pinned down by a truck-mounted ZSU-23 anti aircraft gun.

I ask the Marine where they are and he throws me a place name. I don't recognize that name and the maps I have loaded in the navigation system are not that detailed. The Marine gives me his coordinates from a hand held GPS.

Manually entering coordinates in the control display unit (CDU). These coordinates will become waypoint 6, which I manually name FOX.

This is the tactical awareness display (TAD) shown in the right multifunction display (MFD). Waypoint 6, the Marines squad position,  is now active and labelled yellow. The white "wedding cake" symbol inside the waypoint is the sensor point of interest (SPI) where I can point my targeting pod. The Marines are some 40 nm southwest of my position.

HUD view: note the waypoint information on the lower right corner ("6/Fox" for waypoint 6 or Fox).

Somewhere down, the Marines wait for help!

Stay tunned, more is coming!

Cheers,

DCS: A-10C Warthog - The Release Dance

I downloaded and installed the release version of DCS A-10 Warthog. Took the hog for a brief flight. I have a lot of things to set up yet, like the HOTAS. Started to port some old missions that I edited in the beta.  I'm exhausted and can't write. But extremely pleased with the release version.

Off topic: thanks for all the comments I have received on other recent posts. I will get back to you, guys. I'm keenly interested in what you wrote.

Cheers,