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Flashpoint Campaigns: Southern Storm
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Flashpoint Campaigns Southern Storm - Dev Log #4
Wed Nov 02, 2022
If You Can See It, You Can Kill It
Today we will dive deeper into the game's spotting, shooting, and ammo mechanics to get a better feel for how those actions work and what to expect when playing the game.
Spotting per Sensor per Platform
We do a 3D line-of-sight check for each unit and each sensor in that unit. We distinguish between a line-of-sight passing through objects in the hex and a line-of-sight passing over objects in the hex.
For line-of-sight calculations, the terrain is treated as many plateaus, each containing objects on their terrain and atmosphere above them. The objects and the atmosphere above it have different properties concerning blocking/attenuating the (optical, thermal, RADAR) line of sight. See the image below.
Various Lines-of-sight, taking into account the atmosphere (hatched) above hexes and the objects in the hex.
Spotting enemy units are impacted by the time of day. Dawn and Dusk impact the effectiveness of thermal sights as the ambient temperature passes the surface temperature of objects in the environment. Night presents a challenge as the moon's low illumination directly affects the various sensors' visibility ranges.
As seen in the image above, each unit selected for Line of Sight (LOS) shows highlighted hexes visible from their current location, range rings for Enemy Detection, Classification, and Identification for the best active sensor on the platform. As noted above, how far you can see is based on the visibility, time of day/Illumination, sensor, and the actual terrain and hindering objects.
Speaking of the weather and Illumination, you can find that information in the weather panel. The panels have a different look depending on the time of day and the weather. These changes can be seen in the images below. As the sun rises and sets during the game, the level of illumination will change, these panels change colors, and the map has an overall color to match.
We have some LOS tools so you can see both individual units (below is an M1A1 on a hill will very good LOS) and an overlay for All Units of your force.
Above is the All LOS view, and the currently selected unit LOS is highlighted on the overlay. You can also SHIFT-Click on an empty hex to see the LOS from that location.
One other type of spotting beyond optical and thermal is radar. We have air and ground search radars modeled in the game (ground search is new to the game system). The wavy orange lines and the small orange dot on the counter indicate an active radar emitter. The highlighted hexes show the radar LOS from the emitter. The emitter can be set on or off. Where ground radars (GSRs) help paint a picture of where an enemy may be, the units themselves do not have weapons to engage spotted units. Other forces will need to be maneuvered to spot and engage enemies.
Using sensors and eyeballs to scan for targets is only one part of the spotting equation. The other end of it is how spottable the enemy units are. The range at which a unit may be visible to an enemy is based on several factors, such as unit size, unit movement, shooting or not, weather, and terrain effects. All of these can change from location to location. The ranges also depend on the type of spot, such as visually, thermally, or by radar. Other factors that can impact are the type of unit (recon can hide better) and special abilities like stealth or camouflage.
A Review of the Red Storm Combat Model
We’ve done a major uplift on the direct fire model going from Red Storm (RS) to Southern Storm (SS) and beyond. Let’s outline the Red Storm view of things and also list some areas of dissatisfaction.
Direct fire in Red Storm is highly aggregated and simplified.
Subunits are grouped by type (infantry squad shoots separately from a machinegun team, T-80 with ATGM ammo shoots separately from T-80 without missile rounds).
The grouping is done for shooters and targets, so all the shooters of a specific type only engage one target subunit type in a combat event.
We calculate the chance of a kill, then multiply by the number of shooters. This can be more than a 100% chance, so we roll a die only for the remainder. (example: 4 shooters, chance to kill is 40%. Aggregated, that is 240%, which is 2 kills and a 40% chance at a third.
There was no model for control and distribution of fire.
That means there is no attempt at limiting overkill (everyone in a platoon may well end up shooting at the same single enemy subunit).
It’s assumed every subunit in the target unit is visible to every subunit in the attacking unit.
Ammunition on a platform is aggregated into a total “shot count”. For fighting vehicles (tanks and infantry fighting vehicles), this is a combination of machinegun ammo, main gun ammo, and ATGMs. For Attack helicopters, it’s often a combination of machine gun/autocannon, ATGMs, and rockets. Ammo state is an aggregate percentage of remaining shots, with no tracking by type of ammo.
We observed that all the above result in a few things that are a bit unrealistic:
Basic loads of ammunition (what a unit can carry on their vehicles for a battle) lasts, typically, only a third to half a battle.
Units frequently incur incapacitating losses in a single engagement (in way too many cases, entire companies are annihilated in a single volley).
It wasn’t possible to implement some finer, low level tactical doctrine that has an impact on the fight. These are things like medium strength ATGMs (like the M47 Dragon) were to be used against MBTs (Main Battle Tanks) using flank/rear shots only and light anti-tank weapons were to be fired in volleys of three or four against MBTs, even from the flank/rear.
While metal armor has a close fit to a few “rules of thumb” (for example, frontal/flank/rear/top thickness ratios), those don’t hold up when considering “armor enhancers” like composite armor and reactive armor. Another inconsistency is turret vs hull, both in size (and so, what can be hit) and armor thickness.
ADL (Air Defense Limited) systems weren’t really limited enough, both in range and engagement geometry. In RS, ADL basically meant “can shoot at helos”.
Low ammo state is a real problem. We absolutely didn’t want to see units killing more tanks that the amount of tank killing ammo they could carry. That was very tricky to do well without building all the stuff to track ammo by type. The trade-off we made was to have units not engage based on a low percentage of remaining ammo, which means some units wouldn’t fire when the really should.
Enter the Southern Storm Model
The key changes that really address the worst of the above deficiency list are listed below. We’ll address each of these in detail later in this Log.
Do all shoots on a Subunit vs Subunit basis.
Do a spotting check at the Subunit level. A unit being spotted doesn’t mean every shooting unit has a target at the moment of the shoot. And it doesn’t mean that are no Subunits in the target Unit that aren’t engageable by any Subunit in the shooting unit. At that moment in time, some shooters have no targets and some targets are hidden from all shooters.
Track all ammo in a round by round, Subunit by Subunit basis.
The secondary list of improvements is:
Add geometry constraints to ADL systems shooting at helicopters. Now, these are range, helo motion, and engagement aspect.
Range: this is largely due ADL systems having a primary role of attacking ground targets. Additionally, helos tend to move at much higher speeds that ground targets and even when hovering, can radically reposition is a time much shorter than ADLs time to conduct and engagement. To this end, ADL systems are limited and can’t shoot their maximum weapon range against helos. The rule of thumb here is under 1500 meters (less for machineguns).
Helo motion and Aspect: Due to their speed, helos are extremely difficult to engage in crossing or opening (flying away from the shooter) shots. We limit ADL engagements to either hovering helos or the 60 degree frontal arc for moving helos.
Medium ATGMs and Target Aspect: By the late 1980s, both the US and Soviets had a number of ATGMs that were earmarked for replacement, but still in service. These were unlikely to be effective against the frontal armor of MBTs. We do a check of warhead versus situational protection of the target and disallow some frontal engagements. Flank or rear engagements against ground targets happen either by a surprise shot (target unit has not yet spotted the firing unit) or by same-hex combat in locations with high concealment and cover. So systems like the M57 Dragon might not engage even when a tank target is in range. They are plenty strong to engage lightly armored targets from all aspects within the full range band.
Improved Armor Protection Model: Armor enhancements (skirts, reactive armor, composite armor, etc) now have separate turret and hull ratings by aspect (front, flank, top, rear). Turret size and base armor are now factored into the vehicle protection rating.
Overkill Model: In a perfect world, one does not have two people/systems engage the same target unless directly ordered to do so. Alas, the world is imperfect and combat is rushed, chaotic, and extremely difficult to coordinate, let alone synchronize and optimize. We added a fire control and distribution model that has an overkill cap of 2, meaning that up to two shooters may end up engaging the same target Subunit.
Subunit Level Combat Resolution
In the Red Storm model, if the attacker had a good enough Pk (probability of kill) by type and enough shooting platforms of that type, there would be some “automatic kills” and then a small variance. So, that gets you on the far right side of the Bell Curve on that. There was no such thing as “most missed” or “all missed”. Ammo expenditure was uniform, too.
The following changes were made to the system:
Shoots are set up so a shooting platform targets a specific Subunit in the target unit.
We “roll the dice” on each shoot. Hit or miss, kill or survived is one-for-one. No automatic kills, and it’s quite possible for all to miss. A large number of low percentage shoots won’t necessarily equate to a kill in every engagement.
Fire Control and Distribution
A direct fire engagement is but a fraction of a minute long. Shooters and targets are “somewhere in a 500 meter hex”. It’s unrealistic to the point of affecting outcomes to assume everyone can see each other. So we do a modified spotting check to determine which of the Subunits in the target unit a shooting Subunit can see. That is the beginning of the shooters target list. And that feeds into the basics of a Unit’s control and distribution of fire in an engagement.
This is a multi-step process and the key points are:
Determine which Subunits in the target unit each shooting subunit can see.
Filter out target Subunits that aren’t engageable due to range constraints, weapon/ammo capabilities (rifle vs tank or out of main gun rounds, for example). These are vulnerable targets that are visible to the shooter.
Identify which visible targets are threatening (can kill the shooter), as humans tend to prioritize these.
Cross vulnerable, visible, and threatening targets. These are the top priority for a given shooter subunit.
At the Unit level, start assigning (randomly) shooters to targets, keeping in mind, no more than 2 shooters per target and first priority for a shooter is visible, vulnerable, and threating and second priority is visible and vulnerable.
In many cases of a platoon sized Unit engaging a Company sized unit, it may look textbook. As the size ratio gets closer to 1:1, expect to see more overkill (two shooters on one target). When there are more shooters than targets, the overkill cap means some shooters that see the targets will hold their fire.
Tracking Ammo by Round and Setting Loadouts
Discreet Ammo Tracking was a lot of work to build into the new game engine for Southern Storm. In Red Storm, we said, “this platform has this weapon, and the weapon has that many shots, and the ammo types it has are these.” Ammo was tracked at the Unit level as just the total number of shots. So a Bradley IFV might have 90 shots of 25mm autocannon, 120 shots of 7.62mm coax machine gun, and 7 TOW missiles for a total of 217 generic shots. Each engagement consumed a shot. When the number of remaining shots dropped low enough, we disallowed TOW shots. There was no differentiation between the 25mm HE and AP rounds. Same with tanks and artillery systems. We had to do better this time to have a more detailed simulation.
In Southern Storm, each weapon has a basic loadout. Where there are multiple ammo types for gun/tube and rocket pod weapon systems, we specify how many of each. We do place constraints on ammo/target-type matchups. For example, we use HEAT from a tank main gun against lightly armored targets as long as the HEAT ammo lasts. That’s what trained human crews do, after all.
Overall Combat Improvements:
-Most front-line units can last a scenario with their initial ammo load. The exceptions to this make sense from the standpoint of the amount of combat experienced by units.
-Lethality/survivability has a closer fit to LSCO (Large Scale Combat Operations) both at maneuver training centers and in combat operations, as observed over the past several decades. Frontal assaults remain challenging, but are no longer a turkey shoot.
-Ground unit versus attack helos engagements have a closer fit to reality. Helos may fire an appropriate amount of missile ammo, and ground units have realistic constraints on engaging them. Helos draw a lot less fire because they are hard to hit with non-Air Defense weapons.
-Terrain and concealment matter more, as it affects not just unit spotting, but also the ability to engage targets at the Subunit level. Covered and concealed routes offer more realistic protection by way of denying shots. There is now a vast difference between spotting a unit (“I know a Unit is over there”) and being able to shoot at it (“I see someone in my gunsight”).
-Implementation of doctrine affects the close fight and brings it closer to reality. We strive to implement doctrine, as departures from that “down in the weeds” is exceptional (sometimes heroic, other times disastrous). The overwhelming case is soldiers, and their immediate leaders, are taught some “rules of thumb” and they execute those at the lowest and most simplistic levels. In this game, that is Subunit level behavior.
-The improved protection model brings the design differences of various platforms to our battlefield and that can make a difference in the outcomes.
-The collective gunnery model adds a level of friction that exists in real platoons and companies. By this, we mean the limits of optimization of fire and the potential for overkill. In the time period of our scenarios, campaigns, and game, it simply wasn’t possible to train platoons and companies in that skill. Given that the player is a Battalion, Brigade, or Regimental Commander, we feel it is a Tier 1 issue to replicate that friction.
A few more Developer Blogs detailing more features will be coming in the following weeks as we ramp up to release. Please feel free to comment and ask questions. We will circle back to Blog #4 on the AI next time. Until then, have a great week!
Asid:
Flashpoint Campaigns Southern Storm - #5 Dev Log
Wed Nov 09, 2022
Features, Improvements, Editors, and Modding
Today’s deep dive will look at a number of the other features and improvements we have brought to the game and a look at the Editors and Game Modding possibilities of the new Cold War game engine.
Other Features/Improvements in the Game
Below is a list of minor features and improvements beyond those discussed in earlier Development Blogs.
-Game Engine changed from 32-bit to 64-bit code
Can handle larger maps and scenariosThe codebase has been reviewed and optimized to improve speed and stability-Refinement of Off-Map Artillery Assets
Off-Map Artillery Assets can now be placed a distance from a map edge and have cover and detection values set in the
Scenario EditorOff-map assets can be spotted and attacked-Formation Movement
You can now select a group of units and plot one path, and the AI will plot paths for the other units in the group and
space units out in an intelligent fashion
-Ammo Tracking Per Round/Burst
Each round or burst from each weapon is now counted when firedThe types of rounds are distinct munitions for each weapon system
-Refined Indirect Fire Model
The new model looks at dispersing several shells over time on the target hex(es) based on player input-Improved Level of Detail on Sensors
Spotting and tracking of targets is now done on a per-sensor (radar, thermal, optical, etc.) basis Effects from EW, Jammers, Smoke and other counter-measures are rated versus the sensor spectrum-Revised map markers for both hex and hex edge obstacles
ICM Strike leaves depleted mine markers on the map to represent unexploded ordinance-All map art has been redone, and improvements to the in-house rendering system provide more precise, more detailed
maps that look good at even higher screen resolutions.
-The ability to have multiple nations on a side in a scenario (US Army and West German Army on the map shown)
-More In-Depth Subunit Inspector (SUI)
More extensive dialog with multiple tabs allows players to drill down and see more details of the Unit, Weapons,
Sensors, and Systems on each platform The SUI packs Image Art, National Flag, Data ID, and Unit Status Information At the bottom of the dialog, players can review any nation and units based on the selected Source and Scope The new layout also includes a detailed breakdown of the subunit’s armor by aspect and location (turret or hull) A listing of the Defensive Mechanisms and any Engineering Abilities is also noted- Many Informational Dialogs now use HTML to display both formatted text and art for a better presentation.
This ability includes the scenario designers’ ability to use simple HTML codes to spice up the look of their new scenarios
(first picture below) Auto-generated information in the game uses HTML to create reports like the one shown below in the second picture
with formatted text and the addition of graphics
In-Game Editors
The game includes making or modifying your own scenarios, battleplans for scenarios, and crafting campaigns out of a handful of linked scenarios with a Depot phase to repair and replace lost men and equipment. We also include a map values tool too. These tools can be accessed from the game’s Main Menu.
-The in-game Scenario Editor provides access to the following:
Scenario Creation Checklist and Option to Load Existing ScenariosScenario Parameters – Time, Day, and Length of the scenario, and Scenario DescriptionMap Selection (including automatic bridge placement) and Weather ParametersMap Markers (Victory Point locations, obstacles, mines, and other markers)Additional Scenario Parameters – Air Superiority Level, Electronic Warfare Intensity, and Maximum Resupply PercentagePlayer 1 Order of Battle Selection, Force Packages, Ammo Loadouts, and Battle PlanningPlayer 2 Order of Battle Selection, Force Packages, Ammo Loadouts, and Battle PlanningPlayer Information Summaries – Mission Briefings and Threat AssessmentsScenario Summary – Subunit Totals and Victory CalculationAuthor Details and Scenario Validation NotesAddition of Map Overlay Graphics for Scenario Overview
-Campaign Editor
The campaign game engine will allow the player to move his core forces through multiple scenarios as part of an overall
campaign narrative.Temporarily attached friendly forces may be available. Replacements for destroyed equipment will be rare and hard to
get, so retaining control of the battlefield and repairing fallen-out equipment will be critical to success.The player will face constant trade-offs regarding victory points versus hours elapsed versus force preservation. Playing
the ‘long game’ will require judicious use of time between battles as much as it will of maneuver on the battlefield.
-Map Values
Like Red Storm, Southern Storm will not ship with a full map editor due to the complexity of the tools and processes
used to make our maps We do provide a Map Values Editor in-game (and documentation) to allow players to supply their own artwork and have
a game values file generated to use the map for their scenarios
Mod Friendly Design
Open Data Editing
-All National Data resides in National Folders
A Common Folder holds all the silhouette art for all the units in the game.There is a NATO folder that holds all NATO unit silhouette art-All National related files and folders reside in the National Folder
This location includes the Excel (XLS) data file(s)You can directly edit these files and update scenario data, but we recommend making copies with new names up, as
updates will overwrite these files with official data-Folders for nation-specific Counter Backgrounds, Unit Badges, and color images of platforms if desired (optional, we do not supply color art for vehicles).
National Data File Layout
- Data in Microsoft Excel Files (XLS)
Easily editable and established file type- Data Tabs
Nine tabs house the following information:
National Default ValuesCommand-Related Values/InformationFormations (OOB structures)Units (data on all platforms/squads)Systems (data on weapons and other systems)Munitions (for indirect or variable ammo weapons systems)Surnames (last names for commanders)Credits (reference only information)Notice (reference only information)
National Data File Tools
-Data Validation Tool
A separate Excel-Macro spreadsheet that checks the various data structure on the tabs of a national data fileThe objective is to catch 95% of the errors that could cause a scenario to failThe tool highlights bad cells and an error field states the problem(s) foundThe tool looks for unused units in formations, verifies weapons/systems are available platforms, and validates any
Special Characteristics being used
-Aircraft Values Tool
A tool to determine game-related values for aircraft, UASs, and helicopters based on platform specifications
Mod Friendly Design (with extensive documentation for making these changes)
-Users can add or change art elements
Unit Badges and National FlagsCounter Backgrounds & SymbolsUnit Silhouettes and NATO SymbolsMap Markers-Sound files can be replaced or changed
MusicWeapon SoundsUnit Movement Sounds-Even the weather data can be created and modified
Southern Storm’s release is right around the corner on November 17th! In the meantime, please feel free to comment and ask questions on the Southern Storm Forum on the Matrix Games site about this Blog and any others. Next week, we will return to the AI for the final Development Blog.
Until then, have a great week!
Asid:
Flashpoint Campaigns Southern Storm - #6 Dev Log
Wed Nov 16, 2022
AI – Building a Better Brain
Today’s deep dive will look into Southern Storm’s AI (Artificial Intelligence) and what our game does in terms of having some form of “intelligent” gameplay.
AI, Doctrine, and Battle Plans
In this development log, we want to highlight several AI (artificial intelligence) changes that make Flashpoint Campaigns: Southern Storm a better Cold War game that is more fun to play.
In Flashpoint Campaigns, the AI serves two critical roles:
Low-level unit behavior, where the AI executes orders from you and your opponent to the best of its ability. The better it does this, the more you, as commander, can focus on fighting the battle.High-level Course-of-Action selection, where the AI comes up with an overall plan for the battle, sets objectives for larger groups, monitors progress, and makes adjustments where necessary. The better it does this, the more interesting it is to play scenarios against the computer player, and the easier it is to create your own exciting scenarios.We are first going to look at the high-level behavior and how the new Battle Plans help the AI to fight with more variety and with more appropriate tactics for the era and forces involved.
Next, we will look at the low-level unit behaviors, how they facilitate fighting with Soviet Forward Security Elements, and how they help perform river crossing and minefield breaches.
High-Level AI and Battle Plans
Our starting point has been Red Storm’s high-level AI, which is a competent computer player. One nice feature of the Computer Player is how it relies on “intel” as much, if not more, than the human player. It develops plans based on what it observes (and does not observe). You can blind it by destroying its reconnaissance units. And you can bait it to reinforce the wrong flank by showing forces on the flank while hiding your forces on the other flank. Reconnaissance and the fight for intel are essential parts of Flashpoint Campaigns.
Screenshot 1: Showing the ‘ground truth’ of Bundeswehr and Soviet units on the big map, and the Bundeswehr computer player’s situation map (inset map), clearly showing an incomplete picture of the Soviet advance due to limited intel.
The Computer Player’s reliance on intel did have a downside in Red Storm. The Computer Player lacks useful intel at the start of the battle, when no hostile forces have been spotted, whereas the human player has the mission briefing on working from. Scenario designers did try to assist the Computer Player by placing objectives in various spots and of varying value on the map. Although that often worked well, as demonstrated by classic Red Storm battles such as ‘A Time to Dance,’ the Computer Player had become more predictable, and scenario designers sometimes struggled to make the Computer Player fight according to a specific doctrine.
Battle Plans to Define Opening Moves
For Southern Storm, we set out to improve this and introduced Battle Plans. Basically, a Battle Plan is a set of scenario designer-defined course of actions (COAs) consisting of initial locations and a set of initial high-level orders for groups of units. Southern Storm’s single-player scenarios come with multiple Battle Plans and the option to play against a random selection from those Battle Plans.
A Battle Plan, defining initial locations and orders for units, offers the scenario designer more control. The scenario designer, for example, can direct groups along a flank or specific roads, plan opening barrages, space out attacks to match a country’s doctrine, and have groups hold on to a location for a specific duration and fall back afterward.
Screenshot 2: Showing a Soviet battle plan for one of the tutorial scenarios, with an AT group being directed to occupy the forest area south of Schwenningen. Once in position, the Computer Player will use the AT group as the situation demands.
Battle Plans are not scripted. Instead, Battle Plans integrate fully with the Computer Player acting and reacting on intel. The Computer Player is aware of the Battle Plan, will issue orders to any group without Battle Plan orders, and also will resume command of any group that has completed (or even failed) the Battle Plan orders. In other words, Battle Plans enable the scenario designer to define the opening moves for the Computer Player, adding variation and doctrine, and leave the remainder of the battle to the Computer Player to fight, based on a more solid intelligence picture at that time.
Unit Level AI Improvements
The Unit level AI interprets the player’s orders when issued and later executes these during the turn resolution. First of all, Red Storm’s unit-level AI has been updated to match Southern Storm’s enhancements, for example, the Standard Operating Procedure settings, helicopter ‘Hunt’ behavior, and combat engineer actions.
The Unit level AI has been improved to make it easier for the Commander (you as the player or the Computer Player) to command and apply Cold War tactics, for example, with Soviet Forward Detachments and obstacle breaching.
Forward Security Elements Made Easy
Soviet Forward Security Elements (FSE) served as the advance guard. The FSEs were combined arms teams, moving at speed ahead of the main force, with the aim to deal autonomously with minor opposition and seize and hold critical points. The FSE included mobile artillery, which could deploy from the move when called upon to suppress threats identified by the FSE. The FSE’s mobile artillery would respond quickly, being within range and the same command net. And it would continue to move with the FSE after completing its fire missions.
In Southern Storm, you can organize your FSE and see it act accordingly. First, task organize a combined arms team. Next, instruct this FSE’s mobile artillery units to fire solely in support of their own group (the FSE). Finally, select the whole group, and issue a Hasty Movement group order.
During turn resolution, the FSE will automatically shake out in a column formation, with reconnaissance and armor units forward and artillery near the rear. This column will move forward with all its units and engage threats where necessary. If significant threats are identified, units from the FSE will request fire support. After a brief communications delay, the FSE’s mobile artillery units will automatically halt, deploy to fire, execute the barrage(s), and continue moving along the FSE’s path.
Screenshot 3: Seeing the mortar unit being instructed to fire solely in support of its own group (inset) and the FSE moving along the blue path, with the mortar unit (yellow highlight) near the rear in Bad Windsheim.
Screenshot 4: With the mortar unit having interrupted its movement to fire a quick barrage in support of the FSE, suppressing a cavalry unit on the flank.
In the screenshots above, the FSE has the mortar unit halt and fire a mission without waiting for the next orders cycle and the commander to intervene.
Before Southern Storm, units could not accept barrage requests while having movement orders and could not be ordered to solely take fire mission requests from their group.
Commanding Obstacle Crossings and Breaches
For Southern Storm, we have also upgraded the ‘situation map’ used by the AI, with the situation map now including future orders and their effects. Since this may sound a bit abstract, let’s consider a concrete example.
On the map, we have an M1 Abrams tank company (with units HQ, 1, 2, and 3) all west of the Brigach minor river. As the commander, I can try ordering this tank company to move to the B33 Bundesstrasse (major road) east of the river. It will initially reject these orders since no intact bridge is available across the Brigach.
Screenshot 5: With B tank company (light green silhouettes) unable to move to the Brigach east bank lacking a bridge across the Brigach river.
In Southern Storm, combat engineers (including bridging vehicles) are represented as units on the map. So select and order the bridge-layer to move adjacent to the Brigach river. And choose ‘Build Bridge’ for the ‘on arrival’ orders.
As soon as this order has been issued, the AI’s situation map will be updated with a future bridge at the given location, being available from the time the bridging engineer completes traveling to the river bank and constructing the bridge.
Screenshot 6: Ordering a bridging engineer unit to place a mobile bridge across the Brigach river
With bridge construction across the Brigach now being planned in the near future (with the bridge estimated to become available in 115 minutes), we can again order B tank company to move to the B33 road on the east bank. This time, the tank company accepts the order and plots a move across the planned bridge, with its travel times on the east bank reflecting the late availability of the bridge.
Screenshot 7: With B Tank successfully ordered across the Brigach using the future bridge, which is listed in the Engineering staff report
Similar unit-level AI improvements have been made for crossing/clearing minefields. As a commander, you can order an exploitation force to cross the gap before that gap is established. The knowledge that the exploitation force will wait on the near side of the minefield until the gap is created.
Screenshot 8: With the armored exploitation force waiting for the minefield breach to be created before moving through the gaps
The improved AI ‘situation map’ benefit is not limited to better unit-level behavior. Perhaps more important, it also benefits the commander, be it the human player or the Computer Player, who can now issue all orders for a complex river crossing or minefield breach during a single orders phase without being impacted by long orders cycles.
We’re not saying it is easy to orchestrate a river crossing or a minefield breach; they involve a lot of planning. But Southern Storms's AI improvements make these maneuvers feasible in the game.
So Long and Happy Hunting
This is the final Developer Blog as the Game arrives Thursday, November 17th. We hope these deep dives into our work have helped you understand the work that has gone into the new game engine. We also hope it shows we will keep building on what we have done.
Thanks for reading. We hope to hear back from you in the forums about the blogs and the game!
Asid:
Flashpoint Campaigns Southern Storm Out Now
Thu Nov 17, 2022
Flashpoint Campaigns Southern Storm Out Now
Nine years after the release of Flashpoint Campaigns: Red Storm, On Target Simulation returns with a new masterpiece. Flashpoint Campaigns: Southern Storm is finally available, exclusively on the Matrix Games store. Hundreds of meticulously researched platforms and weapons, detailed orders of battle, and realistic modeling of modern combat, including armor, infantry, helicopters, airpower, and chemical and nuclear weapons, all wrapped up with a new user interface and PBEM++ multiplayer support.
Flashpoint Campaigns: Southern Storm has an innovative WEGO asynchronous turn resolution system which models command friction, and it’s set at the height of the Cold War, with the action centered on 1989.
A slick and customizable user interface and a vastly improved and re-modeled gameplay and combat resolution system are only the tip of an iceberg of awesome changes and upgrades that represent an entirely new generation of Flashpoint Campaigns.
Twenty-four stand-alone scenarios and fourteen more linked campaign scenarios spread across three detailed campaigns involve NATO and Warsaw Pact forces from the US, France, Canada, West Germany, the Soviet Union, East Germany, and Czechoslovakia.
Features:
• Your forces will engage the enemy on 20km x 15km or larger rendered real-world map locations. Each hex is 500m of militarily significant terrain. Each battle can last 4 to 24 hours of in-game time.
• Your troops will meet their foes during any time of day and any weather.
• Your efforts in this complex battlespace will be constantly challenged by modeled features like Electronic Warfare, Air Superiority, Realistic Weather, Line of Sight and Fire, Terrain and Elevation, Smoke and Mines, and Human Factors like training, morale, and readiness. All these elements must be considered if you are to be victorious on the battlefield.
• To help you navigate these critical factors, the game is packed with information dialogs, map overlays, and range rings to aid you as Commander, master the situation, and understand the capabilities of your forces.
• Southern Storm covers areas of Southern West Germany on 40 plus maps and an extensive selection of military equipment from 1980 to 1989. You will lead forces from the United States, France, Canada, West Germany, the Soviet Union, East Germany, and Czechoslovakia. These nations will be fighting in many replayable scenarios and campaigns, both in solo efforts or with allied nations fighting by your side.
• You will be immersed in a data-rich simulation where each nation has information on National Characteristics, Command Parameters, and Orders of Battle. Data Tables are packed with era-specific equipment and troops. Weapon Systems of the time, such as guns, missiles, precision munitions, small arms, and much more, are comprehensively modeled.
• As a toolkit, you can create your scenarios and campaigns. You can also dive deeper and create or modify game data, artwork, and sound effects as you see fit. All these modding capabilities are supported by detailed documentation.
Physical Manuals will begin shipping from January 9th, 2023. You will receive a serial number to allow you to start playing the digital download version of the game as soon as you complete your order.
Flashpoint Campaigns Southern Storm Buy Now
https://www.matrixgames.com/game/flashpoint-campaigns-southern-storm
Flashpoint Campaigns Southern Storm in 2 mins
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Flashpoint Campaigns: Southern Storm - Coming Soon on Steam
April 11, 2023
Flashpoint Campaigns: Southern Storm is an asynchronous WE Go turn-based wargame set at the height of the Cold War, with the action centered on the year 1989.
It features a mix of 25 stand-alone and 18 linked campaign scenarios in four detailed campaigns involving NATO and Warsaw Pact forces from the US, France, Canada, West Germany, Soviet Union, East Germany and Czechoslovakia.
On April 20th the game will be released on Steam.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2366530/Flashpoint_Campaigns_Southern_Storm/
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