All content is (C) 2007 AGSI. May not be reproduced or quoted without written permission of AGSI.
Terms of Use
H3 ANW Advanced Manual
From AGSI
Revised v373
Welcome to the Harpoon 3 ANW Advanced Manual. Here we'll be describing some of the more advanced features available for the H3 user. This wiki page has been developed to collate all the data available into one page for the ease of the user.
Anyone who is intrested in Harpoon, Naval Warfare, or just wish to add to the content are invited to create a wiki account and have at it.
New Features
New Display Elements
- A hotkey "N" has been added to the game to toggle mouseover text. Also a menu item.
- A hotkey "S" has been added to the game to toggle map displays
- A Staff Alert indicator added to status window. Picture forthcoming 3.7.2.4
Custom screen resolution allow much more flexibility in setting Harpoon 3 window size
The Harpoon 3 game engine and Launcher have been adjusted to give you much more flexibility in managing the Harpoon 3 screen size. You can now set the width and height of your Harpoon 3 window to arbitrary values up to a little bit below the resolution of your Windows desktop. Go ahead and play Harpoon 3 on the huge screens with your custom resolution.
New behavior of Numpad 9 key in Formation Editor
In Version 3.7.1 and later, you may use the Unit/Group Display Toggle key ("Numpad 9") to enable the display of contacts and friendly units not in the formation. In the formation editor, the key rotates through 3 states:
- Not Showing Non-Group units -- This only displays units that are part of the target group for the formation editor
- Showing Non-Group units individually -- This displays contacts and friendly units that are not part of the target group as individual units
- Showing Non-Group units as groups -- This displays contacts as individual units, except for contacts that are part of land bases; and friendly units as groups, except for those which are not part of any group.
Units that are part of the target group for the formation editor are always displayed as individual units. The formation editor window always opens in "Not Showing Non-Group units" mode.
When all your units are destroyed in multiplayer you can now continue as spectator
Continuing after being defeated gives now puts you in spectator mode in commercial MP, gives you the spectator side select dialog.
Enforce real time setting can now be set in all difficulty modes in the Launcher
The Launcher now gives you the option to activate the Enforce real time option for all difficulty levels.
Changes to non-BOL capable non-Datalinked weapons
Weapons that don't have the BOL flag set and that don't have a Datalink to the launching platform will now have to be able to see their target before they are launched. These weapons are assumed to require their own sensors to lock on to the target (think Sidewinder) before they are launched. DB authors will probably want to set the BOL flag or add datalinks to most SSMs as most of those weapons are able to fly part of the way without direct lock onto their target.
Other Enhancements/Adjustments
- New S/N checker
- Datalinked weapon retargeting
- Fine-grained altitude system (in meters)
- RunInWindow is no longer an .opt file, but can now be changed in the Harpoon3.ini or through the Launcher
- DIS code merged into Pro and thus main code base, .x indicates that we are using the Build Field to reduce the frequency of updates to versions here.
Bug fixes
Major bugs fixed
- If Enforced Real Time is enabled savegames can now be started again
- Navigation bug "Illegal path error"
- Mismatch between local time and local light conditions -- the earth now turns in the correct direction
- Torpedoes should no longer come back to kill sub
- ScenEdit: Hitting Add A/c twice in ScenEdit will no longer open two windows
- ScenEdit: Deletion of side in ScenEdit will no longer cause a crash
- ScenEdit: Orders for remaining side will no longer disappear when other sides are deleted
- Ferry missions will no longer crash if they try to ferry to a base / ship that has been destroyed
- ScenEdit: Protect Station Victory Condition will no longer revert to On Station ViCond
- ScenEdit: Edit Aircraft function does now respect Time/Country restrictions
- The game should no longer slow down excessively after Tomahawk missiles are launched
Minor fixes
- Fixed: Installations can no longer have components inserted over water
- 0001581: [UI] Keyboard NUMPAD mapping doesn't seem to work on some laptops (Russell)
- 0001585: [Installer] Odd back-up Files (ddearing)
- 0001584: [Installer] Tutorial Battleset not in Scene Selection (ddearing)
- "Unit dropping sonobouy" message spelling corrected
- Spelling in Tactical Legend window fixed
Harpoon 3 ANW for Macintosh
AGSI is especially indebted to Kip Allen for all the work he has done to get Harpoon 3ANW to work on Macintosh Platforms. Harpoon was initially offered on Mac platforms and we to be able to continue this in the future.
We solicit feedback on these and will happily expand this page to collect all available testing/knowledge
Game Install
<looking for anything special on this>
Setup
Virtual PC specific
1. Start Virtual PC. When Windows is operational, press the COMMAND key to access OS X and then click on the Virtual PC icon in the dock. Hit COMMAND T to open PC Settings. Click on Mouse Settings and uncheck the "PC cursor tracks Mac’s mouse" box. If this is not done, the player will experience a double cursor when the game starts as it tries to track both the Windows and Mac cursors.
- Note that to transfer files or programs from Mac to the Windows operating system, the “PC cursor tracks Mac’s mouse†box should be checked. But remember to uncheck it again before playing Harpoon AWR.
2. Screen resolution. This is resolved by starting Harpoon. This brings up a screen with a series of tab choices. Click on the .opt-file tab. Disable the RunInWindow.opt file. Then click on the Video and Sound tab. Adjust the screen resolution, for example to 1024 x 768. This gives full-screen play. If this is not done, the menu disappears at the top of the screen. The proper resolution may vary depending upon type of monitor. The player may have to experiment to find the proper setting.
Multiplayer
<notes forthcoming>
Other
It is important that the mouse setting is adjusted first. If not, the pointer will be uncontrollable when attempting to adjust resolution.
- Fortunately, Harpoon ANW is not especially graphic-intensive, so using an emulator does not substantially degrade the course of play.
- The infamous Mac ESM bug is gone. At last, Mac players have an idea what type platform is radiating.
- Another problem that is cleared up is the refueling bug. It now works, which adds an entirely new dimension to play.
- The best feature is multiplayer. Not only can players face each other across the Internet or LAN, but also they may communicate with each other or even participate as a spectator in someone else’s game.
- There are a myriad of bugs that have been corrected and new scenarios available in Harpoon ANW. Macintosh users may fully participate in the Harpoon ANW experience using the Virtual PC emulator.
Harpoon 3 Advanced Naval Warfare Multiplayer User Information
Multiplayer (MP) requires a server; we recommend a 1.5 GHz system with 256mb of RAM or better. Then you’ll need one or more clients. The game’s AI is offline in the MP products. It is possible for one machine to be both Server and a client, but performance suffers accordingly.
The illustrations are presently Harpoon 3 Pro illustrations, simply ignore the "Umpire" button.
Server Setup
The Server’s .ini file must be modified to establish its name and IP address. The Client’s .ini file must also be modified to point to the Server’s IP address. Both must also specify the Port to listen for or attempt connections on. The Harpoon 3 Advanced Naval Warfare - Launcher allows users to easily make these modifications.
Note it is a courtesy to stipulate the database version and scenarios being offered to another player. The Server can only run one version of the database and should only run scenarios created for that exact version of the database . The Server will push down the database and scenarios to the Clients so they will be consistent.
Here are the most basic considerations for setting up and configuring the MP features:
LAN Only
At the command prompt, do an “ipconfig�? and copy the IP address for your active network adapter. That is what the client configurations will need in addition to the server name above. If you choose to run a Client on the Server computer, the loopback address 127.0.0.1 may be used.
If you are behind a router on your LAN you should use your internal IP address for the server. People outside the router (e.g. on the internet) should use your external IP.
WAN Only
We assume (!) you have an external firewall. Therefore you’ll need to take the internal computer’s IP (see above) and tell the firewall to either allow traffic from that IP to and from the Internet OR you’ll need to establish a DMZ for that IP. Note the port setting in the INI file will also have to be opened up. We do not use UDP ports, just the one TCP Port, which defaults to 14342. Report this Port, Servername and your external IP on the IRC channel to allow for real time setup and coordination. The WAN clients will need to use the IP of the firewall. AGSI cannot provide you support, nor be responsible for, any changes you make to your firewall
LAN and WAN
The Server is setup as above, and then the WAN steps are followed for the WAN clients and the LAN steps for the LAN clients.
Figure 6 - Server Screen (H3 Pro MP)
Additions to the Configuration File
Any directory can also be specified as relative to the directory the program is started from by starting with "\". For example: If the program is started from "C:\Harpoon3" and a directory entry in the .ini file reads "\resource" the program will use "C:\Harpoon3\resource" for that path.
H3 ANW INI entry for Multi-Player Connections
;========================================= ; Multiplayer Connection Info ; ServerIP is the IP address for the game server (not used by the game server itself) ; ServerPort is the IP listening port for the game server ; PlayerName is the name to use as the players handle in the game ;========================================= ServerName BIGJP ServerIP 127.0.0.1 ServerPort 14342 PlayerName LITTLEJP VCRout OFF
These are the multiplayer settings of Harpoon 3TM ANW. Server name is only important when you are planning to run your own server. Give it any name you want :) ServerIP on the other hand is only important when you want to connect to another server. You will need to find out the IP of the computer where the server is run. The player that sets up the server will be required to inform other players of the IP. The server port is 14342 as default and most people that run a server will leave it at that setting. PlayerName is pretty straightforward, that's your name. VCRout is the toggle switch for the VCR feature included in Harpoon3 ANW, the launcher that comes with the installed version now handles it. VCR files will be saved to your scenario folder if it is activated and will require the scenario file to view on playback as the VCR file needs it to create the scenario environment.
H3 MP Log INI setting
; ======================================== ; Default Window Scheme ; ======================================== WindowScheme D:\Harpoon 3 ANW\DEFAULT.SCH Harpoon 3TM ANW allows you to specify a default window scheme that is applied when you load a scenario if you have the little checkbox at the scenario load screen checked. ;======================================== ;MP Chat Logging Settings ;MPLogging ON|OFF ;MPLogDir e.g. c:\Harpoon 3 ANW\MPlogs ; ======================================== MPLogging ON MPLogDir .\MPlogs
These settings allow you to specify a folder where the Multiplayer chat logs will be saved and toggle the logging of the chat on and off.
Routers and Firewalls:
First we’d like to point out that there are too many brand names and models of router to count. Because of this we can’t go into detail here about specific settings and compatibility issues that are needed to run multiplayer sessions in Harpoon III ANW. Instead we can only provide a general over-view of the basic requirements that are needed to allow Harpoon III ANW to operate in a routing environment. Obviously in a multiplayer session the client computers need to be able to establish a connection with the multiplayer server. This should not usually pose too much of a problem for people that are not interested in running the server and only want to connect to a multiplayer session (of course some exceptions like specially protected networks - e.g. school/military networks – apply). Setting up a router to support running a multiplayer server on the other hand requires some knowledge in networking and specific router settings.
Connecting to a multiplayer server through a router and/or firewall:
In most cases connecting to a server through a router or firewall should be fairly straightforward. Most software firewalls will pop up a notification window after starting the Harpoon 3 ANW client informing the user that the program is trying to connect to the Internet. Usually the user will be given the option to allow the connection or to block it. Obviously to function properly Harpoon 3 ANW will need this capability. Additionally the router will have to let the originating traffic to port 14342 pass through (most will do this without any problems or specific settings).
Setting up a multiplayer server with a router and/or firewall: Setting up a multiplayer server in a router/firewall environment is very different from just using the client to connect to a remote server. Routers and Firewalls are specifically designed to protect your computer from attacks from the outside. Because of this they are usually set up to not allow any incoming connections from other computers on the Internet. In order to run a multiplayer server these protective measures will need to be somewhat weakened in order to allow other players to connect to your computer.
Firewalls usually block all traffic from the outside and need to be specifically told that connections coming in on port 14342 should be allowed to pass through to the Harpoon 3 ANW server. How this is accomplished varies greatly from one firewall software to the other and users should consult the various manuals on how to allow this.
In addition to the hardware firewall often integrated in routers (which principally pose the same problem software routers do) routers face an additional problem. When seen from the Internet the router has only one IP address although there might be more than one computer connected to it. Because of this the router needs to know which of the connected computers is the target of an incoming connection attempts on port 14342. Some router manufacturers call this setting Virtual Server or Port forwarding and users should refer to the different user manuals of their routers on how this can be accomplished.
In general, to allow your router to operate H3 ANW you must do the following:
- Ensure that your software firewall allows H3 ANW to establish outgoing connections to port 14342 (client)
- Ensure that your router allows H3 ANW to establish outgoing connections to port 14342 (client)
- Ensure that your software firewall allows incoming connections to contact the H3 ANW software on port 14342 (server)
- Ensure that your router allows incoming connections to port 14342 (server)
- Ensure that your router knows which computer on the local network should receive incoming connection attempts on port 14342 and forwards all packets to it (server)
Like we said above, consult your router’s manual as each router has different commands to accomplish the same thing. AGSI has also set up an IRC channel on the Gamesurge system (#harpoon) and there are people there that can help you get connected.
Client Setup
The players will then modify their .ini files (as per above). The host will then start his server followed by the players starting their clients, and the multiplayer session will begin. There may be a brief delay as the host database is uploaded to each client. Keep in mind that the host may also run a client separate from the server, allowing him/her to be a player as well. This will cause a performance hit, especially in the beta.
Lobby
The Clients will now be logged into the main lobby. The lobby allows you to chat and set up games as well as creating a session (i.e. a multiplayer game). You create a session by having one player click the Create Session button, which then prompts the player to name the session. Everyone can then see the created session. They then join via the "Join Session". button.
Figure 7 - Lobby (H3 MP Pro)
Battle Set/Scenario Selection
The controlling client that created the session will then be able to choose the Battle Set. These are intuitive and similar to the normal H3 scenario selection.
Side/Role Selection
From there the controlling client then assigns each player to a side. Players can be assigned to any side within a scenario and can also be assigned to a side called “Spectator�?. This side allows players to view the game from the sidelines, offering a number of viewpoints to watch from. However, a spectator may not issue orders to any units. This also precludes the spectator viewing dialogs from which such orders may be given, such as the Launch/Ready Aircraft Dialog. Once side selection is completed the controlling client initiates the game and the game begins.
Figure 8 - Sides & Roles (H3 MP Pro)
Basic Game Play
Game play is very close to Harpoon 3 Single Player. Please consult the Harpoon 3 Advanced Naval Warfare manual if you have any questions. All games will be played to their duration unless terminated early by clients or server. The victory screen will appear as normal, displaying game results. You then have the option of exiting the game or returning to the lobby for another session.
Changes in Play
Time Compression is handled differently in the MP products than in Single Player Harpoon 3. Basically it operates on a veto basis. The lowest setting of any human player (see AI players below) is the value that is used. This does introduce the artificial aspect of someone decreasing the Time Compression in order to plan and launch an attack or just to unnerve an opponent. The Game Status window in MP has an additional Time Compression display showing your requested time compression, below the current time compression. The procedure for creating a mission in the Mission Editor has changed slightly. You will notice that you do not have "Edit Now" option available in your Mission Editor Menu. The reason why is that the game will need to send an update prior to you adding the unit to properly implement the mission. As such after you create the mission and exit out of the Mission Editor you will have then "Edit" that mission to assign platforms to the mission. Missions function as they always have so there is no change in behavior just procedure.
Additions to Play
MP offers a built-in Chat feature. This is accessed by pressing control plus the “C�? key (Ctrl+c). A small chat console will then appear allowing you to type a short message and send it by pressing okay or enter. This message will appear for all clients and in the Server’s message window. At the bottom of the chat window is a small checkbox that will allow you to either speak to all players or just your own network. In this case your network is any side that is allied to you. The box is not checked by default and you will want to make sure the box is checked or un-checked depending on what information you want to pass on.
The Spectator Feature provides a new dialog box that allows the Client to select which Side they will see – or to choose ALL sides.
Other Changes from Single Player Harpoon
The nature of MP play means that there is going to be a higher load on the program engine to accomplish the same things. This means that single player games will run slightly slower in MP than they would in single player ANW. To this end AGSI recommends that dedicated MP scenarios be no large than 500kb in size.
Harpoon 3 Advanced Naval Warfare Multiplayer Technical Information
General Diagnostics
- Can you browse the Internet?
- Do you have a firewall on your computer?
- Do you have a firewall on your home network?
Specific Tools
- Ping
- Tracert
VCR - All Versions (SP/MP/Pro SP/Pro MP)
Activation
VCR can be enabled using the VCR Tickbox in the Harpoon III ANW Launcher as shown here:
Or it can be enabled from within your harpoon.ini file as illustrated here:
;================================ ; VCR Switch ON | OFF ;================================ VCRout ON
To switch the feature on and off you simply change the OFF to ON. Once this is complete please make sure to save the file so that the .ini file is properly updated.
Keep in mind that on slower machines, there will be a noticeable performance hit with this feature on and with all machines, it will QUICKLY consume hard disk space.
This also means, until we figure out some way to selectively remove some of the fat, these are going to be really hard to share.
Recording
To record a session, you simply play and complete a game in a normal fashion. Each game session creates a single VCR file as described below. The VCR files are written to your \Scenario directory. The format of the file names is “session.001.vcr�? and each scenario you record after the first will be numbered sequentially (“session.002.vcr�?, “session.003.vcr�?...). Moving the files out of the directory or deleting them will start the sequence again. Please be sure to not modify the names or format of these files.
Playback
To playback a VCR file, you must have it in the \scenario folder with the Scenario it was created from. Run the Harpoon exe and click the "VCR Playback" button on the scenario selection window when the application opens.
Figure 4 - VCR Loading Option (Pro)
Just as you select a scenario you will select the .vcr file you would like to view and complete the process by clicking "Ok". Your recorded scenario will load with a Playback Control Menu and Viewpoint Selection Menu superimposed over the typical Harpoon display. These menus can be moved to any part of your window with a click and drag to allow you to set up their appearance as you wish.
The "Playback Control Menu" should look very similar to the interface of your home VCR or DVD player and acts in the same manner with a few unique features.
Figure 5 - VCR Features (Pro)
Buttons and Functions of the Playback Control Menu:
| Play | This plays the recording in normal game speed. |
|---|---|
| Reverse* | Pro: This reverses the recording in normal game speed |
| Pause | This pauses a recording in any playback setting |
| Fast Forward | This plays the recording at an accelerated rate of speed. |
| Forward Step | This plays the recording forward by one time increment. |
| Rewind* | Pro: This reverses the recording at an accelerated rate of speed. |
| Back Step* | Pro: This reverses the recording by one time increment. |
| End Playback | This ends the Playback session. Pro version – prompts the user to the Side Selection menu so they may play the game from the point where the playback was ended. |
The "Viewpoint Selection Menu" relates to the basic VCR functionality. It consists of two drop down menus and a Show All button.
Dropdown Menus and Button of the Viewpoint Control Menu:
| Current Side Menu | This drop down menu allows you to view from the side of your choice by click and dragging to the side you choose. |
|---|---|
| Current Network
Menu | This drop down menu allows you to view the recording from the perspective of a unit within your current side of choice by clicking and dragging to the specific unit |
| Show All Button | Clicking this button allows you to view all units from all sides of the game. |
VCR H3 Pro
The Hot Wash Up/Replay VCR feature is a fully integrated tool allowing instructor and student to fully review and modify each scenario recorded from the Harpoon Pro Single Player and Multi-player applications. Different viewpoint options allow users to view the scenario from any perspective featured in the scenario including an omnipotent viewpoint. These features make the VCR feature a useful tool for the schoolhouse or exercise environment
Back to main: Beta Main
Batch Conversion
First off, we wish to acknowledge Ragnar Emsoy who originally crafted this tool with assistance from Jesse Spears. When Darrel took over as Lead, Ragnar's tool was integrated into the Scenario Editor.
Victory Conditions
Victory Conditions (VCs) are one of the most difficult aspects of creating a scenario. As a designer you must take the conflict resolution ideas from the scenario design phase and make the concrete and feasible within the confines of Harpoon 3.
Levels
VCs are composed of levels. A level is essentially a set of scenario objectives. To successfully complete a level, ALL of the objectives within that level must be accomplished.
To increase the flexibility of what constitutes a "victory," multiple levels (each with it’s own set of scenario objectives) can be included.
The connector between each level is an "or" statement. Therefore if all the scenario objectives for the first level OR all the objectives for the second level OR all of the VCs for the third level are met, etc. then you will win the scenario.
Because VCs can be a little overwhelming at first, we will walk through the function of each of the buttons. There are nine of them in the VC dialog box:
Next Level
Use this button to scroll ‘down’ the list of VC Levels
Top Level
When you initially enter VCs, there is only one level; therefore it is the top level. However, once you create multiple levels, it is easy to become confused about which level you are currently editing. The Top Level button will always take you to the top level of the VCs.
Add Composite
See Below.
Add Damage
Pressing this button will bring up the Damage Enemies VC. In this dialog box you can compose a list of specific units, or types of units that must be damaged to a given percentage to accomplish this scenario objective.
Number of Units – The number entered in this field should not exceed the number o units in the listed set.
Percent Damage – This sets the percentage of damage that a unit must sustain in order for it to count towards the VC. Example: Four units at 100% means that four units must be destroyed. Four units at 50% means four units must be severely damaged.
Another possible application of the Percent Damage field is in a scenario where one side has an extreme defensive advantage. You can make the number of units equal 1 and the percentage to equal 5 as a way to simulate a ‘political’ victory of sorts. If a side can prove to the populace of his enemy that it can inflict damage, perhaps the enemy country will back out of a military operation. This will be discussed later in the ‘Defend Units’ section.
Add Type – If you click on the ‘Add Type’ button, you will see the Select Unit Type dialog box. There are four unit types listed: Ship, Sub, Aircraft, and Facility. If you choose ship, anything listed as a ‘ship’ in the database will qualify. This should be used to qualify general types instead of individual units in a scenario.
Add Sub Type – If you lick on this button, you will see a ‘Select Class ID’ box appear. The class name designations are listed in the database annexes under the ‘type’ column. They are widely varied but here are some of the more common ones:
- CVN – Nuclear Powered Carrier (Nimitz)
- CG – Guided Missile Cruiser (Ticonderoga)
- DDG – Guided Missile Destroyer (Burke)
- FFG – Guided Missile Frigate (Perry)
- SSN – Nuclear Powered Submarine (Los Angeles)
- SSK – Conventionally Powered Submarine (Kilo)
- FTR – Fighter (F-14)
- BMR – Bomber (A-6)
- HELO – Helicopter (SH-60)
- MPA – Patrol Aircraft (P-3)
Although the list may contain five DDGs, you only need to select one to qualify all guided missile destroyer classes in the scenario objective.
Add Class – Clicking on this brings up the ‘Select SubType’ dialog box. This is a list similar to the ‘Add a Unit’ dialog box. However, this list includes only those units placed in the scenario.
It is important when adding units to this scenario objective that you do not add your own units. You will not be able to intentionally damage them and therefore you will not be able to meet the VC.
Add Unit – This button brings up the ‘Select Unit’ dialog box. Note the similarity to the ‘Select Class’ dialog box. However, when you select an item here, you are selecting a specific unit as opposed to a whole class of units. If you have multiple targets in the scenario, and you have not given them individual names, you will not be able to differentiate them in the list.
Delete – Selecting any item and pressing this button will remove it from the list.
Add Protect
If you click on the ‘Add Protect’ Button, you will see the Protect Friendlies VC dialog box. This is nearly identical to the ‘Add Damage’ scenario objective except that instead of listing enemy units to damage, you are listing your units or those on your communications net (allied sides).
The other significant distinction is that if the numbers of your units entered in the ‘Number of Units’ field suffer the amount of damage listed in the ‘Percent Damage’ field then this VC is not meant.
Example: if you enter four units with 100% damage as a VC then no more than THREE of the listed units can be destroyed. The ‘Add Protect’ dialog box has the same buttons as the ‘Add Damage’ box and they function in a similar manner.
Add Station
Clicking on this button brings up the ‘On Station Victory Conditions’ box. You use this option to define a scenario objective dependant on a certain unit(s) reaching an area (i.e. and amphibious assault force reaching a beachhead).
The ‘On Station’ dialog box has many of the same components as the ‘Add Damage’ and ‘Add Protect’ boxes.
Relative vs. Absolute - Clicking on the ‘Relative’ button will cause it to toggle to ‘Absolute’. This primary difference between relative and absolute is in the time fields at the top of the box. If you have relative selected, the clock will start counting toward the objective when the selected unit reaches the designated area. (For example, to simulate the time needed to sweep an area clear of mines). If absolute is selected the clock starts at the time listed in the ‘Start Time’ field.
Start Time – The time listed in hours and minutes from the time the scenario begins that the clock starts.
Delta Time – The length of time a listed unit must remain on station in the designate area or be excluded from it. This is a single contiguous duration, not the sum of fragments spent in or out of the designated area.
Set Poly – To demonstrate the ‘Set Poly’ option, move both dialog boxes out of the way for a clear view of the tactical map. Make sure that the ‘Set Poly’ button is visible so you can press it.
Press the ‘Set Poly’ button then, using your mouse, drag a square over the map. You can then move the dialog boxes back in place and select ok. When you select the ‘Add Station’ VC the area you selected should appear on the map. The zone will not initially appear when you first draw it, only after you close out of the ‘Add Station’ dialog box and get back to the main VC box.
It’s important to note that the last area you drag-select with the mouse is the area that will be used. At this time the user cannot select multiple areas for one VC. Remember that with a Delta Time of 0, the moment a listed unit enters the area designated by the ‘Set Poly’, the objective is met.
Add Protect Station
This button will bring up the ‘Defend Station’ VC. It is similar to ‘Add Station’, except in the case of this scenario objective, you must exclude the enemy from entering the designated area. If you have Relative toggled then the clock will start as soon as you start the scenario. If Absolute is toggled then the clock will start at the time designated in the ‘Start Time’ field discussed above.
The Delta Time for the Defend Station box counts for as long as the listed units are NOT in the area defined using the ‘Set Poly’ command. If a listed unit enters the area then the clock will reset to zero. Remember that you must successfully keep units out of the designated area for the full Delta Time to accomplish this VC. Therefore, if enemy units of the type proscribed enter the area, they must be destroyed with enough game time left to accomplish the Delta Time or that VC is lost.
An example where this can be used is to mark off an area to prevent a recon aircraft from detecting your secret cache of chemical weapons. The area should be as big as the sensors on the aircraft to prevent detection.
Be mindful of the scenario duration when deciding upon VCs. Travel time will be a factor in all scenarios and you must take that into account when deciding upon VCs and scenario duration.
Modify
This button can be used to change any of the parameters of the VCs that you have already set up.
Additional Changes Made to Victory Conditions in Harpoon III ANW
As updated for v3.7 Composite Victory Conditions (VC) are used to aggregate the VCs it contains.
The number of conditions setting is the number of contained VCs that must be met for the composite VC to be considered met. Thus a setting of 1 would be the equivalent of a logical "OR" (any single contained VC being met will meet the composite VC as well), a setting equal to the number of contained conditions would be the equivalent of a logical "AND" (all contained VCs must be met), and any intermediate number would be "X of Y" (any X of the Y contained VCs being met, meets the composite VC).
Composite VCs can contain other composite VCs, so you can make any combination of conditions. When adding/editing composite VCs, the "Down Level" button changes the view to the VCs contained in the currently selected VC, if it is of composite type. The "Up Level" button changes the view to the level of the containing composite VC, if you are looking at a set of contained VCs (i.e. previously went "Down" a level from a composite VC). Unless a side has only a single VC, the top VC for it should always be a composite. Notes are from Darrel Dearing as posted 19 JUNE 2005 to AGSI Forum.
--Uncle Harpoon 17:49, 19 Jun 2005 (CDT)
Composite Victory Conditions
There’s a new format to setting Victory Conditions (VCs) in Harpoon III.
A Composite VC (CVC) is used to collect and combine the VCs that are below it. It in affect, adds an "and" or "or" to the VC dialogue. This is the primary reason why v3.7 scenarios are not compatible with the v3.6.3 program engine.
Previously a scenario author would use different levels of VCs to indicate the "and/or" function. The new format has the CVC indicating the logic switches.
In v3.7 practice, the CVC must be on top and then you can use the "down level" button to create the first level of VCs. At that point you would create the VCs normally. However you can modify the and/or switch inside each level by altering the CVC.
The CVC itself is just a number value that you can change by selecting it and hitting the modify button. The number value indicates which of the and/or switch is in effect. If the CVC value is lower than the number of VCs in the level below that CVC then the "or" switch is in effect. If the CVC value is the same as the number of VCs then the "and" switch is in effect.
Examples:
Top Level Composite = 2
Next Level:
- VC1 = Protect Station
- VC2 = Destroy Units
- VC3 = Protect Units
In this case the VC would be “To Protect Station OR Destroy Units OR Protect Units�?
Top Level Composite = 3
Next Level:
- VC1 = Protect Station
- VC2 = Destroy Units
- VC3 = Protect Units
In this case the VC would be “To Protect Station AND Destroy Units AND Protect Units�?
Top Level Composite = 2
Next Level:
- VC1 = Protect Station
- VC2 = Destroy Units
- VC3 = Composite = 3
Next Level:
- VC1 = Protect Station
- VC2 = Destroy Units
- VC3 = Protect Units
In this case the VCs are “To Protect Station AND Destroy Units�? OR “To Protect Station AND Destroy Units AND Protect Units�?
In short:
CVC Value = # of VCs = AND
CVC Value < # of VCs = OR
Other 3.7.3 Details
Errata
Revised v373
