Hi all, after some time on the back burner the TR Scenario Design Team will be staging the very first ABS Event. If you want "fog of war" & realistic battle conditions in the air, then you've come to the right place !! Make no mistake, this event should make your palms sweat. There are NO second chances & your abilty to stay alive will play a large part in how your team fares. You want to see how good you REALLY are ??
Read on.....................
Air Battle Series Number One - "The Fog of War" This scenario has been designed to be used in special server environment as a test of no-icons missions playability. It will be run as part of the Air Battle Series events that I co-design. The idea is the result of a poll taken few months back. I've asked if TR players want to test no-icons scenario. Though there were some concerns, most agreed it is worth at least making an experiment. So here it comes.
This Scenario is not historic, but historical. In other words it is inspired by mission reports I've seen. It was designed so that no-icon environment can provide greatest immersion.
Background:On the previous day a USN submarine conducted a successful attack on a small Japanese convoy northeast of Bougainville. In the morning the USN has dispatched recon flights, which have determined that the Japanese have dispersed the convoy. Two of the ships have managed to reach north-eastern coast of Choiseul Island. They are currently moving NW along the coast at full speed and without any escort. The USN cannot miss the opportunity to send the cargo they carry to the bottom.
The Japanese will not resign to the inevitable and they therefore try to hastily provide some cover for the ships.
In this scenario the intelligence is limited, with the situation changing and operations planned in haste. Beaufighter MkVI are dispatched from Munda with orders to sink the ships and P-51 from Seghe (Sigi Point) are to meet them on the way to target area. The Allies have to find and sink the ships and disengage before the Japanese manage to disrupt the party.
Lack of icons and unknown target position will add to confusion. As in real life, it may be hard to meet the escorts, it may be impossible to find the target and the enemy may turn out to be very sneaky. Speed, discipline, teamwork and mastery of own aircraft are the keys not only to the success, but also to survival.
Order of Battle:Allies: Beaufighter MkVI and P-51D.
Japanese: A6M5 Model 52 Zero.
The players will have to register and will be assigned to their units by the organizers. You can state your preferences and we will try to respect them, but balancing the scenario may take precedence - you will be safest if you practice in all three aircraft types before the event.
Squads should state the number of pilots they want to provide and units they want to be part of. We will try not to divide the squadrons, but obviously balance concerns may force us to divide some squads between units or even between the sides.
Both in players and squads cases the "first-come-first-served" rule is observed, but independent players are more likely to be moved to the units they didn't requested. Join a squad and fight in a team - you will be better off anyway.
Rules:This Event is life-limited. Players have one life only and unless there is a very special situation, there is no chance to get another one (for example disconnection problem at the very beginning of the event and without any prior damage). Players who die on take off or due to serious pilot mistakes (engine overheat etc.) won't get other lives, so please practice not only taking off in the three aircraft listed above, but also practice taking off with heavy ordnance, external fuel etc.
Friendly fire is also possible, so avoid taking risky shots.
Certain functions assisting pilots may get disabled to provide for more equal and pilot-skill driven battle. (For example: external views, auto-cooling and auto-blower on planes not equipped with one, enemy view, free view, full autopilot etc.).
It is suggested that both sides nominate a Commanding Officer who will plan the operations. The scenario has pre-planned missions for both sides, but the CO can modify them if he feels it will help his side and won't create too much confusion. CO should take the server settings into consideration though and remember that friend or foe identification may be serious problem and it's better to avoid situations which may cause confusion. (For example splitting fighter groups and making their patrol paths unpredictable for other friendly units). All plans should be clearly explained to all members before missions start.
The flight time to target is not extensive, but you should reserve at least 1h30m for the event as it may take much longer than planned to bring home a damaged plane or to find a target.
Times:At this stage, it is planned to run the Event at one time only. This may change as circumstances permit.
0200hrs UTC(GMT)SUNDAY 1st AUG 2004
2200hrs US EDT SATURDAY 31st JULY 2004
1100hrs Tokyo SUNDAY 1st AUG 2004
1200hrs Australian EST SUNDAY 1st AUG 2004
RegistrationDon't forget the event requires pre-registering. At this stage, registration will be via contacting Zabatt or Baders. Please use these email addresses; k_zabkoATmac.com or badersATinternode.on.net providing the following details;
EXACT Targetware handle (this is important);
Squad member ??;
Squad;
Side preference;
Aircraft preference;
Good luck to all the participants & make sure you put your survival hat on
!
Baders and Zabatt
Target Rabaul Scenario Design Team.
