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Building Armored Task Force Scenarios

1. Cancel 6l How to Cancel Mission The basic method for building a Faction AI script is to first plan paths for enemy hierarchies then plan Missions for enemy hierarchies and then finally create a Faction AI that triggers units to begin movement and execute Missions as triggers are met Cancel a Mission When a hierarchy s Mission is canceled it remembers all of the settings you gave it including objectives and locations picked on the map When the Faction AI re initiates the mission the hierarchy will default to its last Mission settings and the Mission will be conducted just as you planned it 1 Right click on a hierarchy and select None from the Mission submenu The unit s mission will be canceled eee eee ee Pe Path Edit E Orders T y Tor F te P a Pa al Ari J r 5 p d a r fan fu f p None Ee 7 a SOP a Support By Fire ecall Detachec Av Attack By Fire Formation i Mission TACSOP El einen gt Create Package R Screen How to Add the Position Area Mission The basic method for building a Faction AI script is to first plan paths for enemy hierarchies then plan Missions for enemy hierarchies and then finally create a Faction AI that triggers units to begin movement and execute Missions as triggers are met Now that we have planned all of the enemy paths it is time to continue planning Missions for enemy hierarchies If an enemy hierar
2. breaking_in_friendly fob E fuldad_friendly fob E death valley _defense tob High_ ngle_Hell_fiendly fob E Deep_Strike_Delta friendly fob iraq_attack3_friendly fob S OMz_Sweep_friendly fob iraq_attack4_friendly fob E DMZ Sweep_Il_friendly tob Koksan_Approach_triendly fob ls u a File name Friendly Obstacle Array fob a ers Enemy or Neutral Obstacle Array eob Be i ae Raia Pie mH Ae ee en ne 112 12 Select the new converted Obstacle Array file extension eob that you just created _ akc Koksan_Fix_enemy aob a ntc3_neutral eob E fal Koksan Fix ene my_O e0b E ntc4_enemy eob A Koksan_Fix_neutral eob ntc4_enemy_O eob e ntc1_enemy eob Siintc4_flip_enemy1 eob ss ntc1_neutral ecb ntc4_flip_enemy eob E nice _enemy eob ntc4_flip_enemy_O eo0b S ntc2_neutral ecb ntc4_ flip _neutral eob E ntcs_enemy eob E ntc4_neutral eob P File name inte Hip enemy eob Files of type Enemy or Neutral Obstacle Array ecb T 13 Select Yes to indicate that you want to load this as the enemy Obstacle Array as opposed to the neutral or allied obstacle array Question Is this an Enemy Obstacle Array Answering No will open this Array as a Neutral Obstacle Array 14 Select Yes to confirm this action Warning There is already a Enemy Obstacle Array loaded This will destroy the current E
3. File name ntc4_flip_friendly hra Files of type Cancel 14 Select Yes to confirm this action Warning Only one Enemy Hierarchy Array maybe loaded at a time This will destroy the current Enemy Hierarchy Array Do you wish to continue T Mo Flip the Obstacle Arrays Obstacles mines wire tank ditches and road craters are stored in Obstacle Arrays There are two types of Obstacle Arrays Friendly Obstacle Arrays with an extension of fob are used by the friendly faction in scenarios Enemy obstacle Arrays with an extension of eob are used by neutral allied and enemy factions in a scenario These file types are not interchangeable Luckily however the ATF Scenario Builder includes a utility to convert enemy Obstacle Arrays to friendly Obstacle Arrays and vice versa 107 The rest of this section provides detailed instructions for flipping Obstacle Arrays But in general the steps are as follows e Convert the enemy Obstacle Array to a new friendly Obstacle Array e Load the converted obstacles as the friendly Obstacle Array e Convert the friendly Obstacle Array to a new enemy Obstacle Array e Load the converted obstacles as the enemy Obstacle Array 1 Select Enemy to Friendly from the Convert sub menu of the Obstacle Menu Obstacle Hole Event Battle Flan Acti Addi i E Gi A Block Add gt pEr E eet Delete ie aeae Pa ques Convert Frie
4. reaches the Helease Point Platoon None 7 The hierarchy will abort the movement if its forces fall below the given percentage A zero means the hierarchy will continue until every vehicle is dead 1I CRPI 919 MRR Attack By Fire X Feleazse Point Location Abort Movement Percentage hf 4 Abort the movement to the p Release Paint if the element ercentage falla below the following percentage of current jo pa strength rea 60 8 If the hierarchy does abort this is the formation it will assume 1 CREJ 919 MRR Attack By Fire Abort Movement Formation Initial Movement f Ad r If the element aborts this Formations mission what formation should it assume Platoon SBF Defense 9 The hierarchy will use the applicable column based on its size to determine the formation to reach the Release Point We use None because the terrain to the Release Point is very restrictive Initial Movement Formation ABF k l ln what formation would you Formations like the element to move to the Release Point Platoon None 10 If this box is checked the hierarchy will dismount at the Release Point and the dismounts will walk to their positions in the SBF Defense formation How would you like the element to approach and assume the Attack By Fire position
5. 10 We can use a single Phase order to give multiple orders to our Faction Last Order Launch Artillery Battalions g W Delete After Execution Cancel if Order Execute Conditions Hierarchy Orders Al Time Limit Add Al Order 1 7 919 MAR AG Add Edit Edit Delete Delete FER 74 11 So we are going to use the same Phase Order to order all of our artillery to move at once Last Order Launch Artillery Battalions ae iY Delete After Execution Cancel Order Execute Conditions Hierarchy Orders Al Time Limit Al Order 1 19 MARAG aag Al Order 2 7 919 MARAG Al Order 3 7 919 MHRRAG Edit Edit Delete Delete FER iF 12 With this phase order completed we continue to add Sustain Orders until we have all of the condition order sets completed that we want to execute in this phase of the battle Remember the AI will continually check all of these sustain orders while this phase is active and continually check the Phase End condition If a Phase Order has Delete After Execution set the most common setting when a Sustain Order is triggered it will be executed and deleted When the Phase End Condition is met the whole Phase will be deleted whether all of the Sustain Orders have been triggered or not and the next Phase will begin 75 Phase Name Phase Launch First Echelon Uk if Phase Long Description Cancel Launch the
6. AirDefense Observer Fill All Copy a Hierarchy n the ATF Scenario Builder there is no Copy function However there is a Cut function which allows you to cut the hierarchy out of the Hierarchy Tree window and move it to the clipboard You can then paste any number of copies of the hierarchy back to the Hierarchy Tree We recommend that you only Cut and Paste empty hierarchies Cutting and Pasting hierarchies that contain Platoons and Units can have unexpected results 49 1 Right click on a hierarchy again we suggest empty and select Cut Malaka 2 Now right click anywhere on the Hierarchy Tree away from units and hierarchies and select Paste Beate a oo as l Recall Detached 50 3 To add a second copy of the hierarchy again right click anywhere on the Hierarchy Tree away from units and hierarchies and select Paste Beal 1 CRP 2919 MAR al 2 919 MAB 4 The ATF Scenario Builder will not allow you to create a hierarchy with a duplicate name Select Yes to change the name of the second hierarchy P This platoon name already exists Do vou want to choose another one 5 And change the name to finish the process New Name Enter a new name 3 CRP 919 MAR Cancel 51 How to Add a Company Wave Attack Mission The basic method for building a Faction AI script is to first plan paths for enemy hiera
7. SPET AL VETENSE ANE Scena DUNE S y espren Unit Obstacle Hole Event Battle Plan Actions Or S amp Environment AS Dea 2 we Edit OPOR p Mission gt Maneuver raph Ics tren Linde Enemy SIT TEMP Cut Copy Faste Pen Width Fer Line Rectangle Circle Text b a E A A L am mm Change the Pen Width All graphics Maneuver and Enemy SITTEMP are drawn with the current pen By setting the width of the pen you can change the thickness of all subsequent lines drawn while editing Each graphic object you draw remembers what pen width it was drawn with and will always draw itself with that pen width 1 Select Pen Width either from the toolbar or from the OPORD sub menu of the Component menu 10 2 Enter a number corresponding to the number of pixels for lines in subsequently created graphics Enter the pen width in pixels for graphics drawn on the map Draw a Line on the Graphics The line is the most basic object you will create to build graphics A line is defined by a number of points that you identify on the map Each point you identify will be highlighted with a green square 1 Select Line either from the toolbar or from the 0PORD sub menu of the Component menu Leet ued cle Hole Event fer yee el 11 3 Right click anywhere on the map when you are done drawing Draw Rectangles and Circles Circles and rectangles
8. igal be E Photo_Op_ friend ly fob ss saudi_arabial_friendly fob Testl_friendly fob the_breach_tfriendly tob Turn_Of_Events_triendly tob Where _They_friendly fob cL illi _ File name ated flip_friendly fob Files of type A E Open as read only 9 Select a new name for the converted Obstacle Array Do not overwrite the current enemy obstacle array Save As Siintc3_neutra ntc3_neutral eob E ntc4_ enemy eob Sjntc4_enemy_C eob Bint _flip_enemy eob B ntc4_flip_enerny_O e0b antca _flip_neutral eob E ntc4 neutral eob el Photo_Cp_enemy eob File name nte4_flip_enemy eab _Op_ neutral eob E saudi_arabial_enemy eob saudi_arabial neutral eot Testl_enemy eob Testi_neutral eob the_breach_enemy eob tne_breach_enemy_O eob the breach neutral eob Ea Save as type Cancel 111 10 Select Open from the Obstacle menu Obstacle Hole Add l Block Add Delete Convert d Open N 11 In Files of Type select Enemy or Neutral Obstacle Array eob to list all of the enemy Obstacle Arrays extension eob in the Data sub directory of your ATF install directory a Look im Daa O pan mi E Beach_Party friendly fob A fulda friendly fob E beach_party_II_friendly fob fulda2_friendly fob E bihac_defensel_friendly fob fulda3_friendly fob
9. l LeftFlank Reserve 85 4 This is why it is always a good idea to have a detailed description of what the Phase Order does in the Last Order block of the Phase Order Edit dialog The Hierarchy Order dialog will not tell you what the last Order Type selected was Select the Order Type you want fill out the appropriate Order Edit dialog and click OK Select the type of oder you wish to a add from the list Al Order Phase Order l ssig Path Company Formation a Cancel Conditional Start in 5 If you decide to edit an Event Box condition you will be presented with this dialog If you do not have the correct Event Box for this condition currently selected select No This will preserve the Event Box that was selected when you originally created the Event Box condition How to Use the Clock to Test a Scenario The basic method for building a Faction AI script is to first plan paths for enemy hierarchies then plan Missions for enemy hierarchies and then finally create a Faction AI that triggers units to begin movement and execute Missions as triggers are met Now that we have planned all of the enemy paths planned and canceled the Missions for all our hierarchies and built a Faction AI script it is time to test our Faction AI script to make sure everything is running correctly At its heart a Faction AI script is just a list of triggers or conditions that must be met and orders to be exe
10. l R l Locked Br AirDefense Observer Fill All 4 And select a piece with a name of the form label A Choose a Piece from the List 2 label 3 label 4 label 5 label Tabel al A label w Cancel ar force Flaa 32 5 When you click OK to close the Hierarchy Platoon Data dialog the graphic representation of the hierarchy will be altered on the map Task Organize Hierarchies Just as in Armored Task Force platoons and units can be moved from one hierarchy to another 1 Click on the hierarchy and while holding down the left mouse button Unit Hierarchy x F 2 A BBIN a ca Ej A iC CIRI thal drag the hierarchy to the new hierarchy and drop it by releasing the left mouse button 33 Edit a Unit in the Hierarchy Tree Units are also represented in the Hierarchy Tree window Their attributes effect not only how they are depicted in the Hierarchy Tree but also how they are depicted on the map when NATO icons are selected These attributes also effect the unit s ability to lead hierarchies 1 Right click on a unit in the Hierarchy Tree and select Edit 4 1 CRP S19 MARR Edit Cut Delete Detach 2 Now you can alter the attributes of the unit Name The name ofthe unit This will supersede any name set for the unit on the map Rank Ifthe unit also has Platoon Leader Capable or Company Commander Capable set this number sets t
11. sue ies Mission Description TF 6 6 IN iz the mooring that secures the entire NATO position in Yugoslavia But ther salient is under attack from multiple directions and they are on the brink of destruction LOCATION Bihac Bosria Herzegovina Victor Message Loss Message Wihat the hell are you doing We re not ready to defend yet Great work colonel The enemy really threw everything he had at you But vou held tight and gave Us the time we needed to bring Round up Whatever you ve got lett and fall back We are going to try to from a new line at Kanowac Victor Conditiona Loss Conditions Prevent Penetration Box Time Limit Add Add Edit Edits di Delete Delete 20 Edit the Neutral and Enemy Mission Components The only values used in the Neutral and Enemy Mission Components are the Global Directions Even if you do not plan on adding Neutral units to the scenario it is a good idea to fill in the Global Direction use the same direction as the Friendly Global Direction in case someone modifies your scenario by adding Neutral units later 1 Select Edit Neutral from the Mission sub menu of the Component menu nponent Unit Obstacle Hole Ewer Environment ix 8 OPORD ah MEE Ei criendy Edit E Er 6 Pem al a a i Pm pee Lo a 2 You do not have to fill out the entire Mission Edit dialog Mission Name This is filled in auto
12. 4 Select Open from the Obstacle Menu Obstacle Hole Add gt Block Add Delete PoP eer FL ld 2 Convert d Open M 109 5 Select the new converted Obstacle Array file extension fob that you just created Open Look in gt Data amp ey a E Koksan_Final _friendly fob i Photo Dp friendly fob m Koksan_Fix_triendly tob ss saudi_arabial_friendly fob S ntci_friendly fob E Testi_friendly fob E ntce_friendly fob the_breach_friendly fob ss ntc3_friendly fob Turn_Of_Events_friendly fob Si ntc4_flip_friendly1 fob es Where_They_friendly fob E fal ntcd_flip_ friendly fob E ntc4_friendly fob A Mm gt A File name nte4_ flip_frierndly1 fob Files of type Freie Obstacle Array fob i Cancel 6 Select Yes to confirm this action Warning A There is already a friendly Obstacle Array loaded This will destroy the current Friendly Obstacle Array Do you wish to continue 7 Select Friendly to Enemy from the Convert sub menu of the Obstacle menu Obstacle Hole Event Battle Plan Act add gt e Block Add et Delete gi 4 Convert Friendly T Sen Open Ener to Friendly 110 8 Select the friendly Obstacle Array extension fob a E nice Teni fob Sintc3_friendly fob e ntc4_flip_friendly1 fob S ntc4_flip_friendly fob antes _friendly fob
13. Enter Number Enter The number of holes to be ak added z0 Cancel 4 Enter the total number of rows you want the holes arrayed into Enter Number Enter The number of rows in which to aray holes i 2 Cancel 42 5 When you move the cursor back to the map you will find that you are dragging a block of holes Left click on the place in which you want to drop the holes How to Edit an Enemy Path The basic method for building a Faction AI script is to first plan paths for enemy hierarchies then plan Missions for enemy hierarchies and then finally create a Faction AI that triggers units to begin movement and execute Missions as triggers are met The first step in creating an enemy battle plan to challenge the player is planning paths for enemy units Obviously if the enemy is defending in the scenario you need only place the units and plan the commitment of a reserve But in our example to make things interesting we will have the enemy attack to destroy the defending player Planning a path for an enemy unit or hierarchy is almost the same as doing so for friendly units and hierarchies except that all stop nodes have cancel times at time at which they revert to go nodes This allows you to create a kind of poor man s AT if you do not want to script a simple move Edit an Enemy Path 43 1 Select Show Path either from the toolbar or the Edit menu mt Unit Obstacle 2 Selec
14. For information on how to do this click here ntc4_flip_enemyl gra ntc4_flip_enemy hra ntc4 flip_enemy msn ntc4_flip_enemy unt ntc4_flip_triendly1 fob in friendly tob H ntc4_flip_friendly gral EL ED et Le Ea S i 118 8 Finally you might need to create Faction AI for the new enemy opposing units and hierarchies Select Enemy from the Create sub menu of the Faction AT sub menu of the Hierarchy sub menu of the Unit menu phew For more information on creating a Faction AI script click here Unit Obstacle Hole Event Battle Plan Actions Orders SOP Hierarchy Add Package Add Edit Locked Cut Copr Paste Delete Open Hierarchy Open Units Remove Units Add BB Neutral Ene Lo Faction Al gt nko S te bce 119
15. How to Add an AI Time Limit Condition The basic method for building a Faction AI script is to first plan paths for enemy hierarchies then plan Missions for enemy hierarchies and then finally create a Faction AI that triggers units to begin movement and execute Missions as triggers are met Now that we have planned all of the enemy paths and we have planned and canceled the Missions for all our hierarchies we are building a Faction AI script At its heart a Faction AI script is just a list of triggers or conditions that must be met and orders to be executed upon those triggers An AI Time Limit condition is the most commonly used trigger in a Faction AI script It simply tells Armored Task Force to do something at a given elapsed time Add an Al Time Limit Condition AI Time Limit conditions can and will be used anywhere conditions can be inserted They will be used for Abort Conditions in the top level AI Order dialog of the Faction AI in the Phase End Conditions block of the AI Order Phase dialog and in the Order Execution Conditions of an AI Phase Order 1 The first step in adding an AI Time Limit Condition is to select Add from one of these blocks Last Order Launch Artillery Battalions OK i Delete After Execution Lancel Order Execute Conditions Hierarchy Orders Edt Edit Delete Delete 82 2 And then select the AI Time Limit condition 5 Select a Breaches Complete Condition
16. Delete function is active any unit or hierarchy you click on will be selected for deletion When you are done deleting units make sure you select Delete from the Unit menu or Esc to turn it off Hole d ponme Add Package Add e Edit a a a T i How to Edit a Hierarchy A Hierarchy is an object that represents either a platoon or a company It contains units and hierarchies which represent the hierarchy s subordinate units In the ATF Scenario Builder hierarchies are generated either manually or during the process of adding a Unit Package From the Hierarchy Tree window you can edit the appearance or attributes of a hierarchy no matter how it is created NOTE In Armored Task Force enemy platoons are represented on the map and in windows as companies and companies as battalions Besides this in every respect they behave just as friendly hierarchies Open the Hierarchy Tree Window While hierarchies are visible on the map they can only be edited from the Hierarchy Tree window While in Armored Task Force there is only a friendly Hierarchy Tree window in ATF Scenario Builder there are three Hierarchy Tree windows Friendly Enemy and Neutral 29 1 Select Friendly from the Hierarchy Tree sub menu of the View menu yi IC i A ad cena i t Unit il Obs cle He re t BA Ge Echelon E Hierarcny Tree Overview Map Enemy EEI EA v Aut
17. Initial Movement Formation Position Ards Mode 4 p In what formation would you Formations lke the element to move to the Release Point Platoon None 65 9 If this box is checked the hierarchy will dismount at the Release Point and the dismounts will walk to their positions in the Position Area formation How would you like the element to approach and assume the Position Area coa How to Create a Faction AI Script The basic method for building a Faction AI script is to first plan paths for enemy hierarchies then plan Missions for enemy hierarchies and then finally create a Faction AI that triggers units to begin movement and execute Missions as triggers are met Now that we have planned all of the enemy paths and we have planned and canceled the Missions for all our hierarchies it is finally time to start building a Faction AI script At its heart a Faction AI script is just a list of triggers or conditions that must be met and orders to be executed upon those triggers The best advice we can give you is keep it simple The more complicated your script the more likely it will break Think about what you want the enemy to do and when they need to do it and describe it as simply as possible in the script Unnecessary orders or triggers almost always have unintended effects Create an Enemy Faction Al Script Both the Neutral and Enemy Unit Lists have Faction Al s Our scenario e
18. Tank ditch nay HA MIN SEC s ie Crater i i E D 40 3 You will be prompted to enter the total number of obstacles Enter Number mA po m a a n Enter The number of obstacles to oo be added Enter The number of rows in which to arap obstacles i f Cancel 5 When you move the cursor to the map you will find that you are dragging a block of obstacles with the attributes you specified Left click anywhere on the map to drop the obstacles in position How to Add a Block of Holes Holes in Armored Task Force provide protected fighting positions to enhance the survivability of either the player s or enemy s vehicles They are an integral part of a combined arms defense in modern warfare You can add holes manually one at a time But the easiest way to add holes to your scenario is using the Block Add functions Add a Block of Holes 41 1 Select Friendly from the Block Add sub menu of the Hole menu Battle Plan Actions z Enemy Neutral 2 The Hole Properties dialog allows you to edit the attributes of all of the holes you are adding e Hole Type All holes are either for dismounts or for vehicles and the two are not interchangeable e Direction The orientation of the hole in mils 0 6400 0 is north clockwise angle Hole ee C Dimoun 2 Vehicle Cancel fasod 2400 Direction mils 3 Enter the total number of holes you want to add
19. Tet and rd Battalion of the 919th MRR and their mortar platoons Launch 3 artillery battalions Initiate Hierarchy Orders Sustain Orders O Adde Launch Artillery Battalions Edit Edit i ia Delete Delete Phaze End Conditions Al Time Limit Add Edit Delete 13 We have finished adding Phase Orders and this Order Phase is complete Phase Name Phase I Launch First Echelon Phase Long Description Cancel Launch the at and 2rd Battalion of the 919th MRR and their mortar platoons Launch 3 artillery battalions ip Initiate Hierarchy Orders Sustain Orders Add Edit Delete Phase End Conditions Al Time Limit a Edit Delete Launch Artillery Battalions Launch First Echelon BM s Launch First Echelon Morte Add E dit iF Delete 76 How to Add an Event Box Condition The basic method for building a Faction AI script is to first plan paths for enemy hierarchies then plan Missions for enemy hierarchies and then finally create a Faction AI that triggers units to begin movement and execute Missions as triggers are met Now that we have planned all of the enemy paths and we have planned and canceled the Missions for all our hierarchies we are building a Faction AI script At its heart a Faction AI script is just a list of triggers or conditions that m
20. indicate important locations such as artillery position areas objectives and attack positions The ATF Scenario Builder makes it easy to build them 1 Select Rectangle either from the toolbar or from the OPORD sub menu of the Component menu ea le Event Battle F 2 Left click on the location of one of the corners of the rectangle and while holding down the left mouse button drag to the opposite corner of the rectangle Release the left mouse button when you are done drawing the box 12 3 The circle is drawn in exactly the same way except that you select Circle either from the toolbar or from the OPORD sub menu of the Component menu Draw Text The Text Tool allows you to add text to your maneuver graphics so that you can reference objects from the Maneuver Graphics in your OPORD 13 1 Select Text either from the toolbar or from the 0PORD sub menu of the Component menu Me a ant Battle Plan h Enter a new name TF 6 6 IN ij Cancel 3 Move the cursor to the map and you will find that it is dragging a Text object around the map When it is where you want it left click once to drop the object in position Copy Graphic Objects The ATF Scenario Builder makes it easy to draw a large number of similar graphics quickly by copying or cutting objects from one location and pasting them in multiple locations elsewhere 1 Select an object or group of
21. ntc4_flip _enemy hoa B ntcs_enemy hoa iS ntc4_flip_enerny_O hoa E ntc3_friendly hoa goa _flip_triendly hoa E ntcs_neutral hoa iS ntc4_flip_neutral hoa E ntc4_enemy hoa ntc4_friendly hoa I z a ntc4_enemy_O hoa ntc4_neutral hoa ia s E pu UI _ File name ntes flip_friendly hoa Files of type A ji 6 Select Enemy and OK m Faction C Friendly Enemy Cancel C Neutral 115 7 Select Yes to confirm this action Warning There is already a Enemy Hole Array loaded This will destroy the current Enemy Hole Array Do you wish to continue e Other changes As we mentioned at the outset the AI in Armored Task Force is more complex than in many other wargames As a result simply swapping files is not sufficient to flip most scenarios In addition to the steps above the following additional changes must be made to flip a scenario e Delete and or create battle plans e Change Missions and Victory Conditions e Flipping Maneuver Graphics and Enemy SITTEMPS e Creating new Enemy Faction AI Scripts 1 Select Enemy from the Delete sub menu of the Battle Plan menu Battle Plan Actions Orders 116 2 Highlight a battle plan and OK ted flip_enemy O untinted flip enemy Ohr Select the enemy battle plar Cancel 3 Select Yes to delete the battle plan Repeat steps 1 3 until all battle plans have been removed You can
22. objects either by clicking on one object shift clicking on multiple objects or drag clicking over a group of Graphic objects 14 2 Select Copy either from the toolbar or from the OPORD sub menu of the Component menu To cut the object or group of objects select Cut instead Paste Copied Graphic Objects Once you have copied graphics the Paste function will become active This allows you to place any number of copies of the copied graphics on the map 1 Select Paste either from the toolbar or from the OPORD sub menu of the Component menu PS EL he EE tacle Hole L a K ZS 2 When you move the cursor to the map you will find that it 1s dragging a copy of the copied graphics around the map When the copy is where you want it left click once to drop the copy in position Edit the Enemy SITTEMP or End Editing To edit the Enemy SITTEMP component Select Enemy SITTEMP either from the toolbar or from the Edit sub menu of the OPORD sub menu of the Component menu To cancel editing of graphics select the currently selected graphics type Maneuver Graphics if you are editing the Maneuver Graphics Enemy SITTEMP if you are editing the SITTEMP Or you can hit the ESC key 15 How to Edit the Mission Components Mission components give ATF important information about the basic orientation of forces It also tells Armored Task Force what conditions the player must me
23. time Ideally all of your orders will fit in one phase However sometimes simplicity or necessity will demand that the orders be broken into multiple phases 68 1 Select Add next to the Order Phases E a Order Name Enemy Faction l OK Cancel Prerequisite Data Order Phases Add Edit ra Edit Delete Delete Abort Conditions Abort Orders Al Time Limit Add Add Edit Edit E elete Delete 2 The AI Order Phase Edit dialog contains all of the components of a phase e Phase Name Phase Long Description Provided to help you keep track of what the script is doing Not used by the AI or Armored Task Force e Initiate Hierarchy Orders Orders that are given as soon as the phase begins If this is the first phase then these orders will be given when time is first started e Phase End Conditions The conditions which will cause the phase to end and the next phase to begin e Sustain Orders A set of condition order combinations that will be constantly checked as long as the phase is in effect 69 Phase Name Phase Launch First Echelon Uk Phase Long Description Cancel if Launch the 1st and 3rd Battalion of the 919th MAR and their mortar platoons Launch 3 artillery battalions Initiate Hierarchy Orders Sustain Orders Add 7 Add Edit Edit Delete Delete Phase End Conditions Al Time Limit Add Edit Del
24. to add Call Back Call Back Snap Shot Compare Event Boxes Distance 7 Cancel Event Box 3 NOT COMMONLY USED First you will be prompted to add Data References If we want the condition to use any of the Prerequisite Data from the initial AI Order dialog we specify it here This is most commonly used if we a large number of events to happen at the same time never a good practice as it bogs down the AI engine We create a Time item in the Prerequisite Data Then we specify the stored Time data item we want to assign here Add Data References E Add aoe a Cancel D E 4 We specify the elapsed time at which we want this condition to trigger an action HR MIN SEC p fa p ey How to Edit an AI Phase Order The basic method for building a Faction AI script is to first plan paths for enemy hierarchies then plan Missions for enemy hierarchies and then finally create a Faction AI that triggers units to begin movement and execute Missions as triggers are met Now that we have planned all of the enemy paths and we have planned and canceled the Missions for all our hierarchies now we are building a Faction AI script At its heart a Faction AI script is just a list of triggers or conditions that must be met and orders to be executed upon those triggers 83 As we are building our script and we begin to test it by running the clock we will inevitably have to go back to the script an
25. toggles which allows you to specify a target by describing it These toggles are seldom used and can often have unexpected result We recommend selecting a Hierarchy Name Hierarchy Order Dialog Hierarchy Mame Lancel Target Code Echelon One Support l Element M Al Breach Platoon Assault Company Center Indirect Fire Array Right Flank Main Battle Are M Left Flank Reserve 4 Most commonly you will use Hierarchy Orders to initiate Missions which are called AI Orders by the ATF Scenario Builder You may also use the Toggle Order or Cancel Toggle Order orders to turn on and off Orders and SOP s such as stop or hold fire More on this later K Select the type of oder you wich ta F add fror the list 4 Order Phase Order Assign Path Cancel Toggle Order Company Formation a al Conditional Start 12 5 You need to pick the Mission you want to execute Remember that we planned these Missions previously for our hierarchies DO NOT give a Mission AI Order to a hierarchy until you have planned it executed it and canceled it Doing so will cause the unit to act without objectives locations or orientations set having buggy and unpredictable results If you need to plan a Mission close all of the Faction AI windows by selecting OK plan the mission and then come back to this spot to edit the Faction Al Attack By Fire F Select Al Order Company At
26. units and hierarchies to the scenario You can even copy friendly units and hierarchies to the neutral or enemy Unit Lists 35 1 Select the units and hierarchies you wish to copy either by clicking on them shift clicking on them or drag clicking over them 36 3 Select Copy from the Unit menu Now the units are stored on the clipboard and ready to paste to any Unit List any number of times tense ALF scenal to qt Unit E Obstacle Hole h Hierarchy b a Add Package Add Edit Cut Paste Delete Paste Units to the Scenario Once units are stored in the clipboard they can be pasted to any of the Unit Lists in the scenario We are going to do the most common action pasting copied units to the list from which they were copied 1 Select Friendly from the Paste sub menu of the Unit menu EST Add Package Add Edit Cut Friendly J Delete Enemy P ep Neutral 37 2 ATF Scenario Builder alerts you whenever units or hierarchies have duplicate names You will need to provide new names for the copied units This name has already been used for this faction Select another one 3 For each copied unit or hierarchy you will be prompted to change the name Select a new name for each and select OK Enter a new name FAS 2 1 FA 4 The new units will be pasted in the exact same location as that at w
27. 10 The Scenario Builder will suggest the file title as the name for this scenario Select Save As 2 E3 Save in E Data EEE ira _attack4 asc ntc3 asc ir raq i bet Koksan_Approach asc Snte asc bat Koksan_Final asc Photo_On asc k Koksan_ Fix asc ka saudi_arabial asc E ntcl asc E Testi asc ntc2 asc the_breach asc Save if 1 lt TTT gt Lil i i f ji th File name nte4_flip asc Save as type ATF Scneario Files asc Cancel Flip Unit Arrays and Hierarchy Arrays Now that you have copied the original scenario you must swap enemy and friendly units and hierarchies Units are stored in a Unit Array saved with a file name ending in the extension unt Hierarchies companies and platoons are stored in a Hierarchy Array with a file extension of hra The basic steps in flipping units and hierarchies are e Remove all of the units from the enemy and friendly faction e Load the enemy units as friendly units e Load the friendly units as enemy units e Load the enemy hierarchies as friendly hierarchies e Load the friendly hierarchies as enemy hierarchies 100 1 Select Friendly from the Remove Units sub menu of the Unit menu Unit Obstacle Hole Event Battle P Hierarchy et a a Add Package 2 Add Edit Locked Cut Lopy Paste Delete Open Hierarchy pen Units E i R
28. Building Armored Task Force Scenarios This tutorial walks you through the process of creating and editing scenarios for Armored Task Force using the ATF Scenario Builder and ATF Power Toolkit With these tools you can do just about anything we can do to create add ons and new scenarios for Armored Task Force In short these are the most powerful and easy to use mod tools we have ever created for a ProSIM Company product ATF Scenario Builder The ATF Scenario Builder provides all of the tools you will need to build full featured scenarios with existing maps and databases With it you can build units and hierarchies create enemy Battle Plans and create detailed Faction AI scripts to challenge ATF players who play your scenario Here is a list of some of the many tasks you can accomplish with this powerful tool e Create a new scenario e Save a scenario e Edit the Environment component e Edit the Maneuver Graphics and Enemy SITTEMP e Edit the Mission Components e Create an Event Box e Adda Unit Package e Edit a hierarchy e Copy units e Adda block of obstacles e Adda block of holes e Edit an enemy path e Create a hierarchy e Add the Company Wave Attack mission e Add the Attack by Fire mission e Cancel a mission e Add the Position Area Mission e Create a Faction Al script e Add an AI Time Limit condition e Edit a Faction Al script e Add an Event Box Condition e Edit an AI Phase Order e Use the clock to test a sce
29. Piece Not implemented 30 e Locked If this box is checked hierarchies and units can not be added to or removed from the hierarchy Hierarchy Platoon Data Mame fi E Max Units i 0 Spacing m 10 2000 Command A adius m1 0 Friendly Mech Infantr NATO Piece lcavaly_flag EN Piece label Graphic Label Piece nt Destroyed NATO Piece Destroyed Graphic Piece Locked Cancel Command and Control C None NATO Soviet C Insurgent BOS Flags Attack Fired Wing Artillery Rotary wing I AT lf Troop Carry I Dismount Engineer Intel ess Recon T C2 AirDefense Observer Fill Al 2 To change the flag click on the Graphic Piece button and select a piece of the type flag HE Large HE Large HE Larges HE Small HE Small HE Smalls x Cancel Choose a Piece from the List x E Cancel 31 3 To change the letter or number on the flag select Graphic Label Piece Hierarchy Platoon Data 1 A 66IN M Mame he Max Units Lancel io Spacina m10 wee and Control 2000 Command Radius m1 0 f NATO C Soviet Friendly Mech Infant NATO Piece infantry _flag ECE i BOS Flags Insurgent Attack Fined Wing 3 label Graphic P Piece i Auien FP Reta wine w Destroyed NATO Piece AT W Heep Larry Dismount Engineer Destroyed Graphic Piece Intel ESS T C2
30. Rally Point ORF Location Attack Ti is Indirect Fire Position Area F 4 r What formation would you like Formations the company to assume when It reaches the Operational Rally Platoon T Point Company Company Wa 54 8 Placing a time in this block will cause the hierarchy to delay before executing the attack 31919 MRR Company Wave At X ORF Location Attack Time Indirect Fire ne Area pal Do pou with for this attack to Execution begin at a specific time HE MIN SEC Leave this time as 00 00 00 IF you wish for the attack to p o o begin immediately Zeros or blank for immediate rea 9 If the hierarchy has mortars or other indirect fire assets attached this order will tell them what formation to assume when they reach their firing position 3 919 MRR Company Wave At X Indirect Fire Position Area Refine he Line Forces te 4 What formation would you like Formations Indirect fire units to assume in the position area Platoon Compary Company Lin rea 10 The ATF AI will make an initial estimate of where the obstacles are When the hierarchy hits the number of obstacle strikes indicated here it will recalculate the assumed obstacle locations based on new evidence 3 1919 MRR Company Wave At Refine Obstacle Line Forces to Assault r Consol t How many vehicles must hit ob
31. Support By Fire Ta Platoon Breach Create Package 7 y 58 2 Click on the location where you wish to set the Attack By Fire position and then with the left mouse button still down drag to turn the position to the correct orientation lt iB Tiscation i E Fi ic ae T Click and drag to select a location and onentation for the element s Attack By Fire position 3 Drag click over the area on which you would have the hierarchy orient when it assumes the SBF Defense formation x 4 s aie Sf ete eee Click and drag over the engagement area EA a E forthe Attack By Fire position The 4 If you check this box and the hierarchy has dismounts the hierarchy will walk the entire distance to the Release Point How would you like the element to move to the Release Point rea masimum size is determined by the composition of the element Cancel 59 5 If checked the hierarchies will as much as possible use its current path to reach the Release Point CRE J 919 MRR AttackcBy Five X Mode of Travel Route to Release Point Release Point Li Do you wish the element to move along itt curent path or determine a new path to the Release Point 6 The hierarchy will use the applicable column based on its size to determine the formation it will assume at the Release Point What Formation would you like Formations the element to assume when it
32. Usually you will select Hierarchy Name and choose the hierarchy in the Faction you want to count If Hierarchy Name is left blank the condition will look at the whole faction If Check Enemy is selected this entry is ignored B 2 913 MRRAG A Select the B 3 919 MARAG _ hierarchy name C1919 MRRAG Pou wish to have C2 1d MARAG C o 914d MARAG 919 HARAG 80 8 In this example we are going to look at an Event Box we drew around the 2S1 Position Area location for 1 vehicle of the hierarchy 1 919 MRR If one or more vehicles are in this box the condition will return true Condition Event Box Properties 251 Position Area Bos Name f fi Number OF Vehicles o Cancel Check Enemy Bow is Ellipse Count Unidentified enemy only Less Than Compare Hows Referenced Force AAA I EqualTo m Mission Code r Echelon l Breach Platoon Support Company Assault 7 EDS Flags for viewed enemy Defend Attack Fixed Wing B pe RDE AT Troop Carry soils l Dismount Engineer Reserve Indirect Fire Inte B ae Recon C2 AirDefense Observer fi 919 MAR Hierarchy Name Fill All 9 With the condition set we can assign orders to be executed when this condition is true Last Order Launch AMN to initial position OK i Delete After Execution Lancel Order Execute Conditions Hierarchy Orders Event Box ddd ck Edit eea 81
33. and execute Missions as triggers are met Now that we have planned all of the enemy paths and we have planned and canceled the Missions for all our hierarchies we are building and refining our Faction AI Script At its heart a Faction AI script is just a list of triggers or conditions that must be met and orders to be executed upon those triggers One of the simplest and most effective orders you can give to your hierarchies is the Toggle or Cancel Toggle Order This simply activates or deactivates one of the Orders or SOP s such as Stop or Hide on Contact for the entire hierarchy Add a Cancel Toggle Order to a Hierarchy Order 89 1 The AI Phase Order consists of a series of conditions and a series of orders executed when the conditions are true Each order in the AI Phase Order is a Hierarchy Order consisting of a single order hierarchy pair The order is the instruction to be given and the hierarchy is the target for the order We are going to change the order for this Hierarchy Order to a Cancel Toggle Order Al Order l K EEE MAR Hierarchy Name Lancel arget Code A Echelon One Support Element M Al Breach Platoon Assault Company Center Indirect Fire Array Right Flank Main Battle re LeftFlank Reserve 2 We select Cancel Toggle Order from the list This will turn OFF the Orders or SOP s we select If we wanted to turn ON Orders or SOP s we would select Tog
34. anually create platoons and companies one unit at a time Of course not every possible organization is defined Sometimes you will have to build hierarchies from scratch But the Unit Package can definitely give you a head start NOTE In Armored Task Force enemy platoons are represented on the map and in windows as companies and companies as battalions Besides this in every respect they behave just as friendly hierarchies Add a Unit Package 1 Select Friendly from the Add Package sub menu of the Unit menu j Peart ae Hole Event Bate E H Enemy Ae d Neutral B Mech Company EMF 2 Mech Company ETR B0F Mech Heavy Company Team M1AZ Mech Infantry Company MZA 21 Mech Platoon M242 Mech Platoon M242 M4 Dragon Mortar Battery 2511 Mortar Platoon H 0E4431 Tar Tg oe ae i F ee 3 B K Select the package to open os ey 25 3 If you select a company you will be prompted to give a company name If you select a platoon you will be prompted to give a platoon and company name Question B Enter a company for units and hierarchies in this package 4 Enter a name This company name will be applied to every unit and hierarchy in the package Enter a new name al c z 5 You will also be prompted to add a battalion and regimental name Question Enter a new name 2 70 AF Ca
35. ase death _valley_defense asc i jrag_attack 1 asc E ea fuldal asc E irag_attack2 asc Bfulda2 asc irag_attack 3 asc FS fulda3 asc irag_attack4 asc save as type ATF Scneario Files asc r Cancel How to Edit the Environment Component The Environment Component describes all of the conditions under which the scenario will be played including wind speed and when the sun will go up and down Edit the Environment Component 1 To edit the environment select Environment from the Component menu Spee f OPORO 2 Input the environment data All times are 24 hour military times e Temperature In degrees Fahrenheit Affects how long smoke and chemicals remain on the ground e Relative Humidity Also affects smoke and chemicals e Wind Speed In meters per second Describes how smoke moves across the map Also effects how long chemicals remain on the ground e Wind Direction Given in mils 0 6400 0 is north measured clockwise The direction smoke moves on the ground e Percent Illumination When the moon is up describes how much residual visibility is available e BMNT Before Morning Nautical Twilight The time before sunrise at which the sun begins providing ambient illumination e Sunrise Sunset Self explanatory e EENT Early Evening Nautical Twilight The time after sunset at which he sun stops providing ambient illumination e Moon Is Up During hours of darkness whether or not to
36. back and edit the script and the correct Event Box is no longer selected select No and the old Event Box will be retained in the condition Question 78 5 NOT COMMONLY USED You will be prompted to add Data References If we want the condition to use any of the Prerequisite Data from the initial AI Order dialog we specify it here This is most commonly used if we have a large number of events which all look at the same Event Ellipse location We create an Objective Ellipse item in the Prerequisite Data Then we specify the stored Objective Ellipse data item we want to look at here Add Delete 6 Finally we tell the condition what we want to look for in the specified location e Box Name This is used to help you keep tabs on what Event Box corresponds to this condition since no visual cue is provided e Select the number of vehicles which will make this condition true e Check Enemy This is in relation to the Faction If you are building the Enemy Faction AI then checking this block will look at Friendly and Neutral Faction Vehicles If you are editing a Neutral Faction AI checking this block will look for Enemy Faction Vehicles Remember at execution time during a game the enemy will only react to what it sees so your enemy observation plan must be looking in this box e Box is Ellipse Checking this box will cause the condition to set the current Event Ellipse rather than Event Box as its checke
37. chies and units can not be added to or removed from the hierarchy 47 Hierarchy eit Data 2 CRP 7919 MAR Mame U Haz Units Lancel Command and Control None Command Radius m 10 C NATO C Soviet HALO Fiece C Insurgent Graphic Fiece BOS Flags Attack T Fixed Wing Graphic Label Piece Psi m Boba wm Destroyed NATO Piece AT z up Larry Dismount Engineer Destroyed Graphic Piece M intel ESS c2 Recon Locked Air Defense Observer Fill All Spacing m10 3 Select a NATO piece which represents the hierarchy They are all of the type Enemy or Friendly or Neutral Enemy Mech ADA Red ES Choose a Piece Enemy Mech Chemical Red from the List Enemy Mech Engineer Red Enemy Mech Infantry Aed Enemy Mech Recon Red Enemy SF Artillery Red Enemy Towed AT Red Enemy Wheeled 40 4 Hed 48 4 You will also need to select a Graphic Piece and Graphic Label Piece for the Hierarchy For more on these attributes see Edit a Hierarchy Hierarchy Platoon Data 2 CRP SISMRR Name Oo blas Units Lancel Sna ne ho a Be EE s00 Command Radius m1 0 Enemy Mech Recon NATO Piece Insurgent cavalry flag Graphic Piece BOS Flags Attack Fixed Wing 2_label Graphic Label Piece aten ge wing Destroyed NATO Piece AT m Heep eae M Dimoun Engineer Destroyed Graphic Piece I Intel ess M c2 w F Locked z Sieh
38. chy based on the situation may execute more than one Mission we must plan multiple Missions for the hierarchy After each Mission is planned we will cancel the Mission so that it is not executed until the proper trigger is met 62 The Occupy Position Area Mission is used with mortar artillery and air defense hierarchies to automatically move them to a location to assume the Position Area formation Add the Position Area Mission 1 Right click on the hierarchy for which you wish to plan the mission Select Occupy Position Area from the Mission sub menu Path Edit Orders DI matee re Formation Mission TACSOP Create Package 2 Click on the location where you wish to set the position area and then with the left mouse button still down drag to turn the position to the correct orientation Indicate the location and onentation of the Position Area by clicking and dragging on the map c ance 63 3 If the hierarchy has dismounts and this box is checked the hierarchy s dismounts will walk from their current location to the attack s Release Point MTR 1 919 MRR Occupy Pos X Mode of Travel Route to Release Point Release Point Lc 4 How would you like the element to move to the Release Point rea 4 Check this box to tell t
39. compari Formations assume at three kilometers out Platoon None Company rea 16 And the final formation before the ORP 3 919 MRR Company Wave At X Attack Formation 2 Attack Formation 3 What formation will company Formations assume at one kilometer out Platoon None 57 How to Add the Attack By Fire Mission The basic method for building a Faction AI script is to first plan paths for enemy hierarchies then plan Missions for enemy hierarchies and then finally create a Faction AI that triggers units to begin movement and execute Missions as triggers are met Now that we have planned all of the enemy paths we will continue planning Missions for enemy hierarchies If an enemy hierarchy based on the situation may execute more than one Mission we must plan multiple Missions for the hierarchy After each Mission 1s planned we will cancel the Mission so that it is not executed until the proper trigger is met The Attack By Fire Mission directs a hierarchy to move to a point and assume an SBF Defense formation oriented in the indicated direction It is identical to the Support By Fire mission except that the hierarchy does not assume a Suppress SOP at the destination Add an Attack By Fire Mission 1 Right click on the hierarchy for which you wish to plan the Mission Select Attack By Fire from the Mission sub menu in ee Orders SOF Formation Mission
40. cuted upon those triggers This 1s where we make sure that those triggers are set correctly 86 Use the Clock to Test Your Scenario Just as in Armored Task Force in ATF Scenario Builder you can control when the clock is started and stopped and at what speed it runs However unlike in ATF in the Scenario Builder the clock is not always on You have to turn it on in order to run time There are three important points to remember when testing your scenario CHANGES TO UNITS MADE WHILE THE CLOCK IS ON WILL BE LOST WHEN THE CLOCK IS TURNED OFF If you find an error in your scenario turn OFF the clock before making changes to correct the problem Enemy triggers require an enemy If you have an Event Box condition set with the Check Enemy box checked you must have friendly and or neutral units or enemy units if we are talking about a Neutral Faction AI moved into the Event Box in order for the trigger to be true This is the only way to test the orders that correspond to this trigger Remember if you have an Event Box condition set with the Check Enemy box checked at execution time during a game the enemy will only react to what it sees Your enemy observation plan must be looking into trigger areas During testing the trigger will be true if there are vehicles there but during a game of Armored Task Force the enemy must SEE vehicles in the Event Box to react 1 Select Clock from the Time function to turn on the c
41. d make changes This topic explains how Edit an Al Phase Order Prior to the steps of this topic we must already have re opened the Faction AI for editing 1 Select the AI Order Phase that contains the phase order you want to edit Select the Phase Order from the Sustain Orders which you want to edit and select Edit Phase Mame Phase Launch First Echelon OK Phase Long Description Cancel Launch the 1st and 3rd Battalion of the 919th MAR and their morar platoons Launch 3 artillery battalions Initiate Hierarchy Orders Sustain Orders Launch vtillery Battalions Add Launch First Echelon BH s Launch First Echelon Morte Add Edit E ak Delete Delete Phase End Conditions Al Time Limit Add Edit Delete 84 2 To edit a Hierarchy Order select it and click Edit Al Phase Order Edit Last Order Launch First Echelon BH s i Delete After Execution Cancel Order Execute Conditions Hierarchy Orders Al Order f1 4919 MFF Add AI Order 3 919 MAR Add Edit E dit Delete Delete 3 Changing the hierarchy target for the order is done by clicking Hierarchy Name Editing the order is done by selecting Order Type x der Type l fi 319 MAR Hierarchy Mame Cancel Target Code Echelon I One Support Element All Breach Platoon Assault Company Center Indirect Fire Aray Right Flank Main Battle Ares
42. d region e Count Unidentified If you also have Check Enemy selected use this to count both identified and unidentified vehicles in the Event Box e Referenced Force Not commonly used Allows you to specify a force to look for by reference rather than by specifying a name Not used in combination with Check Enemy e Hierarchy Name Usually if you have not selected Check Enemy you will fill this box to specify the force you want to count in the Event Box e Compare How Determines when this condition is true Usually you will use Greater Than and Equal To for conditions You might use Less Than to determine when a hierarchy has eft the Event Box e BOS Flags Only valid with Check Enemy Counts only vehicles of the specified type in the count If nothing is checked the condition will count all vehicles 79 Condition Event Box Properties 251 Position Area pay Name hl Mumber OF Vehicles __ Cancel Check Enemy Bos is Ellipse Compare How Less Than r Referenced Force Equal To Mission Code ces Greather Than Count Unidentified enemy only Breach Platoon Not Equal To Support Company E Assault BOS Flags for viewed enemy Defend Attack Fixed Wing Right Flank F Artile Rotary wing z Left Flank AT Troop Carry Center M Dismount Engineer Reserve Indirect Fire Intel a Recon C2 AirDefensel Observer ER Name Fill All 7
43. do this we will use the ATF Scenario Builder Wizard This topic assumes only that you have started the ATF Scenario Builder 1 Select Create a New Scenario from an Existing Scenario and Next Welcome to Armored Task Force Scenario Builder Select one of the options below to begin using the Armored Task Force Scenario Wizard C Create an All New Scenario f Create a New Scenario fram an Existing Scenario Open an Existing Scenario Option Choose this selection to create a new scenario using an existing cenario as a framework The Scenario Wizard will guide you through the process of selecting an old scenario selecting a name for your new scenario and copying the required data Nae gt Exit 2 Click OK E Bei Choose Scenario J A Select a scenario to copy 97 3 Select the name of the original scenario that you want to copy Look im cE Data ie ee ER ntc3 asc Turn_Of Events asc 7 kt ntc4 asc Where_They asc Ea Photo_Op asc k saudi_arabial asc het Test asc S the_breach asc _ File name ntc4 asc Files of type 7 Cancel 4 You are going to specify a file title for this scenario This is the base file name from which all of the filenames in this scenario will be constructed Select OK Question Please specify a scenario file title for this scenario This is the title from which all scenario file names
44. e Order Execution Conditions This is a list of all of the conditions that must be true before the Hierarchy Orders are executed e Hierarchy Orders This is a list of orders each set to act on a certain hierarchy when the Order Execution Conditions are met T Last Order Launch Artillery Battalions OK i Delete After Execution Lancel Order Execute Conditions Hierarchy Orders eae Add Edit Edit Delete Delete 2 The first thing you should do is decide on a condition or conditions for the order The trigger for the movement of artillery battalions will be when the elapsed time in Armored Task Force is 10 minutes We will set an AI Time Limit condition for this Phase Order TESA Last Order Launch Artillery Battalions OK If Delete After Faerun Cancel HR MIN SEC e m fo LON Edit Delete uae Order Execute Condition ders Add E dit Delete FER 71 3 Next we add a Hierarchy Order The Hierarchy Order Dialog will allow us to do this A Hierarchy Order executes an order on a specified hierarchy unit or group of units You may either specify the hierarchy unit or group by name or select a list of codes to pick the target e Order Type This is the order you want executed More on that in a minute e Hierarchy Name If you wish to execute the order on a specific hierarchy or unit the most common method click here to select a name e Target Code Echelon This is a list of
45. e cannot win 17 Mission Edit Kdission Name Bihac 1 Desperate Defense OK Direction milz nn Cancel Mission Description TF 6 6 IN is the mooring that secures the entire NATO position in Yugoslavia But i F their s x l Enemy Humbera Select a Friendly Numbers Condition to add Neutral Numbers Neutral Objective Ellipse Objective Ellipse ok from a Prevent Penetration Box Canc Cand Te Sn ike ed ake Loss Conditions Add Edit Delete 4 Enter the time limit Since this is in the Victory Conditions box it means that the player must defend beyond this time HA MIN SEC na fo Lest 5 Now we are going to add the Loss Conditions Before this step we need to define an Event Box An Event Box is just a box defined on the ground It is used by conditions to look at regions of the map If you need to define an Event Box select OK define the Event Box and then re select the Edit Friendly function Now select Add from the Loss Conditions 18 Mission Edit Mission Name IMIRAA ERR Alobal l 2400 Cancel Direction mila Mission Description TF 6 6 1M ts the mooring that secures the entire NATO position in Yugoslavia But their alent is under attack from multiple directions and they are on the brink of destruction LOCATION Bihac Bosnia Herzegovina Victor Message Loss Message Great work colonel What the hell are you doing We
46. ely different enemy and neutral force structures Faction AI scripts and obstacle and hole configurations Each time the player starts your scenario one of the multiple Battle Plans will be selected randomly so the player has no idea what he will face the next time he plays the same scenario Every Scenario has at least one battle plan the basic battle plan that is initially open when you create your scenario Once you create new Battle Plans each Battle Plan has an equal chance of being selected during scenario start up in Armored Task Force But the first base Battle Plan will ALWAYS open by default when you load your scenario in the ATF Scenario Builder After you have created additional Battle Plans for your scenario you can open them for editing using the Open sub menu from the Battle Plan menu Changes to the units obstacles and holes only effect the currently loaded Battle Plan The Save function from the File menu will save the currently loaded Battle Plan 9 If you choose not to save your changes they will be lost when you close a Battle Plan to return to the base Battle Plan using the Close sub menu of the Battle Plan menu Add a New Battle Plan The ATF Scenario Builder completely automates the process of adding a new Battle Plan to your scenario It also makes it easy to develop the Battle Plan by allowing you to start with a copy of the Battle Plan that is currently loaded 1 Select the Enemy functio
47. emove Units Friendly Neutral 2 Select Yes to confirm this action Confirm LY Are you sure you want to delete this Unit Array e 101 3 Select Enemy from the Remove Units sub menu of the Unit menu Unit Obstacle Hole Event Battle P ei Dela Hierarchy Add Package Add Edit Locked Cut Lopy Paste Delete Open Hierarchy pen Units ioe Friendly Remove Units se Enemy Neubal 4 Select Yes to confirm this action Confirm j Are you sure you want to delete this Unit Array e 102 5 Select Friendly from the Open Units sub menu of the Unit menu Unit rT Hole Event Battle FI E Hierarchy Add Package Add Edit Locked Open Hierarchy Open Units Remove Units 6 Select the enemy Unit Array file extension unt Note that if the original scenario has a battle plan there will be more than one enemy Unit Array In this case as in the example here select the one that does not end in a number This is the base enemy Unit Array which is loaded when you load the scenario in the Scenario Builder Look ir 6 Data pes mi ER Enta neutral unt 3 ntc4_enemy unt E nitc4 enemy Ount m ntc4_fl Toa ntc4 fip_enemy O unt ntc4_flip_friendly unt E3 ntc4 flip _neutral unt ntc4_friendly unt ntc4_neutral unt Photo_Op_enemy unt Photo_Op_friendly unt Photo_Op_neutral u
48. emy from the Close sub menu of the Battle Plan menu You can Open it again for editing at any time from the Open sub menu How to Add an OPORD to a Scenario Well we are just about finished building our scenario The only thing left to do is to add our OPORD Operations Order An OPORD is a document usually in Plain Text or HTML format that our scenario will display when it is opened The OPORD gives the player all of the background information objectives and restrictions for your scenario Because it is in HTML format you can add any pictures or objects you want to the OPORD very easily You can also add the OPORD when you create your new scenario But we think it makes more sense to do it here at the end of the process because when you start you have not created all of the Maneuver Graphics units and other objects you will reference in your OPORD Add an OPORD to a Scenario The ATF Scenario Builder does not include a text or HTML editor so you will have to use some third party software to write your OPORD before importing it into your scenario The OPORD must be in the Data sub directory of the Armored Task Force install directory to be used by an ATF scenario 1 Write your OPORD using some third party software and save it in the Data sub directory of the Armored Task Force install directory We recommend saving the file using the same file title you specified when creating the new scenario as it will make
49. et in order to win the game Finally it is one of the places where the Display Name for the scenario is located the other is with the OPORD and the short description of the scenario which is displayed in the opening dialog of ATF when the player is selecting a scenario There are three Mission components Friendly Enemy and Neutral Only the Friendly component needs to be completely filled out The only important data for the Enemy and Neutral Mission components is the Global Direction The other entries are not currently implemented or used Edit the Friendly Mission Component The Friendly Mission is the most important Mission Component It defines the victory conditions the win loss messages the scenario description and the friendly global direction In this example we are going to set victory conditions for a defensive scenario An attack victory condition will use the Objective Ellipse to define the ground the player must control to win instead 1 Select Edit Friendly from the Mission sub menu of the Component menu I TETERE EPRE Edit 7 ci Edit Nedtral Edit Enemy 16 2 Fill out the basic data in the Mission Edit dialog e Mission Name This is filled in automatically by the Scenario Wizard It is the name displayed in the title bar of Armored Task Force when the scenario is loaded If you wish to change it you must also change the value in the OPORD dialog e Global Di
50. ete iF 3 The most common Phase End Condition is an AI Time Limit This is just an elapsed time at which the condition becomes true Select Add from the Phase End Conditions box select AI Time Limit and then enter an elapsed time AIHEL ae em Selecta Breaches Complete Condition to add Call Back Call Back Count Call Back Snap Shot ok Compare Event Boxes Distance Rl Cancel Event Box laa Always provide some Phase End Condition If you do not the phase will end the first time it is cycled through Add an Al Phase Order Sustain Orders in the AI Order Phases dialog are all in the form of AI Phase Orders these are condition order linkages that execute a list of instructions when the condition list has been triggered This is the heart of the decision point tactics the Armored Task Force AI executes 70 1 The AI Phase Order Edit dialog allows you to create and edit Phase Orders e Last Order An order title that allows you to add a memory aid to remember the purpose of the Phase Order e Delete After Execution This will almost always be checked This tells the Al Order Phase to delete this Phase Order after it is executed all of the conditions are met If you fail to check this the hierarchy orders listed will be triggered repeatedly without ever getting a chance to execute Failure to check this box is the most common cause of bugs in Faction AI scripts
51. ete How to Create an Event Box An Event Box is just a rectangular region that you designate on the ground It is used when creating conditions either for Mission Components or Faction AI to tell Armored Task Force what region to look at to test a condition 23 You can Create an Event Ellipse in the same way except that you select Ellipse instead of Box from the Event menu Event Ellipses are identical to Event Boxes except that they are elliptical rather than rectangular There are also only a limited number of conditions that use Ellipses Create an Event Box 1 Select the Box function from the Event menu in the ATF Scenario Builder The currently defined Event Box will be displayed in Blue if applicable If that is the box you want you can select the Box menu item again or hit the Esc key to cancel the process of defining a new event box Battle F Ellipse 2 Click on one of the corners of the box and then while holding the left mouse button down drag to the opposite corner of the box Release the left mouse button when you are complete How to Add a Unit Package A unit package is a pre defined order of battle for a company or platoon organization The ATF Scenario Builder contains pre defined packages for just about every kind of heavy US and FSU Former Soviet Union task organization imaginable from Attack 24 Aviation Companies to Engineer Platoons This prevents you from having to m
52. gle Order instead Al Hierarchy Order i ES Select the type of Al Order oder vou wish to lAl Order Phaze a add from the list Al Order Phase Order Assign Path Cancel Toggle Order Company Formation Conditional Start 3 Select the Orders and SOP s you want to turn off Suppress can only be turned off Selecting it with a Toggle Order has no effect Field of Fire and Max Range can only be turned on with a Toggle Order if they have previously been set for each unit in the hierarchy Any unit that has never had this order set will not respond to the Toggle Order request 90 w Stop Field of Fire aS Hold Fire March Speed Cancel Defilade Hide On Contact Sprint Engage On Contact Creep Bypass Obstacles Smoke Dismount On Contact Radiate l Do Not Emplace MaxRange Suppress Cancel 4 NOT COMMONLY USED You will be prompted to add Data References If we want the hierarchy order to use any of the Prerequisite Data items from the initial AI Order dialog we specify them here The only data item that would be useful here is the Specified Force data item which would allow you to change the target for the order But it is not really THAT useful as the hierarchy order already lets you set a target How to Add a Battle Plan to a Scenario Adding new Battle Plans to a scenario allows you to enhance the replay ability of your scenario by adding complet
53. he hierarchy to use its currently planned path rather than planning its own path to the Release Point MIR 1 919 MRR Occupy Pos X Mode of Travel Route to Release Point e Point Lii H Do you with the element to move along its curent path or determine a new path to the Release Point 5 The hierarchy will use the applicable column based on its size to determine the formation it will assume at the Release Point What formation would you like the element to assume when it reaches the Release Point Company None rea 64 6 The hierarchy will abort the movement if its forces fall below the given percentage MTR 1 949 MRR Occupy Pos X Abort Movement Percentage Abort pa Formation q r Abort the movement to the p Release Point if the element ercentage falls below the following percentage of current ai Z strength rea 7 If the hierarchy does abort this is the formation it will assume MTR J 1 1 919 MRR Occupy Pos X Abort Movement Formation Initial Ee Formation pa r lf the element aborts this Formations mission what formation should it assume Platoon Pasition Area Company Sse ip rea 8 The hierarchy will use the applicable column based on its size to determine the formation to reach the Release Point We use None because the terrain to the Release Point is very restrictive
54. he order of precedence in which this unit will assume command of the hierarchy of which it is a part For instance a unit with a Rank of 1 will assume command before a unit with a Rank of 2 A zero or negative Rank will override the leader settings and prevent this unit from assuming command Platoon Leader Capable Company Commander Capable If one of these is checked and the unit has a positive Rank the unit will assume command of the hierarchy of which it is a direct member unless a unit with a lower Rank is present Obviously Platoon Leaders can only lead platoons and Company Commanders can only command companies 34 e NATO Piece The NATO icon which represents the unit both on the map and in the Hierarchy Tree This setting will override settings for the vehicle type of the unit e Graphic Piece Destroyed NATO Piece Destroyed Graphic Piece Not implemented e Locked If checked the unit can not be moved from its current hierarchy to another hierarchy or out of all hierarchies 1 CRP SI9MAR Name i Rank r Command I Company Command Capabl ls Leader bmp _2_chasis Graphic Piece F Locked How to Copy Units If you wish to create a mirror image of units and hierarchies that you have already created you can use the Unit Copy features of the ATF Scenario Builder Copy Units First we need to copy the units we want to copy to the clipboard This will allow us to paste any number of copies of the
55. hich the copied units were copied They will also be selected as a group 38 5 Grab one of the units or hierarchies in the group by left clicking on it and drag it to the new desired location Us ES Bl a ee os Te yi How to Add a Block of Obstacles Obstacles are an important facet of Armored Task Force scenarios They either allow the player to canalize the enemy if he is defending or form a hurdle for him to overcome if he is attacking While you can add obstacles manually it is easiest to add them in blocks Add a Block of Obstacles 39 1 Select Friendly from the Block Add sub menu of the Obstacle menu Enemy Neutral i 7 k F 2 The attributes in the Obstacle dialog will be applied to every obstacle in the block that you create e Length Width The size in tens of meters of the obstacles e Attitude The orientation of the length of the obstacle in mils 0 6400 0 is north clockwise angle e Obstacle Type The type of obstacle effects what type of breaching vehicle can breach it and in the case of Road Craters the shape of the obstacle and when it becomes effective e Density A very low density obstacle will only stop a percentage of the vehicles that pass through it e Time to Fire Only used with Road Craters m Size 40 Lenath 10 s of m 10 width 1600 Attitude Cancel ii uu Density Obstacle Tope 9 Mine Time to Fire f
56. ill use for this scenario 8 Select the map j c EE ihac gme Slirag_attack gmp Swadi_d gen _ya_e gmp Sliraq_attack3 gmp Eideath valley e gmp liraq_attack4 gmp I fuldai gmp lntcl gmp Slirag_attacki gmp lpolk gmp 2 File name b bihac gmp Files of type aN 9 The OPORD for a scenario is written in either HTML or Plain Text format in an editor outside of the ATF Scenario Builder We are going to wait to add the order See Add an OPORD to a Scenario a D Have you already written an order for this scenario using an HTML editor Yes No fie 10 Next you must enter the base time for the scenario This is the time that appears in the clock window as game time at the beginning of the game base jime Set the base time for this scenario This is the time the game clock will display when the scenario is opened in Armored Task Force 11 Enter a time You can change it later by selecting the Base Time function from the Time menu Day HA MIN SEL MON YEAR jos fos fo fo f fisd 12 You are done creating a new scenario In the rest of the tutorial we will just continue to add additional objects and instructions to the scenario we have just created The Armored Task Force Scenario Wizard has completed the construction of an empty Armored Task Force scenario In erder to complete this scenario you must add enemy battle plans OPORD graphic files engineer works and other elemen
57. it easier to identify that this file is part of the scenario 94 E bihac_defenset Fima Notepad Bie Edit Format view Help STITLE gt Bi hac 1 Desperate Defense lt TITLE gt ANETS HTTP EQUIV CONDGNT Type CONTENT Lext ntal charsete1s0 8859 1 gt batted HOME GEWERATOR CONTENT Miorgsoft FroctPege Express 2 0 gt 2FHEADS TEDY BSCOLOR WHITE TESTe BLER LIke LIME A Mie ap 2P lt TABLE WIDTH 100S CELLPRADD Iz 7 OBUL SRA Tae 0 eee gt lt TR lt TD WIDTH 10S BSCOLORS PLACE VEL TOH DENTE E 4P ALTGHeCEMTERS lt I Sis atf logo Jpg TiTH DOO HETGHT fo VoRwmre 0 Hear O WARA Oooo Toe TD WIDTH 00E BACOLOR E0ehS VALGA DDNTEE lt P aL TGHeCENTERS i Bba PHT FAcE ardal Helvetica Monaco soroeT SiE 6 ahit Mission Jer FOHT He FOHT e B2AFOHT ADEs Arial Me leet ici Aoneeo SOM Ste A isi ay Brdy POHT Ed PONT CBE CPONT Folie arial H0 leet ici Moco lt homt Sini G Op E fheFensec FONT c FOHT a0 T i ir TALE CHE ALTGMRCENTER WIDTH LOIN Srtte lt P gt fa FOHT Feche Arial Heut ca Bonen aFOHT COL ORe OLDE Se ae the commander of the lt 6e lt ONTrc Pout of oy Ae arda helvetica onaco aon COLRSs Ob Te SBE hh Battalion ath In amory gHechani ced PONT AOT lt a OME Fiske arial Helvetica MHOnacO FSPONT COLOee Lie sce lt fBeesPONT Secs PONTS cB cPONT PASE Ardal deleet ica Honrco oost Cole OL Eve defending around the city of nihac Yugan lawi as FONT Pots ANT PEs Ardal Hel
58. lock F E ime Help Set Base 2 The options from the Compression sub menu of the Time menu allow you to change how fast the clock runs For testing purposes you will usually be able to run the clock at the fastest setting 8 1 or eight to one 87 Help Set Base we Reset Set Index Start Com gress on gt 4 1 1 3 To start the clock select Start either from the toolbar or the Time menu Before doing this make sure you have dragged units into Event Boxes if needed to trigger the orders you want to test 4 Watch the game run You are looking to make sure that the Faction AI 1s doing what you wanted it to that no units are moving when they shouldn t be and that triggers are behaving as they should If you need to make changes turn the clock off first EEEE DE0EOOM ANIO Mt TIME ELAPSED Sag sate 00 00 51 88 5 To stop time select Stop either from the toolbar or the Time Menu Event Batt p ao 6 When you are done testing or you need to make changes before re testing select Clock again from the Time menu to turn OFF the clock eset Set Index Start Compression How to Add a Toggle Cancel Toggle Order The basic method for building a Faction AI script is to first plan paths for enemy hierarchies then plan Missions for enemy hierarchies and then finally create a Faction AI that triggers units to begin movement
59. matically by the Scenario Wizard It is not used by Armored Task Force Changing it has no effect Global Direction In mils 0 6400 0 is north clockwise angle This is the basic orientation direction of the neutral units the direction of attack or defense to face the enemy It will normally be the same as the Friendly Global Direction 21 Mission Edit Mission Marne Bihac 1 Desperate Defense SE Global A Direction rls jew anes Mission Description Victory Message Loss Message a Victory Conditions Loss Conditions Add Edit Edit Delete elete 3 Select Edit Enemy from the Mission sub menu of the Component menu Eeee 5 OPOR Mission Edit Friendly Edit Neutral Edit Enemy s 22 4 Again you do not have to fill out the entire Mission Edit dialog e Mission Name This is filled in automatically by the Scenario Wizard It is not used by Armored Task Force Changing it has no effect e Global Direction In mils 0 6400 0 is north clockwise angle This is the basic orientation direction of the neutral units the direction of attack or defense to face the player s forces It will normally be 3200 mils different from the Friendly Global Direction Mission Edit Mission Mame Bihac 1 D esperate Defense Direction rls Mission Description Victor Message Loss Message Victor Conditions Loss Conditions ee Ee O Edt Edit Delete Del
60. mber This is the base enemy Hierarchy Array which is loaded when you load the scenario in the Scenario Builder Open 2 3 Look in Data ef Ee Sintc3_neutra Enta neutral hra B ntc4_enemy hra E ntcd_enemy_O hra E ntc4_flip_enemy hra es ntc4_flip_enerny_O hra lS ntc4_flip_friendly hra L a o ntc4 itc4_flip_neutral neutralhra ntc4_friendly hra ntc4_ neutral Ara Photo_Op_enemy hra Photo_Op_friendly hra Photo_Op_neutral hra File name ntes flip_enemy hra Files of type o T 105 11 Select Yes to confirm this action Warning X Only one Friendly Hierarchy Array maybe loaded at a time This will destroy the current Friendly Hierarchy Array Do you wish to continue 12 Select Enemy from the Open Hierarchy sub menu of the Unit menu Unit Obstacle Hole Event Battle Fl Hierarchy j Add Package d Add ite Edit eee Locked Eels Paste gt ies Delete Open Hierarchy Friendly Open Units d Remove Units d 106 13 Select the friendly Hierarchy Array file extension hra Open fx Look ir gt Data e Egr E ntc3_neutral hra ntc4_flip_neutral hra E ntc4_enemy hra ntc4_friendly hra E ntcd_enemy_O hra ntc4_ neutral hra es ntc4_flip_enerny hra Photo_Op_enemy hra ntc4_ flip_enemy_O hra Photo_Op_friendly hra E ntc4_flip_friendly nra Photo_Op_neutral hra
61. n from the New sub menu of the Battle Plan menu Actions Orders ae Close Delete a my 2 You will be prompted to save changes to the currently loaded Battle Plan before you continue Select Yes ATEbuild Save changes to bihac_defensel asc l Mio Cancel 3 If you answer Yes to this question your new Battle Plan will begin with a copy of your current Unit List If you select No you will start with a completely blank Unit List and have to recreate all of the units you want in the Battle Plan Question YQ Do vou wish to start with a copy of the currently loaded unit array No Cancel 92 4 If you answer Yes in step 3 answer Yes here Otherwise only the units will be copied not the platoons and companies that comes with them Question YQ Do you wish to start with a copy of the currently loaded hierarcny array No Cancel 5 If you answer Yes here any obstacles built for this Faction will be copied to this Battle Plan Question YQ Do you wish to start with a copy of the currently loaded obstacle array Nic Cancel 6 If you answer Yes here any holes built for this Faction will be copied to this Battle Plan Question D Do you wish to start with a copy of the currently loaded hole array 7 That s it Your new Battle Plan is created loaded and ready for editing 93 8 When you are done editing the Battle Plan select En
62. nario e Adda Toggle Cancel Toggle Order e Adda Battle Plan to a scenario e Add an OPORD to a scenario e Flip a scenario How to Create a New Scenario A scenario is a collection of files which go together to define every aspect of the play experience for a single game of Armored Task Force Some files such as maps and databases created using the ATF Power Toolkit are used across multiple scenarios Some files such as unit lists and graphics are specific to a single scenario These are the files that are edited using the ATF Scenario Builder It will surprise you to find out however that there is a minimum of file management involved in building a scenario All of the scenario components are edited from within the scenario editor and managed transparently to you as you work All of the scenario file names are generated automatically based on the file title you input during the create process So as long as you have all of the files in the Data sub directory of the Armored Task Force install directory which the Scenario Builder will do automatically they will run fine in the game Should you wish to share your handiwork with other ATF players just zip all of the files that begin with your file title into a single zip file and they are ready to share with the world For players to use them they just need to unzip the package into the Data sub directory of their own Armored Task Force install directory The first step in creati
63. ncel 26 7 When you move the cursor down to the map you will find that you are dragging a line of units and hierarchies Left click anywhere on the map to drop these units and hierarchies where you want them Add an Enemy Unit Package The process for adding an Enemy Unit Package is exactly the same except that initially you select Enemy from the Add Package sub menu of the Unit menu Delete Units and Hierarchies In creating the friendly order of battle that you want you may find that you need to remove some units and hierarchies added either manually or while adding a Unit Package This is an even simpler process then adding units l it i i Dele 4 ee Sda rit 4st MH Obstacle Hierarchy Add Edit L Paste Hol b N r lecua Friendly Neutral 1 eea Fie mar Ewent Battle F E i F 21 1 Select the units and or hierarchies you wish to delete either by shift clicking on them clicking on them or drag clicking over them 2 Select Delete from the Unit menu Init Obstacle Hole Hierarchy Agd Package Add b i Edit e Cut Lopy Paste 3 The ATF Scenario Builder will ask you if you are sure you want to delete the units If you are select Y es Ay Are you sure you want to delete these units and hierarchies No Cancel 28 4 While the
64. ndly to Enemy Open Enemy he Friendly 2 Select the enemy Obstacle Array file extension eob Note that if the original scenario has a battle plan there may be more than one enemy Obstacle Array In this case as in the example here select the one that does not end ina number This is the base enemy Obstacle Array which is loaded when you load the scenario in the Scenario Builder Look in E gt Data a Ee lE nticz _neutral eob ntc3_enemy eob E ntcs neutral eob es ntc4_enery eob S ntc4_enerny_O eob E ntc4_flip_enemy eob ES gt File name Inte4_flip_enemy eob we Files of type Cancel Open as read only ntc4_flip_enemy_O eob ntc4_flip_neutral eob ntc4_neutral eob Photo_Op_enemy eob Photo_Op_neutral eab saudi_arabial_enemy eob II 108 3 Specify a file name for the converted enemy Obstacle Array Do not overwrite the friendly Obstacle Array Select a new file name instead Save As 2 e Save IM io Data be ex Fae ei Koksan_Final_friendly fob saudi_arabial_friendly fob E koksan_Fix_friendly tob Testi_friendly tob E ntc1_friendly fob E the_breach_friendly fob IE ntce_friendly fob Turn_Of_Events_friendly tob ntcs_friendly fob Where_They_friendly fob ntc4_flip_friendly fob Siintc4_friendly fob m Photo_Op_friendly fob Ea m a mm ees File name nte _flip_friendly1 fob Save as type Cancel
65. nemy Obstacle Array Do you wish to continue o 113 Flip the Hole Arrays Vehicle and dismount holes are stored in Hole Arrays Each faction has its own Hole Array but they are completely interchangeable i e there are not separate enemy and friendly formats as with Obstacle Arrays The rest of this section provides detailed instructions for flipping Hole Arrays But in general the steps are as follows e Load the enemy holes as the friendly Hole Array e Load the friendly holes as the enemy Hole Array 1 Select Open from the Hole menu Hole Event Be Add gt Block Add Delete Open 2 Select the enemy Hole Array Open Look irr gt Data m EE Hinte fi ip_ene my hoa E Photo_Op_friendly hoa e ntc4_flip_friendly hoa Photo_Op_neutral hoa S ntc4_flio_neutral hoa saudi_arabial_enemy he ntc4_ friendly hoa saudi_arabial_triendly r i ntc4_neutral hoa saudi arabial neutral E Photo_Op_enemy hoa I Test1_enemy hos if t it gt File name inte4_fiip_enemy hoa Files of type Cancel 114 3 Select Friendly and OK Select a Faction gt lt m Faction f Friendly C Enemy C Neutral 4 Select Open from the Hole menu Hole Event Be Add Black ane Delete Open k 5 Select the friendly Hole Array Open 23 Look in Data al e E Sintc2_neutra neuralhoa inta
66. ng a new scenarios is well creating a new scenario Luckily the ATF Scenario Builder includes an easy to use wizard which walks you through the entire process Use the Scenario Wizard to Create a New Scenario We are going to use the ATF Scenario Builder to create a new scenario Whenever we want to stop building our scenario for a while we just use the Save function Then in order to start editing again we just re open the ATF Scenario Builder and select Open an Existing Scenario from the opening dialog 1 Start the ATF Scenario Builder Armored Task Force armored Task Force Home Page amp ATF Help Bug Reports Read Mle ATF Power Toolkit 2 Select Create an All New Scenario from the opening window Welcome to Armored Task Force Scenario Builder Select one of the options below to begin using the Armored Task Force Scenaro Wizard Or click Cancel to work on your own Create a New Scenario from an Existing Scenario Open an Existing Scenario m Option Choose thie selection to create an all new scenario The Scenario Wizard will guide you through the process of naming your scenario and adding all of the building blacks to create a basic scenario 3 You will be prompted to enter a file title for the scenario The scenario editor will not allow you to use file titles that were used for scenarios that shipped with Armored Task Force Please specify a scenario file title for thi
67. now add new enemy battle plans for the flipped scenario For more click here Warning AN Are YOU sure you want to permanently delete this battleplan and all associated files o c 4 Select Edit Friendly from the Mission sub menu of the Component menu You will need to change the Global Direction win and loss text and victory conditions to reflect the objectives for the new friendly player controlled force To see more click here Make sure you also change the Global Direction in the neutral and enemy Mission components Environment E ab OPORD P Blame Edit rene Edit Neutral Edit Enemy CRIS 117 5 To continue you will need to save the scenario Select Save from the File menu or toolbar 6 Close the ATF Scenario Builder by selecting Exit from the File menu or the Close button at the top right of the main window File Edit ie Hew Open Save Import Ex t 7 Using Windows Explorer change the name of the Maneuver Graphics the friendly gra file to the name of the Enemy SITTEMP the enemy gra file Then do the reverse changing the Enemy SITTEMP file name to that of the Maneuver Graphics When you are done restart the ATF Scenario Builder You will find that the Enemy SITTEMP is now displayed in blue as the Maneuver Graphics and the Maneuver Graphics are now displayed in Red as the Enemy SITTEMP Additional editing to the graphics may be required
68. nt m IEJ File name ntod_flip_enemy unt Files of type Cancel ot 103 7 Select Enemy from the Open Units sub menu of the Unit menu Init Obstacle Hole Event Battle Fl et Dem Hierarchy Add Package d Add Edit d Locked d Open Hierarchy Di m Friendly i Open Units Remove Units Enemy ae ale elt a Neutral e ee J4 Jd 8 Select the friendly Unit Array file extension unt Open Look tr 6 Data ntcs_neutral unt S ntc4_enemy unt nic4 enemy Ount fi ntc4_flip_enemy unt ntc4 flip_enemy_O unt i ntc4_flip_friendly unt File name ntod_flip_friendly unt ntc4_ flip_neutral unt E ntc4_friendly unt ntc4_neutral unt Photo_Op_enemy unt Photo_Op_friendly unt Photo_Op_neutral unt en ia Files of type 104 9 Select Friendly from the Open Hierarchy sub menu of the Unit menu Unit Obstacle Hole Event Battle PI E Hierarchy Add Package Add Edit cae Locked a doe ed 1 Paste Delete Friendly Open Units n aha Open Hierarchy gt Remove Units Neutral 10 Select the enemy Hierarchy Array file extension hra Note that if the original scenario has a battle plan there will be more than one enemy Hierarchy Array In this case as in the example here select the one that does not end in a nu
69. o Scroll 2 Options Edit a Hierarchy On the map hierarchies are depicted by flags or NATO piece markers When you add a Unit Package it may or may not have the correct flag and even if it does have the correct flag it will almost certainly not be labeled correctly To fix the problem you will have to edit the appearance of the hierarchy To begin editing a hierarchy right click on it in the Hierarchy Tree window and select Edit 1 To change the attributes or appearance of a hierarchy make changes in the Hierarchy Platoon or Company Data dialog e Name The screen name of the hierarchy which appears both in the Hierarchy Tree window and in the tool tip labels on the map e Max Units The maximum number of directly subordinate units or hierarchies under this hierarchy both units and platoon hierarchies but not subordinate platoon s units e Spacing The distance between units in the hierarchy while in formation in tens of meters e Command Radius Not currently implemented e Command and Control BOS Flags These flags are combined to determine what kinds of formations and Missions are available to this hierarchy e NATO Piece The NATO symbol that represents the hierarchy both in the Hierarchy Tree and on the map e Graphic Piece The Flag that represents the hierarchy on the map when vehicles are visible e Graphic Label Piece The number or letter that 1s displayed on the flag e Destroyed NATO and Graphic
70. perations Order Mission aiaee a Bors ata po tom E Orders Page Cancel ada htm death_valley_defense htr bihac_defensei htm dfAmmo htm a breacher htm emplacing htm 2 counts Atm Elengineer Atm death_valley_attack htm FDC Atm a File name bihac_defenset htr Ea Files of type HTML Fage htm Cancel 5 That s it Select OK and the OPORD will now be included in the Scenario Operations Order Mission Bihac 1 Desperate Defense I bihac_defensel htm Cancel How to Flip a Scenario Unlike some other wargames the AI is so complex in Armored Task Force that all scenarios cannot by default be played as either side However it is a very simple matter using the ATF Scenario Builder for anyone to flip a scenario that is make the player forces into enemy forces and the enemy forces into player forces in order to play as the other side in a scenario 96 The remainder of this topic discusses the particulars of flipping a scenario but in general the steps are as follows e Make a copy of the original scenario and save it e Flip the friendly and enemy forces e Flip the friendly and enemy obstacles e Flip the friendly and enemy holes e Flip the components battle plans and AI scripts Make a copy of the original scenario We want to begin by making a copy of the original scenario to edit so that we do not alter the original scenario To
71. rchies then plan Missions for enemy hierarchies and then finally create a Faction AI that triggers units to begin movement and execute Missions as triggers are met Now that we have planned all of the enemy paths it is time to begin planning Missions for enemy hierarchies If an enemy hierarchy based on the situation may execute more than one Mission we must plan multiple Missions for the hierarchy After each Mission is planned we will cancel the Mission so that it is not executed until the proper trigger is met The Company Wave Attack Mission is much like the friendly Company Attack to Breach Mission except that the enemy as it gets closer to its objective will spread out into wider and wider formations Add a Company Wave Attack Mission 1 Right click on the hierarchy for which you wish to plan the mission Select Company Wave Attack to Breach from the Mission sub menu al Path Edit Orders SOF Recall Detached Formation l Mission Mone TAa SUppert By Fire Create Package Assault Attack By Fire Company Defense Insert Dismourits Company Wave Attack to Breach Wave ASsauUit 52 2 Drag click over the region on the ground which represents the objective for the attack Select OK Select the objective for this attack Objective Size is dictated by the size and composition of the attacking force Cancel i 3 You can enter an objective or leave it blank It will make no difference
72. re not ready to defend yet The enemy really threw everything he had at you But you held tight and Round up whatever you ve got left and gave Us the time we needed to bring fall back Wie are going to try to fram a up the rear We re moving up the 2nd new line at Kanovarc Victor Conditions Loss Conditions Time Limit a Ai Edt dit Edt dit Delete elete 6 The Prevent Penetration Box condition counts the number of enemy units in a defined Event Box and is true when the enemy count is equal to or exceeds the defined number Enemy Numbers Select a Friendly Numbers Condition to add Neutral Mumbers Neutral Objective Ellipse Objective Ellipse Pres ert Penetratic m Eor 19 7 Fill out the form for the Prevent Penetration Box Penetration Box This is the name of the No Pen Line It is displayed with the Mission Objectives and Results in the Results Window Number of Enemy When this number of enemy are within the defined box the Prevent Penetration Box will be True Enemy Maneuver Only When this box is checked Armored Task Force will only count enemy maneuver vehicles not non maneuver vehicles such as engineer and artillery units UB READING Penetration Box E Humber OF Enemy Lancel Enemy Maneuver Only 8 We re done Select OK up the rear Were moving up the 2rd Kdission Name Bihac 1 Desperate Defense OK Global Mann C Direction mile
73. rection In mils 0 6400 0 is north clockwise angle This is the basic orientation direction of the friendly player s force the direction of attack or defense to face the enemy e Victory Message This is the message displayed in the Results window if the player wins the mission e Loss Message This is the message displayed in the Results window if the player loses the mission After the form is completed select Add to begin adding Victory Conditions Mission Name Bihac 1 Desperate Detense oaa eee 42400 Direction mila Mission Description TF 6 E Ni is the mooring that secures the entire NATO position i iri a Yugoslavia But their alent is under attack from multiple directions and they are on the brink of destruction LOCATION Bihac Bosnia Herzegovina Victory Message Loss Message Great work colonell Fall back Wie are going to try to to from ma new line at Ranovac The enemy really threw everything he had at you But you held tight and l Il deal with you when we get there gave Us the time we needed to bring Up the rear We re moving up the 2nd Iron Brigade 6 out Vicor Conditions Loss Conditions aay Edt Delete 3 When the Time Limit condition is placed in the Victory Conditions box it means that the player must hold on until the defined time When it is in the Loss Conditions box it means the player must achieve the victory conditions before that time or h
74. ry to add them to the newly created hierarchy which can have unexpected results 1 Right click away from any hierarchies or units in the Hierarchy Tree window for the faction to which you want to add your new hierarchy Select Platoon from the Add menu or Company if you want to add a company 46 a Be 1 CRP 919MRR EE eal 2 919 MAR H Es 1 19 MAR ae 2 To change the attributes or appearance of a hierarchy make changes in the Hierarchy Platoon or Company Data dialog e Name The screen name of the hierarchy which appears both in the Hierarchy Tree window and in the tooltip labels on the map e Max Units The maximum number of directly subordinate units or hierarchies under this hierarchy both units and platoon hierarchies but not subordinate platoon s units e Spacing The distance between units in the hierarchy while in formation in tens of meters e Command Radius Not currently implemented e Command and Control BOS Flags These flags are combined to determine what kinds of formations and Missions are available to this hierarchy e NATO Piece The NATO symbol that represents the hierarchy both in the Hierarchy Tree and on the map e Graphic Piece The Flag that represents the hierarchy on the map when vehicles are visible e Graphic Label Piece The number or letter that is displayed on the flag e Destroyed NATO and Graphic Piece Not implemented e Locked If this box is checked hierar
75. s scenario This is the tithe trom which all scenario file names will be derived After you have completed this scenario you can port it to other computers by copying all of the files im the Data subdirectotry of your Armored Task Force install directory that start with the name that you specify here 4 Enter a name If you use a title from an ATF scenario that shipped with the game you will be prompted to enter another one Enter a new name bihac_defense Cancel 5 Next you will be prompted to enter a scenario display name Again the scenario editor will not allow you to use display names that were used for scenarios that shipped with Armored Task Force Question Please specify a display name for this scenario This is the title that will be displayed during the Start New Game dialog and at the top of the main window after the scenario is loaded This name Is stored In the friendly Mission component and the Order component should you wish to change It later NOTE Creating different names for these two components can have unpredictable results 6 Enter the display name for your scenario New Name Enter a new name Bihac 1 Desperate Defense ER 7 Now you need to select the map to use for the scenario For a map to be usable by Armored Task Force all of its files must be in the Data sub directory of the Armored Task Force install directory J Select the map you w
76. stacles before the company Number Of Vehicles adjusts its assessment of the location of the main obstacle a rea 55 11 The only valid forces here are Assault Breach and Support Force The indicated elements will assault through the breach once it is cut 3 919 MRR Company Wave At X Refine Obstacle Line Forces to Assault Through Consolic_4 H Which elements will Specified Force ne a Rotar win Assault Force becin Breach Force Tank athe w i Platoons Execute Cancel 12 The hierarchy will abort the attack if its forces fall below the given percentage A zero means the hierarchy will continue until every vehicle is dead Abort the attack if the compan falls below the following percentage ot curent strength 0 Es rea Fercentage IF the company aborts this attack what formation should they assume 56 14 This is the initial formation the unit will use when it initiates the attack All of these formations are set to None in this example because of the severely restricted terrain 31 919 MRR Company Wave At Attack Formation Attack ee se Attack Formation 3_4 r Selct the formation the Formations company will use when approaching the objective until Platoon None three kilometers out Company rea 15 And the next formation 3 919 MRR Company Wave At x Attack Formation Attack Formation 2 Attack ae 3 afl What formation will
77. t a unit or hierarchy by double clicking on it 44 3 Plan the path for the unit or hierarchy To add a node left click on the last node in the path and while holding down the left mouse button drag to the next node location Release the button to drop a node a a F PE a _ a x 4 To change a node to from a stop node right click on it When a node is changed to a stop node you will be prompted to input an elapsed time when it will revert to a go node If you don t want it to change enter a really high number in the hours block such as 999 HA MIN SEC ps p p LOWY 45 5 Select Show Path from the toolbar or Edit menu again to cancel path planning e er 1 P 5 F nm m me F as i aes eee i SMR eR MO d Be MB ayl fb E How to Create a Hierarchy Sometimes no Unit Package will exist to add the type of organization you want to add to your scenario In such a case you are going to have to build a hierarchy from scratch No problem ATF Scenario Builder makes this almost as simple as adding a unit package NOTE In Armored Task Force enemy platoons are represented on the map and in windows as companies and companies as battalions Besides this in every respect they behave just as friendly hierarchies Add a New Hierarchy Before completing this step make sure that no units or hierarchies are selected as a group on the map If they are ATF Scenario Builder will t
78. tack to Breach object Company Defense Company Wave Attack to Breach Engineer Company Breach Insert Diemounts Oecupy Position rea Platoon Breach 6 With the order set we can now specify the hierarchy to which we want the order given Al Order Order Type Ok Hierarchy Name o Cancel Target Code gt Echelon One Suppor Element M All Breach M Platoon Assault Company Center Indirect Fire Array Right Flank Main Battle Are l LettFlank Reserve 7 We are telling artillery battalions to move to their Position Areas so we pick all of the artillery hierarchies 7 8 3 OO MRRAG fo Selectthe C 14 9 9 MRRAG _ hierarchy name C 24919 MRRAG you wish to have Czar 919 MARAG 919 HRRAG 73 8 That s it We have finished building the hierarchy order Al Order j Order Type fi ASISMARAG Hierarchy Name Lancel l Target Code Echelon M One Suppor Element All Breach Platoon Assault Company Center Indirect Fire Array Right Flant Main Battle Ar oD Left Flank Reserve 9 If we want the order to use any of the Prerequisite Data from the initial AI Order dialog we specify it here This is most commonly used if we have given the Assign Path order in our Hierarchy Order dialog We would specify the stored Route data item we want to assign here Add Delete Cancel
79. to game play It can help you remember where the objective is though Attack Objective Split Pa Mode of Travel Attack AA Choose a name tor the Objective objective of this attack r Seas Optional OB REAGANI 4 If you un check one of these boxes it will cause the hierarchy to skip a step in the attack such as not forming a Support By Fire SBF position or not conducting a breach What elements do you want the company to form in order to Support Force Assault Force W Indirect Fire Force as RE attack this objective iv 53 5 If the hierarchy has dismounts and this box is checked the unit s dismounts will walk from their current location to the attacks Operational Rally Point ORP 3 919 MRR Company Wave At X Made of Travel Atihek Foute OFP Location Attack Ti al gt How do you want the company to mowe to the ORF rea 6 Check this box to tell the hierarchy to use its currently planned path rather than planning its own path to the Operational Rally Point 3J 919 MRR Company Wave At X Mode of Travel Attack Route ORF Location Attack Tir 4 r Do you wish the company to W Use Current Path aise slang its anor deri ts PEER EE E determine a new path to the objective 7 In this order the Platoon entry is ignored The Company entry tells the unit what formation to assume when it gets to the
80. ts to this scenario See the User s Manual for instructions on how to add these elements to a scenario How to Save a Scenario Save your scenario often Even with all of the great tools available in the ATF Scenario Builder it still takes some work to create a scenario And nothing is worse than having to redo work because you forgot to save it The Save function allows you to stop working to continue later in a new session After you have saved your scenario it is safe to close the ATF Scenario Builder if you forget to save the editor will prompt you to save before you exit To continue working on your scenario later just start up the Scenario Builder again and select Open an Existing Scenario from the opening dialog Save Your Scenario Saving a scenario is no different than in any other Windows application What you can t see 1s that the scenario editor 1s also saving each component file in the scenario to ensure changes are not lost 1 Select Save either from the toolbar or the File menu j le Edit 2 The first time you save the scenario the editor will ask you to confirm the file title of the scenario you are saving We do not recommend changing this name Changing this name will not change the name of the entire subordinate files in the scenario and will make the individual files in the scenario harder to find Save in E Data e j ct Ee 5 77 ee Bac e death _valley_attack asc Ka fuldad
81. use the Percent Illumination entry e Is Night Obsolete No entry required e Events Not yet implemented Temperature deg F E 30 BMANT hhmm Relative Humidity 22 eoo a Sees Cancel wind Speed m s fs 24 Sunset hhmm Wind Direction mils IE 24 EENT ends Percent Illumination 4 M ls Night Add Edit Delete How to Edit Maneuver Graphics and Enemy SITTEMP Maneuver Graphics provide boundaries in which you intend the player to play tell him where he can initially place his forces and orient him on an objective for the mission When referenced in the OPORD they give him all of the information he needs to play the scenario For a complete description of the maneuver graphics that are used in the US military see the Armored Task Force User s Manual and FM 101 5 1 which ships with Armored Task Force in electronic format on the CD The steps for editing the Enemy SITTEMP which gives the player an idea of how the enemy may be arrayed are identical except that instead of initially selecting Maneuver Graphics you select Enemy SITTEMP from the Component OPORD Edit menu Initiate The Graphics Edit Mode Initially your scenario does not have Maneuver Graphics However adding a Maneuver Graphics component is done automatically by the editor when you begin the process of editing the graphics 1 Select Component OPORD Edit and Maneuver Graphics
82. ust be met and orders to be executed upon those triggers An Event Box condition is the second most commonly used trigger in a Faction AI script It tells Armored Task Force to look at a location on the map and when it contains a specified number of vehicles of a specified group or hierarchy do something Add the Event Box Condition The basic steps of the addition of an Event Box condition are to add the event box add the condition and then edit the condition attributes 1 The first step is to create an Event Box See Create an Event Box for details on how to do this If you are currently editing a Faction AI you will have to close it in order to do this The Event Box condition will also accept Event Ellipses Pa ee 11 2 Now you can add the condition The condition can be used wherever conditions are accepted Abort Conditions in the base Faction AI Phase End Conditions for an AI Order Phase or Order Execution Conditions in an AI Phase Order Al Phase Order Edit Last Order acme AYA to initial position Cancel Add Edit at Edit Delete elete Delete Order Execute Conditions Hierarchy Orders 3 When prompted select the Event Box condition Breaches Complete pa Select a Call Back Condition to add Call Back Count Call Back Snap Shot Compare Event Bores Distance Force Percentage 4 This prompt is provided for editing the Faction AI If you come
83. vetica Honaco ronONT COLOke GLIVE por Be Fo e A AT Fps Arial Walvetica Monaco gt lt FONT Colors OLIE Six months after the mass migration of Eest Germans the Czechoslovakia to Western Burope iparked global war Between Fait and west the HATS counter attack has begun But the attack through che crechoslovaklan corridor ita the Galkans has Stalled due to Soviet special operat tons n the HATO rear mea four battalion mast hold the key rallhead at nihac long enough for Mato ta Being deg es forward Sci H the offensive c7 FOT e FT rch P ALTGH CEMTER gt HE SLIGHSCEWTER WIDTH L0 5 2E Z gt lt P gt aPy ORORD operations order 5 t0 lt nE gt 2 BIT 1 AD CIDH BRIGADE ashe ps a GMvDh spaceretainer ninbep Pr Pah 1 SITUATIA of Py lt UL gt zP A EHEMY FORCES lt P gt 2 Select Component OPORD Edit and Order i Environment e 84 gt x OPORD gt Maneuver Graphics Enemy SIH TEMP i Linde r i Pen Width Per 3 The Operations Order dialog will allow you to designate the OPORD file for this A Component Unit Obstacle Hole Event Battle Plan Actions Or scenario The Mission block was filled in by the Scenario Wizard when you created a new scenario Changing the name here will only change the title on the OPORD window when the OPORD is displayed in Armored Task Force 95 Select Orders Page O
84. willbe derived After you have completed this scenario you can port it to other computers by copying all of the files in the Data subdirectotry of your Armored Task Force install directory that start with the name that you specify here 5 Select a name and click OK Enter a new name ntc4_tlig Cancel 98 6 Now you can specify a new scenario name This is the name that will appear when the scenario is being selected and in the main window when the scenario is loaded Question c Please specify a display name for this scenario This is the title that will tf be displayed during the Start New Game dialog and at the top of the main window after the scenario is loaded This name is stored in the friendly Mission component and the Order component should you wish to change it later NOTE Creating different names for these two components can have unpredictable results 7 Specify a name and select OK New Name Enter a new name er4 Colorado Wadi Attack FLIP O Cancel 8 You have now completed copying the scenario Select OK Scenario Wizard complete l yo The Armored Task Force Scenario Wizard has completed the construction of a Jy copy of the Armored Task Force you selected 9 You must save the scenario before continuing You will need to manipulate files of this scenario so they must be saved first Select Save from the File menu or the toolbar 99
85. xample does not include Neutral Units so we will concentrate on building an Enemy Faction AI script 66 1 Select Unit Hierarchy Faction Al Create and Enemy ifr SCH ih i a 2 Th i Obstacle ale F Battle Plan Actions Orders SOP Neutral ccit gt ey he Delete gt Faye Add Edit pean IT I i Jl Fi 1 r Paste Delete t a sa f i Ez p i r M ma 2 The AI Order Edit dialog is the foundation for the Faction AI script e Order Name Not used Can be left blank e Prerequisite Data Stuff that you want to store for use throughout the script is stored here Most commonly you will store routes by copying them to the clipboard and then Adding the Route Data object e Abort Conditions The conditions under which the entire script will abort early e Abort Orders Final orders that will be given just before the script aborts e Order Phases These are operational phases that will be executed in order to execute the script A new phase will not start until the previous phase s Phase End Conditions have been met 67 q Order Name Enemy Faction l Ok Cancel Prerequisite Data Order Phases Add Edit Edit Delete Delete Abort Conditians Abort Orders Edt Edit Delete elete Delete Add an Order Phase to the Al Script An Order Phase is a set of instructions that are executed at roughly the same

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