[version 1.0 - 20/January/2003]

0. TOC

This is a set of historical scenarios for the game 'Destroyer Command'.

1. Installation
2. Introduction
3. How to play
4. Design notes
5. Legal info
6. Contact

1. Installation

Just copy the files into your 'Destroyer command' folder obeying the directory structure in the zip file. Which means: Copy the *.sdf files into 'sim/scenarios/historic' the *.txt files into 'text/english' and the *.msg files into 'text/english/messages'. In the game the scenarios will now be avaiable under 'missons->historical'

If you use the german version of the game, messages and text files will probably have to be placed somewhere else (text/german... presumably). Just take a look into your Destroyer command directory.

2. Introduction

Early in 1942 Allied commanders decided to form a unified command structure for combining allied resistance efforts in the south west pacific. The command was called ABDA (for American-British-Dutch-Australian). The short life of ABDA ended when Dutch general Helferich had to surrender to Japan after the invasion of Java. In the meantime, however, several surface engagements under ABDA command took place with the 'Battle of Java Sea' as the most prominent one. All in all, it can be said, that the ABDA campaign was a disaster. The Allies lost nearly their complete fleet in the south west pacific without being able to inflict any substantial damage to the Japanese. The greatest loss to the Japanese occured when a Japanese cruiser fired a spread of torpedos against the Houston, which all missed but sank 4 Japanese transports instead. There are many reasons for the failure: Poor communication between the different ABDA nationalities, poor communication between ABDAfloat and ABDAir, Japanese air supermacy, the superior Japanese weapon technology at this time and the poor morale of the ABDA troups which knew that they were in a hopeless position.

To read more about the surface engagements take a look at this site: www.microworks.net/pacific/battles This site also served as a main source for developing the scenarios.

3. How to play

Limited Visibility should be turned on. A historic scenario where you see all the enemy locations is pretty pointless. The scenarios also seem to work less well if it is turned off. Seems as if AI controlled units use it too and thus behave in a strange way. Read the aftermath only after you have played the game because it will usually tell you all enemy positions. You should also play the game with the rule 'follow your orders' even if disobeying might be easier to reach the objectives. Orders are used in the historic context to make your game as similiar to the historic situation as the game engine allows. If you want to go your own ways, expect a boring scenario (captains disobeying their commanders were court-martialed btw). Some of the scenarios are completely unbalanced. I tried to compensate it by choosing adequate objectives. However, the Exeter scenario especially is still a tough call. Do not be frustrated if you consecutively fail to win the scenario. Read the aftermath and see what debacle your historical fellows have suffered. Think of it as experiencing history in a game.

4. Design notes

• Balikpapan: This scenario is already part of the original game and is thus not included here.
• Badung Strait: It was very hard to model the behaviour of the dutch cruisers in this scenario. In historic reality they just rushed by at high speed, firing their guns without inflicting any damage. The game enginge makes this impossible as ships will usually leave their waypoint course when engaging an enemy. If you have direct cruiser support this mission is extremely easy. I thus tried to restrict them in their ROE as much as possible and tried to take them out of the battle. The two Japenes destroyers screening the transport will leave their position after an encounter usually leaving south running into the second allied force ahead of time or passing them. If you know of a possibility to let them return to their original screening position after the first allied group has left, let me know.
• Java Sea: This mission has a huge amount of units. As I had no scenario editor (Ultimation failed to provide one and Koralle in the version available for me always messed up groups, waypoints and orders in the scenario files and thus could only be used for coordinate conversion) this scenario is far from finished. Improving it to make it historicaly accurate would require the finetuning of waypoints for nearly all units. This would be the work of several weeks. Time that I have not. The scenario is fun however. It's a huge fray in which (if everything goes optimal) you have a chance to attack the invasion convoy (turkey shooting).
• Sunda Strait - Fleeing of Houston and Perth: In this battle no american destroyer was involved. Thus it is not included here.
• Fleeing of DESRON 58: Unforunately there is no way to make smoke, I therefore used a foggy weatherfront to model it. If you turn the time compression too high, sometimes the Japenese destroyers can be found to be sitting right on Java after some time, not run aground at the shore, but right in the middle of the island. Another strange game bug. They also leave their patrol area sometimes ahead of time. Don't know why.
• Fleeing of Exeter: For some strange reason it is not possible to hide waypoints of allied groups, allthough a scipting options for this is available. More than in the other scenarios this is a real problem here. The player should not know in advance that the battle will force the group to turn east again. However, I could not find a possibility to fix it. If you know a solution mail me. The visibility of the Pope under the rain-fronts seems to be amazingly high allthough I set the fog density to maximum (another bug of the game?). The result is that playing the scenario truthfully (keeping near the Exeter till its end) is suicide as you will be gunned down shortly after. Another strange thing that occured once is, that when the player does not follow the Exeter, the Japanse and British groups later sail peacefully alongside although the Japanese use very aggressive rules of engagement.

5. Legal info

All files can be freely distributed as long as this html document is included.

6.Contact

Author: Timm Baumeister
If you have praise, criticism or suggestions I would like to hear from you: jack-kerouac@gmx.de

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