cfrag Posted November 6, 2021 Posted November 6, 2021 Integrated Warfare: Cyprus Pushback Current Version: 1.2.91 MP (2021-11-06) Download: original version Discussion: Please add your comments below Summary: IW: Cyprus Pushback is a single/multi-player dynamic mission with heavy focus on air-to-ground combat. You are expected to fly multiple air frame types in support of an AI-controlled ground attack that tries to capture strategic locations. Ground forces deploy and spawn dynamically, based on decisions of the two warring AI. A successful 2-player mission usually requires that at least one (usually both) of the players fly two or more different airframes (rotor- and/or fixed-wing) before the mission is a success. Duration: A fast 2 player (win) takes some 120 minutes. Average play-through (win) is about 140 minutes with 2 players. Unchecked, RED AI overruns BLUE in some 100 minutes. Requirements: Syria Map At least two of the recommended modules (see below) Number of recommended players: 2-4. You currently play as BLUEFORCE only. A single-player win may just be possible. We deem winning the scenario alone and with Pilot Pool Limit enabled to be impossible. Four players can win the scenario comfortably in 100 minutes. Performance Warning In multiplayer, this mission taxes the hosting computer noticeably. Is your CPU up to the task? Only one way to find out. Integrated Warfare This is the third incarnation of my 'integrated warfare' approach to missions. Emphasis is heavily on the combat aspect of flying and works different from other missions: your role isn't that of one individual - here you represent multiple pilots flying multiple aircraft and you are expected to change airframes while the scenario is running. What drives the mission and decides the outcome depends as much on which and when you choose an aircraft, as it depends on how well you can fly that aircraft - with the caveat that both must be good in order to win. To manage complexity, this scenario emphasizes accessibility/playability over adherence to real-world mission procedures and profiles, also, the active area is tiny, bordering on claustrophobic. Modules recommended In order to have a good chance of winning this scenario, your group members should have access to at least one module named in each of the following categories: Huey, Hip or Hind for troop transport and CSAR (optional) F-15, FA-18 or F-16 for CAP FA-18 or F-16 (or Ka-50 if your are good) for SEAD A-10A or A-10C II, AV-8B, Su-25, Su-25T, Ka-50, SA-342 or Hind for CAS A minimal good aircraft mix (one of each category covered between players): Troop Transport: Huey or Hind Ground Attack: A-10 (any) or Su-25T or Hind CAS/SEAD: F/A-18 or F-16 You can win this mission without a Troop Helicopter, but lose any ability to quickly take named locations, deploy lasing troops nor will you be able to recover ejected pilots to replenish your ranks. BACKGROUND It finally happened. The nightmare scenario that everyone hoped was impossible is now rapidly becoming grim reality: suspiciously un-opposed REDFORCE have landed at Kyrenica, and from there they have pushed into Cyprus. Within just two short days they managed to established a bridgehead in Nicosia. Troops now threaten to push quickly towards southern coast, with Larnaca or Akrotiri being their ultimate objective, trying to trifurcate already divided Cyprus. BLUE Taskforce "Hurricane Sundown" has arrived, setting up in Larnaca Airport, and erecting a FARP some 15 km west of Larnaca, straddling the most likely route REDFORCE is expected to take south. Caught up in the middle - and hopelessly outclassed in every regard - are the UN Corps force who until a few days ago kept the peace on this historically pivotal island. We are ordered to safeguard the lives of UN units at all cost. OBJECTIVES Your goal is to lead the air offence while Citadel runs the ground offensive. You have a pool of 6 Pilots at your disposal to fly any available airframe to push back the enemy. Be advised: There are Migs (multiple groups) operating in the northern part of the Mediterranean, with unclear intentions. A number of heavily armed Attack helicopters have been spotted operational in Kyrenica. At least one SAM site (S10) is operational out of Lakatamia, with a second one reportedly being built near Nicosia International Airport. There are reports of enemy squads armed with shoulder-mounted AA missiles on the ground Be on the look-out for neutral UN air units that may be in the vicinity; engaging neutral units will not only land the pilot in Den Hag; for political reasons it will also immediately end all Blue engagement in this area. We hold three major locations: CVN 74 Stennis south off the coast of Larnaca Larnace International Airport FARP Berlin in the foothills 17 km west of Larnaca HOW TO PLAY: On the map, marked out on the F-10 Map view, are twelve (12) Named Locations: Pyro Braxos, Dromos, Trapetsi, Archon, Miles, Lexi, Tycon, Styx, Kalos Krasi, Agora Sklavon, Ximera and Kirklos. In order to win, BLUEFORCE must capture all Named Locations, while Redforce AI is trying to do the same. At the beginning of the scenario, Blue and Red each occupy one Named Location, the one closest to their respective airfield/FARP. Tactical Overview The F10 map always shows the current tactical situation. Strategic (Named) locations are shown and are colored by their owner (red/blue/neutral). You can enable names to better familiarize yourself with the locations. Fog of War is in effect, so enemy units appear only when they are visible to friendly units. Your Task You are tasked with supporting the AI-led ground offensive to capture all eleven named locations. You are the only blue aircraft in the arena, so choose wisely which air frame to occupy at which time. You are expected to change airframes multiple times, and in accordance with the situation and airframe change rules (see 'Changing Airframes' in the section about limited amount of pilots, below). You can start by trying to rapidly expand operations by using helicopters to airlift troops to unoccupied zones - but beware of enemy aircraft and SAM. You can start with asserting air superiority with your fighters - but may then lose the ground war while doing so. Note that during the last stages, transporting troops can become a convenient (and risky) way to more quickly win the scenario. Capturing Named Locations To capture a named location, your troops must be the only coalition troops inside the circle marked on the map (note: for clearer visual identification, each named location has a neutral watchtower placed in the middle). Only ground forces can capture a location. Airlifted infantry can capture named locations and do not have to remain on-location until they are relieved by other troops. Just remember that it only takes a second for an un-occupied location to be captured by the opposition should they be able to place their troops inside the circle. Production of ground troops A captured location automatically starts production of ground troops. This is fully automated and does not require any player interaction. Once a Location has been captured, it will produce defending units. Each location produces its own set of defenders depending on the location and side that owns it. Once defenders have been produced, production is switched over to attackers. Again, the number and type of units produced depends on the location and side that owns it. The units, once produced, will automatically head for the closest not-owned named location. If your side conquers that location while the units are enroute, they'll re-route to the next un-owned location automatically. Be advised that not all locations always produce the same units (configurable in ME), and that Red and Blue produce different units. Special Production Rules: When any of a location's defensive units are destroyed, that location will immediately switch to repair mode, and produce new defensive units until it's back at full defensive capability. Keep this in mind when planning your attack and while softening up a location: defensive units will always re-deploy before attacking units are produced. Airlifting Troops (Infantry), Lasing Airlifted troops can be used to capture Named Locations, and some can lase targets. The Hip, Huey and Hind can pick up, transport and place infantry anywhere on the map. For this, use Communication -> F-10 Other... -> Airlift Troops (only available in helicopters that can transport troops). At blue's FARP the AI produces two teams of ground troops: "Marines" (a four-member rifle squad with laser target designator), and "Assault" (a six-member rifle, machine gun and RPG team). These troops can be picked up and then deployed anywhere. After you pick up a team from your FARP, the AI will produce a new one (with different production times from Marines and Assault). After you deploy a team from your helicopter, it can be picked up again by any troop transport capable helicopter that lands close enough. Assault / Marines (Lasing) Assault troops will automatically seek out and attack enemy troops that get in range; their best use, however, is to capture and guard the access to Named Locations. Marines will not move except to defend, and will be permanently on the look-out for enemy ground vehicles to laser-designate. Line of sight is required for lasing, so place them on a hilltop for maximum effect. They'll report when they designate targets, and you can request a report any time from Communication -> F-10 Other... -> JTAC Lasing Report, which (for simplicity) will give you the position of all currently deployed JTAC designator teams, as well as your range and bearing to their lased targets (i.e. they vector you to their lased target). All laser designators currently use 1688 as code; all lasing is automated. For simplicity, IW: Persia does not follow the JTAC nine-line protocol; the AI simply lazes targets that it wants pilots to destroy, and your laser munitions simply pick up the designator. To deploy troops you are transporting, you must land your helicopter and command your troops to deploy (or load into your helicopter). A preference controlled in the F-10 menu allows you to auto-deploy troops on landing, and auto-load the nearest troops in range on landing. Once deployed, any infantry group can be picked up again by landing close to it. Losing Pilots, Changing Airframes & CSAR Optional (default: ON) rules are in effect to strengthen the importance of Helicopters: Pilot Pool and automatic CSAR (Combat Search And Rescue). There is a limit on the number of pilots your side can lose (NOTE: does not apply to REDFORCE/AI). This limit is currently set at 6 (six). If your side loses all their pilots, you lose the entire engagement. Losing a Pilot You lose a pilot whenever one of the following happens: you are killed you crash your airplane/helicopter and die inside it you eject (this pilot can be rescued, see below) you ditch your airplane/helicopter (i.e. switch to another plane) while not landed on your own airfield, FARP or carrier (this pilot can be rescued, see below) Changing Airframes without Pilot Loss You WON'T lose a pilot when you switch your airplane/helicopter while landed on your airfield, FARP or carrier. IMPORTANT: 'Any landing you can walk away from is a good landing' applies: while landed on your airfield, FARP or carrier, the condition ("health") of that plane/helicopter is irrelevant, as long as you (the pilot) are alive and you are still inside the cockpit. So even if all that remains of your plane is twisted smoking wreckage, you can change into a brand-spanking new one without losing a pilot. If you, on the other hand, eject during landing or take-off, that pilot is lost (but can be rescued with a CSAR, see below). CSAR Missions: Rescuing Pilots Whenever you eject from or ditch your airframe, a CSAR (Combat Search And Rescue) mission is created for that pilot, somewhere close to the place where you ejected or ditched. A player can then fly a troop transport helicopter (Huey, Hind or Hip) and try to rescue the downed pilot. They then bring the rescued crew back to a friendly drop-off zone (airfield, carrier, or FARP). Note that not all ejections are safe: ejecting over water will usually kill the pilot quickly [currently: immediately] pilots can be injured and bleed out. If a pilot dies due to their injuries, that CSAR mission fails and is removed [currently disabled as deemed too difficult, all pilots survive ejection unharmed] pilots may touch down in difficult terrain and require a hover rescue (much more difficult than a landing) To rescue a downed pilot, use their ELT signal to home in on their location. The CSAR Report, available under Communication --> F10-Other..., lists all currently downed pilots and the frequencies of their ELT. Once you are close enough to the downed pilot, land and you automatically pick up the pilot. If you can't land due to inaccessible terrain, hover directly over the evacuee, and your crew will attempt a winch rescue. This requires that you hover in range for approximately 20 seconds. You'll see a count-down come up. Once it reaches zero, the evacuee is safely hooked and is winced aboard. Once the downed pilot is securely on board, return and land the helicopter on your Carrier, Airfield or FARP. As soon as you land, you will be credited with the number of pilots you rescued (i.e. they will be added to your pool of available pilots) Note that CSAR Missions are dangerous due to their potentially high reward, and the helicopter skills required. Weigh the pros and cons carefully before embarking on one. Be advised that Pilots can (and usually will) be killed quickly if they are spotted by enemy troops. The computer may generate enemy search parties to hunt down a notorious pilot [currently disabled] If an enemy search party finds and kills a downed pilot, you may or may not be warned about that fact [currently, the CSAR mission is scrubbed]. In the latter case, the enemy may be waiting for you at the LZ, so you might always be flying into an ambush. When under fire, pilots may advise you that the LZ is hot It is possible (and risky) to pick up multiple pilots on a single flight To maximize survivability for your pilots, make sure that you start your CSAR soon. Additional Notes If you are shot down during CSAR, and manage to survive the landing (or ditch the helicopter) while carrying rescued crew, any rescued personnel plus your helicopter pilot will again be available as CSAR missions. What happens when I run out of pilots? From the scenario's perspective, you have lost, and a message to that effect will appear to everyone. You can continue playing, and every time you enter a new plane, you will get an unmistakable notice that the scenario thinks you are cheating. But that's all, so you can continue to practice. Enabling / Disabling Pilot Pool Limit Pilot limits is a difficulty setting. Default is ENABLED. You can enable / disable it any time using the "F10 Other" menu. Whenever you change that setting, all players receive an explicit notice to the new status. Re-enabling it will not reset your side's pilot count, but simply continue from the point when you disabled it "F-10 --> Other" Menu Options Airlift Troop (Troop Helos only) Allows you to set preferences for auto-pickup and auto-deploy as well as manually loading and disembarking troops from your helicopter jtac lasing report Reports all units that your deployed jtacs are targeting. Each target on the list appears with their own range and bearing to your current location. Laser Code currently is always 1688 CSAR Missions (Troop Helos only) Gives access to csar missions (downed troops: ELT frequency, range), and reports the status of evacuated crew on board Pilot Count Tells you if pilot pool limit option is enabled and allows you to change this setting Tactical Status List all named locations and who owns them (Troop Report) Lists all troops and their orders. Primarily used for debugging and can disappear at any time. Simplified Rules in Effect: There are no restrictions on weapons and fuel that can be ordered at player airfields/FARP. There are no restrictions on the number of planes available for player re-spawning (To be clear - pilot limit: yes. Airframes: no). All air units spawn hot at parking All ground troop purchase/production and tasking is handled by AI Easy communications are enabled JTACs laze targets at their discretion, and provide highly accurate vectoring information to any calling station CSAR Missions dynamically provide bearing and range in addition to ADF Modules supported F/A-18 (default loadout: SEAD / CAP + Laser CAS) - Carrier Based F-16 (default loadout: SEAD + CAP) F-15 (default loadout: CAP) F-14B (default loadout: Fighter Sweep) - Carrier based A-10A (default loadout: CAS) A-10C II (default loadout: CAS) Su-25 (default loadout: CAS) Su-25T (default loadout CAS) AV-8B (default loadout: CAS IR Mav + CAS Laser Mav) - FARP Based SA-342 (default loadout: HOTx4) - FARP Based UH-1 (default loadout: gunship) - FARP Based Ka-50 (default loadout: CAS) - FARP Based Mi-8 (default loadout: CAS) - FARP Based Mi-24 (default loadout: CAS) - FARP Based 1
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