With the fully remastered Campaign Series: Middle East 1948-1985 now out in its version 2.0 carnation, it is time to turn attention to our next game in the Campaign Series franchise: Vietnam, with its planned release estimate late Summer 2018.
With attention to historical accuracy, the game series’ color schemes have been carefully selected to match the eras present.
Middle East color scheme used a Field drab – Sand combo from the MERDC Camouflage standard.
Vietnam will accordingly use the Dark green hue from the same standard, both in freshly applied and in a washed out form.
Our website has now adapted to CS: Vietnam color scheme. We continue to rely on… Camouflage.
“Camouflage” is a song written by Stan Ridgway and released at his first solo album “The Big Heat” in 1986. All rights belong to their owners. License: Standard Youtube License.
In Uncle Ho’s Hideout series, David Galster shares some of his tips and techniques in scenario research and design for CS: Vietnam.
Well Komrades,
Most scenarios are accompanied by other battles fought in nearby areas. Sometimes, an action is part of a larger campaign covering a whole region or province. Instead of creating a separate map file for each scenario, it is useful to first make a single “master” map that covers an overall area. Then, maps for individual scenarios can be made by cutting sections from the master map. Also, the areas can be tailored for different combat situations or hypothetical cases.
Such a “master” map often covers a very large area, perhaps a half degree latitude and longitude, or 55 kilometers or more to a side. (Currently I am working on a map that is 242×334 hexes.) This offers more flexibility to create appropriate map areas for multiple battles, even campaigns. The Campaign Series map editor feature for “shift” and “extent” makes if possible to take a larger map and cut out parts of it for scenarios in specific areas.
An example of a “master” map is shown as a “jump” map. This map is 242×334 hexes and covers 1/2° of longitude and 3/4° latitude. This is an area of 83.5 km x 53 km. The developed parts are not all connected. The area to the lower left is large enough for a scenario about an NVA attack on Long Tieng. The larger area to the upper right is the Plain of Jars, where many battles were fought during the Laos Secret War:
“Jump Map” of a Laos Master Map – 242×334 hexes
The unfortunate fact is that the Campaign Series map editor does not include paste or combine functions. Two separate map files cannot be combined into one to make a larger map. To obtain a large map, the size has to be made large in the beginning, or added to in blank form and developed manually. If the map is initially created very large, then the developed areas can be completed on an “as needed” basis for scenarios.
These don’t even have to be adjacent to each other. By designating a reference hex and coordinate, either MGRS or geographical, later grid overlays can be accurately positioned by calculating placement coordinates. I am attaching such a spreadsheet that uses MGRS coordinates to determine hex locations for grid overlay placement. If the map has to be added to, the hex coordinates change, and the reference hexes may need to be re-established.
Another advantage to employing the master map concept is that scenario maps tend to be larger than if just made individually. A scenario using larger maps has less need for reinforcements and offboard artillery. More units can be placed on the mapboard at the start of a scenario because more room is available.
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This post completes the Uncle Ho’s Hideout series. I hope you have enjoyed them!
We’re excited to announce Campaign Series: Middle East 1948-1985 2.0 is out now at Matrix Games site!
Here’s what the good folks at Matrix had to say about the new, remastered game:
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Version 2.0 now available! With several new features, including a new and improved interface, new graphics, an event engine for scenarios, night combat, and many more! Click here to see all the changes and improvements!
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Campaign Series: Middle East 1948-1985 has reached what can be easily considered a tremendous milestone! Version 2.0 is massive. It contains over 50 implementations and new features added, a completely revised UI, new graphics and visuals, new terrains, improvements on an already challenging AI, and a lot more!
To celebrate this important achievement, Campaign Series Middle East is on sale for a week! 50% discount from today to January 25th!
Waste no time and join the fight!
Update January 19 2018: Matrix confirmed both the Digital Download and Boxed Edition DVD contain the remastered 2.0 installer.
Log in for a chat session while at it, we’re participating on both days as well, while Slitherine’s ‘Agrippa’ will have the honour of playing the game itself.
See you soon!
Not able to watch it? No worries, once the video becomes available we’ll post it at our site, too.
In Uncle Ho’s Hideout series, David Galster shares some of his tips and techniques in scenario research and design for CS: Vietnam.
Well Komrades,
There are some good sources of topographical maps to use in making Vietnam maps. The Series L-7014 (Vietnam,) and L-7015 (Laos) are the best. These are US Army Map Service topographical maps in 1:50000 scale, which is the optimal scale for Campaign Series.
Here are three websites where you can download these maps for free.
The sheet numbers have four digits with a dash and a Roman numeral suffix. For example, 5651-IV is the area of Dien Bien Phu.
Notice that for the 5651 numbers, there are four maps, numbered clockwise from northeast to northwest, I, II, III, and IV:
The 5651 area covers ½ degrees latitude and longitude and is from 21°30’N, 103°E to 21°N, 103°30’E. Each sheet covers 15 minutes of latitude and longitude. Also, these sheets have the Military Grid Reference System MGRS grids, which facilitate accurate positioning for overlays.
How to identify the appropriate four-digit sheet numbers?
Well if you know the Geographical coordinates, that is latitude and longitude, then the numbering system follows a formula rule.
First identify the nearest ½ degree coordinates in the northwest corner. For example, for the sheets 5651, the latitude is 21°30’ or 21.5 and the longitude is 103°. The first two digits may be determined by a formula using longitude (λ):
=(λ-100)/0.5+50 or, (103-100)/0/5+ 50 = 56
And the second two digits may be found with this formula using latitude (φ)
=54 – (23- φ)/0.5 or, 54 – (23-21.5)/0.5 = 51
Put them together, and you have 5651.
(Don’t worry, a MS Excel spreadsheet can be made available to do this very easily).
I imagine that Uncle Ho probably liked these maps too. That is, the ones stolen from from US command posts, or from crashed aircraft. Who knows?
But, we do know that the Vietminh did manage to intercept some French air drops in January 1954 near Dien Bien Phu. Guess what were in those containers? French Army maps, 1:25000 of Dien Bien Phu. And, they showed the various strongpoints, like Dominique or Claudine. And, these very accurate maps did come in handy for Vietminh artillerists plotting targets. . .
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In next episode of Uncle Ho’s Hideout, I’ll explain how to use a Master Map concept, with help of MGRS grids, in scenario design. Until then!
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