Playing as a Platoon Leader

[CPT Rooster]

I'm trying to figure out how to make a full platoon work underneath me. I made myself a Lieutenant (the Platoon Leader), and I am tryin to figure out how to make 4 squads (12 people each) join me, and I only want the squad leader to be the one to take the order. That way I would only have 4 people in my command, and those 4 would be the ones that command the other 11 people in their command. Like a real life chain of command. I would be cool if I could give one squad the command to blow a tank and 2 more squads the command to seige a town. E-mail me back if you think this is all possible and how it could be done. If this is possible, then I'll make myself a LTC and command my own battalion of Infantry soldiers. The Soviets would crap themselves if they saw 500 infantry soldiers or 100 tanks comming at them, all which are under my command ;D

[Burn]

Check out the ChainOfCommand MOD, there's also a tut or introduction page here @ ofpec on how to edit using this mod.
Here ya go

[General Barron]

What Rooster is talking about is a little different than the CoC. Actually, I started making a script like this myself a while ago. The idea is that you have your squad of 4 men or whatnot in your group. Now, those 4 men in your group have 4 more men that follow them in a formation, or whatever number you want. So lets say you tell your man, #2, to go to that house over there. He walks over to the house, and his 4-man squad walks over there with him.

This system would work much more intuitively than CoC, in my opinion, because it works with what OFP already was built with.

Anyway, like I said, I was working on this before, but I ran into a couple problems. One, I can't detect whether a man in my squad is up or down, so that I can make the rest of his squad go up or down. Next, when, say, #2 dies, if you have the leader of #2's squad join your group, he will be stuck onto the end of your squad, maybe making him #6 or #11. This can sort of be worked around by ungrouping some of your squad and rejoining them to you in order, but it isn't exactly what I would like.

Maybe later I will get back to working on that script, and try to make it a little better.

[deaddog]

The Soviets would crap themselves if they saw 500 infantry soldiers or 100 tanks comming at them, all which are under my command

Unless they had 1000 infantry and 200 tanks.  ;D

Bizon if right, the Chain of Command is a good solution for what you want.  It takes a little while to learn how to play it and edit with it, but it is a good system once you get to know it.  

Download one of their training missions at you will soon know if it fits your requirements.  

And , no , I'm not part of the CoC.   ;D

[Wolfrug]

Yep, the CoC (don't ever try to pronounce that out-loud boys and girls) is an excellent solution and it becomes quite intuitive after a while. I've made a couple of missions with the CoC on my side, and something like toadlife's grouplink.sqs on the enemy's. It's amazing how easy it is to create missions with practically endless strategic possibilites by just popping down two ready scripts and a couple of enemy groups...

I digress. ( :-X ) Anyhow, like General Barron, I too have played around with this idea. However the problems he mentioned are quite real. The formations and combat modes of the squads could be changed via a radio menu, obviously, and you could probably even make the soldiers line up around the alleged "leader" rather than make their own little formation behind him (which looks rather daft). And when it comes to mounting vehicles - sure, it'd be possible. I had some problems with this (mostly OFP's AI when it comes to the whole loading - unloading thing..  ), but yeah.

I don't really know how we could help you though, unless you want us to make the scripts for ya :toocool:. The scripts involved wouldn't be all that complicated. A simple "Sticky" script would be a start, and if you could get them to mount and dismount any vehicle the leader does, and replace the dead leader with a new member of the squad...well, then you've almost got it. Try working on these a little, see if you can get it to work. But I still suggest CoC if you're too lazy to script it yourself  ;D

Wolfrug out.

[DDT]

Wolfrug what is toadlife's grouplink.sqs.  What does it do?

[R.Y.A.N.]

Isn't there a limit of units per side?? I think i got a "63 units  per side" error recently, on a large scale attack scenario...good thing, too, it wasn't working the same way twice!

[R.Y.A.N.]

The Soviets would crap themselves if they saw 500 infantry soldiers or 100 tanks comming at them, all which are under my command ;D

I think you'd use this command in that case:

unitname this switchpants "effectpantsbrownpants"

to simulate their reaction ;D

[macguba]

 ;D ;D ;D

There is a limit of 12 loons per group, and a limit of 63 (I think) groups per side.      According to my calculations thats 756 loons .... and there are three sides (not counting civvies) which means you can have 2,268 loons ... which is enough.

[KatukovStrikesBack]

The best Non-CoC idea I can come up with is using the radio. Look up "Platoon Command" in the missions depot for a good example of this. Only problem it that it only works on the defence. On the attack, you would need tons of "Game Logic" markers to move your troops around. Even then they would still be on rails.

I'm working on a mission using the Finnish Defence Force MOD where your Jaeger Platoon holds off a Russian Motor Rifle Company. You place TOW launchers and troops via the radio.

Another good mission to pick apart is Ambush/Alamo from the Red hammer campaign. I love that placement trick with the action menu.

[CPT Rooster]

I tried the CoC Mod, works great. But when I downloaded the USMC Markers I got a little confused because I am not too fluent in Military Map Symbols. I would have to get a Army FM on Map Symbols so I could understand them.

[deaddog]

You could make your own manual for that.  Just place several of those markers on the map with their respective descriptions in the text field.  Press alt-printscreen to copy the screen and then paste that into a photo editor program.  Then just print it out.

That's a good idea because I get a little confused on those as well.  Maybe you could do that and submit it as a reference in the Editor Depot.  

[General Barron]

Un-pbo the markers file, and have a look-see inside. I believe that the names of each picture should be descriptive enough.

But it does seem that the CoC should put a quick guide to the markers on their website. Maybe we should let them know about that.

[benreeper]

Have you tried

http://www.geocities.com/grimbenreeper/

[General Barron]

Wow, sweet! Never knew about that before, but I'm sure going to check it out now!  ;D