Formations
This is where the whole process comes together. The Formations Tab is where you assemble the units and formations used in the scenario editor to build your orders of battle.
Description (Format Use)
This field has several uses for providing OOB formation names, names for formation elements, cues for node indenture, visible separators between main and subgroups of formations and elements, and identifiers or names for major groups in the formation spreadsheet table.
All these elements are used to provide the layout of selectable formations and elements of formation in the game’s scenario editor. These primary types are as follows:
Major Formation Identifiers
Found in the chevron brackets” < >” These are major formation group names that form major OOB elements like “
Note
The scenario date selected does not cause the formations list to filter in any way. The user must remember and use the correct formations if there are date-based options.
End Major Group Fields
This is a string of equal signs “==============” in the Description field and “<1” in the Code field (see Section 17.3 below) that shows up in the scenario editor to separate major groups of formations. The “<1” code will place this marker at the top node level. There is no [+] for expansion on this separator. This Description code is what closes the major section in the Scenario Editor and creates an expandable note in the formation selection tree.
Warning
If this End field is missing, following sections of formation data may not show or show correctly in the Scenario Editor.
Type Formation Identifiers
If you need to have an additional descriptive breakdown such as “Battalions” or “Squadrons”, you can add those identifiers in the description field. This also has no other information except for the option of a Mission Filter (when available).
Minor Group Separators
This is a string of minus signs “---------------------” in the Description field that shows up in the scenario editor to separate minor groupings of formations. There needs to be a single minus sign (“-“) in the Code field alongside the string in the description field.
Blank Lines
A fully empty row can be used for the readability of the Formation Table. Optional, but helpful to stay organized. Blank lines are not visible in the Scenario Editor. Any stray text in any field can cause a problem with the Scenario Editor look and data parsing.
Description (Information Use)
To put together an OOB, the names and use of the node indent symbols “>”, “>>”, and “>>>” allow the Scenario Editor to generate an indented list based on the indents and the names. The above Motor Rifle Battalion is comprised of a “>”Battalion HQ, “>”Motor Rifle Company, “>”Mortar Battery, “>”Anti-Tank Platton, “>”AA Section, and “>” Attached Tank Company. The Anti-Tank Platoon has a third level breakdown with the “>>” noted platoon element entries.
Code
This MUST be a unique identifier for each formation element in the formations table that has information in the Composition Field of the table. It can be an alphanumeric construction with symbols but no spaces. These tags are used in formation compositions, so keeping them short, but identifiable is helpful.
These Codes are also used in formation compositions to build larger formation groups.
Indented Node Code
The ability to control the level of indenture of the collapsible nodes in the OOB section of the Scenario Editor has been added. This improves both the grouping and readability of the data. Eight levels of indenture are usable, and they are “<1” through “<8”. They must be placed in the Code field of a Major or Type Formation Identifier field.
In the example below, the indent codes of “<1”, “<2”, and “<3” are placed to create the indented open/close node points for the various formations. In this case, the Air Support formations. The Indent Codes are circled in red.
Next is an image of how that structure appears in the game’s Scenario Editor.
Tag
These are alphanumeric names that appear as part of a unit’s identification in-game. Such as “4/A/2-5 Cav”. These names can be renamed in the scenario editor if they do not auto generate in a way that works for your scenario. There are two special codes you can use.
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%C/ - This will provide an incrementing capitol letter. This is good for adding the Company Identifier for most NATO style units such as the “A/” in the example above.
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%d/ - This with provide and incrementing number starting at “1” and is good for most NATO Platoon Identifiers. This would be the “4/” in the example above.
Reviewing the various data file entries will give you a sense of what can be done. These unit identifiers should be as short as practical to be seen on a counter. The full name will appear in other information sources/panels (like the Subunit Inspector and Staff Reports) in full.
Composition
The Composition entry is used to generate the various orders of battle for a given nation’s forces. There are two types of Composition constructs: Units and Formations.
To build a Unit Composition, you will need to use the CompID of a particular unit and then a “*” symbol with the count of those units (if there is only a single unit, the “*1” can be omitted).
To build a Formation Composition, you will need to use the Code in column two of a particular formation element and then a “*” symbol with the count of those formation elements (if there is only a single Code, the “*1” can be omitted).
Warning
You cannot mix CompIDs and Codes in the same line or it will crash the game. Data Validation will catch most of these errors when used.
Role
The Role identifier is a set value that describes the overall use of the particular formation element and is used by the game’s AI to control behavior. Refer to Section 10 above, for a list of all valid Roles.
Unit Size
This is the NATO size symbol corresponding to the size of the formation element in the row, not the overall size of the whole formation. These symbols will show up on the counters in-game.
Note
For a Platoon, it is three periods and not an ellipse. Excel is extremely helpful in turning three periods into an ellipse for you. This will not work in the game and will get flagged in the Validation Program. To change this behavior, go into Excel’s Options, Proofing, click AutoCorrect Options, scroll the Replace Text as you type window and find the three periods replaced with the ellipse and Delete that entry. You are good to go now.
Is HQ Of
If your formation row entry is an HQ structure, you will then need to assign a NATO size symbol for the size of the formation it commands (not the size of the unit itself, which is covered in the Size field).
BPT Default
These codes are used by the game engine to set various AI parameters and behaviors based on the composition of the formation this code is used on. A list of valid codes can be found in Section 11 above.
Note
This feature is currently under implementation and the full effect may not be present in game code, but the Data Validation Program has the current list of codes and can detect bad or unneeded codes in the formation table.
Task Force Type
These codes are used by the Scenario Editor to filter out certain mission types of units. This allows the user to zero in on certain formations they need to add to the scenario. Valid Task Force Types can be found in Section 9 above. Task Force Types should be used on all formations you want to group and the Formation Identifiers and separators to keep the look and information clear.
You can assign more than one filter to a row if they are comma- delimited. This allows for certain formations to appear in multiple Task Force Types. Check the supplied data files to see examples of Task Force Type use.
Note
This feature is not currently active in the game, and we may at some point remove it.
Formation Format Best Practices
Here are a few best practice guidelines to help with building formations for the game to use. If you follow the formatting for codes and place the correct references as noted above in this section, you have freedom to set up forces as you see fit. Here are some things to remember:
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Start forces of a major group in the
Description and <1 Code and end the entire group of formations with the “================” Description and <1 Code and a blank row below it to have clean structures. -
Separate indented structures, those entries with Codes of <2, <3, etc., with a blank row in front of them for better readability.
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Separate sub formations of major formations with a “------------------” description and a “-” Code.
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When in doubt, review one of the existing data sheets to see how they are formatted.
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Use bold on the rows that have other formation code references (not CompIDs or direct unit SUTags) for better readability of the information and to help see mistakes like mixed compositions
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Remember to test your new formations with the Data Validation Program to find errors.