2015

2015

Battle Command Quick Start

Gray, Stephen

HISTORICAL
Gray, Stephen

HISTORICAL
SOFTWARE
SOFTWARE
3/31/2015

3/31/2015
 Battle Command Quick Start

INTRODUCTION

Battle Command is a real-time WWII and modern team/squad/section/platoon

level tactical war-game that has 3D graphics and 3D positional sounds. Units
are represented on digital terrain elevation maps that have 100 square meter
grid-squares by rectangular counters. Each unit counter has images and text
representing the unit type and status. Internally the game has a time-step of
30 seconds, however, various time-compression settings are possible up to
x1,000. Fuel and ammunition consumption and resupply are accounted for in
great detail.

The game is designed from the ground up for multiplayer play via LAN or
Internet using separate Simulation and Station programs. The Simulation
program runs the game and players connect in to it using Station programs
running on their own machines. They can then see and control the action.
Players can be exposed to fog-of-war conditions in observing opposing side
units depending on the realism settings in use.

Although the game Simulation and Station programs are intended to be run on
different computers connected by LAN or Internet, you can easily sandbox by
running multiple copies of both the Simulation and the Station programs as
needed on the same computer simultaneously.

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 Battle Command Quick Start

INSTALLING

The first thing to do would be to install the software so make sure you have
downloaded the install BC_Setup.exe and the Salmunster scenario and
maps. Run the install exe and make sure you have put the scenario and map
somewhere. When this step is done, we can get on with the scenario !

LOADING SIMULATION

The first thing to do is to load the Simulation.exe program. Run this and you
should see the screen below

Select the Salmunster Scenario file Salmnster Scenario.BC Scenario File

and then press the Load Scenario file. Let it load and then press the Start
button on the next screen. This will then show the screen on the next page.

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BC Simulation is the control program that allows you to save scenarios, pause
the scenario and speed it up. It is also the controller and communicator for all
the players so must be run before BC Station (see next page). This means you
could run this on a server and then the players could connect to that server
from their PCs and of course over the internet or just run it on your PC and
then load the station for each user you want to control. PBEM is also possible
so there are many options to make things easier. In this case we will load the
BC Simulation program on the PC you are using.

One word of advice, if you have a large monitor it makes life much easier as
you can see more screens but it is perfectly possible to play on a normal
monitor, I use a laptop and manage on there. As you can see the simulation is
paused and as there are no Station programs loaded, we will leave it alone for
the moment. Next thing to do is to load the BC Station program.

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BC STATION

BC Station is the program that loads and allows you to control the Side you
wish to play. In this case we will be playing from the US side. Go ahead and
run the BC Station program:

Ignore all the options and select the Select Scenario button. Load the
Salmunster scenario again like you did for BC Simulation and the map images
directory box should also fill. If not, find the Salmunster map directory using
the Select Map Images Directory and this will then load. After loading the
scenario, select the side (in this case the US) and press the Load Scenario
And Connect button. This enables the BC Station to connect to BC
Simulation and start.

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Next you should see a screen something like the following:

Wait until the blue text shows up on the 2D map (US Side); this can take 30
seconds to a minute or so depending on the power of your PC. The left hand
side has the 2D map and on the right is the 3D map. Once you have sorted out
the size you want the windows to be, you can save the positions and sizes of
these windows by selecting Options on the 2D map and pressing F12 on the
3D map; from there you can save the options for this session only or for every
time you start.

Click on the 2D map to bring it to the front. You can click on this to go to the
area on the 3D map, the Blue text is the US side and red text would be the
OPFOR side but fog of war (FOW) is on so we cant see them yet (you can turn
FOW off also). The yellow text is the place names and also the grid square
numbers. Again, these colors can all be changed in the options.

Next we will look for the units on the 3D map using the OOB selection. Select
the OOB menu option from the top and then New Order Of Battle Table option
and expand it until you can see all the units available to your side. Select the
Jump to Unit on 3D Map option and then double click the B 1st plt 1 (IFVs) line
and the map will jump to the unit. Move the cursor on the 3D map to find that
unit and then double click the unit. You should then see something like the
screen on the next page.

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 Battle Command Quick Start

You will then see various information about the unit chosen (Bradley).
Pressing the Weapons button or the Equipment button gives more details
about the vehicle. Press the cargo button and you should see what units the
Bradley is carrying and their purpose when unloaded. You can unload units
from here and if you highlight a unit and then press the Show Selected Unit
button it will also show the full details of that unit. Press the Orders button
and take a quick look at the orders that can be given to a single unit which can
look a bit confusing but isnt so bad when you start using it.

Next, press the Waypoints button which is where the movement orders
(including long range pathfinding) can be given to a single unit. Don't worry,
as there is a way of sending orders to multiple units which I will go through
later. Close this screen, find the B HQ unit in the OOB and then double click
on it. Try to get the map to show as below, keeping the HQ unit in view. The
mouse wheel zooms the map, the left button moves the map around in 2D and
the right mouse moves the map in the 3D plane :-

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The green circle shows the HQ unit and the blue circle is where we are going
to navigate to. If you cant get the map exactly as above, don't worry as you
can use the same waypoint command to move anywhere. Click the unit and
then select the Waypoints button. Make sure the Show Connection Lines
Between Waypoints tick box is set and then select the Add Waypoints
button.

Place waypoints from the HQ unit to the blue circle above and when done,
press the Add Waypoints button again. Thats the HQ unit movements done!
Next well use the group move orders as an example of what can be done.
Select the B 2nd Plt 1 unit on the OOB and double click it. You will see the Plt1
and 2 on the 3d screen and again, move the careen about to get the 3D map
something like as shown on the next page.

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The units we are moving are circled in green and the red circle is where we are
going to. Select Group Orders from the menu above and then New Group
Orders. Dont worry if it all looks a bit complex as we are only going to use a
small part. At the top where it says something like Group Orders 02, click in
the box and name it anything you like and then press the Add Group To Menu
button.

This will add the named group to the Group Orders menu so this group can
be selected again at any time.

From that menu you can also save the groups to disk which means if you have
to save the scenario you can load the groups again. You can also select
autoload and autosave for the groups to save having to remember. On the
group order window, select Sequence. Now we are in the Group Orders
Sequence menu, as shown on the next page.

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 Battle Command Quick Start

This window allows you to queue orders for a group of units.

Select the Set Formation order on the left and then under Formation, select
column and then select Add Order and youll notice it appear in the orders
box above. Now select the MoveTo order, select Max speed and
KeepFormation. Select the Select Waypoints on 3D Map box and then the
Select Path button. Now place waypoints from the units to the somewhere
near the read circle on the map above.

When finished, go back to the group orders screen and notice the waypoints in
there. Press the add order button and the waypoints are put into the
sequence. Next we will make the orders live. Press the Set/Update
sequence button to set the orders and then press the Activate button. Press
the close button, select the group orders screen and you will see the
sequence button is now red, indicating the orders are live.

It is important that you dont close the Group Order screen shown on the next
page:

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However, minimize it instead. If you close the group order while live then the
orders are gone and you will have to start again. Once the orders are
complete the sequence button will go back to green and you can then either
close the group order screen or add more orders. It may all seem a bit
complex but play around with this screen to see what else you can do as it is
very powerful.

Next well run the simulation for 5 minutes and see what happens. Select the
Window List from the menu above and select the Simulation Scenario, Time,
Settings window. In this window there is a button labeled 3:1 which needs to
be select so time goes a little faster. There is 1:1 and 10:1 which can also be
selected and in the Simulation program screen there are many more speed
settings available.

Then select Start Request and wait for the movement to begin. Click on the
3D map and watch the units move. When done select Pause Request button
and wait until the simulation stops. As a tip, pressing Pause in the simulation
program is quicker.

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Select the OOB list again and find the DS Artillery unit. Click on it to get the
details up and click the Orders button. There is a lot of details on here but
select the Camouflage box which makes the unit camouflage when not
processing orders and then we will select a target location for some indirect
artillery! Select the Commence Indirect Fire tick box, then the Fire on Unit
Location if LOS lost tick box. Select the Fire On Target Coordinates radio
button, select the Show selected Coordinates tick box and then press the
Select Coordinates button.

Select where you want the artillery fire to fall on the 3d map and you will see a
blue marker appear. This is where the artillery will focus on. Re-start the
simulation and wait until you see the artillery fall on the map. If this doesnt
work it could be that it was outside of the range, inside the minimum range or
too close to the US side.

Keep trying things out and you will find that even though the OPFOR side
doesnt move, it is a difficult scenario to win!

CONCLUSION

That concludes this quick start document and I urge you to try things out and
if stuck, use the forum as there are a lot of experienced people about only too
willing to help.

Battle Command is a very comprehensive simulation so needs a bit of time in

which to get used to all the command screens but once learned can simulate
from WWII to very modern times, so enjoy!

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