It's important to set a least one objective for the player, if you want your mission to hold their attention. They can vary hugely, from protecting a single ground platoon, to ridding the entire map of enemies, but try to make them attainable. Hard is good, impossible puts people off.

There are three different types of objectives that can be written into a Gunship mission. Mission Objectives and Casualty Percentages are both set in the mission header and individual Platoon Objectives can be added to the platoon commands. A fourth 'default' objective is automatically included in every mission: Survive.

Mission Objectives

Mission objectives refer to terrain features and map co-ordinates and are about taking or holding ground. These objectives are optional, but any mission using Logic commands will benefit when they are included. Logic commands still will work if objectives are left out, but lacking an overall goal, some actions will appear random. Each side can have a maximum of three fixed objectives, written into the mission header, which can be separate or multiples of the same type. Mission objectives can be Offensive, Defensive or both.

FORWARD LINE

OFFENSIVE: The objective is to cross the line with friendly ground forces. The colour and command are followed by two sets of X Y co-ordinates which define the position of the line. The last two digits give the ID name which must be one of the following:

01 Charlie     02 Delta     03 Echo     04 Foxtrot     05 Golf     06 Hotel

The result, 'Failure or Success' will be shown in the debrief at the end of the mission.

REAR LINE

OBJECTIVE: BLUE REAR_LINE 00000 00000 00000 00000 00

 

DEFENSIVE: The objective is to hold the line and prevent enemy forces from breaching it. The colour and command are followed by two sets of X Y co-ordinates which define the position of the line. The last two digits give the ID name which must be one of the following:

07 Charlie    08 Delta    09 Echo    10 Foxtrot    11 Golf    12 Hotel

The result 'Failure or Success' will be shown in the debrief at the end of the mission.

SECTOR

OBJECTIVE: BLUE SECTOR 00000 00000 00000 00000 13

DEFENSIVE: The object is to hold the sector and keep it free of enemy ground forces. The colour and command are followed by two sets of X Y co-ordinates which define the corners of a rectangle. The last two digits are always 13 and the result 'Failure or Success' will be shown in the debrief at the end of the mission.

AREA

OBJECTIVE: BLUE ONEKRADIUS 00000 00000 00

OBJECTIVE: BLUE TWOKRADIUS 00000 00000 00

OBJECTIVE: BLUE THREEKRADIUS 00000 00000 00

OFFENSIVE: The objective is to take and secure the designated area and clear it of all enemy units. The 'side' and command are followed by a pair of X Y co-ordinates which defines the centre of a 1km, 2km or 3km circle. The last two digits give the ID name which must be one of the following:

14 Anvil    15 Shield    16 Hammer     17 Crossbow

DEFENSIVE: The objective is to hold the designated area and deny access to any enemy units. The 'side' and command are followed by a pair of X Y co-ordinates which defines the centre of a 1km, 2km or 3km circle. The last two digits give the ID name which must be one of the following:

18 Anvil    19 Shield    20 Hammer    21 Crossbow

The result, 'Failure or Success' will be shown in the debrief at the end of the mission.

The casualty lines written into the mission header set the maximum acceptable losses for the friendly forces and the minimum casualties which must be inflicted on the enemy.

This does not mean that you can set objectives for individual platoons, rather that you can make a platoon become a mission objective. You can nominate an enemy platoon (or platoons) as a target and the success of the mission then depends upon their destruction. Conversely, you can build the mission around the protection of a friendly unit. When Platoon Objectives are used, then the results (success or fail) will be shown in the debrief screen at the end of the mission and the mission will be won or lost accordingly. This is a quick and easy way to give your mission a purpose.

BLUE_TARGET: XX

If you insert this line into the Platoon Header of a Red Platoon, you will identify the platoon as an objective for the Blue player. All vehicles in the target platoon must be destroyed. The command must be followed by the correct number for the target type from the chart below. ie if you insert this line into the header of an Armoured unit, you must use 25 or 33. Multiple platoons may be nominated in this way, providing they are all of the same 'type' (Armoured, Logistics etc). This is still treated as a single objective and all the nominated platoons must then be destroyed for the objective to be achieved.

BLUE_TARGET2: XX

If you need to designate a second platoon 'type', you must use the TARGET2 command. This then becomes an additional objective.

BLUE_PROTECT: XX

If this line is inserted into a Blue Platoon Header, then the survival of that Platoon becomes an objective for the Blue player. The loss of a single vehicle from this platoon will result in mission failure. The command must be followed by the callsign number from the chart below. This is not the same callsign number that is used in the Platoon Header. ie if the unit callsign is Eagle (17) then the number used in the PROTECT line should be 41.

BLUE_PROTECT2: XX

This is a variation of the PROTECT command, that allows the protected platoon to lose 1 vehicle without penalty. This is probably more useful than the original command, as any platoon within line of sight of the enemy can easily become embroiled in the dynamics of the game. Guaranteeing the survival of the entire platoon is something of a lottery.

Using Objectives

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