Utility: Battle Group HQ - Unit A0 Sub-formations

[shahadi]

Are sub-formations in the Battle Group HQ allowed? If so, how may I insert units into the Battle Group HQ?

[Mobhack]

That would result in the entire conglomeration being auto-bought by the AI, with absolutely no choice to the player. This includes human players as the battle group HQ is automatically bought as part of force selection.

And if the battle was low points, then the AI force would almost always be your home-made formation, or parts of it.

Naturally, some people have done such in home-made OOBs they have published in the past, and run into the same results.

The battle group HQ is therefore to consist of the HQ only. Anything else is silly - but go ahead if you want to, the option is there for anyone to use in their own home-made OOBs, give it a try. You will likely ditch it as soon as the limitations are brought to light.

[shahadi]

Although I do not want to do anything "silly," I have found in SCN 024 the following Battle Group HQ formation:

The above is taken from ScenHack

This one is the roster for SCN 024.

As we can see, The Camo Workshop designed the Battle Group HQ formation with two units. I want to do something similar.

It could be, as SCN 024 suggest, the Battle Group HQ formation was made outside of MobHack. I note the A1 slot has unit number of 43. Further reading of the ScenHack finds unit 43 sandwiched between units 42 and 44 as it should be, as evidenced in Leaders.

I am inclined to purchase the units, then change their Formation #s in ScenHack placing them as part of the A0 (A1, A2, A3).

[Mobhack]

That is a scenario - the scenario designer will have cross-attatched units to A0.

That has nothing to do with the standard HQ formation in OOBs - as I said if you make an "HQ formation" then in stand alone battles, or any scenario you attempt to design, your added troops will be auto bought as the first thing in purchasing.

In a scenario, if you want the HQ formation to have extra troops, then you cross attach them as you are the scenario designer.

[shahadi]

The Editor does not permit me to cross-attach to the A0. Are there other conditions that must be met first. If so, please give an example or explain the procedure to insert additional units in the Battle Group HQ.

Thanks.

[DRG]

The other way to do that in a scenario is to build it in the OOB, buy it for that scenario then revert the HQ in the OOB back to normal....how exactly that was done a decade and a half ago is not known.

Way back when it was possible to put a platoon into a platoon.....that's why there is a check for that in scenhack but code was added to prevent that from ever happening years ago, but the check remains becasue taking it out is not worth the effort but you cannot put platoons into platoons any longer and the same may be true for cross attaching to the HQ

[Mobhack]

Looks like cross attaching individual units does not work if the target is A0 - I think that used to be allowed.

However, using the cross-attachment screen allows platoons to be put under A0.

If you do need a specific formation for the BGHQ for a scenario then
- edit BGHQ formation with mobhack
- purchase forces for that player in the scenario editor
- now replace the HQ in Mobhack with the default.

[Suhiir]

One thing you can do however ...

Change a Platoon Formation to a "Company" in the editor, attach whatever units you need to, change it back to a "Platoon".

[shahadi]

I think progress is being made. I have created a BGHQ with sub-formations in MobHack.

Please note I modified the Purchase Screen to Default, and the Formation Type was changed to Platoon. A little hack, place the cursor inside the Platoon type window and enter 1 directly.

Now the Editor will by default load the modified BGHQ at the Purchase screen with verification in the Roster.

Further, a peek at the scenario in ScnHack reveals a BGHQ with sub-formations.

Now, I need to purchase the remaining force.

What I did was to save a copy of the OOB in my Customs folder. Once, I completed the BGHQ purchase, I rebuilt the Headquarters Formation to the game default specifications.

This might work.

Thanks to all posters for their time, effort, and insight.

[DRG]

You could simply build the custom HQ anywhere in the OOB......then buy it for the scenario.... Scenarios are only concerned with UNITS. The formation is just a shell...(in scenarios only this does NOT apply to OOB creation )........so you could build your custom HQ in a free slot, buy it for your scenario then delete it from your OOB (so you do NOT need to change the existing one) and the scenario will treat it just like a normal formation

That can be done for anything...you could build custom formations all you like then delete them after they have been bought...name them how you like and that will transfer to the sceanrio..........when you are done just delete them from the main OOB......but this applys to formations ONLY in scearios.....you cannot use this trick with units.