Simulation Tools

We will be using TacOps initially. Some of us have been using the beta of version 3 and it does what we need. Team member Mike Robel sums it up thusly;

It has prebuilt maps, but relatively low fidelity, of actual training area: FT Irwin, Irvington, KY (used for Armor Advance Course Terrain Walks), A place in Germany, Korea I think, and Canada, plus several other made up areas of rather generic terrain.

SP3 (Steel Panthers 3) has existing maps you can modify or build your own area with with reference to a real map, but both are limited to 3 levels of terrain, so analytically, there is really little difference.

TACOPS is not constrained by a hex system, as is SP3.

TACOPS has the orders input phase, followed by the execution phase whereas Sp3 is I go U go.

TACOPS has several reports we can export to Excel for various sorts of AARs whereas SP3 just produces an engagement summary. Unfortunately, neither has a scoreboard. TACOPS execution speed can be slowed down however, to allow individuals to notice such things as shooter - target - aspect during the engagement. Unfortunately, according to the major, these are not stored in a single file.

Neither has a recording system, although it is easier to take screen shots
with TACOPS with the built in windows combination keys, then with SP3.

Both allow multiplayer and TACOPS supports CPXs which have multiple participants, but it is mostly manual input via chat to a single player providing the game.

TACOPS allows an "overlay" to be printed and has printable maps that can be used for reference.

The TacOps designer, I.L. Holdridge, (a retired USMC Major) has always been very active in supporting the game. He has made several additional resources available to us. Thus we have here two Excel spreadsheet files;  TacOpsCF Notional Canadian Forces Order of Battle - Current Tracked and Wheeled Mix and TacOps v3.0 Unit Type Data Base. In addition, he will be helping us put together Custom Scenario Templates. (if a password box pops up, just click on the Cancel button and the file will come up.)

TacOps is only available via the web from the Battlefront site.  The retail version has 115 US Army and USMC scenarios and variants, 66 Canadian Army scenarios and variants, and 35 battle maps.  The retail version has a 6 megabyte photo file that provides an online photo of many units.  The retail version includes a 100 megabyte reference library consisting of 20 U.S. Army field manuals in Adobe Acrobat Reader PDF format.  This is a tactics oriented subset pulled from the larger (167 manuals)' Military Reference Library CDROM' currently sold by www.battlefront.com.

We initially identified several  wargames as potentially useful for these tests. These  included; Steel Panthers 3, Operational Art of War II, Decisive Action (couseware at the Army staff school), TacOps, and Brigade Combat Team. The latter three games were designed by marine and army officers.