How did you get to read the briefing of the Luftwaffe?

1. I saw it on Maletins registration page and loaded it down
2. I got it from my CO directly
3. I got it from my Flight Leader via mail
4. I never got to read it because (explain pls!)
5. I did not know there was one
   [/list=1]
   
   Again we saw many pilots entering the arena for the scenario Channel War III, specifically on the RED, the Luftwaffe side, without having had a clou what the aim of the game was.
   
   We have to find out what and where the hang-up was.
   
   Regards

 

50 Minutes before scenario when i would like to check Briefing
and so on i got an email from scenario page (forgot password - create new one) --- got the new password today in the morning 10 oclock

 

Because the site didn't let me in... but ok, I must confess, I tried to read it after scenario had ended and I wasn't enlisted... too bad actually, because it later appeared I WAS available the time of evening... oh well... win some lose some

greetze, Zembla

 

Come on Guys!

That simply can not be true!

Only 6 pilots out of 44 Luftaffe pilots saw the briefing?

Please klick the poll and prove the contrariety!

Regards

 

my choice was 'directly from CO'...wanted to check the poll only

 

Hi Rapier

I couldn't get 2 nd mail.
Because I cut off mail tool while logging in WB-arena, mail tool avoid my play in WB sometime, and I don't like it.
So I print out 1st mail, I dont think the flight plan would be changed.

I was very surprised when I heard wing3 start field 19 (it was 16 in 1st mail), and changed patrol area.

It was 100% of my fault, and I don't complain for it.

Next time I will open the mail tool long time as I can.

But this time buenau taught me changing.
If he wasn't there, I fell in confusion.

Now
I can say, I will never repeat such a misstake.

 

i hope, you don't need to be reached via email.
looking at the registration-page should be enough.
www.jvoertzen.de/fh/event_view.php?id=1
the email was a kind of reminder, to view the homepage.

the user, who read the homepage are stored at "Who read the briefing". (some early readers are lost.)

in the future, the pilot must confirm the briefing, before the co is informed, that this player is available.

 

i noticed too late, that many pilots didn't react on this email:

there you would have seen, that you must test the "generate new password" function.
i think, i will get many emails, explaining, why the could not use this function (cookie, browser or whatever).
but until now, nobody reported technical errors.

 

Orders via Mailbox?

@ Maletin

you wrote:

To deposite orders in a "mail-box" is a basic "No-go" in modern Command, Control and Communications.

The CO should be able to contact all participants on short notice, not only the FLs hoping that they deliver his orders further down. That is merely too time consuming. Do you want to write the OpsOrders in 10 different languages, as many of the participants don not understand English sufficiently well?

Now, congrats to your registration system, however, who the hell will control the basic knowlege of orders of all the players entering the scenario arena? This time even the RAF CO did not seem to have a full understanding of the basic scenario set-up rules, it seems he never read them or merely just did not understand them. See my post @ Ramsey here .

Regards

 

i get the mail 4 houres befor starting, but i look at the morning on email where was only a confirm for the scenario, so i look only at 17:40 for the mail and read that i must enter at 17:45, but i read that i was wing 3 and illo is the leader and our field was F19. i dont sign up here because i dont no from which the mail was.

 

Re: Orders via Mailbox?

No-Go means: must exist?

if the briefing is needed for the job, i can't allow pilots without language-knowledge to participate. but these pilots may ask for translation (rapier could translate german-english very well).

The briefing and the test must exist before registration can start.

your objective is to kill a12 at this field:


you click on your link, to accept this order and see this page:

On which target will you shoot: A, B or C?

This answer will be verified automatically.

 

Hallo Male!

@ Maletin

You wrote:

Negative! Sorry for my abbreviation "No-go", it should be read as "by no means acceptable"! And, I am really convinced about that. One can not depend on a mailbox with no control what-so-ever about the utilization of it, just to control who has read what. Somehow there has to be a receipt installed in the mailbox system at a minimum. On the other hand, there often are last minute changes of the operational plan. That would mean to have everybody checking into that mail-box rather frequently, whether there are any changes or not? No, that would be just another burden to the players. Rather force them to look into their own e-mail before entering the arena, if that is feasible.

We certainly do want to "ease" all players into the game, regardless what language their mother language is or whatever secondary language skills they have. Is your translator in the registration page good enough to cope with a full operations order? That is very doubtful I believe. Many translation mistakes might even increase the confusion. Maybe a poll would help to find out what languages we really need, in order to ensure that everybody fully understands our aims and objectives in a scenario, both in the initial setup and in the relevant operations order ("briefing" as many people refer to it).

I like your simple "test". It is rather cute. Now imagine somebody does not understand a word of the setup but wants to participate, he just calls his next buddy and gets the answer like: "klick C and you´ll be able to enter!" I think thats no guarantee either for having read and understood the initial setup nor the operations order.

Suggestion:
Keep the setup and the relevant operations orders short and simple (There even is a slogan for it in international staffs -> KISS = "keep it simple stupid").
Ensure that your translator can cope with those texts, however, the first items to be provided for the designated COs are the e-mail addresses of all his participants including his designated squadron leaders, the very moment the sorting of registratio has ended and the forces are distributed. I would like to draw your attention to my suggested time table of events leading to a much smoother scenario start: here

• x-21 days - Scenario set-up, publish "Aims and Objectives" in broad terms
• x-18 days - CO and Admin nominations
• x-14 days - opening of registration
• x- 7 days - closing of registration
• x- 6 days - have an overview of own forces for COs
• x- 5 days - have e-mail contacts established for coordination with all registered pilots
• x- 4 days - coordination of Operation Order CO/Squadron Leaders = "Staff Meeting"
• x- 2 days - issue of operation order to all pilots of a particular colour via e-mail
• x-15 mins - have the arena closed before take off specifically for late-comers, and,
  do not allow walk-ins (unregistered, un-briefed pilots)

BTW

I have no problems translatiing Ops Orders from
German -> English and vica versa
Italian -> English or German
Portuguese -> English or German
If that helps is another question.
Every additional step in the sequence of events before the start of the scenario will increase the time table by an additional day at the very minimum.

Regards

 

... and I'm totally against any translation mess ups.

Write them in english, make sure that your SLs and FLs a) read and b) understand the orders.

Point a) is solved by maletin. For point b) you have to trust the people, but there will be a final briefing on command channel in the event to make that sure.

Btw, nobody would think that tigrao will be able to lead a bunch of people due to the lack of english, but we all know that you can give him simple instructions and he understands it.

I think that the admins and/or the CO will make sure that only "leaders" get the job of an SL. Well, if they get jumpy, isn't it something real too? (thinking of "Band of Brothers" Capt. Sober)

Playing scenarios is for many people new, but we have a lot of people that know how to lead people in a main arena raid. Now they get the experience in scenario events.

I'm really confident in FH pilots doing this

 

No, no!

@ Lucull

The whole discussion aims at to avoid just that. Have you ever tried to do this yourself, my dear Lucull? Trying to brief every pilot individually, who comes into the arena for your side of colour? Or do you want to wait untill everybody is in? Then you probably have only 30 sec left until Take Off, and a lot of other things to do, but brief individual pilots. That dialog, you are suggesting, develops like this on main colour channel (101 or 103), all in writing mind you, while other matters are flooding the text buffer to the extreme:

• Pilot: Reporting for duty
• CO: Have you read the Ops Order?
• Pilot: What Ops Order?
• CO: The Briefing for our side of the game
• Pilot: No they just put me here, I have no idea, what am I supposed to do? I just want to play.
• CO: Just report to Field xx Twr and Flight Leader yz, he will tell you what to do.
  (after a while the same pilot comes back to you)
• Pilot: The Admin has sent me back here, where do I go now?
• CO (after his second Alka Selzer): Stay where you are, I will clarify for you.

If this happens for one pilot, nobody would mind, however, if a dozen or so pilots will have to be dealt with in the same manner, the CO will certainly be most happy, wouldn`t he?
Long and multiple briefings on command channel need to be avoided at all costs!

Regards

 

On command channel are only the CO and his SLs and FLs (just reading). I say final briefing and not the whole briefing. CO will point out again the targets for the SLs and the importance. 2nd CO makes sure SLs know what to do and they copy their orders or any final questions.
Then SLs go to their squadrons, brief them and lead them into fight.

That's what I know from AH and yes, it works like this in 270+ people events. 2 COs commanded 14 squadrons with 10+ people each side and I swear that less than 50% of our squad did read the orders, but as long as our SL, FL and section leaders do, we do our job . Not reading orders was never a problem.

CO: 308 RAF cover bostons from A4 to A21
308 CO: rgr, copy buff cover to A21
308 CO: A4 spit1 100% rw S
308 CO: we fly finger four, red flight is ...., pink flight is ...
308 CO: 308 get otr
308: otr
308 CO: roll
308 CO: red flight ahead, pink stay above bostons

This took 2 min and it worked last sunday and we lost SL at begin by disco, but he joined as wingman. (I couldn't resist)

You will never ever get every participant in any scenario to read and fully understand the orders. Don't forget that additionally you can't brief walkons before the event.

Sorry, if you can't see that you're fighting for something you can never reach.

 

You bet we could, Lucull!

@ Lucull

and

You want to bet, Lucull?
That aim is easily obtainable and the majority of the players will like the results.
If it works in the air forces all over the world in real life, it will work in a scenario of non-commissoned virtual airmen!
All you need is clear cut rules, orders, and discipline (enforced by serious punishment).

• If somebody does not want to read or understand, he will not be participating.
• If somebody is not obeying rules or orders, he is liable to be kicked. The disciplined player will not be allowed to register in the next or any forthcoming scenario, depending on the magnitude of his insubordination.

You just need to excecute your disciplinary tools once - make it publicly known to everybody - and you have a very disciplined bunch of players thereafter, both for the benefit of the COs, admins, and the rest of the serious players.
A smooth game will be the result.
All the prudent players do want a smooth game, the ones, which do not agree will stay away.
I am absolutely convinced of this issue.

Regards