Title               : Operation: Dark Hammer 
Author              : FL-SCOA-TCT-TCS/LCM Ender mBind/Echo 2-1/Wing XV/ISD Vanguard (#2883)
		      (endermbind@gmail.com)
Platform            : X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter
Number of missions  : 18
Medal		    : Dark Hammer Medal
Difficulty	    : Playable to Hard
Site by             : FO-TCCOM/FA Priyum Patel/CS-4/SSSD Sovereign (spellfire@btinternet.com) 
Voice acting by     : Tarkin, Tomaas, Khadgar, The Tick, Batman and Robin, Aphrodite, Guybrush Threepwood, A bunch of Pirates, The Panicy Guy from Aliens, etc. All other wavs generated by At&T labs and Bell Labs Text to sound generators. All have been reduced to at max. 11.025Hz 8bit Mono (EH TAC requirement) with Windows Media Recorder, sometimes editted (trimming, amplification). Sound package available seperately (10 Mb) 


Required patches
----------------
* EH Ship Patch for XvT
* Firespray Attack Ship
* Skipray Blastboat
* Bulk Cruiser


Installation instructions
--------------------------
1] Make sure you have the EH Ship Patch for XvT installed
2] Download the patches from the EH Patch archive (http://tc.emperorshammer.org/patcharchive.php)
3] Install the patches by double clicking it in the EHSP installer
4] Double click the .EHM file, the EH Battle Launcher will install the battle
6] Press the X-wing vs TIE Fighter button on the EHBL to start the game
7] Create a new pilot and fly the Imperial training missions
8] Uninstall the patches by double clicking it in the EHSP installer


Battle Description  
------------------

This battle is based upon the Aggressor Strike Force wargame "Operation: Dark Hammer" (IS2:DH), conceived and run by Battlegroup Commander, Admiral Priyum Patel. OP:DH was a based upon to the wargame "Exercise: Imperial Storm" which was conceived and run by former Flight Officer, Fleet Admiral Kessler (ret). The wargame concept was based on Project: Faithful - which was originally designed & run by Vice Admiral IQ Pierce (ret). 
The battle is a conversion of the original XWA skirmish files used (as far as available) w/o using a "XvT Skirmish" template. While it hs been tried to make it asmuch a regular battle as possinle. This still offers some limitations towards this battle as a Single-Player experience: 

The goal in a Skirmish is to destroy all opposing forces - as such all the missions would have a Primary Goal of destroying 100% of the opposition. Because it is only from 1 team's POV some of the missions would then be impossibly difficult: the ones lost by this team. In the case of these missions other Goals have been created. 
War gaming Skirmishes hold almost 200 craft (2x94) - which means that some of the larger scale battles make for very long missions with quite a lot of waves (XvT can hold 32 craft at the same time, this means that you'd have up to 6 waves - per craft) 
War gaming Skirmishes hold also a maximum of almost 200 craft - this means larger battles are split up in waves. To keep in with the full conversion these waves have not been combined to single missions - which means that you will probably have a larger mission in the first wave then in the last. (When both forces have been depleted) 
Because the story line is based on actual tactics and strategies it doesn't hold to the classical battle structure of going towards a climactic final battle and you won't always have the opposition you'd wish you have - this is more realistic but it might cause strange effects for the classic mission flier. See it as "story driven" 
Some of the XWA craft and possibilities are not there in XvT - craft adjustments have been made. 
However we might wish it to be like that... even the emperor's Hammer doesn't win every battle... or even campaign. 
   
Story Line
----------

The "basic way" of your Story line you can find on the OP:DH site which is included. The "Battle Reports" page gives a step by step description of each battle, the "Map" page shows you where you are in the galaxy plus data on the planets involved, the "Forces" page shows you what craft to expect in the combat area and the rest is there to show you how a wargame like this is run and what it was all about. 
   
1 Battle of Thilla (Region 4G): flown on Wed 27th Sept 2000. 
Player Craft: TIE Advanced (3 Flights) 
[Co-Op MP enabled: 4] 
After the Empire's fall from its set of power on Coruscant, and the following Rebel take-over, many individuals struck out on their own, determined to carve their own little niche of power in the Galaxy. One such person was the pirate, and now self-proclaimed Warlord-Admiral, Darius. His piratical activites gave him some measure of succes: continous attacks on shipping lanes and merchant ships enabled him to build a considerable Fleet, which has come to be known as the Goliath Fleet. His activities had no effect on the workings of the Emperor's Hammer, and had thus far been ignored. Recently the Pirates have started to move in on the Emperor's Hammer Sectors. GA Ronin has put the ASF on the case of keeping the [pirates] in check. The ASF has started by stepping up patrols in the area to make sure the pirates don't jump on our turf unnoticed. 
 
   
2 The Battle of Stic (Region 6G) was flown on Wed 27th Sept 2000. 
Player Craft: TIE Fighter (1) 
The Goliath fleet has struck at several worlds simultaneously, in a bid to capture them. The B/CRS Closan II has entered around Stic and its inhabitants have transponded a call for help. A call we can't let go unheard, so we have send in the ASF ships ISD Predator, VSD Stellar Knight and Int Constraint to liberate the System from Goliath Control. The ASF will not be using any fighters in this engagement as Capital Ships are well enough equiped for the job. You are flying a single fighter as observer from the ASF Flagship The Grey Wolf, the private fighter of one of the GW's favourite pilots, Khadgar. Make sure you see the end of the battle. 
 
   
3 The Battle of G'Rho (Region 4E) was flown on Wed 27th Sept 2000 
Player Craft: TIE Advanced Bomber (1) 
Imperial Agents and Probe droids were dispatched to investigate Darius Fleet, and they made a worrying discovery: The Goliath Fleet is far larger than had been previously thought, with several large warships of different types, and dozens of fighter squadrons and support vessels. Left to his own devices, the Warlord-Admiral could soon prove a major threat to the stability of the Emperor's Hammer. Unfortunate news for the world of G'Rho, they've been invaded by a large Goliath Fleet, made up of the ISD Blight, CRS Offense, VSD largo, INTs Nicardan & Balfour, L/FRG Able IV, ATRs Baker & Charlie and ETRs Delta & Epsilon. The ASF rushed to G'Rho the moment they heard about the attack, hoping to catch the Goliath Fleet... instead we found a lone Lancer Frigate... 
 
   
4 The Battle of Mantessa (Region 5E) was flown on Fri 29th Sept 2000 
Player Craft: Assault Gunboat (3 Flights) 
[Co-Op MP enabled: 4] 
We are under direct attack by the biggest Goliath Fleet seen yet by the Emperor's Hammer! They were first reported near G'Rho but after we sent our forces there they moved on to here to avoid the confrontation. We're heavily outgunned here and our forces in the G'Rho System won't be able to reach us in time, the best we can do is try and retreat for the moment, but for that we need some distraction and some cover. You are to attack the GOL Capitalships with your warheads in the hope they'll go after you and not the M/FRG Rage. If you can make it out hyper to point R6F. 
 
   
5 The Battle of Narulac (Region 8E) was flown on Fri 29th Sept 2000 
Player Craft: TIE Advanced (12) or Assault Gunboat (12) 
[Co-Op MP enabled: 4] 
After the Battle of Mantessa, The Fleet Commander, Grand Admiral Ronin has ordered the entire Aggressor Strike Force into action: We are to find Darius, and destroy him and his fleet of warships! The B/CRS Duran I has been in orbit around the world of Norulac for a while now, but the VSD Bronze Sword, escorted by several squadrons from the ISD Intrepid have arrived to take revenge for their lost wingmates at Mantessa. 
 
   
6 The Battle for Daltar (Region 7C) was flown on Fri 29th Sept 2000 
Player Craft: T/A Avenger 2-2 "Spider" 
This is the last of a set of liberations we have conducted over the last week. They were started by a tactic of Darius to just send a single cruiser to as many planets as possible and then to force its inhabitants to supply him his resources. After destroying most of these cruisers and taking the planets away from him, the ASF has forced Darius to change tactics. This last B/CRS will perhaps convince him to give it up completely. The BGCOM, AD Priyum thought it was needed to have an observer here present while we take out another one of these Goliath B/CRSes. The last one for now we think... we can't find any more GOL forces anywhere at the moment. You as an elite Avenger pilot qualify very well, but do remember that the Captain of this ship is quite sure he can do the job himself - so stay out of it. 
 
   
7 The Second Battle of Mantessa was flown on Sat 14th Oct 2000 
Player Craft: X-Wings (12) or TIE Advanceds (12) 
[Co-Op MP enabled: 4] 
More conflicts have broken out between the Goliath and ASF Forces. And this may well prove to be an even more decisive set of battles than the last... A Goliath Probe Droid arrived at the ASF held planet of Thanta Zhilbra. It spotted the M/FRG Implacable in orbit before promptly selfdestructing The Goliath L/FRG Able III arrived at the ASF held world of Kimanan, to find no hostile forces on the sensors. The ASF Dreadnought, Stone Golem, has arrived, uncontested, at the neutral planet that water forgot, Tatooine. After they defeated our forces at [Mantessa] earlier this week they were left with the ISD Blight, two Interdictors, several types of Transports and about three squadrons worth of fighters. Since the Goliaths have apparently retreated the rest of their Capital Ships and left the fighters to defend their claim on [Mantessa]. 
 
   
8-1 The Defence of the ASF Golan Platform was flown on Sat 14th Oct 2000 
Player Craft: TIE Advanced (6) 
[Co-Op MP enabled: 4] 
The ISD Blight, the two INTs and Transports we missed at Mantessa haven't retreated at all! They were in transit to where their Probe Bots had pointed our Main Base out to them. Now with our forces spread over the sector in an attempt to find them, they are attacking our base almost undefended! In this first wave the Pirate Raiders will just center their attack on you, the Platform's Fighter Defence, as to make sure they loose none of their precious Bombers in the second wave. Expect your counterparts to be in TIE Advanceds too, with a cover of Transports. 
 
   
8-2 Player Craft: TIE Artichoke 
Well apparently you got your fighter back into the hangar in the middle of a battle - so you can finish your duty and take it back out there! Oh and if it's that smashed up T/A over there, we fitted some warheads on that I think. We even got our platform's Cheff to make you a briefing, the rest of the crew is on its way to the escape pods... 
 
   
9 The Defence of the Goliath Platform was flown on Sat 14th Oct 2000 
Player Craft: TIE Defender, TIE Advanced, Assault Gunboat 
[Co-Op MP enabled: 4] 
Once again Revenge is Ours! Just as the ISD Blight closed in on our own unfortunate base, we discovered the main Goliath Base and sent our Main Force there. Their base is just weakly defended but they might have a few tricks up their sleeves - this is after all one of the places where Darius might be hiding out! If we kill him, his fleet of pirates will surely fall apart... This is a standard Golan 3 Spacestation, usually equiped with two defence squadrons, because we are talking pirates here, we can probably expect such greats as the Wisbone or R-41 Starbaser. 
 
   
10 The Second Battle for Daltar II (Region 7C) was flown at the end of October 2000 
Player Craft: TIE Defender "Falchion" 
Vice Admiral Pel's personal TIE Defender Falchion was under repairs at Pyrath and was to be delivered to his ISD Intrepid by the DREAD Stone Fortress. If the Stone Fortress was going through the area anyway, it might just as well check out the atmosphere at Daltar - bad idea... Now the Stone Fortress is at a stand off with the B/CRS Closan I and Pel might not get his fighter back at all. You are here to make sure he does. You are to take the Falchion out of the combat zone to make sure nothing happens to it. If the Stone Fortress wins the battle, you are to return there with your fighter, else hyper to the coordinates of the Intrepid you will receive then. 
 
   
11 The Second Battle of Narulac (Region 8E) was flown on Wed 25th Oct 2000 
Player Craft: TIE Advanced "StarFury" 
When the rest of the ASF Fleet here left for undisclosed systems the VSD Ironsword was left here to keep our hold on the planet Norulac. No problem you'd think... Wellll, last night we had a little party onboard with all the COMs of the fleet and it seems our BGCOM, AD Priyum, got a bit drunk on the Captain's Corellian - so drunk in fact that he couldn't fly back to the Grey Wolf afterwards - so Vit and Cyric took him with them on the shuttle... All a bit embarrasing and all... Anyway, the problem is on one hand that of Priyum's T/A that has to be returned to the Grey Wolf and on the other hand - that we have just been attacked by an overwhealming force of GOLs... it seems that the pirates were waiting for the moment our ships left us here alone to strike with quite a lot of fighters, some carrying Heavy Rockets. 
 
   
12 The Second Battle of Narulac (Region 8E) was flown on Wed 25th Oct 
Player Craft: TIE Defender "Defiant" 
It seems that our theory about Darius changing his tactic to ours, the mopping up technique, has been proved. Twice in a row now he has attacked a lone ASF starship with large forces. And this time may well be his last... There is a special tactic behind this battle, one deviced by VA Cyric of the ISD Grey Wolf. The Vice Admiral was here till the last minute for preparations and then took the shuttle back. Being a kind man, he left us his own T/D Defiant "So at least you have something to help." VA Cyric would very much like to have his brand new fighter back onboard the GreyWolf, so don't even get a scratch on it please. 
 
   
13-1 The Fourth Battle for Daltar IV (Region 7C) was flown on Sat 11th Nov 2000 
Player Craft: TIE Defender, Missile Boat 
[Co-Op MP enabled: 4] 
Warlord Darius took our bait, the DREAD Stone Fortress, and jumped into the Daltar System with the mainstay of his Goliath Fleet, including his Flagship, the ISD Goliath. Expecting this we had a formidable ASF Fleet standing by in the outlying regions of the System to pounce upon his forces while our Interdictors keep him here. This time he won't escape us! The Grand Admiral has already approved Medals of Honors to be rewarded posthumusly to the brave crew of the Stone Fortress who made this all possible. Basically the ASF Fleet has been kicking Pirate Buttocks since the start of this Operation so the GOL are pitching some T/Is, Supa's and Transports against our T/Ds. Our staff is quite sure we'll consolidate our victory here today! 
 
   
13-2 Player Craft: TIE Defender, TIE Advanced, Assault Gunboat 
[Co-Op MP enabled: 4] 
The last wave proceded very well indeed - we just lost a few TIE Defenders. Now the Goliath Fleet has even less left of their once great fleet of Pirate Invaders. They seem to be getting down on their fighters, which will serve us well, once we get to their Flag Ship they wil be utterly defeated at last. 
 
   
13-3 Player Craft: Toscan Fighter, TIE Advanced, Assault Gunboat 
[Co-Op MP enabled: 4] 
We did destroy all the Goliath Forces that they have thrown at us... But over the last few attacks we have been mostly facing quite cheap transports and elderly fighters - which while no match for our superiour fighters one on one - have over the duration of the last few waves completed their goal of destroying most of our better fighters! Ofcourse we have plenty left but this will get very tense. Do not engage any targets you are not absolutely sure of to kill without losing any of our own forces. We cannot afford to loose too many ships in these waves! 
 
   
13-4 Player Craft: TIE Interceptor, Assault Gunboat 
[Co-Op MP enabled: 4] 
We're almost clean through our fighters and they almost haven't used them at all yet, But up to now we've been seeing just the same squadrons we saw before, so we're going for a last ditch run to wipe out their fighters. We have been facing the same Squadrons over the last Battles as here, so we are expecting some more Y/W Indigo, T/A Golf and A/W Omega. If we destroy those we hope they'll have no more fighters left. They have some Transports left still, try to take those out too. But they'll be easier onour turbolasers than fighters are. 
 
   
13-5 Player Craft: TIE Fighter, TIE Advanced, X-Wing, TIE Advanced Bomber 
[Co-Op MP enabled: 4] 
Our wings might be destroyed but we do have some fighters left, the ones you saved from destruction in the earlier battles! You'll need to too, as it seemed our last ditch effort was for nothing: The Goliaths have just launched more fighters, including two completely fresh Squadrons! We have decided we can't win this so we're forced to go and make a run for it. You are here to make sure the starships can get away back into EH Territory. Intercept their warheads if possible and go after their bombers. 
 



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