Tactical Manual: Tactical Office

Introduction

The Tactical Office is the branch of the Command Staff that deals with (among other things) the processing of new battles and free missions, the maintenance of the EH Mission Compendium, Battle Center and Tactical Manual, and the approval of High Scores. The Tactical Officer, who is third in command of the entire Emperor's Hammer, leads it. The Tactical Officer supervises and runs the Tactical Office. The TAC is supported by a competent staff with several testers and engineers. Currently, the Tactical Office is lead by Fleet Admiral Pickled Yoda.

TAC Office Positions

Tactical Officer (TAC)

The current TAC Officer is FA Pickled Yoda.

The Tactical Officer is the head of the Tactical Office and. His duties range from everyday duties such as high score checking and maintaining the Tactical Database to long-range projects for the benefit of the Fleet.

The Tactical Officer is personally responsible for the approval of all new battles and free missions for the Mission Compendium. He also maintains the High Score Battle Board and the Fleet Commander Honor Guard system. Finally, the Tactical Officer is also responsible for making sure that all of the battles run smoothly - without bugs - and that all BSFs are approved.

The Tactical Officer watches over fair play in every major flying competition as an expert judge. He also judges main mission creation and other competitions including FCHG/CAB competitions, Golden Tug Awards and Mission Creation Wars.

The Tactical Officer is always working on new ideas and ways to make the EH Mission Compendium better and the mission creation process easier. He also works together with the Science Officer to adapt new gaming platforms for the use of Emperor's Hammer Strike Fleet.

The Tactical Officer holds the minimum rank of Vice Admiral, and is in a position of prestige and power as third in command of the Emperor's Hammer. Maximal rank Tactical Office can achieve is High Admiral.

Command Attaché to the Tactical Officer (CA:TAC)

There currently is no CA:TAC assigned to the TAC Office.

The Command Attaché to Tactical Officer is the primary advisor to the Tactical Officer. He supports the Tactical Officer in his usual duties, providing additional help as needed and acting for the Tactical Officer when he is unavailable. The Command Attaché is always trained by the TAC to be ready to take over when TAC resigns or is on leave. This however does not mean that the CA:TAC will always take the position of tactical officer when the TAC does resign.

The specific duties of the CA:TAC will depend on the TAC's confidence and trust in his attaché, the CA:TAC's abilities and skills and the needs of the Fleet.

Usually, the CA:TAC will also serve as Tactical Head Coordinator, providing an additional final check, and adding new battles to Tactical Database. He also supervises the Tactical Coordinators and beta testing staff.

The minimum rank for a CA:TAC is Vice Admiral, while Fleet Admiral is maximal.

Command Assistant (TACA)

The current TAC Assistants are GN Master and CM Jagged Fell III.

Every Command Officer can have up to four Command Assistants. Their job is to help their CO with different projects and tasks. They are usually hired to perform some specific project, while the Command Officer concentrates on more important assignments.

A Command Assistant to Tactical Officer can perform many different duties, from helping with competitions to web design. TACA is an auxiliary position, so a person becoming TACA does not have to resign from his current position while performing duties in Tactical Office. There is also a tradition that a retiring Tactical Officer takes an honorary assistant position to assist the new TAC with his knowledge and experience.

TACA currently fills the role of Tactical Coordinator (TCC) as well as other duties the TAC may assign.

Tactical Surveyor (TCS)

Tactical Surveyor (or tester) is the most basic position within the Tactical Office, and is the entry-level position for the Tactical Office. A TCS is assigned to fly a battle or mission on particular difficulty level, searches for errors, and reports the ones he finds. These beta reports are uploaded to the Tactical Database, and are used by the Tacticians as a checklist of things to fix when they correct the mission.

Testers must have the rank of Lieutenant or higher, a reasonable FCHG rating, and be able to fly 2 missions or battles per week. A Tactical Surveyor must have passed the IWATS course Mission Creation and Beta Testing Standards (MCBS). Having passed the appropriate mission creation course is a definite advantage, but not mandatory. They report directly to a Tactical Coordinator, and may work on more than one platform. The position of Tactical Surveyor is auxiliary.

Tactician (TCT)

The position of Tactician is not currently in use. All battle corrections are currently done by the battle creator.

Tacticians are in charge of making corrections to missions. Once they receive their assignments from the TCC, they read the testers' beta reports and implement the necessary changes. Once the corrections are completed and documented, the TCT posts his beta correction report to the Tactical Database. He then sends a copy of the report and the corrected mission file(s) to Tactical Coordinator.

The position of Tactician may be held by any member of the Emperor's Hammer, and is an auxiliary position. A person wishing to serve as a Tactician must have proven mission creation experience and familiarity with Tactical Office procedures. They must have passed the IWATS course Tactical Mission Creation and Beta Testing Standards (MCBS) as well as the relevant mission creation course. The Tactical Officer may open positions of TCT for applications when additional staff is needed. Usually, new TCTs are chosen from among proven Surveyors.

A Tactician is expected to correct at least one battle (or free mission) per week.

Tactical Coordinator (TCC)

There currently are no TCCs assigned to the TAC Office.

Tactical Coordinator is one of the most important positions within the Tactical Office. The three TCCs serve as the beta testing leaders for their respective platforms: TIE, XvT/BoP, and XWA. They are responsible for ensuring that battles move through the testing queue quickly and are free of bugs before being passed on to the TCHC. They are also in charge of addressing bug reports on existing battles in the Mission Compendium.

However, the Tactical Officer and his Command Attaché are free to do these positions by themselves also. Should there not be any competent staff officers ready to do the work of tactical coordination.

Tactical Head Coordinator (TCHC)

There currently is no TCHC assigned to the TAC Office.

The position of Tactical Head Coordinator, if not filled by the CA:TAC, is usually given to a person who would like to do full-time service in Tactical Office, but does not wish to resign from his current assignment. The TCHC watches over beta testing as the direct superior to the Tactical Coordinators. The TCHC performs additional final checks and sends battles to the TAC for release.

The Tactical Head Coordinator can also help the TAC with different tasks connected to beta testing. When a TCC resigns, the TCHC takes over until a new TCC is chosen. The Tactical Head Coordinator can also help with judging Tactical Office competitions.

A TCHC is however, rarely appointed. Usually the TAC and his Command Attaché do the job by themselves.