kipanderson

Kevinkin, hi, “PS I have TM- 30 - 340. Perhaps you made a typo Kip?” Strangely.. no.. it’s definitely TM 30 – 430 I mean. You could easily have been right, I could very easily make such a mistake.. but not today. All the best, Kip.

Aured, hi, What you are after is: Handbook on USSR Military Forces. War Department Technical Manual TM 30 – 430. November 1945. Covers Red Army ’44 – ’45. Not surprisingly. It was produced using the archives of General Reinhard Gehlen, Chief of Foreign Armies East. He and his staff, and truckloads of documents surrendered en masse to the Americans at the end of WWII. The producers of the current German series of books covering WWII, Germany and the Second World War, describe all those memoirs from the East Front as “fiction...” even the best of them. But not the work of General Gehlen and his men. He faithfully recorded all that was learnt about the Red Army. All their manuals and how they behaved in practice. Tactics, organisations and such. All the best, Kip.

George, Your blockbuster scenarios are real blockbuster events for us fans... ! So am greatly looking forward to this one.. . Thanks, All the best, Kip.

Hi, Thanks.. a lot of good videos produced.. Keep them coming... The best, Kip.

Mike, Congratulations.. Does look impressive for sure. No time now to enjoy it all but will be back . Thanks, All the best, Kip.

RepsolCBR, hi, Yup.. I agree with IanL... the tactical map and such do look very good. Very impressive. All the best, Kip. PS. just personal preference to add to otherwise perfection.. a small scale line.. say 200m is this.. ?

Denis, hi, Sounds very good... just the job and the type of CMMC style operational game that ever since the James Bailey Normandy game I have been a fan of. Will certainly be keen to take part. Sadly am only an English speaker.. . Disgraceful I know as Russians and most others here speak and effortlessly write multiple languages. All the best, Kip.

Hi, One problem that can limit numbers is that people are after very different things. Kohlenklau does an outstanding job at his operations but they are very different from what I am after. It is something close in style to the great CMMC set in Normandy using CMX1 and put together by James Bailey that hooks me. But far smaller scale. Denis seems do something similar with his chums. All the best, Kip.

Denis, Having read your full AAR am even more impressed. Do keep us informed and I hope you will publish rules and such as they are translated. Am keen to be involved but need first to understand more how you play your game. Below is how I know CMMC.... Your way may be very similar but with TOAWIII? All the best, Kip. “Combat Mission Meta Campaign. Both sides are sent operational maps with their units and enemy units placed on them. Imagine a 1:50000 map with full details of your own side’s battalions and companies but only limited details of enemy battalions and companies. In forums, one or more for each side, matters are discussed and then the commanders, division or corps, issue orders to their own subordinate players. Where units are to move, what they are to do, attack this village, defend this ridge line and so on... The orders are also sent to the Games Masters/GMs/Umpires. The umpires then decide where units have ended up, given the orders, and which units are in contact with the enemy and due to fight that turn. The umpires then build the battles in CM and send them off to the battalion commanders of the units to resolve the operational turn using CM. After a given number of CM in game turns, or some other criteria, both players Save the game and send back the files to the umpires. The umpires then construct new maps reflecting the outcomes of the CM battles and send them off to each side as before to start another operational turn. The umpires also include an operational briefing with Intel reports and such. That is it.... In my version of CMMC many of the contact battles would be resolved by the umpires at the operational level also some of the “player’s games...” would be fought against the AI and some against the umpires. This would allow a smaller number of players to fight their CMMC within a larger operational environment. “

Denis, hi, Looks very impressive. Have taken the opportunity to speed read some of your great document and will work through more soon. You have clearly perfected your version of these things. In my experience using a given set of rules from an operational game makes things a bit more difficult due to the lack of flexibility for the umpires. But you have tested your methods and clearly find it works better to have a fixed operational structure to work with. If I have time would like to take part but must first read fully how you do things to understand the time requirements. Time allowing, and a system the umpires are comfortable working with, CMMC is by far the ultimate way to play CM. Congratulations on success of your previous game, All the best, Kip. .

PaulMD, It just struck me that I didn’t post to congratulate you on the movie. Hugely impressive . Congratulations.. look forward to more of the same. All the best, Kip.

Fredrock, Does look incredibly impressive. Looking forward to having a go at it. All the best, Kip.

Hi, It takes me “into the zone.. “. It is utterly immersive. Within the limits of what CM is it is historically accurate. The real limiting factor being the “single controlling mind..”. With one player on each side this is unavoidable. So I trust the outcomes. I am not suddenly thrown out of the zone by witnessing something I know is fantasy. Statistically rare events yes, they happen, but fantasy no. Secondly the graphics are easily good enough to hold my imagination in the setting I am witnessing. This aspect has improved a lot with Upgrade 3.0. Up close the graphics have been up to standard and fun to track a unit through a given turn. But until Upgrade 3.0 long distance, landscape screen shots did not look so good. They do now on my machine. CM is so far ahead of all other tactical wargames it really is unfair on them. Other wargames have their place doing slightly different things. But when they start to move down towards the true tactical scale of CM do find myself wondering “why bother...” “why not just play CM and get the full Band of Brother effect plus historical accuracy.” When you look at the competition... unbelievably lucky Steve and Charles did not decide to develop Space Lobsters.. , So good it is a form of military history...! All the best, Kip.

Pete, hi, It helps hugely.. . I should have asked you ages ago. I have struggled to get Google Earth to show contours to an acceptable standard forever. Thanks.. . All the best, Kip.

PaulMD, IanL, Yup... great videos . Hollywood comes to CM from Paul and superbly produced and fun stuff from Ian. Thanks, All the best, Kip.

Hi, Yup look great... Lot of talented people out there and a credit to Battlefront that CM is so good it consistently attracts such talent. Congratulations.. great mod.. . All the best, Kip.

Umlaut, Yup... great idea.. ! I am and always have been a great admirer of your mod but was a little intimidated by it. With so much else to build and play with in CMX2 I more or less gave up.. I am ashamed to say . However.. this is just what the doctor ordered. I will for sure now set aside the time to enjoy slowly working through the How To of the mod. Greatly look forward to using your mod. Will now be fun just fully learning how rather than a struggle. Thanks.. We are all lucky to have CM.. and fortunate it’s so good it attracts so many talented people.. All the best, Kip.

Hi, Here is another link that I don’t think is a commercial site so should be allowed. http://gurkhan.blogspot.ru/ Whatever they come up with will have been filtered through hundreds of mock battle days and runs and compared to the results from the latest T90. So it will be an improvement but we will have to wait and see the details. Two man would be surprise but the basic configuration is very similar to early ’08 concepts. Time will tell. Lots to look forward to for those with our interests. A toy on the block will be fun to gradually ascertain the full specification for . All the best, Kip. PS. panzersaurkrautwerfer “RUSSIA IS SUPERIOR BUT I AM NOT GOING TO BE POLITICAL SO I WILL NOT TALK ABOUT THE FACT THEY ARE SUPERIOR. ALLOW ME TO INSERT SOMETHING ABOUT HOW SMART RUSSIANS ARE INTO A TOPIC ABOUT PUFF THE MAGIC RUSSIAN TANK THAT IS TOTALLY REAL AND MY BEST FRIEND YOU JUST CANT SEE HIM.” What you mean is the US, Germany whatever.. is superior regardless of any evidence in any field from anyone.. .. . Maybe we are just seeing a repeat of the Cold War, to quote the US Army “The myth of Soviet inferiority in this sector of arms production that has been perpetuated by the failure of downgraded T-72 export tanks in the Gulf Wars has, finally, been laid to rest. The results of these tests show that if a NATO/Warsaw Pact confrontation had erupted in Europe, the Soviets would have had parity (or perhaps even superiority) in armour”

Kohlenklau, Nope.. as you suggest you cannot make maps. This was the standard rule with PzC. You can crop and do all else, but unless he has loosened the restrictions as the engine ages you couldn’t edit, as in making entirely new maps. Just cut sections out. All the best, Kip.

Hi, “For a number of reasons (in particular, the scale, the fact that is not a board game (ie, has an AI, etc.), and the fact that all game files other than maps are easy to edit), I think that PzC is a good solution for CMRT operational games.” I agree.. I too am interested. Am one of the more unhinged fans of operational layers for CM. If an Eastern Front is a few months off time to swat up on how you guys do your version of these things. We have conversed before and I have seen this around. Must go off and read up on it. BTW.. I have noticed over the years that most play PBEM . Each to their own . But I recommend that people have go at live, internet, Turn based play. I am not a neutral.. my most enjoyable games v humans have all been pure RT, live play in the raw with CMBN. Live, turn based I do find very relaxing. Because you cannot intervene, give orders during the play back, I just sit and enjoy the movie. Then if I wish give orders, then hit play. Opponents do the same. Very smooth experience. But I realize I am in a minority... . All good fun, All the best, Kip.

Hi, BTW.. I am not being rude, but don’t like political discussion on the net, the pub is for that, too easy to get the tone wrong. So will not respond. The Economist and Financial Times are as hostile to Russia and Putin as Neo-Cons but... they don’t fiddle facts. They are also smart when it comes to collecting and evaluating data. If they rate Russia as number 13 in the world for educational outcomes ahead of most western nations, it likely they are correct. They will have known it would be controversial and double checked. Given they measures they are using. They may be wrong, but the default is that they are not. All the best, Kip.

Hi, The T14 and T15 the tank and BMP will be in the parade and are real. They are certainly real and too many in the Russian industry have announced they will be there. In fact Russian kit has a very good reputation for doing “what it says on the tin...” as we say in the UK these days . The Russian adds for YouTube clips are just that but the reports in Jane’s and Defence Update are near always flatter. In the sense that the “serous..” claims for their kit prove to correct and honest. I doubt will be anything radical. But if they claim it will stop certain threats, certain models of long-rod penetrator at certain ranges and given tandem HEAT rounds. Plus any new APS will say intercept Javelin.. you will find it does just that. But you need to look for the claims on genuine arms trade sites and sources. Not US think tanks or similar. They as crazed as Russian YouTube adds . It is no big deal. Ignore the exited, fun, YouTube stuff. But as the Israelis have found Russian kit does do what it claims to. If you pop over to Defence Update, an Israelis site to promote their defence industry but does comment on other countries kit, many here would be a bit shocked by how flattering they are about Russian equipment. BTW The Economist Intelligence Unit rates the Russian education system ahead of the the US, Sweden, Israel, Norway and many others. No point arguing with me about it, just Google it and do your own research. Every year they produce a table that tries to take in full range of measures, Pisa is just one, and Russia does OK and is not declining at all. Compared with western countries education wise. I bet we do see it in BS.. ; ). All the best, Kip.

Hi, Graphics have for a long-time been great up close.. hugely immersive. With upgrade 3.00 they shot up in quality for the long distance landscape screenshots too.. on my machine anyway. In fact Upgrade 3.00 was a real stunner. A number of things came together.. one of them being the improvement in landscape graphics. All those CMX2 titles up to the latest standard to choose from for a game.. . The Upgrade system is superb . All the best, Kip.

Hi, This reminds me that Broadsword56 did a cracker of a Tunisia mod for CMFI. May now be time for some Alamein . Not a perfect match.. but using the earliest of the CMFI German and Commonwealth units and desert mods may still be fun with the full goodness of Upgrade 3.0 in use. As many will know, these terrain mod packs can often be used in other CMX2 titles with no more than hint of customisation now the wonders of Upgrade 3.0 are here. Fantastically flexible . Thanks, All the best, Kip.

Takoda, hi, Quick answer is.. or one of the possibilities/ways to do this.. In Windows 7, Go to Libraries/ Documents/Battlefront/Combat Mission/Black Sea/User Data/Mods Then in Mods create a folder called “Z” . Place the download there. Black Sea will now use the desert Mod for all scenarios. Mainly . If you wish not to use the Mod in a given scenario, before launching Black Sea just remove the Desert Mod folder from Z. There are other ways.. You will have read the manual for the more involved but flexible alternatives. Good luck.. All the best, Kip.