snake_eye

Battlefront should envisaged to have the possibility to use the TOW outside the Humvee. If by sheer luck it can be brought nearby a house and then set on the roof, that way it would be use like the Syrian AT4 and be as diificult to find that them in the game. Weight and time might not make that feasible. What do you think of it ?

Well, most of the time, against armor, the TOW is shot to piece while getting in position. Doesn't mind wether it is just below a ridge, behind trees or at the corner of a group of houses. Anyhow, I shot a BMP and a tank in "saving the beachhead", the first at 200m and the second at 300-400m while being among houses and shooting through a narrow gap between them. The targets were traversing the "T" and the sighting had to be done quickly. About a 70% of them were away before a shot could be done. The one who took it went stationary. The TOW had to reverse immediately to hide and then change position. The BMP got it while being hidden by the corner of one house at some distance. The first TOW exploded as a fact in the corner of it !!! I had to move a bit on the left of it and by chance was not destroyed by the firing BMP. It is better to use TOW against nest of resistance of infantry, like pillboxes and houses, since being close to the grunts there less risk of RPG and assuming there is no armor in sight. Against armor besides a clear field of fire a well concealed position and a large view in order to keep track of a traversing armor, I don't see too much life expectancy after one shot and more than often before the first one. Maybe CMSF & Marines Add-on are rating it less than in reality ???

the blast command works fine, when set on the other side of the wall to be destroyed. However, it might takes some time and the breach might be sufficient for the grunts, but not for a Humvee, LAV, M1 or AAV. It takes then a second try. The troop are then usually under fire, unless the breach was planned in more or less a covered spot. I have found in Tripoli shore that the AAV did not went throught the sea wall being blasted (as told in the briefing) why ??? they are the ones usually having difficulties going throught quickly or not at all. Did it happen to you ?

Right, but the difficulty is to have the javelin team in place, have it fire and take cover without waiting for a second shot. Waiting for it is asking for a pounding from the tanks. However, javelin's knock the tanks right away, that is not the case with the SMAW. The team usually is shot to piece if he is not moving away as soon as it has fired. Getting new rounds is time consuming, assuming the AAV on top of the hill are not set alight already if they have not been put away of harm, from the road and the ridge line. While awaiting the reinforcement, I have found that the squad splitted and concealed in the bushes down the ridge, fully loaded first in AT4 and second in LAW, was the answer. The difficulty is to restrain them on firing on the BMP since there will be no way to get new shots before the tanks get there. Besides their combat position will be known and they will get a severe pounding every time they will try a remaining shot. Are the BMP's destroyed then worth it ? The AT4 and the LAW are only good at the most 200 m and 100 m respectively. Assuming it is rather a side shot. The SMAW rates better, but the life expectancy of the shooters is short live. The MG does its fare against the walking troops if it is sighted near the OP on the crest of the right hill and on the left flank houses. The arty does good work on the opposing ridge, because that's there that the situation seems to change slowly. The arty can catch up with the targets. Forget it against the tanks and BMP's Usually I have a total victory (playing always ELITE). the losses are to my feeling a bit high, but that's the price to pay, to get the Big Cats. The issue, however made me feel good and confident till the POOH forthcoming battle. Then hell broke loose thanks to the AT4. Going back to school to try better and lower the casualties.

I went to that battle playing elite as usual with confidence. Since , I keep playing it again and again, with the "Decisions, Decisions battle" coming over and over. It makes me mad. As for the Pooh battle, all the way in are covered. first by AT4 on the left and the right hills and even near the crossroad. When the AAV are set alight, it is either the AT4, a tank (when these are coming in town, latter in the game) or the mines. I use to get a picture with the recon on the left and in the center, to call airstrike when available and rely on 81mm, and latter 155mm when they are not dry. I set the LAV near the first house (close to the 2 buildings in the compound next to the primary target) and later on the tanks, if any, in the center right to catch the coming armor. The troops has they come are pushing the perimeter in the center. They are assaulting the 2 buildings ans setting a base fire for preparing the assault on the primary target, which has to be prep with 155mm before doing so. They set a base fire on the right,turned toward the buildings and the MG pillboxe. Another squad and or platoon assault them as feasible (when the tanks threat is controlled). That way the right flank is secure. That has to be done quite early, since, I have seen Syrian reinforcement coming down toward it from the right hill. I managed once to take that hill, before the 2 centers objective. Never got the crossroad and the one on the left. Time runned out. A question : Why there is no warning (maybe I miss it ?) for the company coming in the MTVR. When, I notice they are there, near the thruway, one or two of them are already burning, with an humvee set alight by secondaries explosions. Their losses are deeply resented. A hint, that might come handy to some of you. It is possible to bring armor, on the left farther side. right on the edge of the crest. Caution, a move forward with the AT4 crew still alive and that is the end of the tank, even before seeing anything, they have you zeroed in. With smoke a breakthrought is feasible. To end my comment, it is a wonderful battle, well conceived and a real challenge. It shows that never mind the power of fire you have, you still have to rely on foot grunts to get to the objective. I had total defeat, minor victory, draw.... and always got back to DECISIONS-DECISIONS once again and then to POOH again. For me that's the draw back. The campaign in CSMF was more pleasant to my taste.

I'm going to download V 1.08. However I had no problem, but with that last mission in the campaign. There are too many buildings and units. On pause the mouse deplacement are fast and became erratic once the game was resumed. As I said there was however an amelioration with the settings precognized. I haven't time to try it on XP yet.

Well no , since it was a new install on a HDD being formated, besides you should find the preferences only in the run repertory of CMAK. I might be mistaken, but you don't find it in CMBO and CMBB. Am I right ?

I have an FX GE FORCE 6200 NVIDIA. After having reinstalled XP SP2 I had experienced the dark screen after loading CM1, 2 and 3. Never before that had happened. Nothing I tried worked and the reading of the technical forum did not help me either. It was NVIDIA fault or MS. The latest card driver did not resolved the issue. I was unable to start the game and rather sorry about it. HERE IS THE ANSWER - Not rational but it works with all 3 CM - Just not once but two times because I have reinstalled XP SP 2 twice (not for the fun I assure you) What you have to do is quite easy. Once you have installed the CM 1, CM2 or CM 3, when you start it usually you have a blank with the resolution setting you want to set it. With the dark screen and maybe for you a whistling sound from the speakers there is no way to have it. Just do a mad minute typing on your keyboard. The sound may appear or disappear a blank may go throught quickly without you being able to say if this is the one you wanted. Don't dispair in the 2 or 3 minutes to come the setting message will be on your screen and the setting done you will enjoy the missions. An explanation : The mad typing is resetting somehow the card, why I don't know and I don't care since it works for me and I hope for you. Let me know.

I have followed your advices having difficulties ending the last battle of the campaign on elite. It worked fine till I received the reinforcements and became very slow with the motion of the mouse sequential and difficult to pin point to a place and or track to move it. It was impossible to survey the whole battle field since it took too much time to move through it. I have a laptop running on Vista SP1 (had no choice) centrino 2 Duo T7250 RAM 2Go and NVIDIA 8600 M GS and desktop setting at 1440 X 900 with what missingreality tried it played better but the mouse movement where still not what I got with less important and heavy battle. I tried Niskalaukaus settings and it runs better. I can only say that with normal battles these settings are anyway the best, but with an heavy battle file like this one, I think that I shall use my desktop with my nvidia good old FX ge Force 6200 and XP SP2 with an XP Athlon 3.0. When coming home i shall paste the file on it and give it a try. Thanks guys for your good settings. Vista is full of surprise and I'm still waiting for the good ones

There isn't a best tactic to put against a fight. There are however ways to get through it without too much harm. 1/ have a situation awareness. recon and or good sight of the objective and of the troops being there if possible by drawing fire from them and registering their whereabouts. 2/ have a suppressing group and an assault group 3/ assault quickly and don't change your plan unless thing turn badly 4/ don't rest once you get to the objective consolidate and go to ground if there is a possible arty barrage from the opposition to come and or a counter attack 5/ move your support close and or through the consolidated troops (over watching)to a possible advance position (that's called exploitation)if that is the intent of the brass That's what I did. As Patton did, don't necessary do the things the book way but be aware that your support fire will do it the book way however. Be sure they can do it your way.

with CMSF V 1.07 I have been surprised to have a blue on blue incident. Playing the elite campaign, Night Stalkers mission. I had assigned to 3 dismounted squads near the right compound to shoot if necessary at elements coming from the village down the road with what they had as well as javelin. Being able to destroy at that spot the coming tanks and tracks with the M1's occupuing the left compound, I had been able to rush one of the M1 and a track there more quickly that I had thought. That only to have few minutes later the track being immobilized (with some squad members being wounded) by a javelin shot aimed by one of the squad previously mentionned either at the track or at an alongside already burned up syrian track. Besides that incident I have noticed that on some firefight, I had the supporting squad keeping a steady fire on the target even when it was overrun by the assault squad and despite the cease fire order. Never at these issues before. Is that new to V 1.07 ?

In real action against trenches, besides what has been already mentionned is to use HE, variable -time rounds, airbusts that would explode 2 to 3 yards off the ground and send shrapnel downward. That is the airbust in the game somehow. To show you, what it can do. During the dash to the heart of baghdad it has been used against the overpass where the fedayen waited for the tracks to pass under and shot them with RPG 7. The overpass where cleared by the time the tracks came. Besides the fact that WP isn't implemented (if I am right ?) in the game, it has a drawback having a tendency to set things afire around and its abundant smoke become a blessing to the enemy hiding behind it. A blessing, that is for the one not burn through.

Hi George, thank for reviewing my AAR. I just got a glance yesterday to your CMSF scenario builder and CMBB site. I think that I shall build a mission, with squads fighting dismounted in a small village clear up. Some kind of a MOUT. Might be handy for training. Will let you know at the time and shall be glad to have your comments. Cheer

Well George, that time I scored a TOTAL VICTORY still playing it Elite RT. 7 kia, 2 wia, a Tow, and a Stryker destroyed. The Syrians got 108 kia, 1 wia, 10 tanks T-62, 5 BMP's and 3 BTR's destroyed. The setting the same as earlier, but with a slight change at Bravo's gully. The Tow still forward, toward obj Diane, a stryker on the opposite at the junction of the gully and the northern gully with an MG squad with 3 javelins. the other stryker is hidden in the waddi on the left ot the road's small bridge. Its HQ fitted with 3 javelin's. On the way to the battle emplacements defined, Charlie's team has we might call it, got 3 BMP's with its TOW. Bravo's team Tow got one at the waddi-gully junction and another one near the bridge left side where it race trying to escape. From then on, the battle was rather quick. The tanks came and where first shot at by Charlie's team, who lost the Tow in the process. The squad fired all of its javelins. Bravo's MG team fired for sure 1 javelin and lost its TUC being therefore unable to fire from then on. I had to call back the Tow staying on the left and not being engaged. Meanwhile I called the Apaches and drew a fire area at the origin of the waddi. As soon as I have done it, it seems to me that the T-62's were rather cautious, for a time being. Then they came trough the waddi, destroyed the stryker and I thought that it was the end of Bravo's. 6 tanks had been destroyed at that time and Charlie's could not help anymore. Alpha's was in reserve, still hiiden on the roof at the village.yet they probably fired earlier, one or two javelins at the tanks in the waddi The Tow made the difference and got 4 T-62, with maybe one that could be accounted to the Apaches. At that time the BTR came on the left side coming from Obj Diane. Alpha's shot one (with its last javelin), the Tow one with its last missile and the last BTR's reached the village and was shot with an AT-4(the only one left !) at close quarter by the squad on the roof. Well it is a rather pleasant scenario full of surprise, since the tanks are not coming exactly when we expect them to come, even if it is somehow from what I have seen, from the same area Cheer

Well,the AI being not conditional it does however react from an algorithm set by the designer. If I have it right,what you are saying, is that the AI does not react from the ground situation, but from a predetermined planified move set by the designer. If that is the way, it should always come from the same direction and with the same unfold despite what it has on its way , no ? That is not what happens in the screen. I am going to try it again from the start and when I get time I shall look to it through the editor, if it is not restricted. Cheer

Should read a major defeat. Doesn't make too much of a difference, anyway. I am trying it from the beginning, this time, to ascertain the differents AI attack behaviour of the syrians.

Well, I started it again at the time the right forward Charlie position was set, the Alpha position on the roof at the village also ready and the Bravo position just in the phase of being dug in the gully. The tanks came right from the place being left vacant between Bravo and Charlie phase line. They went through the waddi heading for the village. I got 7 tanks and soon lost the right Tow and stuck stryker, then the left Tow and a stryker. No way to have the Apaches on the way rapidly. It took 7 minutes and when they came the tanks were already in the village. The squad there, got hidden on the roof and was able to call the Apaches when the BTR after their seizure of the village went to the opposite houses. 2 of them got chewed up after waiting 7 long minutes to have the air asset do its job. Meanwhile, I managed to pull forward (following the waddi)the only stryker remaining on the Bravo gully with a depleted squad to the Charlie position , where was only left a depleted MG team. They got into the stryker and stayed there, the T.L.R being reach. The BTR came from Obj Diane on the left. I think that there are different AI attack depending on the placing of the forces and their air asset. That time I did not have it set, that maybe the reason of a Total Defeat the T.L.R being reach 15 KIA 7 WIA 5 tracks destroyed against 69 KIA 2 WIA 7 tanks ansd 7 tracks for the Syrians

That could be a bug. I shall try it again with the troops staying at Alpha phase line in the village and see if the tanks are coming in. Let you know of the issue.

The squad's roof hiding with javelins is correct and sound to use, but I remind you that in my case I did not sustained any casualty for the men as well as the tracks. I did however destroyed the Syrians Recon forces BMP and squads while taking position at Alpha (on the roof) and the gully of Bravo and Charlie and won a Tactical Victory, with the number of TOW and Javelins left as written previously. The Syrians tanks did not attack at all. The question was : Why ? . they did it in a preceeding play and I ended with all men wiped out and the tracks destroyed and that brought me a Total Defeat. Since I had the Apaches overflying Obj Diane exit and the area between Charlie an Bravo squad's position, I wondered if that was the reason why the tanks did not appear ?

well, there are no hills to look at from the places indicated, but behind (the way we came from). The LOS is good from Charlie and Bravo, but the tanks are not coming, only the recon force which is being wiped out. Scared of the Apaches, the tanks ?

1st time , I played it veteran RT, I got a total defeat being wiped out around the base of the village having no tow or javelins left and the apaches came too late, when the the caller was dead. The place was full of tanks, BTR and BMP despite the ones I had knocked out earlier. That left me with a bad taste. Playing it through a new campaign Elite RT, I just scored a Tactical Victory, without zero KIA, WIA and track losse.The syrians had 43 KIA, 0 WIA and 5 armored tracks destroyed. No tank, because there were none !!!! Since the start, the tracks went fast to the village, then a Tow and the last one after it hit what turned out to be BMP's My set up: I had a track with a squad,with javelins,on a roof at the village, phase line Alpha. A Tow track and two strykers went in the gully on the left side of phase line Bravo. The squad with javelins as well as the HQ, dismounted and overwatching Obj Diane. The HQ kept one Apache over objective Diane and another one, between them and the other team in Charlie gully. A Tow track and a stryker went on the right, in the gully running parallel at phase line Charlie. There the squad with javelins' dismounted, facing Obj Diane, from its stryker that got immobilized in the sand. Besides one or two missiles being fired at a BMP that has been discovered and destroyed by an Apache called by the HQ in the area between Charlie and Bravo gullies, the last 30 minutes were uneventful. I have, however the feeling that, that BMP was already destroyed during the advance. Is it possible that the Apache shoot at it again ? I just kept waiting for the tanks and they never came. In the AAR I scored 1000 points for the Syrian Recon unit having been destroyed and 0 points for the tank unit being mentionned. Is it the fact of the overwachts being provided by the Apaches that dissuaded them to come, or the position in the gullies ? Anyway I did not have tanks coming fast from all over the place as expected from my earlier biting. I had left 18 Tows and 7 javelins in the three squads. Why the tanks did not come ???? If that happened to you let me know ?

I have had the same unsolved questions. In order to call an artillery, mortars and or air assets fire support, the better choice should be : - either the FO (JTAC) or the FSV ? - The FO( outside the FSV ? - The FSV choosen with the FO(JTAC) in or out ? From the book, to be in the right track is the best choice. However , the LOS is rarely the best, but from an hill slope or summit looking in the valley. Then, the track is very quickly targeted and destroyed.No more observers, at best they are pretty shaken. In suburban area, the track doesn't have a good LOS most of the time. I move the FO(JTAC) to the roof or the top floor of a building and or house, in order to have a better LOS. The track stay put and serve only to get to a new location if necessary. At night, I also use for the FO(JTAC),the target area keys to paint in yellow the area being seen and to be able to distinguish something, otherwise the monitor screen is rather dark. By the way, have you find a way to modify the gamma as in CMX1 to 3 ? That was pretty handy for their nights fights. -Fire support to a platoon in a fire fight- Because,it is difficult to bring the FO(JTAC) in an OP near to the fight, have it installed and to wait 5 or 8 minutes (In R.T) for the suppression (At that time the platoon has moved forward and I have to cancel the fire support). I use the HQ and platoons leader to call fire support, since they are closer to the fight and able to pin point the target with mortars, since they fire more quickly than the How 155mm.

I played my 1st campaign Veteran real time and found that mission quite difficult scoring a major defeat, while getting trough the central gate. Reading some advices, I have done it again getting in through an MGS's blasted wall at the barracks, the central gate and the airport tower. That resulted in a Total Defeat. That mission being with the screen the one, I have found the most difficult to me and not wanting to stay on such a bad ending, I went back to work at it playing Elite that time. I got a Tactical defeat. I tried it once more.I went both time through a blasted wall with the MGS at the right of the gate (1st Platoon)and at the barracks far end (2nd platoon). I had to fight on the left and the right, while the 3rd platoon was kept as a mobile reserve. When I finally got the Airbase HQ building, I move an HQ on top and a Fire observer and used the mortars and Apaches to suppress the enemies at the barracks and near the SF compound. Then the 2nd platoon got through the wall with an MGS in support and seized the barracks. With 17 minutes left before reaching the T.L.R, I moved the 3 rd platoon to the barracks following the 2nd platoon path and had it attack the first building on the right on the road leading to the SF compound. I got a stryker and its squad destroyed as well as an MGS, presumably, with an RPG 29 shot(as I discovered it on viewing the field at the end of the game). The place is full of them, no wonder they are able to pick their target from a certain distance. That time , I got a draw and 3 tracks destroyed 19 KIA, 23 WIA againts 86 KIA, 64 WIA, and 26 vehicules for the syrians. I think that in real time the difficulty is to fight 2 battles at the same time or with a slight delay, to wait for the air and art assets to do their destruction or suppression work and fight against the clock. The SF compound beside a severe pounding seems to have more fighters left than we can handle in such a short time. Have you found out, playing it real time either veteran or elite (the assets are longer to go in action in elite) a better way to score without cheating and ending with no casualties at all while destroying everything with air and arts (which by the way, I have not noticed) with your tracks idling at the edge of Ash Shammas, as I dreamed of it ?

javelin's have been used in Irak against fortified houses in Fallujah, thought in limited number. That's not the rule. Coming from the top it has more effect that the 120mm. Beside the blast of the tank gun is tremendous and grunts are warned to be at least at 60 meters away. that has not been done at all time unfortunately. Can't speak on the phone to direct the crew and be away.