BlackMoria

Regarding the airport, not clear. Despite looking at numerous reports, both sides are claiming they hold it and pushed the other side out, so I don't know the truth of the matter. Judging from the pictures, the airport fight looks to me like junkyard dogs fighting over a bag of garbage because the hard infrastructure looks like it is totally destroyed so I don't understand why lives are expended in continuing to fight over something that is more symbolic than strategic now. Even if the Pro-Russian forces have taken it, what use is it to them? Even if the runways are still okay, the Pro-Russian forces can't re-build the infrastructure or even bring in supply flights without the infrastructure until the front lines change enough that the airport is out of range of the longest range artillery system the Ukraine military has because any attempt to bring in flights or rebuild is going to getting destroyed by artillery strikes.

Iraq is a mess, not because that was the intent of the US to destabilize Iraq, but because the US failed to understand that kicking over Saddam and trying to setup a democracy is nearly impossible in a region of the world where thousand of years to tribalism is the firmly entrenched mindset. Dissect the entire mess and one can see the tribalism is a huge reason why Iraq and Afghanistan are relative failures despite the best but misguide intentions of the west. Never attribute to malice what can be explained by stupidity. In other words, Afghanistan and Iraq turned out the way they did because the whole venture was not well thought out, mistakes were made and more importantly, social/political factors deeply entrenched in thousands of years of history were ignored.

I had mortars fall on the consulate as well but it was airburst thankfully, and only one guy got a light wound as I had everyone hunkered down in the buildings. Yeah, I was luckier than you in that regard. Played another few minutes last night. I had most of my force overwatching the consulate during the extraction. Got the non combatants loaded up in a Stryker and just as my forces are pulling back from the area to regroup for the push to the extraction, several dozen insurgents take to the streets to bum rush the empty consulate while I am loading troops onto the Strykers. Fortunately, I had one rifle squad and a MG squad still in position watching that street who were about to pull back to the vehicles and they lit the insurgents up real good. Nearly two dozen enemy dead lie in the street now. Looks like I got everyone out of the consulate in the nick of time but the area is now hot, making me reconsider my route to the extraction. Push through a known hot area or take a chance for a hopefully quieter neighbourhood to speed through.

So where is the all the armor coming from then? I don't believe T-72 tanks and other armored vehicles are being purchased from the local Donetsk hardware store. Nor do I believe that all this stuff was captured from the Ukraine military. Nor do I believe all this stuff is from 'hidden compounds' filled with mothball equipment from the Donbass area, particularly since such equipment is more current and newer equipment. So if the tanks are not coming from Russia, pray tell where they are coming from? As to the comment about Syria, the US has told the world that they are providing certain weapons to certain factions in Syria. Russian has made no such admission of any kind and would have all of us theorize that tanks are being hammered together from pots and pans from old starving pro russian grandmothers in the Donbass area. In case it is not clear, that last statement was sarcasm on my part.

Having serious fun with this one. Still into it but I usually try to be unorthodox and this scenario so far has allowed me to indulge that aspect of me. I managed to extract the consulate without a shot being fired by making entry into the city through a blocked vector by using explosives, positioned an vehicle(to smoke off the street with vehicle smoke) with engineer support. I smoked off a street and breached the consulate walls with engineer charges while under smoke and got everyone out without the bad guys even spotting my forces. Now for the hard part... getting to the extraction point. I don't think I can pull off a sneak play to get a reinforced stryker company through the city to the extraction point without shots being fired in anger but at least I managed to extract the consulate staff without fighting half the neighbourhood to do so.

Most excellent.

Damn. That would have been great to have triggers on reinforcement spawn in times. I remember with bitterness one scenario where a T72 tank company spawned on top of my Stryker platoon. The outcome was ugly, needless to say. And the Marine campaign scenario where you assault a ridge line. I remember assaulting and occupying the trench works on the ridge, only to have Syrian infantry spawn into the trenches with my squads in them. Mutual annihilation by grenades.

Only if you install it in a Windows directory like Program Files or Windows. I installed all of Shock Force (all files and data) to C:\CMSF. If it is in its own directory, it will not put anything in the User/Document folder, so all of the game, data and saves are under the CMSF folder.

I've got to say welcome to the forums for anyone crazy enough to jump out of a perfectly good military aircraft with nearly a 100 lbs of gear and get dragged on the ground for a minute or so. Welcome to the forums, Vladimir.

It is a poor man's AT weapon. Modern warfare tends to be a 'come as you are' warfare because gone are the days of factories pumping out X number of tanks or aircraft per day like in WW2. Modern equipment is so complex and so expensive that it takes months to produce and will take considerable time to replace when lost. The MT-12 is a product of a mind set typical of Soviet thinking of throw nothing away, it may have use somewhere, even if it is just training reservists. In a 'Come As You Are' war, such weapons will use in third echelon units and as replacement weapons when the higher priced and more capable weapons get attrited to the point that it is either use the older piece of equipment or do without. Let's face it, a Abrams is going to laugh in the face of a MT-12, because it is going to do very little to a Abrams. But to a Hummer or a not upgraded Bradley or Stryker, the weapon is still dangerous. That said, I am not going to be a happy soldier if I am told that WW2 era anti-tank gun is going to be my AT weapon to face off with modern tanks with...

Quoted for truth. That about sums up my take on what is or is not a wargame.

Wildlife get used to ambient sound changes in the environment. When I was in the military as an artillery officer, at the time when I was a forward observer, I would have to make allowances while adjusting artillery fire to avoid the herds of elk and deer on the firing ranges. They ignored nearby exploding artillery rounds and on two occasions, I had to put the guns at check firing because a herd of elk walked up onto the hill that I was adjusting artillery fire on.

In a nutshell, Modern infantry are far more lethal than their WW2 counterparts - in all aspects. A modern infantry squad will have high rate of fire assault rifles with impressive ranges, usually one or more LMG gunners and the standard rifleman usually will have a grenade launcher on the assault rifle. Depending on the nationality, there will be a designated marksman with a weapon to engage targets out to 800 metres. Depending on nationality, there may be a dedicated AT gunner or some other specialist weapon (like for the US Army, the XM-25 anti defilade rifle). Anyone in the squad can carry disposable AT weapons, so depending on scenario and availability of AT weapons, each soldier can carry one. Disposable AT weapons are serious threats to all armor. Some tanks like Abrams/T-90 may be able to weather a few light AT weapon but for the most part, unless the vehicle has got a Active Protection System or Explosive Reactive Armor, a hit from even a light AT weapon is going to wreck the vehicle crew's day. Now remember, a modern 8 man squad may be carrying up to 8 LAW, so modern vehicles need to be very wary and alert to enemy infantry. Anti Tanks weapons a step up for LAWs are even more capable - they have longer ranges, are guided (meaning very high hit probabilities) and are even more capable against heavy armor. They are also very portable so anticipate their presence in numbers on the battlefield. Systems like Javelin are game changes - they are top attack and autonomous guided system, meaning the gunner can fire the missile and immediately bolt for cover with the missile steering itself and top attacking the target to avoid ERA and APS defensive systems. One shot kills are common on the modern battlefield. Gone are the days of WW2 tanks duels where it may take a half dozen shots to seal the fate of a tank depending on the tank matchup and range. Modern tanks can put a round in the pickle barrel at ranges of 3000-4000 metres and do it all day long, which means engagement ranges are typically far longer than usual engagement ranges in WW2. Modern sensors and optics means expect to be seen clear across the map, day or night. Thermal imaging means even infantry across the map will be spotted with frustrating regularity unless kept to low ground or heavy cover. WW2 hardpoints like bunkers and the like do not offer the protection against weapons. Modern armies have specialized weapons or ammunition (like thermobaric warheads) designed to kill infantry in bunkers and buildings so depending on the situation and scenario, bunkering up is to trap yourself in a death trap. Like wise, modern artillery systems and certain weapon systems (anti cover weapons systems like programmable airburst rounds) make short work of infantry in trenches or behind walls. Modern armies have high mobility and can rapidly move and reorient on the battlefield. A modern infantry squad usually roars into battle in an armored carrier with enough firepower to pound to scrap a WW2 rifle company without breaking a sweat and with the speed to leave your typical WW2 halftrack in the dust. That means, unopposed, the enemy can be nearly anywhere on the typical scenario map in a few minutes, complicating tactics and defenses. Guderian would have given up a Panzer regiment for the capabilities and lethality of a single modern US Abrams tank company if it was available in WW2. In general, try not be to seen. To be spotted and engaged first by the enemy means most likely the start of a bad day and the loss of an asset, be it either infantry or armored vehicles. Try to spot and engage first is the rule of the day. Hope this helps give you a feeling for the differences between WW2 and modern warfare.

The amount of white is assaulting my aged eyes making it bit hard to look at. Otherwise, a very nice look to the site and I appreciate the improved functionality. But my god, the white.... arrrrghhh * claws at eyes*

So Putin, in late August, implicitly threatening to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear nations including Ukraine and the Baltic States was just 'trash talking' and speaking out of his nether quarters and is not really meaning anything by it? Cause it is just trash talk, right? Funny that, when a Russian leader speaks so and the West shouldn't take him at face value. Odd that, that everyone should believe him on everything else but his comments about using nuclear weapons should be discounted because, well, that is just plain crazy talk...

I have played Allah's Fist a number of times (one of my favorite 'fast' scenarios) and I never knew the blue force got mech infantry! I usually take the two hill features on the edges of the map and have destroyed the Syrian force and forced a surrender before the blue force mech infantry arrive it seems. Need to try this scenario again at a more leisurely pace. Thanks for the vid. What floating icon mod are you using? What sound mod gives that distinct artillery incoming sound?

There was a news bite within that last month that some researchers have developed or are developing a new battery that will recharge back to 70% capacity in less than five minutes with a claimed recharge cycle of 10,000 recharges. Not sure the size of the battery to know if it is at a 'practical' application level but if so, it may be the first breakthrough in mobile power technology that may herald some interesting changes for all sorts of tech, military tech included.

Or that all those tanks now running around in the separatist AO were bought from the local vehicle dealership with separatist government credit cards?

I remember that attempt at a campaign (assuming it was the same one you are recollecting). I was to be the Dutch forces commander. Real damn shame it fell apart because it looked like a hell of alot of fun.

Hard to say - I don't know what active defence animations look like, so the BMP is either toast or that explosion was an ERA or active protection system going off, in which case the BMP likely survived.

Tanks will remain as a viable weapons system until they field the first battle mechs. Don't laugh too hard but militaries have considered such but technology isn't there yet. As for surface to volume ratios, that has never stopped innovators and thinkers from trying to 'cheat' around such concerns. That is how jumps in technology and science occur. Also because we can all use a little 'giant armed and armored robot' love...

The commentary about the flags on vehicles is noteworthy. In a war in which both sides have the same equipment, I suspect the flags are more to say 'we are this side' rather than a nationalist sediment or bravado. I see videos with the separatists vehicles flying flags as well, so both sides do it. I imagine that friendly fire is a real concern and I have no doubt that 'blue on blue' engagements have happened for all sides. Throw in the rather haphazard training of the rank and file UA soldiers and the separatists and proper identification of who the enemy is must be a concern.

Are you using any mods? If so, remove all mods from your Z folder and restart that scenario. If the halftrack is missing still, then put in a support ticket to BF help desk. If the halftrack is there, the culprit is one of the mods. Restore mods one by one (restore one mod, start scenario and check if the halftrack is missing, rinse and repeat process) until the halftrack vanishes. The last mod installed most likely is the mod missing the data for the halftrack.

Patiently waiting.

You can check out this thread that covers the subject in some depth. http://www.battlefront.com/community/showthread.php?t=110294 While the tutorial is for the WWII version of the CMx2 engine, for the most part, the screenshots and procedures are similar. I don't know who is still active on this particular forum that still routinely creates scenarios still other than Combatintman but he is a wealth of information. He might pop into this thread or you can trying giving him a shout out if you need help with some concept. At the very minimum, he can point you to other resources or other scenario designers. GeorgeMC also does wonderful scenario work but I haven't seen him post much in the last several months but he is still around so and can likewise help or point you to other resources. There are others, but as I said, I haven't seen them post in a while - they most likely are on the Black Sea subforum these days.