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Two new videos are available:
And this one, the detailed destruction of buildings is impressive:
 

I dream of what Combat Mission could be like when it will have a new engine worthy of the name.

We've been personally assured that Charles is working 24/7, three hundreed and sixty five days a year (minus holidays) to fix this stuff & that there's no serious need to improve the patching system.
Myself, I assume neither of us will be around when someone finally types "400" into a box.

Two new videos are available:
And this one, the detailed destruction of buildings is impressive:
 

The Syrian Airborne & Special Forces still only carry 100 MG rounds as standard.

Nah, keep dreaming.
They never even answered in the thread about this bug in more than three years.
 

I'm sure dealing with us is a pain, but from my perspective you guys might have a little communication problem. From the 2022 prospective, only the CMCW patch released, and in July (and again in November!). And that was aimed at early February. I certainly appreciate the September update but it was radio silence until then. Then radio silence until now.
CMBS just got a patch that fixed one major bug in the game, which is pretty great too. I haven't had a chance to test it yet but the patch notes haven't mentioned the at least year old AT6 bug (also in CW which patched twice this year with no dice) and armored vehicles and their subsystems are still immune to artillery save for direct hits, which we've known about since at least 2014. I know these are maybe my big bugbears but you can't argue that having such long lasting bugs is a good look? We also have no idea if you even know about them. We post on the forum and occasionally get a volunteer tester to ask about it and then it gets forgotten about until maybe next year it gets fixed.
Finally, and I don't mean to be rude, but you say you spent recent time on content: what content? I guess you mean CMCW (the best game you've released, and I'm genuinely grateful you you guys!) But that was in 2021.
Overall I think we might be less cantankerous if instead of getting official word when the deadlines go whooshing by months later, a word sooner might make us happier than otherwise.
Anyway, I finally caught COVID and am grumpy so I apologize if I come across the wrong way! I wish everyone here the best and am looking forward to 2023! 🙂

There certainly is a communication problem about bug tracking. The Gill ATGM in CMSF2 is also unfixed in the new patch, although it is completely broken.
I vividly remember Elvis asking once "which bugs?", while at the same time (buried in semi-random threads) reports of such bugs were in the minds of people. The mechanism of catching the attention of a beta tester who can then transport that to the official bug tracker is obviously not working.
Given how expensive it is to make a patch release such opportunities shouldn't be slandered. 

OK, thanks Steve. I had made a lot of pitches and proposals and requests and recommendations. Onward and upward.
JUST IN CASE YOU DON'T GET AROUND THE FORUMS MUCH...I (with the help of many talented fellow forumites) have used your fine product(s) and the inherent "modability" you graciously installed to do the below:
CMRT WINTER MOD
CMRT KHOLM MOD
CMRT FINN MOD
CMRT BARBAROSSA MOD
CMRT ROMANIANS MOD
CMRT ITALY CSIR MOD
CMRT WARSAW UPRISING MOD
CMRT HUNGARIANS MOD
CMFI KRETA MOD
CMFI AFRIKA CMAK2 MOD
CMFI PARTISANS MOD
CMRT SPANISH BLUE DIVISION MOD (IN PROGRESS)
Best wishes, Phil

I don't know what kind of emails you're getting from people, but I can't really recognise that "typical customer" from this forum at least. Maybe I saw someone like that post once or twice in ten years.
On the contrary, I think the people I see here are generally quite polite and constructive, and with a lot of knowledge about history. Many have a military background and often work in highly technical careers.
What I do see here are a lot of suggestions, polite requests, and bug reports. Sometimes frustration that important issues can take a very long time to get patched. And I also see some very creative and talented people spending countless hours on scenario design and modding to improve any part of the game they are able to improve.
But despite this, I'm also getting the impression that Battlefront in general feels under perpetual siege by completely unreasonable and childish customers who don't know what they actually really want.
It's really puzzling to me why there seems to be this gap between what I read on the forums and the messaging back to the players.
Also, I'm puzzled about the priorities of Battlefront. If I understand correctly, it seems you have now spent around a whole year trying to program some kind of PBEM tournament system. In all the years I've been on this forum, I must have read hundreds of ideas people had about things they'd like to see in the game. But I've never seen anyone ask for an automated tournament system.
As someone who has spent many hundreds of hours on your games, I can say for sure they don't 'suck'. I don't have time to play games that suck. There's just a lot of things that could be improved a lot. And that's why I stopped buying them after buying only two titles. It has very little to do with the price point and it was not to make some kind of big statement. But it was very influenced by not seeing the game move forward in a more fundamental way.
Personally I'd be fine with it if my own little list of pet peeves, suggestions, and ideas are never implemented, if it at least means some of the other good ideas that other people have put forward are. Nobody's asking for the moon on a stick here, just some kind of progress in some area would be nice.

Uhhhh, ok. This looks a lot like last year's update with the year iterated by one.
 
 

Dissapointed ! 😖

Thanks a lot, downloaded and installed... Superb. 🖖

Any update on when engine 5 will come out?

Playing the new Сoncert in a Dlinenkoe scenario by @Chelentano...
... it was excellent, real good fun.
I know the scenario was meant to be set in May & to showcase @despot993's interesting Wagner mod however I wanted to start the Autumn modpack as well as try out @boygarvin's new VDV update... and the conditions of the scenario were suitable for Autumn.

In fact, this is very funny.
I screwed up my orders giving a squad a Target Briefly order and a Fast move. But, I completely forgot the pause. So, in fact, the squad just fired one single shot before moving the next turn.

And it's been five minutes that I see my opponent shelling the building for nothing. Javelins, Mk19s, small arms... There's nothing in there. 
Psychological warfare... 🤣

*SPOILER* SF2 Breaking the Bank. The way to position observers, snipers etc. On the top floor with balconies. Make him face away towards a direction where there are no windows or balconies. Now give him a pause command before placing a cover arc. What I know I know from somebody else. You can do something similar if you want to split units inside transport. 

The Battle Develops

It's go time! The men of Bravo company move out from their deployment area. 2nd platoon moves to the flank, while 3rd platoon begins their ascent up the hill towards OBJ Bear. In the distance, F16s drop bombs on targets I can't yet see while the artillery pounds OBJ Bear's reverse slope.

The enemy has rocket artillery they drop preplanned on my avenue of approach, slowing me down a bit. Luckily, no one is hit by the inaccurate fire. These rockets are also not very big either.
'
2nd platoon deploys on the flank and takes sniper fire from the town of Ar Sariya. They also immediately begin getting partial spots, armor and IFVs around the northern slope of OBJ Elk. The sniper fire is responded with suppressive fires from 2nd platoon's weapons squad. The return fire dies down and I resume 2nd platoons movement. 3rd platoon continues their ascent, nothing notable happening until they reach the top.

(The M240B in action)
The sniper fire dies down and the rest of the PL and the javelin teams move to engage the partial spots ahead. However, trouble arises when a key-holed BMP-2 surprises the platoon leader and his anti tank elements. 

(A bad situation)
The BMP-2 lays down horrifying amount of 30mm fire at 2nd platoon, but only one man is hit by it, severely wounded but alive. A moment later - the BMP-2 is silenced with a Javelin missile through the turret. My big mistake was underestimating the strength of the SLA picket forces in the town, that engagement could have ended a lot worse.

2nd platoon also develops the partial spot earlier on OBJ Elk into a BMP-2, and quickly destroys it with a Javelin missile. Finally, 3rd platoon gets some action in. The oasis develops into uh, a cluster ****. An extremely incompetent SLA commander has a bunch of tanks and IFVs bunched together in the oasis, stuck. 2 Javelins are enough to disable every vehicle in the cluster. Note that there are about 2-3 unspotted vehicles in this clump. 

(Yeah.... not the greatest employment of these assets)

The 3rd platoon reaches the top of OBJ Bear, with no resistance on the hill. So far, everything is going smoothly. A T-72 in the distance is also nailed by 3rd platoon. At this point, I begin to feel overconfident (a mistake not unnoticed by the enemy). During this action, 2nd platoon continues to engage targets of opportunity with the Javelins. Much to my annoyance, 2nd platoon is cut in half by SLA mortars and I am not able to maximize their strength where I want it. Luckily no one is hit by the mortar fire, but it serves it's purpose.


2nd platoon takes more sniper fire while taking cover from the SLA IDF. The sniper ends up severely wounding two men. Fire superiority is soon established and the fire begins to slacken. The platoon's medic is brought up to render aid to the casualties. To ensure to kill, the MGS platoon leader's vehicle is moved up and pours a couple of rounds into the sniper's building. The fire stops.  

The Calm Before the Storm
That concludes the end of this half of the battle, the next update will include lots of decisive action and conclude the combat in this scenario. Things might seem quiet now, but they really take off in the next few turns. I'll just say the SLA won't let me control the map without a fight....
In the meantime, enjoy some action shots



 

---------------------------------------------------------
                  Panic in Mahmudiyah
----------------------------------------------------------


 
Description :
This is a small scale urban scenario with a low unit density taking place during the year 2005 in Iraq . You get to play a local cell of AQI insurgents fighters launching a car bomb attack on an Iraqi manned checkpoint followed by an assault on the town.
Mission length : 50 minutes
Map size : 600 X 650 m

 
There are 5 AI plans : a main plan and four variants, each one with minor differences and a semi randomized unit placement.
Play as Red attacker only.
 
Extract from the briefing :
Traditionally a Sunni stronghold, Mahmudiyah, located only 20 km south of Baghdad inside what the coalition dubbed the Triangle of death, belongs to the belts of towns around the capital that both the US forces and insurgents tried to control.
Its importance lies in the fact that it was used as a support zone for insurgents both Sunni and Shi'a alike where fighters could regroup, weapons get stored and attacks planned on Baghdad. Vital for securing communications and logistics, these towns served as staging points and were heavily contested.
During the 2005 pre-election period, Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) intensified its terror campaign to further destabilize the country and set in motion a sectarian civil war. Often using car bombs these attacks were usually focused on the civilian population or Iraqi security forces rather than the coalition.
Install :
Make sure your game is patched to version 2.04 and you have the British module, then extract in : documents/battlefront/Shock Force 2/game files/scenarios
or for a Steam install : steam root folder/battlefront/Shock Force 2/game files/scenarios
Download :
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ht4j828cu9dmzqp/Panic in Mahmudiyah.rar?dl=0
 

I am puzzled now. I was willing more AI plans, more triggers, ... but after several testing; no plan survives first contact with the enemy.
And this is it, you can do plenty of AI plans, if your AI group is entering the enemy kill zone, guess what, it will continue again and again using the same path. There is something missing that more AI plans won't help with.
An human would stop, think and try another path. Plan A, plan B for AI group? I don't know. Maybe the TacAI directly should be the one to enhance to simplify scenario author task.
Right now, PBEM is the way to go. AI is for training imo.

Stryker's Attack
By: Beeron

B/1-24 Infantry conducts a movement to contact against a reinforced SLA armored battalion, October 2004.
Introduction
Armor Attacks might be one of my favorite scenarios in Shock Force 2. Created by the great GeorgeMC, the scenario puts a US Army heavy company team against a reinforced Syrian armored battalion, but their equipment and training level really puts them more at a generic OPFOR level. While not an unbeatable challenge for an experienced/competent US Army player, the scenario tests your fundamentals while making sure to punish any rookie mistakes you might create on the way. Inspired by IICptMillerII's excellent after action report on this scenario (which you can find here), I was extremely curious to see how a Stryker infantry company would fare in this scenario. We both concluded the Stryker infantry would mop the floor, the firepower US Army dismounts can produce is unmatched. To add on, the Javelin missile and the heaps of ammo the Stryker can carry would allow the infantryman to control the decisive terrain on the map (which we shall get into).
Mission
B/1-24 Infantry is to conduct a spoiling attack against an SLA mechanized battalion heading into the sector. On contact Bravo company is to develop the situation as is deemed appropriate by the commander by destroying the enemy units or fixing them to allow the battalion to move around their flanks.
Objectives
Destroy/fix in place SLA mechanized battalion between the LD and LOA. Occupy decisive terrain on OBJ Bear Deny the enemy access to OBJ Elk Desired End State
SLA mechanized battalion rendered combat ineffective Bravo company in control of OBJ Bear Bravo company reaches LOA Tennessee  Breathing space for battalion Maintained a 50% ammo load 85% of Bravo company still intact Tactical Map

(The tactical map from the original scenario)

(Another graphic from the original scenario)
Enemy Forces
Information from the battalion S2 states the following:
Enemy mechanized units in reinforced battalion strength are expected to be attacking in force into this sector from the north/north east. Elements from these units have been attacked by our air support, suffering heavy casualties. However this does not appear to have slowed their advance although it has split the unit up into smaller parcels. 
The S2 templates that threat forces will establish counter recon units, armed with ATGMs to counter and neutralize our recon assets thereby screening their main effort which will be from tank and mech infantry units. 
The small town of Al Quasimli is believed to contain an enemy mechanized rifle platoon supported by several tanks, possibly T72s. Exact locations are currently unclear.
Terrain & Weather
The terrain in this scenario might be the single most important thing in it, one look at the map will tell you all you need to know. He who controls the decisive terrain at OBJ Bear, wins the battle. This especially applies to the SLA commander, who would enjoy a turkey shoot at my poor Stryker company. The other piece of key terrain on the map is OBJ Elk, which also gives a very nice view of the valley. The downside is that it is across the map, a risky movement for my men dismounted or mounted through complex terrain. Other key terrain features include a town to the northwest and another west out of my deployment zone. An oasis with a building and lots of trees and vegetation is also located in the middle of the map. 

(The view from OBJ Bear)

(Overview of the map from deployment)
Troops 
I have Bravo Company "Bulldogs", 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, under my command. These men have great leadership, high motivation, and are excellent soldiers. However, they lack combat experience since their deployment to Iraq in early 2004 was cancelled to respond to the SLA threat in this country. Bravo company consists of 3 rifle platoons, an MGS platoon, and 2 Stryker mortar carriers. In addition the company headquarters team, XO team, FISTer, and Sniper team are present on the battlefield. Note the MGS platoon is technically anachronistic (wish I remembered that before committing to the scenario), having not been deployed into combat until 2007. For the sake of this scenario, it shows up three years early. The Bulldogs have priority fires from A/2-8 FA, and CAS from a 2 ship F16 flight in the area.

Initial Scheme of Maneuver

  The plan is simple, since I do not have much battlefield intelligence, my plan will remain flexible and help develop the battle further. 3rd platoon moves dismounted and secures OBJ Bear. 2nd platoon will cover the flank dismounted, fending off any flanking movements or targets of opportunity they might encounter there. For now, 1st platoon and the MGS platoon are the company's reserve. In addition, a platoon from A/2-8 FA will pound the reverse slope with their M198s. The 2 ship F16 flight tasked to support the Bulldogs will find targets of opportunity around the map, hopefully killing enemy armor.
Fun times ahead.....
This thread will likely consist of three parts, the deployment, battle, and conclusion. I am well aware that I have not finished my other AAR, but I practically already have this one written already. Anyways, this battle ended up being probably the coolest engagement I have ever had in Combat Mission, and is again a great example of the excellent scenario design GeorgeMC blesses on this community. Also, after I wrap up this AAR, keep your eye out for a Battle for Normandy write up! Stay tuned for the next update!

Well personally I find the blinking is quite annoying.

Some nice bones indeed, seems like quite a packed year!
 
 Any chance the CMSF2 Syrians will get their PKM ammo (SF & airborne) and RPG ammo (all formations) sorted before the tournaments? Assuming the tournaments use QBs, that will make the Syrians quite a bit more interesting / competitive for tournament play. 😇

Please, please look at the Red C2 and give the Uncons some more Specialist Teams (esp. Breach Teams) & Individual Vehicles.....Giving the US access to Predator Drones would really be cool too (the timing is so close and it's a fictional war after all). 
There's still a huge amount of life in CM:SF2.