Syrian Civil War - Baba Amr (DAR)

[Saferight]

Painful to watch. I gave a little cheer when he finally managed to squeeze off a few shots.

Someone needs to tell some of these guys that unless there is a skyscaper the other side of the wall, holding your weapon up over your head and firing over the wall 45 degrees into the sky is just converting good ammunition into noise for no reason.

At least their not as bad as this. Gotta love the sideways gangsta RPG shot at the end.

http://youtu.be/MeHvBWG4koE

[John Kettler]

Saferight,

What a strange way to wage war! Did you notice the overhead gangsta AK-47 firing?

Meanwhile, the FSA seems to have figured out how to fight a tank--while firing from the halt at a static target. Pretty spectacular progressive pyrotechnics!

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d27_1357420154

My current candidate for Strangest Technical Ever Fielded. This one's a real possibility for a a contest winning semi scratchbuilt model, too.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=750_1307911613

Returning to Babr Amr, covering a war can be really dangerous. Note the impressive hole right through the concrete, leaving nothing but rebar.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=fdc_1330803459

Regards,

John Kettler

[LongLeftFlank]

Oh great, Kettler's invaded this thread as well. Good thing I've quite CM for the time being and don't care any more. Spam away JK.

[Frankster65]

Oh great, Kettler's invaded this thread as well. Good thing I've quite CM for the time being and don't care any more. Spam away JK.

It is a bit much isn't it...I've never used the "ignore button" in the forums but I may have to give it a try. Wait...does this forum have "ignore button?"

[Wicky]

Just click on his profile and click the ignore button to avoid his spam

[Frankster65]

@Wicky

Thanks.

[Schmoly War]

Some very unsound tactical choice involving a steep hill;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNCVI3avK8s

[FkDahl]

Some very unsound tactical choice involving a steep hill;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNCVI3avK8s

A situation where an 82mm mortar barrage would have made all the difference!

[LongLeftFlank]

Guys, I went ahead and published the CMSF Baba Amr scenario on the Repository.... it usually goes up there the next day once the BFC guys confirm it isn't naughty pictures. The scenario is playable using the base game alone (no modules required). GaJ's site is out of action for the moment, but I'll put it there too once it's back up.

Regretfully, I didn't have time to finish my playtest with SBurke as I'm having to go gaming free for job reasons until further notice. Caveat emptor.

Some folks had asked me about the status, and so I figured there was no point in holding onto it. I hope it provides some good play value even though it is definitely unbalanced..... the map should negate a lot of the regime firepower advantage.

[Schmoly War]

Men vs. Tanks in Darayya - The powerfull T-72 raids. (31min)

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=9fc_1360719413

[sburke]

Guys, I went ahead and published the CMSF Baba Amr scenario on the Repository.... it usually goes up there the next day once the BFC guys confirm it isn't naughty pictures. The scenario is playable using the base game alone (no modules required). GaJ's site is out of action for the moment, but I'll put it there too once it's back up.

Regretfully, I didn't have time to finish my playtest with SBurke as I'm having to go gaming free for job reasons until further notice. Caveat emptor.

Some folks had asked me about the status, and so I figured there was no point in holding onto it. I hope it provides some good play value even though it is definitely unbalanced..... the map should negate a lot of the regime firepower advantage.

Best of luck LLF. I have enough on my own plate right now to keep this sitting on the sideline for when you get to return to it.

[agusto]

Just finished playing this scenario vs. Schmoly War with me as the SAA. It is very complex and realistic IMO, it played just like some of the scenes i saw on liveleak. The map is also very well done.

[LongLeftFlank]

Glad you enjoyed it. It was a very instructive exercise to make it, in terms of understanding why meother side can beat the other in the current conflict, even though i never finished a playthrough. I would love to see some action screenshots if you can post them.

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Just caught up with this thread, wondering whether the extra tools in the CMx4 engine might give us what we need to make this map playable against the AI?  I'm going to put maximum effort in to my AI scripts for Mosul, with just a platoon or two a side I think I can make it work. 

Roll on CM:SF II 'Crescent of Chaos' (I don't much care if the crescent bit offends people.....Lots of things offend me but that doesn't stop them from happening.) 

Edited March 20, 2017 by Sgt.Squarehead

[LongLeftFlank]

Triggers will definitely help. I was also thinking that a way to mimic "shoot and scoot" ambush tactics for an uncon AI fighting in dense terrain would be to give Uncon combat teams a "rout" (!) feature similar to that of Spies. Once brought under heavy fire in cover terrain they don't just pin until killed (or captured) , they just "melt away" and don't count for casualty VP. The designer can then bring in reinforcements that represent the fallback positions they displaced to, if any. Simple enough and gives an authentic 'feel' of fighting guerrillas who don't stand and fight, and will work in forested areas as well as urban.

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Quite agree on both counts.....The Rout option for uncons is a particularly intriguing proposition, it would be a great blessing for using uncons with the AI.  Somebody mentioned a 'Rally-Point' option in a discussion elsewhere (CM:BN maybe?), perhaps a combination of the two ideas could be implemented to achieve what you describe, but without the necessity for replacements (and thus more AI groups)? 

The thing I miss most is exit zones, at least in CM:A I can script a Mujahideen with an RPG to launch an ambush (or try & fail in the way the AI often does) then dive into an exit zone on a trench tile, call it 'Karez' and the job's a good 'un, as they say. 

Edited March 21, 2017 by Sgt.Squarehead

[LongLeftFlank]

Interesting re exit zones. I have no experience with them. 

A further useful distinction with regard to the proposed Uncon Rout feature would be that it would not apply to Fanatic units. Those nutjobs don't rout and don't surrender. Go directly to Paradise, do not collect 72 doe-eyed virgins.

Hopefully someone on the mysterious 'inner boards' is taking notes. None of the above requires new brain jar programming; just a tweak of features already in game.

[Sgt.Squarehead]

One huge advantage of CM:A over CM:SF in scenarios where the player(s) control uncons is the availability of 'Mine Teams' (ie: dudes with satchel charges) to both Tribal & Mujahideen forces.....Makes a massive difference when both sides can 'Blast' their way into unexpected places.  Just wish there was some way to get the AI to do it.

Can't Battlefront just declare 'sanctions' on Snowball and update CM:A regardless.....Even I'd support that move! 

Edited March 24, 2017 by Sgt.Squarehead

[LongLeftFlank]

For Fallujah house to house battles, breach teams would be essential tools. For Ramadi fights, identified insurgent strongpoints were generally handled at a safe distance using direct fire or JDAMS. There may be exceptions but I haven't seen them.

Breaching steel gates with small charges during cordon-and-knock missions is another thing altogether of course. 

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Perhaps one could represent such gates with a single tile of tall-brick wall set into a tall-stone compound wall?

I don't suppose there is any way to persuade AI units with satchel charges to breach a wall is there (he asks with some optimism, but little real hope)? 

Apparently the south-east corner of my little bit of Mosul got a full-on JDAM treatment from B-52(s) at some point prior to November 2nd (haven't tracked the details down yet).  I'll open a separate thread for my project in due course, but I've decided to modify the map just a little more before I do, the industrial area in the north-east has to go TBH. 

Edited March 24, 2017 by Sgt.Squarehead

[LongLeftFlank]

Cripes, dear old Uncle Sam as subtle as two short planks as usual, with the "surgical strikes".

"We had to destroy the city in order to save it" has a long history. Manila, where I live today, would be a very different city but for MacArthur's egotistical insistence on Returning....

I don't believe there is any in game distinction between stone and brick walls: cosmetic only. There should be, but don't get me started - I have a long long wish list for CMx2 terrain.

[LongLeftFlank]

Eastern neighborhoods, early November.  I can see why you needed the Mulaab section....

CTF, battle for Mosul University, Jan 2017

Edited March 24, 2017 by LongLeftFlank

[Sgt.Squarehead]

That's pretty much exactly how the Blue setup zone should look. 

Close enough? 

PS - The US involvement with the Philippines is quite the story isn't it, TBH I'm rather more impressed by Smedley Butler than I am by Douglas MacArthur. 

PPS - IIRC brick walls are very slightly lower than stone, so purely for cosmetic reasons I thought they might be a possibility as they give the impression of being set into the stone wall rather than part of it.

Edited March 24, 2017 by Sgt.Squarehead

[LongLeftFlank]

Sgt S., A few last further observations on the Mosul fight before i leave you to it, honest for real this time, lol.

http://iswresearch.blogspot.com/2016/11/the-campaign-for-mosul-november-16-21.html

Looks like the heaviest action in East Mosul suburbs took place Nov 4 - 15.  The CTS "Golden Brigade" was reduced to 50% effectives by early December.  And the below seems to be a lot of the reason why.  Talk about starting your scenario off with a bang!!!!

I am not going to link directly to dirtbag jihadi websites from here, but the above ISW link contains a link to a video of a VBIED attack that seems to date from this time and place.  I captured a couple of stills that could be helpful in pinpointing both the action location and mapping it out.... that divided highway, traffic circle and the apartment blocks/offices nearby ought to be fairly readily identifiable with just a little Google Earth / Wikimapia browsing.  (EDIT:  well, maybe not so easy.  Ah well, you're doing "semi-historical" anyway)

Also, Arab armies really like to laager their plentiful vehicles cheek by jowl in walled car parks, but then the idjets don't put any Hesco barriers or at least a sideways APC blocking the entry point!!!! -- wtf? I've seen a bunch of these hits against Assad's army too!   This shot is half a second before a big mushroom cloud. You can see a couple of jundi dashing for their lives.

 

And heck, nothing lighter than that is going to stop one of these puppies (unless it hits a pothole of course).

JAC

Edited March 25, 2017 by LongLeftFlank

[Sgt.Squarehead]

LLF, your invaluable input is always appreciated. 

Came across a useful AI scripting trick that I am going to try out for VBIEDs, I may be 'teaching granny to suck eggs' here, but if you've not discovered it already it's a clever way to make your AI Groups go further:

On ‎22‎/‎03‎/‎2017 at 1:24 AM, Macisle said:

A technique I'm using that does work is one I call "Snowballing." That is where I use reinforcements to add units to an existing Group over time. So, for example, you start off with a platoon of ACs to simulate recon. Then add a platoon of tanks to the same Group for more firepower. Then later, add a platoon of infantry for a combined arms Group that will take territory.

The key is that the first movement Order you want for the reinforcements to use after they enter must not start until after they are on the map. So, the previous Order must not exit until the reinforcements are already on the map. For example, if the reinforcements enter on turn 5 (don't use variable times for this), make sure that the Order you want them to join in on doesn't begin until minute 6. In other words, have the previous Order exit on 6.

From this thread:

 

 

Edited March 26, 2017 by Sgt.Squarehead