Cassino Campaign

[Gen Von Television]

Dear Sirs,

I'd like to start a briefing, but actually I would rather need someone briefing me... :confused:

Well, the fact I just got some Hors series of the french magazine Militaria about the Italian Campaign: these are very well made collections of testimonials and photographs coming mainly from the IWM, and most of them are un-published materials; there is one volume dealing about Cassino has really awakened my interest showing a picture, possibly taken just after the battle ended, showing this grey moon-like hill were once was the town, and now only rubbles and burned up trees scattered here and there: not a wall is still standing; above this utter desolation is tovering the dark burned mountain with the remains of the once great monastry... So to cut it short, I wonder if is there any faithful map of this, and if you think feasable to create a campaign that can simulate such a destruction (air bombing, heavy shelling, etc.) I mean, surely I can imagine you can use a lot of craters building an already devastated land, but to be able to see it 'in motion', starting as a well cared land, ending up like a dusty and crumbled up hell to that magnitude...

[Xavier_1986]

There is a really great Cassino scenario out there with a gorgeous map. It depicted the third battle for Monte Cassino, led by New Zealander troops. There was also a company of Indian troops assigned to storm the Abbey. I forget what it's name was, but some people around here will recognize the one I'm talking about and provide you with the name.

FYI, sure it's feasible to create an operation like that. I'm currently playing a Caen operation PBEM, and three battles ago the village in "dispute" was a very pretty little French establishment. Now, after it's been subjected to attacks and counter-attacks, artillery barrages from both sides, tanks... it's quite a mess. Building destroyed, on fire, streets are littered with craters, etc.

The gradual degeneration of a map has always been one of my favorite aspects of CM.

[JasonC]

The real problem is not the craters and such, it is the physical scale of the relief. 20 levels even on steep grade don't make for that much hill. With grades on steep, you get 45 degree angle slopes everywhere, and no real control over the grade. Also the fatigue system is really not meant to handle the effects of trying to climb literally thousands of feet in mud. Which is hard enough when nobody is trying to kill you and the ground only slips occasionally, instead of blowing up.

[Gen Von Television]

Thanks Xavier,

I already have three Cassino's scenarios on my HD, but I'm afraid what Jason writes may prove correct, since the 'realism' of those maps is almost ludicrous: I've not yet played with them, and possibly the game is fun anyway, and maybe you cannot really simulate that battle after all... I have a quite detailed printed map of the town, the castle above it, and the huge monastry above all; all streets, railway station (where the Maoris attacked), and the surrounding hills from where different Sussex and Gurkhas attacks were made; surely enough if I'm able to build a realistic map, I can use it for different fierce and interesting battles, beside using it for a wide Campaign... I remember I also visited Cassino on a summer day, and the positions of the castle and the rebuilt monastry are very impressive!