MikeyD

(Unofficial) status is Steve's in a hurry to get it out the door. Demo scenarios have all been play tested and feedback given. Last thing to do in any demo is for Charles to construct the standalone exe with only the art necessary for the scenarios and nothing else. Something he's done many times before.

(Unofficial) status is Steve's in a hurry to get it out the door. Demo scenarios have all been play tested and feedback given. Last thing to do in any demo is for Charles to construct the standalone exe with only the art necessary for the scenarios and nothing else. Something he's done many times before.

I just took a peek in the game.
Mech inf, integrated on-or-off map 120mm heavy mortar 2B11. Reserves field on-or-off map medium mortar that's currently (mis)labeled 'BM43', though that may be a goof. I'll report it as soon as I finish this.

Think of 'bugs grogs' this way. Imagine an automobile discussion site, posters complaining bitterly that the Toyota Avalon has no feature to keep a driver from driving purposefully off a cliff. Yes, they're right, the Avalon doesn't have that feature, but is that an unconscionable design flaw or is that simply how cars work. That being said, CMSF2 is on the near horizon and a new title release invariably means new patch updates for all of the other titles to keep the game engine current across the board.
Its death to over-think a game purchase.
Its a game. Buy the game! The basegame is the price of a single big city restaurant meal (If you have to pay to park then its cheaper). No, you don't need to buy all of the modules and packs at once (or at all) in order to enjoy the game. Players were perfectly happy playing the basegame for years before the first module showed up. If you want 'more' then purchase more as your mood and finances allow. Instead of overanalyzing just think "Blowin' up Shermans/IS2s/T-64s/Renault FT-17s on a 3-d battlefield!
And finally... the DEMOS. Download the free demos and play the crap out of 'em. Play until you experience tunnel metacarpal syndrome. Then purchase the full game.

Think of 'bugs grogs' this way. Imagine an automobile discussion site, posters complaining bitterly that the Toyota Avalon has no feature to keep a driver from driving purposefully off a cliff. Yes, they're right, the Avalon doesn't have that feature, but is that an unconscionable design flaw or is that simply how cars work. That being said, CMSF2 is on the near horizon and a new title release invariably means new patch updates for all of the other titles to keep the game engine current across the board.
Its death to over-think a game purchase.
Its a game. Buy the game! The basegame is the price of a single big city restaurant meal (If you have to pay to park then its cheaper). No, you don't need to buy all of the modules and packs at once (or at all) in order to enjoy the game. Players were perfectly happy playing the basegame for years before the first module showed up. If you want 'more' then purchase more as your mood and finances allow. Instead of overanalyzing just think "Blowin' up Shermans/IS2s/T-64s/Renault FT-17s on a 3-d battlefield!
And finally... the DEMOS. Download the free demos and play the crap out of 'em. Play until you experience tunnel metacarpal syndrome. Then purchase the full game.

There's 'old scenarios' and then there's old scenarios.
CMSF2 scenario names will look familiar but take note of all the changes. Scenario changes like proper water tiles, beach landings, bridges and barbed wire, plus new AI tricks (including triggers) and additional AI commands, and reworked victory point allocations. Plus AA assets and on-map mortars. Just because you once played 'Al Huqf Engagement' in CMSF1 don't assume you've played the 'Al Huqf Engagement' that's in CMSF2.

You reminded me of the old Woody Allen movie 'Annie Hall' (again, showing my age). A character at a party says he wants to die in the wilderness fighting a wild animal, to which Allen quips "probably eaten by some squirrels." I have a friend who also wants to die heroically at the hands (paws?) of wild beasts. Me, I'm from Maine. A real man dies in his home driveway from a heart attack while shoveling snow during a blizzard.

I might get an argument on this but if you're new to the game you might want to buy a title that's 'general' in nature, not specialized.
By that I mean CMBN is great but its Normandy Hedgerow fighting, which can be vexing for a new player just learning the ropes.
CMBS is modern war at its most lethal. Fun-fun-fun... except if you're just starting out and struggling.
CMFI (starting in 1943 Sicily) is less overtly lethal with mid-war armor, and the terrain isn't as 'specialized' as Normandy bocage. It captures southern Italy well.
CMFB (the Bulge title) has all the good stuff of CMBN but you're beyond hedgerow country and into pine forests
CMRT has the same eastern European terrain as CMBS but is 74 years earlier.

I might get an argument on this but if you're new to the game you might want to buy a title that's 'general' in nature, not specialized.
By that I mean CMBN is great but its Normandy Hedgerow fighting, which can be vexing for a new player just learning the ropes.
CMBS is modern war at its most lethal. Fun-fun-fun... except if you're just starting out and struggling.
CMFI (starting in 1943 Sicily) is less overtly lethal with mid-war armor, and the terrain isn't as 'specialized' as Normandy bocage. It captures southern Italy well.
CMFB (the Bulge title) has all the good stuff of CMBN but you're beyond hedgerow country and into pine forests
CMRT has the same eastern European terrain as CMBS but is 74 years earlier.

You reminded me of the old Woody Allen movie 'Annie Hall' (again, showing my age). A character at a party says he wants to die in the wilderness fighting a wild animal, to which Allen quips "probably eaten by some squirrels." I have a friend who also wants to die heroically at the hands (paws?) of wild beasts. Me, I'm from Maine. A real man dies in his home driveway from a heart attack while shoveling snow during a blizzard.

Yes, hobbyist history nerds trying to get accurate facts out of actual veterans is often as frustrating as Star Wars nerds trying to get in-depth Star Wars details out of the actors.

A small note. A new set of accurate Canadian infantry textures just got turned in 5 minutes ago. So however lovely the Canadians in the AAR looked they will look even lovelier in the release game.

Add a smiley-face emoticon to that answer

Just last night I was going through a pile of updated scenarios for the release (Beta tester privilege) and I was thinking to myself "This title looks good, this title looks REALLY good." What started life as a mere game engine update to an old title has turned into a polished first-class product to be proud of.

A small note. A new set of accurate Canadian infantry textures just got turned in 5 minutes ago. So however lovely the Canadians in the AAR looked they will look even lovelier in the release game.

A small note. A new set of accurate Canadian infantry textures just got turned in 5 minutes ago. So however lovely the Canadians in the AAR looked they will look even lovelier in the release game.

Game development updates don't really mean much. Game engine work is across the board so that's no indication. BFC has an impressive list of stuff nearing the final stages of completion after several years of work, there's a LOT that is 'almost done'. The CMSF2 project had unexpectedly  jumped the queue so became the first to get completed. After CMSF2 drops I do not know which of the 'almost done'  projects will switch to 'all-hand-on-deck' next. I could flip a coin and tell you the results., that would be as valid as any 'estimate'.
 

Building textures are simple to do (in theory). You use the Rez Explode app that comes with the game to extract the original building façade artwork from the brz file. Then you paint over the art any way you want. The indi building exterior walls are labeled for front, back & side first floor and front, back & side the higher floors. Modular building exterior walls are labeled bottom. middle and top.
You can imagine something as simple sounding as that turns out to be very complex in practice. But that's what makes modding a good hobby.
As for getting the game to look like modern Ukraine, last time I checked Google Earth Street View was still working. You can peer into people's back yards and into their kitchen windows to your heart's content. Let me check it out. Yup. Welcome to beautiful suburban Kiev which resembles pretty much any suburb on the planet.
 

The original CMSF1 may be an example of the curse of deadlines. I recall (perhaps incorrectly) BFC appeared to be under considerable pressure by Paradox to release CMSF1 basegame v1.0 by a deadline. Or at least that's how it appeared to me. The v1.0 release wasn't exactly flawless and a string of subsequent patches had to play catch-up. If there had been no external deadline pressure the contents of the first two patches (at least) would have probably got into v1.0 before release. Between that and Paradox abandoning support for CMSF1 after only a couple years, BFC seemed to have soured on the notion of alliances where they're not the dominant partner.
At least that's my own 'cracked history' interpretation of events at the time. Other's recollections of the same events may differ considerably.

Progress to date: Camou applied. Plus the tanker was given Turkish pattern fatigues and a CVC helmet. Very different indeed from the default German vehicle.
 

Progress to date: Camou applied. Plus the tanker was given Turkish pattern fatigues and a CVC helmet. Very different indeed from the default German vehicle.
 

Progress to date: Camou applied. Plus the tanker was given Turkish pattern fatigues and a CVC helmet. Very different indeed from the default German vehicle.
 

Yes, Shilka and Uncon ZU-23-2 AA trucks are a terror to roaming airpower. Plus AA missile manpads are in the game now.
Oh, now that I think of it, I don't know if US is fielding Stinger AA missiles or not. I'll have to ask around. AA defense has been deemphasized because in theory the Syrian air force has been knocked out (though for QB play Syrian boasts a strong airpower arm). Syria 2007 is not Ukraine 2017 air threat-wise.

The 3-D graphic representation shows:
Small IED - one artillery shell wired-up into a bomb Medium IED - three artillery shells Large IED -  five artillery shells Huge IED - an aircraft bomb The vehicle suicide VBIED has an aircraft bomb in the back seat.
Method of detonation includes cell phone, radio link and wire, all requiring a trigger man. The Achilles heal is the trigger man. If he's suppressed. distracted or killed then no IED BOOM. The detonation methods each have their own max range, susceptibility to jamming (which is in the game) and inherent failure rate.
 Syrian army fortifications includes an 'IED mine' which is a buried device triggered by a pressure plate. No need for a trigger man. No indication what the device is made up of but the boom is BIG.
I don't think IED has changed much in the game since  CMSF1. I believe the trigger man was made a bit less likely to start shooting and give himself away. Plus the game's now got an electronic warfare setting that disrupts communications including cell/radio activation devices
 

Progress to date: Camou applied. Plus the tanker was given Turkish pattern fatigues and a CVC helmet. Very different indeed from the default German vehicle.