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aka_tom_w

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Posts posted by aka_tom_w

    news: U.S., Iraq launch major air assault first since invasion

    in Combat Mission Shock Force 1

    Posted

    BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- About 1,500 Iraqi and American forces stormed into a restive region north of the capital Thursday, searching for insurgents and terrorists, the U.S. military said.

    More than 50 aircraft and 200 tactical ground vehicles are involved in Operation Swarmer, a mission to find insurgents in rural areas of Salaheddin province northeast of Samarra.

    Commandos raided several structures in the area, a news release said. (Watch as choppers ferry troops to the insurgent area -- 2:28)

    "We are conducting a real thorough search of the area, ensuring that we are very precise in determining who we detain," said Maj. Tom Bryant, a public affairs officer in Tikrit for the 101st Airborne Division.

    Bryant said there were no initial reports of injuries among the U.S.-led coalition and Iraqis.

    He said there were "a few more" Iraqi troops than coalition soldiers. Many of them were ferried in by UH-60 Blackhawk and CH-47 Chinook helicopters, he said.

    The offensive is focusing on three villages in a largely Sunni area where fighters are believed to be based, Iraqi security sources said.

    The insurgents are suspected in lootings and killings, including the deaths of three Al-Arabiya journalists in Samarra.

    The reporters were killed while covering the aftermath of the February 22 bombing of a revered Shiite shrine in Samarra that escalated sectarian tensions and pushed Iraq to the brink of civil war.

    Samarra, about 75 miles (121 kilometers) north of Baghdad, is predominantly Sunni but has mixed Sunni-Shiite areas.

    Iraq Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said the operation "has been anticipated for some time." (Watch Iraq's foreign minister describe the area as a hotbed of insurgents -- 3:49)

    "It is very close to Baghdad ... and really it has been the transit for many of these terrorist insurgents to send car bombs or to attack convoys in that part of the country," Zebari said.

    "The insurgents and the terrorists have been assembling themselves there trying to create another Falluja," he said, referring to an insurgent command center in that western Iraqi city that was scene of a bloody offensive in November 2004.

    The operation is expected to last several days as the military searches for insurgents and weapons stockpiles.

    Zebari said the Samarra push shows the "rising capabilities" of Iraqi forces.

    "This is a good exercise and indicates that this strategy is working to build Iraqi troops to be sufficient," he said.

    Bryant said Iraqi and U.S. commanders planned the mission, acting on intelligence gained by Iraqi forces.

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    CM:SF Deadend option.

    in Combat Mission Shock Force 1

    Posted

    Originally posted by Cpl Steiner:

    I don't think this would work well within the scope of CM.

    However, in an FPS style game similar to "Brothers In Arms" I think it would be great to play a company CO or something. You would have to work closely with your radio man, requesting situation reports from your platoon leaders, giving orders to them based on their feedback, trying to assess the wider situation in the midst of a battle whilst at the same time trying to avoid getting you own head blown off.

    It would make a fun game but it wouldn't be CM!

    That sort of sound like the widely discussed "Command Level game" (once suggested by Steve to be some kind of text based "Zork" like war game).

    OK

    So...

    I'll bite:

    "You would have to work closely with your radio man, requesting situation reports from your platoon leaders, giving orders to them based on their feedback, trying to assess the wider situation in the midst of a battle whilst at the same time trying to avoid getting you own head blown off."

    How would you design a game like that, (AND specifically the game interface for the CO (text based?) in the not to distant future on the fly "in game generated" text to speech or spoken voice(s) heard over radio static, or how about 3D animated faces and voices generated on the fly to simluate a video link with commanders in the field???)

    Does that sound like fun?

    Who knows,, it sounds to me like a night mare to code and Develop, It "might" have a chance if BFC partnered with a REALLY big game company like Electric Arts.

    (or something)

    tom w

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    news: U.S., Iraq launch major air assault first since invasion

    in Combat Mission Shock Force 1

    Posted

    t1.dodairstrike.dod.jpg

    U.S., Iraq launch major air assault

    BAGHDAD (AP) — U.S. forces, joined by Iraqi troops, on Thursday launched the largest air assault since the U.S.-led invasion, targeting insurgent strongholds north of the capital, the military said. The military said the operation was aimed at clearing "a suspected insurgent operating area" northeast of Samarra, 60 miles north of Baghdad, and was expected to continue over several days.

    "More than 1,500 Iraqi and Coalition troops, over 200 tactical vehicles, and more than 50 aircraft participated in the operation," the military statement said of the attack designed to "clear a suspected insurgent operating area northeast of Samarra," 60 miles north of Baghdad.

    The province is a major part of the so-called Sunni triangle where insurgents have been active since shortly after the U.S.-led invasion three years ago. Saddam Hussein was captured in the province, not far from its capital and his hometown, Tikrit.

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    V-22

    in Combat Mission Shock Force 1

    Posted

    "Equally the pentagon through NORAD had the worlds most sophisticated air defence network, but it didn't stop AQ flying an airliner in to it."

    that one deserves a WHOLE new thread of its own.......

    Are you aware there were at least THREE live fly excersises going on that morning:

    Navy employee Barbara Honegger, who is active in 9/11 conspiracy issues, offers the piggy back theory -- the hijackers found out about the overlapping war games and timed their attack to take advantage of the confusion. This is probably a limited hang out designed to keep military officers from whistleblowing, since the claim that al-Qaeda supposedly compromised US operational security procedures could be very effective at keeping insiders from explaining what they know about the exercises. Honegger has since made ludicrous claims that "shoe bomber" Richard Reid was really Osama and that the Pentagon was hit several minutes before it was struck by the plane (probably false leads designed to soak up time and energy on a wild goose chase).
    Seven Days in May / The Lone Gunmen -- fictional depictions

    Michael Ruppert investigates the 9/11 wargames

    9/11 wargames: no coincidence

    Air Force wargames on 9/11: Vigilant Guardian, Vigilant Warrior, Northern Guardian, Northern Vigilance

    National Reconnaissance Office "plane into building" exercise on 9/11

    parallel examples: "Internal Look" simulation of Iraq invasion of Kuwait in 1990, NSA spying on United Nations masked by exercise

    web page

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    CMx2 weather.

    in Combat Mission Shock Force 1

    Posted

    Originally posted by Carbon-14:

    </font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by aka_tom_w:

    do they have fog (or that KIND of fog) in Syria?

    I had thought it was pretty dry climate?

    Theres fog like that on the Israeli Occuppied side of the Golan Heights. It gets very thick and patchy in the evenings. I haven't seen it quite like that on the Syrian side, but it does rain a lot in the winter months and just got a dump of snow last week but it never lasts more than a few days. Again this is near the Golan Heights.

    Have to simulate the smog that comes out of Damascus though! Its nasty. </font>

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    Tactical Iraqi computer game used to Train US Soldiers

    in Combat Mission Shock Force 1

    Posted

    Tactical Iraqi is built on top of the game engine for Unreal Tournament, a first-person computer "shoot-em-up". In the training tool, though, subjects use communication to resolve situations.

    BBC news web page

    US troops taught Iraqi gestures

    By Paul Rincon

    BBC News science reporter, St Louis

    The new training tool aims to end confusing, dangerous situations

    The US military has funded a computer game to teach its troops how to use and decipher Iraqi body language.

    The purpose is to teach soldiers that using the wrong gestures can potentially cause offence and escalate already tense situations.

    In the program, users must build trust with local people through verbal communication and gestures.

    One of the system's creators says the training tool, known as Tactical Iraqi, has already been a great success.

    Hannes Vilhjalmsson, a research scientist at the University of Southern California, gave details of the Tactical Iraqi at a conference in St Louis, US.

    The system also teaches troops Arabic language skills.

    Cultural differences

    The program teaches military personnel some key gestures such as an up-down movement with the right hand to ask someone to slow down and gives them tips such as removing mirror sunglasses when approaching local people.

    In western countries, we control our body language more. In Arabic culture, it is important you show how open you are

    Dr Hannes Vilhjalmsson

    University of Southern California

    "In Iraq, to show sincerity you have to put more effort into your gestures," said Dr Vilhjalmsson.

    "In Western countries, we control our body language more. In Arabic culture, it is important you show how open you are."

    He added that reserved body language in exchanges with local people could be interpreted as having something to hide in Iraq, potentially escalating a tense situation.

    Military personnel also learn that people can approach each other more closely than one normally might in the West.

    Dr Vilhjalmsson said it was important troops should not automatically interpret close proximity in an exchange as a threat.

    And the game teaches them that pointing the finger at a person can be considered aggressive in Arab cultures.

    Regional variation

    Tactical Iraqi is built on top of the game engine for Unreal Tournament, a first-person computer "shoot-em-up". In the training tool, though, subjects use communication to resolve situations.

    Dr Vilhjalmsson said initial testing of Tactical Iraqi with marines deployed to Iraq had shown the programme to be very effective.

    The University of Southern California is also working on other versions of the game: Tactical Pashto, which trains troops in communication specific to Afghanistan; and Tactical Levantine, which teaches them Arabic language and gestures specific to Lebanon and other surrounding areas.

    The training system has been funded by the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa).

    Dr Vilhjalmsson was speaking at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting in St Louis, US.

    0

    Is the AI exempt from command delays?

    in Combat Mission: Afrika Korps

    Posted

    ....and, anyway, the AI is so handicapped as it is, why not give it an exemption from command delay
    When I first read this thread that was my exact thought.

    Its probably meant to be that way (no AI command delay) and its probably not a big deal if this is the FIRST time it has come up in the past 5-6-7 (?) years of EXTENSIVE game play and play testing!

    smile.gif

    -tom w

    0

    off topic.. If you are interested in Geocaching and Garmin GPS's and Mac OS X ...

    in Combat Mission Shock Force 1

    Posted

    Please check out my lengthy post in the general forum.

    If you are a Mac user with a Garmin GPS device, and you are interesting uploading and downloading waypoints how do you do it? (connect and transfer data and waypoints?)

    There are a few more questions and a longer post in the general forum, but since most of the Mac centric folks I am directing this towards are known to spend more time in this forum I thought I would post here as well.

    Thanks

    -tom w

    P.S.

    the answer is mostly here I think: Peach Pit article for GPS and OS X "Yes you can use your GPS with a Mac!"

    [ February 12, 2006, 01:28 PM: Message edited by: aka_tom_w ]

    0

    Overlays/Underlays in the Map Editor...

    in Combat Mission Shock Force 1

    Posted

    Originally posted by Peter Cairns:

    Bryce uses a 3D greyscale for terrain, that included the ability to import pictures and turn them in to terrain, It looks odd to fight on a hill made out of your own face.

    Peter.

    Bryce 3D is spectacular in that respect.

    any greyscale image can be a terrain map. (lighter shades higher, dark shades lower)

    So what some of us would like to see is the terrain editor from SimCity (God Mode) to blend or morph with the "easy" (intuitive and user friendly) features of the terrain editor from Bryce. ..... and.........Wait for it!

    then throw in some "civilians " from The Sims or Sim City proper, ........ ( and sprinkle in some irregular opposing forces for good effect!)

    and THEN invade that map with the CMx2/BFC combat simulator full of realistically simulated military units and vehicles!

    Wah Laa.... Instant asymetrical warfare simulator!! :D

    What could be better!?

    -Tom W

    0

    Hydration and warfare

    in Combat Mission Shock Force 1

    Posted

    but it rapidly became apparent that the water ration simply wasn't sufficient to keep men going in the blazing sands of the Negev. After further study, it was determined that water loss from sweating was so severe that the ration was upped to a liter per man per hour, a factor of 24 increase! Interesting thing happened, though.

    Once properly hydrated and kept that way, the men not only completed the prescribed whole country march but dumbfounded doctors and military officials alike by saying they were ready to keep going!

    WOW!

    In the desert that is A LOT of water to supply/provide in the logistics chain.

    1 litre per hour, per man!

    "drink up! the world's about to end!" :D

    -tom w

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