benpark

No. Listening to Lester Young would be cooler.

Happy end of daylight savings time to my fellows in the US! The clocks changed automatically and all of a sudden I'm sitting at the computer typing at 4am. I think its time to go to bed now. 😵‍💫

Thy can be useful doing things like tending to wounded soldiers/ammo scavenging, replacing a wiped-out higher HQ, or any other duties like relaying spotting information from squads/teams and higher HQ (like a "runner"). That last use is helpful for calling in artillery, when the radio unit doesn't have LoS and you don't want to risk them in an exposed position. Security uses also are another slot you can drop them in, and you could do some extra-self-imposed rules, like moving them near prisoners to simulate moving them to rear-areas, etc.
I'm always checking the visibility icons to see what the "range" is in the UI. The benefits of any HQ will be greatly lessened when out of any given C2 contact range.

I can highly recommend this approach to viewing battles. I play with the icons turned on with an overhead view while I'm seriously reviewing the action and giving out orders. But I save every turn specifically so that I can go back and view a whole battle for the spectacle (bit cumbersome doing it that way, so it sure would be nice if we got a full battle replay feature someday, but I'm pretty sure Steve has shot that idea down). And when I'm reviewing a finished battle for the spectacle the icons, landmarks, and objectives are off, the trees are on, and I stick to ground level. It really is a very different way to view the action. The one downside is that now most mainstream Hollywood war movies just can't hold my interest anymore.

Thy can be useful doing things like tending to wounded soldiers/ammo scavenging, replacing a wiped-out higher HQ, or any other duties like relaying spotting information from squads/teams and higher HQ (like a "runner"). That last use is helpful for calling in artillery, when the radio unit doesn't have LoS and you don't want to risk them in an exposed position. Security uses also are another slot you can drop them in, and you could do some extra-self-imposed rules, like moving them near prisoners to simulate moving them to rear-areas, etc.
I'm always checking the visibility icons to see what the "range" is in the UI. The benefits of any HQ will be greatly lessened when out of any given C2 contact range.

Thy can be useful doing things like tending to wounded soldiers/ammo scavenging, replacing a wiped-out higher HQ, or any other duties like relaying spotting information from squads/teams and higher HQ (like a "runner"). That last use is helpful for calling in artillery, when the radio unit doesn't have LoS and you don't want to risk them in an exposed position. Security uses also are another slot you can drop them in, and you could do some extra-self-imposed rules, like moving them near prisoners to simulate moving them to rear-areas, etc.
I'm always checking the visibility icons to see what the "range" is in the UI. The benefits of any HQ will be greatly lessened when out of any given C2 contact range.

Thy can be useful doing things like tending to wounded soldiers/ammo scavenging, replacing a wiped-out higher HQ, or any other duties like relaying spotting information from squads/teams and higher HQ (like a "runner"). That last use is helpful for calling in artillery, when the radio unit doesn't have LoS and you don't want to risk them in an exposed position. Security uses also are another slot you can drop them in, and you could do some extra-self-imposed rules, like moving them near prisoners to simulate moving them to rear-areas, etc.
I'm always checking the visibility icons to see what the "range" is in the UI. The benefits of any HQ will be greatly lessened when out of any given C2 contact range.

You will also find this AI action used in some FR campaign scenarios (particularly in the German campaign, as I recall).
It is a bit tricky to use as far as timing when using the capability, and works best when the AI is on the attack and aimed at an obvious area the player may be defending.

Thank you so much for pointing me Ln'L game series. I did not know at all it was existing and it is just bliss. It is even 100% Mac compatible. Thank you man. May the Avalon Hill's God of SL and ASL bless you forever !!
If only they could make the them with SL or ASL counters .. I would die (aah me be not !) to re-play some of the SL Crescendo of Doom scenarios on my computer.
Though Combat Mission will remain my go to for tactical combats and always my fav.

These two games have a commonality that I picked up on, as well. I also like that one, and the Ln'L game gets the randomness down in my book better for something of this type.
Ln'L also has had a great art department, with (probably/maybe still) Marc von Martial doing his thing with the maps (since CC!) and (probably/maybe still) Nikolas Eskubi's counters. It's no mean feat to get a consistent look down for a game. Second Front's developer made the assets, I believe- I think he also sells them on the Unity store, so there may be some cart/horse criticism that the game contained oft-used stuff, when he made the art in Second Front in the first place. If the infantry were re-worked, I'd probably never give the look too much more thought.
I think part of my liking these two games in particular is that I really don't buy many board wargames (unless something with a really spectacular map!), and gave up on my (Napoleonic) miniature painting long ago. Second Front is like that desired miniature board diorama set-up, and Ln'L is a boardgame without the set-up/space commitment/tear down. And CM is for seeing how things may really have played out (and will remain my mainstay, due to its Editor, simulation properties, and other fine offerings). I'll give thanks to the computer on that one, but will miss the chance to someday set up a massive display of paper and cardboard nonsense like Drang nach Osten or Streets of Stalingrad in the middle of everyone's business here at home.

Aye, I am the person responsible for this work. It's one of the very late battles of the war, featuring Kriegsmarine defenders. They put up a fight, as the original poster found out. It's also playable from the German side, with 3 plans per side. Maybe he got the Ultra Tough one.
To those that struggle through it, and need Cliff Notes:
Smoke is available, use it if needed. There's plenty of artillery available. There's also 2 flame-throwing Wasps that, if you aren't charging at everything can make short work of anyone in strong points.
Otherwise: I don't make puzzle scenarios. This area of Northern Germany is largely as flat as Holland. I've been generous, as to the cover in the design. It's flat, and largely treeless save along the water areas. The terrain is made from a period map and images from the actual area - as close as I could get to the real deal.

Oh, oh I'm sorry, this is Abuse....
Ah, don't let these grumpy old cranks put you off! 
Exploring possibility space is just fine IMHO, so long as the substantial gaps to meaningful implementation are also appreciated.
****
https://openai.com/sora
(LinkedIn commentary): If you think OpenAI Sora is a creative toy like DALLE, ... think again. Sora is a data-driven physics engine. It is a simulation of many worlds, real or fantastical. The simulator learns intricate rendering, "intuitive" physics, and long-horizon consistency, all by some denoising and gradient maths.
I won't be surprised if Sora is trained on lots of synthetic data using Unreal Engine 5. It has to be!
Let's breakdown the following video. Prompt: "Photorealistic closeup video of two pirate ships battling each other as they sail inside a cup of coffee."
https://cdn.openai.com/sora/videos/ships-in-coffee.mp4
- The simulator instantiates two exquisite 3D assets: pirate ships with different decorations. Sora has to solve text-to-3D implicitly in its latent space.
- The 3D objects are consistently animated as they sail and avoid each other's paths.
- Fluid dynamics of the coffee, even the foams that form around the ships. Fluid simulation is an entire sub-field of computer graphics, which traditionally requires very complex algorithms and equations. 
- Photorealism, almost like rendering with raytracing.
- The simulator takes into account the small size of the cup compared to oceans, and applies tilt-shift photography to give a "minuscule" vibe.
- The semantics of the scene does not exist in the real world, but the engine still implements the correct physical rules that we expect.
Next up: add more modalities and conditioning, then we have a full data-driven UE that will replace all the hand-engineered graphics pipelines.

A few QB suggestions from someone that has now made a bunch of QB maps that you see in FR and FB:Downfall-
-If the QB map is Huge/Large, select mechanized/armor forces only - infantry can't traverse the map in time and be fit enough for any AI plan where that branch is concerned. Large force sizes will work best with these maps
-Medium sized maps can be used with all forces, but the infantry can struggle sometimes with any AI plan in terms of lagging where the plan is set for.
-Small and Tiny QB's are for all force types, and I think will give the best challenge for single-player. Don't over-stuff them with more forces than are appropriate for the map-size, though.
When making AI plans for QB's-
-The AI plans weight heavily to Groups 1-3. Group 4 may never be used, or assigned to a very small, ineffective group in Small/Medium sized force selections. I concentrate on these 3 plans, and will only add 4rth or 5th AI plans for Huge maps, as there may be a far larger force used.
-If AI plans use these 3 AI groups primarily, they seem to distribute each AI group to a higher HQ. If the AI force has 3 Platoons, each one seems to always be assigned to a different AI group.
-PAY ATTENTION TO THE TERRAIN when making the AI plans. Don't just make a blob in a location, and hope for the best. Use the available cover, and the height toggle to judge good positions for the task. This takes some extra time, but it pays off in better simulating at least half a brain for the AI side. Look at the AI plans from Downfall to see examples of this, if you have it. A lot of work went into these QB plans in FR and Downfall.
-Use the appropriate movement state for a wide-range of forces. Quick works for unobserved areas, but Fast will tire out any infantry beyond use. Know that the AI plan could be either infantry or mechanized, so it needs to suit either.
-I use Assault/Maximum Assault and Aware for areas where contact is likely. It gives the AI a chance to fire back and be more active, and not just keep charging towards the player, doing the crawl of death. It won't avoid it completely, but this gives the AI more of a fighting chance.
-Let the AI set the artillery targets. It can do a decent job of calling in support, when available - and this is actually reactive to the battle that is happening. If choosing manual force-selection, give them an observer or two if they have artillery.
-Keep the AI orders to a large enough area that most force-sizes can utilize. But pay attention to the underlying terrain, and don't leave unit areas in open areas when they are near cover.
-Embrace odd AI plan shapes when necessary, based upon the underlying terrain and heights
Other Single-Player QB Suggestions:
-Start a QB. Make manual force selections and manual map selections. Start the game, and save it. Name it something helpful, like the size of forces and map. Forget about it for a while. Make a bunch of these. Return to them later, after you forget what the manual force selection was. That method adds some randomization to the experience. Trade these with other people.
-Trade mid-game save-games with people, or use the above method for your own. It should be a save from once the opposing forces are coming into early contact. This simulates being dropped into command, mid-battle.

Churchill X LT

A few QB suggestions from someone that has now made a bunch of QB maps that you see in FR and FB:Downfall-
-If the QB map is Huge/Large, select mechanized/armor forces only - infantry can't traverse the map in time and be fit enough for any AI plan where that branch is concerned. Large force sizes will work best with these maps
-Medium sized maps can be used with all forces, but the infantry can struggle sometimes with any AI plan in terms of lagging where the plan is set for.
-Small and Tiny QB's are for all force types, and I think will give the best challenge for single-player. Don't over-stuff them with more forces than are appropriate for the map-size, though.
When making AI plans for QB's-
-The AI plans weight heavily to Groups 1-3. Group 4 may never be used, or assigned to a very small, ineffective group in Small/Medium sized force selections. I concentrate on these 3 plans, and will only add 4rth or 5th AI plans for Huge maps, as there may be a far larger force used.
-If AI plans use these 3 AI groups primarily, they seem to distribute each AI group to a higher HQ. If the AI force has 3 Platoons, each one seems to always be assigned to a different AI group.
-PAY ATTENTION TO THE TERRAIN when making the AI plans. Don't just make a blob in a location, and hope for the best. Use the available cover, and the height toggle to judge good positions for the task. This takes some extra time, but it pays off in better simulating at least half a brain for the AI side. Look at the AI plans from Downfall to see examples of this, if you have it. A lot of work went into these QB plans in FR and Downfall.
-Use the appropriate movement state for a wide-range of forces. Quick works for unobserved areas, but Fast will tire out any infantry beyond use. Know that the AI plan could be either infantry or mechanized, so it needs to suit either.
-I use Assault/Maximum Assault and Aware for areas where contact is likely. It gives the AI a chance to fire back and be more active, and not just keep charging towards the player, doing the crawl of death. It won't avoid it completely, but this gives the AI more of a fighting chance.
-Let the AI set the artillery targets. It can do a decent job of calling in support, when available - and this is actually reactive to the battle that is happening. If choosing manual force-selection, give them an observer or two if they have artillery.
-Keep the AI orders to a large enough area that most force-sizes can utilize. But pay attention to the underlying terrain, and don't leave unit areas in open areas when they are near cover.
-Embrace odd AI plan shapes when necessary, based upon the underlying terrain and heights
Other Single-Player QB Suggestions:
-Start a QB. Make manual force selections and manual map selections. Start the game, and save it. Name it something helpful, like the size of forces and map. Forget about it for a while. Make a bunch of these. Return to them later, after you forget what the manual force selection was. That method adds some randomization to the experience. Trade these with other people.
-Trade mid-game save-games with people, or use the above method for your own. It should be a save from once the opposing forces are coming into early contact. This simulates being dropped into command, mid-battle.

A few QB suggestions from someone that has now made a bunch of QB maps that you see in FR and FB:Downfall-
-If the QB map is Huge/Large, select mechanized/armor forces only - infantry can't traverse the map in time and be fit enough for any AI plan where that branch is concerned. Large force sizes will work best with these maps
-Medium sized maps can be used with all forces, but the infantry can struggle sometimes with any AI plan in terms of lagging where the plan is set for.
-Small and Tiny QB's are for all force types, and I think will give the best challenge for single-player. Don't over-stuff them with more forces than are appropriate for the map-size, though.
When making AI plans for QB's-
-The AI plans weight heavily to Groups 1-3. Group 4 may never be used, or assigned to a very small, ineffective group in Small/Medium sized force selections. I concentrate on these 3 plans, and will only add 4rth or 5th AI plans for Huge maps, as there may be a far larger force used.
-If AI plans use these 3 AI groups primarily, they seem to distribute each AI group to a higher HQ. If the AI force has 3 Platoons, each one seems to always be assigned to a different AI group.
-PAY ATTENTION TO THE TERRAIN when making the AI plans. Don't just make a blob in a location, and hope for the best. Use the available cover, and the height toggle to judge good positions for the task. This takes some extra time, but it pays off in better simulating at least half a brain for the AI side. Look at the AI plans from Downfall to see examples of this, if you have it. A lot of work went into these QB plans in FR and Downfall.
-Use the appropriate movement state for a wide-range of forces. Quick works for unobserved areas, but Fast will tire out any infantry beyond use. Know that the AI plan could be either infantry or mechanized, so it needs to suit either.
-I use Assault/Maximum Assault and Aware for areas where contact is likely. It gives the AI a chance to fire back and be more active, and not just keep charging towards the player, doing the crawl of death. It won't avoid it completely, but this gives the AI more of a fighting chance.
-Let the AI set the artillery targets. It can do a decent job of calling in support, when available - and this is actually reactive to the battle that is happening. If choosing manual force-selection, give them an observer or two if they have artillery.
-Keep the AI orders to a large enough area that most force-sizes can utilize. But pay attention to the underlying terrain, and don't leave unit areas in open areas when they are near cover.
-Embrace odd AI plan shapes when necessary, based upon the underlying terrain and heights
Other Single-Player QB Suggestions:
-Start a QB. Make manual force selections and manual map selections. Start the game, and save it. Name it something helpful, like the size of forces and map. Forget about it for a while. Make a bunch of these. Return to them later, after you forget what the manual force selection was. That method adds some randomization to the experience. Trade these with other people.
-Trade mid-game save-games with people, or use the above method for your own. It should be a save from once the opposing forces are coming into early contact. This simulates being dropped into command, mid-battle.

Correct, Ian! Thanks for catching that. It is the distribution to groups.

First off nice overview of how to make a QB map.
Did you mean AI group here instead of plan? If there are three platoons I would think they would be assigned to different groups.

Comet I

Thank you again for your detailed answer!

Hi all, its been a while... in fact so long that I had to create a new account for the Forums... Anywho I started revamping some of my old work so it will play better in Game Engine 4.x and also I am back to creating some new scenarios (some fictional, some semi-historical)... Also redid my Combat Mission Site (haven't touched it in 7 years)... Since I lost touch with all the people that use to playtest for me I ask if you have feedback; Good, Bad, and/or Ugly that you submit that via the Feedback button in the site's menu... I have done extensive testing on the vs. AI battles but, the Head to Heads I have not been able to test... Well I am active again, who knows for how long but I do have a lot of time on my hands and a lot of scenarios/campaigns on the production schedule...  You can check every thing out at Fredrockers Combat Mission Site ... Enjoy

The original map was made by @LongLeftFlank of the Ramadi-Government-Center.  I heavily modified it by adding a coastline etc.  I used it in the scenario Coup D'etat. 
https://www.thefewgoodmen.com/tsd3/cm-shock-force-2-2/cm-shock-force-2-scenarios/coup-detat/
 

 
Later I even added part of an airfield for one of several WIP scenarios. 



 

Hello everybody!
 
I have complete the 3rd mission of the Remagen Bridge campaign and boy it was brutal fight.
 
Spoilers ahead:
 
In the end, I ran out of ammo, and unfortunately, most of the cowardly pixel troupen refused to fight. I had to improvise by deploying as frontline troops: mortar men (which is normal), drivers, ammo bearers, and the remaining officers. Units resorted to using pistols and grenades in the final minutes.
Surprisingly, the Volkssturm proved to be quite effective in taking out tanks and taking HE shells to the face. Overall, this mission was unforgetful experience. 
 

I give orders to groups (generally by Platoon) by first arranging them in the Setup Zone before the game is started. Once the game starts, this can be done by reforming Platoons/Companies in a "quiet" area, and resetting the formation for movement. Spacing can be controlled with this method by placing the squads whatever distance between is desired.
I will set Platoons in formations like a wedge, line, etc.. I'll also use two squads up, one back with support weapons and command units behind (in a diamond formation, generally).
Once this is done, I'll issue orders for movement, with all squads in the Platoon. I generally experiment with which squad the order is issued from - Most often this is the forward-most unit, but sometimes the rear-most unit works best. This is generally towards some terrain that offers cover, over-watch, or some other tactical concern for that pathing.
I will then adjust whatever squad/team ends up in an odd location. This is generally not too much of a task, as the formation is moving together and the setting of the end-point of the order is close to where it should be.
The main thing is spending some time at Setup to get everyone in the formations they need to be in for the tasks assigned.
(Ian answered as I was typing - generally the same idea!)