benpark

Played that one thrice so far- good, but it needs something.
Agreed with BletchleyGeek about the upcoming dynamic campaign that may add some greater sense of continuity. I'll definitely reinstall when they add infantry. Tank sims seem empty with them to me.
There are a bunch of interesting games relating to history dropping or that were released over the past few months. Good to see.

That was what knocked Tank Crew dead in the water for me (and I bought into Tank Crew very, very early and I was happy to keep an open mind). GHPC at least have been showing infantry operating TOWs and stuff, not sure if they have those already integrated into the game.

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.

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.

When will be the release? 
The ideal date will be the 22.06.2023. But I won't promise too much....for sure, release will be 2023 ! 
What's the current progress?
The biggest campaign "Tiger Trail" is in its final testing stage as a Betaversion. It will be ready for 22nd June release. 
The "Five Bridges" Campaign has seen most of the map making, which is (with my experience) the most time consuming aspect - testing will start in March.
The "Into Hell" Campaign the same.
The "Partisans" Land Campaign (the smallest of all) is in the middle of map making and will be ready for testing in April.
So - to quote the guys from Battlefront 😉 "it will be ready when it's ready."
Will there be any single Missions?
Currently, I have plans for 3 single Missions but I doubt to have the time to put effort in these ones. So, let's see....
Is there a possibility to increase the number of campaigns or single missions for that BattlePack?
Of course. As the headline says, this is a project made by fan(s) of CM and everybody who wants to participate is very welcome. Honestly I have to say that I have written a mail to Battlefront and offered them this stuff (without financial interests) in order to get designs, briefings etc. more professional but they ignored myself 😜
So, if anybody is motivated to create stuff, doesn't matter if one small single mission or a whole campaign, then this would be very appreciated 👍 The only condition is:
the stuff must match the BattlePacks main theme "Summer of Destruction June to July 1944, ArmyGroup Central". 
Will there be any Master Maps?
Currently, the pack will include 12 Master maps but this number may change until release.
 

Chapter IV
 
Campaign "Tiger Trail"
When the German Frontlines had collapsed and the Soviet Advance approached the Border of East Prussia, the Axis Headquarters sent its armored reserves to stop the Soviet Steamroller by all means. The Player is commanding parts of the German 3.SS-Panzer-Division "Totenkopf" west of the Njemen River near Grodno. Will the Division be able to stop the enemy and cut off the III.Soviet Cavalry Corps ?
17 single Missions.

Chapter III
 
Campaign "Five Bridges"
The Player is commanding parts of the German 383.Infantry-Division of XXXV.Corps/9th Army near Bobruisk shortly after the German Lines have collapsed under the violent pressure of the Red Army. Will you be able to lead your units back to the west - will you be able to break out from the Bobruisk Pocket and reach the German Rescue Forces?
9 Single Missions.

Chapter II
 
Mini Campaign "Into Hell"
The Player is commanding parts of the German 252.Infantry-Division of the IX. Corps/3rd Panzer Army north of Witebsk  at the very beginning of the Soviet Operation "Bagration". Your units will be directed to block one of the main Soviet Corridors of advance - you will have to stand or die in the centre of a massive assault.
4 Single missions.

The BattlePack will have the title "Summer of Destruction" . Players will command Axis Forces of Army Group Central from
June 1944 to July 1944. Currently (see below) the pack includes the following stuff:
 
Chapter I
Mini-Campaign "Partisans Land"

The Player is commanding a mixed, reinforced German "Kampfgruppe" in June 1944 , attacking a wooded area west of Mogilew where strong partisan units are expected to have built a fortified strongpoint. 3 single Missions.
 
 
 
 

We have the announcement of a (hopefully) stunning new module for CMFB, for a absolutely great CMBN BattlePack, for a very interesting CMFI BattlePack - so WW II fans like me are happy wth the coming stuff in 2023.
BUT, something is missing....where is the CMRT ? No new content after the release of the fantastic BattlePack of George MC in 2022 😢
 
And here it is: 
While back after a long break, Mr.X was very busy and is working on a FanMade BattlePack for 2023. More to come....

After playing a bit more, I like it for what it is.
The developer added an "unlock all missions" toggle, which is greatly appreciated. Many of us are too busy to grind on anything, and know the basic wargame-format drill besides.
There are many calls for off-board/indirect-fire artillery, which isn't in. That may be added before any DLC, from reading the scuttlebutt on the various chatter-spots. That seems to be a fairly large missing bit so far. Maybe air as well, though it seems lass necessary at the scale.
Main pains after more play-
-I find the camera restrictive- I want a free camera, every time. It's "3D" for a reason.
-The randomness is brutal. I embrace chaos and randomness as a fact of life, but it still seems to impact the game's relation to simulating reality in a negative way.
-No modding. WYSIWYG. I'd like to get at those graphic files to alleviate some of the comic-style elements.
The good-
-Map maker/scenario maker is easy to use, and can do all manner of things in a fairly basic (hex-based) way.
-Soviet Union versus Germany, right out of the box. US, as well. Though no US vs. USSR.
-Campaigns seem to get around some of the gamey aspects, as they are contiguous.

After playing a bit more, I like it for what it is.
The developer added an "unlock all missions" toggle, which is greatly appreciated. Many of us are too busy to grind on anything, and know the basic wargame-format drill besides.
There are many calls for off-board/indirect-fire artillery, which isn't in. That may be added before any DLC, from reading the scuttlebutt on the various chatter-spots. That seems to be a fairly large missing bit so far. Maybe air as well, though it seems lass necessary at the scale.
Main pains after more play-
-I find the camera restrictive- I want a free camera, every time. It's "3D" for a reason.
-The randomness is brutal. I embrace chaos and randomness as a fact of life, but it still seems to impact the game's relation to simulating reality in a negative way.
-No modding. WYSIWYG. I'd like to get at those graphic files to alleviate some of the comic-style elements.
The good-
-Map maker/scenario maker is easy to use, and can do all manner of things in a fairly basic (hex-based) way.
-Soviet Union versus Germany, right out of the box. US, as well. Though no US vs. USSR.
-Campaigns seem to get around some of the gamey aspects, as they are contiguous.

After playing a bit more, I like it for what it is.
The developer added an "unlock all missions" toggle, which is greatly appreciated. Many of us are too busy to grind on anything, and know the basic wargame-format drill besides.
There are many calls for off-board/indirect-fire artillery, which isn't in. That may be added before any DLC, from reading the scuttlebutt on the various chatter-spots. That seems to be a fairly large missing bit so far. Maybe air as well, though it seems lass necessary at the scale.
Main pains after more play-
-I find the camera restrictive- I want a free camera, every time. It's "3D" for a reason.
-The randomness is brutal. I embrace chaos and randomness as a fact of life, but it still seems to impact the game's relation to simulating reality in a negative way.
-No modding. WYSIWYG. I'd like to get at those graphic files to alleviate some of the comic-style elements.
The good-
-Map maker/scenario maker is easy to use, and can do all manner of things in a fairly basic (hex-based) way.
-Soviet Union versus Germany, right out of the box. US, as well. Though no US vs. USSR.
-Campaigns seem to get around some of the gamey aspects, as they are contiguous.

Not me!
I'm making other fires.

Not me!
I'm making other fires.

Haha!  Well thanks!  And the Tele neck is just butter to me...  Nope, no wah!  I do also have a Boss Katana that can get really loud and do all kinds of things, wah included, but I just so much prefer that analog tube sound with the Tele.  Same reason I love the analog pedals on it too, and also on the SG.
No, no real Angus Young phase, Black Sabbath would be more apropos.  I grew up in Chicago, very much in the punk rock scene and played in it back  in the day.  Back then Gibson's were the end all be all and I absolutely loved Minor Threat and then Fugazi, of which Ian MacKaye pretty much exclusively played an SG.  I went through a couple Epiphone SGs but never could afford a real one.  Now that I'm older I can get those things occasionally so a few years back I decided to get a real American made SG and since all my old ones I used to have were red I went with black this time.  It's a honey too, honestly, and really nice when I want that humbucker sound.  I'm gonna get it re-set up again and have them put .09s on it like my Tele.  Right now it's got .10s but I really want to go a bit lighter.  Through the vox with the Rat and the Big Muff it can get heavy af.   🤘👹🤘
 

I agree very much with the assessment. I must say that for a one man show it is pretty impressive... yet many of the design decisions are a bit ehm, particular. Steam workshop scenarios can be played at will, and with the editor I am pretty sure many "classics" will be available to play sooner than later. The scenarios feel like, on the basis of a couple attempts,  time and resource management puzzles in the disguise of a WW2 tactical wargame.
There is no off map arty or CAS, neither on map indirect fire either.
In terms of gameplay I think is much like The Troop, all things considered, but with more content yet much less immersive qualities.
 

From the entire two hours I have been able to dedicate to playing the game in the wee hours-
It has a truly great map editor, cartoony though it is.
Gameplay is a cross between CMx1, Battle Academy (quite a bit like that one), SPWAW, and table-top play. It is a bit in debt to it's predecessors, but does a good job in the synthesis. It's new enough, and does well in the balance between abstract and "realistic". I am using it in the "tabletop" spirit, and enjoying it well enough. It's no CM replacement, however. I think it will be a good addition to most libraries.
The campaigns are where my interest lies- they seem a bit like a CMx1 Operation- with maps shifting, wrecks tracked, etc..
Negatives- There's a need to unlock scenarios prior to playing others. Randomness seems over-represented in the combat results (appreciated though the inclusion is), The cartoony look is...OK, and can be repetitive. There's only auto-save. The game designer seems to have set ideas about how the thing plays, so we will see how adaptable he is when the majority tell him they need things like "saves" on demand.

I'll add this very roughly-formed scenario (attached) for people that want something to entertain them on a cold winter's night.
This would have been a branch off of Broken Shields (off of the 6th scenario), but it just didn't work with the overall flow. I also have another one set in Seregelyes that I may get around to posting here that's in the same state.
There's no briefing nor briefing graphic, and can only be played from the German side (no German AI).
The gist- defend the occupied positions and town, and use any infantry and armor that may arrive to stage local counter-attacks to regain the town.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, ya cast of characters.


 
AT Positions!.btt

First one of my favorite pictures above and now the NEWS:
After a truly huge amount of work, the Campaign "Tiger Trail" will be finished latest on 31.January ✌️
All the missions have run through at least 1-2 testings, BUT I will not publish the Campaign before it is completely played through at least
2 times bei Playertesters  - reason for that is: when the campaign is published, I won't have ambitions to change anything because I don't like
these "VersionA and VersionB" things. When the baby is born, it should be healthy without any operations 😉
 
So, here's the opportunity for You to play exclusive a Campaign of 17 single missions before it is finally published 😎
It is not a Beta-Version, but for 98% the finished product. 
But I have to set the following conditions:
= I need players, who have enough time and motivation to play this Campaign through in a time span of 3-4 month
= I need players, who are attentive and give me reports of the missions - especially, if anything should not go right and is to be improved
= and at least I need players, who are confidential and do not share their playing or the files with others until the final relief
 
If you like to fight, then PM me.
 
Regards  Mr.X
 
 

You've had answers of the required depth from people who've been there and done it and here's one from another 'been there done that guy' - short of putting on a green suit and trying it yourself what has been posted here is as good as its going to get to convey the message.  From the information and analogies in your posts, it is clear you are focused on each individual tank and its operation by the crew in complete isolation.
You seem to be in rather a hurry and the reasons you articulate for that are sound but, the weather and ground conditions are iffy for large scale mechanised operations so the time is better spent training rather than rushing that kit to the front line.  History is replete with examples of how rushing stuff to the front line causes problems, British tanks at the Somme in 1916 and Tigers and or Panthers at Kursk being two vaguely comparisons relevant to the situation now.  Time spent in training and rehearsal is well-spent and lots of people here have rightly criticised the Russian military for launching this operation in a half-bottomed manner and equally criticised the quality of the troops that have turned up as a result of the mobilisation.  It would be unwiser than an unwise thing for Ukraine to adopt exactly the same courses of action as its never time for amateur hour in warfare.

Sad.
We did a lot of exchanges, along with @Combatintman , @sburkein the late 20teens around our historical Iraq monster city fights (Ramadi / Mosul). I came up with the scenario titles for As'sh Al Dababir (Hornets Nest) and Al Hutumah (the Crusher).  As others here have noted, he was a genius modder and designer.
He LOVED the Ramones, saw them live multiple times.
From a 2017 PM exchange:
"I'm a huge Ramones fan too, saw 'em live loads of times, mostly at the Hummingbird in Birmingham."
LongLeftFlank Replied: June 10, 2017
"I saw them only once, but in the Holy of Holies: Meadowlands Stadium in New Jersey. Now you can sing "I'm the Crusher" over and over to yourself as you slowly go mad building out the city blocks. Then when the men in white coats come for you they'll assume you're the happy kind.  I am reading Tom Sawyer to my daughter at bedtime, and my wife and I keep singing the guitar hook to the Rush song....
Sgt.Squarehead Replied: June 11, 2017
Lol.....I never really got into Rush in a big way (but I loved the cover of 'Fly By Night', painted it on my girlfri end's leather jacket.
Godspeed, old friend!  I'll look forward to catching up with you at the gaming tables at the feasting hall.

Current Russian OOB in Zaporizhzhia oblast according to Mashovets:
- 58th CAA (Southern military district)
---- 19th motor-rifle division
--------- combined groups of 429th and 503rd motor-rifle regimens, consisting of 2-3 BTGs each
--------- combined battalion of 4th military base (troops in occupied S.Osetia, Georgia)
--------- 292nd SP arty regiment
 
---- 42nd motor-rifle division
--------- combined groups of 70th and 71st motor-rifle regimens, consisting of 2-3 BTGs
--------- 2-3 battalions of 78th motorized Special Force regiment "Akhmat-North" (Chechnya, volunteer unit, not only for Chehens, created by Kadyrov and included in composition of 42th MRD)
--------- battalion of 291st motor-rifle regiment (in reserve)
--------- 50th SP arty regiment
 
- 36th CAA (Eastern military district)
---- two BTGs of 5th tank brigade
---- two BTGs of 37th motor-rifle brigade
---- one BTG of 11th air-assault brigade
 
Auxiliary units:
---- 4-6 battalions of 1430th motor-rifle regiment of Territorial troops and 129th rifle regiment of mobilization reserve of DNR
 
Rosgvardiya:
-----  3...4 combined groups of operative regiments (one of them 141st operative regiment from Chechnya), including Chechen battalions "Akhmat-South" and "Akhmat-Center"
 
Artilelry: 291st artillery brigade of 58th CAA (total  9-10 tactical arty/MLRS groups of divisional and Army level)
Army aviation: 3-4 squadrons, periodically reinforcing with 1-2 additional squadrons
Total - 25..28 battalion groups

Sorry, better quality pic.