Bimmer

This could be abstracted by simply defining the unit boundaries with dense linear minefields.

Only in order to be able to issue a fatwa and wage jihad against Battlefront if they miss their deadline.

I built everything from tiny to huge for CMx1, and I'll probably do the same for CMBN. That said, I think I'll probably start by developing some "tactical decision game" scenarios. I may post the tactical map and description on the forum first, to allow people to offer their plans first, then release the actual scenario after a few weeks.

Geez, I looked back through the archives and I was in the first three tournaments! And I didn't even suck (too much)! Should I be insulted or something?

I *KNEW* I was in on the first one! Just had to dig up the proof: http://www.battlefront.com/community/showpost.php?p=247009&postcount=89 So what's the going bribe these days?

I could swear I was in on one of these, maybe the first one? Or is this just the list of "financial contributors?"

It's available at CMMods now - the other links were stopgap solutions before CMMods was set up for CMSF.

Glad you enjoyed it.

Range is a significant issue, given the size of the map. I tested a lot of different approaches to this scenario, and getting the troops to fire at point targets at very long ranges is difficult. Area fire will often work when specifically targeted fire will not. The manual lists engagement ranges against point targets as 400m for the M4, 600m for the M249 SAW, and 800m for the M240B MMG. I found the AI does not tend to engage until somewhat under these maximum ranges.

Uploaded to CMMods. Comments always appreciated. Enjoy. BACKGROUND: You are the commander of 2nd Platoon, B Company. Your battalion is conducting operations across a wide area, control of which is being contested by local insurgents. The area is not located near any critical assets or supply routes, so it has been at the bottom of command's priority list. Your force is spread thin, with a huge area to cover. Resources are limited, so your company is split into patrol groups. You are commanding a patrol consisting of your 2nd Platoon plus the 4th (Weapons) Platoon. Your patrol has so far been uneventful, moving along wooded ridgelines that dominate the open valleys of this hilly region. You have found no evidence of recent enemy activity in the area. You stop as the sound of an approaching helicopter at low level. From the sound you can tell that it is having engine problems. It roars directly overhead, and you can see that it is trailing smoke. Moments later you hear the crushing sounds of it crashing in the valley to your northeast. Moving toward the treeline, you can see that it is an MH-60 SOCOM bird. It is partially intact, and several of the occupants are alive and working to remove wounded from the wreckage. At the same time, your platoon sergeant points to the ridgeline across the valley. Looking through your binoculars you can see several armed men making their way down a dry wash toward the crash site. What now, Lieutenant?

Thanks for the feedback. The resupply aspect works particularly well in this one, I think, given the limited size of the Blue force and the amount of ground it has to cover. I should have mentioned that I did all my testing on Elite. At that level the balance seemed about right; I actually had more RPGs in to begin with, but all the Strykers kept exploding. Also, all testing was done in WEGO, so results may be somewhat different in RT play.

Thanks for the comments. If anyone happens to have final points totals, or is willing to write up a brief AAR, I'd very much appreciate it.

Uploaded to CMMods. Intended for play by Blue vs. AI or two player. Comments are most appreciated. Here's a taste from the briefing: You are the commander of 1st Platoon, A Company (Stryker combat engineer). With no combat engineering to do, your platoon has been tasked with assisting the local population to rebuild infrastructure after combat operations in an effort to build public support for American forces. Today's project has been to repair the irrigation pumping facility of a small farming village. This vital equipment was damaged during American counterinsurgent operations several months ago. Because it is strategically located near one of our major supply routes, the cooperation of these villagers may contribute vital intelligence about insurgent movements. Command considers assisting them an important part of the effort to stabilize the region. The work has been going well, and the pumping equipment was back on-line by midday. One squad is now finishing up repairs on the pumphouse, while another is using one of the Strykers to pull debris out of one of the irrigation channels, and the third is helping to repair a home damaged in the fighting. You are in the middle of the village speaking with the village chief, who has expressed his appreciation for your efforts. Suddenly you hear the unmistakable sound of incoming mortar rounds. As the villagers scramble for their homes, you yell "Cover!" into the radio and head for the nearest irrigation ditch. As you run for cover, you can see movement in the orchards across the road. What now, Lieutenant?

Yes, it works. As with any AI unit, you have to tell it where to go. I'm not sure if pathfinding issues adversely affect it, however. The only times I've used it the movement has been pretty much in a straight line. It does take a little while to start moving as well, which can be a bit irritating.

Check the readme for the differences. Basically, 101 is the latest version of the original scenario, 101a substitutes an MGS platoon for one of the Stryker mech infantry platoons, and 101b reduces the US force by one Stryker platoon. 101b is the most challenging, but 101a can be very difficult to win because of the penalties for excessive damage to the village.

Thanks for all the feedback, guys. This scenario is now available on CMMods. All future scenarios will also be posted to CMMods.

I think the most important point for the designer is to make sure that the starting situation is explained to the extent necessary. If the player is going to start with his force in contact, he needs to know that UNLESS there is a good reason in the design of the scenario for him not to. You certainly don't want the player to read a briefing and, not expecting contact at the outset, set up his plan in an appropriate way, only to see half a battalion of T72s practicing their first-shot accuracy drills on his force. However, there are certain situations that call for the player to start in contact - ambush (where the player is either the ambusher or the ambushee), relief of a cut-off unit, and so on. Of course, if the player is properly briefed, none of this will come as a surprise. In general I find the included CMSF maps rather tight on space. For move-to-contact battles bigger is better IMHO. But a properly designed scenario on a small map can be equally interesting, presuming it does not present the player with the opportunity to watch half his supposedly not-in-contact force go into low earth orbit in the first twelve seconds.

Thanks for all the feedback. Glad people are enjoying the scenario. Has anyone tried either of the variants? I'm very curious to see how people deal with the situation with only one platoon of infantry (initially, at least) and more firepower (that has victory point limitations on its employment).

File sent to Lord_Simmox for mirroring.

For those who haven't been able to d/l, try another browser. I had trouble uploading in Firefox, but it works fine in Explorer. The site seems to have gone through a recent upgrade, and it is listed as being in beta.

Version 1.01 is ready for testing. Release notes are below: Village of Trouble This scenario should be considered a beta test version. Every effort has been made to ensure that it works as designed, but there may be oversights nonetheless. Please fill out and submit the enclosed playtest report to me at [deleted for forum post - included in readme file] The scenario should be played first as Blue if single player, or as a two-player game. AI plans have been programmed for both sides, and it may be played from either side after initial playing, though it seems to work better when played as Blue. Please note that a Blue victory is dependent upon achieving the stated objective of destroying the enemy force, but excessive Blue casualties or damage to civilian property will reduce or negate Blue's victory. This is intended to represent the difficult nature of fighting an insurgency militarily while always maintaining awareness of the local and domestic political objectives and costs of such a military enterprise. v1.01: -Adjusted Red force deployments -Adjusted VP values for Blue terrain objectives -Added variant with MGS platoon vice mech infantry platoon * -Added variant with reduced Blue force * * Both variants have adjusted Red deployments and Blue reinforcement schedules. Download here: http://files-upload.com/files/427244/Village%20of%20Trouble%20v101.zip

Version 1.01 is ready for testing. Release notes are below: Village of Trouble This scenario should be considered a beta test version. Every effort has been made to ensure that it works as designed, but there may be oversights nonetheless. Please fill out and submit the enclosed playtest report to me at [deleted for forum post - included in readme file] The scenario should be played first as Blue if single player, or as a two-player game. AI plans have been programmed for both sides, and it may be played from either side after initial playing, though it seems to work better when played as Blue. Please note that a Blue victory is dependent upon achieving the stated objective of destroying the enemy force, but excessive Blue casualties or damage to civilian property will reduce or negate Blue's victory. This is intended to represent the difficult nature of fighting an insurgency militarily while always maintaining awareness of the local and domestic political objectives and costs of such a military enterprise. v1.01: -Adjusted Red force deployments -Adjusted VP values for Blue terrain objectives -Added variant with MGS platoon vice mech infantry platoon * -Added variant with reduced Blue force * * Both variants have adjusted Red deployments and Blue reinforcement schedules. Download here: http://files-upload.com/files/427244/Village%20of%20Trouble%20v101.zip

Here's mine. Expect an updated version, along with a couple of variants, to be released fairly shortly. http://files-upload.com/419177/VillageofTrouble.zip.html

I've included some limited representation of this in my "Village of Trouble" scenario in the form of "Preserve" territorial objectives for Blue and low Enemy Loss thresholds for Red. It seems a very useful tool for limiting the otherwise overwhelming firepower advantage of Blue in combat with unconventional forces. I still need to do further experimentation to see just how it can be best utilized.

I am pretty much a die-hard WEGO player myself, so that's what all the testing is done in. That said, this sort of hot-start scenario probably makes for a more intense experience in RT play. It is my general feeling that any well-designed scenario should play reasonably well in either format.