PIATpunk

Many thanks Declan.  Yes the latest all in one installer for CMBN has the old game engine 4 manual, dating back to 2016.

I've already fixed it.  Just need to make sure something is workable for the other titles in case those one switch over to a new animation system.

Ta. I may nick that file and add it to the pack. Once other fixes are done on my end I'll send to Bootie for the CMMODSIV.

yep
Discussing Ukraine far more important than website improvements

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Mini map pack for Battlefront Combat Mission Red Thunder
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Description:
 
Three maps in Estonia one in Latvia.
All the maps in this mini pack are based on google earth satellite images, photos and also street view when available, not historical maps. So obviously these locations were not identical during ww2. I however tried to downgrade the type of roads when I thought it made sense, on rare occasions removed a couple of houses or farms here and there but for the most part they're as accurate as I could make them.
Some have attack or meeting engagement setups, some are raw (no deployment zones or objectives). The latter will require a little bit of work to be playable.
I tried as much as possible to frame the maps so they're versatile and can be used in various ways: both for meeting engagements and attacks. But there are also usually several possible setups that you could use i.e different directions for the attack with potential objectives and road in all cardinal directions. There is often not just one single way to play them.
It should be noted that most of these maps, except Talvikese which is fairly open with rural terrain, are basically dirt roads going through forests, marshy ground and lakes. So it can be very easy if played as attacks or assaults to block the roads with anti tank mines depending on the deployment zones. So you could just have infantry battles, have an agreement with your opponent to limit the usage of mines or even modify the terrain a little bit by replacing marshy ground with mud or something else where needed. Or just play them as is. It is up to you.
Feel free to use them for whatever you want. Simply credit me and provide a link to this thread.

The maps:
 
1/ Estonia - Kapera (raw map)


size: 1408 X 1072m
type: forest/rural
60km west of Pskov
google earth coordinates: 57°46'12.40"N 27°19'33.80"E

2/ Estonia - Kahri Koorvere road


size: 1168 X 1184m
type: forest and lakes
35km south east of Tartu
google earth coordinates: 58° 5'19.20"N 26°58'28.02"E
Includes both a raw map and a version with a red attack setup. The map with the attack setup is slightly cropped on the northern edge for gameplay reasons so I decided to also include the original one.

3/ Estonia - Talvikese (ME)


size: 2688 X 2832m
type: open/rural
20km south of Tartu
google earth coordinates:  58°12'3.76"N  26°49'7.02"E

4/ Latvia - Courland - Lemzere (raw map)


size: 1776 X 1008m
type: marshy forest and lake
55km south west of Tukums
google earth coordinates: 56°36'15.63"N  22°34'36.97"E
 
Download:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/8d4xsu2bbu1sbbe/CMRT Baltic mini map pack.rar?dl=0
 

Installation:
 
Extract the map in the following directory:
Documents/Battlefront/Combat Mission/Red Thunder/Game Files/Scenarios
 
Zveroboy
 
 
 
 

I really like the pictures of this game
You @quakerparrot67 and @Phantom Captain are masters,  I like the spirit of your images
with thoughtful framing, superbe !
now Tigers:



 

not enough normandy🥺
here's😋

I'm away and bam there's something new!!
Here is a quick mod to "Normize" the Schimwagen
I painted the propeller, it was always painted and not metal color
i put blackout on the headlights and a little mud!!!
The camouflage could be better but the unit arrives from the Russian front and only had 2 hours to paint knowing that they did not sleep....


https://www.dropbox.com/s/u4ethj4iri3c152/schwimmwagen-hull.bmp?dl=0

Yes, subbing the old captured French tanks was the first change I made. The original Montebourg campaign was developed while the base game was in development so I wasn't able to use them first time around. IIRC, there was no allied air support when the game was first released either which is why there's no air support in the base campaign either. That's changed too. 
The Vehicle Pack will be necessary because I'm using flamethrowers this time as well. The Airborne and Glider Infantry both get them in their missions in phase 2. I've yet to see these in action as I've been importing the new core units and placing them but that work is all done now and so proper playtesting begins today. 

To catch up, I've imported and placed the core units in all the phase 1 and 3 missions and am now preparing to import them into the phase 2 missions (From Hell to Le Ham). These are more tricky because there are German core units in all these missions so I have left these until last. I should have the German core units done by tonight and have them imported tomorrow which means testing and AI plans can begin in earnest this weekend. And do I have some new ideas...
I have to admit, I really like what I can do with AI triggers. They were just making an appearance when I last played the game and I was initially disappointed that they didn't 'branch'. But I can see how useful they can be in some of the AI reworks I've done for my CMSF2 campaign already.
Once I've redone the AI plans, I'll create the variants and then will compile a new revised Montebourg for the scenario depot. They're not all getting extensive AI reworks, just the ones which I feel would benefit most from some extra attention, like Turnbull's Stand for example which has an AI attack.

Unusual tat. Is it permanent? It's a play but I can't quite work out  the details. Is there some significance to that particular play?
And yes, I'm back and that's the first fruit. For the time being, I'm importing the new core files units into Montebourg (I've just finished 'Labrynth' which I was dreading doing) and after that, I'll import the new core units into The Scottish Corridor. Once that's done, I'll really get to work revising these two. I've learned a lot since I made Montebourg so reworking the AI plans should be 'fun'. It's the work I love best. 

I've pretty much erased my Steam library from my hard drive to make way for some CM titles so I am planning to spend a LOT of time working on campaigns for these titles. I've gotten the bug again and I've already started zooming around in Google Earth for some interesting locations to have a fight.
One of the best things about the modern era game is that you're not constrained by history. My Syrian Civil War scenario for Hasrabit and Road to Dinas was pure baloney but who cares? Some of Hasrabit's maps were based on real world locations, especially Hasrabit itself. (It's not called Hasrabit IRL). Dinas has a mix of some maps based on real world  locations and some fictional. I prefer real world now as it helps to guide me. So, once I found a few good looking locations for a series of actions, I'll start producing maps. I already have the germ of an idea for a new Red v Red campaign but it's really just an idea right now. But it's certainly going to happen.

It's been a long weekend here so I've been able to spend three consecutive days working on this. I've just finished working on the Brecourt mission and completed it with only one casualty. To be sure it wasn't a fluke, I ran it again (it's only 15 minutes long) and won again, this time with 4 casualties. If you know roughly how that action panned out in real life, the same tactics will serve you well here but if you just rush in, it probably won't work out so well for you. Neither will it work if you take your precious time.
Of course, this is not Easy Company's assault but rather an homage. And it just feels right. BTW, if you have already played the revised version of the campaign, you might notice that I've redesigned the trench network to better reflect the historical set up.
So, Missions 1 and 2 are done as well as Turnbulls' Stand. I'm only going to rework a few missions so it may happen quicker than I'd thought. The main task is importing the new core units to each mission. That's not as small a job as you might think

Some of you may have noticed that I've poked my head up again after a very long absence. I've just been very busy with real life and wanted to spend some time playing games rather than designing content. But this game is a bit like crack for me, it's just so addictive and watching Usually Hapless play this campaign on Youtube got me back into it. (Yes, it's ALL your fault Hapless  )
I've done a bit of work fixing things and now want to turn my attention to my first campaign for CMBN, the Montebourg campaign. It's the oldest and was made using v1.0 of the engine meaning that there are only 8 AI groups and no air support. There have also been a number of changes to the game which mean that I can experiment with some of the new stuff while reworking this one.
It's not going to be a total overhaul but it will no longer work for players with only the CMBN base game so it's a Repository jobbie. I'll let you guys know what you'll need but it will probably require the full Monty as I want flamethrowers in it. It's also worth saying that anything new in it will be historically accurate and not just added in for the laughs. So no SS with JgPZIVs. Pity.
So, I'll keep you up to date with my progress on this. I'm not looking to do a LOT of work. It's mainly to reacquaint myself with the scenario designer and writing AI plans.
 
Mission 1
I have no plans to change anything at all about the opening mission at all. It's fine as is.
Mission 2
There is a 'new' short 'Brecourt' mission. It's not really new though as it was in the revised version on the Repository. I'll need to tweak this one as the game seems to have become more lethal since I last played it but otherwise, it's good to go.
Mission 3
The first mission to get a full rework is Turnbull's Stand. I'm reworking the AI attack as there were only two AI plans and they were terrible. I've made a number of revisions to the map itself to reflect the reality of the day so it's a bit more open with less bocage and more hedges.
I've spent pretty much all morning and most of the afternoon learning how to script an AI attack using the new tools and the first AI plan is almost done. I want a second one with an entirely different focus but it should be much faster to do as I'm not 'learning' anymore. Then, I'll mix it up so that there's four attack plans.
 
And that's where I'm up to. There's no timetable on this. I'm not in any hurry but by posting about it here, I've kind of declared my intentions and am far more likely to stick with it.

So now we have also the Schwimmwagen in CMBN.
Cheers 

Watch out for this important update next week...
Battle for Berlin Notes V2.1
After feedback from the BF community I have updated and put right a few issues on some of the scenario maps including:
• Set up of the forces was wrong on some of the maps. Fixed.
• Missing Axis troops. Fxed.
• Mission Objectives missing on Kroll Opera House. Fixed.
• A map was missing completely called Assault the Reichstag. Fixed.
• Plus some other minor issues fixed.
If you note anything that looks wrong, please contact me and I will look into.
New scenarios coming soon. Thank you for your time.

goodness gracious!  Any word on the Engine 5 update Steve?  cheers

First off thanks to all those who have supported the Battlepack by purchasing it, and a shout out to those who have provided their support in the creation of this project – and a huge shout out to those who have freely given their feedback and additional support publicly via various means – online streaming vids, DARs, AARs and various forum posts etc, Its truly heartening to read and see these. 

It’s just as well, being Scottish, that we are renowned for being slow to anger and not prone to unprovoked outbursts. On a personal note a mahhoosive amount of work went into the battle pack, at my end. Work of which I am truly proud off. The lion’s share of research, mapmaking and AI plan stuff was devoted to the two campaigns and the Rakow and the Dying Sun scenario. These all involved painstakingly creating huge new maps from primary sources. Research turned up several ‘loose’ ends regarding accepted historical narrative and I’m as chuffed with these as the scenarios!

I digress… In short this sucked up a huge amount of time and I was also involved in several other projects (which I was keen to be involved in including CMFR and CMCW). Creating new content, AI plans etc for the Battlepack was a significant endeavour. So yup I used bits of various previous maps (which were my own creations and made available publicly) which I then significantly tweaked – mainly because I could not positively ID RL locations, or the fact is I thought the map – like Der Ring (which by the way took nearly a year to produce) to have a new life after some major tweaking. I’ve done this on previous game families with other maps. A few astute observers might have spotted them. 

But, and I should stress this, in the case of Der Ring it was heavily reworked and I created brand new AI plans (I had to as I’d chopped and reused bits) etc. So yes whilst some stuff is based on sections of der Ring they are more the offspring – rather than the map wearing a false wig and a pair of dodgy specs…

Re the rather offensive swipes about scamming, well,  re the master maps it’s pretty clear that as stated on the BFC website that they are “New maps based on maps from the Battle Pack missions”. 

Years back I used to be with a punk band – another life another story…. One of the bands (way more successful than we were) we did some gigs with, had their singer on one of their records state this quote, it was along the lines of – “Whatever you do they’ll slate you off and criticise you to the ground…” It’s stood me in good stead through life.
So aye happy to take the constructive knocks, but I’m less inclined to give credence tae whingers.
 

You're full of Christmas cheer aren't you.  Der Ring der 5 Panzer you got for free in the first place as @George MCreleased that as a community scenario .  So let's say 30% is 'old content.'  Looks like you're owed $3.  Let me know where to send the money to or maybe we'll set up a crowdfund.

A Once Quiet Town Easier V2 is the final product.  Thanks to 'Hilts" a slight issue with the British HQ units has been rectified.   https://www.dropbox.com/s/j63gdei96ndnsma/A Once Quiet Town Easier V2.btt?dl=0

Hi fellow CMFB-ers,
have you ever thought of making your own campaign but were intimidated by all the hard work that goes into it?
I’ve been recently tinkering with the scenario editor to create a historical campaign in CMFI and, in my recurrent drunken stupors, I came up with an idea to quickly create fully randomized campaigns: The Quick Campaign Generator!
The QCG creates a 10-battle campaign in just a few clicks (well, a few hundred…) putting you at the head of your core force, which you must lead throughout the campaign to achieve glory and win some medals, recording their progress in the meantime. It is in part reminiscent of Robo's quick campaign generator for CMx1 titles (as some of you may remember).
Essentially, it is an Excel spreadsheet that lets you create a ‘bare-bones’ linear campaign comprising ten battles without having to do any historical research, map-making, briefings or artwork, i.e. the exact opposite of @Ithikial_AU’s excellent tutorial (https://community.battlefront.com/topic/137921-fire-and-rubble-preview-the-anatomy-of-what-goes-into-a-stock-campaign-release/) that I’ve used for my historical campaign.
The purpose is to have fun with all the goodies (tanks and vehicles especially) that CMFB has to offer, without the headaches. Pure CM sex with no emotional involvement 😉.
All the Scenario Editor choices, for example Weather, Ground Conditions, Experience, Headcount, choice of troops etc. are completely randomized to let you try out all possible combinations. Although, these battle are heavily biased in favor of armor, I must admit.
When you open the spreadsheet, you will see:
a tab called ‘Battle generator’, which provides random battle conditions,
two tabs called ‘Human ATT’ and ‘Human DEF’, which generate a random force composition to be used in the various battles if you’re attacking or defending;
the ‘Allied AAR or Axis AAR’ tabs, where you will be recording your progress during the campaign. Beware, your performance will be accurately monitored and judged 😉.
Ignore the other tabs. They contain data used for the formulas. I’ve protected the sheets to avoid mistyping into a cell containing a formula.
 
This was the situation for my Elite Panther platoon in a German Wehrmacht campaign called “Panthers on the Prowl” that I created using QCG:
 

 
 
Notice the nice array of medals my core force troops earned! (Well, it was on Easy mode...)
 
As you progress in your campaign, your results will be recorded and medals awarded. Statistics include tank kills, tank losses, infantry casualties, etc.
 

 

 
 
Your overall performance will be duly monitored as shown here:
 

I did pretty well, apparently.
 
Basic knowledge of how the CM Scenario Editor works is of course recommended, but not a requirement. Full instructions are provided.
Inside the package you will find:
-          - three versions of the QCG spreadsheet (one for a US campaign, one for a German Wehrmacht campaign, and one for a Waffen SS campaign);
-          - a pdf file containing Instructions (and a Quick Start Guide);
-          - six campaign script files “(QCG) Campaign Script.txt” (easy, medium or hard for Allied and Axis forces);
-          - five text files for the type of battle you will be fighting;
I’ve also added a couple of campaigns that I have created using this system, with the related Excel files that only contain the AAR tabs.
Enjoy! If you have any questions, just let me know.
 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bA3jnnT6tjh0xdKZHnAl5pyr5e2LBA6_/view?usp=sharing
 
 

The Anhalter Bahnhof, now with Trains....Battle for Berlin V2, Coming Soon.

Right.  And don't call me Shirley.

Right.  And don't call me Shirley.

Where is or Where's 😉 since we're also discussing grammar