handihoc

OK, I see that c3k got there seconds before me.

BLAST command has definitely improved over time, but there is one problem I find, relating to WEGO and mentioned above by Stoex: directly after Blasting, sappers charge through the breach they've made. This can be a huge disadvantage, for obvious reasons. Unless I've missed something, there is no way of preventing this (in WEGO), ie, having them stay put. I've had numerous examples where my guys have been shot to pieces because of this. Implementing some form of Stay Put command would be a huge improvement here.

That first CMBO demo . . . many fond memories of playing it, first against the pc, several times, then even more with a friend online. It was an ideal time, with the Close Combat games, which had been a revelation, beginning to reveal their limitations as well as their over-reliance on big names to keep them afloat. Then there was a long wait - I didn't have great hopes for Shock Force, and hadn't planned to buy it, but something made me think again. That was when I first became a regular member of this forum, although I'd been an on-and-off lurker for some years. And now here we are, with a superb and deeply engrossing simulation of modern warfare, a new module about to be added, World War 2 and further modern titles just around the corner . . . I've devoted a significant portion of my time on this planet to this company's products, and to the community spirit here, and I certainly have no regrets. So congratulations, Battlefront, on sticking with your dream.

In retrospect I have to agree that the arrival of reinforcements in full view of enemy tanks is a serious no-no! But, by saving, you can go back and quickly place smoke and/or reverse your new units out of trouble. Gamey, I know, but I think overall the scenario is well worth the effort. I had a great time playing it.

Yes, that's a couple of good tips. I'm also only just learning (thanks to Red Pepper) about efficient ammo distribution, and which weapons take what.

Finished Sabatini. First time I've used, or seen, rocket artillery in action. Fabulous - and scary! Another excellent battle. Those street and house-to-house fights can be very tricky, and deadly. Again, a slow, cautious, methodical approach got me the victory, but I still lost 16 men and three BTRs. I brought in two helicopters and - hell! They didn't actually kill any of their own men but they sure tried their hardest. Way off target, both of 'em. Big fun. Campaign's a winner so far!

Eventually got pummelled. Going to have to rethink it. Ammo conservation seems crucial here and I paid for the mistake of advancing too far too early without taking that factor into consideration. The AI can be absolutely ferocious these days! Much more challenging than a few months ago, and in this mission it really takes a heavy toll. This remains one of the best infantry-based scenarios out there. It would also be great to see some of your earlier campaign battles revamped for Marines/Brits and released as individual scenarios and/or as a new campaign. So if you could possibly cancel everything non CMSF related . . . .

Thanks, MeatEtr. That's told me everything I needed to know.

***Spoiler**** My tactics in general would be similar to yours, depending upon the opening minutes - if the enemy is positioned up front I have no choice but to stay put for a while, but if I don't meet a lot of resistance I advance cautiously towards the village, though I tend to use the right and centre initially and just put overwatch on the left. Certainly, I wouldn't try to advance beyond the crossroads. What I hadn't taken into account was that the trucks are immobilised, so incapable of moving to resupply the men, who have heroically felled many enemy but are now very low on ammo and starting to doubt the wisdom of their advance. Also this time I didn't spot any enemy FOs - apart from the one on the near left - so heavy storms are heading my way. Well, only one way to find out what happens next!

Okay, I'm well into v1, facing a VERY aggressive enemy AND artillery! I thought I was doing okay but I'm now getting v worried about ammo. The majority of my units are very low, and some have advanced quite far and may have to scoot back to the trucks for the limited resupply. So many variants to this scenario. Excellent! Webwing, have you managed to win in this one?

Yes, I was very proud of that! I meant to say that as far as I could tell the outcome had no influence on subsequent battles. I went on to complete the campaign, and a highly enjoyable one it is, too. This game really rocks. I'm still playing, single-player, after more than eighteen months. That's an exception for me.

I raised this in an earlier thread. I took the plant, killed every single enemy, took quite a few losses but nothing massive, and still got a defeat.

Falconder, that's an interesting report. You're another one who encountered deadly, or at least very effective, artillery. I can't work out why I didn't. Still a great battle, though. I've got v1 now and plan to fire it up soon, see how it differs.

<<<It'll be a UK v Syrian bash and I'm going to try and make it difficult.>>>> THAT sounds cool! <<<Just out of curiousity, did you use much artillery to get your win in 'Orchard Road'?>>> In the later stages I put a 120m mission on the far farm, but the battle ended before it arrived. I've been taking notice of your warnings about conserving artillery and this was the first time I'd used it in the campaign.

Just completed Orchard Road. Another great map. It had a pleasing touch of Normandy, or maybe Italy, about it, especially in the early stages, taking the three yellow locations. In fact, I wondered whether that half of the map was loosely based on an early TOW Normandy map that I remember playing quite a while back (can't remember the name), as there were a few similarities? Really good fun, advancing cautiously, engaging and taking out the enemy as I came upon them. Some very fierce firefights in places. I got a surrender with Total Victory with nine men killed, fourteen wounded and three BTRs destroyed. I still had forty minutes to spare, so I would say it could have been a little beefier in the latter stages, given the two hours plus time limit which allows lots of time for thought and manouevre. One question: shouldn't I have taken some enemy artillery fire? There were two enemy FO's still alive at the end who I think would've had a decent line of sight to some of my positions for quite a while. There's been no artillery fire in the three battles so far. Anyway, on to Battle Four. Greatly enjoying this campaign!

Yep, it's been around for a while. Don't know if it was in with the initial release, but it was certainly there quite soon after. Cool feature.

Just finished Mission 1: Petani. Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! Love the map, particularly the layout of the village/town. All those narrow streets and tricky alleyways, complexes of houses, courtyards, little squares etc. Very real feeling, and very atmospheric, especially with the pre-dawn light. It's the first time I've ever noticed traffic lights, too! And those enemy conscripts put up a hell of a fight! I eventually got a surrender and Total Victory, with 5 men dead, 12 wounded, but that was with the help of several saves and restarts, so realistically it was a very tough fight with some extremely nasty and effective surprises. I think you've excelled yourself here, PT. If this opener is a reliable indicator of what's to come . . . Wow!

Well, I've started the first and got one side of my ass kicked in the opening minutes. Shouldn't've assumed that because they're low quality defenders they would be ineffective! Superb map, PT, and the battle's shaping up to be quite a toughie, with lots going on and some very tricky streetfighting required.

Time to cancel all social engagements! Thanks PT. Gonna download now, if I can, and will start very soon. Just got a couple of single scenarios I want to play out first. Greatly looking forward to this!

Finished it. Great fun! Very full-on street and house-to-house battles. Excellent stuff. I got a major victory as Blue, with 9 men and 2 Humvees dead (yep, those Hums did a good job but, in the end, paid the ultimate price). ***Spoiler**** Enemy eventually surrendered without me needing to take the Victory Locations, and I didn't need the Abrams either - but I didn't know that until I got the surrender. I'd like to play again. Just wondering if there's more than one AI attack plan? Next up, I'm gonna play it tomorrow as Red and see how that pans out. Should be a major challenge. Just downloaded the new version of Paradise Road, too. These should keep me busy till PT's Dimas campaign comes out. Thanks, birdstrike. Really enjoyable stuff, and quite different from any others I've played.

I bought Hanns HG281D 28" monitor a couple of months ago. It transformed the game, and just about everything else. Highly recommend going for the biggest and best monitor you can afford. It really adds to the immersion factor.

After reading through this thread I just had to fire this one up. Just started it, but first impressions: what a cool map! Excellent, birdstrike. And action from the off, too. One of the first times I've witnessed a Humvee being truly effective. Usually, in my experience, they get taken down too quickly by just about anything, but this one raced in, taking fire, opened up, and shot up a Toyota with a few solid bursts. I can see this is going to be quite a battle (I'm playing as Blue), and am really looking forward to completing it.

This is a great scenario, but it's interesting to read some of the above comments, because I didn't get hit by enemy mortars at all (and I think I know why, which I will explain). It's good to replay this map with the battle revamped for Marines and v1.11. ****Spoilers**** I played it twice this week. The first time I came up against fairly closely positioned hidden Syrian infantry very early on, and took a hell of a mauling under crossfire. By the time my first wave of reinforcements arrived, and also found themselves under withering enemy fire, I'd realised I was not going to be able to take the Crossroads, so I retired with my tale between my legs. So I restarted, anticipating a similar battle, and found something completely different. This time there were no enemy troops hidden nearby (apart from a FO in a hut on the hill. Took a while to find him, and when I did I took a lot of punishment as at more or less the same time a platoon or more of Syrians arrived in the same area, and my guys were low in ammo). So I was able to advance quickly along the right flank, occupy the village without too much resistance, and from that point on play a mainly defensive game. It was highly enjoyable, if not as ferocious and ultimately not as challenging as the first attempt, and I got Total Victory with 45 mins to spare. What I found odd, though, was the total lack of enemy artillery. In both battles one thing I noticed was Syrian FO's rushing down from the far hills and advancing towards me. My guys pinpointed them and took them out before they could do me damage. But why did they rush down the hillsides? Staying hidden on the crests would have given them a perfect view of my advance, and they could have decimated my troops. I can't tell if it was the designer who ordered them to move, or the AI, but whichever it was it rendered them ineffective. That FO in the hut, though - he had ample time to rain fire on me before he was discovered, so I have no idea why he didn't. Enemy artillery fire would have hampered me immensely, so I was slightly disappointed (and perhaps equally relieved) not to encounter any. Overall, though, this is a great battle, predominantly infantry, and for me with a touch of nostalgia, having played and enjoyed the original many months ago.

Perfect timing. I completed the Marines campaign last night!

Wow! Another of those pics that could almost be a photo. If, like me, you usually tend to view the battle from a camera set somewhat higher and further away, it's easy to forget or miss just how finely detailed SF is.