LongLeftFlank

Ok, I'll give it a chance if I get an opportunity.

And several one man sniper teams (reduce them to 50% to lose that MP40 that opens up all the time) for the defender whose overriding task is not to be part of the unit's base of fire, but to find and kill the enemy FOs.

Yup, I really can't see a valid reason why the UI should display a dursed thing about the enemy units, other than that they're Infantry or a Vehicle. I don't even like being told an AFV or bunker is Knocked Out. Best guesses based on a visual scan of enemies your men can see, or a unit TacAI knowing not to execute a Target order on a target it knows is dead (but you don't), that's legitimate. I just assume it's on Charles' lengthy To Do list, and in the meantime I can live with it.

No, but it sounds like an interesting oddyssey; there were many in the war. If I actually watched movies, I'd look for it. CM is the bulk of my screentime these days; want to get this out before the OMG module is released. EDIT: OK, you piqued my curiosity. Here's the trailer. And will probably be removed fairly soon, but my instant reaction is: Playtone meets Michael Bay. Ixnay on the Ealism-ray.

Thanks, mate. I'll drag you in yet, flamethrowers or not. I'm 19 minutes into the "dress rehearsal" runthrough and things appear to be "in the zone". After enduring some withering fire from about a dozen Japanese MG bunkers, the two assault platoons of Detachment Z have largely cleared the two wharfs and the Japanese HQ. Shermans, protected by small teams of GIs are picketed all down YELLOW beach and are winkling out the snipers who haven't yet fallen back. Butcher's bill to date: 28 casualties; most of the rest are Rattled. Also, 5 tanks and 3 Alligators are stranded (Immob) on the reef and beach. The defenders have lost about twice as many, although half this toll was lost to the air and naval bombardment. And at least one infantry gun is able to get a few shots to clear the trees, which should give the US player pause as the main forces arrive on the reef. CPL Sussman's half-squad gets a little more than they bargained for amid the shattered ruins of the construction barracks. Interesting how the Conscript (Korean) labour troops have a very different, and vastly less accurate, fire tempo than Green SNLF regulars. They just keep snapping off rounds.

Achieving treebursts is all well and good, but not 40 meters from your own position! If the intended target is 430m downrange and max range is 3.5km, that would imply a very high elevation for the gun when firing indirect, correct? (Per JK's wikilink, 73deg is achievable). These guys did this 4 times in a row (and yes, they're in bushes; the slight zoom in the shot makes those trees look a lot closer than they are)

That, and those maps that do offer some depth tend to be too sparsely vegetated, offering a huge number of possible OP sites with unrestricted LOS to the entire map. So blinding the artillery is less of an option for either side. That was certainly the case in much of Italy of course, which is a large part of why that campaign was so slow, bloody and frustrating for the Allies. In NW Europe, not so much (hence the emphasis on securing strategic heights like church towers, Bourguebus ridge, Hill 192, le Carillon, etc.)

Maybe a question better saved for when engine build 2.0 is available for CMBN?

Simple: go to the MISSION tab, click on the DATA subtab and at the very bottom, switch the pulldown from ALLIED vs. ALLIED back to the default ALLIED vs. AXIS. Now, when you return to the UNITS tab, you'll see the Axis force mix.

No, the Type 94 mountain gun, "one of the most common weapons encountered by Allied forces towards the closing stages of the war." Note that there is no historical evidence that such weapons were in fact deployed on Makin. There are references to 200mm coastal guns, 37mm antitank guns and quick-fire AA guns (calibre unidentified), although these were targeted by the bombardments and played no role in the subsequent fighting. To make the scenario more interesting, particularly in H2H play, without departing too much from historicity, I am giving the Japanese some artillery that US forces need to neutralize (either by killing the guns or the OPs). But I need it to be much less effective and accurate than 81mm mortars or offboard batteries (it's far too easy for those to create a bloodbath among the masses of American infantry wading on the reef). The 75mm guns, with their limited ammo supply, ponderous indirect fire ranging process and limited effect, are perfect and reasonably authentic IMHO. Plus, they do have direct fire potential; peek too carelessly into the wrong hole and lose your turret or head! Lacking a suitable British on-map gun*, I used the German 75mm IG. The crews will be unmodded Germans (I'm not about to duplicate all CoonDog's British IJA mods to Germans -- deal with it). And since their ammo bearers carry highly lethal MG42s, I've quarantined the latter behind a double layer wall of bocage so they are unlikely to play a combat role. And John, I really don't give that much of a crap that the Lg18 and the Type 94 are totally different guns, so spare me....

SLA Marshall, although many of his "findings" were subsequently found to be tainted by massive confirmation bias (his), did have a valid point when he noted that much of the disproportionate effectiveness of crew served weapons had to do with them being, well, crew served. If you aren't doing your job, your mates who are right there can see that, and your commander knows you aren't too, since he can't hear your distinctive and important weapon shooting. Unlike an individual rifleman. The only thing that keeps most men on a battlefield once the SHTF is the overriding desire not to let their immediate team down; King and Country or Fuhrer und Vaterland generally has f***-all to do with it. More technically complex weapons being put in the care of better trained men and/or veterans also plays a role. P.S. JK, let's take detailed discussion of Japanese ordnance over to a more relevant thread. Short answer: no.

Yup, another great post BD6.

I've also been worrying over mortar efficiency last night in my Makin scenario. I want the Japanese (modded Brits) to have on map indirect fire assets that the US player must neutralize either by destroying the guns or the OPs, but those 81mm mortars are just too dang lethal once they find the range -- high ROF, rapid adjustments, high trajectory so they can fire out of tree cover. The little 2" can't fire indirect of course. At the opposite end of the flexibility scale are the 75mm German infantry guns; they take a lot of time to "rotate", are incredibly persnickety about Line of Fire, especially when deployed in gunpits surrounded by trees, and to boot half their rounds simply burst in those trees! EDIT: For clarification, this is NOT a gripe. I am once again astounded at how faithfully the game represents real life challenges; in this case, siting light guns (not howitzers) when your defence is of necessity less than 300m deep! (i.e. the width of the island). Oh, and your defensive scheme generally assumed an enemy landing on the south shore, not the north. I for one like the 81mm mortars, which together with the MG42s were the cornerstone of German defenses, to be swift, silent and deadly! As I've opined ad nauseam, the extreme lethality of mortars and other HE chuckers in game is a function of the target infantry not taking cover (and staying down) promptly enough, not of some overmodeling in these weapons. Although I wouldn't say no to some "muffling" of rounds that impact soft ground or water.

I'm nearly ready to turn Makin over to playtesters, so PM me if interested. I want both US vs AI and H2H PBEM (vs me playing Japanese). This is a Huge battle (1-1/2 battalions and 30 AFVs on US side), so you'll need a good rig to play RT. Also -- so, you think you can't work up an Iwo Jima lava moonscape, eh? 5 minutes of intense pulverization with naval guns works nicely. Banzai THIS, Tojo!!!! Interestingly, a Panicked American squad has conducted the first Banzai charge I've seen in the game. For no clear reason, they left their fairly sheltered bomb crater and frontally attacked a Japanese entrenchment, charging some 50 meters to do it! It was generally a massacre, but a couple of GIs actually got into the trench and killed 2 Japanese before being killed themselves; the 2 survivors then Surrendered.

Don't own CMFI so I am still playing build 1.1, but unsplit squads don't always spread over 3 squares (Action Spots); if their facing is diagonal to the grid, they often just use 2 diagonally touching, or even (very occasionally) 1 square if the terrain provides a "fold" of cover or some big crater. I also notice they'll spread out pretty neatly in a skirmish line if you Face them exactly along the ridgeline. Face command is your friend; set up a test map with few or no enemy and play with it. It's rarely that I find I can't make infantry -- even big clumsy unsplittable Syrian CMSF squads -- deploy the way I want with a little tweaking, although this can be time consuming and yes, I'd rather they had some SOPs.

And if we see a Royal Tiger (with Fuser's mod) fleetingly appear during the Battle of the Five Armies, we'll know who to thank....

Agreed. A "Hit the Dirt!" reflex triggered by perception of an incoming threat that hasn't quite arrived seems like a logical evolution. On the other hand, it's likely not simple from a programming standpoint. Is every unit continuously checking enemies in LOS for "imminent threats", and how is that defined? What's the PC hit? My thought was that the "reflex" (varying by unit Experience?) could be triggered by the exploding HE round itself, not needing a separate scan. Instead of one "bang", there would be two.... the first is undetectable to the player, but triggers the Cower reflex (and perhaps a warning shout) in eligible units a split second before the "real" fireworks. Still requires some programming gymnastics of course, and probably best left to a later engine evolution, but economical in terms of calculation load. FWIW.

Thanks for the explanation, Jon; earlier jibe withdrawn. In that case, I suppose I'd sooner see all unit pistols with "Full" ammo loads in single digits than continue with these frequent rampages, at least until this can be fixed properly. Personnel whose primary weapon is a sidearm are typically so equipped because they have more critical duties than shooting. This would restrict it to its proper intended purpose; emergency self-defence. It's just silly to have it so frequently employed as a lethal offensive weapon. Game breaker? No. Fixable without massive brainjar damage: probably.

Thanks, Bil. That means a great deal coming from you. Here's some clips from the Japanese side briefing (you can only play Japanese side H2H). No spoilers. ***** The long ribbon of shoreline that makes up Makin Atoll cannot all be defended. Therefore, the Japanese defensive scheme concentrates their limited forces in a heavily fortified zone in the central segment of the main island, Butaritari, where the prewar British commercial facilities (and fresh water supply) are located, surrounded by overgrown coconut plantations. However, the planned fortifications remain incomplete and the Americans have bombed Butaritari regularly over the last several months. To make things even harder, many of the *** SNLF troops were recently redeployed to Tarawa and Nauru, together with all remaining aircraft and ships. This leaves fewer than *** trained soldiers to defend Makin, augmented by a few hundred poorly armed aviation personnel and construction workers. Since then, the command has worked feverishly on completing the two Tank Barriers that cross the narrow island at either end of the fortified zone, but sections still consist only of wire and a heavy log fence. There are nowhere near enough cement, landmines or heavy weapons to complete the original scheme. And now we are out of time. At dawn this morning, a gigantic American fleet abruptly appeared and commenced an intensive bombardment of heavy naval guns and carrier planes. No warning was received from headquarters on Tarawa (150 miles away), and they are out of communication at present; it appears they have problems of their own. At about 0900, approximately a regiment of American troops, including tanks, landed at two rocky beaches at the western end of Butaritari, which is barely defended. Phone wires have been cut by the bombardment, but it appears that the invaders are well ashore and advancing inland toward the West Tank Barrier. Enemy bombardment of the core fortified zone (game map area) has now intensified, making movement hazardous. Yankee aircraft have set alight the aviation and diesel fuel stores, wreathing the island in oily smoke; they have also silenced our 3-gun 200mm shore battery facing the ocean. A direct hit on the command post also appears to have killed the garrison commander, so the company HQs are now acting independently. At 1030, it becomes clear that the Americans are conducting a second beach landing, between the two wharfs on the lagoon side. A large force of transport ships has entered the (unmined -- the Navy never got around to that) central lagoon, and at least 50 smaller landing vessels and amphibious tanks are now approaching the north shore of Butaritari. Estimated force size is a battalion. This is a cunning, though risky move by the Americans. If this landing succeeds, the West Tank Barrier will be outflanked, cut off and subject to assault from both sides. The lagoon side is also less heavily fortified than the ocean side. However, a broad, shallow reef separates the landing craft from the beach. The invading forces will need to wade across this reef, completely exposed, for up to 250 meters. Red meat for our well dug in field artillery and machine guns! at least for those that survive the hellish bombardment. For some time, rumour has it that a powerful Imperial Navy task force under Admiral Koga, including the invincible battleship Yamato and 3 carriers is already at sea, looking to attack the American fleet as it is pinned down supporting their landing forces. The longer our brave troops can keep the invaders intensively engaged on these islands, the more likely that the Navy can deliver a decisive blow, avenge the setbacks at Midway and Guadalcanal and bring the arrogant Americans to their senses. Regardless, it is a glorious thing to die in battle for the Emperor. Banzai!!!! Banzai!!! Banzai!!! You stand "in the boots" of the commander of 2nd Company, Imperial Navy 3rd Special Naval Landing Force Special Base Force (formerly the Yokosuka 6th SNLF). The island commander, Navy Lieutenant (JG) Ishikawa, appears to have been killed by a direct hit on his command post, so each of the company commanders must defend his prepared positions as best he can, using only his own battered forces. It is 1030 and the American first wave is approaching the reef, followed by still more boats. Kill as many of the enemy as possible while they struggle out there. Do not waste men counterattacking the Yankees once they gain the shore however; bayonet charges have proved counterproductive against their many machine guns and squander our mens' lives. Rikusentai of the Imperial Navy! sell your lives dearly! If your brave soldiers kill one Yankee for every man they lose, you will likely win even if they overrun all the fortified areas. The more costly these invasions are to them, the more likely the Americans will negotiate honourable peace with the mighty Empire of Japan. Let the blue-eyes seek out our hidden positions inland, then kill them in close range ambush, or by sniping. Use their wounded as bait to lure out more enemy. Blow up their tanks as they flounder on the marshy, sandy ground or amid the matted jungle roots. Infiltrate behind them and slaughter their demoralized stragglers. The American boys are amateurs and lazy, and have little stomach (hara) for this kind of fight. They try to let their enormous firepower do all the hard work for them. Outsmart their guns, then send them, terrified, to hell! We shall certainly perish, but with dignity, watering this parched island with the blood of our enemies. Do not wait for us, faraway mothers and sweethearts. And do not weep!

Another convert, bwahahaha! :{D CM Uberpanzer queens will hate the PTO because armour is basically a gun platform (that bogs down constantly in the lousy conditions). But if you love down and dirty small unit infantry combat, it's awesome -- better than bocage because the terrain is both dense and totally random. Holy hell, Izzy! This island is one giant goddam' bunker!

Oh, absolutely. The PLA is probably even less ready today to fight a determined enemy, especially outside China, than it was in 1979. Its officer corps, like much of the rest of the Chinese state sector, is vastly more concerned with repurposing military resources (including extensive land holdings and conscript labour) for its personal enrichment than in bothering with the humdrum of readiness and training. The old saying "good iron is not used to make nails, nor good men to make soldiers" remains true; smart, ambitious Chinese do not generally seek a military career, and if they do they want to be influential officers, certainly not the career NCOs that lie at the heart of the effectiveness of a modern army. That said, the PLA does do a certain amount of training of course -- this isn't the 1930s, and there have been periodic crackdowns by the CMC on excessive absenteeism and other extreme abuses (embezzlement of soldier pay) since the 1980s. And certain elite formations do maintain a higher degree of readiness, especially for control of domestic dissent. But there's a good reason the Chinese hesitate to invade Taiwan, even though they are well aware the Seventh Fleet would likely not lift a finger.

Ah, dear old JonS, many time winner of the "JasonC Airily Dismissive Response" award. Well then here's a "simple" solution: give them a Severe level of ammo, regardless of what the TOE shows; pretend they didn't wear their ammo pouches (they snag) and they were left in the burning tank, so all they get is the clip in the pistol. Voila, no more Wyatt Earp rampages, unless they find an intact vehicle to scrounge from.

Note that I did not intend the above observations to be a reason not to develop a Second Korean War and Aftermath CMSF game. Just saying that if BFC were ever to develop such content, they should take care to provide thoughtful RED force briefings for H2H scenarios, as well as including a campaign from the RED (DPRK or PLA) point of view. Since I believe that once word got around the interwebs, a substantial Asian gamer community would come out of the woodwork. And they'd bring their nationalism with them; not that BFC needs to cater to that, just acknowledge that they'll want to play their nation's forces with a reasonable chance to win at least on points, think of themselves as the "good guys", and also be VERY irritated by game mechanics (sterotypes) like unsplittable squads that seem to "tilt" the scales in favour of the White Boys (I suspect they do understand and accept that their equipment is generally inferior at long ranges). This in sharp contrast to the overwhelming BLUE slant of the CMSF series. Community generated content aside, there was precious little to encourage players to "like" playing the RED side. Just my opinion. EDIT: All these comments also apply to the announced CMSF:Ukraine venue. There will be Russian (and Ukrainian) players, and they will want to play their own side on a "fair fight" basis, etc.

Latest playtest once again had a brutal FF incident; this time 2 Alligators (halftracks) were strafed on the beach, with a dozen casualties. Couple of key lessons (1) air strikes can go on for several minutes after they no longer show up as active on the Air Support menu (2) with that in mind, hit CANCEL once you know friendlies are nearing the strike area. The tanks are now getting ashore well, though slowly: only 3 Immobs this time around. The AI controlled Japanese (German, actually) 75mm infantry guns are using indirect fire pretty well, but the problem is their rounds are largely pulverizing the trees in front of them; I think all of one round actually landed in the US area. This is a very strange effect. I don't want to give them 81mm mortars instead, since this gives them a lot more HE firepower (ROF) than they actually possessed. Need to tweak this some more -- maybe setting them farther back in a clearing will help.

Unless I've missed it somewhere, it's not in the (mid 1944) CW force mix. No, the Japanese AT capabilities are limited to demo charges, mines and various ordnance weapons. I'm not redoing all my work in CMFI (which I haven't bought yet) just so I can access the Italian TOE, although it does most closely resemble the IJA. Maybe some other time.