c3k

Great animation? Indeed. Even better is the net you're casting. Like a spiderweb, the least tremor on the most remote strand will travel to the center and induce a reaction. Or something. Hmmm. Arachnid. Yeah. That.

Love it. 

Surplus US Army invisibility clothing sometimes comes up for sale

 

 

Minute 2:00-1:59:

Capt. Leslie and his party were done with introductions and some practical discussion. They had just started on their second cup of chai and were planning to spend a few pleasant minutes on friendly chatting when the HQ sent for him and his 2IC – “Battalion command reports an enemy formation has been spotted approaching from the East”. They excused themselves from the chai and headed back to the command post to hear the details and alert the rest of the company. As they headed out the door Capt. Leslie noticed that one of the younger men who had not said anything during the meeting held back the translator, MCpl Haddad from 14 Platoon, briefly to whisper something to him.

“What was that about?” He asked.

MCpl Haddad smiled wryly as he replied “He said that if Assad’s men are coming he wishes us to kill as many as we can, so, there will be fewer for him to finish off - Inshallah”.

Capt. Leslie thought darkly to himself “Well that *is* the plan. My men do not need help from God to kill the enemy.”  It seems like this was going to be an eventful day after all.

The first turn of action was uneventful. No contacts were spotted. My team on KT3 moved up and the infantry deployed.






 
Minute 1:59: Orders

I corrected my mistake and moved a squad up to TK8. To avoid tiring the men out, I moved 3 section up to take 2 section’s positions and moved 2 section up to TK8.

While we wait for the actual shooting to start here are a few screen shots from the setup:
14 Platoon in position on Objective Lifeson






 
15 Platoon positioned on Peart






 
Section of 15 Platoon and a section of 18 Troop move into over watch at KT3






 
The view from the command post on Lee






 
Sniper team at the farm at Rutsey

Grrrr.

Grrrr.

Just want people to be clear, that LAV 3 pict above is the CMSF1 vehicle with the CMSF1 texture on the CMSF1 terrain.

Did some thinking over lunch. Here are my current thoughts:


An infantry platoon based in the north with the bulk of them on Lifeson to create a prepared reverse slop defence of that objective. I'll have a section positioned on KT8 with a scout team keeping their eye on AA1 and AA2.
The sniper section at the farm at Rutsey so they can see what is happening early. They can use the low area to evade and return to Lifeson - hopefully.
The FO, a section of tanks and the Anti Armour Lavs at Lee. I'll have the FO direct fires and spot for the anti armour units and let the tanks and anti armour use the village and the terrain to attack various enemy units as needed from key hole positions.
The mechanized platoon at Peart with a section detached and paired with a section of tanks to move to KT3. The infantry can dismount and spot for the tanks from KT3 and have the tanks and the LAV attack targets using the terrain hide in. Then can with draw along AA4 back to Peart. This unit can also redeploy to Lee if needed as well.

METT-T: Troops
As described in the earlier post this is a combined arms force created by paring back the Independent Battle Group from the force selection screen. The force is company sized, two platoons of infantry and one of tank troop plus some elements from the battle group support company, a section of Anti Armour, a batter of 81mm mortars and a sniper team.
Order of battle
D Company: Capt. Leslie
LAV Captain Team: Lt. Duncan (2IC)
FO Tea: Lt Finnegan
Also Attached to D Company from the battle group support Company:
Mortar Platoon HQ: Lt McKibbin (with four tubes of 81mm mortars)
Sniper Team: MCpl Morrison
One Section Anti Armour LAV: Lt. Golfrey
14 Platoon (Mech Infantry with no LAVs): Lt. Corhill
1 Section: Sgt Greentree
2 Section: Sgt Bellemere
3 Section: Sgt Augustine
4 Section (weapons): Sgt Calder
15 Platoon (Mech Infantry LAVs): Lt. Jackson
1 Section: Sgt Pension
2 Section: Sgt Forbes
3 Section: Sgt Wright
4 Section (weapons): Sgt Merritt
18 Troop (Four C2 Lepards): Lt Bermier
1 Tank: Sgt Aurthor
2 Tank: Sgt Laurin
3 Tank: Sgt Gagon
Fire support

1 battery (4 tubes) of 81mm mortars off map from the battle group

1 battery (2x2 guns) of 105mm guns

 
HQ and support elements
 

 
 
14 Platoon

 
 
15 Platoon
 

 
 
18 Troop
 

 
Fire Support





 
METT-T: Time
That battle is 2 hours long. I am sure we will end the battle before that due to casualties.
 
 

Initial situation
This AAR is being played using the Quick Battle system from the v4 engine in the new version of Shock Force. We are playing a Red probe with Bil taking the Syrians vs Canadians commanded by myself. The back story we decided on is that the NATO advance is proceeding well and the Canadian battle group has been assigned to flank protection for the main advance. D Company has been directed to take up positions around a village on the main East West road in the area.
Taking the walk through the village to meet with the local elders was something that Capt. Leslie actually enjoyed. The security situation for these types of meetings was much better here than in Afghanistan where, as a platoon commander, often had to provide security for the CO in one of these meetings. Over there it was always a nerve racking time. Here, today, his men had taken up their positions already and there was no love for the Assad regime around here. There was no love for the Assads anywhere actually – even in the enclave where his family drew the most support it was based on fear not love. So his walk today was pretty safe. Walking through the village reminded him of the last time he was in Syria. When he was just a boy visiting his father who was stationed on the Golan Heights as a UN Observer. Back then this trip to Syria was an exciting event. He got to fly on Hercules from Germany to Damascus where his Dad’s apartment was. The trip had made an impression. Not just the Roman ruins and the amazing castle Krak des Chevaliers (and having lived in the UK a few years earlier he knew castles) but it was really the people that impressed him the most. They were so friendly and open. It was this trip and listening to his father tell the stories of visiting with security guards on his way home each night that cemented in him the certain knowledge that you can go anywhere in the world and the regular people you meet are more like you then they are different.
This meeting was just a formality but an important one. They would not be here for long and the Canadians had no mandate to provide any kind of assistance this was just to introduce the force that would be on their door steps for a while and point out that most likely nothing eventful would happen today, tomorrow or the next day. Capt. Leslie had put off this meeting for a hour because he had to spend time on the radio sorting out their artillery support. They were not expecting any action and so had only been assigned only a battery of light artillery and some Battalion mortars but he wanted to make sure they were ready with solutions plotted just to be sure. For some reason there had been a delay. Usually the artillery guys were ready before his FO was but today somehow the assignments had been confused and no battery thought they were supposed to be on call for D Co.. He had the reputation not as a rising star but a solid cross the t’s dot the i’s find a solution get it done officer. And he had done so again. Other officers liked him because he did his homework and was fair even when he was pushing for something. He didn’t make a big production but he didn’t back down either. He remembered his Dad used to say “not everyone can be a rising star, those stars need good officers to get their jobs done”. His Dad’s other advice when he joined up as a junior officer was “always listen to your Sergeants and Warrant Officers, they are the ones that have the experience know how to help you find solutions and keep you from screwing up”. He had taken the advice to heart.
 
Force selection:
The Quick Battle system is still not complete so don’t read much into what you see other than the happy path I will describe J. As you can see the usual points panel is there along with the selected force’s flag and available branches. The various units might still need tweaking in the QB list and single vehicles and teams is not officially complete and the points might change. All the usual caveats apply. No one has tested the auto pick force make up yet – although the three times I used it during testing it actually did a good job. At any rate before release this stuff will be tweaked some more.
Similar to the CMBS game there are combined force battle groups available. That is where I will start:

 
Defending in a Medium Probe lets you purchase about a mechanized company or so. I start with paring back to D Company and a platoon of tanks. Then I do something I started doing recently – renaming the top commander on QB battle field after myself. I think it is more fun to think of yourself down there in the game. Hopefully no one thinks it is too arrogant since I have never served as more than a truck driver but I’m adding a little colour this time based on an alternate reality where I joined up back in university like I very nearly did.

 
Now the hard choices. I am pretty certain that Bil will be bringing armour to this and those T72s are every bit as deadly to the Leos as the Leos are to the T72s. That means I need to be able to handle enemy armour. So, to get the points room to have some support I chose not give up a tank but instead gave up a platoon of infantry. Therefore the basic force is two platoons of infantry and one troop of tanks.

 
 With that I’ll settled I chose to keep two of the battalion’s AT LAVs, one battery of mortars and a sniper team. Never leave home without your sniper team.

Bah. You left a point on the table! That will come back and haunt you, mark my words.
Looks a well-balanced force. Popcorn’s a poppin’.

Bah! Have 'em wheel in a whiteboard, tape some markers to some sticks, and diagram what you want done. Have the sitrep printed out and brought to you every hour.
A good yelling will let them know who's in charge. I mean, they're there for YOU, right? 

Bah! Have 'em wheel in a whiteboard, tape some markers to some sticks, and diagram what you want done. Have the sitrep printed out and brought to you every hour.
A good yelling will let them know who's in charge. I mean, they're there for YOU, right? 

We knew Bil is a tough opponent but this is the first we’ve heard of him putting someone in the hospital. Sheesh!

I don't usually quote an entire post, especially one as large as this, but an exception is certainly warranted.
@Bil Hardenberger, you have surpassed your usual high high standards with this one! Embedded gifs (or whatever magickry you used) highlighting the action? Outstanding.
Great overview, perspectives, command analysis, etc.
Now, I have to give Baneman some credit: expending his uncons to make you expend your ammo is a BRILLIANT tactic. Do your Uncons have grenades? Knives? Nearby rocks? 
In a serious vein, if your Uncon defensive position is running low on ammo, what is your plan for them?

I'd suggest buying all the units you're going to use on the map. Don't worry about specifics. If you think it'll be 2 battalions (or so), against 3+ battalions, just buy something like what you foresee ending up with. E.g., generic battalions, without worrying about experience levels and attachments. 
Then, just mash 'em together. Big sweeping moves with multiple waypoints for everything. Don't worry about what ends up where or legal/illegal terrain. 
The goal? To see if the movements and LOS calculations will cause a CTD. Just because a map can load in 3D does not mean that a game will load.
It's the additional load of having units moving, LOS'ing, and shooting which will overload your computer.

Just posting because photobucket has restored their links, so I wanted to check my screenshots. They are here.
One thing I only touched on, was what a great sport Bil was to play. In every case, he was solicitous, courteous, and willing to adjust to any of my preferences. If I did not emphasize it enough, "Thank you" to Bil. It was truly a pleasure.

Just posting because photobucket has restored their links, so I wanted to check my screenshots. They are here.
One thing I only touched on, was what a great sport Bil was to play. In every case, he was solicitous, courteous, and willing to adjust to any of my preferences. If I did not emphasize it enough, "Thank you" to Bil. It was truly a pleasure.

In honor of the imminent release of CMSF2, I figured I would get a heads start on the time honored tradition of complaining about every new release by making it into a fun game!
I give you, CMSF2 BINGO!

All in good fun of course.

I would differ slightly from what has been said in that I don't think it's changing positions per se, but rather limiting unbroken exposure time. As @sburke mentioned, launch time for a Javelin is 15-20 seconds from spot time (varies by unit experience rating). Assuming the Javelin team will probably not spot your unit instantly upon reveal at typical modern combat ranges this give you about 20 seconds of safe continuous exposure time. This is just enough time for a tank or APC to pop out of cover, stop and fire one round or burst at an area target then move back into cover (10 second Pause command at waypoint). The turret must be pre-rotated towards target prior to movement. Rinse, repeat. It does not matter if the enemy knows where your vehicle is if it's never exposed long enough for a target lock. Longer exposures to engage enemy vehicles with direct fire are permissible, but only from keyholed positions.
Modern warfare against Javelin-equipped forces requires a level of micromanagement and exhaustive LOS checking someone coming from the WW2 games is unlikely to expect.
 

I just re-read my old CMBN "Better Beta Beater Reader" AAR against Bil. (Photobucket is back to allowing links, so that prompted me to check.) Anyhow, there was one turn or two where I lost all but one of my tanks. I think this was similar. 
Anyway, get posting! (And stiff upper lip and all that.)

MINUTE 18
Let this be a warning to you.., if you are playing a modern game and keep your armored assets in the same position for more than a turn or two this is what will happen.  Death can come from anywhere... it was only a matter of time before I got those two tanks.  They hadn’t moved really since they came in as reinforcements, eight turns ago for the Challenger and 13! Turns for the Leopard.  Even in WW2 if you position your vehicles in non-hulldown positions and leave them there, you will have to pay the price eventually.
 
First to fall to a Javelin, his remaining Challenger…

…then another Jav Team took out his last remaining tank, the Leopard 2A4.

As time expired, another Javelin had just started its downward plunge on a Marder.

Baneman is pushing several infantry teams and another Warrior towards my ridgeline.  Also in view is a Scimitar that has been in that position since very early in the game.  This move seems kind of desperate to me, it’s too weak to be able to do anything really worthwhile.  It is however, the correct solution, too little too late though... he needs to push as much combat power as he can muster as close to me as he can.. one or two vehicles and a few teams will not be able to do much against what I have in the area.

The Bradley at BP1 is taking the infantry under fire, but the Warrior IFV drove by without incident.

Shown in this image on the reverse slope of HILL 41.1 and HILL 42 are four Bradleys and their dismounts… There are another three Bradleys in this area as well, plus a BMP-3 and two BMP-2s.  They can all reorient as required, I have the interior lines.

Here is an overview of the situation in the north.
NOTES:
The BMP-3 Platoon is taking up overwatch positions on OBJ DIAMOND.. I suspect he has a Fennek and a Warrior IFV in this objective, or nearby.   The LAVs are gathering all of the dismounts, Syrian and USMC and then will move to the Assembly Area for an attack on FARM 011 and 012.  Two Scimitars were last seen in this area.  They will be supported by the T-90 section. My reserve is starting to move forward to get into jump off positions for their eventual attack into EA1... but this has yet to be decided, and I may push them on another axis, toward FARM 002 perhaps. BP-1 and the Javelin teams on the ridgeline will be a support by fire position for any attacks.
 
As can be seen in the Blood Board, he has a lot of combat power remaining.. I am not taking anything for granted:

Just posting because photobucket has restored their links, so I wanted to check my screenshots. They are here.
One thing I only touched on, was what a great sport Bil was to play. In every case, he was solicitous, courteous, and willing to adjust to any of my preferences. If I did not emphasize it enough, "Thank you" to Bil. It was truly a pleasure.

Personally, I think it is likely that he smashed his keyboard after that last turn you posted and has been unable to post anything since. (Not just because of the broken keyboard, but because of the keys embedded in the fleshy parts of his hands.)

Personally, I think it is likely that he smashed his keyboard after that last turn you posted and has been unable to post anything since. (Not just because of the broken keyboard, but because of the keys embedded in the fleshy parts of his hands.)