RockinHarry

Just tried an hour with first 2 tutorial parts and I´s surprised It plays like ARMA3, key command wise, which is great. Felt beeing at home instantly.😎 Will try next creating a self purpose training mission, so I can learn without beeing interfered by that virtual training Sgt.. lol 😆 Unsure about squad mates AI. I surely appreciate ARMA3 squad member commanding which is more detailed, but I´ll see how far ER2 goes in this regard. 🍻

Spent another ~2 hours with ER2 in tutorials and self made training mission on "Stalingrad" map. Where applicable I changed key binds to the ones I´m used to in ARMA3. So beside memorizing rather few new ones, I´d almost no learning curve there and could play like it´s ARMA3. 😎 Will see how much this pays off once I start playing a real mission.
While squad handling is more of a dumbed down ARMA3 version it´s still some good fun. Wished for more squad formations, as well as direct "Into cover" command and assigning particular enemy units to be targeted. But it´s not ARMA3 (yet).
I also like that you can climb in and out through the windows (which can be opened and closed) and that you can jump from balconies at low heights. That´s not even possible in ARMA3 unless using some mods.😎
Another gimmick is that you can light up fireplaces by using the "Activate" command. No idea if that has an actual purpose or is rather sort of an easter egg. But I´s somewhat surprised. 😅 There´s lots of possible inventory items of among them is food items IIRC. I´ll likely see if playing some the missions.
Driving a tank and switching to available crew positions is fun too. A number HUD options seem unavailable, but that might add to realism level maybe. Next I´ll test commanding (commander position if there´s any like in ARMA3) a single tank and then see if the crew doesn´t do stupid things, like in ARMA3. That´s among the things that interest me the most ATM.
So far, so good (fun).

Role needs to be defined. Pathfinding is what I explained, in other words, finding a secure route for the formation. 

Testing some soft factors.
Tired translated in CM =You can't go Fast.

Fatigued translated in CM= You can't go fast or hunt.

Exhausted translated in CM= You can only Move or go Slow. Slow gets you exhausted inside 100 meters but you still can crawl.

 

A Front Too Far seems beeing an earlier (or first) game from that developer. Stalingrad is Easy Red 2´s first and thus far, only DLC. I purchased both at 12 Euro and it can only be more inexpensive when going for...erm..warez. But of course we don´t go for anything like that, do we? 🧐😅

thanks mate! 😎 I´m just checking some vids (yeah, no manual to be found) and after I played some games later today I´ll likely go editor mode and stay there for "a while" lol 😁 (oh..we can refine looks even more by using Reshade! 😁)
 
 
Last but not least, a developer that responds and communicates with his customers properly
 

I've been pushing Easy Red 2 for quite a while now, so I'm happy to see it gain some traction (particularly from my old pal Thomm!).
It is flat out the best FPS WWII game out there for my taste. It has a great editor, so anything you can imagine is fair game. It is also squad based, so one can give orders or take them from the AI. The AI is really quite exceptional for something so open (and can be explored in the Editor further). The developer is also a committed, talented dude that is open to suggestions.
I have made a few maps for ER2, in between BFC funtimes. My handle is Formaldehyde on the Discord and Workshop. There's a 2k map of Ortona that I consider done and fun, and a few others that were more to learn the ropes (Caen West and Nijmegen have a lot of the old structures that may get swapped out when the Normandy props become available).

Thank you for supporting this fine game!
Back when I started, I haven't found any manual.
So some first advice: The game is about conquering (or defending) a series of victory locations, usually one at a time.
These locations are marked by icons.
A 'flag' marks a victory location which was already conquered.
There is a different marker for contested victory locations.
When on the attack, move towards the 'contested' markers (or follow your squad leader). Eliminate all enemies at the victory location and wait until the icon turns into a 'flag'. You will get a voice cue to move on towards the next victory location. Remaining enemies will retreat to the same location.
So, since the action always centers around a specific map location, there is almost non-stop fighting, with very little idle time.
Controlling a tank is easier when using the T key to switch to third-person mode. Even though this may be considered cheating. As the gunner, the right-mouse button will bring up the gunners zoom view. Mouse-wheel will switch ammo type. You will have to switch to AP most of the time, because the default is HE.
Hope you will have fun!

Since it seems to be okay to talk about other games:
Easy Red 2 ... is awesome!
For just 8,99 €  / 9,61 € it offers phenomenal fun!
IMHO
Best regards
Thomm

It is basically single-player. You are a member of a squad or a vehicle crew, which consists of bots. You can also command the squad using basic commands, call in artillery, etc.
You have several campaigns to fight through (Crete, Anzio, some Japanese island, Stalingrad as DLC).
Additionally, there is multiplayer, even though few people are online.
In these games, 95 % of the soldiers are bots, so part of the fun is to find and hit the few human players (most of the time they use the available vehicles, and when on foot, they can often be identified as those who act more self-preserving than the bots 😉).
There is constant action, the game system produces many epic moments.
I had to deinstall it (after finishing the Stalingrad DLC missions), because it started to affect my productivity.
I intend to buy future DLCs.
Love the game as it is light-weight, yet so much fun!

https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2023/02/13/when-will-the-war-in-ukraine-end-experts-offer-their-predictions/
Food for thought, especially the munition running out in the West, while China continues to deliver munition to Russia. And other dangers looming.

Good to see the US Airforce still knows how to pop balloons. Something they did in WW1 too. 
 

Something worth mentioning is burning in Moscow. Institution more connected to Roskosmos, but undoubtedly producing/researching for military as well.
GreyZone published a rant that by attacking Wuhledar russian MoD tries to take away glory from Wagner. Difficult to tell how much it is true, and how much effects of infightings between various factions.
 
 
 

Strikes for the last week on Russian ammo dumps, HQs, milityary bases, barracks.
I didn't meant about this, but already two days UKR heavy struck Melitopol and it vicinity.

In part due to Russian destabilization, the government resigned. The new PM is going to be a former Interior Minister who is a hard ***, very pro Western and EU. Moscow got the opposite of what they wanted out of their efforts.

But we have no one... 
Though... Today this video has appeared. Nobody can't say exactly wht is this - maybe the same "secret" kamikadze-drone with 1000 km range. But some experts recognize in it new aerial target for AD training RZ-60. which was offered to MoD as far as in 2019 by private company "Ramzay", but militaries didn't interest in its features. Maybe it was upgraded to strike purposes, who knows... 
But this drone suspiciously similar to Iranian drone Arash-2 %)
Upper photo - RZ-60, lower - Arash-2

 

FFS are we still on about this?  Have you invested in a landmine consortium of some sort?
“There were 90 of us. Sixty died in that first assault, killed by mortar fire. A handful remained wounded,”
So whose landmines were they?  We have heard no reports of Ukrainians employing them so they could have been command detonated claymores.  Or they were attacking through their own minefields.  
So this entire episode reinforces my points.  The minefield cause initial attrition but did not block the assault.  It slowed it down but mortars did the actual killing. Mines may have had a supporting effect but were not decisive.  It is just as likely that these Wagner convicts were forced to assault through one of their own minefields, which is an additional issue with their employment.
But hey you are right no one is marching in the streets in protest so clearly the logical thing to do is start planting millions of AP mines all over the place. I mean if we are throwing out the book because we are done with “precious pearl clutching” let’s bring back napalm and carpet bombing.  Why not supply Ukraine with chemical weapons?  If it going to be a race to the bottom and killing Russians is the only consideration to the exclusion of all else, some bio terrorism in the backfield along with some good old fashion Vlad-style impaling should do the trick.
Ukraine sinking to the same level as Russia is a terrible idea in so many ways.  We are the “good guys” and the second we forget that we may as well toss in the towel.
 

Operating with only two crew members?
 

24th assault battalion "Aydar" of 53rd mech,brigade was brought to the battle on northern flank of Bakhmut. Reportedly UKR troops could retake 400 m of ground and kept own regained positions. 
"Madyar" confirmed UKR push on the north (but didn't mean battalion's name) and claimed UKR kept positions in the city and on the southern flank. 
According to his battle intensity rate, on 12th of Feb we had 3/10 in the city and on the south and 6...7/10 on the north. 
"Madyar" also told that Wagners now attack with bigger assault groups in 15 men instead 10 as usual, but they obviously havn't more convicts in reserve to replenish own forces - now together with Wagners appeared Russian regulars. But he didn't clarify either this real Russian units, or just mobiks, given to Wagner command.
On the video - "Aydar" troopers before counter-attack
@dan/california Access to civilians w/o special permission was really banned today. After Zelenskiy visited Bakhmut, to the city almost a "piligrimage" began. Huge number of journalists, politics of any level, all wanted to get good PR. All this distract soldiers for maintaining their security. Now each rifle is important, so milityary decided to stop this endless flow of "tourists". Especially now, when Russians shell roads to the city and already first diversion group, sneaked inside the city was eliminated.   
 
And just some Bakhmut vibes - Wagner mercenery was shot in one step from UKR trench
 

Vuhledar now. The look from southwest. Big black spot across the road is completely ruined miners cottage settlement (also named as "upper dachas"). In upper left corner - Southern-Dombasian mine #1 and nibe worshops across the road - large UKR strongpoints, cobering the town from east.
According to Khodakovskiy, UKR troops conducted unsuccessful attempt to push Russians west from the town and after this hit with HIMARS command point of DPR "Kaskad" battlegroup. One combat officer was killled 

Result of UKR strike with Tochka-U on the building of school in Nikolske village - 18 km NW from Mariupol. Reportedly Russians had barracks and ammo dump here. Locals say they heard about five explosions and aftr hit two or three paramedic vehicles arrived. Russian social media didn't write almost anytrhing about this, just officially was claimed UKR missiile was shot down. Though, probably no signifiucant damage
  
Also one more known missile attack this night is a hit of MGB of LPR building in Kadiivka (Stakhanov), Luhansk oblast. On local TG write about 2 KIA and 5 WIA.   
PS. Aftermath of Makiivka HIMARS strike. Russian 1444th MRR of Samara oblast was disbanded. One their battalion was almost completely wiped out. Other personnel now is sharing among other regiments. Soldiers of 1444th regiment filmed an appeal to General Staff and Putin in order to save their unit. 

Gas-pipeline in Yaroslavl' oblast, Russia. Maybe again "Bratstvo" sabateurs work? %)
 

Also considering western Maskirovka. It´s surely all just information that western supporters want Russia let "know". Figures can be less, but maybe much more instead. Free press in times like these can be real PITA in western democracies.
After the war it´ll be really interesting to know about Gepard and PZh2000 success rates. Same for other supplied western weapon systems and oncoming Challenger, Leopard and Abrams tanks. 😎