Wicky

Haiduk thanks for the continued updates it is very clear what happened and as usual the story of liesis just a media misinformation attempt to put a fig leaf over it.
A pity that Europe is not closer to be able to help stop bullies grabbing terrority.
Hobo I agree it is very clear what Russia is doing and at some point they will go too far.
The small people will suffer for the choices made by dictators.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-46345853
Yet another terrority grab by Russia...
Keep up that belief that Russia is in the right and a mere victim of Ukrainian elections..
Certain people in past history did the same *ull*hit and it did not end well for that nation and leader let's hope everyone else don't have to suffer for this land and sea grab.... (Too many have already, be they innocents in planes or people picking up perfume bottles left by tourists)

Coming to a boil nicely 
PS Jones the cat in Alien / Vasquez in Aliens? So a space Alien theme going on...

Carry on

Nope - at the tiime the game is set the US has its airforce mainly for the task.  
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army_air_defense
 

One slight "oddity", I've realized that early on I must've switched off the tree's & never noticed it when I returned to the game.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-46340283
"Under a 2003 treaty between the governments in Moscow and Kiev, the Kerch Strait and the Sea of Azov are shared territorial waters."
 
Obviously the Russians are not honouring this, and for the apologists who think Russia has done no wrong ROFL at your excuses!!! Pathetic.

special dedication

Bonjour,
full in the gun at 550 m !

i do the same face that gunner

What provocation? Who recognized that Crimean waters belong to Russia? We sailed in our waters. Prepare for more sanctions.

Serious sharpening in Kerchian strait area, which our bloggers already called in joke "Azovian Traffalgar".
As you know, Ukraine is strengthing own forces on Azov sea and created naval base in addition to Maritime boreder guard forces. To the Berdiansk port were moved by land two armored gunboats and by the sea the former command ship "Donbas" (will use like floating HQ and barrack) and rescue seatug "Korets" - their passing through the Kerchian strait inflicted painful reaction of Russia, but at last vessels arrived in Mariupol.
This time Ukrainian Navy Command decided to move next group of vessels from Black Sea to Azov Sea. Armored gunboats "Berdiansk" and "Nikopol" (Gyurza-M class) and harbor tug "Yany-Kapu". As I said recently two the same gunboats were moved to Azov sea on the trailers by land. But looks like Ukraine consciously has taken a risk, because in December UN General Assembly will pass resolution about Azov Sea. So, before Russia will raise a dillemma - if they permit armed navy boats passing to Azov, this will lead to next image losses of Russian authorities on background of discontent of pension reform and possible return several islands to Japan. But if they will make obstacles to passing or even agression, this will impose international reaction, for example, sanctions and lawsuits about violence of Sea Right.
So, in 3:58 Ukranian gunbout "Berdiansk" requested navigation services of port Kerch and port Kavkaz and noticed, that Ukrainain group is going to pass the strait. But Russian was keeping a silence. At 4:07 a radio communication was fixed between Kerch port and Russian Black Sea fleet ASW-corvette "Suzdalets" (pr.1124M, Grisha-III class) that Ukrainain vessels were detected. Since some time Ukranian group were intercepted by Russian Coast Guard ships and boats.
Russian FSB claimed  "Ukrainian vessels violated territorial waters of Russia and Coast Guard will not allow any provocations". Though because annexation of Crimea wasn't recognized, from the point of view of International Sea Right and UN conventions, waters near Crimea still belong to Ukraine, thus Russian pretenses is not valid.
At the morning, Russian ships became to maneuver dangerously around our vessels and its also were forced to maneuver to avoid collisions.
On the first photo - Ukrainian armored gunboat and harbor tug
 


At 7:00 Russian Coast Guard ship "Don" (pr.745P) rammed Ukranian harbour tug "Yany-Kapu". This moment was fixed by operator of gun module on our gunboat - you can compare sizes of our tug (left) and Russian ship (right).

"Yany-Kapu" has taken light hull damage, engine damage, lost a resque boat, but continued to move. Russian ship "Don" hadn't time for maneuver after ramming of our tug, and by inertion rammed own other Coast Guard ship "Izumrud" (pr. 22460). "Izumrud" got a hole in the superstructure, some sources said "Don" has taken a hull damage with a hole above waterline and withdrew to the port.
At 11:30 Russians claimed two Ukrainain armored gunboats left port Berdiansk on Azov Sea and on full speed sail to Kerchian strait
Ukrainian group, sailing from Odesa stopped in six miles from the bridge. At 13:12 Ka-52 pair passed over and targeted our vesels.

At 13:42 Russian blocked the pass to the Kerchian starit by the old tanker and sea-crane.

Minesweeper "Vice-admiral Zakharyin" N.908 (pr.266, Yurka class), two speed patrol boats Raptor class and Coast Guard ship "Izumrud" N.354 guarded the pass.  


On this zoomed photo you can see the damage of superstructure of "Izumrud" after collision with "Don"

About 14:00 tugs moved the tanker and Black Sea fleet group - minesweeper and Raptors sailed in Azov sea. Then the pass was blocked again.

Soon, Russian Su-25 pair appeared in the sky, they passed along the bridge.

Close to the evening local inhabitant filmed a video from own car, how in the field near Zavitne village, southern of Kerch, Russian night transport-assault heilcopters Mi-8AMTSh is landing. Possibly assault groups was onboard and they prepared to seiz all our vessels in the night or on dawn. 

Last information but not confirmed - our group in the sea withstanding against 10 ships and boats of Black Sea Fleet and Coast Guard, Russians communicated with our group and claimed to stop machines, any attempts to move toward the bridge will cause opening the fire. Source in our MoD as if said vessels will return to Odesa - they completed their mission and showed for international community agressive intentions of Russia, showed brutal violation of acting Agreement about general use of Azov Sea - military vessels can pass free through the strait and for this its just need to notificate (not to await for permission in the queue) navigation point in Russian port Kavkaz, which controlled traffic and provided with harbor pilots as far as before the war.
UPD. AFTER 20:00 OUR GROUP IS UNDER ATTACK OF RUSSIAN SHIPS. REPORTEDLY ONE GUNBOAT HIT AND ONE SAILOR WOUNDED> THERE IS NO INFORMATION EITHER OUR BOATS FIRED IN RETURN OR NOT.
UPD 2. BOTH GUNBOATS AND TUG CAPTURED
 

Speed of movement order could be a contributing factor - I've noticed of late  a few players in youtube vids and screenshots using 'fast' order for everything. 
It could cause adverse effects when entering buildings with AI thinking the urgency in gaining entry gives precedence over everything else, and that door round the corner will help get everyone in in the shortest time.  Hopefully folk are clicking a waypoint immediately in front of the door they want to enter rather than just plonking it directly in the building in a long bound and hoping the pixeltroopen will infer precisely what was in the player's mind.
PS Brit troops should queue come what may as it's our national sport....

"This is a local shop for local people.  There's nothing for you here...."  Edward (The League of Gentlemen)

 

Unless I missed something in reading it...it sounds like the "new" Russian tactic is...area fire of suspected enemy positions. Nothing revolutionary there. And extremely wasteful of precious tank ammo. 
If anything...it seems to confirm that they know that their sighting systems are lacking(vs Western systems) since it is implied that they don't expect to spot western tanks first. They are HOPING that the western tanks will "reveal themselves by firing". Thereby allowing their "sniper tanks with special crews" to target them.
Then there is stuff about fighting from trenches and behind berms. Not exactly practical when engaged in mobile tank warfare...
The only thing I agree with them on is... that a tight-knit crew functioning as a team is vital....
 

Rab C. sits slumped at the bar of The Clansman with about an inch of lager left in his glass. Then all of a sudden he sits bolt upright. "Eey Jamesie, will youse liisshen to this pish. Hes doesnae knowse the difference between "Scot" and "Scott".
"Aye, yer right there, Rab. Who would yer have in an army full of Scotts?" ........
So let's answer his question.
Sir Walter Scott, who would go into battle dressed as Ivanhoe on a white charger, and promptly get shot .
Terry Scott, who would refuse to go into battle unless Joon Whitfield was holding his hand.
Cpt. Robert Falcon Scott, a man so stupid that he tried to reach the South Pole using pit ponies instead of huskies.
And, Sir Peter Scott who whenever given the binoculars to study the Jerries positions, would shout "Father, father, there's a falcon!" Only to be told, "That's me, you Stupid Boy".
 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-46200218
A group of Russian history buffs was surprised to find a reminder of Soviet resistance to the Nazi invasion in the form of an improvised minefield near a busy road.

Members of a club devoted to the history of the nearby Krasnaya Gorka military fort almost stumbled across the makeshift mines in a quiet stretch of woodland not far from St Petersburg, the local Kanal 5 TV channel reports.
Club chairman Alexander Senotrusov said Soviet forces stationed at Krasnaya Gorka had no mines with which to block German tanks on their way to Leningrad in 1941, so they improvised explosives from pre-revolutionary naval shells and laid them out in rows around the fort.

"One pound of pressure, and up you go," he told Kanal 5.

"It's a miracle that there's not been a tragedy here in nearly 80 years," marvelled TV correspondent Roman Ishmukhametov as he stood alongside a mine - all the more so as local people have been coming across occasional shells for seven years while out mushroom-picking.

Ha! I was wondering how long it would take those 60 seconds to pop up as an example of how not to do things.
My own fault entirely for not covering the basics- one scout team out on that flank and I would have heard it coming and not been caught with my pants down.
But that's combat mission: make mistakes, get punished. The trick is learning from it. You can be damn sure that's never gonna happen to me again.

🙂
 
 

A huge part of the challenge of good map design is to achieve reasonable believability that what one sees could be found in nature, and balance for play. For CMFB I spent many hours coming up with what I thought looked like a very convincing part of the Ardennes, but was utterly miserable for proper play. 
Making a map that is focused solely on mimicking real terrain can be visually satisfying, but unsuitable for play without considerable effort to make it workable and fair. Much depends on whether one wants to make a full fledged scenario, with AI plans, etc, or a map that can be selected for QB. 
My own preference is for smaller battles and smaller maps. I enjoy trying to imbue a sense that when one is playing on my maps that they feel as if someone really lives (or vacated recently) the location. Flavour objects are something that I spend many hours on but that to me become part of an immersive experience. 
I think it’s important, when making a map, to not present the players with obvious things created for play balance. Yes, the map needs to be balanced for its intended use, but if done well, it should not look like anything but a slice of the planet served up on the computer screen, rather than having obvious spotting locations, places of cover, and movement paths. The designer must think of these things, but then make it look to the player like it was never a consideration, or it really does cry out “just a game.” If the player is thinking carefully, they should discover these things through observation and analysis, rather than it being clear from the moment they see the map.

It takes a while to high five everyone after you destroy the first tank, so maybe they were still working through their touchdown celebration dance routines when the second one showed up? 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Churchills-Last-Wartime-Secret-Airbrushed/dp/1473823811/ref=pd_sim_14_1
Reviews are pretty much scathing it as Kettlerian CT.   
Plenty of books on the occupation of the Channel Islands if you want that kind of thing
or the famous capture of 'vacationing' German troops by Home Guard near Walmington-on-Sea on the south coast.

Mixing CM with historical photos
 

 

I spend more time trying to avoid signing up to receive ads from some of the sites you link to than viewing the site. 

A popular standalone forum setup uses https://www.phpbb.com Check the footers of forums that you like and follow the link to the makers.
I develop Joomla CMS websites and if clients want a forum added I set them up with https://www.kunena.org so they can have the same log-in avoiding the need for Battlefront sales & community's two separate logins.
See what your hosting package cpanel / Softaculous has as options for convenient installation.

NATO Operational Combat in Europe or something like that? I forget that particular one, but I like a couple of others  
Nuclear Weapons - Either player, feeling his position is hopeless, may overturn the game table. He forfeits the game, but we hope he enjoys losing so spectacularly. Use of tactical nukes: if one of the players resorts to the use of tactical nukes, spray zippo lighter fuel over the game and set it to fire. The effect is comparable to reality.