JulianJ

Oh you poor soul. You’ll be writing virtual letters for your pixeltruppen. 

This is slightly OT but @kevinkin's link has an amazing lecture about the Ukraine war here.  I wonder if the slides are available?  https://mwi.usma.edu/video-dr-phillip-karber-ukraine-russian-way-war/  I found it fascinating - I didn't agree with some of the politics in the first few minutes, but then it goes into military matters.  Highly recommended - I think most people on this site, interested in modern war, will find it useful, if scarey!

Oh boy. Now that I'm planning my first H2H CM:BS game, I tried to take a more detailed look at the capabilities of all those units. I admit that I don't have a lot of knowledge about modern warfare, but still: I can't even google most of the stuff I'm searching for. CM:BS desperately needs a better documentation for the units' capabilities. The game manual is lacking in many aspects: 
For many ATGMs, you can't even find how they work  You don't get to know what kind of smoke vehicles pop (and in which pattern), [it would be perfect if the manual gave you info on how many minutes the smoke grenade will be "active"/emitting smoke, whether it degrades/blocks IR/thermal imaging, whether it is fired defensively (close) or aggressively (farther out in front), how many charges the smoke grenade launcher has] You don't get to know the spotting devices for most vehicles (and infantrymen). In the game UI, you often only get to see an "IR" entry in the damage section, or - for infantry units - some night vision devices in the equipment section - But what does this actually mean? How does the game handle spotting devices? Magnifiers of all kinds, night vision/rest light, night vision/infrared, thermal imaging? Does the game differentiate those and how? And does it matter where those devices are (gunner/loader/commander/driver positions)? And where the devices are located on the vehicle (locations of periscopes, vision slits, etc). Similar questions arise for infantry: we don't get to know how capable the spotting device is (if the game even differentiates several levels here...?) and, e.g., if it makes a difference if a soldier wears googles or is equipped with a night vision scope on his weapon. Generally speaking, spotting is such an obscure topic in all CM titles, but in CM:BS, it matters even more in WWII titles, due to all the available technology. Right now, the manual does not explain how all that technology is represented in the game.  If anyone has some knowledge he would like to share, I'd be very thankfull!  But ideally, it should be ingame info, not "real world" info. I primarily want to know how weapons and other equipment works in the game, not in the real world. The lack of documentation limits the fun I get out of the game, since I can't really understand what's going on on the battlefield. Questions like this one pop up all the time: "Was that just bad luck or did I miss some important technical advantage of the enemy vehicle?"
PS: By the way, I also think it would be very nice (in all CM titles) if the manual listed the standard [regular/normal/fi/0] point costs for a unit.
PS1: The BMP-2 (Ukraine) has just 2 crew members? The commander seems to be missing, or is that intended? If the commander is missing, does this degrade the spotting capabilities of the vehicle? (the commander's position has the best spotting devices according to the internet...)

You absolutely never want to pack anything into the original install brz files. That's a recipe for disaster.  Plus there is no reason you would ever need to.
Nice work, btw.
 
Mord.

The absence of various MRLS, (Grad, Uragan & Smerch in particular) is starting to grind my gears (this goes for Ukraine too).
PS - @Sublime Just for you:

I never liked the T-80  that much, but then I discovered these threads:
http://sturgeonshouse.ipbhost.com/topic/961-communist-tracked-boxes-with-pancake-turrets-dont-you-dare-to-confuse-glorious-t-80-battle-tank-with-kharkovite-t-64-tractor-that-doesnt-work/
http://sturgeonshouse.ipbhost.com/topic/884-t-80-megathread-astronomical-speed-and-price/
I now have around a dozen 1/72 T-80 kits.   
 

What are you talking about?  That is CM6. You move stuff on the game board then see the activity on that monitor.  I bought a drive in theater and used that screen to replace the monitor.  
That is actually an upcoming AAR with Bil and Ian with all the beta testers present.  That's me over to the left with a blue cap asking where the hell the booze is.  Bil and Ian are seated at the table in center - you can't tell but they are wearing VR glasses so they don't actually see each other's forces.  Should be up for pre order in 2025 according to Steve (I am betting more like 2027).

Am sure you will come up with a brilliant plan, Baldrick.   

Trumpet flourish: "TA-DAAAAAA!"
The first one's always the hardest. I've said this before, its not til after you've done your third that you finally become confident (that applies to so many things. )

Great job, Julian. I’m glad you managed to figure it out. Another modder to watch!

Well, after some trials and tribulations I have successfully modded another Independent building.
It's a whitewashed and weathered barn, suitable for most periods of CM. 
The Town of
Маленький Mayhem
Malenʹkyy Mayhem
is on its way, rather slowly, but I think it will now move foward. 
BTW should I zip it to send it to the two game repositories?  As it is an extra building, not a replacement for existing ones it can be used immediately.

Well, after some trials and tribulations I have successfully modded another Independent building.
It's a whitewashed and weathered barn, suitable for most periods of CM. 
The Town of
Маленький Mayhem
Malenʹkyy Mayhem
is on its way, rather slowly, but I think it will now move foward. 
BTW should I zip it to send it to the two game repositories?  As it is an extra building, not a replacement for existing ones it can be used immediately.

Well, after some trials and tribulations I have successfully modded another Independent building.
It's a whitewashed and weathered barn, suitable for most periods of CM. 
The Town of
Маленький Mayhem
Malenʹkyy Mayhem
is on its way, rather slowly, but I think it will now move foward. 
BTW should I zip it to send it to the two game repositories?  As it is an extra building, not a replacement for existing ones it can be used immediately.

Well, after some trials and tribulations I have successfully modded another Independent building.
It's a whitewashed and weathered barn, suitable for most periods of CM. 
The Town of
Маленький Mayhem
Malenʹkyy Mayhem
is on its way, rather slowly, but I think it will now move foward. 
BTW should I zip it to send it to the two game repositories?  As it is an extra building, not a replacement for existing ones it can be used immediately.

Ah Yes, WRG WWII Rules ( and similar ) from the 80's...Those were the Good Ole Days of Micro Armor & HO. 
Joe

Thanks a lot Ian.  Let me buy you a pixel pint of beer out of my new increment of zero.  You're welcome! 🙂

Hi Julian
Yes, modding modular building is a real PITA. I never really got it to work properly and I really dont think I can help you, as I have put building modding far behind me - and I really dont want to reopen that can of worms 😉
But I think I remember that NPye found some sort of solution when we made the joint Stalingrad mod project. Perhaps you could ask him?
Cheers

And remember, when new features are introduced all games benefit from them. Unless it's something specific to a title, like say IEDs for example. You will never suffer from feature envy in CM.
Combat Mission: Leave no game behind™
 
Mord.

I must say I am enjoying the modern era (in terms of killing and blowing things up :-)) over WW2.  I started out 5 decades ago fighting tabletop wargames with Airfix figures and kits (1/76th scale).  WW2, Romans, ACW (never a big fave, though I did play it) then Napoleonic. WW2 was probably my favourite and of course since 2000(?) I played CMBO, CMBB, and CMAK among other computer games.  
I also ran huge tabletop WW2 scenarios back in the day with 6-10 players, and created some RPG scenarios with WW2 as a backdrop. (the best one I adapted from a book in the library, which had a terrible illustration of a Panther in the snow on the cover - I thought if it had actually got published, the book must be good - it was.  I took its plot, Intelligence Officers tracking down a Nazi spy ring in late 1944, and modified it slightly.  The poor players end up interrogating a prisoner near US front lines on Dec 16th. Then all hell breaks loose and they have to fight with ad-hoc US units, escape from captivity (the truck taking them towards Malmedy hits a mine, fortunately) and get back to Allied lines to finish their mission and kill the Nazis in US uniform who are about to assassinate Eisenhower). The players loved it. WW2 definitely has a pull.
But I've gone off WW2.  In my mind it's got a bit repetitive.  I like the idea of Italy and different terrain/units but I probably will buy SF2 instead.  
It's down to taste.  Maybe in a few years I will want to fire up the Sherman or Tiger or T34 again and get stuck in.
BTW my mum thought wargaming was "just an adolescent phase" I would grow out of!
 
 

When you pick foliage you should see an option with a picture of a tree on it and a linear grid. If you click that and place your tree, when you go into the 3D preview you will see that the tree is placed exactly in the middle of the action spot. Rinse and repeat and you have yourself an orchard.

Posters are a pain, but they are possible.  ATM machines in CMSF are similar.  The ideal point to join them seems to be at an AS edge.  Buildings that go a half tile over seem to be particularly difficult to align.  The ATM machine always sits just a bit off the wall.  I have used them sparingly on my Venafro map.  They add a nice touch, but overdoing it will create more work and issues than they are worth.  Also one thing to note is flavor items can affect movement.  I once had a breach team blow a wall then refuse to enter because a bench was there.  Barrels too close to doorways are another item I have seen affect a units movement.  It is best not to place too many flavor items in restrictive locations.  I really like maps with a lot of detail, but it is something to keep in mind that detail can come with a price.

So guys, because I am waiting like most of us to recieve some news from Steve & his Staff, and be a little boring of the time.
Don't want to see empty buildings   was trying to change the view of some empty buildings in CM's...but dont have really knowledges in the mod world, ... sometimes have some silly ideas, I know.
Need some additonal infos, about 2d 3d view and more... I post  pictures of the result, I would like really make more ...would be nice to have some tips, recomandations, advices, and know if my idea is good welcome or really silly...
01 What I did !  seem to be ok 
02 result global ! the result is multiplied of different walls of the house !!
Building can be found in Scenario : the Training Roadblock (Advanced house near the little river, from the german perspective) !!
If some of you are interresting to see result can send the file...
thanks in advance !  

I was at that seminar. It's required attendance before becoming a government employee. The coffee and donuts afterwards were fantastic.
I could show you the secret handshake, but it's a secret. Sorry.

for those like me that weren't sure where to find em   https://www.battlefront.com/shock-force-2/cmsf2-base-game/?tab=screens

You want pie-in-the-sky wishlist stuff where I had an expectation of getting 0 out of 24, this was mine. But what I wasn't expecting was that features would be taken away!
X

Noted on 3rd party mods.
I completely disagree re 'scope creep' though, given that independent buildings have been standard issue with all other new generation CM games. Several could be dropped right in from CMBS and CMFI with no texture work (Northwest Syria is *very* Mediterranean).
I mean, BFC has already done the work. Why not make it available, even if it doesn't appear in the repackaged content from SF1? The thick-walled village church (mosque) and the small flimsy (cinderblock) sheds and barns (which nonetheless block LOS) are *major* advances over CMSF1 for those of us who care about designing granular battlespaces in urban, village or industrial  areas.  As opposed to dropping random buildings on a map footprint and pretending that's a 'town'.
They gave us the tools back in 2011, and now they're taking them away? cuz they can't be arsed or got burnt out fiddling with highway overpasses or sumfink?*
And if those bog standard features are *not* in fact easy to drop in, why the heck not? Did BFC outsmart itself with this whole Families thing?
* not dissing the highway overpasses, btw.