JulianJ

Personally, I compared the cost of the investment not against other video games but against tabletop miniatures gaming, since Combat Mission is much more analogous that that experience than most video games.
The $110 of the CMBN Big Bundle would get you a decent sized starter force for a single faction in a wargame like Bolt Action or Flames of War. Of course you'd need to buy terrain and paint and rulebooks and dice and tape measures and whatnot (meaning you'd likely spend more), and then of course you've got to actually put the stuff together and (ideally) paint it if you want to play a game. Which, after setting aside dozens of hours for the hobbying, requires you to either go to a game store or meet up with friends (let's just set aside the whole Covid thing for a moment, because eventually that will be over).
So, in contrast to that, the $110 for the CMBN bundle gets you a lot more. You get dozens of units across the Allied and Axis factions, encompassing regular infantry, airborne infantry, mechanized infantry, armor, artillery, and more. You get historical TO&Es for the date of the scenario you're playing. And you get some of the best rules I've ever experienced in a tactical-level wargame, which feel by all accounts to be very realistic. You get literally 700+ different "tables" to play on, many of which are sizes that would be impossible to play on if they were real life game board, unless you were happy to tromp all over your terrain. And access to a community of players around the world with whom you can play via email, meaning you don't have to go to the game store at all. And of course, the singleplayer content is plenty challenging for new players, and as others have said will likely keep you busy for a long time.
Anyways, we all have to make our own choices in these matters, but thinking of CMBN more as a tabletop miniatures game than a videogame is what helped me make up my mind. Sadly, now I fear that Combat Mission has made my miniatures collection rather obsolete!

Interesting film, loved the first few minutes, although I am not sure that Disney's style of tanks apparently made of rubber matches reality 😉

It's a training film but any range that required you to lead the tank you were shooting at was probably not range you'd achieve penetrations at. It's certainly impressive how much of the rifle was essentially one big shock-absorber though. 
It's funny how much the helplessness of infantry against tanks is glossed over so cleverly. You are extremely unlikely to snap the track on any tank with a single .55 boys round and if you're a steady enough hand to actually hit the turret ring of a moving tank i'd make you my platoon's designated marksman. I'm not wasting my Company's Olympic Gold Medal shooter on an anti-tank rifle...

It would be cool if CM could do tunnels of one type or another.....They've always been a feature of insurgent/urban warfare. 
CM:BB had the sewer movement system which the AI could often exploit in very surprising ways (especially if you were testing your own scenarios and had forgotten it was turned on).

Blimey!  That'll need ointment! 

First rules
1 -Wait until the children are at school or in bed
2 - Wait for your wife to watch television or pour a sleeping pill in her glass.
If she resists and tells you about her colleague who put on her green necklace with the blue dress, yes, the one she wore when on her birthday and you should remember it given the way you looked at her (don't answer the trap)   it's lacks taste especially since she wore it with the red shoes the same as she saw that she had copied  and besides the green necklace will go well with the her dress of the same color (message to grab) and then also blah blah blah…. There, don't hesitate to make a backup and double the dose of sleeping pill.
3 - Drink water and avoid beer or that little Alsace white wine that I'm sipping while writing these lines
5 - Turn off the television in order to concentrate as well as possible
6- Finally, for old people like me, don't hesitate to cover yourself with a little wool
only after applying the rules above!!!!

Happy New Year, Virtual PBI!  Thanks for posting this @Erwin
My main gripe with BS and SF2 is the ineffectiveness of ordinary artillery against armoured vehicles. PGMs aren't much better. I have had many direct hits and near misses and vehicles often seem to be unaffected. They drive away with apparently no track/wheel damage or immobilisation.  The worst was an offtable 122mm exploding underneath a Bradley in BS. I cannot envision anything other than it penetrated the vehicle completely. I can't see any way that the Brad wouldn't have been blown to pieces. Shortly afterwards it drove away!  
Here is a link to one of the discussions artillery and tanks
Likewise I find LOS a constant minor irritation.  I expect many players have lined up a 'perfect position' only to find that when you deploy the weapon, the crew cannot see anything. Having the wrong ammo is annoying but I put it down to standard military incompetence and a drunken quartermaster 😉. I gave up on the hulldown command and use the manual method, which seems to be more effective, though time consuming. I do wish BF would address some of the most egregious issues, in terms of realism and gameplay. I can live with TOW  Humvees being sh*t, but some of the other stuff does reduce my enjoyment, not to mention immersion. 

Just played a game where I had to exit my guys. They were all off with 10 minutes to spare.
But instead of hitting ceasefire, I let the clock run.
Obviously there were Germans all over the map but with no-one to spot them, I couldn't see what they were up to.
So I was a bit surprised to hear grenades going off. Is that what they get up to if no-one's looking?
Slightly disappointing end to the story is that when I reviewed the map at game end, turns out one of the vehicles had wandered into a minefield along with supporting infantry. I was probably hearing that.
Mind you, I did get victory points for it. Which isn't bad after you've actually left the field. 🧐

I always thought the pixeltruppen were foraging for berries and mushrooms while not being spotted. Or maybe even digging a hole just before they pulled down their trousers.

I've made a new building. It's an upmarket one because I got tired of all the squalor. It is suitable for a governor's residence, mosque, consulate, or warlord's palace. I didn't know what to call it, so "Posh Islamic Place" will have to do. I've made or added some flavour objects so you can create a large compound.
It has two types of roof - one plain white, one traditional Islamic tiling.
NOTE: It is numbered to follow on from Kieme's original 14 buildings in HD. If you don't have these buildings, just renumber the MDR FILE so it is consecutive to the buildings you already have - e.g it will be building 9 if you have just the vanilla buildings. Unzip and place folder in Z folder.
I suppose you louts are going to blow it up now.


DOWNLOAD LINK:
http://www.mediafire.com/file/z54plxguppj217o/Building+15+Posh+Islamic+Place.zip/file
A compound, with attractive water feature and nicely placed for local shops and ISIS homeboy parties:
Note that the wall doesn't go all the way around for clarity.

 
Extra flavour objects - some I made, some which are from Black Sea and Kieme's Civilian Vehicles. Note they are in convenient flavour object slots.


Islamic decorated arch (pic doesn't show detail) and a flower bed.

Our beloved president.

Kieme's Civilian Vehicles
Download links:
JJ's Additional Flavour objects
http://www.mediafire.com/file/0go8386p0dtkm0e/JJ's+Additional+Flavour+Objects+for+SF2.zip/file
Kieme's Civilian Vehicles
http://www.mediafire.com/file/t1qulvn5ap15kgj/Kieme+CMBS+additional+flavor+objects+(civilian+vehicles).zip/file
Building 15
http://www.mediafire.com/file/z54plxguppj217o/Building+15+Posh+Islamic+Place.zip/file

 

Vehicle 9 Civilian Wrecked Car Flavour Object c/w ground tile
Wrecked car flavour object
[Based on Kieme's SF1 pale blue car]
This is a destroyed car to put in your battlescenes. It is modded on the SF1 VBIED pale blue car.
Put it in the Z folder
It looks best with the ground tile Wreckage supplied with it.
http://www.mediafire.com/view/3p5yyk20xu3dka3/Vehicle-9-Wreck-on-burnt-ground.jpg
You can replace any ordinary ground tile. It has the mod tag [wreckage] applied.
 
NOTE: flavour objects need consecutive numbers. You will need to put it in the next available vehicle flavour slot in your game and renumber the mdr file accordingly – e.g if you have three vehicles this will now be vehicle4.mdr
Link again:
http://www.mediafire.com/folder/vnvbrljke5n3s/vehicle9_car_wreck

I find that, when leading my men, if I have a low-cost victory and all (or most) survive, I have a cold beer and look back at what happened.
When my men die and suffer needless casualties and fail, I have a cold beer and look back at what happened.
 

 
 

I just found this on Youtube. There is an English translation from an aggrieved Ukrainian, but I found it fascinating - a look at a well-equipped sniper team, with an electronic warfare specialist on board, with an EW anti-drone weapon, and the team themselves have a western commercial drone among other western  kit.
 

[Fumes] ☹️ That autovoiceover drove me mad - couldn't get to the end of the vid. If that's the state of robots, they won't be taking our jobs soon :-). 

oh, cool, can't wait.  Also Oct 23 on Netflix there's a movie about Romans in Teutoberg forest that might be good. 
 
SPOILER (romans lost, germans won)

I've made a new building. It's an upmarket one because I got tired of all the squalor. It is suitable for a governor's residence, mosque, consulate, or warlord's palace. I didn't know what to call it, so "Posh Islamic Place" will have to do. I've made or added some flavour objects so you can create a large compound.
It has two types of roof - one plain white, one traditional Islamic tiling.
NOTE: It is numbered to follow on from Kieme's original 14 buildings in HD. If you don't have these buildings, just renumber the MDR FILE so it is consecutive to the buildings you already have - e.g it will be building 9 if you have just the vanilla buildings. Unzip and place folder in Z folder.
I suppose you louts are going to blow it up now.


DOWNLOAD LINK:
http://www.mediafire.com/file/z54plxguppj217o/Building+15+Posh+Islamic+Place.zip/file
A compound, with attractive water feature and nicely placed for local shops and ISIS homeboy parties:
Note that the wall doesn't go all the way around for clarity.

 
Extra flavour objects - some I made, some which are from Black Sea and Kieme's Civilian Vehicles. Note they are in convenient flavour object slots.


Islamic decorated arch (pic doesn't show detail) and a flower bed.

Our beloved president.

Kieme's Civilian Vehicles
Download links:
JJ's Additional Flavour objects
http://www.mediafire.com/file/0go8386p0dtkm0e/JJ's+Additional+Flavour+Objects+for+SF2.zip/file
Kieme's Civilian Vehicles
http://www.mediafire.com/file/t1qulvn5ap15kgj/Kieme+CMBS+additional+flavor+objects+(civilian+vehicles).zip/file
Building 15
http://www.mediafire.com/file/z54plxguppj217o/Building+15+Posh+Islamic+Place.zip/file

 

Woow, impressive work JulianJ!

I've made a new building. It's an upmarket one because I got tired of all the squalor. It is suitable for a governor's residence, mosque, consulate, or warlord's palace. I didn't know what to call it, so "Posh Islamic Place" will have to do. I've made or added some flavour objects so you can create a large compound.
It has two types of roof - one plain white, one traditional Islamic tiling.
NOTE: It is numbered to follow on from Kieme's original 14 buildings in HD. If you don't have these buildings, just renumber the MDR FILE so it is consecutive to the buildings you already have - e.g it will be building 9 if you have just the vanilla buildings. Unzip and place folder in Z folder.
I suppose you louts are going to blow it up now.


DOWNLOAD LINK:
http://www.mediafire.com/file/z54plxguppj217o/Building+15+Posh+Islamic+Place.zip/file
A compound, with attractive water feature and nicely placed for local shops and ISIS homeboy parties:
Note that the wall doesn't go all the way around for clarity.

 
Extra flavour objects - some I made, some which are from Black Sea and Kieme's Civilian Vehicles. Note they are in convenient flavour object slots.


Islamic decorated arch (pic doesn't show detail) and a flower bed.

Our beloved president.

Kieme's Civilian Vehicles
Download links:
JJ's Additional Flavour objects
http://www.mediafire.com/file/0go8386p0dtkm0e/JJ's+Additional+Flavour+Objects+for+SF2.zip/file
Kieme's Civilian Vehicles
http://www.mediafire.com/file/t1qulvn5ap15kgj/Kieme+CMBS+additional+flavor+objects+(civilian+vehicles).zip/file
Building 15
http://www.mediafire.com/file/z54plxguppj217o/Building+15+Posh+Islamic+Place.zip/file

 

+1.  Very nice @JulianJ.  You were able to get Kieme's Civilian Vehicles to show up in CMSF2?  I've been wanting that for awhile now.  I'll check that out right now.  THANKS!! 

Niiiice! Thanks, Julian!

I've made a new building. It's an upmarket one because I got tired of all the squalor. It is suitable for a governor's residence, mosque, consulate, or warlord's palace. I didn't know what to call it, so "Posh Islamic Place" will have to do. I've made or added some flavour objects so you can create a large compound.
It has two types of roof - one plain white, one traditional Islamic tiling.
NOTE: It is numbered to follow on from Kieme's original 14 buildings in HD. If you don't have these buildings, just renumber the MDR FILE so it is consecutive to the buildings you already have - e.g it will be building 9 if you have just the vanilla buildings. Unzip and place folder in Z folder.
I suppose you louts are going to blow it up now.


DOWNLOAD LINK:
http://www.mediafire.com/file/z54plxguppj217o/Building+15+Posh+Islamic+Place.zip/file
A compound, with attractive water feature and nicely placed for local shops and ISIS homeboy parties:
Note that the wall doesn't go all the way around for clarity.

 
Extra flavour objects - some I made, some which are from Black Sea and Kieme's Civilian Vehicles. Note they are in convenient flavour object slots.


Islamic decorated arch (pic doesn't show detail) and a flower bed.

Our beloved president.

Kieme's Civilian Vehicles
Download links:
JJ's Additional Flavour objects
http://www.mediafire.com/file/0go8386p0dtkm0e/JJ's+Additional+Flavour+Objects+for+SF2.zip/file
Kieme's Civilian Vehicles
http://www.mediafire.com/file/t1qulvn5ap15kgj/Kieme+CMBS+additional+flavor+objects+(civilian+vehicles).zip/file
Building 15
http://www.mediafire.com/file/z54plxguppj217o/Building+15+Posh+Islamic+Place.zip/file

 

I've made a new building. It's an upmarket one because I got tired of all the squalor. It is suitable for a governor's residence, mosque, consulate, or warlord's palace. I didn't know what to call it, so "Posh Islamic Place" will have to do. I've made or added some flavour objects so you can create a large compound.
It has two types of roof - one plain white, one traditional Islamic tiling.
NOTE: It is numbered to follow on from Kieme's original 14 buildings in HD. If you don't have these buildings, just renumber the MDR FILE so it is consecutive to the buildings you already have - e.g it will be building 9 if you have just the vanilla buildings. Unzip and place folder in Z folder.
I suppose you louts are going to blow it up now.


DOWNLOAD LINK:
http://www.mediafire.com/file/z54plxguppj217o/Building+15+Posh+Islamic+Place.zip/file
A compound, with attractive water feature and nicely placed for local shops and ISIS homeboy parties:
Note that the wall doesn't go all the way around for clarity.

 
Extra flavour objects - some I made, some which are from Black Sea and Kieme's Civilian Vehicles. Note they are in convenient flavour object slots.


Islamic decorated arch (pic doesn't show detail) and a flower bed.

Our beloved president.

Kieme's Civilian Vehicles
Download links:
JJ's Additional Flavour objects
http://www.mediafire.com/file/0go8386p0dtkm0e/JJ's+Additional+Flavour+Objects+for+SF2.zip/file
Kieme's Civilian Vehicles
http://www.mediafire.com/file/t1qulvn5ap15kgj/Kieme+CMBS+additional+flavor+objects+(civilian+vehicles).zip/file
Building 15
http://www.mediafire.com/file/z54plxguppj217o/Building+15+Posh+Islamic+Place.zip/file

 

I've made a new building. It's an upmarket one because I got tired of all the squalor. It is suitable for a governor's residence, mosque, consulate, or warlord's palace. I didn't know what to call it, so "Posh Islamic Place" will have to do. I've made or added some flavour objects so you can create a large compound.
It has two types of roof - one plain white, one traditional Islamic tiling.
NOTE: It is numbered to follow on from Kieme's original 14 buildings in HD. If you don't have these buildings, just renumber the MDR FILE so it is consecutive to the buildings you already have - e.g it will be building 9 if you have just the vanilla buildings. Unzip and place folder in Z folder.
I suppose you louts are going to blow it up now.


DOWNLOAD LINK:
http://www.mediafire.com/file/z54plxguppj217o/Building+15+Posh+Islamic+Place.zip/file
A compound, with attractive water feature and nicely placed for local shops and ISIS homeboy parties:
Note that the wall doesn't go all the way around for clarity.

 
Extra flavour objects - some I made, some which are from Black Sea and Kieme's Civilian Vehicles. Note they are in convenient flavour object slots.


Islamic decorated arch (pic doesn't show detail) and a flower bed.

Our beloved president.

Kieme's Civilian Vehicles
Download links:
JJ's Additional Flavour objects
http://www.mediafire.com/file/0go8386p0dtkm0e/JJ's+Additional+Flavour+Objects+for+SF2.zip/file
Kieme's Civilian Vehicles
http://www.mediafire.com/file/t1qulvn5ap15kgj/Kieme+CMBS+additional+flavor+objects+(civilian+vehicles).zip/file
Building 15
http://www.mediafire.com/file/z54plxguppj217o/Building+15+Posh+Islamic+Place.zip/file

 

Not in Afghanistan in the early days - ICOM radios were the comms means of choice and they were still heavily used after the mobile phone network spread across the country in about 2007.  ICOM is still common today.
As to knocking off Telecom towers, the low tech Taliban method is to find the representative of the phone company and tell them they'll get a bullet through their head if they don't turn it off when directed to do so.  It is a very frequent occurrence and played quite a large part in disrupting the Presidential election in September last year.

I've just finished Tal Malah. Great battle, sent innumerable takfiris to their virgins.
I really like playing the Syrians. This was much better than Red v Red QBs. Although I felt the first stages of the battle went well, as it wore on, my forces were getting attrited, and a few mistakes, coupled with low ammo meant that I was worried about being over-run, especially as it seemed there were some Jihadi reinforcements coming into play.
So I was surprised when the victory screen came up. An SAA total victory.
The addition of armour, arty made the uncons a force to be reckoned with. I can certainly recommend this battle. In a H2H I think the Jihadis would have a significant chance of winning.