Wodin

I for one thank Battlefront. I mean still great games and apart from maybe Graviteam Tactics (though not wego) where are asll these other better tactical games out there that make CMx2 redundant?

Nice review.

First I apologise for this delayed review! Sorry!
 
Click link to go to review of CMFI and DLC game engine 4!.
LINK
 
 

First I apologise for this delayed review! Sorry!
 
Click link to go to review of CMFI and DLC game engine 4!.
LINK
 
 

First I apologise for this delayed review! Sorry!
 
Click link to go to review of CMFI and DLC game engine 4!.
LINK
 
 

First I apologise for this delayed review! Sorry!
 
Click link to go to review of CMFI and DLC game engine 4!.
LINK
 
 

I know it may sound gruesome but as an option I'd like to see hit decals on Infantry similar to how it works on vehicles however this time leave a dark red decal. I'm fairly sure it could be done as I said along the same lines as hit decals for vehicles.
 
Sometimes I think CM is a touch to sanitised and I'm one of those who feel Warfare should be shown\portrayed in it's bloody entirety.

I know it may sound gruesome but as an option I'd like to see hit decals on Infantry similar to how it works on vehicles however this time leave a dark red decal. I'm fairly sure it could be done as I said along the same lines as hit decals for vehicles.
 
Sometimes I think CM is a touch to sanitised and I'm one of those who feel Warfare should be shown\portrayed in it's bloody entirety.

After two years (on and off) and one false start this little project is coming along nicely and has well and truly passed the halfway mark. What was initially going to be one scenario is now a campaign involving two master maps and a long OOB. The maps and OOB are now done and I'm up to mission building and OOB tweaking where needed. Hopefully at the end of this there will be a Canadian based campaign for the community that pushes CMBN, using many of the assets available from this well developed game family. The 3.0 Upgrade and the release of the Vehicle Pack really breathed new life into this project, allowing for a more historical approach.
 
A Brief History Lesson
July 4th - 5th, 1944
Operation Windsor was the first Canadian set piece battle of the north west Europe campaign involving a a reinforced (4 Inf battalions) brigade and an obscene amount of supporting assets. Carpiquet and it's adjacent airfield was viewed by the Germans as a key defensive strong point on the western flank of Caen and a prime tank killing ground due to the open fields and airfield. The relative high ground also gave the Germans a brilliant observation point across the Odon valley and Hill 112 on the other side which was now a key feature following the conclusion of Operation Epsom further to the west. Carpiquet was held by the 12 SS Panzer Division with the strength of one weakened battalion and an array of heavy weapons and armour. The Canadians attacked over a mile of open ground behind a World War 1 style creeping barrage. After numerous delays they managed to take the village to the north of the airfield. Two separate attacks to the south in an attempt to take a series of hangers was beaten back twice with heavy loss in infantry and armour. A second phase of the operation to capture the airfield control buildings to the east was never undertaken following the failure of the southern attack and delays with the northern approach. Despite what was described as an inferno by German survivors the 12 SS held on all day before retreating to the eastern buildings. Three separate counter attacks by the newly arrived 1 SS Panzer Division from the north were beaten back in the middle of the night and into the following morning before the Germans called off trying to retake lost ground. Despite holding most of the objectives, the Operation was still considered a strategic failure and increased the pressure building up on 3 CID's CO General Keller.
 
Historians at the time always viewed Windsor as simply a prelude to the larger Operation Charnwood, however more recently revisionists have explored the theory that the Operation was less about Caen and more about capturing the high ground overlooking Hill 112 for the future Operation Jupiter. Another theory was to take advantage of the confusion across the German lines following the completion of Epsom to take this key piece of terrain that could have been reinforced in strength when the 1 SS Panzer Division arrived in full into the theatre - something 21st Army Group HQ was already aware was about to happen through ULTRA intercepts.
 
Requirements
The campaign will require all modules and upgrades including the Vehicle Pack.
 
Campaign Features
- 6 - 7 battle campaign depending on outcomes. Covers both the Canadian assault on July 4th and the attempts to hold the objectives into July 5th.
- Complete OOB's for both sides with virtually all units on both sides being tracked as 'Core Units'.
- 'Historical' and 'Better Than History' pathways. (So even if you lose a few battles you are still following in history's footsteps )
- A few larger battles (Battalion+) including one 3x hour 'show piece' monster for the northern approach attack. (Hope you like artillery).
- Hobart's Funnies, bunkers, mines, aircraft and naval assets.
- Research bordering on the unhinged... (old history degree from my Uni days came in handy ). To the point where the names of most Company Commanders and higher and the names of the different supporting artillery regiments can be named.
- Master Maps will be included (including varying degrees of destruction) so players can slice and dice for QB's and H2H's.
- Possibly one stand alone scenario for the main northern attack.
- Some mod tags will be used.
 
Campaign Structure
Note: apologies for the swearing - The scenario name is a line used by one of the Royal Winnipeg's officers in the first attempt to take a set of hangers. His superiors expected the battalion to cross over an open mile of terrain without direct support. At the end of the grueling approach were two well entrenched German SS Panzer Grenadier companies with artillery on call. Should sum up the feelings the player has attempting this one.

 
Some pics of the map (clean undamaged version - which you generally won't see in game)
 
Pic 1 - Northern Master Map looking south towards Carpiquet. Canadians assault from the right hand side beyond the railway line. Village at the front of the picture of Franqueville which was the furthest extent of the doomed Canadian attack south on June 7th. Also the base of operations for the German counterattacks on July 5th.

 
Pic 2 - Carpiquet from the direction of the Canadian attack. (Distant shots without all the fortifications don't do it justice).

 
Pic 3 - Southern Master Map looking up at the hanger objective. The doomed Royal Winnipeg attack.

 
Pic 4 - Destroyed beauty. Four different mod tags will be used for the rubble tiles.

 
More soon.
More info can be found here though some is now out of date.
http://www.thefewgoodmen.com/thefgmforum/threads/operation-windsor-2-0.17914/

The Cross of Iron is a interactive story driven campaign of a German tank company from June 22, 1944 thru June 26. In this campaign you take the role of Hauptman Johan Clauss, Commander of 1.Kompanie, 501 PzAbt during the opening phases of Operation Bagration. The campaign is designed with the latest version of CMRT and it is semi-historical.
 
As Clauss you will be faced with completing missions you have been given and somehow keep your Kompanie alive. You will at specific times during the campaign be forced to make hard decisions that can change the path of the campaign for better or worse.
 
It is very important that you read ALL of the briefings and designer notes as these drive the storyline of the campaign. Also Clauss must be kept alive or the campaign will conclude.
 
Also there are a number of mod tags within the campaign which will result in a rather robust download which is why the campaign is only available on the GAJ site here http://cmmods.greenasjade.net/mods/5458/details. The designer note for the campaign gives a detailed breakdown of the mods used and acknowledges the fine work done by the authors of those mods. In particular I believe that this is the first scenarios/campaign that uses a large part of Umlaut's outstanding factory mod, which in my opinion added the immersion effect that I wanted for this campaign.
 
To install unzip the zip file and copy the campaign file(.cam) to your campaign directory in CMRT and copy the folder panzermike (mods) to your data/z folder and you should be good to go.
 
I truly hope those who give it a try will find it enjoyable. I do feel it will be a difficult campaign to complete but it should be rewarding if you do.
 
Please direct any comments, suggestions etc to this thread so I can make any necessary improvements as they are brought to my attention. It was a great deal of time involved to create this campaign and I want it to be a enjoyable experience.
 
Michael (dragonwynn)

Coming Soon - Colonel Nosov's March on Germany - an 18 scenario campaign for CMRT (Allies vs AI).
 
All battles are in playtest or AI Tweaking mode, every scenario will have at least three AI plans...
 
Core Units are as follows:
22nd Motorized Rifle Brigade
  HQ - Lt. Col. Nosov   2IC - Major Bebchuk   Tank Plt. HQ - Capt Yeltson   1 Co Hq - 2nd Lt. Lachkov   2 Co HQ - 2nd Lt.  Obolensky   3 Co HQ - 2nd Lt.  Repin   MG Co HQ - 2nd Lt. Ruchkin   Mortar Bat HQ - 2nd Lt. Dudnik   4th Bat HQ - 2nd Lt. Arshavin Scenarios basically contain a company from above with attachments, I would say most are small to medium in size and range from 50-90 minutes. See attached sample PDF Manual for area and flowchart of battles.
 
Here is a small video trailer-
 
https://youtu.be/ccqxWqvldrs
 
 
After release this will be followed up with an Axis vs AI Campaign and also all 18 Scenarios in a Battle Pack modified for H2H play...
 
I still could use a play tester or two, you can contact me at my website below...
 
I will update as release time gets closer...

The Eagle and the Bear is a narrative hypothetical campaign of a clash between NATO and Russian forces in the small Baltic country of Latvia. It is a campaign of modern war set in a "could happen" situation where you command a  U.S. Combat Brigade through a 7 day struggle for control of the Baltics.
 
It is designed to be played from the blue side only. Some scenarios are large so it may be slow load times on some systems.
 
It features 11 scenarios, 9 which are playable based on the outcomes of specific battles. I've tried to include a fair number of combat situations from small infantry engagements, airlift operations, urban battles as well as large sprawling armor engagements.
 
You take the role of Colonel Mack Barnes, commanding officer of the 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team and your mission is to successfully take the brigade as well as other NATO forces through 7 days of modern combat. Below is a list of the scenarios and the campaign path:
 
Battle 1- Never Cry Wolf
(Win- The Water Dogs
(Lose- Campaign Over)

Battle 2- The Water Dogs
(Win- The Crossroads of Naudaskalns
(Lose- Campaign Over)

Battle 3- Crossroads at Naudaskalns
(Win- FOB Lancer
(Lose- Campaign Over)

Battle 4- FOB Lancer
(Win - Hill 289.7)
(Lose- The Bear at the Gates)

Battle 5- Hill 289.7
(Win- Operation Hammer)
(Lose- The Siege of Balvi)

Battle 6- The Bear at the Gates
(Win- Operation Hammer)
(Lose- Campaign Over)

Battle 7- The Siege of Balvi
(Win - Operation Eagle Strike
(Lose- Campaign Over)

Battle 8- Operation Hammer
(Win- Turning the Tide)
(Lose- Campaign Over)

Battle 9- Operation Eagle Strike
(Win- The Battle of Krievkalns)
(Lose- Campaign Over)

Battle 10 - Turning the Tide
(Win- The Battle of Krievkalns)
(Lose- Campaign Over)

Battle 11- The Battle of Krievkalns
(Win - Victorious)
(Lose - Defeated)
 
Here is a list of the combatants involved:
 
NATO:

Latvian 1st Infantry Brigade
Latvian 2nd Infantry Brigade
Polish 2nd Mechanized Battalion
Polish 1st Tank Battalion
Polish 6th Airborne Brigade
1st Stryker Combat Brigade Team
1st Calvary Regiment
3rd Armored Combat Brigade Team (Core Unit)

Soviet 20th Guards Army:

9th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade
5th Guards Motor rifle Brigade
27th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade
16th Spetsnaz Brigade
56th Airborne Brigade
100th Reconnaissance Brigade
6th Guards Tank Brigade
4th Guards Tank Brigade
1st Tank Brigade

(Special Note: Due to game limitations the Latvian forces were taken from the stock Ukrainian forces with standard camouflage. The Polish forces are Ukrainian forces with digital camouflage to distinguish them differently.

The Latvian military primarily uses western equipment so they have been equipped with humvee's mostly. However I used MT-LBM's as their APC's. The Poles have the KTO-Wolverine APC which I used BTR-4E's to simulate these as well as the PT-91 Twardy MBT which is simulated by the BM-Bulat MBT.)
 
There are a number of personalities besides Col. Barnes that you will meet as the campaign unfolds. Each will play a part.
 
As with my previous campaign I have included modtags and the needed files. However I do highly recommend Kieme's outstanding CMBS mods to get the full immersion.
 
I am looking for a few playtesters to check it out and help me weed out any bugs I may have overlooked. If you are interested let me know and I will send you a dropbox link to the campaign to try out.
 
 
 

Here's a modification of the movie mode shader that gives it a night vision effect for those night scenarios. It's designed to be used in conjunction with the artificial brightness mode (Alt+B), so to use it all you have to do is hit Alt+B and Alt+M. Here's a link to download it right now, and I'll also upload it to the repository.
DOWNLOAD
A couple screenshots:


Thanks to SLIM for the idea and BarbaricCo for making it known it was possible to mod the shader.

I'm in favor of adding some kind of hit decals to infantry models. I understand that the topic concerning gore has been debated many times before, with Battlefront firmly telling us that they have no plans or desires to add gore to the game. However this sounds like an easy thing to do for an experienced modder, and I think it would only enhance gameplay. If someone kicks in the door on this, I'm sure others will follow by making their own variations, so that the community will have a choice of "flavors" if you will depicting varying degrees of inflicted damage. For example one pack could depict just a small red hole, while another pack could go all out and have elaborate wounding image decals ripped right out of a medical textbook on how to preform open heart surgery. It will then be up to the player to choose his poison. 
Of course, all of this is assuming that it can in fact be modded in, as I doubt Battlefront would pursue it based on what they have already stated in regards to the topic of blood and gore. I agree with Macisle that more realistic damage depictions of buildings, terrain and vehicles would be nice to have, and probably take priority over doing the same for infantry models. Still, it would be nice to have it all in due time. 

I know it may sound gruesome but as an option I'd like to see hit decals on Infantry similar to how it works on vehicles however this time leave a dark red decal. I'm fairly sure it could be done as I said along the same lines as hit decals for vehicles.
 
Sometimes I think CM is a touch to sanitised and I'm one of those who feel Warfare should be shown\portrayed in it's bloody entirety.

I know it may sound gruesome but as an option I'd like to see hit decals on Infantry similar to how it works on vehicles however this time leave a dark red decal. I'm fairly sure it could be done as I said along the same lines as hit decals for vehicles.
 
Sometimes I think CM is a touch to sanitised and I'm one of those who feel Warfare should be shown\portrayed in it's bloody entirety.

Kieme,
 
You've become the Aris\Fuser of Black Sea. Great work..well done mate.
 
As for modding for money. If someone creates a total conversion of a game i.e Wings Over Flanders Field from CFS3 then yes I agree it can be bought. However it's just cosmetic work then no, if you can't do it for your own enjoyment and because you love the game then I say don't bother. I'm working on a game series at the moment for nothing. Because I enjoy working with the one man developer, I admire the game and want to see it reach it's full potential and so am willing to help to the best of my ability.

A great book from the German side is..
 
Seven Days in January
 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Seven-Days-January-Mountain-Operation/dp/0966638956/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427983970&sr=8-1&keywords=seven+days+in+January
 
 

Would like to see the pahfinding improved when infantry moving quick\fast get behind Inf moving at a slower speed some of the running soldiers if coming towards a slower moving unit from behind can just keep running into the back of them shouting move instead of detouring around said slower unit. Small issue but looks bad when it happens esp coupled with the in my opinion below par running animations, the one animation I'd love to see redone.

Haven't experienced any building entering bug and don't play QB..and from my gaming experience I haven't come across any bugs in CMBN, CMRT or CMBS. You make it sound as if the game is riddled and unplayable..well it's far from it.
 
 

A Steam group has been set up as part of Tactical Wargames facebook page. Maybe next year a blog will be set up. 

Come join if you fancy it. 
 
We also have a youtube site but it's in it's infancy at the moment.
 
http://steamcommunity.com/groups/tacticalwargames
 
https://www.facebook.com/Tacticalwargame
 
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjdd1fFxcvh3-2yNYDibTcA

I actually find reloading turns has helped me become a better player as I learn what works and I can then put it into practice. So these days a reload alot less than I did a couple of years ago.

Well I feel sorry for them being so dependent on state of the art graphics..there the ones who miss out.

Well I feel sorry for them being so dependent on state of the art graphics..there the ones who miss out.

Well I feel sorry for them being so dependent on state of the art graphics..there the ones who miss out.