tc237

I don't know, an AC-130 supported us once in OIF but I'm sure there was an SOF team acting as a liason with the aircraft and our higher HQ. And there certainly was no AA threat other then small arms. I would not want it in the game because it is just too dang lethal at this small scale. When that thing was up there firing it sounded like a tank platoon in the sky just hammering away. Very impressive.

He wasn't asking about PLT or ompany CO's he was asking about Company XO's or HQ units. The HQ unit would be helping with casulties, so that is OK, not gamey. The XO's job? That is a very big topic and you won't ever get the definitive answer. Basically he can do anything and everything he wants to help the unit accomplish the mission. In game terms that can mean: -Being a medic, maybe not himself personally but certainly his crew would and because there are no actual medic units in the game it can be safely assumed that the company medic is with the XO. -As an FO, yep he can do that too and they usually are in direct commo with the FO because the CO is to busy to coordinate arty sometimes -Providing cover for supply or weapons teams -There really isn't anything gamey when it comes to XO or HQ units, they are the commanders wildcard.

Yep, it was an M551 not an M1, huge difference. Anyway, the C-130 requirement for the Styker is a bit misleading. The C-17 is much more capable than a C-130, it can fly out of the same small rugged airfields and can carry more weight much further then a C-130. Plus, they are more reliable then the older Herc's. Any Stryker is going via C17.

Yeah Falcoander, I've seen that happen too. Anyone know Chuck Zingenfuss, from Project Valour IT or milblog fame? As a young Sct LT he burned his hands pretty good with a star cluster, I had another LT that shot himself in the eye with one.

It depends on how much airlift capacity you are willing or able to use. I don't think M1A1's and M2's require that much more then Strykers would. (1 M1 per C-17, 2 M2-Stryker per) How many C-17 sorties would it take to fly in something similiar to the Heavy Reaction Company Team that was flown in to northern Iraq in 2003? IIRC, it was something like 25 sorties for 1 M1A1 plt + 1 M2 plt + 1 M113 plt and HQ, ~15 total vehicles + personnel. Here is another example: C/2-70 AR, was flown out west to help the 75th Rangers (and this is from a captured airfield to another captured airfield) http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/2004/onpoint/ch-5.htm It is probably the same or very close for a Stryker unit. I highly doubt that ever happened, in fact I would probably bet a large amount of money that it never did. And that's not counting the supposed use of a C-130, which is too small physically to even load an M1A1. Even for a C-17 or C-5, no one is that stupid, the Army and Airforce know exactly the number and type of vehicles each aircraft can lift or if it can be unloaded in the manner described. And an M1A1 is not one of the vehicles....

Falconander, every major unit has deployed in support of the GWOT. Even the OPFOR at the NTC (11th ACR) deployed, and IIRC so did at least a company of the Hohenfels Opfor. Anyway, as someone that recently trained LT's at Ft Knox, I really can't see CM:SF, in it's current form, being used for any type of training. It isn't any better that what is being used now, no matter how cool we think it is. Right now it is simply a 3D game with modern weapons and equipment. There are no formations, tactics, SOP's etc... that an instructor can use to train with. No way to teach Army doctrine, which is what every training aid must do. A civilian example is using Madden football to teach a high-school football team it's own playbook, but not having any of the team specific plays in the game. Would the kids learn a few things and have fun? Sure, but that is missing the point of using the game, which is to focus training on very specific aspects and objectives. Take a Tank Platoon for example, in game it is really just 4 seperate tanks that have no link to each other. No way to move together, support each other, no formations, battle drills, SOP's, etc... unless by excessive micromanagement from the player. Sure, you can give each LT a tank and tell him to work as a member of the platoon, but that can be done now with current training aids and doesn't require CM:SF. And enough with the -military is locked into old ways of thinking and doesn't like video games- line. You might be able to put that over on civilians that do not know any better but the truth is that the military spends millions of dollars every year on new technology for training. Ft Knox has Walmart sized buildings full of every type of simulator. Every LT and NCO student is issued a laptop with numerous games and aids, every class room is equiped with a wall sized screen, network link and cable TV hook up. When I left they were just about to remove the old terrain tables from the classrooms. I would say the military is way ahead of any other sector in training methods and equipment so that arguement just doesn't fly. Could CM:SF be used as a trainer one day? Sure, but it would probably take a lot of work, be vastly different from what we are playing now and probably wouldn't be as much fun to play.

IMO, the initial Basic Training time a soldier gets is almost irrelevant, especially when talking about 2 similar world class armies like the US and UK. The real training occurs when the soldier arrives at his active duty unit and it is ongoing throughout his time in service. We used to consider all new soldiers to my unit as "Untrained", with only the basic knowledge of wepons and tactics. And no knowledge of unit SOP, techniques or procedures. It was up to the NCO's to really train their soldiers. Another example, in Iraq I talked often with former old Iraqi army soldiers we were training, some with more then 10 years experience. Their army time consisted of shining boots and ironing uniforms getting ready for the annual dress parade. They went to the rifle range once a year. They had no concept of the things we consider essential to good productive training methods. "Train as you fight" "battle focused" type training nor of in depth After Action Reviews and self critique. So, using the initial Basic Training time as a measurement IMO misses the mark. Both armies (UK, US) conduct tough, challenging, realistic training that is thoroughly reviewed, critiqued and corrected. The type of training and how the training is conducted is more important then the length of training.

Thanks for the video's Flanker, brings back memories, they have a load of crew cuts....

"oh sh*t, traverse left" "where?" "left!, in there, no more left, there it is" "got it" "arm the gun" "UP!" "Fire" "On the Way!" boom

Right. You are already completely soaked through with sweat within a few minutes, so adding a balaclava isn't going to make it worse. Heck, being soaked in sweat was the only thing that kept me cool (nature working as intended).

No way Steve, not anymore. You better have a drip pan down. And you are "dry sweeping" (oil-dri, etc..) any dime sized drop. EPA rules, rain might wash that oil drop into the water system, and all that. Don't be the guy that gets called in on a weekend for missing drip pans....:eek:

That's all SOP, even for a brand new vehicle. Don't want to get chewed out by the 1SG. What I am really suprised about (and frankly a little shocked) is that they parked on the grass. It looks a bit soft and wet too. Now they are gonna have to go to the wash rack before heading back to the motorpool. Did they actually let people track mud around the inside?

Why? Answer: Wood

OK Mord, good luck. M1A1TC, I was at Stewart 99-01, 3-69AR. -by the way, Mord, you should have been a Tanker ...

OK, I remember now. The first time you "swear" is to the recruiter that all the info and paperwork is correct and that all your legal information is legit. It is more like swearing in at a legal hearing. The next time is the official swearing into the US Army and is legally binding, you raise your right hand and recite the Oath of Enlistment, administered by an Officer. Once you do that your ass belongs to Uncle Sam and usually ship out that day, you don't go back home. Until you actually do that, you are not legally "in", you can still get out and change things. It happened to me, they did not have my desired MOS (19K armor) initially, so they had me sign up for something random to "get into the system". When my ship date approached, with still no 19K, they called me and said I had to ship out as a (whatever it was). I told the Captain that called "hell no", I had not officialy been sworn in and that I would only go in as a tanker. Maybe because he was an Armor officer that he took pity and told the recruiters to stop giving me a hard time and have patience. It took awhile but a year after my first trip to the recruiters, I finally swore in and shipped out to Knox. You still have a chance to get a bonus Mord, look into it. Don't expect to get one in 3 years, that will be a re-enlistment bonus and will not be nearly as much as an initial enlistment bonus. A re-enlistment bonus is calculated as something like: 1.5 times your base pay at the time of re-enlistment, and that is a high end bonus for a critcially short MOS, usually it is .5. It will be nothing near a possinble 10-20 grand lump sum enlistment bonus. I can't believe there is no bonus for 11B.

Yes, Yes, WooHooo!! Congrats and God Bless. hmm.. don't you usually swear in the day you ship?

Congrats bro, Some more advice: Like others have posted, "don't let the recruiter screw you". The Army needs people bad, you hold all the cards here, get what you can now (choice of MOS, duty station, bounus, etc...) You WILL NOT be able to change later, not untill you re-enlist. Do not be fooled by "you can join to be a mechanic now, then transfer to infantry later". Especially if they are selling a technical MOS like Commo, Mechanic, etc.. they won't spend all that money, time and training just to let you go Infantry a few years later. (They tried that with me 15 years ago, waited 12 months to get the MOS I wanted, ARMOR!!) PT, PT, PT, especially in the Infantry. Running and Ruck Marches (ouch, the knees). Try to achieve 18 year old standards because that's who you'll be expected to keep up with. The DS's at Benning will be tough and no slack. They WILL try to break you and make you fail. Don't take it personal (Thick Skin!!), know that they are just doing their job, work with them not against them. (make sure the platoon is on time, correct uniform, etc..) As an older guy you must ALWAYS mantain the highest standards (uniform, weapon, military bearing), the Drills will expect it and will label you a ****bag if you don't. DO NOT become a "Barracks Lawyer", questioning the Drills behind their backs, etc... Remember, you are going back to a highschool, locker room type of environment ruled by the 18-21 year old mentality. (I miss it ) Use your experience to keep the young guys in the platoon focused on graduation not on petty, personal squables. While trying not to be a "teachers pet". ("back in my day.....") Your unit will be just as hard on you as the Drills were, if not worse. I hate to say it, but unless you are in top notch physical shape, you probably won't get into a line platoon. After 9/11 we had a bunch of over 30 guys join the unit and not one ended up in a tank crew, most were sent to BDE/BN/CO HQ. Because you are older, you may be more valuable in HQ they carrying a rifle, especially if you have other skills the Commander can use, computers, mechanical, administrative, driving etc.. Don't let that affect your morale, be a team player, do the best job you can always. (BN/CO HQ is basically frontline so no real difference there) Good Luck!!! Please post all questions.

If Normal Dude can come up with an RTO script, maybe a few of us can give it a try. Mord, forgot to mention this at the end of the PM, there is a bunch more stuff that I forgot, so please ask a bunch of questions that will help get my brain working.

A warning about using Generation Kill audio, do not use anything that mentions "Charlie-Niner-Two". LOL!! C92 is the callsign of the control tower on Army tank/Bradley gunnery training ranges. (not sure if the USMC uses the same call sign) Anyone that has fired a weapon from a vehicle has heard the "C92" callsign and will immediately associate it with gunnery training. I laughed my a** off when I first heard it used at the end of GK as some sort of real life combat radio transmisson. By the way, I'm currently not working on any mods, lack of motivation.

Mord, I think the best thing might be to just keep releasing as we go, that way these guys have some variety to play with while they wait for the "perfectionists" to stop tinkering. Thanks Seabee, I'm glad you liked it. Which version are you refering to? Mord's or TC237's? My version was a very rough first attempt, just to make sure the audio software worked. Either way, you are correct on all points. The files can be and will be longer, the only concern is file size, which affects download and game load time. I don't know what the optimal file length vs file size will be. We are gonna need feedback on that. I might just make a huge file for you guys to test and report back on. Also, I'm gonna work on having more "space" between transmissions, add callsigns into some transmissions, splice in a few "rogers" "acknowledged", etc.. Currently, I'm collecting sound bites and making a spreadsheet listing the contents of each soundbite (maybe). It should help me piece things together for a more authentic sounding mod.

I haven't really worked on the mod this week, but did try something fun last night and this morning that sounds cool. I dug out a cheap, old PC microphone and placed it near my cheap $8 PC speakers. Drag n' dropped 10 sound clips (about 2 minutes total) into Windows Media Player and let them play consecutively, record it all through the Mic using WavePad, finally save the result as a single file. It sounded OK, and was much easier then trying to combine all the sounds in an editor. Then came the crazy idea to: upload the resulting single sound file to my portable MP3 player, hook up the MP3 player to a portable "boom box", start playing it in the background, then, start playing another set of 10 sound clips through the PC speakers, and record the whole thing with the cheap Mic. I've got to tell ya, it sounds pretty good, you get that Dual Net effect for maybe 5 minutes of work. Here are 2 sample files to try, a Soft and a Loud version. Only use one at a time and remember to rename it background.wav Each file is 3:10 minutes and 32MB. http://www.savefile.com/files/1704166

Haha, the Satelite dishes, yeah that is one image of Iraq I won't forget. When we got to Baghdad in mid-2003, there were almost no Sat dishes on the roof tops. When we left a year later, it looked like the back lot of ESPN or NASA, every roof had like 4 Sat dishes. I remember that the street markets had stacks of Sat dish boxes piled up right on the curbs, selling like crazy. To me, the Sat dishes were the definition of freedom. (that and bananas, cause Saddam hated them they were banned, or so the interpreter told us). Parked cars would be great also. Probably impossible, but overhead wires would be authentic. Concertina Wire, Barbed wire, Chainlink Fences. Tables, Chairs. Culverts, above ground pipes, Gas Station type objects. Everything LongLeftFlank wrote about describing walls in his Ramadi thread is dead on.

M1A1TC, I like the realistic CVC and IBA vest with all the little attachments and I love the shoulder holster. But, the Nomex can probably be impoved. Do you need better reference photos? I have a set of old Nomex handy, if you want I can snap a bunch of photos of the arm/leg zippers and pockets for you.

Well, most of the sound clips I got are also from pilots, I guess there is just more of that video around, the upside is that it's a lot clearer (no gun fire in the background). In the current background.wav, you can hear an internal conversation between the 2 Apache pilots, most of that wouldn't be sent over the Net (like lasing to targets, re-engaging, etc....) The trick to get it sounding authentic is to break up the conversation. Insert other voices, radio transmissions and beeps between the pilots voice. If you still want to work on this, I can zip up all of my sound bites and send them to you. (or I can give it a try, doesn't matter to me) Regarding the Syrian radio chatter, do we need an actual radio transmission or just some Arabic voices, does anybody care what they are saying? A question for the fans of this mod, regarding the large file size and length: Do you guys mind that it might be a very large file which will mean a longer game load time?

What is a Sangar?