Sgt.Squarehead

Interesting suggestion on the subject here: https://warisboring.com/by-the-way-russia-is-supporting-the-taliban-in-afghanistan-now/ Distinct lack of tangible evidence beyond limited hearsay, but that's nothing new of course.

My WWII tastes still lie predominantly to the East, there's nothing I like better than stamping out fascist vermin with the Red Horde. Give me Partisans and I'll be able to cut their throats while they sleep too.....Bliss!

Apparently he makes exceedingly good cakes: "A scrimmage in a Border Station- A canter down some dark defile Two thousand pounds of education Drops to a ten-rupee jezail. The Crammer's boast, the Squadron's pride, Shot like a rabbit in a ride!" I've been reading Kaplan again.....He really likes his Kipling. I'm also reading 'Ghost Wars' by Steve Coll, an excellent overview a particularly formative period of modern history: https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Books/Ghost-Wars-Secret-History-Afghanistan/0141020806

I've kind of got a plan that kind of covers it (scenarios 2 & 3 on Mini-Map 2).....Combatintman may not entirely approve of one of the concepts, so I'll get an 'authenticity-check' before I proceed. Alternatively the scenario in question could even become a prelude, as while this idea should cause some fairly catastrophic map modification (if the player succeeds), the location is entirely predictable and modelling the devastation shouldn't be a problem.

The new, moodier (but significantly less perilous) setup zone, looking SW: & NW: Just look how close that compound (primary objective) is.....I mean, how hard could it be?

VBIEDs don't seem to like your side-streets very much LLF, I think it's because they are composed of two half-tiles.....Haven't managed to persuade one to use anything other than the main roads.

I'm making decent headway with battle #1 now, it's got five AI plans for maximum replay value, but none of them are massively complex just yet.....This one's a company level attack with the aim of securing a compound (possibly the TV station) and sweeping the district through two phase-lines. Initial forces are 2nd CTS Platoon A Co. (dismounted) with their Co. HQ (mounted) and some Armed Locals (keep an eye on them). 1st Platoon (mounted) will reinforce your initial position once the compound is secured (approximately 15 minutes allowed) & 3rd Platoon (mounted) will support the advance to Phase-Line Bravo along the main road (arrival in approximately 45 minutes), it seems their radios are playing up. so you'd better have that road clear by then. Mil-35 Gunships are on call and a section of USMC 155mm M777 Howitzers (two tubes) provide artillery support . Just to add to the fun there are some rather worse for wear civilians who need evacuating back to the new HQ compound, right through the middle of the on-going fire-fight! A full-on bloodbath is a distinct possibility!

She may not be all she seems: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2009/may/07/nefertiti-bust-berlin-egypt-authenticity

This bit of the manual: Regarding pre-planned 'AI Targets' appears to be incorrect, based on my experiences with this scenario and others it seems that the AI chooses randomly from the painted targets rather than striking them in sequence, I have seen no evidence of sequential targeting at all.

So are you going to fix the mess you made in the Cathedral Refectory then? Eh? http://places.wishful-thinking.org.uk/WOR/Worcester/CathedralRefectory.html

My grandfather's summary of his recollections of Normandy....."Traffic jams & dead horses."

Just checked the manual to see if I'd missed anything regarding AI artillery plotting, this section: Implies it should work as normal for both sides.....In my experience it doesn't. I'm going to try a FAC & a couple of Hinds on those trucks, see how that goes......Nope they're borked too! AirTest.btt On the scenarios/campaigns front, it's well worth tracking down 'Major Nosov's Brigade': It's not at the Repository any more as far as I can see, but the link about half way down this page: http://combat-mission.fredrock-racing.com/downloads.html Still works.

They can't do anything, there are only one or two crew slots and they don't carry ammo! They are utterly useless apart from as targets in not terrifically exciting convoy missions.....Apparently BF's Russian saboteurs partners wanted them this way or something (I really do not understand why they didn't just port the CM:SF trucks). On a brighter note CM:A does have one of the most beautiful & clever CM maps I've seen, RommL's 'Salang Pass': http://www.battlefront.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=314&func=fileinfo&id=1024 This map actually works for AI convoys.....No trucks routing via mountaintops here! Traffic jams though remain largely unavoidable! PS - I think there's actually a scenario scripted on the Salang map, but I've never tried playing it.

Hope you get sorted soon. Could it be an Antivirus issue.....Webroot caused me all kinds of grief with my new installs (and probably will again at the next CM patch of major significance)? I'd recommend 'Combing The Green Zone' and 'A trouble in Herat' as fun stock scenarios (the latter was the basis of the map used in this scenario), there's loads of goodness at The Repository too.....Playing about in the CM:A editor is kind of satisfying, you've got a quite a few more options than CMSF and there is plenty of potential for some really original scenarios. This game is slightly unusual in that the uncons, especially Mujahideen, may well actually be better fighters than the DRA or Soviet forces they face.....Not very well trained perhaps, but every bit as used to living in the field and being shot at, and a damned sight less bothered by it too (I typically set Mujahideen at Regular, -1, Extreme, Average, Limited and Tribals at Green, -2, High, Fair, Scarce). One big issue with the game is that AI artillery may be borked.....Scripted AI Targets work as normal, but after that I cannot get AI forward observers to fire artillery in game. I haven't thoroughly tested air controllers yet, but my optimism isn't high. Kind of hoping @Battlefront.com might spare a moment to let us know what the actual situation regarding AI artillery is in CM:A.....I'm hoping that it's down to something in the AI scripting that I've missed. Then, of course, there's the trucks...... If you want to try to get one to work on the other, try this test as Blue, WEGO, Scenario Author Test: ArtyTest.btt Your silly-pointless-waste of space trucks should (with some delay) get blown to smithereens by nine 152mm tubes.....But they don't!

D'oh.....I should have thought of that really!

All very sad. While The Star manages to reduce most of their content to sensationalist drivel, they have at least correctly identified ISIS as a death cult.

Does the behaviour change if the weapon is presented with a really good target (like a cluster of infantry or a soft-skinned vehicle) at the longer ranges?

It seems to me that the ability to 'Pause' the troops has already fixed the problem.....Clicking it is a bit like the squad leader shouting "stay put & keep your heads down". Presumably they will still fire their weapons if directly attacked, so the decision to abandon defences is in the player's hands under those circumstances. Just my tuppence.

Chat away fella, any and all input is welcome, the more Mosul focussed the better, but I enjoy a good banter too!

And even then, that's only what it looked like just before the explosion!

You are going to cost me some money at this rate!

Now I'm getting somewhere.....I've chopped the map into three bits and I'm looking at four maybe five scenarios (roughly covering the period November 2nd to November 17th 2016) on those mini-maps, one a very cloak and dagger type affair with limited possibilities for map damage. If it all works and there's enough interest (and some AARs with pictures) I can mess the map up to a best average and do the fighting in December/January on that, possibly as an all-in-one, full-on, Stalingrad style slug-fest, but probably not.

Sounds quite good.....How does it weigh up against Strategic Command in your opinion? The way you seem to feel about it is reminiscent of my own feelings about those titles.....'How can something this simple be this good?'.

Here's a useful guide to goings on in Mosul, the events of week two through week six are most pertinent: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/04/battle-for-mosul-maps-visual-guide-fighting-iraq-isis Wikipedia's summary is here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Mosul_(2016–17 The situation in an adjacent area (just behind the front line) at around the same time: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/05/battle-for-mosul-stalls-islamic-state-stronghold-iraq

Aye it looks like there are other problems too, truth to be told.....AI controlled artillery appears to be broken, I'm trying some more tests but it doesn't look promising. Forgot to say the Blast Test should be played as Red, WEGO, Scenario Author Test.