Sgt.Squarehead

The map looks beautiful. Would love to see a campaign from you, that would rekindle my interest for this whole series.

+1

Funny the title "Postcards from the Valley"
Seem that the Talibans writing some holidays postcards to theirs parents the map is very nice...

While wealthier Afghans frequent the local restaurants and coffee houses:

The poorest of the poor eke out a meagre existence, surviving on the leavings of others:

On the steep and winding road to the mine, a pickup has swerved to avoid an oncoming truck and run off the road.....A number of miners have been injured:

The casualties are taken to the local clinic where they can receive basic medical attention:

 

I've finally got the big valley map to a point where I'm happy to use it as a 'master map', it takes a little while to load, but it's stable enough once it does:

It's not quite as detailed as I'd like (CM:A Flavour Objects are not the easiest to place, the rocks really hate steep slopes, which is kind of unfortunate), but I've done my best with it.....I dread to think how many times I've clicked on tiny components of this map in preview mode! 
Here's some scenes of daily life in the valley. 
The day starts early for the water sellers who, like almost everybody else, are forced to hire guards to protect them from bandits as they go about their business in this lawless province:

Before their shift at the local mine a group of workers and their guards enjoy a hearty breakfast of local produce:

A large consignment of ore is ready to be delivered to the refinery in a nearby city:

Meanwhile, near the highway, a DRA Army convoy has stopped to refuel and gather fresh supplies for their journey.....The convoy commander engages in the timeless ritual of haggling with the locals over their scandalous prices:

Map can be found here:  https://www.dropbox.com/s/gsrzlgkxrv6yl2t/[Map] Afghan Highway Valley.btt?dl=0
This is a totally blank map, no AI, no setup zones, no labels.....Nothing. 
Feel free to use & modify it in any way that pleases you. 
PS - Ctrl+Clicking to fast move around this map in preview mode within the game editor is not recommended.....You may well delete or modify something! 
 

While wealthier Afghans frequent the local restaurants and coffee houses:

The poorest of the poor eke out a meagre existence, surviving on the leavings of others:

On the steep and winding road to the mine, a pickup has swerved to avoid an oncoming truck and run off the road.....A number of miners have been injured:

The casualties are taken to the local clinic where they can receive basic medical attention:

 

The Soviet war in Afghanistan seems so much simpler in retrospect doesn't it.....One knew which side everyone was on back then! 
PS - Someone should make a modern game about it. 

Very nicely presented AAR fella. 
Any chance of a few more 'up close & personal' images please.....While they don't offer much in the way of an overview of the battle, sometimes they can capture the feel of the thing in a way that more tactically revealing images can't.

MOVEMENT TO CONTACT

The battle begins and my task force starts deploying. 2nd platoon (tanks) moves forward to establish hull down positions on the rise in front of them. 3rd platoon (tanks) establishes hull down positions on the MSR.


Artillery begins to fall on NAI 1.

On the left flank, scout team 3 moves forward, dismounts and establishes an observation post. All is quiet on the left.

Immediately after taking hull down positions, 2nd platoon encounters and engage enemy infantry moving in the open.

Upon doing my terrain analysis, it became quickly apparent to me that NAI 1 would be an excellent defensive position due to it’s cover, concealment and dominating sightlines along MSR Titan. In short, it is an excellent place for infantry to dig in and engage my forces as they try to move down the MSR.
It appears that the enemy is aware of the defensive advantages of this position as well. The enemy team my tanks engaged is proof that the enemy is on NAI 1 in some capacity, but to what degree?

In order to find out, I dispatch 2nd platoon (infantry) to begin moving towards NAI 1. In addition, scout team 1 pushes up to get extra eyes on and help discover any hidden threats not yet uncovered by the tanks.

As 2nd platoon and the scout teams begin their movement, Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) indicates that there could be a concentration of armor in the vicinity of NAI 1. I waste no time getting the JTAC to call in an Apache to put eyes on the area, and missiles into anything spotted there.

Scout team 1 dismounts and pushes up slightly to get better eyes on the tree line, but spot nothing. Covered by the tanks and scout team, 2nd platoon moves up on line and dismounts its infantry.

Meanwhile on the left flank, 1st platoon (infantry) covered by 2nd platoon (tanks) move forward along MSR Titan to gain a position overlooking NAI 3.

NAI 3 is close to the MSR and would be an ideal spot for the enemy to launch spoiling attacks against my task force moving down the MSR, such as firing RPGs into the flanks of my vehicles. Further emphasizing this point, SIGINT reports that there are potential contacts in the building complex farthest to the rear. Perhaps this is an enemy outpost watching the MSR? To prevent the enemy from launching any spoiling attacks against my task force and to deny him his (potential) observation post, 1st platoon (infantry) will establish a base of fire observing NAI 3, and then sweep and clear the buildings to ensure no threat is posed to the rest of the task force. As 1st platoon moves into position and establishes overwatch, the platoon fire support team calls in a fire mission on the suspected outpost. The mission is a single section (2 tubes) of 155mm and will be short but violent.

Shortly after calling it in, the fire mission lands.

The fire mission is short, only dropping a handful of rounds. As soon as it ends 1st platoon (infantry), covered by tanks on the MSR, advance and dismount in front of NAI 3.

Back on the right flank, my infantry are now fully deployed and arrayed against NAI 1, supported by their Bradley mounts, some tanks, and a scout team. Despite being in the open, my men have not taken any fire. Further, despite having good direct observation of the NAI, I have not been able to uncover any enemy positions. It’s time to advance.
I bring all my tanks in the area on line and begin bounding the infantry forward in teams towards the tree line.


As this is happening, an enemy artillery barrage begins to land. It seems to be falling in the open field to the rear of most of my forces and poses no immediate threat to me.

I've finally got the big valley map to a point where I'm happy to use it as a 'master map', it takes a little while to load, but it's stable enough once it does:

It's not quite as detailed as I'd like (CM:A Flavour Objects are not the easiest to place, the rocks really hate steep slopes, which is kind of unfortunate), but I've done my best with it.....I dread to think how many times I've clicked on tiny components of this map in preview mode! 
Here's some scenes of daily life in the valley. 
The day starts early for the water sellers who, like almost everybody else, are forced to hire guards to protect them from bandits as they go about their business in this lawless province:

Before their shift at the local mine a group of workers and their guards enjoy a hearty breakfast of local produce:

A large consignment of ore is ready to be delivered to the refinery in a nearby city:

Meanwhile, near the highway, a DRA Army convoy has stopped to refuel and gather fresh supplies for their journey.....The convoy commander engages in the timeless ritual of haggling with the locals over their scandalous prices:

Map can be found here:  https://www.dropbox.com/s/gsrzlgkxrv6yl2t/[Map] Afghan Highway Valley.btt?dl=0
This is a totally blank map, no AI, no setup zones, no labels.....Nothing. 
Feel free to use & modify it in any way that pleases you. 
PS - Ctrl+Clicking to fast move around this map in preview mode within the game editor is not recommended.....You may well delete or modify something! 
 

Excellent, I loved these battles in CM:SF.....Red can give a pretty good account of themselves if one is hasty or unwise. 

I'd love to see one of your unique concepts on this map fella, sadly I'm not sure how feasible it would be without triggers. 
I'm planning a 2p only version called 'Opium Wars', one Tribal Group per side, simple occupy & destroy unit objectives, nothing fancy.....I've also a mind to make a 'cutting the highway' type scenario on it for the mid war period, but TBH there's enough on my plate already (Bishr).   
Then there's Abdul Gul's War, the whole point of this map.....That will be rather more complex. 

I've finally got the big valley map to a point where I'm happy to use it as a 'master map', it takes a little while to load, but it's stable enough once it does:

It's not quite as detailed as I'd like (CM:A Flavour Objects are not the easiest to place, the rocks really hate steep slopes, which is kind of unfortunate), but I've done my best with it.....I dread to think how many times I've clicked on tiny components of this map in preview mode! 
Here's some scenes of daily life in the valley. 
The day starts early for the water sellers who, like almost everybody else, are forced to hire guards to protect them from bandits as they go about their business in this lawless province:

Before their shift at the local mine a group of workers and their guards enjoy a hearty breakfast of local produce:

A large consignment of ore is ready to be delivered to the refinery in a nearby city:

Meanwhile, near the highway, a DRA Army convoy has stopped to refuel and gather fresh supplies for their journey.....The convoy commander engages in the timeless ritual of haggling with the locals over their scandalous prices:

Map can be found here:  https://www.dropbox.com/s/gsrzlgkxrv6yl2t/[Map] Afghan Highway Valley.btt?dl=0
This is a totally blank map, no AI, no setup zones, no labels.....Nothing. 
Feel free to use & modify it in any way that pleases you. 
PS - Ctrl+Clicking to fast move around this map in preview mode within the game editor is not recommended.....You may well delete or modify something! 
 

Excellent - this looks awesome.
Chuffed to see this old map getting some air time.
I mind when I first created it I broke an early beta of CMSF by using a myriad of drainage ditches. Got a "row" from Steve and Charles so had to remove a great many of my lovingly placed ditches!
So looking forward to this and see how this pans out combat wise.
Cheery!

+2  You are one talented dude.  It's interesting that the appearance of the ninjas can be altered so drastically.  If you ever had the time to explain how you accomplished that it would be interesting and educational.  Maybe along the lines of a guide.  Then other player /modders would have a basic starting point and might be encouraged to give it a try.  What programs you had to use etc.  I've recently done some very basic modding (see below) using Paint but your skill is many light years ahead of what I've been able to figure out on my own. 
Thanks for making and sharing your mods.     
   

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Afghan National Army for Combat Mission Shock Force 2
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Okay so I am going to release this because it has been sitting on my HD for about a month without me tweaking it further. So it is probably good enough in its current state.
This is a two-in-one mod that turns some of the Syrian Infantry into Afghan National Army. Here is what it does in detail :
Syrian mech infantry ----> Early Afghan Army
Syrian airborne infantry ----> Late Afghan Army
So basically you get both uniforms in a single mod and it is up to you to decide which type you want by selecting the corresponding branch.
 
Early Afghan National Army :
 

They replace Syrian mech infantry and use AK's with a woodland camo uniform. The camo is supposed to represent either regular US woodland, a variant from Iran or Pakistan or a cheap chinese knockoff with a slightly different pattern and colours.
 
Late Afghan Infantry :
 

They replace Syrian airborne infantry, field M16's and their uniform is a mix of woodland camo and the new Spec4ce Afghan Forest camo.
If you plan on using late war afghan infantry, I suggest you use regular airborne infantry as opposed to mech airborne infantry, both located under special forces. They will have a full allotment of RPG ammo.
 
When to use early or late war?
There isn't a clear cut date really but here is what I could gather with a quick search online.
Uniforms :
The ANA began to issue its own pixelated camouflage design in 2008-2009, designed by Hyperstealth Industries and named "Spec4ce Afghan Forest" pattern with some initial batches of these uniforms were made in China.
Weapons :
The U.S. military began shipping about 55,000 used Marine Corps M-16A2 rifles to Afghanistan with the intent of outfitting every soldier in the Afghan army with one by the late spring of 2009.
Of course both of these changes happened gradually but before 2008, you should opt for early ANA and after 2009, go for late war ANA.

Issues :
 
1/ The texture for the buttstock of the AKS-74U used by the squad leader of the paratroopers and the AKMS of the mech infantry looks a tad messed up. I think this is caused by the weapon swap and shared parts so I don't think it can be fixed for late war ANA. For early ANA, you could just temporarily remove the AK74M to M16 weapon swap folder from your mod directory.
2/ This isn't directly related to the ANA mod because the issue stems from the Syrian uncon fighters-Taliban conversion that I made previously, but since both mods are likely to be used in conjonction, I should mention it here. In my Taliban fighter mod, I swapped uncon fighters (the guys with the black pajamas and balaclava) with uncom combatants models and re-textured them both to use the same skin. Syrian uncon fighters and Syrian regular soldiers share the same boots though.
If you want to pit ISAF forces versus Taliban, there is going to be no issue whatsoever.
However if you plan on having a battle with ANA on one side and Taliban on the other, either the boots worn by ANA soldiers or the boots worn by Taliban fighters (depending on the load order) will look messed up because they share the same texture.
Again, I need to emphasize that this will only be an issue if you are using both my ANA mod together with my Taliban fighter mod (And NOT combatants who don't wear boots but trainers).
To keep it simple, I recommend that to represent Taliban forces, just use my Taliban combatants mod and only use my Taliban fighters mod sparingly. Only if you need heavy weapons like Dshk and recoilless rifles that combatants don't have for instance. And finally make sure the ANA mod loads after the fighters. This way the glitch won't be as noticeable.

How to install :
Extract the mod in the following directory : Documents/Battlefront/Combat Mission/Shock Force 2/User Data/Mods
 
Credits :
37mm did the weapon swap for the late ANA. Without his help I would probably not have bothered with the weapons and only modded the uniforms.
 
Download :
https://www.dropbox.com/s/9gcpgmkwc8lgga2/zzANA.rar?dl=0
 
Let me know if there is any problem or error with the mod.
Zveroboy
 

So I should point all of the installers to the actual game install directory (on D: for me).....Sorry for dim questions, but I figure it's better to check?

Combat Mission Shock Force 2 PBEM AAR
MSR Titan
By IICptMillerII

INTRODUCTION
 
This is an after action report (AAR) of a play by email (PBEM) battle I recently concluded. The battle is in Combat Mission Shock Force 2 and features a combined arms task force attacking down a major highway against a near-peer opposing force (OpFor).
The map is taken from the first mission of the excellent campaign “Forging Steel” by GeorgeMC. All credit goes to him for designing the superb map. I have modified the BluFor and OpFor, as well as their respective objectives, but otherwise the map remains untouched.
This AAR features several mods. Chief among them are:
Veins Smoke and Effects mod Drakenlords Fire mod Sahrani Liberation Army (SLA) by myself playing the OpFor US 3rd Infantry Division Multicam uniforms by myself A number of the graphics used in this AAR (mainly the maps and task force layout) are large image files and are best viewed in full size, with the ability to fully zoom in on them.
All sprites of vehicles and soldier models used in the map and task force layout graphics are taken from the game “Armored Brigade” by Matrix Games and are slightly tweaked by me. All credit goes to the artists who created these sprites.
 
MISSION
Task Force Miller is ordered to assault down Highway 3, named Main Supply Route (MSR) Titan, in order to allow follow on forces to continue the attack.
Mission Specific Tasks:
Secure Bridges 31 and 32. Destroy any enemy forces in the vicinity of MSR Titan Do not suffer more than 30% casualties Desired End State:
MSR Titan, to include Bridges 31 and 32 secured and not directly threatened by the enemy. Task Force Miller combat effective and capable of conducting follow-on operations.
 

 
ENEMY
S2 (Intel) indicates the enemy is present in battalion size and are made up of elements from the 16th Guards Tank Division. Specifically, elements of the 47th Guards Tank Regiment appear to be deployed to our front. S2 anticipates a mix of dismounted and mechanized infantry (mounted in BMP-2s) in battalion (-) strength supported by at least one company of T-72AV tanks. It is anticipated that at least one additional company of tanks, maybe more, could be present on the battlefield, possibly as a quick reaction force (QRF).
The enemy is well equipped, well led, and well trained. They are expected to stand and fight and will not give ground easily. Entrenched enemy units not immediately threatening the MSR should be bypassed or be destroyed with indirect fires.
The T-72AV is a very capable tank and is well crewed. It is capable of frontally penetrating our M1A1’s at combat ranges. It is not a threat to be taken lightly.
Additionally, enemy infantry may be equipped with the AT-14 Kornet anti-tank guided missile (ATGM). This weapon can easily destroy our M2 and M3 Bradley/Cavalry fighting vehicles and can severely damage, disable, and even destroy our M1A1’s.
 

 
TERRAIN AND WEATHER
The weather is overcast, though rain is not expected. The Air Force has assured us that the weather will not impede their ability to support the task force.
The landscape is a mildly arid temperate climate. The dominating terrain features are Hill 113, and the gorge that runs North-South, crossing under MSR Titan at Bridge 32. The gently hilled terrain is a mix of grassland, agriculture, and light forest. The forested areas are not expected to prohibit tracked vehicles, though caution should still be used if passing through.
MSR Titan runs East-West along the 2240 Easting. It crosses two obstacles, unnamed gorges, at Bridges 31 and 32.
Several settlements of varying size are scattered through the area of operations. Only one is named, Kronenburg. The rest are designated by named areas of interest (NAIs). The most significant of these are likely to be NAI’s 5, 8, 9 and 12. These are larger settlements located closest to the MSR.
 

 
TROOPS
Task Force Miller is a combined arms task force composed primarily of two companies, one mechanized infantry and one armored. The armor company is Alpha Company equipped with M1A1HC Abrams tanks. The mechanized infantry company is Charlie Company riding in M2A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicles (BFV). Neither the tanks nor BFVs are equipped with explosive reactive armor (ERA) packages, so they are more vulnerable to HEAT rounds, specifically modern tandem HEAT warheads. These units come from 1st Battalion, 64th Armored Regiment. The parent division is the 3rd Infantry Division.
Also attached is 1st Platoon, Alpha Company, 5-7th Cavalry. The scouts operate the M3A3 Bradley Cavalry Fighting Vehicle (CFV).
Supporting Fires:
The task force’s Joint Tactical Air Controller (JTAC) is assigned to the headquarters element of Alpha Company, and rides in a Humvee. Charlie Company has its Fire Support Officer (FSO) in its Bradley Fire Support vehicle (BFIST), part of C Company’s headquarters.
We have been given priority fires for the following assets
Battery A, 1-41st Field Artillery. x6 155mm Paladin self-propelled guns 1 flight of AH-64D Apache Gunships (2 helicopters) Armed with: 30mm HEDP x1000 70mm HE Rockets x38 AGM-114 Hellfire x8 1 flight of A-10C Thunderbolt II’s (2 fixed wing aircraft) Armed with: 30mm APDU x1350 500lb bomb x4 AGM-65 Maverick x4  

 
TIME

The time is 0830. Task Force Miller has 2 hours to accomplish its objectives.
 
INITIAL SCHEME OF MANEUVER 
The initial scheme of maneuver, illustrated by this map, is as follows:

 
Cavalry Scouts (White)
Scout team 3 will advance to NAI 2 and establish overwatch positions North-East to screen the task force’s left flank. Scout team 1 (dismounted) will observe to it’s North-East to provide another set of eyes from a different location to spot any threats that immediately appear as the task force deploys.  
Tanks (Red)
3rd platoon will advance down the MSR and establish hull down overwatch positions that will allow observation down the entirety of the MSR and its immediate surroundings. 2nd platoon will advance forward into hull down positions and establish a base of fire position to cover the infantry 1st platoon will advance forward directly in front of NAI 1 in order to directly observe and engage any threats spotted there and allow the infantry to move up, dismount and begin sweeping the NAI.  
Infantry (Blue)
For now, all infantry platoons will remain mounted and stationary in defilade as the tanks and scouts move forward to their initial positions. Once the tanks/scouts are in position, the platoons will fan out and deploy against their respective initial objectives. 1st platoon is tasked with clearing any discovered threats in the immediate vicinity of MSR Titan. 2nd platoon is effectively the reserve element and will respond to developing threats as needed. 3rd platoon is tasked with sweeping NAI 2 if the enemy is discovered there.  
Preparatory Fires
1 section of 155mms (2 guns) will fire a light mission against NAI 1 to suppress any enemy forces deployed there that could threaten the initial deployment of the task force. The remaining 2 sections of the battery will be on call for fires.

The restored tank M3 raised from the bottom of the Barents Sea. Interestingly,  transmission and engine are original or taken from MTLB.

In many scenarios i think the inflexibility of the AI might also be a limiting factor when it comes to  the players freedom to choose how, where and  what to attack or defend.
I have a feeling that the designers often needs to 'guide' the player forward (using objectives, timings and such) in order for the AI plans to function properly. The AI is very limited to what degree they may react to events taking place on the battle field and to allow the AI to provide the best possible challange the player freedom may at times need to be restricted.
The skill of the scenario designers a constantly improving though and new tricks a technics are found how to maximize the current game engine ☺️
 
 

Broadly, I think there are at least two classifications of Combat Mission scenarios, but there's a further point to make.

One is a tactical problem. This typically has fairly conventional units (e.g., a US rifle company), and might include some interesting tactical wrinkles or a problem to solve.

For those scenarios I'd prefer more vague outlines. The point of these scenarios are often to solve the tactical puzzle (for given values of "solve" and "puzzle"), so being over-directed is a problem. You can still give useful pre-battle information, and indeed this information can be a part of the problem - especially if it is misleading in some way.

The other are more narrative scenarios, historical or otherwise. These may have to have explicit plans to create the story you're trying to achieve. In this case, the plans might be supported by victory locations - i.e., you aren't just told to take hill X, you're given it as a victory location.


The further point comes down to Commanders Intent. When writing orders in reality you need to give instructions on what you want to happen, but that's not nearly enough by itself. "Take hill x by 1800" is accurate, precise and completely useless - if hill x turns out to be more defended than expected, then you'll be forced to cancel the attack, and won't have further direction of what to do.

Instead, orders should consist of three parts: The order itself, the reasoning behind it, and the intended outcome.

"I want you to take hill x by 1800, so that you can form a base of fire and support second platoon's advance. The desired endstate is that second platoon has freedom of movement to go poke objective Horatio".

That means that if Hill x turns out to be too well defended, it might be that there's a Hill Y that would do the same job. That pushes the control down to the lower levels (Platoon/Company/whatever) and gives that low-level commander the tools to make informed decisions.

Interesting idea.  It would be useful and I think realistic to have Uncon breach teams in CMSF2.    

Yup. They exist in CM:A...

More of a coding problem, but the range of weapons in CM:A is pretty interesting for Uncons - they go from Lee Enfield rifles and Bren guns...

So close I can taste it:

PS - I've adjusted the rocks since this screenie was made (again).....Didn't like the floaty ones in the right background and two (horror of horrors) were oriented the same way!   
Map-making.....If you aren't mad already, you will be soon! 

Or if you are a Soviet tank, just the one will probably do: