Sgt.Squarehead

Cool pictures.....I'm kind of interested in tabletop ACW wargaming (Perry Miniatures & Terrible Sharp Sword), so I'd love to see more. 

The Sixtieth Minute
A surprisingly quiet minute, this will be a quick update.
Objective ROT
The situation at the end of last turn:

The panzers are rearranging. The Panthers were over on the right flank, I'm moving them up next to the Tigers and I've opened them all up, there was that much fire flying around that it was easier just to keep them buttoned. They should be fine now I have fire superiority.

One of the Panthers has "issues" and is not in position by the end of the turn.

The infantry are holding position right now. The advanced troops get a new spot on what looks like an infantry squad in a building in sector D that had a Maxim in it. Have these guys just arrived in the AO perchance?

Over at the assault the infantry hold position while I bring the Tiger Zugfuhrer negotiates all the SPWs in its path.

1st zug are dismounting. The advance will continue next turn.

He moves the leftmost armour contact up, but not so far as to dare poking his nose out.

The other one appears to perhaps move at the end of the turn but I'm not sure if it's just the contact marker moving as it does.

The situation at the end of the turn (I've added my guys in as I realised they are now in the area shown on the diagram):

KT4
I pull the StuG back and start boarding some of the infantry on the SPWs, leaving a skirmish line out front with the two panzerschrek teams just in case anything with tracks comes flying down the highway. I'm going to send a SPW off to take out that pesky AT rifle team member that is still hanging on. He's getting intel from him and it also means I can keep an eye on the side of the trees in case he tries to sneak any tanks down there to fire on my left flank (will do a screenshot next time).

SITMAP

Now the Tiger has joined the infantry of 1 Ko. I'll start the push into the objective. It looks like he may have his armour there as security but we'll see if they move again next turn.
At KT4 I'm keeping the fire up on the trees and will let the infantry get on board and then move out to take out that AT guy.
MMM

I have never seen this before, but on this QB map, which was used for a scenario I previewed, several Level 1 buildings lack walls. And sometimes if viewed from different directions some walls appear and new ones disappear.

What is even more strange is that if you try to move infantry into the building you get the "Roof" option which is never shown for Level 1 buildings. But you can use it and....

...your infantry appears in the new "roof" level, floating in mid air. I haven't tried if they can fire from this position, but this is bad enough already.

I tried the scenario from both sides, previewed the map in the editor and even changed the year of the battle to see if buildings differ from year to year, but it all looked the same.

Oh for persistent map damage and/or the ability to load final turn saves in the editor, eh? 
If we had those, that whole process could be so much more fun! 

New scenario just added to my goody box. "KRETA The Mandarin House"...
This is a dropbox link straight to my CMFI Kreta Mods and scenarios.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/nhawptyba75vqkl/AAB2cBGA5UvFpasdj7lu2kfua?dl=0

Now does it show?
 

FR Rumble at Reitwein
2304x976
This in an out-take from Fire&rubble that didn't get time to have tested to standard (though I have done many runs on it in Scenario Author mode, and in my own playtesting).
Meeting Engagement just to the west of Reitwein between Soviet 370 RD and attached armor elements versus elements of Reitwein area Volkssturm, Panther-Battalion "Brandenburg", a KG from the "Kurmark" Division, and attached stragglers from 9th FJ Division.
The scenario is fictional, but is derived from actions and forces in the area in attempting to enlarge/reduce the Soviet bridgehead over the Oder.
Play as either side. 1 plan for Axis, 2 for Soviet side. May also be suitable for HTH.

FR Rumble at Reitwein.btt

The new film only covers the first half of the first book, but it does so in great detail and it's very close to the book.....To set the tone, let's have some Sardaukar throat singing:
You have to admit, compared to these guys, Imperial Stormtroopers look like the Girlscouts!

The problem with that @Erwin is that while you may be behind me in time you may have seen more of the enemy forces than me so when you post updates you may be spoiling things for others (I am purposefully not reading your updates just in case).
This DAR is up to date, I know exactly as much as I’ve written about on here so if I haven’t mentioned it then I don’t know about it. I’d prefer there only be one DAR/AAR on the go at once tbh but if you are going to continue be aware that anything you write about stuff I have not yet revealed is likely to spoil it for those reading along, hence why they are getting annoyed. Perhaps it would be best to start your own?
MMM

I'll let you know when I finish it.....I'm Having fun with the map:

Still a long way to go, but I reckon it's starting to take shape.....Won't look much like that in game mind you, the conditions are set to make my life easy while making it, but they'll be set to do the opposite for the player! 

Wee update.
Overview of (slow) progress from first post. Spent time creating village of Jasienica. Which is the long village bottom centre of the image below.

Comparison with the map I'm working from (its a Russian 1:50 000 but also x-referencing with Polish 1:25 000 just contour inof and other stuff was easier to work with using Russian map as basis for overlay). I'm also checking in with Google earth but this place has changed a lot since 1944. It also shows the compromises I've made in creating the map within the game engine constraints. Few wee techniques used though. 'Dirt lot' tiles make good hard surface dirt roads you can run at any angle. With short grass at the edges it blends in well. Tad wider than required but means easier for player to plot movement orders. As I said I tend to avoid zig-zag roads from personal preference and aim more for the 'feel' of the road/track etc.

View of Jasienica - looking NW.

View of Jasienica - looking west along the main drag of the village.

Looking SE towards the village from the northernmost railtrack.

Overview of the map looking NE towards Tluszcz.

Ground level view from NW corner of the mpa at the railtrack looking south.

Oh and I intend to place lots of craters and then go back over and damage everything....

Hello...I have finished the map...I will provide a link down below if anyone would like to download it and use it in their own scenarios or in H2H games...
The map in the editor

 
As mentioned at the start of this thread one of the main features of this map will be a number of 'blocks' that consist of multiple single tile
buildings combined together to build up the towns main housing complexes...These combinations of buildings will form nice fighting possitions that will allow
for full freedom of movement inside the buildings as all of them have fully funtioning internal door on every floor and in every direction. My goal here is to
try and make these buildings somewhat harder to suppres from the outside as there are so many different locations in them...with the ability to repossition within them quickly..
Some of these blocks seen from the editor...

 
And in game...

 
appart from these 'blocks' the map contains a large number of other rubbled buildings as well as a complete factory district with two decent sized factories
that also will allow for some form of movement inside them.
The map is by no means huge but it is very detailed and i contains a lot of 'stuff'...
some more pictures...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Given the high level of detail and the many rubbled buildings and flavoured objects etc...The map will be somewhat demanding on your computer i belive.
If you do decide to download this map and give it a try...Please make a short comment in this thread and tell me if your FPS performance is acceptable of if it is to demanding for your ,machine.
If the majority of people are seeing acceptable FPS i may very well decide to expand the map a fair bit...perhaps makining it usable for a static campaign or somewhat larger scenarios that would provide more room for manouver.
Also...What do you think about these kinds of buildings ? Do they provide some nice oppertunities and tactical challanges or do you considder them to be more of an waisted effort and not something that i should include in future maps...
A link to the map:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/55n385af4jloslg/Rebels in Odessa MAP.btt?dl=0

Any feedback will be apprisiated (good or bad), thanks...
Hopefully the map will work fine for you and be cool to play on...If FPS are low try to toggle shadows off and see if that helps...

Things are moving forward 😎....The 'block houses' are in place and functioning as intended...Some more work needed on the smaller buildings but given the current progress...The map WILL be released next week for anyone that would like to take it for a spin....A few final prewiew pic of those blocks...
 


 
 

 

 


 
 
 
 

 

Top layer of containers packing a mixture of 3M54 Kalibr & P-800 Oniks (I'm sure the Russians would be happy to sell them).....By the time you detect the launch signature the P-800s are already taking out your radars, command & control centres etc.  Then the Kalibrs arrive.
The mother of all VLS arrays:

I'll let you know when I finish it.....I'm Having fun with the map:

Still a long way to go, but I reckon it's starting to take shape.....Won't look much like that in game mind you, the conditions are set to make my life easy while making it, but they'll be set to do the opposite for the player! 

November 1944…

I suspect we owe you thanks for poring over those (& countless others) prior to certain recent releases. 

That may be the understatement of the century!  I've been advised to put 'health warnings' on some of my scenarios where the AI lets loose with a full scale and sustained barrage!  I've levelled whole city blocks and killed every last living thing in them! 

For Red Thunder; play as either side. See Designer's Notes for acknowledgements.
https://www.mediafire.com/file/7msd8w0f3jtg2nk/Kumeiky_Revisited.rar/file

I can't edit the first post anymore but 
ANY SIZE!
ANY DURATION!
ALL DISCUSSION OF the 208x208 10 minute was just to try and shrink the size of the monster to first timers.
"I think the enemy of scenario completion is a person's natural urge to make it more grand and bigger, better and bouncier"
                                                                                                                                                          kohlenklau, 11/05/2021
 
 

Hello
In anticipation of the upcoming module I have given more luv to CMRT lately. 
I have created what the 5th Panzer Division should have looked like in September of 1944. It isn't perfect but it should be close with an exception to armored cars. Not counting those. 
The formation - Commanded by General of the Panzer Troops Karl Decker - has around 6,000 front-line personnel, over 210 tanks before the compliment of 40+ King Tigers attached from the 103rd SS Panzer Bn. Hundreds of apcs and trucks. Commanders are named for the most part. One of my sources had names and dates for higher formation commanders. Everything was pretty much drop into place, BF's TOE work is impeccable.
 
A couple notes: 1/116 Artillery 3 Battery should be hummels, and 103rd SS Panzer should be SS. Both of which will be corrected with F&R. I wasn't 100% sure on the flak batteries. I tried my best ppl!

Sources:
1. http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gliederungen/Panzerdivisionen/5PD.htm
2. http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gliederungen/Panzerdivisionen/Staerkenachweise/5PD19449.htm
3. https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/Germany/HB/HB-2.html
4. http://users.skynet.be/niemacks_place/OOB/Heer/Panzer Formations/Panzer Divisions/5 Panzer OOB-5.htm
Source 1-2 need to be translated through google translate but are essentially gold mines for TOE information. They contain commander names, reports on manpower, hardware etc. Source 2 is specifically September of 1944.
Source 3 refer to section [II-47] and Figure. 62.
Source 4 is excellent for CM terms.
 
 
 
In addition, I have also modeled parts of the 5th Guards Tank Army. Specifically the 3rd Guards Tank Corps commanded by Major-General Ivan Vovchenko and the 5th Guards Tank Army Troops.
I have not measured the size of this formation but I imagine it is even larger. Actually it was so large I opted to only design half of the corps: One motorized infantry brigade and one tank brigade out of four total (Three armored brigades, one motorized) are included. Also included are the full corps assets. Finding TOE information for guards units seemed kind of difficult. I also designed this a little earlier so I will have to dig up my sources.

Sources:
1. https://www.flamesofwar.com/Default.aspx?tabid=102&art_id=1076
2.http://web.archive.org/web/20070516205854/www.redarmystudies.net/0411030.htm
... yeah as I remember more I will post them. Theyre hard to come by and hard to dig through my history to find.
The TOE's are in a master file, similar to a master unit file for a campaign. Enjoy!
File is here: https://gofile.io/d/yOp7Mp
 

@Artkin, Schwere SS-Panzer-Abteilung 103 was not with the 5th Panzer Division in September 1944 (or ever).  Possibly this is some confusion with the Heer Panzer Brigade 103, the personnel from the Stabs company, Panzergrenadier battalion and Panzer Pionier company of which were incorporated into the Division later on 9 November 1944.  A great deal more detail can be derived from the Division's Sept. 1, 1944 Kriegsgliederung:

Note that Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 5 was not with the division at this time.  By Oct 1, Pz.A.A.5 had returned to the division, so you can get more detail on its holdings from that Kriegsgliederung:

These two are from the Bundesarchiv, RH 10/144.

What he concludes is 100 percent incorrect. Preparatory fire can be effective and cause casualties.

That's about typical for Red air with a TRP.....However on both occasions it seemed to arrive sooner (& on both occasions I failed to notice exactly when as I had my headphones off). 
I have to do some more work on the scenario and will then test it again, so I'll be sure to make a note of the exact timings.