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Roter Stern

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  1. Like
    Roter Stern got a reaction from PEB14 in Why is CMFB a separate title and not a CMBN module?   
    Absolutely! Let me make it clear, that the issue I take with CMFB is not a financial one. If $60 is what it costs to justify the volume of work to introduce proper winter conditions - then so be it.
    I just wish they released it as a $60 module for CMBN and built up on the existing content, instead of splintering away from it. After all, the British were present in the Battle of the Bulge, so no real reason to explicitly exclude them from appearing in that time frame.
    That said, I still think CMFB is a little thin on features...
    How exactly are the hedges treated?
    "Light snow / snow / deep snow" is just a map-wide setting - much like "damp / wet / muddy" in every other title. As far as I can see there is no way to create localized impassible snow drifts, as it would've been the case during the actual Battle of the Bulge.
    What effect does the temperate have exactly? Do troops left on a wind-swept open field suffer injury? Do vehicles stall? 
    The manual makes precisely zero mention of any winter or snow mechanics, beyond "vehicles have been given a new coat of whitewash". Excuse the eye roll here.
  2. Like
    Roter Stern got a reaction from PEB14 in Why is CMFB a separate title and not a CMBN module?   
    Splitting this off from another topic to steer it back on track.
    I struggle to understand why CMFB is a separate title and not a module for CMBN.
    I do not own CMFB and perhaps I am missing something, so I'm genuinely interested to find out what others think of this.
    Here's how I see it:
    1. Geographically, CMBN and CMFB are separated by less than 200km of land. While the Ardennes is different from the Normandy region - it is not more different than Market Garden is different from Normandy. Quite the opposite actually, Market Garden differs from Normandy more than the Ardennes.
    2. In the time domain, CMBN and CMFB are separated by merely a few months of time - which is a similar amount of time between Normandy and Op Market Garden. I find it hard to believe there were such dramatic changes in Winter 1944/45 which would invalidate anything present in Summer-Fall 1944.
    3. On the TO&E side, 90% of CMFB heavy equipment is represented in CMBN and all of personal equipment is identical. There is only nineteen items unique to CMFB - not even enough to flesh-out a module. It is also either niche pieces - things like the Jagdtiger, Sturmtiger, flame tanks, etc - or things which could've also been represented in Normandy and Market Garden - US Armored cars and extra Sherman versions. On the other hand, the Commonwealth module, introduced something to the tune of four dozen new pieces and an entirely new combatant.
    4. The only real difference between CMBN and CMFB is the winter setting and the appearance of snow. While I can see snow being an issue to add to CMBN, as it would appear the game engine is currently not set up to swap textures based on a season. Which is not to say the game can't swap textures dynamically - the introduction of mod tags allows different scenarios to display different textures without any manual file swapping by the user. Beyond a few snowy textures, CMFB did not seem to introduce actual snow mechanics - neither actual visual effects, nor an abstracted representation of deep snow or frozen conditions.
    I'm being very careful not to sound salty or accusatory, but it seems that while CMFB is an aesthetic re-skin of CMBN and adds the content equivalent of a $10 "battle pack", due to the sheer volume of art that had to be re-done in "whitewash" BFC could not justify the time investment unless the content was released as a full-price title.
     
  3. Upvote
    Roter Stern reacted to SgtHatred in What are the differences between T-90am and T-72B3M IN THE GAME OF CMBS?   
    The T-72B3M is not in the game.
  4. Upvote
    Roter Stern reacted to SgtHatred in T-90A Front Armour bug   
    The T-90A front armour seems to have a bug. Any weapon can penetrate the glacis on the front of the tank, with the modifier "Hit:Opening" appearing. The lower front hull does not appear to be effected. It's the Steam version, if that makes any difference.
    Video evidence below. You can see the front hull of the T-90A being penetrated through the front armour and the kontakt-5 with the BMP-2's cannon, the KPVT on the BRDM-2, and the 73mm grom off the BRM-1k. Pretty sure this should not happen, especially since it pops up "Hit:Opening" when it occurs.
     
     
  5. Upvote
    Roter Stern reacted to DougPhresh in Canadian Uniforms - Literally Unplayable!   
    There were a lot of guys rocking Wheeler (CP Tech) vests when I was there, in both flavours of CADPAT. I had one in TW. I don't think I saw any of the Bosnia vintage stuff, other than the flannel shirts and bush hats guys had squirrelled away and not returned to clothing. 
  6. Upvote
    Roter Stern reacted to Gary R Lukas in Give us the Polish forces, Steve   
    I Totally Agree 100%, release the Polish Armed Forces. I believe the Poles know that they are next on Putin's hit list along with the Baltic Countries. 
  7. Upvote
    Roter Stern reacted to Mechasaurian in Give us the Polish forces, Steve   
    Steve, no one wants yet more Americans.
    Steve, everyone agrees that Poland would be a fricking awesome addition to CM: BS, and would make perfect sense within the setting.
    Steve, I want my eclectic Polish Armed Forces with their mix of Western, Soviet, and domestically produced gear. T-72s, PP-91s, and Leopard 2s all.
    Steeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeve. plz
  8. Like
    Roter Stern got a reaction from Arjuna.R in Canadian Uniforms - Literally Unplayable!   
    I don't want to alarm anyone, but there appears to be a HUGE problem with the Canadian uniforms in CMSF:2.
    Have a look at these fellas that greeted me when I loaded up the Cunuckian campaign:

    Year 2008. Arid CADPAT - check. C7A2s - check. BEWs - check. Olive green Load Bearing Vest circa Bosnia 1994 ... what in the tabarnak is this?
    Alright, drama for the sake of comedy aside, this is a strange one considering in CMSF:1 Canadian troops were (correctly) represented as wearing all Arid CADPAT gear. Where as it seems for CMSF:2 a conscious decision was made to change the Canadian uniform artwork and clad troops in their ancient OG LBVs.
    Yes, the Canadians kept using the LBVs well out of the 90's - even surviving the introduction of CADPAT. In fact the initial force into Afghanistan wore Temperate Woodland CADPAT and OG LBVs. Afghanistan c.2002 (source and  source) :

    Not long after in 2003, the new Tac-Vests are introduced, albeit still in "Temperate Woodland"; the LBVs are never seen in combat operations again. (source and source) :

    Then in 2004 Arid uniforms and C7A2s were introduced. Can you believe they still drove the ILTIS in Afghanistan in 2004? (source and source) :

    "Arid uniform - Green TacVest" combo survived for a while, well into Op Medusa in 2006 (source) :

    By 2007 however, the entire ensemble can be seen in Arid CADPAT; also issued ballistic eyewear is introduced (source and source) :

    Thank you for making it to the end of my brief on The Woes of the Canadian Military Equipment Procurement.
    Seems pretty clear that by mid-2008 CMSF timeline the gear would be all Arid CADPAT and new-pattern TacVest ... as it was in CMSF:1.
    Anyone have any insight into what happened in CMSF:2 with the LBV's? @MikeyD or @BFCElvis perhaps?
    Cheers!
  9. Like
    Roter Stern reacted to AtlasActual in Canadian Forces Afghanistan Inspired Tactical Vest Re-Skin by Atlas   
    Updated to v1.1
    Change log:
    -Added MOLLE to the vest to help it look less "bland" and flat.
    -Added contour lines and shadowing to help the vest stand out against the fragmentation vest that is underneath.
    -Improved the look of the pouches.
    Enjoy!

  10. Upvote
    Roter Stern reacted to Grey_Fox in Does Russia have any counters against the Javelin?   
    It can if the javelin comes in at the right angle. Having the tank on a higher elevation than the javelin team helps, as does inclines.
     
    So, what I've read about what's being derided as the "cope cage" is that it isn't actually slat armour, it's instead designed to shift the thermal signature away from the tank by using a pyrotechnical device which hangs near the engine exhaust. Apparently they call them "sun hats". You can read/see more here: https://andrei-bt.livejournal.com/1912504.html
  11. Upvote
    Roter Stern reacted to AtlasActual in Canadian Forces Afghanistan Inspired Tactical Vest Re-Skin by Atlas   
    Hi all,
    To begin with, I was annoyed by the OD vest that is default and decided to re-skin it to CADPAT AR. It also features IR Canada flags and ISAF patches.
    I wish I could have changed the model as well, but I lack knowledge on how to do that.
    Here's a preview:


     
    As usual, to install just extract to:
     
    Cheers,
    Atlas

    Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xmBbWXUVtp0Hdgu_bnkSVaEkuPd-AdAM/view?usp=sharing
    Atlas CAF Afghanistan Inspired Tactical Vest Re-Skin.7z
  12. Upvote
    Roter Stern reacted to AtlasActual in Canadian Uniforms - Literally Unplayable!   
    Hey Roter Stern,
    I was also bothered by the OD vest and made this:
     
    Hope it helps,
    Atlas
  13. Like
    Roter Stern got a reaction from ncc1701e in New CM:BS Module (Insert Title Here) Bones Thread   
    Irregulars/UNCONs and Special Forces for both sides would stand to add the most to the game.
    Speaking from my experience in CMSF 1 & 2 - asymmetry in opposing forces is where the vast majority of the replay value comes from. Thoroughly enjoyed the Marines and NATO modules when they came out, sure, but in the grand scheme of things those were nothing more than set dressings and insignificantly contributed to longevity of CMSF for me.
  14. Like
    Roter Stern got a reaction from Phantom Captain in Cold War Screenshots   
    That's right - the second floor is off the ground ... well, was, until the building collapsed 🤣
    I just love how most of the rounds go thought the building. If positioned well, in a built up setting a Shilka burst ends up hitting 2-3 buildings at once.
  15. Upvote
    Roter Stern reacted to Sgt Joch in September is coming   
    Well HMS Defender entered Russian territorial waters with all weapons loaded, everyone at action station, prepared to defend itself, ignoring all orders from Russian authorities and not recognizing that Russia even has jurisdiction. That is not "innocent passage" by any stretch of the imagination.
    The much better legal argument is the one made by Haiduk that Crimea is still Ukrainian territory and HMS Defender had the legal consent of Ukraine to enter the territory.
    But even that is a legal fantasy which ignores the reality of the ground. Crimea is now part of Russia and will be for the foreseeable future. Trying to analyse this from a legal point of view misses the point. Russia seized Crimea by force and now must use force to hold on to it  until the fact is eventually recognized by the rest of the world.
    The issue for Russia is more how to act or react. Firing on or seizing Ukrainian vessels is one thing, sinking a RN ship would be a major escalation which could trigger WW3. OTOH Russia has to enforce its borders if it wants the rest of the world to respect them. This is a major game of chicken and the question is who will blink first.
  16. Upvote
    Roter Stern reacted to Sgt Joch in September is coming   
    Again, not the same thing.
    Under the convetion of the law of the sea, the right of "innocent passage" is subject to many restrictions, for example, it can't be done for propaganda purposes or pose a threat to the territorial integrety of the coastal state or be done for intelligence gathering purposes and has to abide by all the laws and regulations of the coastal state.
    The HMS Defender mission did not meet any of those criterias to qualify as an "innocent passage".
  17. Upvote
    Roter Stern reacted to Sgt Joch in September is coming   
    not the same issue, those subs were outside UK territorial waters. UK and USA would react differently if a Russian vessel entered the 12 miles limit.
    https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/russian-bombers-intercepted-miles-us-airspace/story?id=71171943
    Remember Turkey shot down a Russian jet and it was over its territory for only 17 seconds.
  18. Like
    Roter Stern got a reaction from Geoff-Ludumpress in Cold War Screenshots   
    Da, tovarish! ⭐⭐⭐
    Always keep a Shilka in your back pocket for a village assault:

  19. Upvote
    Roter Stern reacted to Combatintman in September is coming   
    You're all missing the point ... given BFC's record with predicting conflicts in their games, it must mean that Black Sea will get Brits in a module.
  20. Like
    Roter Stern got a reaction from Centurian52 in Does anyone think that the Dragon ATGMs in 1979 scenarios are too powerful?   
    Perhaps another data point some might find interesting is frontal arc survival chances for the T-64/72/80s. Those three models and their variants were converging on the same numbers, so I'm calling them equal for simplicity.
    This is of course not in hull-down and is not a reflection of Dragon's lethality - but rather the odds of hitting the lower front hull sweet spot at 980 meters.
    This is also only counting hits which connected with the target, not shots fired - so does not account for Dragon's (lack of) reliability.

    TL;DR - about a 50% chance that a single Dragon hitting a T-64 or better from the front will knock it out. It compounds from there with multiple hits - >90% of K/O if four hits are allowed to connect.
    Seems the lesson for anyone playing OPFOR is to keep your T-64/72/80s hull down or roll the dice with shoot-and-scoot. With Dragon teams being plentiful and carrying 3 ATGMs each, the odds are still very much against any Soviet MBTs caught in the open.
    Oh yeah, and send the T-55/62s to the scrapyard. 😁
  21. Like
    Roter Stern got a reaction from Centurian52 in Does anyone think that the Dragon ATGMs in 1979 scenarios are too powerful?   
    Did a bit of repetition - recorded the outcome of 550+ Dragon hits on various Soviet tanks at various aspects.
    I'll keep it to the point:
    If a Dragon manages to score a penetration, it is a guaranteed K/O - 292 penetrating hits recorded, all of which resulted in a (often catastrophic) K/O. The real weakness of the Dragon is reliability. I didn't keep track of how many nosedived and hit the dirt short of target, but it was a lot; and that's considering the Dragon teams were not being fired upon. T-55s and T-62s have no protection against the Dragon - first hit to connect is a guaranteed penetration at all aspects and hit locations. I stopped recording 55s/62s results after the first 48 frontal hits resulted in 100% K/O rate. All other Soviet MBTs seem almost impervious to the Dragon in the upper frontal arc (front turret, weapon mount, upper front hull). Of 280 hits that landed in upper front, only 2 managed to penetrate (0.07% rate).  At the same time, all other arcs offer no protection - of the 290 hits recorded to sides (even at rather shallow 30* angles and including turret sides) and most importantly lower front hull - all scored a penetrating hit, a 100% K/O rate. So a true case of YMMV:
    On one hand, a T-64/72/80 in a perfect hull-down position might appear "invincible". During one contrivance, I had to stop after 30 (thirty) consecutive hits failed to K/O a single T-72; however, make no mistake, there was not a single relevant subsystem left functional on that tank. Where as on the other hand, something as simple as a 30-degree traversal of the turret relative to the ATGM team pretty well guarantees a K/O on the first shot to reach the target. I think no matter which side of the Dragon ATGM you find yourself in, such dramatically polarized results can most certainly lead to frustration.
    p.s. In case anyone is curious what my last two hours looked like, here's a 12 min segment - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2midc46M9CA
    (You can also get a sense of how many missiles fail to reach target ... or even clear the launcher, as a few unlucky teams caught their own shrapnel)
     
  22. Upvote
    Roter Stern got a reaction from dbsapp in Cold War Screenshots   
    Da, tovarish! ⭐⭐⭐
    Always keep a Shilka in your back pocket for a village assault:

  23. Upvote
    Roter Stern reacted to Megalon Jones in Megalon's Youtube AAR Thread   
  24. Upvote
    Roter Stern reacted to Bufo in Cold War Screenshots   
    Usual forum advice: "Never send a platoon where a squad hasn't been, never send a squad where a- section hasn't been, never send a setion where a single guy hasn't been."
    Me: "Yeah yeah."
     

  25. Upvote
    Roter Stern reacted to dbsapp in Cold War Screenshots   
    This topic is OFFICIAL. 
    Approved by the USSR Council of Ministers. 
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