Fizou

As the 21 minute begins the Grille still operational immediately starts to reverse and exit NAI 2. At turns end its no longer in sight. This is a very good outcome for me, spooking the Germans enough to pull back their Grille from the line. Soon after The Grille leaving NAI 2, the two heavy MG34 teams also pack up and start to move away towards the back of NAI 2. As the German heavy MG moves back to redeploy the forward most outpost, the house on the foot of NAI 2 is also abandoned as the German team occupying it also head for the other side of NAI 2. The Germans seems to be in leaving NAI 2 for me to take. If I can take it, I will hold all the high ground on the map, with the exception of the winery. I am however anticipating a reverse slope deference on the other side. Reinforced by 75 mm guns and possible several Grille. I will pursue the withdrawing Germans but make sure Im not take my surprise if he counterattacks. Im also thinking I should adjust my artillery mission on call from USS Buck.. to hit further back on the reverse slope of NAI 2. As the turn is about to end, two additional Grille are spotted. The total now up to four. I'm guessing all of them are counted for now. They are however moving on the right side of NAI 2. Towards the winery. Is this the first signs of a flank attack? The overview after 21 minutes: Blue arrows: Allied movement Orange arrows: Axis movement --

Very good news with a revisit to Shock Force and that everything is going smooth Any chance for more bones regarding Arnhem.. the next thing up for release

Thanks for the tip Bill. Ill move over to flickr instead. Very disappointing to see more of my pictures disappear for what to me seems for no good reason. Ill keep the pictures coming . So far so good in this battle. If I'm able to get my opponent of balance I sure will try to take advantage of the situation. Thanks Baneman. I did preview all my posts and then it was fine. Some time after I had made the post the pictures disappear or are only shown as a small symbol. Ill try my first pic with flickr below:

Two images in my post #44 have disappeared for me. Not sure why, they are still up at imageshack and I haven't done anything with them. Any clues? Also, do you think I'm to image intensive?

The second Ranger takes up position by the other window and takes out the other Grenadier as well. The immediate area has been secured. Its also forward enough to be out of harms way from the current position of the Grille on NAI 2. If the Grille moves forward to get a shot in. It will expose its open compartment to the MGs deployed in my center. As the turn draws to a close if feel very lucky with its outcome. Two dead Grenadiers.. And a KO:ed SPA. 20 minutes of action has passed. This means that units can now be exited from the map but if so, they will suffer a -2 Morale penalty (PzC Morale - CM Motivation). In this case my Rangers that currently have high motivation will go down to normal. I wrote earlier that the penalty was only -1 but we have decided to change this to give more incentive to stay and fight. To early exits will be costly in the long run. I end the turn, ordering my forward platoon to move forward, out of reach from the Grille. I also order more 60 mm mortars to put fire on the current position of the remaining Grille.

One of the mortars delivering bombs on the Grille positions. I have tried to highlight one of the bombs with a white circle. And then it happens.. I almost cried out with joy as a mortar bomb gets a direct hit in the open compartment. The crew is killed and the Grille is knocked out. A huge victory for me as this will factor in for the reminder of the campaign both affecting the axis PzC artillery and any CM battle where the Grilles take part either on map or as off map artillery. With a big smile on my face I change focus towards the bottom foot of NAI 2 where my Rangers are preparing to assault the first house, occupied by a PzGren team. Rangers, lead the way! Most parts of the reminder of the platoon are putting covering fire on the building to suppress the occupants. The assault team moves up with a quick command and are then ordered to hunt into the building it self. The assault team had a short pause order before they moved out to let the suppressing fire time to give effect. As the Rangers enters the building they spot the Germans on the other side of the house. The suppressing fire was very effective as it forced the German team to exit the building. Had it been a human order, and not at TacAI decision I'm sure the Germans would have ended up on the other side of the small stone wall. As the MP40 equipped landser cower the one with a Kar98 fires on the Rangers. The semiautomatic Garand proves superior in the shootout that follows. Several shots in quick succession brings down the Kar98 wielding Grenadier. --

Not many seconds pass before the first of the two Grille rotates into place, lays its gun and fires. I barely dare to watch as the 150 mm shell flies towards my forward platoon. waclaws high quality sound mod doesn't make it any easier. The roar of the 150 mm is deafening. I really recommend this mod to anyone who hasn't checked it out: http://www.battlefront.com/community/showthread.php?t=110567 Luckily the shot is just a bit long and it barely suppress my Rangers. A few seconds later the second Grille is in position and fires its gun as well. I have edited in the excellent UI mod by Marco Bergman. If you, like me, loved the info on vehicles and equipment in the CMx1 games I really recommend this mod with the XC option as you get detailed armor and penetration data in game. For me its a must. It might be a bit hard to see in these pictures but in game, the numbers are easy to read and give you quick data if weapon system x will be able to defeat vehicle y from direction z etc. http://www.battlefront.com/community/showthread.php?t=110580 The second shot is long as well, I guess the intended target was my MGs in the center. I feel very lucky as the rounds had no impact on my force. But the problem of the Grilles are still to be dealt with. It was personally a long time since I played around or faced the Grille, way back in CMx1 days so I don't remember very much about it. How accurate it is, how fast it reloads etc. A disadvantage at this point, but I'm about to find out more. So far I'm happy to see that the reload time seems to be long. My bazooka and demo-charge wielding troops are still far out of range from the Grilles. My one luck is that both of the Grille has parked in the area where I have two 60 mm mortar missions. Both missions are about to begin, or is beginning during this turn. They are heavy, medium missions so a lot of mortar shells will impact around the SPG (or rather SPA). If I'm lucky this will drive them off to re-position to buy me some more time. As more time pass the 60 mm mortar bombs starts to fall around the Grilles with high intensity. -

Thanks for putting this together and thanks to Marco and Juju

Maybe I was a bit unclear. Im aware that incompatible mods wont start working without an update to the mod in question. But there are comparatively few mods that become incompatible when a new patch or module is released for a CMx2 base game. Veins animated text the one that comes to mind. Keeping mods in the z folder during installation of a new module might leed to a corrupt installation that will show wrong text in game. C2yeung, Install your mods as usual but once you are about to install a new module or patch to the cmx2 base game, move the z folder to another location, like the desktop. When the installation is complete you can put the z folder back in. Still you have to be aware that some mods wont work because they have vecome incompatible with the new version of the cmx2 game. As mentioned these mods are not that many.

C2yeung, When you patch or install a new module etc, always make sure to move your z folder content somewhere else. When the installation is finished you can put it back in and things will work as intended. Watch out for veins animated text as that mods needs to be updated to work with a new version. Most of all other mods will work without any update.

As the nineteenth minute goes underway the armor sound contact reviles it self. As I had pre battle intel I pretty much knew it was a Grille SPG. I was thinking hard about launching this preemptive strike in the first place, much because of the SPG. How will I tackle them once i run into them? Well, almost 20 minutes have passed in this battle and so far everything has gone my way. I think I was starting to forget about their presence. Things are evidently about to change. I will have to come up with something to counter these 150 mm wielding monsters. One of the center MGs sends a burst the Grilles way, it hits the side armor but is just to weak to punch through. The wheels are hit and you can see one of the bullets ricochet of the armor. Firing from a height I might be able to score hits inside the open topped compartment. But that is a long shot and I think the Grille will have to start moving down the slope to present its softer cargo. I do have bazookas up front with my lead elements but I have not been careful and some rockets have been fired in suppression actions against the German occupied buildings. I will have to keep tight control on the reminder of the rockets and save them for the SPG. The thin armor will not stand a chance against a bazooka but I need to get into position to get a shot off. The Grille have a lot of German infantry and MGs covering its flanks. Another Grille turns up behind the lead vehicle. Now you just know this is gonna turn into a very bad day.. As the turn ends the lead Grille starts to rotate into position. It has several nice targets in its sights. The overall situation after 19 minutes of combat. To the right of this image (my left) the 60 mm mortar missions are ending and I'm starting to advance once again. I might be able to mop up Germans that where caught in the mortar barrage. Still I have to be careful so I don't stumble into an ambush. In the center all focus is on the Grille SPG. Blue arrows: Allied movement Red circles: Allied artillery missions (small are 60 mm mortars, the big one is USS Buck) Orange arrows: Axis movement Orange squares indicates the positions of the two Grille SPGs. -

My advance to the most immediate center of NAI 2 is going smoothest. This approach is not covered by any enemy MG yet. My other attack, coming in from my right, down hill, towards the center is having more problems. The Germans have a lot of teams covering this approach and more importantly, two heavy MG34s. The artillery mission from USS Buck hit very close to the positions of these MGs, they have also received some love from my 60 mm mortars where I have seen hits almost right on top of the MGs. Still they are not cowering for long periods. Instead they are back up putting sustained fire on my advancing teams moving down on my right. I need to stop this MG from halting my advance on the right You can see it just behind the bend of the hill, walking its tracers into my advancing Rangers The first US casualty falls to the MG34 I will have to return and give buddy aid once I have been able to silence those MG34s At the end of the turn we have the following situation. Blue arrows: Allied movement Red circles: Allied artillery missions (small are 60 mm mortars. The big one USS Buck) Orange circle: A German AFV.. It looks like the Grille SPG are going to come out to play. -

Through MG fire and mortar bombs exploding the PzGren truck drivers return to save their guns. I must say I'm a bit disappointed to see them pull it off. They save both guns and pull out behind the hill we call NAI 2. I need to KO/destroy the guns them selves to get rid of them for the reminder of the campaign. The gun team at the bottom of the image didn't take a single casualty. Not that I could confirm anyways. Before they manage to escape another crew member of one of the guns are killed. In the center we have two small German teams occupying the buildings on the foot of NAI 2. Im moving in on these locations, leap frogging with suppressing fire. The Rangers will soon be ready to assault these positions, hopefully clearing the first line of defense. The Germans pack a MP40 at the bottom house. I will need to suppress them with a lot of fire power to make sure it doesn't rip my assault team to pieces. Luckily we have almost a full platoon ready to do just that. I have also two MGs positioned further up in the center. That makes six MGs covering most of NAI 2. The two MGs in the center are targeting the two houses on the foot of NAI 2. The other house, a little further up on the foot of NAI 2 seems to only be occupied by a team of riflemen. Still I make sure to suppress them before the assault team moves in. My Rangers have a lot of Thompson SMGs making the job easier.

Thanks for sharing TH. Its great that the system is evolving and it sounds really interesting. Looking forward to learning more about the supply system.

It is that easy.. but of course it means a lot of work, and someone has to do it. The same way as Marco and Juju put down hours to complete their mods. Pz IVG late married Juju silhouette with Marco penetration/armor data.

Paint, ctrl-c anc ctrl-v is all you need to make that happen. I have put in Marcos penetration data to Jujus weapons (schreks, zooks etc).

With PzC there is also the option to just skip the fire phase, if one wants. Personaly I think it has its place. COO should ofcourse aim at being better and in all ways cater to fitt with CM. Id love to see it succeed and Id put in money for development as well.

Nice von Albert! Id love to see that. I myself use a mix and match UI from both Juju and Marcos mods. Its great to be abel to customizise to your own liking . Big thanks to both Juju and Marco who has put down so much work into this

Erwin, Aris uniforms wont conflict with the new FJ uniforms. It might be a good idea to look over all mods and try to figure out if something is not working as intended. I think I will do this my self when MG is released. And yes, I use the translucent trees mod. --------- Artillery.. not much that feels so good to watch raining down on your enemies. As NAI 2 is enveloped in fire and explosions I have my advanced elements dash forward to cover more ground as MGs and infantry on the hill are hunkering down. I have now been able to close on NAI 2 from the center approach. NAI 2 is not that steep but this center location is out of reach from those MG34s further up on the hill. Now I hope to methodically work my way up the hill. At the back of NAI 2 allied MG and mortar fire keep suppressing the 75 mm IGs from doing anything. Still no Gun kill though.. Overview after 16 minutes of action. Red circles indicates 60 mm mortar missions. I also start to call in a third mission from USS Buck. It will again target NAI 2 but a bit further back.

Thanks for the heads up George. Loved your CMBB scenarious of the panzer count. Hope to see more epic stuff when cmx2 heads east..

Erwin, Wouldn't you get that if you use the standard terrain and Aris uniforms? I'm using both as I like the war movie effect (but now that we actually have access to the war movie lighting I might go back to stock terrain). ---- As MG fire and spotting rounds are making it hot for the IG crew they decide to try and pull their gun to safety. As they do so they lose another two of its crew to the MG fire, now facing their backs and no longer receiving the protection of the guns shield anymore. The mortar missions against the two guns are about to go live. Up on the center of NAI 2 the two MG34 are making it extremely hard for my scouts to advance any further. They are pinned and I'm hoping that the concealment from the large bushes will keep the MGs from getting actual targets and that they will have to rely on area target orders. The high ROF MG34 is put to good use against my scouts. As my scouts are pinned in place the Germans move up more infantry to bring my advance to a complete halt. But then, in the last seconds of that turn, the roar of heavy artillery is again heard as the guns of USS Buck let lose another series of volleys. I can assure you that my scouts and forward teams below NAI 2 are very grateful! Note the MG34 and Infantry team in the two pics above, marked here with yellow text. On the other side of the battlefield, close to the water, my two mortar missions are set to affect. Several nice tree bursts above the area that hopefully still is occupied by German infantry. My men are staying put to not cause any accidental blue on blue.

12 minutes has passed. The Germans are moving on several locations now. They are approaching the winery with a small infantry force. They are also moving up men close to the beach, on the wooded area running parallel to the water. I will advance a few more meters in this area, then hold and await mortar support. After i but some 60 mm fire on the German position I will decide if its a good idea to keep moving forward or if an ambush is my best bet. German infantry moving in on my positions, I might be able to set up a nice ambush for them. My advance towards NAI 2 is slow. The German team in the small house are getting support by the two MG34s that are set up on NAI 2. I will try to crawl my lead scouts out of harms way. Im bringing up two additional MGs in the center to try and suppress these MG34s. I have also marked on the map with red circles for artillery missions on call. The small ones represent a 60 mm mortar mission. Usually medium/medium. The large on is a USS Buck mission, heavy/long. On the far right the two IG 75 mm are struggling with their setup. They spend most of the turn cowering as sustained MG fire is put down on their position (I l o v e the new MG code). The first confirmed killed is observed as one of the MGs puts holes in one of the German crew members. The dust and smoke in the background is from a spotting round (60 mm mortar). Hell is about to break lose. Rangers draws first blood!

Maybe the weapon was destroyed when the squad leader got hit? Sometimes they pick stuff up, sometimes they dont.

Very interesting. I will follow the development. It would be great with some sort of official respons from BFC to this thread to support their view of the project. And as poesel71 writes.. It would be great to know more about the program itself and what advantage it has over other "manual" efforts to get an op layer to CM.

Thanks Tank Hunter. Im very happy you are doing this presentation. Looking forward to your next post