dpabrams

Today's effort.

Awesome, I was hoping someone like you would step up and help out. I was going to PM one guy for help and that was you. We can colaborate on this and that would be great. This project is so doable. Pete

Mord, I have not experimented with "porting terrain" but it sounds promising. Right now I am color matching the Russians in their green beasts and super detailing some BMPs. Next is the BTR, BMP-3, T-90 and then Russian infantry. If you are inclined to research or even work up the terrain, that would be awesome. I will take all the help I can get, especially someone with your expertise. Pete

There is no crying in CMSF. A little something I call "detail creep" has set in.

Some thoughts; The US has only the M2A3/M3A3 for an IFV and No M113. This puts the timeline at least 2000 as conversion of A2 Bradleys’ to A3s began FY00. The Stryker bumps the timeline up to 2002 at least and the MGS 2005. The Soviets could go back to the 1970s but in general for the mix of units 2003-4, is about right. There are a lot of "it would be nice" to have units like the BTR70/80, M113 and BMPs that are upgraded but hey, that's what expansions are for. I just want a total conversion that would pass for a NATO/Russian clash mid-2000s, in a European like landscape. As it stands now, the US vehicles are done and I am tweaking the Russians. The Russians for the most part are all green. There were several camo schemes around for the Russians but that would take additional time to replicate. I have not touched the BTR, T-90 or BMP-3. I have the Syrope terrain incorporated and have tweaked some grasses. Not sure what more can be done with trees and buildings for example. I have not really researched terrain completely as far as mods go. As for the troops, the US units are all in woodland and all the shared packs and gear are changed to match a European deployment. The Russian troops are a different story. I have not taken a close look at infantry mods. I would be happy to take any suggestions, help and advice from the community.

I am working up a complete transition of CMSF into a European looking mod. There is a ton of work to do. Many of the mods are stolen and I will have to get permission for an overall release. In a nutshell I have all the Soviet and US units in NATO/PACT colors circa 2000. I have woodland camo for the US infantry, for example. The Syrope terrain is being used but some has been toyed with. The US armor and soft units are all in 3-color CARC and the slat armor removed. The latest greatest LAV mod is used. Some units have been detailed and decals added, additions are too numerous to mention. For example cladding was added to the BMP-2. I have dome color matching for most of the Russian units, which will appear green for the time being. The Soviet soldiers are yet to be toyed with. The T-90 and BMP-3 will likely get a camo coating and sometime down the line, many of the Soviet units will get camo. I have worked on this for about a month but I want to release one (1) BRZ file that encompasses the entire Europe mod. Later the other NATO nations will follow.

Where did you get your doctorate? Sorry, had to do that. Steelbeasts Pro PE is a $125.00 sim that is aging and occasionally updated. Like many games/Sims there are gaps. No M113 in CMSF and no M2/M3A0/1 in Steelbeasts. Someday, someone will finally do a 1986 NATO/PACT with a complete TO&E.

And we have a winner! Do you have it?

And Ivan like this.............

The US ACAV units might look like this.

Sorry, these are clearly JS-III slippers. Note the large 122mm cannon, rounded turret and rounded glacis plate. These slippers dominated any pajama party from 1945 on. These slippers were even used in the 1967 Arab-Israeli War.

Split squads don't have the option of assault. A squad must have at least two sections intact to use the assault command. If your squad is split into 2-3 sections, you can maually do bounding overwatch with quick moves and pauses. Can't say for your example why there was no suppressive fire. Best way to fight the Sagger is to get <500 meters from the launcher, which renders a Sagger worthless. The trick is to fight in that 250 to 500 meter zone, far enough from RPG's to make hits low percentage and close enough to render Saggers ineffective. Javelin's are not perfect, they do miss. It's just the game loadout and you can do nothing about it.

Remember when the Christians rioted and attacked British embassies all over the world, when Monty Python released "The Life of Brian"?

Here is a better example of original BFC textures. The top portion is the Stryker. The artist has correctly weathered in a layer that is selected as "overlay". Detail is preserved. The bottom texture is the LAVIII. Started out a detailed, crisp texture but the artist incorrectly layered the weathering as "normal". This covered the texture detail and muddied up the image.

It is but it has been colored in CARC. It is the basic desert sand texture that has all the original detail.

Let’s start with consistency, continuity and quality control. Art Direction\ Graphic Direction is generally responsible for these tasks. Generally it requires an “eye” for detail and a background in graphic arts, to name a few requirements. No offense to the Dutch and Canadian service members, or any other nationality of service member for that matter, who commented on the realism of the NATO module equipment. Likely they never saw a comparison with higher poly models and the more detailed 2D artwork of the first CMSF releases. Tell me that the YPR and LAVIII come remotely close to the Bradley and Stryker in comparison of model and texture quality? Lack of art direction\ graphic direction is likely why lesser quality “beta” artwork like that of the NATO modules made it into a final finished product. In more recent history you will find the same problem with CMBN and the lowly Tiger II and Luch’s models.

If the "lived in look" is lower poly models and rudementary weathering over low detail 2D art, they achieved it. Here is a comparison of a Bradley texture and YPR texture.

Hydrostatic shock or hydraulic shock describes the observation that a penetrating projectile can produce remote wounding and incapacitating effects in living targets through a hydraulic effect in their liquid-filled tissues, in addition to local effects in tissue caused by direct impact

You never see Art Director in the credits.

I have seen it and I think its an AP round and the casualty is caused by the ballistic pressure wave created when a solid projectile passes near an living thing at high velocity.

Certainly they can be modded better as far as 2D skins are concerned, I think in the case of the YPR it is a lower poly model. I looked at redoing the skins using my skins from Steelbeasts Prop PE but it would be labor intensive to say the least for a game I don't play that often. I just got aggravated when I stated a PBEM as the Dutch recently and wanted to make a point.

I know the game has been out for a long time but did you notice: • graphical inconsistencies between modules • lower quality beta 2D artwork in later modules In a later example you can cite the Tiger II and Luch’s from CMBN but in CMSF the differences in module art quality is more evident. Take for example in the posted photos the difference in the detail of the 3 wheeled APC’s. Note how overall the Stryker is well detailed and crisp, while the LAV-25 is showroom finish and the LAV-III is washed out and lacks detail? In my opinion BF started out great with CMSF series and the as the modules came out, the 2D art suffered. Not always as the British equipment is top notch but in the case of the Dutch for example the YPR looks pre beta. Let’s hope in the future BF does a better job of art editing.

Understood but couldn't you go a lot longer between spa trips in a Sherman? I would think that overall, Sherman slippers would be a better deal, except in those rare "footsie" encounters with someone in Tiger slippers. That could end badly for a chap in Sherman slippers. If I had to have German slippers, I would have to go for Panther slippers.