snake_eye

At the moment, that scenario might be the one of the 5th battle (see the flow chart given with the stand alone battles). it will be slightly modified. The line being hold at the beginning, is shown in red in the Tactical view in the Counter Attack briefing. For your information, I have delayed the release of the campaign, since I was not satisfied by the 4th battle results ending always with a surrender of the Red side at a time not suited with may scenario; I have found yesterday after numerous trials being previuously done, the right setting. It is very thrilling and surprising to play it now. I know the setting of the troops, yet I am dumbfounded with what I see. The stand alone could be release this week for sure. I just have to re write the briefing. An Air Assault on a Radar & listening station on a summit will be done 15 minutes after the beginning of the scenario. That assault will enable you to see the objectives around Midoum. Cheer

Sure, you can do it, but it takes time. The result is pretty good. Don't forget to let some loop holes or portion of the trench clear for a free field of fire. Cheer

I had the same complaint about the difficulty to see the trenches from a far off distance. In my scenarios design, I use a different color for the ground in or behind the trenches. That way they are more visible. You can put bushes behind the trenches as well. That way you will see them quite easily. Any other ideas ?

The game is pretty much suited to Air Assault, if you are considering a cold LZ not so far from the objective, but not too far either. You can also set an artillery pounding on the objective or near it, if you don't want to destroy the buildings (if these are the objective) you must take undamaged by fire and muffled with the explosion (is it taken in account in the game ?) the noise made by the approach of the air delivered troops. As for my experience, I won't set an assault on a presumably hot LZ even with a preceeding straffing of the area. If an insertion has to be made very close to the objective a high altitude and long distance drop has to be considered. The special forces carrying it would rather land on top of the objective in total silence, secure key positions and fire only when the assault is being made by troops being delivered on a not so far cold LZ and having been prepositionned prior to the Special Forces landing on their assault departure line. That needs a perfect synchronization (to avoid blue on blue), but the enemy has more than two fronts at the least to fight at a moment notice and in the night they will have difficulties to sort things out. I try that approach on the scenario "Assault the dam" loaded on the repository and finding it too easy (in the game that is) I decided to keep the cold LZ landing and not the SF landing on or near the bridge. Cheer

Actually, if you want to get the details, the way Georges MC is doing it, is the best. However, the Tactical and or Operational views are respectively 952 X 350 and 702 X224. If you are dealing with a map of 2000 meters by 1500 meters, you will have to let the details aside (zoom out) or you won't be able to get it into the frame set in CMSF scenario editor. JONS shadows idea, will surely enhance the map details by contrasting them. Look at my tacticals shots on the repertory. Cheer

Since mine clearing takes time and is rather difficult to do under fire, the minefield when they are located on the briefing map should be avoided, unless you are willing to accept some eventual track losses and grunts casualties (they do cross them sometimes, without any harm). Anyway, the minefield when shown are more deterrent than a threat, since you can avoid them and that is what the scenario designer is looking for. If the game was implementing engineers able to open a lane in a minefield, it will take time and I don't think that the scenario will benefit a lot from that possibility. However, I will no be against such an implementation. Cheer

Tow's missiles are scoring. It doesn't matter if they are fired by Stryker, LAV and or humvee AT CAAT. The only problem is to set the vehicle in a defilade (flank) position and obviously hull down. In El Derjine Counter Attack the ones on the right side, near the Airfield, did a good job, most of the time. The ones, in full view, were cooked rather quickly. I have, also been surprised to score with the humvee TOW in the scenario AT14 avoidance range, quite a few times. I was unable, before, to sight a track without being shot right away. That's why I made that scenario to try to find a better way to engage the tracks. I found out that a hull down flank shot was the best way, while a straight one was rather suicidal. Yet sometimes it did work ! In any case, you should try avoid to have the track and or Humvee outlined above the crest. Use a gully if available to hide them for a flank shot. For the rest I agree with you. I should also mention that the Tow's in CMSF are underscoring the real ones, if the ranges scores I have read are the one to take in account. Cheer

Thanks Mad Mike for the report. Please you liked it. For the time period it has to be swift, unless we don't take in account the fact that the bridge and or dam might be damaged resulting in difficulties for passing through after its seizure. In a real op, we will bring a team close to it, to prevent its premature blowing and the main force will follow closely from the near LZ. Cheer

Battle stand alone #1 and the following one if you win #2 have been uploaded on the repository "Marines scenarios & campaign". The power point, flow chart of the battles is included. The battle following the #2 is done since a while and should be uploaded this week. Cheer

You surely are not dumb to play it, but if you were a little bit more cautious that will do the trick. In vast expense of field, more to say with little ot no cover, you are a sitting duck. Try to move behind smoke and or while pourring suppresing mortar fire on located or thought enemy emplacements. M1's tanks can go through one or two AT missiles shots with some luck, yet you better move them behind berms or through small low spots and have them scoot and shot very quickly, once at a time and no more than 1 or 2 seconds. read BLACKMORIA AAR. Thanks for the map Cheer

The white puff of smoke being seen in the distance is more likely an A.T round being fire. However, not from the AT-4 and alike since the impacting explosion is from what you are reporting small. If the range is at the most 200 - 300 yards it could be as Mickey D said a M-203 round. If you want to check that, go to my AT-14 range file on the Marines repository and modify the file to insert the weapon you wish to test. It is in that file that, I notice for the first time, the white puff of smoke of the AT-14 firing.The missile takes a second or so at the most to reach the tank on the berm (1600 meters to travel if I do not make a mistake) Cheer

From what I read, all of us for the moment are rather favorising the release of the battles as stand alone. That option does not make any shadow on a campaign, if it is one's choice to play it later on. That way if the troops replacement setup doesn't work so well as it did on quite a few campaigns, that doesn't spoil the stand alone battle. Release in a few days to come of the stand alone battles. Thanks for your advices. Cheer

Wishing to release a Campaign with replacement and or troop attrition level close to what would happen in reality, it takes a longer time to test than expected. Sorry for the delay. For that reason, I have already released a battle, "Assault El derjine" (the one you would play if you lost the 1st one) as a stand alone. Would you like to have the others released as a stand alone as well, or would you rather wait to have them in the coming campaign ? I would be pretty much interested by your comments on this choice. Cheer

Well THOMM, thanks for your comments on the battle and for the map you enjoyed. The Red, you are right, won't have a chance in the ending, being forced to surrender due to their casualties. Have in mind that the final goal of that battle, is to get to the 2nd one of the coming campaign. It is just a second chance. The troops involved won't be fighting in the follow up of the campaign battles, so you won't have to worry about them. If that battle should end in a no victory result, with an an eviction of the campaign, that would not be a pleasant campaign to play. However, someone ending that way, would not be able to carry on a fight on the 2nd battle as well as on the 3rd, due to its management of a full company and some assets, against veterans troops. By the way, there are 2 A.I plans, in the battle you fought. In one the syrian, hold the lines, in the other they rush forward and you can pick them up in the open. Cheer

Thanks to you, for your detailed AAR. If you can send me a detailed shot of all Blue and Red end of the game report that would be an invaluable source of information for further improvement. Cheer

Sorry for the 15th or so who loaded the 06/03 file V1, I made a check this morning and found that it was not the correct one , regarding the deployment of the Red. My apologies. I have loaded the correct one and will be please to have your comments. Be advice, that the battle is one to give a new chance to someone having failed the opening battle of the El Derjine campaign that will be release this month. In the campaign, if you don't get a minor victory, you won't be able to go to the second battle which starts at the Dam's bridge and ends with the seizure of the small town on the plateaux. I used the "Crossroad at El Derjine" which has been modified slightly for the troops, more for the deployment (with a new staging area on a new map portion) and also for the A.I The idea was that since you won't be able to deploy a mech company on the Dam's bridge grounds and plateaux, quicly enough, but on a narrow field, if you had to sustain an immediate counter attack, the best way to stop it was to let the mech syrians come on the open ground, fix them with air asset and artillery and only then regain the ground. That the way I saw it for the game. Militarily speaking, I will have blocked the exit of the Dam's bridge toward El derjine with Air and AT ground CAAT. It would have been a shooting gallery, but that would not make it fun to play. Sorry again for the file mistake, Cheer

HANDIHOC: I have saved the file of counter Attack, during the play without any problem. It take at least one minute and less than two in any case. Might be your config ?

Well, that's too bad. As for myself, I had no problem saving the file during the play. I check it anyhow. Cheer

You should like it. The battle ground is quite different.The field of view is rather like what you might find in Afghanistan. The fights for the control of the valleys and or hilltops will be difficult, against reserve, guards and or Hajis. depending of the battle. Cheer

The campaign being fought partly on the El Derjine maps (A crossroad and a Counter Attack at El Derjine) should be ready in two weeks time. 5 maps should be sufficient for the battles, due to their rather big size. The goal is to seize the dam area (already shown as a movie and with some shots in a thread) and to secure the bridge. Then an assault of the high plateaux is feasible. When it has been done, if it can be done ! Passes, leading to a farther down valley, have to be taken and hold. it is a grunt job in that "afghanistan ground style". Will your A company have enough platoons and squads fit enough to follow on, or will you have to back up and fall back to El Derjine or farther away ? That you will manage and have fun doing so. It will be a campaign with LZ delivery, Platoon swift assault, Company assault, Mout fights, road opening with what it calls for (ambush, mines and or IED). The replenishment of the troops has been closely watch, so that you don't end up fighting with a squad against the entire Syrian army, or 2 guys against 3 others guys has it has been seen on some scenarios of campaign. That part is not that easy to set. If, it happens that I take an extra week, it will be to finalize the current testing to bring you a better campaign. Remaining P.S: Thanks to the ones that made me to undertake that campaign following their precious AAR from the preceedings battles

One of us found a way to look at the tactical and operational stuff. He put these in a PDF file. The good point : You can read it in your bed the previous night, think about it while sleeping and play later. More seriously, while loading you can read it and refer to it while playing The bad point : You have to unzip the PDF file and print it, before playing, since there are nothing written in the opening battle screen. I think that with good shots of the battle ground and clear order that could be another alternative to what should be seen in the opening screen. Not to put anything in it, is not a good idea even if the maps aren't so easy to look at. A zoom, however would be welcome. What do you think of it ? Cheer

Time limit is the base line of a scenario maker. The A.I plans are made with the time limit in mind. The objectives, the number of points take it in account to have a more or less realistic battle. To my point of view to alter the time limit and or remove its set time, that's like a car setup for a specific race and being used in another one with parameters having nothing to do with it. The car might still be beautiful to look at, but it will not deliver the power it has been set for. You still can consider altering the time limit, it is again a question of choice. Anyone has the right to play a battle becoming dull after it had its time limit removed. Cheer

For sure, an ambush set with such a command will enabled the scenario maker to duplicate an AAR of a real one, taking in account a precise time schedule of the move being done after the the first shots. No more boring numerous test play. Cheer

A.I scripts are not an easy task, specially if you have to follow a scriptboard. The main difficulty I have found is setting the right experience level for Blue and Red in order to have the A.I behave the way you want it. You have to play the battle and see how it unfold on the Red side, if you play the Blue and reset it to another level, if the red do not fight the way you want them to. You might have to raise the Red level and lower the Blue one, till you get the right thing, or the contrary. The result depends of the forces ground setting and of their ability to fight eventually at dusk (or night). The red aren't too good at it. They don't have NVG. In a night battle for the El Derjine campaign, that I am finalizing, the Reds were always wiped out, despite good fire fields. The management of different experience setting and play testing, made them fight better. The A.I plan was always the same. Another annoying fact, is that the timing of the A.I plan start at the beginning of the setup. If you want a squad to move out 10 minutes after it has been engaged in a firefight, you can't order it. You have to imagine that they will be engaged at xx:xx time and that they will disengaged 10 minutes after. No way to define the time at which they will be engaged. It is a guessing game, till you play test the A.I and find out a more or less a good time setting. if the Blues come another way, the A.I script crumble down. More, the A.I has only 8 groups, that is not enough in some Company firefight, when you make different plan for the platoons and some support units. However, the number of orders are sufficients. Despite, these problems, I think that the actual A.I is sufficient for the majority of the A.I plans. Not everything is perfect for sure, but we will sometimes have to adapt the script to take in account the way the A.I can play. Unfortunatelly, that will not be at the exact location on the ground map and at the exact time setting, we wish it should. Cheer

Used to CMBO when it came first out, then CMBB and CMAK with the only option WEGO, playing CMSF in Real Time is a pleasure and some time a thrilling experience. I had found that in WEGO, during 1 minute you could not change anything that you had set. You could watch and re-watch eventually as many time as you wished the action, but the shells aimed at your tank where brewing it, usually before the minute ended. that was upsetting. In Real Time if you look where the action is, you can eventually prevent an incoming disaster, that was is irreversible in WEGO, by backing up, popping smoke, firing ...all of these in a short time. OK, it is usually not so easy to appraise the Operation Area and you might loose sight of some units, but you almost feel like being there. It is amazing to jump up at the sound of a shell stricking near by and to be completely startled, since you have been caught off guard. Well, that does not mean that WEGO is not as fine than real Time. It is just a personal choice, Real Time being available and nonetheless, either way of playing, I am sure please the player like I enjoyed it before and now.