The_Red_Rage

-Fortified versions of current buildings -Some sort of basements for larger buildings (classic tank ambushes are conducted by placing teams in basements and third floor levels) -Working sandbag emplacements -Prepared trenches and defensive works in general (from my understanding Syrians would be deploying according to old school Soviet static defense doctrine, and all they get right now are slit trenches that are barely better than open terrain) - "Checkpoint" structure (solid defensive position for a platoon sized unit out of concrete blocks) -Guardtowers/ OP posts -Prepared vihicle trenches (or at least the "Dig In" option from CMx1)

CMMODS is the first place to visit after installing any of Combat Mission games. I really can't imagine playing unmodded CMSF! Plus all the scenario and campaign goodness... Celtic, If you want to experince Red equipment, Hasrabit campaign is the best way to do so. PaperTiger included a pretty wide array of equipment within the campaign combining it with exellent scenario design. You will love TURMS-T

Just random Arabic radio chatter would work. Israeli chatter would probably be easier to come by, and if it is distorted enough, Hebrew sounds fairly close to Arabic. Regarding file sizes - more variety the better. Most people are running over 1 gig RAM nowdays, so load times aren't much of an issue.

- Red vs Red is alot more tactically challenging, with and the outcome not yet preditermined. Focus is more on objectives than babysitting your men - I like the fact that Red side utilizes several generations of tanks used for different purposes - It is realistic to actually take casualties. I find that Blue vs Red battles come down to minimizing your own casualties before anything. If Blue loses more than 15 men in a single battle, it ceases to be realistic. I still try to minimize Red casualties at all times as well, but losing 20 kia and 30 wia seems like a more realistic outcome for Red side. - Hasrabit campaign and its brilliant scenario design - Being Russian myself, i like the Russian toys more (even their stripped down export models). There is just so much more character in T55 wrapped in ERA kits moving in to support the assault on building by your special forces team. TURMS-T is very capable peice of equipment as well (it will take out M1 given the first shot opportunity), and i imagine T90 will be even better. And while Russia doesn't have the Javelin, there is RPO Shmel that could give the Red side a real anti-personnel edge. I wish another Red side was added instead of Brits to be honest. Jordan and Lebanon come to mind.

Love it! Gives a battlefield a really busy and alive feel. IMHO something like that should be implemented into the game with radio chatter refelcting what is actually going on around battlefield/ particular unit. So artillery related traffic around forward observers, random radiochecks/sitrep/ammocas/spotting chatter around idle infantry, combat related traffic around engaged infantry and etc. Would be really atmospheric to have traffic lit up during contacts and Static in place of wiped out units. I'll be surprised if Steve and Charles are not digging this mod Edit: Syrian version, while next to impossible to do, would be most welcome as well

I wonder what his definition of *fun* scenario is. Buying the Farm and Boys are Back in Town was the most fun i personally had with CMSF. Don't think Rebel side had elite tanks or crack infantry for the whole campaign (with the exception of Boys are Back in town, where enemy infantry is of crack quality; didn't matter much though, since most of them got blown away by airstrikes anyways). Philios, Take is slower with this mission. You shouln't make any offensive moves for the first hour of battle. About 4 mins into arty barrage start moving a platoon into pump house comlex (occupy first floors only). Best set-up i found for this scenario - platoon on the left flank in the village, 2 platoons occupying the complex in the middle with one of them rushing the pump house towards the end of barrage. Keep your guys on hide and open up and point blank range. When you go into the offensive phase - Reserves and tanks are capable of dealing with whatever is left on their own. Some people like to use Spec Forces for offensive phase, but i used rserves to preserve SF for future missions - they did just fine too. Total casualties were under 30 men (SF casualties were 8 men as i recall).

This is by PaperTiger - DOWNLOAD IT! Hasrabit was simply brilliant and, in my opinion, the best scenario "pack" ever made for CMSF, and that includes the stock scenarios and a campaign that came with a game. It got me back to playing CMSF with newfound appreciation. Especially for players that never gave Red on Red a test drive - try it, but with a caution that you may never go back to playing Blue on Red scenarios;)

Would be interesting to see some sort of African campaign. Not sure if US forces would fit in however, as it is doubtful US will ever get involved in any African conflict. Too overstretched with Iraq as it is, no real economic gain, and the cold hard truth that first world nations don't care about Africa. Plus for the last 50 years Africa was mostly under British, French and Soviet/Russian influences. More likely development is a UN sanctioned force drawn from neighbouring African states. Could be a fun Red on Red campaign. Otherwise it will be Abrams tanks vs T-55s. Doubt Zimbabwe has Kornet complexes either.

I think CMSF has grown well out of the scope of simply simulaiting Stryker Brigade. This thread is proof enough http://www.battlefront.com/discuss/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=72;t=000316 For Red on Red scenarios and even Blue on Red turkey shoots, fortifications will simply be a huge addition. Syrians would fortify every major building within their cities and towns in case of an invasion. Airstrikes and artillery work up to a point, and in densely populated areas probably won't be utilized as much. I simply cannot imagine a 9-story building that is expecting a major assault not being properly prepared, with at least sandbagging the first two floors and basements and boarding up all the entry points. There is an asthetic factor as well. Would be nice if a warzone looked like a warzone. It's not an addition that will impact core campaign in any way, just more tools for scenario editors to get creative with.

Really? :confused:

Handihoc, I was playing on Vet, but next version of the campaign i'll give it a go on Elite. Tactic with the farmhouse should still work. It's abit explotative of AI's inflexbility (once it starts the attack it just pushes trough sending even mg and Coy command units into direct assault). Also i managed to get the arty spotter in the previous mission so there was no heavy barrage prior. Reserves manned a completely intact structure with most of the wall facing the assault still up, channeling enemy advance into two narrow paths. With that setup troop quality played little role, when over 20 rifles opened up on attackers at 15-30m ranges. Paper Tiger, Only three missions Thanks to Hasrabit i am completely addicted to Red on Red and cannot play Blue on Red missions anymore - and the new "fix" will be only 3 missions long? :eek: Would be fun if u added a few smaller missions (ambush, get a supply/relief convoy across, recon defenses prior to assault) that could tip the balance of larger engagements. It was done to a degree in Hasrabit, but those "smaller" tip-the-balance engagements turned out to be the most epic battles. I refer to the Barrier and Buying the Farm specifically. Series of smaller battles prior to larger engagements would further help connect the player and the troops (which Hasrabit already did a wonderful job of btw) and make the larger battles all the more epic.

I was wondering if there were engine limitations that don't allow for defensive works such as razor wire, tank traps, sandbags, prepared trench positions (as opposed to current hasty versions). Another question is basements, or lack of thereof rather. Would be interesting to create tank ambushes with RPG teams on 3rd floors and basements. Also, logical step would be to connect larger (4 levels up) buildings with a sewer system. Additions of reinforced building structures and some sort of "block post" structures to the editor would be most welcome as well. By reiforced i mean fortress versions of the current structures, with things like sandbagged windows/balconies, mousehole firing ports, well protected roof. By "block post" i meant a solid conrete block mini-fortress housing around a platoon, with well protected firing positions, well protected roof OP/Sniper position (troops inside should be nearly 100% protected from small arms fire). Comments?

Mixing uniforms within the unit could actually work for frontline Syrian units, where i am sure the "if you can get a better and newer BDU, go for it" policy is in full effect. Will give units a more organic look. I'm really digging type B also (i believe the camo designation is KLM or something along those lines). It wasn't restricted to spestnaz only - it was worn by recon, border patrol, and generally by everyone within Soviet 40th Army who could get thier hands on one. Spetsnaz' of the '80s actually preferred to blend in with regular forces, especially KGB teams. I'm using a similar uniform for my syrian special forces (forgot by who unfortunately), but this looks truly superb. Type G would be on my "hit list"

In my recent attempt at Buying the Farm my reserves managed to completely repel the attack on the Farmhouse and severely mangle the force attacking The Pump House (20-30 casualties inflicted). Farmhouse defenders took out all but a command section, which was taken care of by the special forces relief platoon. I moved all reserve forces off positions prior to the prep arty barrage, and quickly moved them back after it was done (would that be considered gamey? i figured if briefing clearly stated that there will be prep barrage such move would be OK), so they were in full force facing the assault. Workhouse defenders failed (played the scenario 6 times by now, and Workhouse always crumbled without much resistance). Farmhouse held out like a champ - positioned all the men on first floors (with exception of two sections of the building facing the enemy approach), left them on hide, so they pretty much opened up on attacking force at point blank range. Pump House presents some excellent crossfire ambush opportunities. Attacking force approaches from the road, so to enter the pump house complex they are channeled through a narrow path. AGS-17 section + PK in one house, Rifle section in another, and another section behind the small hill in the bushes south of pump house. Ambush works wonders, even with conscript troops. Eventually Pump house gets rolled, but not without significant casualties to the Red side. On the side note, EXCELLENT campaign Paper Tiger. Detailed and immersive briefings, great flow, quality maps and best of all - RED on RED! Quality stuff, and most fun i had with CMSF (playing the campaign for the third time btw;). Dream come true would be a similar campaign designed for one of the conflicts within ex-Soviet respublics. Hasrabit just had that feel to me, even with its fictionalized storyline. RED on RED FTW!

The first war lasted almost 2 years, so why not do a summer campaign? No need for snow or mud then, and stock CMSF simulates summer Chechen landscape fairly well. Rest of the things are either outside the scope or open to imagination:) My list of would be: Defensive works Infantry firing ports on BMP BTR-80 Mine clearing explosives for engineer units (also usable to demolish buildings), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mine-clearing_line_charge

I still have hard time believing that Russia or China would send active military support to Syria in case of a conflict. Russia is in economic reneissanse with the oil and gas dollar pouring in, and sending troops to a country that the Russian population has no sympathy with whatsoever seems abit far fetched. It happened before in Yugoslavia with Pristina push, but Serbs are allies and Slavs, and Syrians are customers [which don't always pay on time] and Arabs. People are still bitter about so much of a Soviet tax rubble going to support far away dictatorships for 50 years. Frankly, after Chechnya I doubt active military support for any muslim state would fly. But for the sake of including Russian units into upcomming modules i wouldn't oppose such a fictional geopolitical development. It could allow for a whole sea of possibilities to create scenarios for tons of recent conflicts (Afghanistan, Tadjikistan, Abkhazia, Chechnya 1/2, North Ossetia if it goes hot).

The chain of events of Wiki site is not entirely correct and pretty one sided. The assault started after the explosion inside the gym. It was day 4 and the situation was critical. http://www.stepashka.com/forum/t66435.html (use firefox) Here is a pretty interesting video series on Spetsnaz group "Vympel", following the life of one of members killed during Beslan. It's in Russian, but has pretty unique footage. Parts 4 and 5 deal specifically with Beslan. According to the video spesnaz operatives were not shooting Shmels at kids but rather covered them with their own bodies. Out of 10 men Vympel lost that day (unprecedented casualty number for the unit), most were shot in the back. Russian army might have its problems, but it's not a horde of bloodthirsty monsters, and noone wanted to kill civilians and especially children. Both Nord-Ost hostage taking as well as Beslan had absolutely no precedent anywhere in the world in their brutality and impossibility to deal with using conventional means.

Just finished Paper Tiger's brilliant campaign (for the third time;)) and that left me craving for more Red on Red action and what better theater than the first Chechen war, which was one of the firsest conflicts in the last 40 years. Grozny was pretty much Stalingrad with modern weapons. Considering the popularity of Staligrad theme with CMBB, why not port it to modern theatre. Campaign could follow an airborne battalion augmented with special forces units as it struggles through the outskirts and the the city itself. Battlles for Rail Road station, Central Bank, Hotel "Kavkaz", Minutka square could be included culminating with attempts at taking Dudaev's Palace. Not one building was left standing in Grozny so scenario designers could really have some fun here. Lots of artillery, desperate last stands, and biggest urban fight post WW2. I have quite a few video links (in Russian though, but they show the landscape nicely). http://artofwar.ru/m/mironow_w_n/text_0180.shtml Interesting read on the subject from personal perspective (if u can bear with so-so translation, and lots of parts cut off due to not being translated yet; in original was a very powerful read though). p.s.: if not entire campaign then maybe a scenario;) scroll to page 92 on pdf, very interesting read and a captivating plot for a scenario. http://usacac.army.mil/CAC/milreview/English/JulAug01/JulAug01/bobja01.pdf