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kevinkin

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Posts posted by kevinkin

    Black Sea Siming the Mid East?

    in Combat Mission Black Sea

    Posted

    Thanks. I did think terrain in and around Syria would require a stretch of the imagination ... which I don't mind unless its become laughable. 

    How difficult is it the mod the terrain to include arid - like textures with the underlying combat resolution effect code? I guess it if could be done relativity easily we would have tank combat in the arctic by now. I know ground combat in the ME US/Russia is a stretch too. My mind tend to wander at times.

    Kevin 

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    Black Sea Siming the Mid East?

    in Combat Mission Black Sea

    Posted

    Given the current situation with Russia and the US in Syria, could any reasonable hypothetical scenarios be created?
    I guess the situation could spill over into the Baltic where US and Russia could go at it. I don't know of BS's capabilities other than it's CMx2.
    But since BS is hypothetical already ....

    Kevin

     

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    Russian tactics -lessons learned

    in Combat Mission Black Sea

    Posted

    Hi .. in from the Red Thunder forum for a change of pace.

    Can we say automation is to 21st century warfare as mechanization was to 20th century warfare? Perhaps mechanization is more fundamental. Automation combines mechanization plus the rise of information technology (GPS and SATCOM e.g.).

    From a cost - benefit perspective, the infantry ratio has completely reversed in the past 100 years. At least for developed nations. The cost to society of raising a child just to lose them on the modern battlefield is massive compared to the loss of smart weapon systems. Putting a crew in a modern MBT seems awfully expensive too. The firepower of today's artillery comes at a reasonable cost as long as the trained human technicians are out of harms way as much as feasible.    

    Kevin

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    Red Thunder Module?

    in Combat Mission Red Thunder

    Posted

    "True, although the urban density of Western and Central Europe almost has to be seen to be believed (I assume it surprises even many Americans) and has dictated military strategy for centuries..

    You do feel for the poor Western Allies who had to slog through that. If you factor in rivers, woods, canals, and other obstacles as well there is probably a potential defensive position every 500 metres or so. No wonder the Ardennes was such an attractive idea."

    Interesting. The times I have been to western Europe were either for business or partying so I never took notice of the terrain from a military POV. I would imagine the urban sprawl providing excellent AT nests for NATO during the Cold War. During WW2 did the terrain become more urbanized west of the Vistula compared to the the east? 

    I prefer bringing CM in the east to 1941 and leaving the war's end to the - well  - end. I understand the pros and cons so ca sera sera. Tactical war gaming is mostly about the available weapons and terrain than the actual period and WW2 theater we use them in anyway. That being said, if I pass before Moscow, Kharkov, Stalingrad ... etc etc. a lot of bad karma may descend (or ascend more likely) on the powers that be.

    Kevin 

       

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    The Setup Phase

    in Combat Mission Red Thunder

    Posted · Edited by kevinkin

    Try hand picking your and your enemy's forces  (AI) at around  Company level. Many find this to be the sweet spot. The AI seems to pick some odd force structures. But some folks like the change of pace. So, for example, a tank heavy force would have a company of armor and a platoon of infantry. Add a FO and off map artillery. Make sure you have a few MGs and on map DF mortars to practice with. Handling larger forces will be easier will a bit of experience. Have fun.

    Kevin 

    0

    Combat Mission Operational Play

    in Combat Mission Red Thunder

    Posted

    Whatever special rules like supply and reinforcements you and your friends use should be OK with CMx2. But the devil is in the details. You may not get exactly what you have been simulating. It should not stop you from migrating to the new engine however. 

    Kevin

    This sort of reminds me of the massive Panzerblitz battles we played using two boxes They never ended until finals week.

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    FXShine shader

    in Combat Mission Red Thunder

    Posted

    I am noticing some crops fields like #2 appear too bright (sunny day) when viewed from above and lighten when you zoom in. Sort of consistent with the golden look the late summer sun angle gives. Can this be toned down in isolation? I have the arma editor now.

     

    Kevin

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    FXShine shader

    in Combat Mission Red Thunder

    Posted · Edited by kevinkin

    "Did manage to turn everything pink, which is something."

     

    St. Valentine's Day Massacre perhaps ....

     

    Night vision sounds way cooler.

     

    BarbaricCo ... Your shader technique is probably on BFC radar. Comments may take a while. If they are really impressed, advanced shader options might be supported in-game. But I suspect it will be up to the community to implement as a mod for the short term at least.

     

    Kevin

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    Katyusha ?

    in Combat Mission Red Thunder

    Posted

    I was just about to post a question on rockets for scenario OOB design. How responsive were these guys to fire control on the CM scale?

    That is, how many missions could a FO bring down in a 60 min time frame? Say relative to a 105 or 120 mm battery? (all off map).

     

    Kevin

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    German attack doctrine in CM

    in Combat Mission Red Thunder

    Posted

    I have a tribe and you have a tribe. I want your wine, women and song. One night my tribe lures your women to our camp. Your men are a bore and asleep. Your men get pissed. Attack my camp. Right into an ambush. We get it all. Not fair. We oriented on your tribes critical vulnerability, ego. That's maneuver warfare.
     
    Kevin
     
    PS
    We could have just attacked your camp directly, made a mess and grabbed a few gals - but we rather them all and in one piece.
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    German attack doctrine in CM

    in Combat Mission Red Thunder

    Posted · Edited by kevinkin

    In combat mission we compete to win - at least most of us try anyway. It can be enjoyable to set up battles to test one's tactical ideas or try to simulate differing doctrines. Here, attaining formal victory conditions is less important. The victor can be satisfied if they had fun. Whereas in a competitive situation success is quantitative. So in a competitive game the player must orient on the means to achieve a quantitative victory i.e. points. This could be done by a seek and destroy method that follows a nation's doctrine or the player's own. However, there are tactical problems where exclusively orienting on the enemy forces will lose to the element of time. We have heard of delaying type missions. Or tried our own direct attack to save time and then suffer game losing casualties. Or the satisfaction of preempting the enemy by seizing key terrain (and points) forcing the enemy to charge our nice defensive position. Fortunately for the player the list goes on and on. Knowing where the enemy is without adequate time and firepower will not be enough to win if crushing them is the only tactic in the player's playbook. The scenario designer must allow each side at least one way to win the battle. And in a sense put their reputation on the line that they are not wasting player's time giving them a hopeless task. If I were outnumbered 4 to 1 I would run off the battlefield and call it a draw. But I can't since the 100 point town and bridge are left to the enemy. But wait if I hold for 45 mins the cavalry arrives and the odds shift to my favor for the last 15 mins and maybe ... just maybe. So they better destroy me clean and fast and get set because the 4th quarter will be a bitch. The town and time limit provides a reason to fight the battle. Without those or a way to leave the battlefield we would have cage fighting 4 guys to 1.  
     
    Kevin
    0

    German attack doctrine in CM

    in Combat Mission Red Thunder

    Posted · Edited by kevinkin

    I am a chemist not an physicist. But one thing that is missing in the analysis of doctrine here and everywhere is the element of time. The 4th dimension to a 3D battlefield. "If I can hold my position until ... reinforcements arrive" "My attack/defense will succeed". Time is not random like weather or personalities involved. It's tugging at combat constantly at every level from strategic to tactical.

     

    To defeat the enemy they must be compelled to fight. This involves threatening something of value to them. So terrain objectives can be the ultimate goal of an engagement and/or those that aid in achieving the ultimate goal. Once the enemy is compelled to fight, attaining objectives provides the ground to foster friendly movement and firepower whereby the enemy is destroyed or compelled to give you what is of value to them. 

     

    To ignore victory conditions (by and large terrain) within a time frame (or produce scenarios without them) would create battles like paint ball except the weekend is infinitely long and the winner has less paint on their cloths. I do not think you could make historical scenarios under these conditions. Or even hypothetical ones that truly test a nation's doctrine. Without a reason to do battle there is no war game. 

     

    Kevin

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    German attack doctrine in CM

    in Combat Mission Red Thunder

    Posted

    Thanks Jason. "Located and immobile is dead" got me thinking about trench warfare with anchored flanks. Here, I guess, only attrition warfare possible. Perhaps Hutier tactics with infiltration is the maneuver giving rise to the find and fix you write about. Without a mobile / mechanized ability to press beyond the tactical zone and supply a breakthrough, attrition resumes when the front closes. circa WW1 where the enemy was pretty well located and immobile on a static front.

     

    Kevin

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