astano

I hope this is in the right place - I don't see an appropriate subforum
 
Hey folks, Chris "tyrspawn" Krause here! some of you might remember me from my walkthrough/let's play of the original CMSF, CMSF: Nato and my beta video AARs of Normandy:
 
CMSF NATO videos
CMSF videos
Combat Mission Battle for Normandy Beta videos
 
I am now making a series of videos on Black Sea! My videos will focus on:
1. Discussion of doctrine, military tactics, systems and military history
2. Unedited gameplay footage in WEGO (turn based) - my other videos were real time, but I discovered how cool WEGO is during my Normandy AARs
3. An ongoing review and commentary on the game itself - i'm playing everything for the first time as you see me do it
4. Blackboard style discussions of what went wrong - essentially an after acton report
 
The new video series will be posted here:
YOUTUBE PLAYLIST
 
 
 
The first video is a campaign introduction and tutorial on how to properly perform a terrain analysis and operations order (in brief) for the TASKFORCE 3-69 campaign:

 
 
 
You can look forward to the mission playthrough being posted within the next couple days

I am in fact here, but have been tied up with a variety of tasks.  Have taken time to do some posts on other topics, but just could not compile the energy to keep after this.  I will make the effort to finish but not immediately.  As reported on Bil's side, we were forced to call the scenario due to technical difficulties with the older beta build we were using.  Bil conceded defeat, though after inflicting more casualties.  Think I am down 3 Brads from where I left off.  However, Bil is down several more BMPs including one that Brytva 21 took out at near point-blank range!  Will have to post vid from Russian side, because he couldn't save that turn and send it back to me!  Thanks for your attention here, and the encouragement.  Will make the effort to compile as a .pdf, and may do something similar front to back.  Was toying with the ID of doing this sort of write up for a scenario against the AI, as it would turn faster.  We'll see.  
 
While this scenario does not appear in the release, look for it in modified form on the 'new' repository, coming soon to a BFC.com near you!  

Oh there ya go changing the rules. Try it as the Russians - I don't think my US AI plans play out quite as well as a human's would.

Hi, I made a guide so you can easily identify the right flavor object your want to use for your map.
It is made with game v1.00 in mind, so there might be changes at some point.
 
Format: PDF file
Size: About 4 mb.
 
 
Can be found at:
http://s000.tinyupload.com/index.php?file_id=95489368985052445724

My two cents, without having half the experience in game as many have here..
 
My suggestion is to use the recon vehicles with these concepts: first of all, is it armored or not?
If it is armored you can sustain at least the basic infantry fire, if it is not armored avoid any kind of contact with enemy infrantry.
 
Then, are you attacking or defending?
 
In defense you might want to place your scout vehicles in a bit more risky positions, but bear in mind to keep a backup point, which can be easily reached by the vehicle if it get spotted. Be sure to not place it with obstacles behind it or the vehicle might get cought trying to retreat on its own.
In offense I'd recommend to use the vehicles merely as carriers for the infantry spotters they carry, reach a distant safe point, disembark your observation team, and proceed on foot for the recon. If needed move the team back to the vehicle, reposition and repeat.

I was just about to start a thread about this one too.  Played it yesterday and it's a great scenario, if you haven't given it a go yet I highly recommend it.  The map in particular is stunning, and I expect to be back for that alone.
 
I thought the time worked out pretty well; it definitely gave me one of my more memorable CM moments.  Some spoilers:
 

You have the honor of being my very first casualty, you were blown away by an ags-17 in the mission "An August morning". Unfortunately you didn't have the cruel irony of dieing as a unhatched tank commander.
 
Great game BFC I am loving it and ive only been playing for 20 minutes!
 

 
 

For those who haven't noticed, the CMBS QB map folder is full to overflowing. 330 maps, and some pretty spectacular looking maps too. Complete with multiple AI orders, triggers, the whole nine yards. All hail MarkEzra for his work assembling those. I just got done playing a QB on a huge map involving a dam on a river, an overpass highway, a huge railroad bridge and a rock quarry. Great fun to play. 

Well, someone is going to post every time. I just crack up that people get mad that someone does. like it really changes anything.
 
I just wish i was home so I could start downloading

Today is the day. Mark my words.

Spears shall be shaken, shields shall be splintered! A sword day... a red day... ere the sun rises!Ride now!... Ride now!... Ride! Ride to ruin and the world's ending!Death!Death!Death!Death!DEATH!Death!Forth...... and so on.  

It is a TOW missile.  However it's from a batch that could have gone anywhere from Saudi Arabia, to Turkey, to Italy and beyond.  It's no more a sign of US involvement than finding an RPG-7 is a sign of Russian infiltration.
 
In terms of applying lethal force the onus is on the government to control the violence.  The police in Ferguson, the security apparatus of the Ukraine are all examples of doing it wrong, responding with violence simply starts an action-reaction interaction in which violence response to increasing violence.  To put it in perspective across the United States of America in 2013 had a net total of 320 police killings.  In January 2014-March 2014 the Ukrainian security forces killed 100 people alone through largely gunshot wounds, in just Kiev.
 
Given the difference in population, short "killing" window there's simply not comparing the two.  Virtually none of the 100+ protestors shot down by the Ukrainian government realistically had to die, while on occasion the US police kills low single digit numbers of people who did not need to be shot.
 
There's simply no comparing a "bad" shooting of one teenager to the dozens of people shot down in the streets of Kiev to ensure Putin's favorite puppet could still squander his country's resources.  
 
In terms of Syria, I'm sorry where are the Syrian government's tanks and attack helicopters coming from?    If you're going to talk about fueling a civil war, Russia was pouring arms in well before the west was offended enough to send what little it has sent.  

right, what Steve said. He can attest to the fact that I was willing to give Russia the benefit of the doubt for a lonnnnnnng time.
 
 
Now, as I said previously, trying to argue about the current conflict is pointless. No one is going to change their point of view and we just wind up having the same arguments.
 
I suggest we stick to the original topic, i.e.a theoretical invasion of Ukraine in 2017 and what that would involve.

'Set-Piece' (or deliberate) attack is at the grand-tactical/operational level, not strategic - mainly because you don't bother about battles at the strategic level, you're worried about campaigns. Op COBRA and Op QUEEN were both set piece battles. Basically, the idea is to take the time to get all your ducks in a row before the battle starts. That means arranging the fire support, conducting battle-specific training, organising units into assault - 2nd echelon - reserve, and positioning them accordingly, preparing and delivering orders down to a very low level (ie, the corps commander prepares and presents orders to his divisional commanders, who then derive and prepare their own orders and present them to their regimental commanders, who then prepare and present their orders to the battalion commanders, who prepare and present their orders to the company commanders, who prepare and present their own orders to their platoon commanders, who prepare and present orders to their squad commanders, who brief/present orders to their squads), distribution of aerial photos and maps with intel overlays, stockpiling of ammunition, fuel, and specific stores that might be needed (such as bridging material), etc. Then the whole thing kicks off at a specific time according to the designated H-hour, with all the various parts moving in a coordinated fashion and thus maxmising the  leverage that combined arms brings to the battlefield, as well as any other specific advantages that the attacker might have (such as better training, or comms, or intel, or night vision gear, or fire support, etc.)
 
There are loads of examples of set piece battles from Korea, as well as some from Vietnam. The opening ground phase of Op DESERT STORM was a set piece too, especially the USMC assault straight up the guts into Kuwait. Crossings of major rivers are often set-piece, mainly because of the pronounced advantages the defender enjoys and the need to bring up bridging stores.
 
The downside of set-piece is that they can take a while to set up, and thus generally give the defender more time to prepare his defence and/or divine exactly where the boot is going to fall and prepare appropriately. Often once a front has settled down for a while, a set-piece is appropriate because the defender will have thoroughly prepared his defence, and the attacker is not required to press the tempo by attacking ASAP. Surpirse can be tricky to accomplish in a set-piece, but on the other hand the time taken to tee-up a set piece means that a comprehensive deception plan can be prepared and enacted, to generate a very high degree of surprise - Op DESERT STORM is a great example here. Saddam knew the Coalition forces were coming, and he knew down to the day when they'd be coming. But he had no idea where they'd be coming, and was soundly thrashed in part because of that surprise.
 
There isn't really a sharp split between meeting engagements, hasty attacks, and deliberate/set-piece attacks. The boundaries between them are quite fluid depending on the specific circumstances. An operation can also transition quickly between the three - Op COBRA, for example, started as a deliberate/set-piece and stayed that way for 2-3 days. After that there was a short period of hasty attacks, then it transitioned again to meeting engagements as the Americans made a clean break through the complete depth of the German's prepared defences. Sometime later it transitioned again to a hasty attack by the Germans at Mortain.

ChrisND, you have been awesome with the update. You have no idea how important it is doing this... talking to your customers and letting them know what's going on. This makes us feel and know you care because you do and you take time to post updates. We really appreciate it a lot.

I think that everyone should just stop fuelling the OT. 

Hi Everyone!
 
You guys are like the seagulls in 'Finding Nemo'....
 

 
... I support that.
 
 
 
GAME? GAME? GAME? GAME? GAME? GAME? GAME? GAME? GAME?

Time to close the door on another episode of "Steam, or BFC goes out of business", IMO.
 
Hey, I think I'll go ahead and order CMBS now, even though I was previously going to wait until it was released. :-)

Battlefront is love, Battlefront is life.

Title pretty much says it all. Black Sea will be my first modern CM game. I've been playing CMBN/CMFI/CMRT since release, so I'm familiar with the game engine. 
 
What advice can you beta testers, Shock Force and Afghanistan players give to us who have only played WW2 CM? How should we adjust our tactics? What can we expect from all this newfangled equipment? 

He is in there, he is just so well camouflaged the game can't find him.

Didn't notice the "winky" in my post, eh?
 
Obviously no Steam employee. They wouldn't have been that obnoxious.

I don't have any expertise on Steam numbers but FWIW the "community" (i.e. forum) aspects of Steam probably aren't the best way to measure sales.  The best source for Steam data that I'm aware of is Steam Charts, which tracks the number of players of a game at a given time/over the last 24 hours/last month/what have you.  Here are some numbers for games being specifically tossed around in this thread or that are broadly similar to CM:
 
Unity of Command - 43.1 average players at a time over the last 30 days; 358 all-time peak
 
Close Combat:  Gateway to Caen - 25.8; 240
 
Command:  Modern Air/Naval Operations - 15.7; 83
 
Flashpoint Campaigns - 12.0; 88
 
Graviteam Tactics - 10.9; 33
 
Theatre of War - 4.6; 26
 
This data is of pretty limited use to the discussion (if you can even call it that anymore) for a few reasons - most obviously, it shows people playing, not sales numbers - but it is the best that's out there unless publishers decide to release their own sales figures.  The best this can tell us is that (for example) at least 33 people bought Graviteam Tactics from Steam - without knowing more about GT's history (when and where it was first released, how many copies it sold there, its history on Steam), I don't think there's much that can be done with that tidbit alone.  It's also possibly a bit misleading because I believe that each of these titles were directly available from the publisher for a significant length of time before being on Steam, so I'd hypothesize that most of the core fans probably bought them early and directly rather than later through Steam (which means those purchases won't show up on Steam Charts, and while that's useful for determining how many new people might buy a CMSF re-release now it might not tell us how many people would buy CMBS if it launched tomorrow).  Along similar lines, we also have no idea if any of these titles ever got any of the exposure that appears to drive a lot of the sales on Steam and would drive most of the hypothetical additional sales from moving there - significant front page placement, daily, holiday, or flash sales, etc., and furthermore there's no way to know if a Steam launch (rather than re-release) would have garnered them such attention.  We could probably figure that out too, to a certain extent (there are sites that track Steam discount history), but I'm too lazy to do it.
 
And of course, we can make all the assumptions from this data we want and it doesn't really get us anywhere, not least of all because none of us are BFC and can't make these decisions for them.
 
As far as my two cents, I am agnostic about Steam for Steam's own sake, but I find it remarkable that I have never seen an ad for CM anywhere.  I stumbled across CMSF solely by chance looking for another type of game altogether, and I think it would be great if more people knew this sort of game was out there.  I think Steam would be a great way to do that but I trust BFC to make the decision that's right for them.

Yes, and his name is m0317624. Jeez, Steam. Hire someone who can pick better forum names. ;-)
 
 
Well, even if he's not a Steam employee, it's interesting to watch him try to "educate" Steve.

Like comparing Steam to an HMO or a Subway. Also now apparently interest in it is a secret conspiracy by Valve to destroy Battlefront (thanks Desertor!) Congrats on your Intro to Philosophy course by the way.
 
Bottom line : I think you people are crazy if you think that Combat Mission, a real time tactical strategy game can't compete with Paradox's 4 different grand strategy games, Eagle Dynamics study sims, Slitherline's hex wargames, or whoever was crazy enough to make Command: Modern Air / Naval Operations / Spreadsheet Simulator and ask $90 for it. Complex niche titles aren't as unique or unpopular as you guys seem to think. Not everyone is content with Call of Duty...