mjkerner

At this stage, you need to split your forces into several AI groups. This is at your discretion but you can have a maximum of 16 AI groups per side. For this small amount of forces, and for what I want them to do, I have created three AI groups.
AI group number 2
This group will represent the infantry squads that are inside the M1126 Stryker carrier vehicles. This group does not take a lot of action in this scenario. Its main objective is to size the ditch once the M1126 Stryker have created a good smoke screen in front of them. To select the units inside AI group number 2, just select all the infantry squad and press the F2 key. You will see a [A2] tag. This is to say that the units are now in AI group number 2.

AI group number 3
This group will represent the M1126 Stryker carrier vehicles. Their objective is to reach waypoint number 1 (see first post) and generate a smoke screen. We can also imagine they can do an area fire on the ditch to suppress any enemy located there. Select all the M1126 Strykers of 3rd platoon and press the F3 key. You will see a [A3] tag. This is to say that the units are now in AI group number 3.

AI group number 4
This group represent the mortar team. Their objective is to perform area fire respectively on Target 1, Target 2 and then Target 3. Select all the units of the Mortar Section and press the F4 key. You will see a [A4] tag. This is to say that the units are now in AI group number 4.

As you can see, AI groups selection is done based on the mission objectives to be done. You can perfectly assign several units from several formations inside the same AI group. All units are, by default, inside AI group number 1.

The 2D map view is below.

First thing to do is to paint terrain objectives that will be used to activate the triggers. You can have up to 15 objectives. Some of them to be used for victory
points, ... some will be used for triggers. I am using Terrain Objectives (Blue) since I am acting on the Blue AI.

Objective number 1
Objective number 1 will be used for activating a first trigger to change the on map mortar fire from Target 1 to Target 2. Remember, I want to avoid friendly casualties. I am declaring Objective number 1 as AI Trigger (friendly) because it is triggered by friendly forces reaching this terrain location. I am calling it "Trigger Blue 1".

Objective number 2
Objective number 2 is basically the same but it will be used to change the on map mortar fire from Target 2 to Target 3. Again, I am declaring Objective number 2 as AI Trigger (friendly) because it is triggered by friendly forces reaching this terrain location. I am calling it "Trigger Blue 2".

Objective number 3
I want my 3rd platoon to react to an enemy move. So, to show how it works, I have created Objective number 3. I am declaring Objective number 3 as AI Trigger (enemy) because it is triggered by enemy forces reaching this terrain location. I am calling it "Trigger Red 1".

Here is the 3D view in Scenario Author Test mode. The triggers are invisible playing in normal modes.

Following a request of @Badger73, here is a small tutorial for introducing the usage of AI triggers. I am using CMSF2. Since I am beginning with IA, experts are welcome to comment to provide better solutions that the one I will present just after.
Here is my small force.

They are facing those enemy positions.

And thus some few enemy squads. I have removed the RPG-7 on purpose for the tutorial.

I would like to teach the AI to do several things.
Phase 1:
The on map mortar team will perform area fire on the ditch inside Target 1 Meanwhile, the other guys will advance inside their vehicles toward Target 1. But, I would like them to advance reacting to an enemy move.
Phase 2:
While the vehicules with the squads, still inside them, are progressing to Target 1. I would like the area fire to switch to Target 2 then Target 3 to avoid friendly fire casualties. Once the vehicles are at waypoint 1. I would like them to pop some smoke And, with the smoke screen in place, I would like the squads to dismount to assault the ditch.
So how I can do this using the editor and AI triggers?
To be continued...

What’s wrong with its butt?

Currently reading this... Just imagine the TacAI learning game after game how to destroy you !!! 🙂

What’s wrong with its butt?

Yepp 😎
 A nice new feature for the QBs could perhaps be to include a function that would allow one player to pick and deploy the forces of the AI side and then 'save' the game...upload it to a special thread/location on these forums ( or elsewhere ) to allow other player to download this save and load it into the QB interface as the AI side...pick his own forces...click go ! And the QB battle would start with the AI commanding the forces picked by the first guy...😁
This way we could help eachother to build up a 'pool' of QB battles picked and deployed by a human but playable as singleplayer vs the AI...
Hopefully a decent pool of such scenarios could soon be avaliable...they would be doable with a very limited effort on the part of the picker i think...

Okay, okay, grab the ¥§$#@& tires and put ‘em in your stupid sandcrawler, but then get the hell outta here, ya little sh*ts!

Thanks for the encouragement, Splinty.  Settling up my Mother-in-law's estate, cleaning out the house, etc., etc. has been taking up most of my time.  I also hit a big snag with the mod, when I discovered that a part of one of my template layers was fipped around. It was the seams in one of the base layers, so I wasted a lot of work and time. Don't know how I missed it.   Fingers crossed I can get this out the door in a week.

Hell, it's bad enough at 65.  I'd say you're doing pretty well for 400!

Great minds think alike! Well, your great mind thinks like my run-of-the-mill mind, lol.
But, after re-reviewing MOS' description, and then going back to his other masterpiece (My mind forgot the g-damn name in like 5 minutes--what?..I told you it was run-of-the-mill!), I'm not even going to bother making my own scenarios (which I have always done, in all the titles), let alone one for the public.  Genius is just too difficult to follow.

While there are discrepancies in a few standalone scenarios, you guys (designers) did a great job handling the update overall. I treat such inaccuracies as either bad intel or to reinforcements being delayed in some unexpected manner. As a veteran of CMSF,  I appreciate the improvement of the AI play over the original and don't get too worked up over the odd SNAFU.
I haven't encountered any game breakers yet. Not having played Semper Fi, as I'm still nine engagements (completing) into Task Force Thunder, I do understand the concern the OP may have especially if he's never experienced CMSF (to serve as a sanity check).
 

Still a lot of work left on these and others, Mord, but it's a start and I'm having fun.  Won't get much done now until after Christmas.
 


 
Africa!


 
Marxist Insurrection!

While getting to know Audacity for a work project, I came up with a little mod that changes the tunes played in various menu screens.
Download (05 March 2019): https://drive.google.com/open?id=13pFdXHEKg_zBvVjd_Pmc8Mmvb26QtBkP
All three music files have been downloaded from Youtube using SaveClipBro online converter then Audacity for the actual conversion to CMx2's required format (PCM 16 bits, 44100 Khz, Stereo for music files, mono for any other sound effect).
It would work with the whole CMx2 series.
- Main menu music (music intro file) from the "War Sound Effects" video by Cho "Choosemeiwin", trimmed.
 
- Battle loading music (music splash file) come from the "Epic Taiko Drum Music" video by Sascha.
 
- AAR music (music end of battle file) is a conversion of "The Last Post by Mark Knopfler" video by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
 
 
As usual, decompress the archive and drop the files in your Z or Mods folder.
///

Thanks for posting that, John. I missed this somehow at the time, but looking at it with fresh eyes, so to speak, made me realize that, unfortunately, I need to correct the arms on all the Marine uniforms. The way arm textures stretch, I need to re-orient the camo, and they should look much better. I’m finishing up British uniforms atm, but will issue updated versions ASAP after that. 

Since the Marines are historically, chronically short of supplies, I thought it my patriotic duty to make some stuff for them.  Not posted yet because I need to become an author on CMMODS and double-check them for the umpteenth time, but hopefully by tomorrow. These are in Marpat Digital, Woodland, and plain OD Green. Each type will have 3 folders, for Gear, Helmets and Vests, so you'll be able to mix and match to give them a ragtag look if you want.
Uniforms will follow soon.

I have some coming, but they are a bit down the queue.  These pix were just first pass; proof of concept, lol.  If you have a camo scheme you'd like to see, let me know.  

Further to Frenchy response above, it may well be that you have created maps with a negative bump texture, it's easy to get it wrong. So you'll have to play around and experiment to get it right. Scouring the internet for art tips and tutorials is always recommended because the info is out there if you look for it, but ultimately the key to a polished mod is simply sweat, grind and sheer persistence!

British uniform Mod is almost done, but a few glitches to fix and decisions to make. (For example...DPM camo too bright?) For photo-op purposes, the DPM uniformed and helmetted troops have MTP Gear, and vice-versa.  This Mod will have a complete set of uniforms, helmets, and gear in separate folders for both DPM and MTP camo. The photois show a few different camo schemes for the plate carriers/armor vests, but I'll settle on no more than two for each uniform set, propbaly simply just use both DPM and MTP camo for each set, unless anyone has a better idea.  I can do a follow up for specific unit shoulder insignias if anyone has a real hankering for some.
This Mod will be ready in a few days, hopefully.  Cheers!

I sorta remember that thread, Sequoia. In the field at various times, local conditions, etc., and depending on the higher-ups, there seems to be a lot of variation in uniform and kit. And I would think especially when new paterned uniforms were issued.  I'm certainly going to do a lot more ragtagging when I get to the Syrians. I want the Army to stand in for generic MENAs, and the combatants and fighters to be generic rebels and jihadists.
Anyway, back to the British, like this, ya think?
 

They look really good to me, too, Pquum. I am getting netting for the British helmets by just googling  "Netting" or "Helmet Netting". Lots of real life textures out there!

I sorta remember that thread, Sequoia. In the field at various times, local conditions, etc., and depending on the higher-ups, there seems to be a lot of variation in uniform and kit. And I would think especially when new paterned uniforms were issued.  I'm certainly going to do a lot more ragtagging when I get to the Syrians. I want the Army to stand in for generic MENAs, and the combatants and fighters to be generic rebels and jihadists.
Anyway, back to the British, like this, ya think?
 

Content:
This mod is intended to create an accurate representation of the Syrian Arab Army around the timeframe of this game.  Download link below:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/bwgu0k7bdjpblkr/AADo5tmmL0RTWPz8omGaS6twa?dl=0
 
v. 1.0 List of changes:
1. Replaced the fictional Syrian flag with the real flag of the Syrian Arab Republic
2. Replaced the Ssh-40 steel helmet with the Ssh-68.
3. Replaced the fictional all-black outfit of the Syrian special forces with the standard Syrian woodland camouflage (w/ late Soviet-style armor vest) and the black helmets with olive or camouflage-covered Kevlar helmets (to represent the Chinese QGF-02).
 
Acknowledgments:
A big thanks to @||CptMiller|| and @SaintFuller for making their armor vest and Ssh-68 helmet mods available for our community!  Not long ago, @||CptMiller|| released a mod for the fictional Sahrani Liberation Army, which made the Syrians into a generic Soviet-style OPFOR with armor vests and Ssh-68 helmets (helmets made by @SaintFuller).  This ingenious mod is what gave me the tools to make this realism mod for the Syrian Arab Army.
 
Research notes:
(1) The stock Syrian helmet in the game is the Ssh-40, which is a WW2-era Soviet helmet.  The Syrians began equipping their troops with the Ssh-68 by 1982 and were still widely using it in 2005 when Syria pulled out of Lebanon.  Based on my research, the Syrian army would not begin widespread equipment of Kevlar helmets until shortly before the Arab Spring.
(2) The stock all-black outfit worn by the Syrian special forces is in fact worn by the Iraqi special forces, but I haven’t seen any reference pointing to its use by the Syrians. Based on news photos from when the Arab Spring protests began, we know that the SAA had body armor and Kevlar helmets by Spring 2011.  I think it’s reasonable to assume that the Syrian special forces had this type of modernized equipment a few years earlier.
The photos below are comparisons of the modded SAA soldiers with photos of the real SAA.

British uniform Mod is almost done, but a few glitches to fix and decisions to make. (For example...DPM camo too bright?) For photo-op purposes, the DPM uniformed and helmetted troops have MTP Gear, and vice-versa.  This Mod will have a complete set of uniforms, helmets, and gear in separate folders for both DPM and MTP camo. The photois show a few different camo schemes for the plate carriers/armor vests, but I'll settle on no more than two for each uniform set, propbaly simply just use both DPM and MTP camo for each set, unless anyone has a better idea.  I can do a follow up for specific unit shoulder insignias if anyone has a real hankering for some.
This Mod will be ready in a few days, hopefully.  Cheers!