Rokko

If its to easy you might consider lowering the experience from crack to veteran or regular with very high motivation. Haven't actually played it much, so I can't tell, but having a all-out crack company seems a bit unrealistic (especially for troops with no actual combat exp) and might make things to easy.

Well as far as I understand foxholes are supposed to be largely underground, even if not portrayed so ingame. So I assume when in foxholes the soldiers' heads are about at ground level, higher when they are firing (part of the upper body exposed), but overall like lying troops. Now the low walls in CMBN are about waist high, so I would think that troops in foxholes shouldn't be able to look, let alone fire behind them. BTW, lying troops set to "hide" do not have LOS.

I've made it test and to me it seems the foxholes/trenches are flawed somehow. I can't imagine this to be possible.... ...with a foxhole like this, the should be neither LOS nor LOF behind that wall.

You don't have to use AI setup zones. You can also deploy them manually any way you like and this setup will be used all the time then.

Well, an ATG is much much bigger than a modern ATGM, yet this shouldn't happen I guess. Have you added some for cover around the trench, like some trees behind it? A completely uncovered ATG with only its crew hidden in a trench in completely open terrain might actually be easily spottable. What I have noticed is, that neiter foxholes nor trenches provide much cower, neither against mortars nor against small arms fire over 400m. I know their look is abstracted and we have to imagine that actually only the soldiers' heads are sticking out with the rest covered and concealed. Taking this into consideration casualties seem to high to me after a few tests.

Would someone care to elaborate how to get detailed and reliable information about terrain, OOB, outcome etc. of historical small unit engagements? I mean ok, La Fiere Causeway is a little better known than the average battles all over Normandy, but where to get to know about them to recreate them as CMBN scenarios? How much guessing is involved in such historical scenarios? Are there dedicated websites or special books you have to buy? It would really interest me to make historical scenarios.

I personally would like to be able to open the Fauville map from the Task Force Raff campaign, that had really great AI imho, that almost overrun my positions with its smart use of smoke. BTW, it seems that Assault and Max Assault don't work, is that right? Also in every scenario I've opened only Advance was used.

Wow, wouldn't have thought the solution would be that simple! Increasing the brush size didn't work, I had tried that already. But fixing the Friendly Board Edge did the trick, I just didn't know that this had such an impact on the game and since the map was only for testing purposes I hadn't set it.

Weird question, but I assume the the trees and bushes in the game are modelled after actual ones, so can anyone identify them by their looks? All I as a city dweller can say is that Tree E is some sort of fir, and I've seen many maps were Tree D was used for plantations, so maybe it is an apple tree or something like that?

That only works with your own infantry, not with enemy AI in the editor. At least I havent found a Face command in the AI plans.

Hm, it seems that this map can't be downloaded anymore, so could you maybe send me the file? Anyways, from what I've read this scenario features British troops which are not in the game, so it couldn't be accuratly remade until the first module comes out. Right now I'm fiddeling around with the AI plans of "Line of Defense", apart from that its done.

I'm teaching myself how to use AI plans at the moment and theres one thing that I can't solve myself. In the Tutorial scenario this can be observed very well: After the beginning of the battle German infantry on their end of the map rushes to nearby stonewall, "aligns" neatly to (everyone is positioned along the wall), providing a nice base of fire. I'm trying to do the same, but it seems this is only working on diagonal walls/bocage!? I've made a little test map in which AI controlled infantry comes from the left. If I, in the AI plans, place the movement order next to the wall/bocage, like this The result is: They stay on the right side, but not close to wall, but some metres away from it, so they can't see or fire through the bocage in this example. If you place the movement order directly ON the bocage, they will go close to it, but on the wrong side. In this case there was a manhole, if there isn't, they'll go around. Only on diagonal walls/bocage it works. So is there a solution to this or does it only work when the AI is coming from the right side?

Yay, thats right I think its the very first Combat Mission I ever played, I guess that's why I'm remaking it. Dunno how long it will take, I have a bad habit of not finishing things, though, but I'm pretty sure I'm getting this one done. The map itself is pretty much done, and so is the German OOB. AI plans will take some time I guess, and still don't know how to do briefing texts. @ Gurra: Hm, how about you name another CMx1 map and I might consider remaking it as well

Nope, its a map from CMAK, as you can maybe see from the picture. Problem is in CMAK churches had 2 floors, in CMBN they only have one, and that HMG is quite important.

Nope, thats not the one.

Been playing around with the Scenario editor and I've converted one CMx1 Map into CMBN in 1 : 1.2 scale (due to the different tile sizes). Do you recognize which scenario this is? Its a pretty accurate recreation actually, though lots of details are still missing (flavour objects, building details, tree density, etc.)

Also reposition the HMGs in the setup phase. I've found the original positions to be not very good, since there's essentially no good LOS on any place in the village. I only put 2 of the PSW to the right flank, the other two I kept behind the crest and moved them up once the 57mm ATGs were spotted and suppressed or taken out, so they could aid the frontal assault with their 20mm guns, which I found quite effective. I didn't lose a single Panther, only one Marder to the American tanks. I guess finding hull down positions is the way to go. Most of the tanks were spotted by my HMGs anyway, even if my tanks had LOS on their positions they wouldn't spot them. A good way to find a hull down positions is to pause, move the camera to the position of the enemy tank and zoom all the way in (hotkey: X or C, not sure). If you see the hull of your Panther, reverse. Also covered arcs and Hunt help spotting I believe.

That pissed me off, too! But I've read that this is intentional so you do not "hug" the edge of the map too much. But as the scenario description says, the use of smoke is recommended. What I did was to suppress the buildings that had LOS on the street with my HMGs and PSWs and then FAST my squads one after another to the forest or the bocage behind that field. Worked quite well...the third time I did that mission...

Well, the way it is now they actually ARE counted, since they get killed in the course of the battle

I believe that's problem that comes with AI plans set in the scenario editor. When a certain group is set to attack something, then everyone in the group tries to do so, even if its just a tank crew without their tank, because since their tank belonged to that group, they do aswell. One could observe that in the first video AAR already, and I have also experienced it in Closing The Gap, when a tank crew did a suicidal charge across one of the bridges that was firmly held by an infantry squad + their Platoon HQ, yet they even managed to wound one of my guys slightly

What is "Emergency" good for? It doesn't seem to reduce targeting time.

I just tried it out in the Demo tutorial. I let everyone fire at the main building at the beginning and then sent one squad inside. I set everyone to Target light so no HE was used, only small arms. The squad took no casualties, although there was a whole platoon firing at them from not more than 50m (The squad got pinned though). Once I let one of Shermans with its .50cal join it (also Target light) the squad took 4 casualties in just a few casualties. So it seems only HMGs can cause casualties to your own men. I got suspicious though in "Closing the Pocket" when I took some unexpected casualties when assaulting buildings with suppressed enemies inside them and the suppressing fire continuing during the assault. There was no HE involved, only the MG 42 (HMGs) in the wood, although they have the same calibre as the squad MG 42s and rifles. I just tried again, the casualties definately came from the .50cal exclusively

What about the StuG IV? I would assume they were in the American sector.

wow, it makes me kinda proud to read how all you CM vets found it so hard I did it for the first time and got a tactical victory (because I forgot to take the crossroads, although my men were at the edge of the map). Lost 1 tank and 17 men. Got one squad pretty badly mauled by the ATG and only the time limit spared me of another squad running into about 20 Germans/Georgians of semi-broken squads at the crossroads. I was probably lucky though, that the enemy mortar didn't hit anything cause it was a green FO.

Yep, I just saw I made a mistake there, thats what I actually wanted to write. Yes I am aware that it was Meyer's intention to whitewash himself and his men, but since I had read about that "no Waffen-SS and paratroopers" thingee elsewhere, too, I considered it kinda credible