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JSj

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  1. Like
    JSj reacted to HUSKER2142 in Exciting news about Battlefront and Slitherine   
    https://store.steampowered.com/app/1502380/Combat_Mission_Black_Sea/
  2. Upvote
    JSj got a reaction from George MC in Interresting project with a German Platoon Tactical Manual from 1944.   
    Yes, I have that book too, outstanding quality. I just want to point out that that is a manual for a Tank Company, not a Regiment, so the small units make both these books relevant to the scale of Combat mission. I think the tank book can be bought from here: https://www.lulu.com/shop/bernhard-kast-and-christoph-bergs/german-army-regulation-on-the-medium-tank-company-h-dv-4707-mittlere-panzerkompanie-from-may-1941-deutschenglish/paperback/product-24459401.html
  3. Like
    JSj got a reaction from George MC in Interresting project with a German Platoon Tactical Manual from 1944.   
    This translation of the German tactical manual, Sturmgewehr 44 Assault Platoon Pamphlet (Link to it here: https://igg.me/at/sturmzug) is probably going to be interesting for many here, especally if you play Final Blitzkrieg.
     
  4. Upvote
    JSj reacted to Macisle in Exciting news about Battlefront and Slitherine   
    I've caught a few vids by YouTubers popular for military strategy and FPS content showcasing the SF2 Steam release. They've all been quite positive. One guy with a strong presence in the Arma community went out of his way to comment that the AI in CM absolutely wipes the floor with the AI in Arma.
    So far, so good. Congrats BF and Slitherine! -Looking very forward to the WWII titles getting the sunshine.
  5. Like
    JSj reacted to akd in Exciting news about Battlefront and Slitherine   
    Wargamer has a short interview with Steve up:
    https://www.wargamer.com/articles/combat-mission-shock-force-2-steam-interview/
  6. Upvote
    JSj reacted to Thewood1 in Exciting news about Battlefront and Slitherine   
    Holy Cow!  No huge fan of Slitherine, but you think they, as a company that needs to employ people and make some some money, should provide charity for games?  Its some kind of wargame social justice?  This is one of the craziest comments I have seen on any wargaming board.
    If there is some great social responsibility for wargames, I'd suggest developing one that you think is needed for the greater good that can be released for free to the general wargaming public.
  7. Upvote
    JSj reacted to Sniper31 in Fire suppression from small arms discussion   
    As a retired Light Infantry Platoon Sergeant and Sniper with 28 years of service to include several combat tours, this has got to be one of the more interesting threads I've read on a gaming site in eons. There have been some great points made by several people, and it has been very interesting to read all the differing views and opinions, as well as the shared ones. I also have enjoyed how it all relates to CM. Great stuff!
    Some general points of consideration regarding combat and firefights that I would like to make in relation to this topic:
    1) Most times in a firefight, there is so much noise that it's very hard to hear near misses. You might know you are being shot at by dirt and debris being chipped at you by near misses, but many times you won't hear it due to the multiple, loud weapons being fired, Soldiers and Leaders shouting out orders, and information on the enemy. It's chaotic and loud.
    2) As far as U.S. Infantry training goes, when enemy fire is received, the SOP is to take cover and return fire. Almost always 'take cover' means fall prone, and then seek to improve your 'cover' position. For example, you are prone and returning fire, but there is a nice fat tree five feet to your left that would make better cover. You do what you can to move to it, usually by crawling. 
    3) Usually, when a firefight starts, there is an initial round of firing, people hit the dirt, and then people start yelling. For the trained U.S. Infantry, that means enemy identification. As an example, it might sound like this "Contact 1100, 3oo meters, squad size". The direction is important obviously, as it alerts the formation to the general direction of contact as well as the distance. The element size is purely an initial estimate to give leaders an idea what they are up against. Of course this whole contact statement gets echoed back down the formation so that teams and squads at the back of the formation know whats going on. Also, it gets refined as the firefight goes on. As you can see, this equals lots and lots of yelling. Add in to that calls for medics, special weapons teams to deploy, new enemy sightings on the flanks or, Heaven forbid, in the rear, and one can quickly see how chaotic it can get. And then there are all the weapons firing and explosions. Like I said, chaos. 
    4) Now, all that said, the mark of an experienced and/or well trained unit will handle that chaos much better. That is why SOP's are tantamount to success. When bullets start flying, Warfighters have to react without thinking, for best success. LOTS of time is spent training and practicing on initial contact with the enemy. It is the basic building block for all other Infantry training and operations. How your unit reacts to initial contact can make or break your unit.
    5) I must absolutely agree with those above that said you shoot what you can see, and you suppress what you cannot see but suspect might be there. Also, as a trained and experienced sniper, I will always be of the mindset that well placed, accurate single shots are more effective at taking a target out then suppressive fire. But, suppressive fire has it's place. When an Infantry platoon is conducting a standard platoon attack on an objective, and you are in the Assault Element, you definitely want that suppressive fire to be hosing the objective before your assault begins, and then following in front of you as you assault across the obj. When the enemy is keeping their heads down from the barrage of M240 and M249 fire as well as some 40mm grenade fire mixed in, a trained designated marksman or sniper can more easily pick off specific targets on the obj, especially as the assault element is moving across. When all this is executed by an experienced unit, it is a thing of beauty. 
     
    Anyhow, some general thoughts. I could talk about this topic for hours and days, but hopefully I've made some salient points. 
     
    Cheers!
  8. Like
    JSj reacted to agusto in What the actual hell is this game?   
    MOUT operations in CMx2 titles have always been pretty bloody if not executed without exceptional care. I can not make a statement regarding your specific situation, but what i ve observed in the couple of years playing CMx2 is that clearing a building occupied by hostile forces is
    Best avoided if possible If avoiding clearing the building is impossible, destroy the building or its occupants using heavy fire power (tanks, aircraft artillery, what ever you' ve got). If destroying the building or it's occupants using heavy fire power is not possible, prepare it for infantry clearing by first spending a couple of turns suppressing it's occupants using at least a 3:1 force ratio and the target or target light command. RPGs and the like are wonderful tools for convincing an enemy in a building to leave it. After preparing the building for assault, keep suppressing it with a target-light command and a 2:1 force ratio an send a 1:1 force ratio troop into the building, carefully. Use the pause command and suppress each room with the assault element using target-briefly for at least 10 seconds before entering (this also leads to some grenade throwing, etc). If possible, send the assault element into the building using demo charges by blowing in a wall that has no windows and from the top most floor possible (because hand grenades work best if thrown from an upper to a lower floor). If heavy resistance is encountered in a room, retreat and try to destroy or at least suppress the enemy using your over-watch element from the outside. Using above listed steps, MOUT against an inferior force as the Syrians in CMSF2 can usually be done relative casualty free. Fighting an equal enemy such as the Russians in CMBS, on the other hand, will always cause you some losses, there is no way around it. Just accept it and keep pushing forward towards your mission objectives.
  9. Like
    JSj reacted to Alchenar in Exciting news about Battlefront and Slitherine   
    Obligatory question for when this happens:  have you decided whether to issue Steam keys to current customers to let them transition over to that platform?  
    In case anyone hasn't used Steam and is wondering why - the quality of life improvement from never having to worry about installer .exes and getting automatic patching is something you'll never want to come back from.  
  10. Like
    JSj reacted to JoMac in New Module coming For Blitzkrieg   
    Yes, I'm also excited about any New Models that the upcoming Final blitzkrieg Module has to offer...Ok, you can thank me for that save at anytime
  11. Upvote
    JSj got a reaction from Bulletpoint in New "02" patches for Game Engine 4 are now available   
    The good news are, we will definitely get it soon. The bad news, it is Battlefront soon.
  12. Like
    JSj reacted to RockinHarry in New "02" patches for Game Engine 4 are now available   
    like also to remind of the pillbox issues when mortars and artillery can easily penetrate and kill any occupants within single game turn. This holds up some my scenario creations from getting further since 2-3 years now.
  13. Like
    JSj reacted to Glubokii Boy in REAL WORLD TACTICS THAT WORK IN CM   
    Nothing NEW in this document really...but maybe other posts will follow
    until then this is the place to go for newbies imo...
    http://battledrill.blogspot.com/
     
  14. Upvote
    JSj reacted to domfluff in Fire suppression from small arms discussion   
    Back on topic a little, the second-order consequence of fatigue is that you won't be able to move Quick or Fast when you really need to - in situations where you need to move up to support a fight, to get the hell away from incoming spotting rounds or when you've gleefully wandered into a kill zone. It doesn't directly hinder your shooting, but it can certainly degrade your ability to fight, albeit indirectly.
    In a similar vein - the Leadership stat of the HQ unit doesn't help your subordinate squads recover from suppression (counter-intuitively for wargamers), only the active C2 link matters. On the other hand, a high leadership HQ unit will itself stay unsuppressed longer, meaning that it will keep C2 links active for longer under fire, so the second-order effect is more or less the same thing.
     
  15. Upvote
    JSj reacted to Howler in New "02" patches for Game Engine 4 are now available   
    No unit should EVER rush forward and towards known contacts when a simple movement back,  away, and down slope from their position (hedges) is but 5 feet away. How is choosing to leave cover to run 20m forward fully exposed to a small rise in the open - EVER a good decision?
    Speaking for myself only - I still have no idea what factors are evaluated to produce an evasion way point. Until that changes - I can't show a failure. Ergo, there's no fault to correct.
    Perhaps your response to my question will help me better understand what to look for other than nearby HE, small rises in elevation, and small arms fire...
  16. Upvote
    JSj reacted to Dynaman216 in New "02" patches for Game Engine 4 are now available   
    Can I quote you to my customers!  They would LOVE that definition of a bug.
    That little joke aside, I understand developer time is finite and tracking down the cause of such a rare problem is not the optimal use of that time.
  17. Like
    JSj reacted to sburke in New "02" patches for Game Engine 4 are now available   
    As IanL noted that isn't quite true if you actually read the content of what he said, but hey you are free to chose.  As noted in some of the comments above I have been one of those specifically citing the first battle of the Scottish campaign and honestly not even the whole battle, just one specific location where it CAN happen frequently, but not always.  I have not duplicated it anywhere else so beyond being overly dramatic, your comment does not reflect my experience with CMBN much less the entire CM series.  But again you are certainly free to chose never ever to play again.  That would be amusing.
  18. Upvote
    JSj reacted to Bulletpoint in Hard Cat Rules v2I - Simple to Use Command & Control Rules - UPDATED 01 JUNE 2022   
    I like the thinking behind these ideas, but they are not that simple to use, and they are not really enforceable. I've seen good, intelligent, and honest opponents forget way simpler house rules.
    Instead, these good design decisions should be implemented into the actual game system, forming the core of a new, optional difficulty level above Iron. Something which many players have politely requested for years.
    One funny thing:
    This is clearly an oversight by Battlefront. There's a whole realism level (Elite) only dedicated to turning the contact icons into "plain infantry markers" to prevent the player from knowing which type of support weapon is where. But they forgot that we can still click the enemy icon and see if it's a mortar or MG etc...
    This oversight has persisted until the point where people are starting to make elaborate house rules around it - why not just fix it?
     
  19. Upvote
    JSj reacted to absolutmauser in Update on Engine 4 patches   
    Downloading on my Mac now. Will play this evening and report back. Very exciting! I've had enough Tom Clancy's The Division 2, which is frankly abusing the name of a dead man. 
  20. Upvote
    JSj reacted to ncc1701e in New DAR: ncc1701e vs JoMc67   
    MINUTE 29
    My Sherman is back online.

    While my halftrack is progressing. But, I have made a mistake asking for a Fast move instead of a Reverse one for having the guns toward the last objective.

    My tank arrives in position.

    On my left flank, Germans are counter attacking.

    But, my halftrack once again saves the day.

    Before been able to give my orders for next turn, the victory screen appears. Not really a victory... 30 men killed and 20 men wounded mainly due to artillery like in reality.

    Here are the various stats:




    The last objective would have been hard to obtain but I think my halftrack and my Sherman would have help me a lot.

    The final word for @JoMc67. Hope you enjoy this DAR. Next one I hope soon except if you are bored. 🙂
  21. Upvote
    JSj reacted to usgubgub in Update on Engine 4 patches   
    I am a stalwart supporter of BFC, been playing the games for longer than I can remember. I made a modest contribution to the development of CMFI some years ago.
    Yes, waiting for the patch has been unusually testing, but this game system has so many facets that even though I played less I still had a lot of fun making maps and designing scenarios, not to mention fun testing them.
     
    These guys are a small team of extremely dedicated enthusiasts. They give 100%. I still haven't found anything remotely approaching their product for the kind of game play I appreciate. I have total confidence in their judgment and integrity. And I don't begrudge them for one minute the long gestation of this patch, or the confusion over exactly when it will be released.
    Thank you Steve, thank you Charles, thank you everyone else who put their time and effort in bringing these games to us.
    I've gone through a rough patch that has lasted nearly ten years so far. If and when I get back on my feet, I will be glad to lend a hand again. I hope it will be soon (can't give a precise date though... sorry, I couldn't resist that :-) ). In the mean time, I don't mind saying that playing your games has often been the only source of fun and relaxation for me, and a good way to avoid going mad during the long spells when real life got held up in limbo.
  22. Upvote
    JSj reacted to DzrtFox in Update on Engine 4 patches   
    I am a software developer also, so I understand as much as anyone that predicting release dates is an almost impossible task.  You nearly always hit unexpected roadblocks in this business that are almost impossible to account for until you get down & dirty in the code.  I am like Steve in this aspect - I tend to always give a very optimistic "best case" date when I start a new project, and I very very rarely actually hit that date. 
    The difference is that once a week, I inform my bosses of any challenges I'm encountering and update my estimated completion date based off of the latest information I have.  If I made a habit of saying I will have something complete before the beginning of March then completely going silent until almost the end of April, I wouldn't have a job.  It takes literally 5 minutes to give an update, and it shows the people who provide my livelihood that I am a) actually making progress and b) have enough respect for them that I will keep them in the loop as to what's going on.
    I am very glad to see that Elvis will be taking this role on.  Honestly if it wasn't for the outstanding support he provides for this company, I would have completely moved on long ago.
  23. Upvote
    JSj reacted to Yskonyn in Update on Engine 4 patches   
    Different type of profession but still relevant for the discussion:
    I am a pilot flying about 200 passenger per leg from A to B.
    There are a LOT of variables at work in the process getting passengers and their luggage from A to B safely and in a timely manner.
    There are a few cardinal sins to be made when things do not go as planned and get people angry quickly in my experience:
    -Not giving any information at all
    -Making promises you can’t make true.
    -Lying about the situation
    I often see that we are affraid to bring bad news and then try to make plans to keep people happy as long as we can, or just decide not to give information in order to avoid discussion.
    This doesn’t work and frankly, people are perfectly capable to accepting bad news.
    Its all about how the flow of information is managed once things go wrong that define wether those 200 people disembark with respect or outrage in the end.
    - Addressing people frequently even though there isn’t any news is very much appreciated.
    -Giving a timeframe helps people feeling respected even though you might have to adjust that timeframe once in a while.
    I am not saying I am a guru, but these are important lessons we get taught as captains and I feel its quite applicable to whats going on here lately.
    Just my two cents, really.
  24. Upvote
    JSj reacted to SgtHatred in Update on Engine 4 patches   
    There is nothing wrong with giving out ETAs and nothing wrong with missing them if something comes up, but when it becomes obvious you are going to miss your ETA you should inform interested parties. To not do so is a Dick Movetm
  25. Like
    JSj reacted to Howler in Update on Engine 4 patches   
    Whining has more to do with no information, let alone a simple revised ETA, being provided. It's not rocket science - revise a slipped March deadline by providing a *timely* update of... July or October or early-2020 [pick a date]. Posting every other month that we're almost there isn't an effective way of communicating with your customers.
    It's not that complicated. What you want to avoid is the mishandling of expectations. Said expectations being set initially, not by the customer, but by the developer.
    It's not difficult... post an an update before you blow past the last one. Otherwise, you mangle expectations.
    Anyhow, it is what it is. It's obviously more effective to be reactive rather than to be proactive with deliverables.
    Plus, it's lot more fun to be wading through 22 pages of my useless posts than it would be to reference a locked thread of *timely* updates from the developer.
    Now let's back to eating our young...
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