Glubokii Boy

BornGinger...
As for the triggers and movement...you as the designer are already free to set the timings as you please....If you want the AI group to remain in place until the trgger is activated...simply set the exit after time to the last scenario minute.
 

The bridge building engineers, maybe...😉

The bridge building engineers, maybe...😉

Belive it or not...But i have heard it mentioned many times that back in those days the Swedish airforce was considdered to be the 3rd strongest in the world...Surpast only by the USA and...the sovietunion.
If this is actually true i dont know...but we did have more than 1000 modern combat aircraft back then.
 

A clever move to name the game Cold War...and not something like Fulda Gap...
This leaves the door open for ANY location and qiite a broad time frame for any future module (or other content) to be added.
Way to go ! 😊

Not really answering your question, but the issue with ATGMs in game is one of their flight time. Its not unusual to be seeing missile flight times of 10-15 seconds, which is a long time when every second counts. If the launcher can be brought under kinetic fire while the missile is in flight there is a good chance it can be killed before it's own round strikes. It seems much more noticeable in CW than previous titles.
It's an interesting dynamic and really ups the tension
P  

Fourth Minute - First Contact!
Forgive me for a second AAR post today, but I will be traveling tomorrow and wanted to get this one published tonight.
 
“One should not be diverted by geographical objectives, but should concentrate on the destruction of the enemy’s military forces.”
Classic Russian Military Principles
 
A little excitement during this turn, and first shot fired (all times are in Game Time, counting down from 40:00).  Yellow text for contacts equals a tentative contact, red text is for solid identified contacts. 
@36:47:  Early in this minute M150 (1/5) got a firm spot on an enemy BMP moving to the edge of the woods, then immediately lost the contact as it continued forward slightly.  Positive ID: BMP-1P.  Note:  this is a resolution of the tentative spot from the third minute.
@36:35:  M150 (1/4) noticed some movement near NAI3.  Appears to be a light armored vehicle, suspected to be a BMP.
@36:21:  The 36:35 spot becomes a positively identified BMP-1P as it nosed slightly out of the treeline.   This BMP is oriented directly toward M-150(1/4) but does not have a spot, it could be overwatching the ridge the Tank Hunter is sitting on.

Note the type of ATGM (AT-4 I believe) and the mast antenna.  The ATGM makes it a BMP-1P, the mast antenna makes this a BMP-1PK, a Company Commander's personal ride.  One Company HQ identified... make a note.
As the BMP halted at the edge of the treeline it gave M-150 (1/4) enough time to aim and loose a TOW, which alas, fell well short of the mark probably due to my smoke screen.  The contact was then immediately lost, probably due to the smoke, missile destruction debris etc.

With any luck, the enemy commander will have missed the missile launch and will think the missile’s impact with the ground is a spotting round.

@36:04:  M150 (1/4) noticed some movement within NAI2.  Appears to be a light armored vehicle, suspected to be a third BMP.  One full Company or parts of two?  Time will tell.  
Only one adjustment was made to my positions this turn.  After a quick check, M-150 (1/4) is only Partially Hull Down to the BMP it fired at this turn so will be reversing into a full Hull Down position to this enemy vehicle, and will also be narrowing its cover arc to focus on the location of this enemy BMP.
A note about Hull Down… just because you are Hull Down to one piece of ground, does not mean you are Hull Down to another.  You should check and recheck this as a scenario unfolds, especially when you have firm contact sightings.

Bil
COMING UP NEXT:  The Return of the Famous Blood Board!!

First Three Minutes!
 “Perception is strong and sight weak. In strategy it is important to see distant things as if they were close and to take a distanced view of close things.”
A Book of Five Rings, Miyamoto Musashi
 
The initial phase of this action will be me positioning my units to get eyes on the most likely enemy avenues of approach, especially EAA1 (NAI 1). 
After two minutes of action:
M113A2s and Scouts: Reached their drop off points and the two Scout teams have dismounted and are continuing on foot in order to get into positions where they can look into EAA1.  The Platoon Leader will stay mounted in his M113 for now.

M-60A1 (Rise+) Section 1:  Arrived in hull down positions with views of NAI 2 and 3. M-60A1 (Rise+) Section 2:  Arrived in hull down positions with views of NAI 2 and 3. Tank Section 1 moves into position:


M150 TOW Tank Hunters:  Both now in hull down positions overlooking NAIs 2 and 3.
Artillery Smoke Screen:  After two minutes I have cancelled the fire from both batteries.  Mainly because I want them available once my Scouts start to see into NAI 1.  The screen should build for a few more turns as laid then should last for several more.  It’ll be interesting to see how effective it is at messing with the Soviet spotting-targeting cycle.
FIRST ENEMY INDICATOR:  In the third minute M150 1/5 (1st Platoon, 5th Vehicle)) noticed some movement in the woods between NAIs 1 and 2.  Nothing is known about this contact other than that it is a light armored vehicle, suspected BMP from the Recon Company.

Now to place this image in context... in case you ever wondered what a Hull Down M-150 Tank Hunter looks like from the Soviet perspective:

Bil

I know this has been asked before and the answer has been NO at those times...but as this game is stated to be a...
'sandbox' 🙃
Something that other basegames never has been...have you guys considdered to realese simple TOE packs...and maybe terrain/flavour packs...as well as full modules ?
The vast scope of this basegame ought to make this a possibility 😜...
Releasing full modules will still be a Major undertaking i'm guessing but simple packs like these might...help to spred the conflict somewhat faster 😁...
 
 
 
 
 

I think we need to chill for a bit and see what Bil & Co. have planned.....There's a risk we could dive into doing something that will be made entirely redundant by a future 'official' module.
Also, while our modded efforts can look superficially convincing and feel even more so once you are actually playing them, they are only that.....Any serious examination of our TOE would find all manner of issues.
Things will be a LOT better if @37mm remakes H&E using CM:CW (and like I said, once you are actually playing the current CM:H&E, it already feels pretty convincing), but it will never be as perfect as an official module (but nor does it require quite the same workload). 
PS - And if we're talking northern front then we just gotta have these:

I know everybody is excited and would like to know what is next after the Base Game... believe me we are all excited too!
As far as follow-on modules go.. yes several are planned, but what they are specifically we will keep to ourselves until after the game is released.  For now the focus must stay on the base-game for us, but feel free to conjecture and dream, I enjoy those threads, but we won't be confirming or denying anything until after this one is on the street.
Just so you guys know that we aren't ignoring you in those discussions, we are trying to stay focused and not get sidetracked so we can deliver this thing in time.
Cheers, Bil

RepsolCBR, I’m hoping we can swap model skeletons between SF2 and CW for that very reason. Won’t know until we get our grubby little hands on CW. But 37mm and his H&E mod crew can probably figure that out or come up with a genius workaround. The uniform, face, and weapon models are all separate, so the the SF2 modern weaponry won’t be a problem.

I think all NATO-members who were present in Germany deserve to be in. And of course the Finns, Danish, Swedish and Norwegians.

So welcome to our Beta AAR.  Introductions, I am The_Capt...hello.  Some old timers may remember me from back in the day but for the newbies (and hopefully there are a lot of you) I am the Simon to Bil's Garfunkel.  While Bil is detailed, deliberate and cool all resting on a foundation of real talent; I am erratic, insecure and hot-headed resting on very occasional unpredictable sparks.  Between the two of us we try to make wonderful music.
So first the obvious, what is CM Cold War and where did it come from?  Well the game is our brainchild, not that it took a serious leap of imagination as people had been talking about a Cold War game for years.  Bil and I had been looking for a title to cut our designer-teeth on for years as well, and after a few false starts we approached BFC with the idea about 7-8 years ago, to which Steve sagely looked at two complete amateurs and said "uh, sure...why don't you guys go pull some stuff together and we will do lunch".  So we did up all the boring and work-like stuff most of you never see; project documents, historical research, backstories, TO&Es (pouring over things like Senate Arms Committee records and back issues of the US Army magazines), and campaign designs.  Once we did all this we came back to Steve like proud children that had just performed surgery on the family cat.  Steve's eyes went a little wider and very Bruce Willis-like said, "ok let's give these kids a shot".  I am pretty sure we were to remain a weird side project in the basement - that is where the older Beta Testers go in the end - but last year things accelerated and we found ourselves suddenly thrust into the rock and roll lifestyle of computer wargame designers...without the groupies, cocaine or leather pants.
So with a very small team, a tight timeline and another look from Steve that was somewhere between "ya, there is no way these guys are going to make it" and "but if they do...?" (seriously, support from the BFC guys has been outstanding) we started the journey.  So when you play the game on release (it is no secret we are on track for Apr, after Easter) you know who to curse when something either does not look quite right or you are getting beat up on a campaign (the Soviet one is particularly brutal).  If you love the game, praise the entire team, if you are angry that the Soviet officer holster does not look right, feel free to vent at either Bil or I, mostly Bil.
Onto the AAR.  Ok in the proudest tradition of this thing, Bil will wow you all with dazzling intelligence products that would make an ASIC weep.  I, on the other hand, prefer a  more tactile and coffee-stained approach...I also tend to lose these fights.  This map comes from the US campaign, a scenario called Dollbach Heights, but do not worry the scenario is completely different so no spoilers.  This whole thing is occurring in the backdrop of a Cold War-gone-hot strategic situation set in summer of 1982, which may seem quaint today but back in '83 we actually came pretty close.  The Soviets are basically making a break for the Rhine as fast as possible before reserves can be called up and fly-overs conducted.  The US forces are the tripwire forces of V Corp with units like the 11 ACR and 3rd Armd Div (for this AAR we do not assign particular units) as the game centers on the Fulda corridor (between the West German border and Frankfurt).  So the strategic game is simple, Soviets have to move fast as possible to get in close to the major urban areas, knock France out and put the UK into close range.  The bet back in Moscow is that at this point NATO will fracture as half of them sue for peace...we will see how that works out.
A couple points on force balance and doctrine.  So this is 1980, the beginning of a vapid and synthesizer-infested decade (trust me I was there). The US forces are still recovering from the entire Vietnam experience.  Goldwater-Nicols has not happened so we are still talking about conventional service competition in the US military, which was unhealthy (still is) and a US Army that was slowly coming out of the old ROADs models and heading towards AirLand Battle.  The TO&Es are based on the '77 force structures (you will note US tank platoons have 5 tanks).  The "so what?" is that US forces are pretty much at their most vulnerable point in this era.  They lack mass and are moving to active defense and maneuver warfare but the equipment has not caught up.  It is going to feel weird to some but this is a modern (well semi-modern) title where US forces do not dominate the battlefield.  They have to be played carefully to achieve parity.  For example the T62 can kill an M60A3 in the front from about 1500m, so the US player must be elegant and clever...like the gentle fox.
The Soviets on the other hand are the bear that eats said gentle fox and then poops him out, barely breaking stride.  The Soviets at this point are pretty much near the top of their game.  Their equipment is solid, if a little blind, and they have mountains of it. Soviet operational doctrine is actually very good, it uses mass much like it did in WW2, and frankly Genghis would be proud at how well the Soviet can throw MRRs at a problem and simply keep going.  The T64 is a beast, probably the best Soviet tank in the game (particularly the B versions), the T80 can throw a punch too.  The Soviet use of ATGM is frankly terrifying.  First, they literally put those things on just about everything, and the AT 5 feels like the modern day Javelin in that, if it can hit, it will kill.  In testing one scenario of the US Campaign, I played sloppy and watched an BMP MRB shred all the US armor in about 5 mins...so there is that.   
At a tactical level the Soviet are all about lining up the punch.  They were not mindless hordes, they would prepare and shape with recon but when they decided to throw that punch...oh, my.  First they would drop the sky on top of you using massed artillery.  Then they would advance en masse  along multiple axis projecting dilemma everywhere for an opponent.  They would then trade shots until your armor is gone and finally they might dismount and clean up any poor infantry you have left.  I say 'might' because they would often simply bypass those huddle GIs and just keep going.
So for this AAR, I will try to emulate the soviet approach as much as possible.  Stay tuned and see how it turns out.       

The map editor is indeed a powerful tool and the results can be very impressive...
It is somewhat time consuming though...any future updates that will improve this will be most welcome...
 

I hope Bil doesn't mind but the evolution of the Dollbach map. Note the map image predates the autobahn and bridge. It also gives an overview of the battlefield for those that like that kind of detail

P
 

“Here, across death’s other river, the Tartar horsemen shake their spears.”
T.S. Eliot
 
This BETA game is being played against Warren (The_Capt), and we are very familiar with each other’s style, strengths and weaknesses as we’ve been playing CM against each other for close to 20 years now.
CM Cold War was our brainchild and has been on our wargame design table, off and on, for eight years now, but now it is a real thing.  You’re welcome.    With that said it is only fitting that Warren and I play in this BETA AAR.  We haven’t played in public since our original CMBN BETA AAR, Not your Father’s Combat Mission. 
I hope you enjoy the ride, and welcome to the COLD WAR!!

Sidebar!  I strictly use the Movie Mode when I play so all of my screenshots use that feature.  I don't mean it to insult anybody, but I just think the game looks better.
Meeting Engagement at Dolbach Heights, 1980
When Warren and I laid out the design for this game we wanted it to be primarily and ultimately a sandbox for experimentation and reflection.  A tool to test the tactical theories that were prevalent at that time.  Time… yes, we also wanted to be able to examine the different sides from different time perspectives, and this release, the base game in the CM Cold War series, contains the years 1979 to 1982.  We also only cover the months March to October, mainly so we didn’t have to generate winter textures and models which would have been one feature too many.
This particular scenario is one that Warren and I threw together that we thought would be fun to play and show off.  The map is from the US Campaign and when you play that you will see this map eventually.  I will start my METT-T analysis in my next post, but for now, sit back, enjoy the existence of this game, and don’t go away!
Bil

CONTENTS:
METT-T Analysis MISSION ENEMY TERRAIN TROOPS / TIME Tentative Plan The Action: First Three Minutes! Fourth Minute - First Contact! Fifth Minute - Return of the Blood Board! Sixth & Seventh Minutes Eighth Minute - One Meter Too Many Eighth Minute - BDA & Some Movements Ninth Minute Tenth Minute Eleventh & Twelfth Minutes - "...damn your eyes." Thirteenth Minute - The Board is Set Fourteenth Minute - Spoiling Attack Plan Fifteenth through Seventeenth Minutes Eighteenth Minute - Relearning Old Lessons Nineteenth & Twentieth Minutes Twenty-First & Twenty-Second Minutes - Beyond Here, There be Dragons Twenty-Third & Twenty-Fourth Minutes - Saga of Tank Section 1

A clever move to name the game Cold War...and not something like Fulda Gap...
This leaves the door open for ANY location and qiite a broad time frame for any future module (or other content) to be added.
Way to go ! 😊

CM Cold War takes place on the cusp of big changes happening to both the American and Soviet armies. The arrival of Abrams and Bradley changes the nature of the fight in Europe. Also in this time frame we get a fashion change! See attached, the Americans switching to battle dress uniform. This is new-new art that's still not in the current Beta so you won't see it in any of the posted screenshots. Please forgive my crappy graphics card.

'kidding' aside...i actually think that this could be a decent module...COMBAT MISSION NOTHERN THUNDER 😊
Central europe will need to come first though offcourse...but hopefully one day...
As i recall it... one off the major threath scenarios as considdered in sweden in the days goes something like this...
The Baltic states strive for independance turns uggly and results in confrontations in those states...The Swedidh airforce and navy gets engaged by russian units while trying to protect baltic refugees fleeing across the sea....this escalates and results in a russian invation of Sweden...NATO forces interveen to try to prevent the russians from getting controll of the Swedish teritory...
If not a full modukle...I hope they will release a vast amount of TOEs from various nations to allow us to 'sandbox' at will....This timeframe/setting offers alot of possibilites if we only have the units avaliable...
 
 
 

This is something I threw together in my own time. Please remember that this is from a beta build of the game and is subject to change. 

First module...
- Swedish forces 😁
(or maybe not...)

Quoted  from wargamer.com:
 the game will include three campaigns and 15 standalone scenarios West Germany between 1979 and 1982  between the US and Soviet forces The game primarily centres on the Fulda Gap  the first of the game’s campaigns follows US forces [...] Players take command of two US regiments to stop a Soviet invasion of Europe and can play the campaign in either 1982 or 1979 The second campaign, playing as the Soviets, traces the opening 48 hours of a fictional USSR invasion of West Germany The final campaign gives you command of a US Army Company Team, simulating battle in the US National Training Center The game also includes 15 standalone scenarios set in the US V and VII Corps sectors of West Germany, involving different-scaled battles, from platoon- to battalion-level historically accurate equipment and weapons effects, alongside a suite of era-appropriate tanks and vehicles – including the M48, M60 series of tanks, and T64 – alongside a range of US and Soviet aircraft, such as the F-4 Phantom and Mig-23/27

I would be seriously supprised if they are not doing that already 🙂...
The problem though i'm guessing is that they don't have the manpower to implement those changes as fast as desired.
 

Perhaps not fully related to your suggestion for some sort of in-game group command...but what you mentioned above are god examples of the problems that comes with programing the AI and these are some of the reason for me to be advocating for more AI groups.
Problems like fatigue, choise of locations and getting pined down, like Bulletpoint mentiones, complicates any AI attack and the avaliable orders we currently have have thier limitations and problems when using larger AI groups.
Being able to use smaller AI groups with more precisely designated objectives and coordinated using a combination of  terraintriggers and AI group order triggers ought to give better results imo..
instead of having ONE AI group advancing or assulting their way forward....
use two AI groups....A and B
example..
1 befor the assult both A and B spend one turn doing area fire at the intended target location.
2 Group A gets an stationary MAX ASSULT to be ready to suppres any spotted targets.
3 Group B QUICKs forward one 'bound'
4 Ones there group B inturn gets a stationary MAX ASSULT at that location.
5 Using one of the two triggertypes...group A QUICKs to their first bounding location.
6 Ones there they ones again get a stationary MAX ASSULT order...
7 Using one of the two triggertypes...group B QUICKs to their next bounding location.
I belive that something like this will push the attack forward faster and be less tiering compared to using a simple advance or assult order...and stil maintain a base of fire/suppresion element as well as allowing the AI units to 'pick' better locations.