Chudacabra

Merry Christmas, Happy New Years, and if you celebrate another or no holiday, may you also have a wonderful time! Thanks to BF for making amazing games, and to everyone on the forums for making a vibrant and civil community!

Just wanted to check if PBEM games will work okay if both parties upgrade to 4.0?

Quick question, if I upgrade to 4.0, will current PBEM games be compatible?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-38403844 Breaking news from the feline front of the conflict.

Oh, as for the Russians, maybe give them one or two more drones? I'm also not sure if they need quite so many forces. Are the Ukrainian reinforcements just BMP-2's and T-64's?

I played through about ten turns as the Russians and wiped out everything the Ukrainians had on that side of the river with fairly minimal casualties. I think the map has a lot of potential, but I would recommend a few changes (not sure if you're soliciting feedback, but the internet is the best place for unsolicited opinions!): Move the vehicle fortifications (which are great, by the way) back and/or have fallback positions. At the ranges in this battle, the Ukrainians are profoundly outgunned and should be trying for flank shots. The Konkurs teams are just about the only thing that actually did any damage. I'm not too sure about the Ukrainians defending on a forward slope with very poor withdrawal routes. If I played as the Ukrainians, I would probably focus on defending the crossings, rather than trying to engage a far superior force over open ground. The Russians should appear behind some sort of cover, especially unarmoured units like engineers or HQ units. It's great to have new content for CMBS, so thanks a bunch for taking the time to make a scenario!

Maybe the game needs some computer hackers to fight the Americans effectively?

I generally think that's a problem for all Russian vehicles in the game. They don't really have anything to counter Javelins with. Especially at long range, they're unlikely to even spot the launch. Just have to shoot everywhere I suppose.

I think BMP-3M's are pretty good. I don't think ERA, Shorta or APS are really worth it against the Americans though. The 100mm is absolutely deadly against infantry and the 30mm is capable against any short of an MBT. I do have to say that winning as the Russians in this game is tough!

Yikes, well played. Did you actually have any vehicles stashed away?

This cemetery is haunted by ghouls with rocket launchers!!

Javelins? We don't need no stinkin' Javelins! A half squad dishes out some pain with AT4's.

Going to Town took a few tries to get right. I also loved Lights, Camera & Action, but it's not exactly a quickie. Rolling Thunder, as with all George MC scenarios and campaigns, is excellent as well.

I found this to be the case when I played on this map. I suspect it's because of all the buildings in the way. My Tunguskas fared pretty poorly against UAVs (think they got one), but at least they're tremendously entertaining when used as direct fire support against infantry.

Perhaps this scenario/map can be made available for download? Hint hint.

Yes, they were distracted by two groups of infantry on the left and on the right. Not sure if that was deliberate, but it sure worked. Five against three, usually not terrible odds for hull-down Germans to take a couple shots and withdraw.

Things go terribly awry this minute. Good use of infantry as a distraction by my opponent.

Lucky Panther commander doesn't get decapitated by an 85mm round and destroys its assailant.

I don't really think there is a "correct" order. I would just buy whatever interests you most and go from there. I don't think you can really go wrong with any CM games.

I don't think that American film has been particularly successful in terms of critiquing American policy, even though it isn't expressly forbidden from doing so. It's important to remember that there were no anti-war films made until several years after the Fall of Saigon, unless you want to count M*A*S*H*. With the exception of Dr. Strangelove (a singular movie), most American war films are not very specific in any kind of critique. Usually you get a narrow perspective of a horrible experience (Platoon, The Deer Hunter). We haven't seen a Gulf of Tonkin movie yet, and we probably never will. Similarly, there's yet to be a critical look at the events that led up to the second Gulf War. I would also argue that Apocalypse Now is not an anti-war movie, although it is a masterpiece. The Day After was probably the most effective example of anti-war film-making in the US, even though it pales when compared to Threads, its British equivalent. If you haven't seen it, I would highly recommend the 1985 Soviet film Come and See, which is quite possibly the best anti-war movie. It is one of the most jarring and unsettling films I have ever seen, particularly as it follows a 12-year old boy instead of a soldier. As an aside, I think you could make a very fair argument that Hollywood is beholden to capital, in much the same way as Soviet film-making was beholden to the state, although I don't know if this is the place for a comparative political economy of superpower cinema. :-)

Only the ERA ones, so they're not really worth the extra points, especially against the US.

Too late now, but I bought all ERA BMP-3's when I played this battle without realizing they don't have smoke. The ERA in my opinion is not very useful against American weapons, except maybe for the AT-4.

Up and at them! I admire your approach. I have also come to the conclusion that Russian numbers are often not particularly helpful against Americans. How many points is the battle? What do you think you'll be up against?

It is a modified River of Tears map, which comes with the game. Maybe this extra tall version will be made available for download (hint hint)?

Well, the first time was defending, so it would have been to keep my forces well back and use a ton of mines in the city. My opponent was very slow and methodical and, I was ground down by indirect fire. Also Abrams' with APS are incredibly difficult to kill, but that may go without saying. I was expecting a flanking maneuver early on, but my opponent pushed up the middle and then unleashed an armoured thrust on my right flank once my forces had been severely degraded. The second time was an absolute disaster on my part. I attacked as the Russians against the Ukrainians in a blundering forward assault supported by artillery and lots of direct fire. It was an bloodbath with nearly nothing to show for it. I learned an important lesson about frontal attacks in CMBS though. It's one of the best QB maps in the game and it does offer a lot of opportunities for staying out of sight, which is vital as the Russians especially with a BTR based force. Khrizantemas can be quite useful on the flanks in this map.