MOS:96B2P

I noticed that all the newer titles have the fortification "Barbed Wire". CMSF1 does not. I think I've read all the posts on what BFC is including and not including in CMSF2 but what is the decision for something like barbed wire? Just curious if it would be added as part of the 4.0 upgrade. Has anybody read or seen something on the "Fortifications" topic that maybe I missed?

The troop that occupies the leader seat will display "Leader" in his status block (that green typing bottom left of screen). One of the passengers must show Leader. If they are all displaying "Spotting" (or whatever else) the leader seat is empty.

It has been awhile since I experimented with this so my memory is a little foggy. In my scenario notes I have: Shift / Left click and paint a single action spot purple you want the unit to retreat away from. Face and Retreat both cause the unit group to Face and only one per order can be used.

Okay I opened CMSF1 scenario "Wadi Scouts" in the editor. Same result as in CMBS. The mines are assigned as unit spot objective #2, locate minefields. Recon enemy positions is assigned as unit spot objective #1. On the AAR screen you are notified if you fulfilled recon enemy positions or failed and how many points. Nothing at all on the AAR screen for locate minefields. I suspect this spot minefield objective has never worked. It is a cool idea but it doesn't seem to work.

Well it's kind of a workaround but yes by using the unit spot objective. Commit reserves (reinforcements) and lose victory points because the reinforcements you commit will mostly be spotted by the OpFor. So there is a trade off. Use the reinforcements to take the terrain objectives and lose some points due to them being spotted or leave them out of sight (in the setup zone probably) and try to finish the job with the forces you have in the field now. A command decision. Very cool. You were part of the conversation. See the below link. Click on your name in the below link and it will take you to the correct part of the conversation. If you click on the title it will take you to the first page.

Nice catch. I just tested this. I thought whoever was left in the vehicle's passenger area would move to the leader position after the other troops dismounted. However they will not occupy a vacated "Leader" spot unless they disembark and then remount the vehicle. +1

Yep, this is the other part of what I was hoping to do.

Yes. A mixed minefield will make things exciting. I think @c3k is influencing @Bulletpoint.

I just noticed your edit. This is interesting. I also attempted to use mines as a spot unit objective but so far have not been able to make it work. The editor will allow the mines to be assigned as a spot unit objective but the results never show in the AAR screen. I have had units find the mines, even set some of them off. But it never shows on the AAR screen at all. Not as objective accomplished and not as objective failed. Nothing at all. I had given up that it was possible. I think I'll open Wadi Scouts in the editor and take a look. Maybe some change in the game engine or again I'm doing something wrong.......... Thanks for the info.

Interesting stuff. I especially like the idea that time moves on and losing battles makes you fall behind the time schedule. Which can mean you don't necessarily lose the campaign but you get a minor victory instead of a total victory etc. depending on how long it takes you to finish. Also probably the condition of your forces etc. The persistent terrain damage is going to be problematic. From reading the forums I think many players would consider this a loss of immersion. Maybe instead of fighting on the exact same terrain you were originally stopped on you flank that area (also probably a RL reaction). In the flanking attack you are no closer to the ultimate campaign objective but you still lose time by having to fight a second battle, with the forces you have on hand. The flank attack is still four kilometers away from the the campaign objective just like the original battle. Its just 1000 meters to the west of the first fight or something like that. That gets you around the persistent map damage. If you wanted, the flanking battles could also be easier than the original battles to keep more players in the campaign. At the end of the campaign a player who kept up with the time schedule and kept his forces in reasonable shape might have a total victory and the players who had to do some of the flanking attacks would have the appropriately lower score. Look forward to reading more about this. +1.

This is an interesting way to use the spot objectives. I think you also used spot objectives once for friendly reinforcements getting spotted by the OpFor. So there was a choice to commit friendly reserves for a point penalty or fight on with out committing them. I will probably steal this idea from you . As usual good point. While I was hoping the spot was messaged to the player and I was just doing it wrong I never stopped to think how it would be messaged. Or more to the point, how often it would be messaged. If there were dozens of OpFor spot objectives or the entire OpFor combat team was a spot objective, as @George MC has used them, I can see where the multiple notifications might get annoying. Looks like everything is working as intended. And in that deduction lay the answer I was looking for and failed to see. Thanks for the spoiler alert . Everything is working as intended and as @Rinaldisaid up top, it will have to be handled in a well worded briefing. I'm not working on conventional recon activity but a counter insurgency scenario where hopefully intelligence gathering will play a useful role in identifying where the Separatist will strike next. Blue force can use this intelligence to protect infrastructure and hunt down Separatist columns. It is also heavy with triggers and features exit zones. Not a spoiler but just a generic example: If the Separatists are successful at taking control of the power plant (even temporarily) this "triggers" two more attacks, one on checkpoint #3 and one on the radio station. If either or both of those attacks are successful then they trigger additional Separatist activity................. This in addition to timed events that will happen anyways. Having fun with this. Thanks for the detailed second half of your response. I copied it and saved it to my scenario designed notes for future reference.

Okay. Just saw the edit. Thanks!!!

I think this is mostly true. I just tried again as the Russians looking for a US supply dump and they were not able to see it. But, as with the US, the Russians did see the US supply dump when playing in hot seat. "sigh" Well unless @sburke has a breakthrough I'll use the workaround. The workaround just uses up another terrain objective. I was trying to be sneaky and make the ammo dumps into unit (spot) objectives..................

Yep this is true. I tried in Iron as US. Yep this works as Russians. Russians can also see blue supply dumps. However US can't see red supply dumps except in hot seat. I'm working on a scenario where Blue forces are searching for Separatists and their supply dumps while guarding infrastructure. That's why I wanted the US / Ukrainians to be able to spot Red ammo dumps. I think I have an acceptable workaround as outlined above.

@RepsolCBR thanks for the answer. I have not tested this in the other titles, only CMBS. I am trying to make a counter insurgency type scenario and wanted part of the mission to be to locate Separatist ammo dumps. I think I found a workaround using flavor objects - Pallets #1 & #3 along with a Touch Objective. If you do remember anything please post.

In CMBS v2.1 Engine 4.0 the Russian Supply section set to dismount does not show up on the map at all. Not as a supply dump and not as a vehicle. I also tested a few vehicles that were not part of the Russian supply section and had the same result. They show in the editor but the supply dumps don't show up in the game under the following circumstances: Playing turn base, real time or scenario author test mode as US. Supply dumps (dismounted vehicles) are visible when playing as the Russians or in hot seat.

For my purposes I would include it in the briefing but how does the player know when he has completed the objective by spotting the correct unit. At a lower skill level, where I think you are allowed to see the OpFor unit designation, this might work. "Spot OpFor 1st Platoon engineers". But on Elite and Iron how do you know when/if you spotted the correct unit and completed that part of the mission? And in the editor there is the choice, known to player, known to both etc... Just to be clear, I'm not arguing how it should work. I'm asking how is it intended to work. Possibly I'm doing something wrong or there is a bug or this is just how it is intended to work. My first guess is I'm doing something wrong. Just to make sure these three see this I'll tag them. @Combatintman @Sgt.Squarehead @George MC? Thanks for any help. I also tried it on known to both.

I've been testing, playing around with a new CMBS scenario in Engine 4.0. I have assigned units as a spot unit objective. During testing I received no notification that my player controlled unit has spotted the designated OpFor unit. Of course I know the designated unit has been spotted since I designed the scenario. Maybe I'm doing something wrong. Isn't there an on screen, in game notification that the " spot unit objective" was completed? I have "known to player" selected in the editor. After I hit cease fire and look at the AAR screen the objective is displayed and the points are rewarded just can't see it during the game. Any ideas? Is it suppose to work this way?

Yes. Me too.

Yes, this is true. Good point. Increasing the time will not prevent an early surrender. Also the latest any reinforcement can be "exactly" scheduled to arrive is three hours into the fight. I wish there was a way to schedule reinforcements to arrive 3 hours and 55 minutes into the fight. Or even a choice to "exactly" schedule them for five hours. As it stands now if the scenario designer wants to use the reinforcement workaround to get rid of unwanted HQ units or prevent an early surrender the longest a mission can be is three hours. Although, admittedly, three hours is long for most missions.

Well ............... that's a little more effort than I'm willing to put into battle preparation . Velvet combat pillow ........................ I'm just going to leave that here with no further remarks .

I took the family to see it last weekend. We liked it. Much better than Fury. It had the Hollywood explosions and the SF captain called a BMP a tank but it was a better than average war movie IMO. It even touched on how the Taliban treated women which was interesting to see in a movie. I recommend the movie.

I am also okay with having the ability to extend time if BFC wants to do that. I sometimes extend the time on scenarios now and it can be easily done without removing the fog of war. When a mission is opened in the editor you click on DATA and increase the time limit. Under DATA all you can see is the time, date, electronic warfare strength, intel strength and weather conditions. Most of those things are usually covered in the briefing anyways. To be able to see the OpFor TOE and AI plans you would need to intentionally click on and enter the UNITS and the AI part of the editor. I will also sometimes open the editor and click on MAP (and do not click on setup zones). I then turn on elevations and print the map so I have something resembling a 1:50,000 map with contour lines. Going into MAP or DATA does not in anyway reveal OpFor dispositions, TOE or AI plans. The only way to reveal fog of war is to intentionally go into UNITS or AI. But like I said, I'm okay if BFC wants to give us a button to extend the game. However for now I just extend it on my own and often print a contour line map while I'm at it.

@BrotherSurplice the mod that I use for this was created by @Pete Wenman and I think I got it at the BFC repository. It changes the ground marsh tiles to water tiles for CMSF1. Very cool. The marsh to water link is posted below. http://www.battlefront.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=314&func=fileinfo&id=126

Very cool first post. Interesting battle. Thanks for the time and effort to put this together. I'm looking forward to your forces making contact. +1