Kraft

It's debatable, like the .45 vs 9mm debate!
 
The M27 IAR is a fantastic weapon system and in the offense, is more lethal and lays down more accurate suppressive fire. It tires the gunner far less in the assault and is much more ergonomic to handle and reload. In range tests, IAR gunners outlasted SAW gunners while shooting more 4-6 round bursts on target to provide suppression for their fireteams while in the assault.
 
It was also tested in Afghanistan with very positive reviews from the troops and commanders.
 
But with that said, shortcomings were recognized. It simply cannot provide sustained MG-like suppression like the M249 SAW can. This is fully acknowledged and is the reason why every company still has 9 M249s as T/E equipment to be employed as the company commander sees fit. That has essentially evolved to 3 M27 IARs and one M249 SAW per squad. 
 
It may also be a secret plot by the Corps to quietly move away from the M16/M4 to a rifle that is basically a souped up HK416. If I was Commandant for a day, I'd do this immediately!

From the "US soldiers act like cowards ingame" thread.
 

AI controlled vehicles and infantry units should more often shoot at question marks, I think.

I've been asked how I captured the contours on my recent Black Sea maps without using Google Earth.
 
I prefer to find a map with contours marked and for Black Sea used loadmap.net
 
You can zoom in on the area of interest which brings up a map level of ever increasing detail.
 

 
becomes this as you zoom in
 

 
 
Once you have the area you need at the scale required simply take a screen shot which can then be worked on in Photoshop or something similar to create the editor overlay.
 
Hope this is of help, but please ask if you have any questions
 
 
P

Sure, finalizing now the 3-tone camo on BTRs:

Very unlucky Oplot. The first T-90AM shot was defeated by ERA. Either that T-90AM Gunner is a really good shot or he had a lot of luck on his side!
 

Hey guys, so I felt like making some mixed camo that is seen in the current conflict for the Ukrainian army figured I might as well release them to you guys as well. It overrides the standard uniform. Have fun.
 
Previews:
 
http://i.imgur.com/AmcN1vo.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/w6K63d2.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/XypQLmJ.jpg
 
Download:
 
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/20471348/Files/Spush%20Ukrainian%20War%202014-2015%20Mix%20Uniforms.7z

Still no in game examples of how crippling this is.

This is what I have come up with so far, keep in mind this is all subject to change as I gain input from all the players.
 
Campaign Flow
 
Setup:
Players are divided as evenly as possible between the two sides and a General  for each side is chosen as well. A teams General is the man in charge!  He dictates the teams overall strategy and is responsible for assigning players to command units.  He should  be in constant communication with both his team and the Adjudicator.
 
The total point cap will be 90,000 point per side,  Generals can begin to allocate said points in the creation of combat units.  Units cannot be larger than reinforced sized companies (13,540 points).   Do not include large bore 105mm or greater off map artillery support in your companies.  You allocate points for them per usual but they will get their own unit icon on the campaign map and have their own rules regarding support fire missions (see below)
 
Ex.
General  1 has 90,000 points for his sides total army.  He and his staff decide that they are going to take  6 Armored  Rifle Companies.  Attached to each company they have decided to add  1 Platoon M1A2 SEP,  2 x Javelin teams w/ transports (M2),  1 stinger team, 1 M107 Sniper team w/transport (MK19).  They also decide that they want 3 x 155mm Paladin Batteries at 1490 points each.  Total point cost so far is 85,710 which leaves them a little over  4000 points to spend on other assets to augment some of their companies.  Teams can also save points to use during the weekly Refit Phase to replace lost units.
 
Artillery Rules
Large bore artillery (105mm or greater)  is purchased as normal but they are not added into your battle companies point costs.    Instead they get their own icon on the campaign map and they are only available for fire support missions if they are within 5 hexes of where the battle is to take place.  If a Battery meets the hex requirement then the commander who is taking part in the battle may go ahead and add that battery into his force roster for that battle.
 
Ex.
Commander  1 has a Reinforced  Armored Rifle Company  for a total point cost of 13,519.  There is also a Battery of 155mm Paladins 4 hexes away from the battlespace , therefore he gains the ability to go ahead and add this fire support asset to his force roster even though it puts him over the point cap of 13,540.  If the artillery battery was 6 hexes away  he would not be able to use them in his upcoming battle.
If an artillery unit on the campaign map comes into contact with an enemy unit it is destroyed outright  and is no longer available unless repurchased during the Refit Phase.
 
Once units are purchased the Generals will let the Adjudicator know where he would like to place his units on the campaign map.  Both teams will get a copy of the map at the beginning of the campaign but only with their units shown.  Enemy units will become available as they are discovered.  Once an Enemy unit is discovered it is shown for the rest of the campaign or until it is destroyed.
Campaign Turn Phases
 
1. Intel Phase
At the beginning of the  campaign turn each team may twice elect to reveal information about an enemy unit or to see if a blank hex contains and enemy unit.  If the blank hex does contain an enemy unit it is then revealed to your team.  However, the only thing shown is an “unknown” unit icon with no further information.  In order to gain information about a particular enemy unit you must either engage it in battle or spend one of your “Intel” actions (up to three times per enemy unit)  to gain knowledge about a unit (name, force composition, etc).  The “Intel” action spent on reveling information about a unit  provides the General with a better understanding of what he is fighting against. 
 
Information reveled will be provided in this order:
1st Intel Action
Name/Type of Unit
2nd Intel Action
Force Strength %
3rd Intel Action
8 sub-units within the parent unit will be revealed at random
 
2. Initiative Phase
Initiative will be determined by a random process (coin flip, number guess) with both Generals  and the Adjudicator taking part.  The team that has the initiative can either elect to have his units move first or his opponents.
 
3. Movement Phase
All units may move up to 3 hexes on the map.  Only one unit can occupy a hex. Once a unit comes into contact with an enemy unit a battle must be fought.   Hexes will be identified by a letter followed by a number (A3, B7, C39) for easy reference.  Terrain also has an impact on how far your units may move.
 
Roads – Units can move an extra hex for a total of 4 hexes
Large Rivers/Water Features – Impassable unless there is a bridge on the campaign map
Forests – Units lose a movement hex due to the thick terrain for a total of 2 hexes
 
Generals will consult with their staff and plot movement orders, Generals must submit to the Adjudicator their planned moves so that he can update the overall campaign map.  The General with the “initiative” can opt to change some or all of his teams movement orders based upon the enemy teams movements.  Once both teams movement orders have been received and the maps updated the campaign will move on to the Combat Phase.
 
4.Combat Phase
Battles are to be fought on “Large” stock QB CMBS maps.  Maps will be chosen based upon the terrain from the campaign map that the units are fighting on. The point cap for battles is 13,540 with the exception of additional fire support if the supporting artillery unit is within 5 hexes of the battlespace hex.  Players have 2 weeks to complete their battles and submit their Victory/Defeat screenshots to their respective General.  Players must also take note of KIA tallys so that unit rosters can be updated during the Refit Phase.
 
A victorious unit stays in the hex where the battle took place for the remainder of the campaign turn.  The defeated unit must retreat 3 hexes away from the enemy unit and towards the closest friendly unit.   If a unit is unable to retreat (ie surrounded by enemy units) it is considered destroyed/captured/surrendered and removed from the campaign map. Battles will be conducted on a Unit vs Unit basis.  If a battle is not completed within the two week time period it will be considered a draw and both units must retreat 3 hexes towards the closest friendly unit. 
 
***If a player is unable to complete a battle please let your General know and he can sub in another player  to take over.***
 
5. Refit Phase
At the end of the campaign turn team Generals may allocate any points that they have in their point pool in order to purchase and replace destroyed units.  To simulate supply both teams will always receive 4000 points at the end of each campaign turn.  Generals can stockpile points but may never exceed their total army cap of 90,000 points.   Once both Generals complete the Refit Phase the next Campaign turn begins starting with the Intel Phase.

Kieme CMBS Khrizantema
 
Comes in green and dark green versions, please make sure you choose only one to use.
This mod closes the BMP-3 family.
Special thanks to BTR for providing the ideal green base textures.
 
Note: to be complete, this mod requires at least one of the previous BMP-3 mods installed, so that will give it wheels and tracks.
 
Green version download: https://app.box.com/s/qdlglo955m795sr2kkfvapdxehogsfif
 
Preview:

 
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Dark green version download: https://app.box.com/s/u7y7ois0imy77jxb7z4s88r17frn4tx5
 
Preview:

I'm down as long as we're talking like... reinforced platoon to company scale. Anything larger than that bogs down in CMx2, IME.

Yes, this is a great concept. PBEM games, at least in my experience take longer than a week. If I had the time, I'd love to participate.

Kieme CMBS BRM-3K
 
Unfortunately I lost some templates, so, at least for now, this comes only with the 3-tone camo.
 
Note: to be complete, this mod requires at least one of the previous BMP-3 mods installed, so that will give it wheels and tracks.
 
 
Download: https://app.box.com/s/ggehoowiw4irfugh0pgffse7nn9r73vl
 
Preview:

Okay, I know there are a lot of these getting released lately.. but I think mine are just a bit unique, vehicle icons are handled uniquely... when selected the icons flash blue for Ukrainian and olive for US units... 
 
Note that these are BETA.. I will be making adjustments, but wanted to get something out there for those of you waiting to try my floating icons.  I was going for clarity and ease of identification with this set.
 
If you download them and try them out please give me any feedback you like... I know there are some issues: for example the FOW icons, ammo dumps get the ammo bearer icon etc.. I need to adjust those for sure.
 
Grab them here: Bil's Floating Icons-BETA
 
Previews:
 

 

Kieme CMBS BMP-3M
 
This mod covers all BMP-3M variants.
 
3-tone camo download: https://app.box.com/s/m1wn11nhw48ftkbozuhl5z4lsoqsh553
 
3-tone camo preview:
 
 
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Plain dark green download: https://app.box.com/s/iy6iayfjfqn951fvmo44dtixtgdgdzmm
 
Plain dark green preview:

I can't speak for how the US Army organizes it's Air Defense units but I can speak to how the USMC does.

Each MEF has a Low Altitude Air Defense (LAAD) Battalion in the Marine Air Control Group (MACG) of the Marine Air Wing (MAW). Each LAAD Battalion possesses a Headquarters and Service Battery and 2 Firing Batteries. The Firing Batteries each possess a Battery Headquarters and 3 Firing Platoons. The Firing Platoons each have a Platoon Headquarters and 3 Firing Sections. Each Firing Section has a Section Headquarters Element and 5 two man Firing Teams.

A LAAD Battalion can field 90 Stinger Teams. A firing battery, 45 Teams, a Platoon 15 Teams and a Section 5 Teams. A LAAD Bn has 60 Avenger vehicles, which is 30 per firing battery, 10 per platoon, 5 per section. The usual employment of a firing battery is 30 Avenger and 15 man portable Stinger teams but the mix of systems can be changed according to the mission, for example to support a helicopterborne assault, only Stinger teams would be employed. To support a mechanized unit, all of the Avengers would  be employed.
 
By doctrine, a LAAD Platoon will normally be deployed to support a Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), a battery will usually support a Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB), and a full LAAD battalion will support a Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF). The majority of the LAAD elements will be in direct support of ground combat elements in a scenario like Black Sea, although some will be allocated to covering logistical units, HQs, FARPs, etc...

Currently MEUs routinely deploy with only a LAAD Section vice a platoon due to the lack of a significant air threat and a Marine IAD network is usually only established at the MEB level and up.

LAAD Units are usually employed in either general support (GS) of the MAGTF, or in direct support (DS) of a particular unit. Employed in the general support role, LAAD units position Stinger Teams to best support the entire MAGTF based on the MAGTF Commander's established air defense priorities. In the direct support (DS) they position Stinger teams to best support the unit they are in DS of, based on the guidance of the supported commander.

So hopefully for the USMC module, Avenger vehicles will be running around on CM:BS maps.

Interesting pictures. I cant quite tell but they dont have Sosna-U, so they arent T-72B3s right?

That is also no Kontakt-5 ERA I think

No no, don't worry, we will all have the regulation green.
 
 
Finalizing the 3 tone scheme on BMP-3M:
 

Weeeell, that or maybe the Ukrainians repaired some of their junk T-72s, equipped them with Sosna-U and export Kontakt-5 from Belarus and let those fall into the Separatist's hands to make it look like Russia supplied high end T-72s to the coal miners.
 
On a more serious note: Does Russia have a lot of old T-72 around in garages and warehouses and such which aren't getting upgraded? Or aren't they actually upgrading but rather producing new ones (given the newer models have new engines for instance),
 
I remember having read an interview with some poor sod who was arrested for DUI in Rostov and then offered to go to Donezk to repair and maintain tanks (cause he was a mechanic) for two weeks in exchange for dropped charges. The end of the song was he got captured by the Ukrainians after a column of tanks, one of which he drove, getting driven near the frontlines was ambushed. Doubt it was the same incident though, since these guys weren't supposed to fight and the crewmember didn't even know each other and weren't trained either.
 
Do you know how many AFVs were lost in that incident? From the pictures I'd say at least 3 T-72s and 1 BMP. I'd also really like to know how they were engaged. For me this is part of a bigger issue since I have real difficulties imagning what typical combat and engagements in that conflict look like, given that there is more or less parity in numbers and equipment for the most part (not like OIF for instance which was more the type of fighting CMSF tried to portray).

Yes, I am posting on the outer board. I always promise myself it will be the last time.

You know that scene in Zero Dark Thirty when they are in the chopper going to clip OBL? And the lead Sgt (whatever) asks "who here has been in a chopper crash" and all the hands begrudgingly go up? That is pretty much the response you would get in the CM Beta forum if you asked "who here has been in a firefight".

Do we all agree on the issue at hand? No,been a debate for about 15 years. But here is one thing most will agree on; nobody "does" what another someone staring from the sky think one should do in a fire fight. One could argue the name of the entire game is to position yourself so that the enemy and not you is reacting to fire.

Paraphrasing Rommel "if they hit the beach we are in trouble". Same can be said for combat in general. If your little guys are caught in any other position other than cover when the steel starts flying you are in real trouble...so avoid it. It isn't AI it is crappy tactics (in game and in RL). Guys dismount out of a IFV into an open street directly into fire...they are more justified in questioning the commanders "AI" than we are of theirs. I could go on about "when someone gets hit" but no need to really dig that up except to say again no real way to predict.

Last point, take a look at history and casualty rates of any given action. Then compare to a CM body count, CM's will be much, much higher. Why? Because in RL soldiers (even US) are much less likely to follow amateur and sucidal orders...you know, like the ones we give every game.

Want perfect control? Go play chess.

I don't think it's funny either. This is the kind of thing that can go viral especially when a game is made about something as touchy as the Ukrainian comflict. Nothing about the Swastika or the Holocaust is ever "funny" or a joke. I am personally shocked that somebody on the development team would even think that including something as heinous like this as a joke was even acceptable. Again, I am not personally bothered by this as I am not Jewish but I am sure that if (god forbid) a family member of one of the six million saw something like this in their favorite franchise they would be very, very upset.
 
Let's not forget the laws in Germany that forbid this type of thing.
 
As a long time Combat Mission fan I am slightly dissapointed. I will personally avoid any scenarios made by the person responsible for making that map.

Re: Tank riders
 
It's one of those things you do in the absence of other vehicles, or in a low threat environment.  It's really dangerous for the riders, and gets in the way of the tanker.
 
 
The inside of an IFV is a cramped, loud, smelly place.  None of them are comfortable, and a BTR/BMP operating at capacity is pretty much a solid block of soldier in the troop bay with equipment wedged in (Bradleys are not much better, but were designed to barely fit a larger soldier to begin with).  In low threat environments, like riding from place to place behind friendly lines, being on top of the IFV in the fresh air, with room to spread out would be pretty attractive, which is where you see most of these photos and videos coming from.  Also in places where mines are a bigger threat than direct fire, getting standoff from the mine, and having the floor and roof armor between you and a possible mine detonation is a pragmatic trade off to being more vulnerable to rare/uncommon gunfire.  

Kieme CMBS T-90AM
 
This mod starts with BTR 's research and conversion of russian vehicles into a realistic green color, so all credits shall go to him as the author of the original texture, which is in my opinion a great digital version of the original modern russian green, therefore special thanks to him and his work.
 
IMPORTANT
there are TWO versions of this mod. You must choose only ONE of them to install. They cannot work toghether. Therefore, please make your choice: plain dark green or 3 tone camo. The weathering is the same for both.
 
3-tone camo download: https://app.box.com/s/cv6qpg0lqn9c8px4w8b6xzilecahbsrc
Preview:

 
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Plain dark green download: https://app.box.com/s/ff1r784wb2sk7cgxl8l0rr9169ap3u46
Preview:

If CMBS is just the first step towards a modern-era "construction set", I don't see how you can possibly omit USMC or other NATO countries. There are so many scenario possibilities in and around the Black Sea region besides just the Ukraine that to OMIT USMC and NATO would be overlooking a huge resource for scenario builders.
 
I have never owned CMSF nor do I plan on purchasing it. It came out what, 7 or 8 years ago? So to say "they're already in CMSF" is not a valid argument for others like me who are in the same situation. 

But thanks anyways for providing our Armata Thread of the Day.