frez13
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Posts posted by frez13
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Just saying, if Shock Force was put on Steam, I'll buy it again. One reason for it is so I won't have to deal with the license thingy anymore. Am serious. However I'll admit that I don't play the rest of the CM games because I'm mainly interested in modern/near-futuristic warfare settings.
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Strykers, BMPs, BTRs, etc., are basically like WW2 halftracks, they provide battlefield mobility and some cover to small arms fire, but they are not made to survive on the battlefield.
Does this apply to all APC's in general, or just those you mentioned?
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Not getting into politics of it just talking about the new military hardware of these Asia-Pacific countries
http://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Economy/International-Relations/Asias-military-budgets-surge-as-armies-go-high-tech
December 18, 2014
On two recent occasions, a pair of Sukhoi Su-30 fighters have taken off from their base near the old Indonesian trading port of Makassar and flown far across the Indonesian archipelago to intercept unidentified aircraft.
One of the mystery planes, a light aircraft being ferried from Darwin in northern Australia to its new owners in the Philippines, was chased a long distance before being forced to land in Manado, a city on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. The other, an executive jet flying Saudi officials to Brisbane ahead of the Group-20 meeting, was ordered to land in the Indonesian city of Kupang on the island of Timor.
In both cases, fines were imposed and the planes were allowed to continue to their destinations. It is unclear whether the Indonesian pilots could have taken any hostile action, since missiles have not yet been delivered for the Russian-made jets.
Ready to rumble
But the confrontations underline a shift in military capability among the nations of Southeast Asia. A decade ago, the Indonesian air force had little advanced combat capability, as its fighters were largely grounded by a lack of spare parts due to economic stringency and arms embargoes related to human rights abuses.
Now it is flexing its muscles. Indonesia's official defense budget has increased fourfold over the past decade to $8 billion. Meanwhile, spare parts have been found for the air force's grounded Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters; some newer versions have been ordered; eight Boeing Apache attack helicopters have been bought; and a big naval expansion has taken place as part of a $13.2 billion, five-year modernization program announced in August 2013. The Su-30s were bought using a $1 billion credit line opened by Moscow in 2007.
The expansion appears far from over. Recently elected President Joko Widodo is making self-sufficiency and exploitation of the archipelago's marine resources a theme of his government, and he is already talking of a further doubling of defense spending.
This stance reflects a sea change in Southeast Asian military thinking. For decades, the region's militaries focused on domestic insurgencies, border security and, in some cases, maintaining political control. Large land armies were the principal requirement.
These days, governments in the region are more concerned about securing air and sea space so they can exercise sovereignty over marine and seabed resources, contest overlapping claims, prevent the plundering of forests and minerals, and monitor the movement of people. This requires more investment in naval and air power.
With their economies moving into the so-called middle-income bracket -- higher in the case of fully developed Singapore -- governments have more to spend on advanced military platforms and weapons. Southeast Asia's defense spending grew by 5% on the year to nearly $36 billion in 2013, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, just ahead of the 4.7% increase for East Asia to $282 billion.
Meanwhile, established defense manufacturers in Europe, Russia and North America are eager to sell, with lavish export credits being made available to sweeten deals. Closer to the region, Japan and South Korea, the industrial giants of East Asia, are also entering the arms bazaar.
China's growing assertiveness in claiming the South China Sea as sovereign territory -- against counterclaims from five Southeast Asian countries -- has brought encouragement from the U.S., Japan, India and Australia, and help in enhancing the capabilities of regional armed forces and coast guards.
Consequently, the region is seeing large-scale acquisitions of equipment aimed at establishing the ability to contest control and make potential rivals think twice about intruding.
Navies are acquiring or expanding fleets of quiet conventional submarines to lurk in sea approaches. Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam are buying new-generation submarines, with Malaysia and Thailand considering following suit.
South Korea is building the first of 12 German-designed Type-214 submarines for Indonesia, with follow-on boats to be built in Surabaya, Indonesia. Vietnam has acquired the first of six Kilo-class submarines from Russia to help keep China out of contested waters, with low-profile financing from Japan and training from India.
To the south, Australia is considering buying advanced Soryu-class submarines built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries, following a decision by the Japanese government to lift the country's self-imposed restrictions on military exports.
"Submarines are powerful offensive weapons which can bring a dramatic jump in capability against [other countries'] submarines and ships," said Tim Huxley, director in Singapore for the International Institute of Strategic Studies, a British think tank that runs the annual Shangri-la Dialogue forum in the city-state. "They also can be used as land-attack platforms. The sort of big new subs that Singapore is going to buy could be equipped with vertical launch tubes for that kind of missile."
Some navies are building large "flat-top" ships that can carry swarms of anti-submarine helicopters or quickly land troops on outlying islands or oil platforms. Japan set the trend with two Hyuga-class helicopter carriers, built by IHI. And the country is adding two even bigger vessels -- Izumo-class carriers. South Korea is building a second Dokto-class helicopter carrier.
Australia has just commissioned the first of two helicopter carrier and landing ships, while Singapore has shown off a redesign of its existing half-deck Endurance-class landing ship as a more capable marine aviation platform.
Air force upgrades
All four of these countries are helping develop or are planning to buy U.S. company Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II strike fighter -- a so-called fifth-generation plane with flight- and weapons-control characteristics far in advance of any military aircraft in service. Though the governments are looking initially at the conventional takeoff version for their air forces, the short and vertical takeoff capability of the F-35B variant would give them the option of converting naval helicopter platforms into carriers for fixed-wing aircraft.
While they wait for the F-35, the Australian and Singaporean air forces are acquiring upgraded versions of their existing aircraft, respectively the F-18 Super Hornet and the F-15SG Eagle, both made by Boeing. The power of these latest fourth-generation fighters and strike aircraft is enhanced by "force multipliers," such as other aircraft dedicated to airborne surveillance and control, and in-flight refueling tankers that extend range and flying time.
Armies have generally been reluctant to shrink their troop numbers (except in Taiwan, where the end of conscription in 2016 will see a significant reduction) and many still insist on prestige capabilities, such as medium-heavy tanks that are more suited to European or Middle-Eastern battlefields.
But where there is not already separate marine corps, some armies are designating units for the role. One of Australia's commando battalions, based in Townsville, Queensland, will train for deployment aboard the new helicopter landing ships, and the Malaysian army is also assigning units to a marine-type role.
"They're coming into the same sort of league as Western countries," said Huxley. "The most extreme case is Singapore. There's going to be no difference in the sort of front-line capabilities that Singapore and Australia have. Both of them are going to have F-35 strike fighters; both are going to have ships that can operate aviation, possibly including F-35s; both have got in-flight refueling tankers, long-range surveillance platforms and so on."
It would be wrong to say that all this force expansion and upgrading in Southeast Asia and Australia is related to the perceived threat from China. The China factor is clearly the prime motivator for Vietnam and the Philippines, which is acquiring 10 large coast-guard cutters from Japan.
Other countries, such as Australia, Thailand and Singapore, are aligned with the U.S. but trying to balance defensive precautions against Chinese power by stepping up interaction with the People's Liberation Army.
In late 2014, Singapore sent a large contingent from its army to China for joint exercises, while Australia hosted a small PLA unit for training near Darwin, where U.S. Marines are rotated for six months every year as part of the "pivot" to Asia announced by U.S. President Barack Obama.
The prestige factor
The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations includes all the countries in the region that have territorial disputes with Beijing in the South China Sea. But the countries in the bloc have struggled to find a common line on the issue or develop a coherent strategic posture. One member, Cambodia, has sometimes acted as a proxy for China in regional forums.
In part, the growing defense spending is about prestige. Few analysts see much rationale for Thailand to acquire the three submarines its naval planners say it needs. The Indonesian army's recent purchase of Leopard-2 tanks, manufactured in Germany by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, baffled most observers. Many saw it merely as an attempt to maintain parity of status with Singapore and Malaysia, which also boast tank forces.
In some countries, politicians see defense spending as a way to buy off the military men with equipment and keep them out of politics, though this did not work for Thailand's recently deposed civilian Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
There is also an element of gearing up for neighborhood squabbles. Thai and Cambodian forces have clashed over territory around an ancient temple on their border. Indonesian and Malaysian patrol boats have faced off at a contested oil field off Kalimantan, not far from where Malaysian forces quelled a bizarre private invasion from the Philippines into Sabah State in 2013. Singapore is worried about the security of its water supply from neighboring Malaysia.
Southeast Asia has never been short of seething threats and rivalries to engage its military planners. The difference now is that its governments increasingly have the funds and suppliers to meet their demands.
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We have let some others sell our older products. Granted, nobody as big as Steam, but we definitely do have partnerships with others when we think the conditions are good. The sales from those sources tend to be OK to start with and then dwindle down to nothing fairly quickly. We expect the same from Steam, except with a much bigger headache to get it setup and a vastly lower chance of getting any money back from it to justify our expenses.
I have learned never to say never, but I don't foresee us diverting any resources to publishing on Steam in the near future.
Steve
Well to bring a possible new idea to the table, this may be a bit sneaky. If you have just one game on Steam, others there who plays or checks out the game on Steam will find your BF website and thus find the rest of your games which aren't on Steam.
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Don't hold your breath for either of those in real life,...or the game.
Not holding breath for anything, but the M1A3 is just same model, just a stat change.
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Since the setting of the game is 2017, you think a module will be feasible which includes the M1A3 Abrams or the Russian T-99 (Armata) main battle tanks? They are supposed to be on the field by 2017 or before according to their respective pages. I know budget may seem like it may be cut anytime on new weapons, but according to the M1 Abrams page "With the budget compromise of December 2013, the M1A3 program is expected to receive funding needed to begin full-scale production in 2018." Not sure about the Russian one, though.
I'm sure the M1A3 will look the same as the M1A1/M1A2 model-wise, so just a stat adjustment without the need for new model.
M1A3: Under development, with prospective prototypes by 2014, operational by 2017.[82] Improvements are to include a lighter 120 mm gun, added road wheels with improved suspension, a more durable track, lighter armor, long-range precision armaments, and infrared camera and laser detectors. A new internal computer system is also desired, with current wiring replaced by fiber-optic lines that could decrease weight by some two tons.[
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Yes I understand you have a lot to risk to put on Steam. I implore you to think about this suggestion: put one older CM game on Steam (say Shock Force) and see how it sells. Not putting all eggs in one basket that way. But I thank you for taking the time to reply and interact with us.
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I recall the precise moment when the Pentagon decided it wanted Strykers. Entering Kosovo in 1999 the US struggled with its cumbersome heavy armor forces while watching the Canadians in their new LAV-IIIs zip to the head of the line and lead a quick advance into the country. It was plain to see the Pentagon was positively dripping with envy.
And if they have to go against Russian T-99 now, they'd be kicking themselves for that decision.
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You do not have to un-license your copies ( of Combat Mission - I can't speak about any of their other games ).
Just reinstall, and activate. If you have used up all your activations ( something I've never managed to do, so I don't know exactly how many you get, but it's at least 3 ), BFC will happily give you another - just open a helpdesk ticket.
Hope that helps
See also here - this link has additional links in the 2nd post which contain more information - http://community.battlefront.com/topic/116797-cmbn-unlicenseuninstall/?hl=unlicensed
On the contrary, for Shock Force, I got 2 licenses on purchase, and yes I had to unlicensed it before completely uninstalling, or the license is gone. I used to reformat my computer a lot, so the license system does always make me uncomfortable. I don't like emailing the help desk because there will be a point where they stop giving you licenses, even though I've never had to reach that point yet, I don't like the idea of finite re-installs.
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Please don't turn this into a rant topic.
Agreed, please keep this civil. Steam would boost up this game company a lot.
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In Shock Force, my Strikers were always meat for RPG-7 in buildings, but maybe I wasn't covering them well enough?
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Accidently placed a vote on a post, how do I remove it?
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Wow, you seem to have a lot of experience. Been around a while, have you?
Before you answer, realize that many of us were buying our first games on 5 1/4" floppies, and that BFC has been successful since, what, 2000?
Successful, huh? I saw this in one of my order emails a while back and gave me the idea for this thread, and thought it could improve playerbase size, and possible be able reduce the cost of the games for being niche. Since the pricing was a turnoff for other people that would buy Battlefront games otherwise,
NO REFUND POLICY
Battlefront.com does not offer refunds for products purchased. We are a small company and simply can not afford to offer this kind of service. Larger companies can absorb such costs because they turn right around and pass the costs on the rest of their customers.
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Wouldn't steam mean having to log on and use an active internet connection each time U want to battle?
There's offline mode.
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I think a lot more people would be buying if this is put on Steam, such as Command Modern Air/Naval Operations. Any reason why it hasn't? Not feasible, etc? Out of curiosity, it should be considered though. I urge to put just CMBS on Steam and see if it sells better than expected?
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Well if you read Tom Clancy's "The Bear and the Dragon" it makes good scenarios. But either way, China would be a nice module IMO.
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Non-NATO nation, for one thing, and it would be quite a stretch to work in a plausible scenario where they would show up in the middle of Eastern Europe.
Not getting political, but USA have the same chances of showing up there as China.
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Why not China?
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As in the real world, not all military deaths are from enemy fire.
It would be nice if the environment makes it hazardous to both sides, example a big storm, drownings, or slippery ground that may cause non-combat casualties and helicopters to crash. Anything the troops in the real world face and would be feasible to implement in CMBS. I suppose hostile wildlife is too far-fetched, but the more common things can.
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I like what SBurke said. BFC could avoid the nuclear balloon by a 45/46 West vs East confrontation. You get scrabbled together Wehrmacht vets, Western Powers, and Russkies, with Russkie Allies, (or puppets depending on your political view)
Still, later cold war would be awesome too - 70s/80s. 50s and 60s I think theres really no scenario that doesnt go nuclear almost immediately.
Well in that 45/46 scenario it would be one sided because the Allies have nukes while the Soviets haven't developed it yet.
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frez,
Let me help you with your nuke knowledge shortfall. This should help. 23 pages which tell you how they work, what they do, what their damage mechanisms are, etc. Am reasonably certain you'll find this tutorial both enlightening and disgusting.
Regards,
John Kettler
Thanks I'm taking a look.
And yeah maybe nukes won't be feasible in gameplay, but dealing post-fallout with pockets of radiation and NBC gear may be nice for a module. Even not nuclear, but biological and chemical weapons.
As well as a casualty meter on the environment (how much you messed up the wildlife, pollution, etc) after the battle.
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I am not knowledgeable on the specifics of how a nuclear detonation works, all I know is that it makes a gigantic explosion. I assume there to be missile defense systems fielded by both sides in the real world to stop missile threats to keep them from releasing their payload.
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In a war between nuclear powers, it wouldn't be unrealistic to assume nuclear warheads would be in use, if not as a first resort then as a last resort by the loser. If not in the main game, I would like to see a module focused on the scenario, along with hazmat gear and NBC vehicles to deal with the radiation. One such example is the M1135 Nuclear, Biological, Chemical, Reconnaissance Vehicle.
The M1135 Nuclear, Biological, Chemical Reconnaissance Vehicle (NBCRV) provides nuclear, biological and chemical detection and surveillance for battlefield hazard visualization.
The NBCRV provides situational awareness to increase the combat power of the SBCT.[3] The core of the NBCRV is its on-board integrated NBC sensor suite and integrated meteorological system. An NBC positive overpressure system (where interior air pressure is higher than ambient air pressure outside, rather than vice versa) minimizes cross-contamination of samples and detection instruments, provides crew protection, and allows extended operations at MOPP 0. It replaces the M93 Fox vehicle.
The NBCRV detects and collects chemical and biological contamination in its local environment on the move through point detection (Chemical Biological Mass Spectrometer (CBMS) and Joint Biological Point Detection System (JBPDS)), and at a distance through the use of a stand off detector (JSLSCAD) [clarification needed]. It automatically integrates contamination information from detectors with input from on-board navigation and meteorological systems and automatically transmits digital NBC warning messages through the Mission Command System.
As of 2010, the U.S. Army does not plan to field Stryker Double V-Hull (DVH) versions of the NBCRV in Afghanistan.[4]
Chemical Biological Mass Spectrometer (CBMS), built by Hamilton Sundstrand, is a detection system for chemical warfare agents and biological warfare agents. CBMS was originally developed by a team lead by Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
On 25 July 2013, Iraq requested the sale of 50 M1135 NBC Reconnaissance Vehicles for $900 million.[5]
In October 2013, the U.S. Army decided to reduce the overall number of M1135 Strykers it will procure from 417 to 307 vehicles.[6]
Rock, Paper Shotgun Article about BFC & Steam distro
in General Discussion Forum
Posted
The article also has its own comment section, incase anyone is interested in hearing more thoughts on the matter.
European football fans get pretty crazy on their games. Over the internet, no one is able to get harmed.