HerrTom

As far as I know, it's not possible to mod the core gameplay of Combat Mission.  I think there's some "research" into changing models around, but nothing so far as AI or other gameplay changing mods.  Balance-wise, it's up to you, the player!
Shameless self-plug, but if you like explosions you might like mine:
Graphics-wise I run with a lot of Kieme's work, and in some places I use Aris' textures.

Just wanted to stop by and say thank you as I am using your mod currently and it adds some spice to the explosions. Always appreciate the eye candy. 

Get the Task Force Spartan Resolve campaign and mod set ;-)

The grenadiers debussed to clear some dug in Soviets - I lost a few grenadiers in this action, but I managed to capture a bridge which allowed my armour to keep pushing forward to attack their next objective, another bridge.

1.  I see what you mean... I can see what I can do to play around with the fire and how it attenuates.
2. Not sure about the opacity - looks like it has a bit more area that's fully opaque compared to other smoke mods/game textures, but nothing significantly so as far as I can tell.  Cartoonish up close?  Definitely.  I'm playing around with more subdivisions in the smoke simulation to add more small scale detail.  We'll see!  Should add more noise and variation, particularly around the edges.
Wicked!  I'm still trying to get the look back.  I'll be sure to ping you when/if I get it in glorious high resolution!

Here's another little vignette demonstrating the effects - this one from CMRT.

So I've been playing around with the explosion graphics in CM - I've enjoyed the ones from the various mods, but it always bothered me how huge and cartoony they looked.  So I set about making an explosion inspired by Project Reality and Squad:

And ended up with this:


I'm in no way completely satisfied with what I have, but I'm lazy and was wondering what you guys thought - good direction to head in?
You can download it here: Google Drive
Extract into the Mods folder in My Documents, or the Z folder in the game directory

I want to avoid confusion from the start of the original thread to this one, since it's technically a different scenario.  Much is the same, but I'm doing it anyway!


SITUATION
Thanks to the successful battle and crossing of the canals near Pryvitnoe by 2nd Battalion, we have been tasked with exploiting the gap in the Ukrainian lines.
We have one final barrier to cross before the total colapse of the Ukrainian defenses occurs on the southern flank: the river Dniepr.  Ukrainian forces are dug in deep alon the major crossings near Kherson and 1st Battalion has encountered stiff resistance further north of us.
Intelligence has identified a weak spot by the town of Prydinprovs'ke.  This will be a tough one, since there is only one bridge in the area.  We'll have to force a river crossing.  Thankfully, the Ukrainian units have only just arrived and not had time to dig in properly.
MISSION
Our job is to cross the Dniepr and move troops further north to further stress the fragile Ukrainian defense.  Thus, we have two main objectives for this engagement:
1. Cross the river and penetrate the enemy lines and continue to Kherson
2. Eliminate the defenders on the river crossing for follow on forces to continue at speed
3. Minimize casualties.  It should go without saying that sacrificing too many of our boys will reduce the effectiveness of our crossing, and no one wants to write those letters.
4. Destroy SAM battery.  Elements of the 208. SAM Brigade are in the area of operations.  Take the site and destroy any equipment you can find.
FRIENDLY FORCES
Our 2nd Battalion, 18 Motor Rifle Regiment has the following assets in the area:
- Reconnaisance platoon
- ATGM platoon
- Grenade launcher platoon
- 2 combined arms companies
    - 3 platoons of BTR-82 mounted infantry (amphibious)
    - 1 platoon of T-72B3 tanks
Support assets are as follows:
- 3 platoons of 2S3M2 152mm howitzers, a total of 18 guns on call for this crossing
- 1 platoon of 2S7M2 203mm howitzers, a total of 4 guns on call from the divisional resources.  We're lucky to have these, so use them wisely.
- 1 flight of Mi-24PN gunships from frontal aviation
ENEMY FORCES
Enemy forces consist of elements of the 28 Mechanised Brigade that our sister battalion previously faced at Pryvitnoe.  These guys are tough, so be careful!
PLAN
There are three crossing points that we have identified.
The first, and most dangerous is the bridge leading into Prydinprovs'ke.  This is a long and wide open approach so should be considered only a last resort until the overlooking areas are cleared.
The second and primary crossing point is Landing Zone Boris, across from the Dachas at point Elena.  The dachas provide decent cover for the approach to the river and point Boris is a fairly flat area also covered by trees.
The final crossing point is to Landing Zone Vasiliy.  There is a narrow path up through the area, but it may be an unexpected direction.

Tactical map to show the locations in the briefing.  The objectives have morphed somewhat.  Russian forces gain points for sending troops off-map on objective G, for destroying Ukrainian units, minimising own casualties and finally destroying the forces that are at the SAM site before they can evacuate.

My plan is much the same as before.
EXECUTION
1. Company (1-я pота) will approach the dachas along the western path through the woods in column.  Upon reaching the buildings, they will deploy in line formation and prepare to cross the river.  5. Platoon (1/5-й взвод) will take position along the axis of the bridge to provide fire support.  1. Company will clear the riverbank and advance into the town proper to provide cover for the tanks to cross the bridge.
2. Company (2-я pота) will also approach the dachas along the eastern path through the woods in column.  Upon reaching the buildings, they will also deploy in line formation and prepare to cross the river.  5. Platoon (2/5-й взвод) will advance alongside 1. Company and take positions near the dachas to provide fire support to the crossings.  2. Company will then advance past the buildings and threaten the SAM complex before continuing to Kherson.
The reconnaissance platoon (Разведка) will advance through the dried creek to the west and prepare for their own crossing to the west of the bridge.  They will form a distraction for the enemy, to disrupt the enemy defence as 1. and 2. Companies cross the Dniepr.  They will then continue to cut off any Ukrainian movement to retreat to Kherson.
The weapons company will deploy among the manoeuvre elements and provide a base of fire for each crossing.
Once the main body is across the river, fire support elements will mount and make their own crossings.  Once the area is cleared of heavy weapons, the tank platoons will storm across the bridge.
FIRE SUPPORT
Fire phases will be divided into three phases: DYNYA (melon) will initiate fire plans, with all batteries firing at designated targets with the objective of destruction.  When the order to cross is given, fire missions will shift to phase YABLOKO (apple).  Fire missions during this phase will be aimed at suppressing enemy ability to fire or manoeuvre to protect our assets as they cross the river.  As our forces make landfall, fire missions will shift to phase GRUSHA (pear).  Fire missions during this phase will be designed to cut off the defenders from reinforcements as they are run out of their positions.
The organic 120mm mortars will be on call to strike targets of opportunity, and will be providing smoke for the crossing at fire phase YABLOKO.  Upon fire phase GRUSHA, the mortars will fire on zones 112 and 113 to suppress defenders attempting to contain the landing of the recce platoon.
2 of the 3 2S3 batteries will be tasked with striking target zones 211 and 212 respectively, until fire phase GRUSHA corresponding with the crossing attempt, after which they will shift their fire to focus on zone 213 as forces approach the shore.
The final 2S3 battery will be firing on zone 111 until fire phase GRUSHA, after which it will shift fire to zone 112.
The 2S7 battery will be firing in support of the main crossing effort and will hit zones 211 and 212 until fire phase YABLOKO.  The heavy guns will then shift to suppressing forces in zones 112 and 213 to prevent further reinforcements from engaging the landing.
The pair of Mi-24s will be given free reign of the opposite bank, hitting any targets of opportunity the pilots can find.
----
And in a twist of fate that I'm sure will make @Haiduk happy - the bridge is actually a railroad bridge now!

And for those interested in a play-along, I've attached the scenario to this post!  There is no AI at the moment - H2H only, and I haven't a clue if it's balanced!
An der Schoenen Blauen Dnjepr.btt

Finished the Victory at Verdenne battle and was amazed at the beauty of the map.  Put together a small story that featured some shots that I hope will give some idea of how stunning the map is.
The Kriegsberichter

The Kriegsberichter moves forward to a fence line to survey the landscape.  Max Nussbaum has two Leica 35mm cameras around his neck.  Instinctively he pulls one to his eye and takes a wide view shot.  It is lighter now, the shooting has died down, and he is told that the battle is over.  Verdenne and positions beyond have been secured.  He will now be able to document the victory in photographs for publication back home.
He was positioned with Oberst Gerdes, the battle commander, in a large farmhouse as the battle unfolded across the valley.  It was pre-dawn when the attack started – no good for photographs.  Their eyes strained in the murky gloom as dawn struggled to overcome the darkness.  It was hard to make out the Landsers as they waded deliberately through the snow and across the open terrain, with artillery crashing into Verdenne.  There was resistance in the town by the Amis, but the enemy was reportedly crushed.  Casualties are reported to the Oberst as moderate.
 

Oberst Gerdes takes Max aside for a moment.  He warns him to be careful.  Yes, the battle might be over, but the enemy may still be around, pockets of resistance cut off, and desperate to escape back to their own lines.  The Oberst walks the Kriegsberichter away from the farmhouse while he counsels him. 
When they are out of earshot, the Oberst quietly tells Max that he really needs to be careful around the unit’s political officer, NSFO Leutnant Hahn.  Hahn has been spouting propaganda ever since he was assigned to their unit, responsible for morale and indoctrination.  The Oberst warns Max that Hahn is seeking out those who display weakness of spirit and conviction for overall victory. 
Max is told to be wise in his choice of photographs, so as not to bring any unwanted scrutiny from Leutnant Hahn.  The Oberst tells him that no one is safe from the prying eyes of Hahn, not even himself, even though he outranks Hahn.  This chills the Kriegsberichter even more than the early morning bitter frost.
The Oberst claps him on the back and shows him to a Kubelwagen.  “Here is your driver.  His name is Hans.”  To the driver, “Take care of our Kriegsberichter, Hans.  You might even make it into the magazines.” The Oberst forces a laugh and returns to the farmhouse.
 

The Kriegsberichter tries to make small talk with Hans but the man is dour and only mumbles.  It is clear he doesn’t want this assignment as it is taking him towards the enemy – he’d prefer the warmth of the farmhouse or some other location as far away from Belgium as possible.
The countryside is breathtaking with its snowy majesty.  He orders Hans to stop for more distance shots.
 

As they near the outskirts of Verdenne, Max sees the first evidence of the battle for the town.  It is a destroyed Ami tank.  Hans is ordered to stop and Max picks the Leica that has black and white film in it.  He will go back and forth between the two, as the black and white film is more reliable and the color film is somewhat new and experimental.  He composes his shot, with the wound that killed the enemy tank clearly visible in the picture.  In his excitement he catches the rear tire of a destroyed German armored car he was trying to crop out of the shot.  He can only guess that the armored car was a victim of the enemy tank.  The US tank had to have been killed by the nearby Panther behind him, still scanning the horizon for targets.
 

Still working the black and white camera, Max gets yet another view of the savage fighting that went on in Verdenne.  None of this was visible from their vantage point across the valley.  He can see that his driver Hans is getting nervous.  Even with the cold wind, they catch the smell of death coming from the nearby vehicles and the town.  Hans is ordered into town.  He grinds the gears as he shifts.  Max thinks he can see the man’s hands shaking, but is it just from the cold?
 

Hans lags behind as Max chooses color for his next shot.  Two Ami tanks are dead on the main street through town.  The enemy dead are sprawled around, some from the tank and some from an infantry unit that must have been defending the town.  The ugly black smudge on the flank of the lead tank shows where a close-combat weapon was used for the kill. 
 

More destroyed enemy tanks are seen.  A dead Ami soldier lies in the center of the intersection.  Max coldly composes his photograph, snapping the shutter after adjusting his F-stops for the lens.  The soldier’s dead eyes seem to stare right at him, accusing him of being an interloper disturbing the dead.  Max shrugs off the feeling of unease he feels.
 

Max moves in to take a closer shot of the tank from the previous shot.  Again, the kill shot is visible on the side of the tank.  The building behind the tank shows damage.  The fighting here must have been savage, he thinks to himself.  The tank crew didn’t make it far from their tank before getting cut down.
 

He switches back to black and white shots.  He catches two dead enemy tanks near a Panther.  He guesses that the Panther took the enemy tanks out, as well as the dead infantryman in the street.
Max is struck by the fact that there are only dead US soldiers in the streets.  He heard that casualties were moderate.  He has not seen a single dead German soldier.  He wonders if the casualty report was accurate.  Perhaps all the dead and wounded German soldiers have already been policed up from the streets and relocated into the houses.
 

Max finds a small squad of Landsers inside a nearby house.  The morning sun shines through the eastern windows behind them and highlights their helmets and the side of their faces.  He goes with color on this shot, and tries to get the men to smile and look at the camera.  Instead, they ignore him, looking out the windows.  Through the back window he can see up the main street.
He shows the men his Kriegsberichter cuff title, but they pay no attention to him.  They are cold and hungry and want nothing to do with being in the magazines or newspapers.  Max doesn’t understand.  This is so unlike the previous years, when the men all wanted to be photographed, they were happy and confident. 
The door opens and a blast of cold air rushes in.  It is Leutnant Hahn.  The Leutnant sees the two cameras across Max’s chest.  He warmly greets Max, smiling and shaking Max’s hand.  “Be sure to take good shots,” he says.  “We want the people back home to witness our great victories and triumphs.”
“You can count on that, Herr Leutnant.”
Hahn turns to the men, smiling, and says “You men are all heroes of the Reich.  Give thanks to your Führer as he leads us to our glorious victory.”  Only the Feldwebel turns and says “Jawohl, Herr Leutnant.”  He snaps his arm out in salute.  The other men mumble something and stare at the floor.
Leutnant Hahn has a cold smile that is more of a grimace on his face as he returns the salute, turns, and quickly leaves the building. 
Max is confused.  The Feldwebel sees the look on Max’s face and comes over to him, leaning into Max with a face twisted in anger.  “That strutting rooster just now showed up, after all the shooting and bleeding was done.  I’ve lost half my platoon holding on to this cursed village.  He was hiding somewhere safe, probably readying his next lecture about how weak we are and how we better show courage or he will have us arrested.”
Max recoils from the burning hatred in the Feldwebel’s words. 
Again, the Feldwebel leans in close to Max, and he hisses quietly “Mark my words.  Stay away from that rooster when the bullets are flying.  You never know what direction the round with his name on it might come from.”  With that he steps back to his men as they gather quietly around him.
Max is shaken and quickly leaves the warmth of the building.
 

There is a four-barreled FLAK unit positioned behind the building.  Max waves his camera at them, but they hardly notice him.  They are watching the road and the sky, especially the sky.  With the clouds clearing, the Jabos are likely to appear.  The Amis have complete control of the sky and the Landsers’ only defense is the FLAK units.  Enemy aircraft are a terrible threat.
Max stands on the front seat behind the gun to get a better shot of the road leading out of town.
 

Max walks to the edge of the town where the ground slopes away into the valley.  A chilling sight grips him.  Frozen bodies lie silently in the snow.  Were they killed by the FLAK unit he was just with?  These Amis were clearly a part of a failed attack on the town.
He focuses his camera for a shot.  Then he looks at the men a little closer.  The one man has his hand out, frozen in time, as if beckoning to him.  It is an ill omen.  Max shivers yet again, and not from the cold.  He walks quickly back to where Hans waits in the Kubelwagen.
 

Hans is ordered to drive them out of the town, down the road where the enemy attack was halted.  Max switches back to black and white, and he spots something off the road in a small depression.  He orders Hans to stop and he gets out to see what he noticed.
Yes, those are bodies, many of them.  Max takes a long distance shot, but at this point he isn’t sure which side those dead belong.  A passing cloud shrouds the bodies.  He moves closer.
 

Americans.  They must have been caught in a mortar barrage.  Max remembered when the forward observer was calling in mortar support.  These men must have been the unfortunate recipients of that particular hand of Hell.  He silently takes his picture.
 

Hans is getting very nervous now.  They have driven well away from the relative safety of Verdenne.  Max sees an Ami tank that appears to have been abandoned.  He orders Hans to drive up next to the tank.  He gets out to avoid the vibration of the running Kubelwagen spoiling his pictures.  Hans refuses to turn the engine off.  He says it might not start again because of the extreme cold if he did turn it off.
Max composes another picture, with the dead tank in the foreground and another dead tank in the background. 
Suddenly Hans starts gibbering and pointing.  “Herr Kriegsberichter, that one is still breathing,” he stammers.  He is pointing at the tank in the distance. 
And so it is.  Now Max can see the exhaust fumes slowly rising from the rear of the enemy tank.  His throat is suddenly dry, he can’t speak, and he is instantly in the Kubelwagen.  He points forward towards a group of trees and Hans quietly drops the transmission into gear.  They slowly move into cover – a fast dash would have made them more obvious.  They catch their breath from their brush with near disaster.
 

They will have to find another way back to Verdenne, as it would be too risky to try and rush back up the road they just drove down. Why they weren’t noticed in the first place is a mystery.  Max can only think that the tank is trying to avoid being noticed and will eventually slip back to enemy lines after dark.
As Hans quietly maneuvers down a long sloping road, Max sees more bodies in the snow.  He orders Hans to stop and he gets out to investigate.  The momentary terror of the enemy tank is forgotten as he slips back into his Kriegsberichter mode. 
Max takes another shot, before realizing these are dead comrades.  They are the first he has seen since starting out on his photo journalism mission today.  He sees that he caught an enemy tank in the background.  Did they kill the tank, or did the tank kill them? 
 

Max trudges through the snow towards the enemy tank.  The cold wind soughs through the trees now, whispering of the horrors that took place in the shadows.  He starts to get a bad feeling about this place.
The tank gun is pointing to the rear – very odd.  As he gets closer, he sees what probably happened.  A terrible fight took place here, in the low bushes and shadows of the snowy trees.  Dead tank crewmen are mixed in with dead Landsers.  His fellow soldiers must have attacked the enemy tank as it crawled through the woods, and somehow they stopped it.  The tank is not burned so the Landsers must have crippled it somehow.
Then the enemy tankers piled out of the crippled tank and there was a horrific hand-to-hand struggle to the death.  Max wants to preserve the heroics of both sides but his cold photograph only shows Death’s ugly hand. 
He is unnerved by this struggle.  He now sees many dead bodies, partially hidden all around this small forest.  It is a killing zone.  The rustling of the wind in the trees now seems to speak, whispering accusations from the dead.  Why are you here?  You have no right to be here.  Trespasser.  Are you trying to steal our souls?
Max remembers reading in history books how American Indians refused to let themselves be photographed, fearing their souls would be captured on the film.  As the wind pulls at the uniforms of the dead, they seem to be trying to rise.  He is seized by a moment of unreasonable fear and he bolts back to where Hans is parked.
 

Max stands by the road and forces himself to regain control.  He can see Hans’ hands visibly shaking now.  He wonders if Hans had the same feeling he had moments ago.
Hans makes a feeble gesture for Max to get back in the Kubel.  Max turns and suddenly sees a column of greasy black smoke rising into the sky.  He shakes his head at Hans and points to the smoke.  It appears to be coming from a tank.  Max snaps off a quick black and white shot and then carefully heads down the road towards the smoke.  Hans stays put, refusing to drive closer.
 

Easing through the trees, Max comes upon a tank-hunter team.  “Stay back,” the man with the panzershrek hisses at him.  “It is still burning inside and the ammo might cook off.”  Max needs no further encouragement and takes his picture from behind a tree. 
“Did anyone…?”  The gunner cuts him off.  “No one got out.  Now, Photographer, stop your sightseeing and get out of here.  The front line is not secure and we expect more American tanks.  Why do you suppose we are still lying here in this bloody snow?”
Max runs back to Hans and the Kubel.
 

Hans takes a very circuitous route away from the forest haunted with the spirits of the dead.  As he crosses a ridge, he suddenly makes a strange sound and stops abruptly.  More dead, everywhere, lying frozen and motionless in the snow.  Large burned patches of snow reveal that these Americans were caught in a heavy artillery barrage.  They were shredded by shrapnel.
Max takes one more shot of the dead.  This doesn’t feel like a victory.  It is just a charnel ground of horrors where the Grim Reaper has harvested men with his sickle and left their spirits to wander aimlessly seeking peace.
“Get us out of here, Hans,” says Max through gritted teeth.  The Kubelwagen lurches as Hans grinds the gears again and detours around the killing field.  Max looks back over his shoulder and sees the tower of black smoke marking the steel coffin grave of the tankers.  He imagines the ghostly whispers are following him and he wills the Kubelwagen to go faster.  He has had his fill of death this day.
 
The war goes on.
 
Heinrich505
 

Time for another adventure in Southern Ukraine!  Best read while humming Strauss. 

We return to the same AO at dusk the day of the invasion.  The Russian advance has been amazingly swift.  By the end of the first day, Kherson is already under threat of Russian forces.  The Ukrainian defence is in shambles and is prepared to make another heroic stand at the small town of Prydniprovs'ke just to the west of Kherson.

From the briefing:
SITUATION
Thanks to the successful battle and crossing of the canals near Pryvitnoe by 2nd Battalion, we have been tasked with exploiting the gap in the Ukrainian lines.
We have one final barrier to cross before the total colapse of the Ukrainian defenses occurs on the southern flank: the river Dniepr.  Ukrainian forces are dug in deep alon the major crossings near Kherson and 1st Battalion has encountered stiff resistance further north of us.
Intelligence has identified a weak spot by the town of Prydinprovs'ke.  This will be a tough one, since there is only one bridge in the area.  We'll have to force a river crossing.  Thankfully, the Ukrainian units have only just arrived and not had time to dig in properly.
MISSION
Our job is to cross the Dniepr and move troops further north to further stress the fragile Ukrainian defense.  Thus, we have two main objectives for this engagement:
1. Cross the river and penetrate the enemy lines and continue to Kherson
2. Eliminate the defenders on the river crossing for follow on forces to continue at speed
3. Minimize casualties.  It should go without saying that sacrificing too many of our boys will reduce the effectiveness of our crossing, and no one wants to write those letters.
FRIENDLY FORCES
Our 2nd Battalion, 18 Motor Rifle Regiment has the following assets in the area:
- Reconnaisance platoon
- ATGM platoon
- Grenade launcher platoon
- 2 combined arms companies
    - 3 platoons of BTR-82 mounted infantry (amphibious)
    - 1 platoon of T-72B3 tanks
Support assets are as follows:
- 3 platoons of 2S3M2 152mm howitzers, a total of 18 guns on call for this crossing
- 1 platoon of 2S7M2 203mm howitzers, a total of 4 guns on call from the divisional resources.  We're lucky to have these, so use them wisely.
- 1 flight of Mi-24PN gunships from frontal aviation
ENEMY FORCES
Enemy forces consist of elements of the 28 Mechanised Brigade that our sister battalion previously faced at Pryvitnoe.  These guys are tough, so be careful!
PLAN
There are three crossing points that we have identified.
The first, and most dangerous is the bridge leading into Prydinprovs'ke.  This is a long and wide open approach so should be considered only a last resort until the overlooking areas are cleared.
The second and primary crossing point is Landing Zone Boris, across from the Dachas at point Elena.  The dachas provide decent cover for the approach to the river and point Boris is a fairly flat area also covered by trees.
The final crossing point is to Landing Zone Vasiliy.  There is a narrow path up through the area, but it may be an unexpected direction.

---
And finally, the map of the area:

Coming next, initial disposition, further briefing, and terrain reconnaissance.  I also just realised that it is not highway E97 that leads here - bah, I'll fix it tomorrow

Maybe I should package up my tool so we can all play artillery shell designer... It's all very interesting stuff!
 Good summary! Fragment velocity tends to be  around 1/4 the detonation velocity, 1-3 km/s for Octol's 8 km/s detonation velocity. Fragments remain much more dangerous than the blast itself also  due to being denser and hence retaining their energy better and concentrating it more than a detonation wave that will attenuate it's energy much faster!
Man, I forgot about that white paper I was writing...

Maybe I should package up my tool so we can all play artillery shell designer... It's all very interesting stuff!
 Good summary! Fragment velocity tends to be  around 1/4 the detonation velocity, 1-3 km/s for Octol's 8 km/s detonation velocity. Fragments remain much more dangerous than the blast itself also  due to being denser and hence retaining their energy better and concentrating it more than a detonation wave that will attenuate it's energy much faster!
Man, I forgot about that white paper I was writing...

Mord.

Well with 28 views and not one comment on yes, no, maybe, don't know,  so I decide to try it and see if it can be done, and yes it can. So I'm working on the buildings and will post the scenario for players to try it.

It might suffice. Clearly more $ would give better performance so here are somethings to think about:
 
CPUs:
CM is usually CPU bound (as long as you have a good enough graphics card you will get better mileage out of spending $ on a faster CPU) and you should favour higher speed cpu cores vs more cores. So for example you are better off with a faster i5 than a slower i7 that has more cores - for playing CM that is - clearly the i7 will excel at other applications.
 
Memory:
CM can use up to 4Gb of memory itself but that really only happens for large scenarios. So, 4Gb is workable but you will need to make sure you are not running much else and you might find large scenarios suffer a bit.
 
Graphics card:
You want to stick with Nvida cards over AMD and absolutely avoid Intel cards. CM uses OpenGL for drawing and Nvida does the best at handling OpenGL. Once you have a machine you can read up on posts like this for advice on setting up the card in post below.
As for the card itself, according to this http://www.dell.com/learn/us/en/19/help-me-choose/hmc-aw-video-card the card in that machine is a GTX 950. That is pretty good. If you had a few more $ to spend I would put them towards more memory and a better CPU before a better Graphics card.
There is a small section on this FAQ thread dealing with performance if you want to read more.
 
 

The thing is I saw few soldiers wearing really really dark olive colored vests and I loved that. Yet in upcoming versions of this mod more different vests will be added. Including not only green. But it will take time. Thank you for your comment, and your pointing out. Moreover I would like to mention that I do enjoy your modding work. What you do with explosions especially with automatic cannons and those spikes of red fire is in my  opinion great addition to the game. Thank you for your point my friend. I will take that in consideration. 

The BTRs get a right pasting in that one, in my next play through I'm going to strip them of gear, dismount them and see if they are more useful as road-blocks! 

Kriegsschauplatz Deutschland is a fantastic (dry) read about Warsaw Pact planning.  I can only find it in German though.  This is my favourite one I've read -  Soviet AirLand Battle Tactics by William Baxter has a good look at Soviet tactics all the way through the political element at the very top.  He wrote it specifically to try to translate the Soviet way of thinking to Western military minds - I find it a very handy reference. The Bear Went Over the Mountain and The Soviet-Afghan War by Les Grau/Russian General Staff provide a lot of insights in how the USSR and DRA fought in Afghanistan as well as how they learned and adapted to fighting there. Red Thrust by Steven Zaloga has an interesting take on the Soviet Army through vignettes in a fictional war in Europe.  He focuses on the weaknesses that Baxter also touches upon with the future of high-tech warfare that the General Staff started to worry about in the early 80s. I can hardly recommend only one of them, eh?  
Yup - I definitely get you.  A focus on interdiction, disruption, and getting within the enemy C3I (at the time - isn't it C4ISTAR now or something?).  Coincidentally, this coincides with a shift in Soviet thinking to an almost entirely nuclear-based deterrence - kinda like Nato had in the 50s!
Brutal!  Ukrainians only get a couple of BTRs though.
I believe exactly that is one of the major criticisms of the MGS.  The 105mm gun makes it too big to be air transportable like previously mentioned, so its strategic manoeuvrability is severely limited.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but it also has been considered as somewhat a failure in its role, right? Hence the same argument being levied against the 30mm dragoon variant.  I'm not convinced that the argument is a correct one, but it definitely has its strong points. 
 

I've been playing around with your Hi-Res explosions and smoke mod for quite a few hours. 

Here's my constructive criticism so far:
1. The new explosions are great! However, I think they could be improved by replacing the last of the explosion frames with a smoke&explosion "transition" frame (explosiona007), and maybe adding an additional one (replacing explosiona008).   
2. The smoke looks pretty good from afar, but up close in looks cartoonish. Maybe the shape of the smoke could be changed to resemble vanilla smoke more? Also, the smoke is too opaque. 

The most perplexing thing with the Strykers for me, given one of their raison d'etre ( mobility), is the lack of true amphibious ability.

BY all that's holy, THIS. The Russians can make their tinker-toy BTRs amphib, but the all encompassing US military can't do so for the Stryker,, a vehicle whose fundamental purpose is infantry mobility? Seriously? There will always be a bridge? Even in CM, if an oppo mines a bridge over anything larger than, oh a trickle of piss and properly covers it then Strykers are screwed. 
Pretty ridiculous, IMHO. 

Writing above: "Black Zaporozhians" - during a war separatists have named 72nd as "black brigade" (I don't know why). Because of this on unoficcial emblem brigade became to paint a sculls on black background. In this year several brigades were receiving honor names, and HQ decided to outplay this unofficial name. Brigade have received a name of Black Zaporozhians - in a memory of famous 1st cavalry regiment with this name in period of First war for Independence of 1918-1920 - they have black uniform.
Writing around contour: "Ukraine or death"  - the slogan of that historical cavalry regiment
 

I think the most convincing argument against it is primarily that by continuing to tack on features you'll eventually get something that can't really do anything that the vehicle was originally meant to do.
"A troop transport that can't carry troops.  A reconnaissance vehicle that's too conspicuous to do reconnaissance.  And a quasi-tank that has less armour than a snowblower, but has enough ammo to take out half of DC."
Everything is a trade, right?  The Stryker was designed with strategic mobility in mind. You can strap it into a C130 and bring it wherever you want, unlike a Bradley or a BMP.  Does adding the 30mm cannon compromise that?  Take the M1128 - isn't that too big and heavy to carry on a plane anymore?  Maybe a 30mm cannon is a good middle ground.  I don't know - but what does the trade study look like?

I think the most convincing argument against it is primarily that by continuing to tack on features you'll eventually get something that can't really do anything that the vehicle was originally meant to do.
"A troop transport that can't carry troops.  A reconnaissance vehicle that's too conspicuous to do reconnaissance.  And a quasi-tank that has less armour than a snowblower, but has enough ammo to take out half of DC."
Everything is a trade, right?  The Stryker was designed with strategic mobility in mind. You can strap it into a C130 and bring it wherever you want, unlike a Bradley or a BMP.  Does adding the 30mm cannon compromise that?  Take the M1128 - isn't that too big and heavy to carry on a plane anymore?  Maybe a 30mm cannon is a good middle ground.  I don't know - but what does the trade study look like?

Some screens from the Gagarinina Avenue Checkpoint scenario
Tank platoon moving to battle stations

T-90A trying to spot enemies

Fire!

Close to the end of the battle, one of mine T-90 finally spots (trough smoke) and eliminate that pesky Bulat that was ruining my day


Then i was able to close on objectives and win the battle, despite losing 2 tanks 1 apc and some troops