FlammenwerferX

Great pic!
 

Thanks Capt! I didn't think of that...You're right not much space at all. (I wonder why what's his name didn't mention it.)

The 'All in One' update is almost finished & thanks to @Ithikial_AU, @umlaut , @t34577685 & @Kuli will feature a new look to the Soviet Infantry... including snowy uniforms.
Here I try out a wintery version of the @rocketman scenario "Last Resort"...
 

Russian morning.

First off thanks to all those who have supported the Battlepack by purchasing it, and a shout out to those who have provided their support in the creation of this project – and a huge shout out to those who have freely given their feedback and additional support publicly via various means – online streaming vids, DARs, AARs and various forum posts etc, Its truly heartening to read and see these. 

It’s just as well, being Scottish, that we are renowned for being slow to anger and not prone to unprovoked outbursts. On a personal note a mahhoosive amount of work went into the battle pack, at my end. Work of which I am truly proud off. The lion’s share of research, mapmaking and AI plan stuff was devoted to the two campaigns and the Rakow and the Dying Sun scenario. These all involved painstakingly creating huge new maps from primary sources. Research turned up several ‘loose’ ends regarding accepted historical narrative and I’m as chuffed with these as the scenarios!

I digress… In short this sucked up a huge amount of time and I was also involved in several other projects (which I was keen to be involved in including CMFR and CMCW). Creating new content, AI plans etc for the Battlepack was a significant endeavour. So yup I used bits of various previous maps (which were my own creations and made available publicly) which I then significantly tweaked – mainly because I could not positively ID RL locations, or the fact is I thought the map – like Der Ring (which by the way took nearly a year to produce) to have a new life after some major tweaking. I’ve done this on previous game families with other maps. A few astute observers might have spotted them. 

But, and I should stress this, in the case of Der Ring it was heavily reworked and I created brand new AI plans (I had to as I’d chopped and reused bits) etc. So yes whilst some stuff is based on sections of der Ring they are more the offspring – rather than the map wearing a false wig and a pair of dodgy specs…

Re the rather offensive swipes about scamming, well,  re the master maps it’s pretty clear that as stated on the BFC website that they are “New maps based on maps from the Battle Pack missions”. 

Years back I used to be with a punk band – another life another story…. One of the bands (way more successful than we were) we did some gigs with, had their singer on one of their records state this quote, it was along the lines of – “Whatever you do they’ll slate you off and criticise you to the ground…” It’s stood me in good stead through life.
So aye happy to take the constructive knocks, but I’m less inclined to give credence tae whingers.
 

A possible teaser, maybe, of another graphic novel style AAR, this time of @George MC's "Five Days One Summer" from the new RT Battlepack?
After 1pm, July 1944.  Somewhere in central Poland...






 

 
 

@Aragorn2002 Have a look at the attached which might nudge you along the way for the groundwork required to get your map started.
This is the WW2 Era map overlaid on to Google Earth using the Add Image Overlay tool:
Lochstadt Map.kmz
This is the area of the map that I want to create in CM using the Add Polygon tool.
Lochstadt Overlay.kmz
Note that when I make this, as @Pete Wenmansays, you use the Google Earth measuring tool to get the dimensions.  These are the dimensions you need to resize the mapping area to in the CM editor.
I just used one overlay as my Special Editor Overlay in CM which was the map - sometimes I also use a screenshot of the aerial view but in this case I just had that view on my second screen:
Special Editor Overlay.bmp  
This is the CM map created from it:
Lochstadt.btt
Load up the kmz files in Google Earth and just have a look around which might help you to figure out how I've done it. Stick the Special Editor Overlay into your Z folder and then load the btt file and see how it looks in relation to the overlay to get a feel as to how I've put the thing together.

Hellscape


Or...

For those wanting more content, feel free to jump into the editor and build some new scenarios for the community.  Trust me there is nothing special that the CM Betas get that you don't when it comes to the editor. The unit editor is already incredibly powerful if you know how to use it. Oh and it's part of the package if you've already bought the game.
For those wanting fantasy weapons and a vehicles like tanks with automatic 120mm cannons, I reckon you'd love it for about 15 minutes before the novelty wore off and you never used the content again. There's a reason WW2 remains a popular time period for wargamers after all this time, and it isn't because of questions like: "What if the Panzer VIII Maus was deployed in 1945?"
Can vouch for each of those guys listed and the effort they put into creating official content, I'm desperately trying to scramble to keep up with that standard. I still bow in awe at benpark and his effort to recreate 1945 central Berlin. The research undertaken to try make the most accurate recreation of historical engagements and help out in designing accurate TOE/OOB is in my mind second to none among the BFC official staff and the wider volunteer circle.
Want an example? A small tidbit from my own work last Friday night. I've been recreating an engagement that includes the US 2nd Armored Division and been drawing from various historical and printed sources. Well I stumbled across digital scans of the divisional day by day reports and hand drawn maps of unit movements from June 1944. What was there was information that went against what was printed in some major history books by some big name historians. Though it was clear where the confusion over the years has come from given certain 2nd Armored battalions were detached from the Division in early June. Well this discovery slowed down putting the scenario together as it required me to go and edit my unit files and swap formations to ensure the scenario you play is the most historically accurate as possible.
Finally, keep in mind that many of us have day jobs so working on CM content is on the side of "paying the bills"* and because we have a passion for wargaming, CM and most importantly history.
* Feel free to send next weeks winning lottery numbers my way.

with inflation the current price is $12

I believe they don't get any hiding bonus from the HIDE command when it comes to being spotted, but that for vehicles, it means they keep a low noise profile so they can be heard from shorter distances.

Grand
Are the infantry moving or stationary? Do they binoculars?
Re the AFVs - were they set to hide at set-up as that’s where in my understanding you get a camouflage bonus. 

Are the tanks hull down relative to the spotters?
With tanks though I always assume if they can see out, then the enemy can see back…

My bad. I was thinking of several instances of this situation...
One is a T-60 behind hedge w/light forest ground - 8am clear  - spotted by infantry at 2000m+
Second, a TD in trees w/light forest ground - 8am clear  - spotted by infantry or tanks? at ~1200m+
I've been replaying this map over and over and they are spotted within first 3- 5 minutes. Not on hide but short covered arc.
I'm at work so I can't post pics.  
Thanks for responding, George.
 
 
 

According to the CMRT Fire & Rubble pdf manual (in the main folder if you want to check it out upon occasion), page 15 says...
Panzer IIIM (late)
Later Panzer III variants were equipped with longer-barreled KwK39 L/60s, added up to 57 mm of armor to the turret and spaced armor on the superstructure front and gun mantlet.
Available beginning............January 1945 (Germany region only)
Formations equipped........ Panzer company (ad hoc)

This was a fun one during Fire and Rubble's development. Panzer III's weren't widespread across the front line and didn't find themselves in the standard Panzer units after the Battle of Kursk, but the crisis for the Germans at the end of summer '44 meant anything with tracks and a gun was being hastily thrown into the line where possible. This included a number of PzIII's from training depots that were sent north to help try to break through to the trapped Army Group North in Operation Doppelkopf.
In game, the Panzer III models were available before this from CMFI and I was asking for the PzIII's to be included in some capacity into the module for my Battle of Tukums campaign to be more historically accurate. My campaign needed to to recreate SS Panzer Brigade Gross, which was changing it's tank makeup daily at times as it tried break the Soviet lines in the Baltics. BF created the Panzer Company (adhoc) formation, a '44 and a '45 variant. These were to help scenario designers create 'alarm units' or similar. Somewhat similar to the shattered infantry formations that were included in CMFB - the "Straggler Group". Believe the date is the determining factor for which PzIII variants are available so play around with the dates to find the "M". You can purchase it and then reset the date back to what you are trying to design for.
Hope this helps.

Although I did indeed raise him to Serfdom during a particuarly severe bout of reckless & shameful inebriation, it should be remembered that a Serf is considered to be the property of the whole Cesspool... he's ours now.
Although, to be fair, his simplistic observations can be surprisingly accurate... "Boo is a twat" sounds almost poetic.

*BOOT!!*
Serfs should remember to bold the name of their "betters" even if, as in Boo's case, that means agonizingly stretching & twisting the definition of the word.
 
An email will be sent... soon-ish.

I've also pre-ordered 'Barbarossa'.  Might take a while for the confirmation email...

Hi everyone! I've put out a new video where I compare a combat mission scenario to both the historical events that are portrayed and the actual real-life location. I thought I'd post this on the General Discussion board as it's also kind of about Combat Mission scenario design and research in general.
As it's about a Market Garden scenario, I've slept a quite few hours less the past few nights in order to get this video done in time for Operation Market Garden's 78th anniversary on saturday the 17th of september. I hope you'll find it interesting; spending the day basicly giving myself a battlefield tour and filming the locations of the scenario that I just played was amazing. Geeky, for sure, but amazing 😁.
Props to @Pete Wenman who is the author of this scenario for his excellent research and scenario design.