Rutek

I dunno how much this applies to Afghanistan, but reading Che Guevara's book on guerilla warfare made me think it would be cool to see some of the tactics he describes played out in a CM scenario. For him, weapons and ammo were precious and could not be expended lightly, so a lot of actions during the revolution were about swiftly attacking small, weak units for the sole reason of capturing their weapons and ammo. In a war like that, usually your sole source of weapons and ammo is from the enemy. Eventually, as their guerilla bands got bigger and stronger, they would graduate to trying to find and seize larger weapons caches from the enemy. Men were also precious and casualties were to be avoided at all costs, since the guerilla forces were always much smaller than the state security forces.
They would hit enemy patrols or outposts fast and hard, take as much of their stuff as they could and then get out before enemy reinforcements showed up down the road. Then they would attack their reinforcement columns in these very long harassment firefights. The idea was not to simply hit and run, but to keep the enemy constantly engaged in a low-intensity firefight where they could never rest or relax. They would have several very small bands of guerillas (like no more than a dozen men each) attacking the enemy column with harassing fire from all four compass points at the same time. If the enemy column started attacking to the west for example, the guerilla team in the west would give way and fall back, while the other three guerilla teams in the other three directions would start advancing in order to constantly keep in contact. If the enemy suddenly turned north to attack the northern team, then the northern team would then fall back, and the other three teams would again start advancing again. These actions could go on for hours or days, and the enemy column could get terribly demoralized from the constant stress.
I've never seen anything like that in CM before. Perhaps you could make a scenario where large numbers of AI government troops have to advance across the map to an exit zone, or maybe to a specific area (like to reinforce a base that you have under siege), and your guerillas have to interdict them en route. Your small bands of guerillas don't have enough combat power or ammo to attack and destroy them completely, but you get lots of points for causing casualties. Perhaps your guerillas can even have their own exit zone that they have to get to before the entire map is overrun by state security forces. You could have spies all over the map to warn you of their approach, and could coordinate ambushes with mines and IEDs. Then you fall back only to hit them again later. You could throw in a suicide bomber too for fun.
It seems like something like that would be doable in CM, but unfortunately I have no idea how to design scenarios. You could make a whole campaign with that kind of material. A campaign based around controlling a guerrilla band would be awesome IMO. The campaign could start small, where you only have a tiny, weak handful of men trying to scrounge for weapons and ammo, but your group gets bigger and bigger with each scenario in the campaign. With each success, you get more and more recruits, and more and more captured material. Eventually your group gets big enough that you are putting entire bases under siege, and the final stages of the campaign are when you graduate upward to conventional warfare, engaging the government forces in open battle in the streets with your own captured tanks and other vehicles until the campaign ends when you overthrow the state itself.

Thanks! It's not exactly how it looks in-game for me right now... but it could be.  I use reshade for the depth stuff and film grain - the real kicker I think is a colour lookup table I applied in Photoshop that transforms the colours to approximate Kodachrome film (my inspiration: I bought an old Praktica a few months ago and have been shooting a lot with that film).
It would be pretty straightforward for me to take that LUT and apply it back into the game, though.

...And I got distracted while typing this and just did it.  Here's a split-screen including all of the effects.  Ambient occlusion is still the toughest to get right... I'm not happy with it yet.

Here is the lookup table if anyone wants it:

Logvinovo part I
 

 
This is a fictional scenario very loosely based on the events of february 2015 in the Donbas region of Ukraine during the Debaltseve offensive.
You command a company sized hybrid force made of Russian volunteers and low quality separatist units supported by a T-72, a BMP2 and a couple of APCs tasked with a dawn attack on the small village of Lohvynove (or Logvinovo in Russian).
 


Historical background :
To the best of my knowledge there was never a proper assault of Lohvynove. Due to a snafu in the command chain, the Ukrainians withdrew the units defending the position, only leaving a handful of men of the 54th recon battalion with a single APC there. The unit that was supposed to replace them never came, leaving this key location practically undefended. When the Ukrainians realised their mistake, it was too late.
It is not clear whether the separatists were aware of it or if a reinforced infiltration group just seized the opportunity to capture the village.
Obviously this wouldn't have made a very fun or interesting scenario so I had to use a good dose of creative license. Without going into too much detail, basically the scenario is based on the premise that the defence of the village is somewhat reduced but not to the extent it was in reality.
Disclaimer :
I chose to use Russian names because the battle takes place from the separatists side. The briefing mentions "Kiev junta". This is purely for flavour and immersion and doesn't reflect in any way my own political views on this conflict.
Credits :
Haiduk for his information on the battle and the composition of the forces on both sides. All mistakes and differences from the real events are of my own doing.
Install :
Extract in : documents/battlefront/black sea/game files/scenario
Download :
https://www.dropbox.com/s/132e335d8ajn8px/CMBS scenario Logvinovo part I.rar?dl=0
 
 

In the course of dozen playthroughs and experiments with Blender/CM2 Tools (http://community.battlefront.com/topic/118928-combat-mission-modding-tools/) several assets were created which I want to share with the community:
Big Cargo Ship

 
BF109

 
Radar Station

 
Downed Blackhawk

 
Fire Truck

 
Ambulance

 
Barricade + optional Smoke/Burn Stash (Wreck, an invisible alternative is created by 37MM)

 
Barricade (three sizes)

 
Humvee V3 Woodland (Randomized Gear)

 
Humvee V3 Desert (Randomized Gear)

 
Humvee V2 Geardo Desert (Permanent Full Gear) 

 
AFRICAN UNCON (now also including conventional African Forces conversion by 37MM, original work by MikeyD) 

 
Falklands War Scorpion, Scimitar, and Argentinian LVTP-7 conversion

 
Makeshift VBIED

 
Humvee Wreck

 
Uncaged M2 Stryker

 
Marines to Army Special Forces or Navy SEALS conversion skins (including work of mjkerner, Combatinfman, Blimey)

 
BMP1/2 to BMD1/2 conversion (with corrected hatches)

 
Desert KAMAZ Skin

 
Marines frankensteined Armored MTVR Skin

 
New Syrian Special Forces and Woodland vehicles (based on the work of various modders)

 
Syrian Winter Mod (just terrain and partial "winterization" of vehicles, created for a Hasrabit Campaign playthrough)

 
PK Pickup to PK UAZ conversion

 
Russian Forces (original work Euroscape + various modders)

 
US Army & Marines Woodland Forces (original work Euroscape + various modders)

 
All these mods and many more can be found in this Dropbox:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/1tviryry89g6py7/AAAJpSvGH6u1iEx4WzwVLSnJa?dl=0
Credits to modders, 3D-Artists, and Battlefront.
For better quality footage and more information about 3D custom models check out the recent videos & descpriptions here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeK7fSyoEE8aorVLlVfNcAQ
The custom flavor objects have a "crate1" box placed into their center. Click it to interact with its placing. Zoom into the model if difficult. There are some FOV issues with bigger flavor objects can perhaps fixed by making the original "crate1" box bigger in Blender/CM2tools. Combine flavor objects with "visible/invisible" wreck objects to give them obstacle characteristics.
Good free library of 3D models you could use for importing. .max does not work with Blender. There are others.
http://www.cadnav.com/
Tutorials on Blender and CM2Tools can be found here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkbTOSIrNV0&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXVAMaELSao&feature=youtu.be
The main intent was to explore the possibilities of this method. As I see this as accomplished I´ll step back now and hope it will motivate others to get into it. Prior getting into custom CM models I had absolute zero experience in 3D modelling, Blender or whatever but found my way into it in a short period of time and once you figure out the specifics it is not that difficult. Give it a try.  Anyone interested in custom CM models can reach out on Discord.
Happy wargaming.

Ahh thanks, that means we can now perform CM's first (rudimentary) Helicopter-borne Air assaults...
 

Sorry for the triple post, but here is one last addition that might prove usefull: an up-to-date (June 2nd!), highly detailed contour map (10 m intervalls):
http://garmin.opentopomap.org/ 

Thought I'd open a new thread for previews of Steppenwulf's modded flavour objects for SF2. I'm going to open one for Black Sea also, over time I'll cross port all stuff (where applicable) for both games. These packs will become available for download as soon as CM Mods IV becomes active. 

Cheers guys for the kudos. 
Glad you enjoying it @Heinrich505 I git carried away redoing that map in CMSF2 and took way longer doing it than planned. Then I got started on the AI plans...
Hammertime is the original of this and was first done in CMSF1. 
Be interested how Hammerzeit plays out? I think this is tougher as the German kit is not as robust as the US. M1s and Bradley’s. 
Thanks again for the extremely positive feedback. Truly appreciated thank you.
Cheery! 

Nope, he'd already made 'Halt! Hammerzeit!'  for CM:SF1 back at around the time of the NATO pack (I think it was a stock scenario then too). 
The one I linked to above is the original, re-made for CM:SF2.....You are the Americans (& IMHO, it's a touch easier):

Very highly recommended. 
PS - A certain person started making a Red vs Red version called "Shield of Allah", but then he got very, very distracted.....
 

Units on Citywide 3 north be advised, multiple reports of shots fired, 605 North 14th Street in the alley.  Units responding advise. 
Unit 2203 enroute from 500 North Utica.
 
 
Unit 2205 in the area.

 
Unit 2205 we can hear gunshots but don't see anyone,  show us out on foot 600 block of 14th in the alley.
 
 
UNIT 2202 SUBJECT WITH A GUN RUNNING WESTBOUND ACROSS 14TH STREET!  WE'RE OUT ON FOOT!

 
Air 11 is on scene.  We've got the eyeball.  Subject running westbound through the backyards 600 block of 14th Street.  Ground units, be advised he is about to come out on 13th Street four or five houses south of Lake Avenue.  He's got on a camouflaged jacket.   

 
Air 11 to ground units take a slow down, shots fired suspect down.  We're going to need EMS and a supervisor 600 block of 13th Street. 

Who said that the AI is not able to perform an attack? See no loss on Blue AI side, but it was lucky. Remember that I have removed RPG-7.

Now, I will redo the same with some more resistance on my side. For the record @domfluff before modifying it, here is attached the current 001 try.btt file.
001 try.btt

Map preview (the full map is roughly 1.6 km X 1.6 km) :



Extract from the briefing :
In Afghanistan, in the green zone of the Helmand Province, the British forces have established a series of small outposts based on an ink-spot approach. By concentrating on just a handful of population centres that it floods with reconstruction projects before expanding outward, its goal it to draw Afghans into the coalition fold.
Toki CheckPoint is one of these outposts. Located in the middle of a remote, insurgent-riddled area, 1 mile south of the Loy Mandeh village. It is just an old farming compound, home to Lima company 42 commando royal marines. The area is so littered with IEDs that the only way in or out is by helicopter.
The Green Zone is an area of densely irrigated land, supporting almost 90 % of the local population. Its fertility makes Helmand Afghanistan’s largest producer of opium. A maze of interconnecting irrigation ditches, treelines and open fields, it is unbearably hot (55°C) in the summer and bone-chillingly cold (-20°C) in the winter.
It is 7 am, late summer of 2011 during Op Herrick 14. You are tasked with conducting a foot patrol in the area. Our goal is twofold : to conduct searches in suspect compounds known to be used by the Taliban for insurgent activity or weapons caches and baiting the talibans into attacking us so they stay away from the village and the reconstruction effort there.
Notes :
When designing this scenario, my main goal was to try to create a mission that could be played several times, almost like a sandbox, where the player can try different tactics and approaches. There are therefore 4 AI plans each with a different set up for each enemy group. And within each set up there are several different random positions for the enemies. I hope that combined with the random objectives it gives the mission a fairly high replay value.
Due to its randomized nature, each play through can vary greatly and produce very different results. I tried to minimize the odds of this happening, but the map is fairly large for an infantry battle and it is possible that the player might encounter very little opposition in some circumstances. You might just stumble upon an IED and have a sniper take pot shots at you. Or you could head directly into a group of Taliban combatants...or two. It is in any case a counter-insurgency mission and it can be a fairly low intensity affair. I am fully aware that this might not be everyone's cup of tea and I designed mostly this scenario for myself. Just a warning so you know what to expect.
I recommend that you download and install the Afghanistan Mod Pack that re-textures buildings, walls and adds opium poppies as well as my Taliban mod. (see post below)
 
Disclaimer :
Okay this is my first published scenario, be nice kiddos. I have been working on this Afghanistan pack for almost three months now : the retexturing of buildings, the reskinning of some of the Syrian uncons into Taliban fighters and a scenario to go with it. The scenario could probably do with a bit more testing and polish but to be honest I got a bit burned out about this whole project. So rather than let it remain on my HD forever, I have decided to release it. The victory conditions and force balance in particular are probably a bit off and if you guys give me some feedback, I could perhaps tweak it a little. Also the random objective system fully described in the briefing might be explained poorly. It is actually fairly simple but it requires some dice rolling and an honour system on the player's part in order to work.

Basically you need to roll two dice to determine the two objectives assigned to you for this mission. And it is designed in a way so that the two objectives are -fairly- close- and not on two opposite sides of the map. There is probably a more elegant way to do this, but this is what I came up with. And don't worry, you won't need some sort of nerd meister twenty sided dice to do this, just a regular 6 sided die is required.
Oh yeah, obviously you need the British module for this.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/nblpi035puwdhvu/AFG - Afghan Roulette.rar?dl=0
I am probably forgetting something here and added a bunch of last minute changes that haven't been fully tested, so please let me know if there is anything wrong. Thanks.

This is my first post on the forums so hello to all
Does anyone know where I can find official briefing templates for CMSF2 similar to these (CMBS) - (https://cmmodsiii.greenasjade.net/?p=3811&) ?
If not, can @Battlefront.com provide us with this template, please?
Thank you
Rutek
 

For anybody interested I have many hundreds of scenarios & campaigns (apparently all will be playable in CMSF2).
I got rid of a bunch of duplicates/older versions & renamed a lot of them so they're easier to sort out...
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/s67v5pnem3x0kp8/AAAhJTwMwh6kJHWaz1qFDZjGa?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/1mu30n0qsjw3sk0/AABb-_fnlr21dLxGVv6a7VAVa?dl=0
... I estimate there's about 800 scenarios if you include the campaigns.