June 10, 2014 - Mosul Iraq?

[Buzz]

Today's events.... June 10, 2014 - Mosul Iraq per media reports.

CMSF2, like CMBS, may be much more "real world" relevant than we expected. It is uncanny how in tune BFC is to the "real world" of military events. Will purchase both Modern games as obviously, Battlefront is an accurate and astute academic on where conflicts may erupt or linger.

[Erwin]

Has anyone considered that maybe BF is part of the New World Order and is in fact CAUSING these conflicts to enhance sales - like HYDRA in Capt America Winter Soldier?

(Or, have I been watching too many Marvel Comic book movies?)

[Buzz]

Has anyone considered that maybe BF is part of the New World Order and is in fact CAUSING these conflicts to enhance sales - like HYDRA in Capt America Winter Soldier?

(Or, have I been watching too many Marvel Comic book movies?)

I wondered where Steve went off to after CMRT release

1.5 million people in Mosul are now under "Islamic Militant" control. Today "Islamic Militants" seized police stations, banks and government buildings... burning military vehicles... many Iraqi soldiers dropped their weapons and vanished... thousands of families are fleeing the Mosul.... General "State of Emergency in Iraq.

US State Department called situation "Extremely Serious."

These are the same "Islamic Militant" folks who already have control of Ramadi & took Fallujah @ 6 months ago.

So Syria's Civil War is spilling over into Iraq. "Islamic Militants" now control "thousands of square miles of Iraq." Reports indicate Baghdad is next on their agenda.

When is CMSF2 scheduled for release?

[LUCASWILLEN05]

And someone though it was a good idea to sell Iraq M1A2s. Assuming the sale went through and Iraq goes the way of South Vietnam that means extremist Islamists, quite possibly bent on regional domination could have one of the best MBTs in their arsenal. This could be a problem....

[Buzz]

Yep. Extremist Islamists sporting M1A2s might be a real problem for Assad... but then "mr. president" has barrel bombs.

When I saw the Iraqi military getting crushed in Mosul I was hoping we might see a CMSF2 status update. The two events are not linked but it real life events made me think of CMSF with the 3.0 engine improvements. Should be make a good older game a great new modern game.

[grunt_GI]

Yep. Extremist Islamists sporting M1A2s might be a real problem for Assad... but then "mr. president" has barrel bombs.

When I saw the Iraqi military getting crushed in Mosul I was hoping we might see a CMSF2 status update. The two events are not linked but it real life events made me think of CMSF with the 3.0 engine improvements. Should be make a good older game a great new modern game.

YES!!! I completely agree....

[Sgt Joch]

A lot of people are looking forward to CMSF2...

[Buzz]

Was hoping Battlefront might post an official Sticky: Status update on "CMSF2" like they have for "Black Sea". This way all us Modern Connoisseurs could check several times a day to see if bones drop in the Status update Sticky

Not that I don't have my hands full of game with CMRT and the Red Hordes invading ... but it would be nice to see what state of the art toys / features will be on offer for CMSF2.

[Combatintman]

Just itching for the upgrade - especially the ability to have a special map editor overlay. Once that is in place I plan to go mad creating scenarios.

[Buzz]

Sounds great Combatintman! The special map editor overlay will be ab elegant way to "go mad creating scenarios." This will be a "good thing" for all modern fans.

I am also interested how / if ChrisND is coming along with the CMSF scenario conversion ability for CMSF2. That piece would immediately make literally hundreds of user made scenarios available for a 3.0 engine CMSF2.

[Combatintman]

You'll have noticed that I haven't been here much recently and it is due to a combination of CMRT and the issue I identified with red 'occupy' objectives in CMSF. Having now seen how easy map making is with the special editor overlay I'm never going back to manual measuring and plotting - it is just too painful by far. As soon as this facility comes in to CMSF I will be revisiting Helmand Province and plan to knock out a load of scenarios for the British module depicting events of the action there.

[Lethaface]

+1 waiting for CMSF2!

[Jammersix]

How many platoons in a horde?

[Buzz]

I saw a map of the areas under ISIS and ISIL control now. Looks like "a regional caliphate” to me. Abu Bakr may have military helicopters and modern tanks and is only @ 125 miles from Baghdad. Govt. set “….a state of emergency asking for volunteers to pick up guns and bolster the Iraqi army. "

CMBS & CMSF2 could portray current events in modern combat for sure.

".... I will be revisiting Helmand Province and plan to knock out a load of scenarios for the British module depicting events of the action there."

Outstanding Combatintman! Looking forward to your work.

I have not tired map making with the editor overlay but it seems like it would be a huge timesaver.

"How many platoons in a horde?"A yellow jacket nests worth of platoons

Playing Pete's CMRT attack by Ivan armour in the area of Stary Dorogi. Feels like yellow jacket nests worth of Russian forces that never stop attacking me.

+2 waiting for CMSF2!

[db_zero]

And someone though it was a good idea to sell Iraq M1A2s. Assuming the sale went through and Iraq goes the way of South Vietnam that means extremist Islamists, quite possibly bent on regional domination could have one of the best MBTs in their arsenal. This could be a problem....

I wouldn't worry too much about this. The same was said when the Shah of Iran was overthrown and the analysts were saying "what about the F-14s and other advanced weapons we sold him"

Its one thing to have a weapon system. Another to maintain and deploy them and I suspect Iraq, like Iran is heavily dependent on western expertise to keep the M1A2 running.

Most of the F-14s and F4s we sold Iran sat and did nothing once the Western expertise left. I suspect the homely F-5, known for simplicity and ease of maintenance and operation flew far more sorties than the sexy F-14 and F4's in Iran

I wouldn't be surprised if the same sort of thing occurs in Iraq. There is a reason why the simple Soviet stuff is so popular in the Second and Third World.

Should Iraq go south the biggest danger to the west will be the export of radical ideas, a home base for radical groups and the car bomb and IED, not M1A2's.

The military would be relieved if the M1A2's became the biggest threat as they would be far easier to combat than radicals using IEDs and car bombs.

[LUCASWILLEN05]

How many platoons in a horde?

We are talking insurgent types here albeit trained and experienced ones.

And the Iraqi Army, a least the ones in Mosul seems to be a bit of a joke to put it mildly. Bad officers, poor morale and training maye leaving as lot to be desired. Plenty of supplies - it's just that they left a lot of it behind when they fled the battlefield.

[LUCASWILLEN05]

I saw a map of the areas under ISIS and ISIL control now. Looks like "a regional caliphate” to me. Abu Bakr may have military helicopters and modern tanks and is only @ 125 miles from Baghdad. Govt. set “….a state of emergency asking for volunteers to pick up guns and bolster the Iraqi army. "

CMBS & CMSF2 could portray current events in modern combat for sure.

".... I will be revisiting Helmand Province and plan to knock out a load of scenarios for the British module depicting events of the action there."

Outstanding Combatintman! Looking forward to your work.

I have not tired map making with the editor overlay but it seems like it would be a huge timesaver.

"How many platoons in a horde?"A yellow jacket nests worth of platoons

Playing Pete's CMRT attack by Ivan armour in the area of Stary Dorogi. Feels like yellow jacket nests worth of Russian forces that never stop attacking me.

+2 waiting for CMSF2!

Would be great to have those map making tools for SF!

Regarding Iraq I can see a 2014 version of the collapse of South Vietnam happening if and when ISIS march on Baghdad, certainly in the near future. It might be messier around Baghdad if the Shi;a Militias fight. In the nothth the Kurds will lkely fight to defend their territory. However, the bad nes is the Iraqi Army itself culd very well collapse f given a real push in the very bear future. And, if this happens and they flee the field leaving their equipment behind to fall into the hands of ISISS that will be "Houston forget that other thing!"

[LUCASWILLEN05]

I wouldn't worry too much about this. The same was said when the Shah of Iran was overthrown and the analysts were saying "what about the F-14s and other advanced weapons we sold him"

Its one thing to have a weapon system. Another to maintain and deploy them and I suspect Iraq, like Iran is heavily dependent on western expertise to keep the M1A2 running.

Most of the F-14s and F4s we sold Iran sat and did nothing once the Western expertise left. I suspect the homely F-5, known for simplicity and ease of maintenance and operation flew far more sorties than the sexy F-14 and F4's in Iran

I wouldn't be surprised if the same sort of thing occurs in Iraq. There is a reason why the simple Soviet stuff is so popular in the Second and Third World.

Should Iraq go south the biggest danger to the west will be the export of radical ideas, a home base for radical groups and the car bomb and IED, not M1A2's.

The military would be relieved if the M1A2's became the biggest threat as they would be far easier to combat than radicals using IEDs and car bombs.

Question is to what extent ISIS would have the technical expertise. The Foreign Fighters of whom ISIS apparently has quite a few might well have some. Not anything like a Western army of course and spare parts will become a problem. They will not however have that much experience in armoured warfare. However, combine this with IEDs, suicide bombers and technicals and set this army to work unifyng Iraq and Syria into a real Caliphate and the surrounding staes such as Saudi Arabia could well have reason to worry. The IDF or a Western intervention army (even the Turks) could likely defeat them but it might not be an easy fight against a well motivated foe with combat experience/ Think Lebanon 2006 and Hezbollah dd not have modern MBTs (or for that matter tanks a all) They could however operate modern ATGMs.

[Sgt Joch]

During the "Surge", U.S. forces had defeated the precursur to ISIS, in part, by forming alliances with moderate Sunni leaders/groups in the region. The Maliki govt has squandered all that goodwill by systematically excluding Sunnis from the government. Local support explains, in part, ISIS's success in Sunni areas:

The inhabitants of Mosul see the Iraqi army as a Shiite occupation army from Baghdad, and some civilians welcomed ISIS when they entered Mosul and removed all Iraqi army checkpoints.

http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/06/isis-mosul-takeover-residents-blame-iraqi-army.html

The best explanation of the collapse of the Iraqi military — which spilled over on the same day to the cities of Siniya and Beiji in Salahuddin province, as well as Hawija, Sulaiman Bek and Rashad in Kirkuk — is a fundamental flaw in planning, leadership and training. These have been defects in the Iraqi security forces over the past few years, despite their receiving sophisticated equipment and weapons.

Throughout the years, Baghdad has failed to produce a professional army or provide efficient training programs, hence the clear hostility between the population in Sunni areas in general and the army, whose members mostly hail from Shiite areas in central and southern Iraq.

This failure is definitely linked to the inability to represent all demographics within the military, something the Sunnis have complained about for years.

http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/06/iraq-mosul-fall-army-breakdown.html#ixzz34QTsrhwr

What is less clear is what will happen when ISIS tries to capture more Shiite areas like Baghdad.

[Buzz]

Absence of power creates a vacuum. Maliki "govt" has squandered goodwill and money and their failures spawned the relutcant Sunni support for ISIS & ISIL. From what I read most of the Sunni's don't want to live under this jihadi extremist domination. Given a choice of getting free of Maliki "govt" or jihadi extremist domination ... they appear to be letting ISIS fight for them for now.

Reports are when Maliki requested air strikes from US to hit ISIS in staging they were denied. Should engender confidence in US allies?

ISIS appears more than ready to do their own thunder run into Baghdad. I wonder what warning US State Dept. is sending out to US Citizens in Iraq? Don't want Benghazi v2.0.

Areas under ISIS and ISIL control today sure look like "a regional caliphate”.. now with momentum and more military equipment and money and oil... that neighbors like Saudi Arabia, Turkey are going to have to deal with.

Of course US will have to deal with this as well because I suspect some of these traveling jihadis are planning an overseas visit. I hope not.

Back to CMSF2.... I am hoping to see the Status Update Sticky CMSF2 this summer. Some development information / profess notes would be great for the game fans

[Sgt Joch]

Reports are when Maliki requested air strikes from US to hit ISIS in staging they were denied. Should engender confidence in US allies?

Without getting into the political aspects, air strikes are tricky.

First, as to actual air stikes, you would need U.S. personnel either on the ground or surveying the terrain via air recon to know what you are actually targeting. If a U.S. air strike kills civilians, the U.S. will get blamed, not the Iraqi FO.

Second, what are you supposed to hit? In Lybia, strikes targeted actual military targets, air defence assets and AFVs. In this type of insurgent warfare, how do you differentiate the civilians from the enemy fighters?

[Buzz]

Working in "Satellite State" with slow satellite internet so have not kept up on events in Iraq today.

"Without getting into the political aspects, air strikes are tricky."

Very true Sgt. Joch.If US is involved at all (or not) we will get blamed. As for targets, Mr. Abu "rockstar" might be a fitting drone objective per Iraq. Not as simple as just hit something for sure.

re: CMSF-2 in

http://www.battlefront.com/community/showthread.php?t=115379

From Chops... "...My understanding is that the developers are working on game performance enhancements for the CMx2 engine, and that the patches/upgrades will not be rolled out until this is complete.

One tidbit regarding CM:BS is that SAMs will be present in the game."

Wonder if CMSF-2 gets SAMs as weel?

[ChrisND]

Back to CMSF2.... I am hoping to see the Status Update Sticky CMSF2 this summer. Some development information / profess notes would be great for the game fans

There won't be any "CMSF2" (AKA the big upgrade to bring CMSF to the current engine) updates for a long while. We aren't even actively working on it yet. It's planned for after we finish some other projects with a higher priority, such as Black Sea.

[Buzz]

Thanks for letting CMSF fans know where development is on the the big upgrade. Hoping Black Sea will be a modern mega hit for Battlefront as I suspect it will.

[Jammersix]

And until then, we play what plays without the 36% bug, I take it.