New file at the Repository: CMRT Fester Platz Polozk (2014-07-17)

[Battlefront Repository]

Date: 2 July 1944, 0800 hoursweather: Cool and hazyLocation: City of Polozk (Belarus)Map size: 704 x 544. Forcesize: Company(+)Playtime: 1 hour 30 minutes.Playmode: Axis vs AI only (I am afraid H2H the Soviet player will have it much too easy)Polozk has been declared a "Fortress" by the Fuhrer, to be held at all costs. Your job is to carry out this Fuhrer Befehl. The Russian offensive must be stopped and the front stabilized. Defend Polozk to the bitter end!

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[PanzerMike]

Date: 2 July 1944, 0800 hours

Weather: Cool and hazy

Location: City of Polozk (Belarus)

Map size: 704 x 544

Forcesize: Company(+)

Playtime: 1 hour 30 minutes

Playmode: Axis vs AI only (I am afraid H2H the Soviet player will have it much too easy)

Polozk has been declared a "Fortress" by the Fuhrer, to be held at all costs. Your job is to carry out this Fuhrer Befehl. The Russian offensive must be stopped and the front stabilized. Defend Polozk to the bitter end!

Good luck and all comments welcome as usual!

[verulam]

Well I'm impressed this plays out very well. Great atmosphere and an excellent map. Thank you for your time and effort in making this exciting scenario.

[PanzerMike]

Thanks verulam! Good to hear you enjoyed this one. It is somewhat different compared to most other scenarios I think. Playing the defender in a city fight against the AI.

What was your end result?

[General Lee Irked]

Well done PanzerMike! I enjoyed this battle very much.

I took a few screenshots to share.

If anyone is looking for a great defensive scenario I highly recommend this one.

The fighting around Lieninhradski square was intense in my game.

Wow... just Wow! This player is very appreciative of your efforts.

Played WeGo

[Frederico]

Really enjoyed this one. The Russians were relentless, with those smgs doing a lot of damage. The Germans needed about every asset they had to win. Thanks for your efforts!

[PanzerMike]

@General Lee Irked: nice pictures, must have been a real slugfest. And don't you just love Hetzers, he he he.

@Frederico: the russian SMGs are lethal, they shine in close combat like in this battle

Thanks for sharing your comments! Much appreciated!

[verulam]

Thanks verulam! Good to hear you enjoyed this one. It is somewhat different compared to most other scenarios I think. Playing the defender in a city fight against the AI.

What was your end result?

A total blood bath. I managed a drawer. Probably the best defensive scenario I have played in all the guises of CM.

[PanzerMike]

A draw he. You might want to try again and do better . There are multiple AI plans in this one too, by the way.

And thanks for the compliment of course :cool:!!

[verulam]

A draw he. You might want to try again and do better . There are multiple AI plans in this one too, by the way.

And thanks for the compliment of course :cool:!!

Will, I'll have another crack at this.

Just to say our hearts go out to you for the loss your country has suffered.

[Macisle]

I just downloaded this and had a quick look at the map in the Editor 3D Preview. WOW!

Great work and masterful use of rubble technique. This map definitely deserves to be studied by other map makers and scenario designers.

Thank you so much for making it and I'm looking very forward to playing your scenario!

[PvtW]

Wow! Very nice map. Only had a brief look at Red Thunder. Certainly going to try this mission.

[tdogg]

I played this last nite, it was a lot of fun. Great map, my battle looked like the screen shots posted....total carnage. The AI came at me pretty aggressively, I got a surrender at 17 min to go, but it was a nail biter all the way. I was surprised that the AI surrendered because my side was just as broken as theirs. If the Russians had followed with renforcements I would have been toast.

[PanzerMike]

This map definitely deserves to be studied by other map makers and scenario designers.

Actually, that is exactly what I did. As I wrote in the notes of this scenario, this map in it's raw form was made by Benpark. So lots of credits to him.

The map received a massive make over for this battle, but still, starting with a raw map and molding it till it suits your needs is easier than making a map from scratch and saves a LOT of time. The map was bigger originally and was a pristine city without a river and railway bridge. After I was done with it, it was a war zone If look at google maps at the city of Polozk, you will see that this map only loosely resembles the real thing. Close enough to have a helluva fight

I also deliberately kept the size down of this map, all the detail can really hurt framerates you know.

I can't wait to see city scenarios like this in Berlin with the Reichstag for example. Apocalyptic!

@all: thanks for your comments (and compliments of course, that is always nice). Keep the feedback coming! More and better feedback = more and better scenarios!

[PanzerMike]

Just to say our hearts go out to you for the loss your country has suffered.

Thanks, the downing of MH17 is real tragedy

[Broadsword56]

What I really want to see is Umlaut's realistic ruins mod applied to this map, when it's ready.

[Macisle]

Actually, that is exactly what I did. As I wrote in the notes of this scenario, this map in it's raw form was made by Benpark. So lots of credits to him.

The map received a massive make over for this battle, but still, starting with a raw map and molding it till it suits your needs is easier than making a map from scratch and saves a LOT of time. The map was bigger originally and was a pristine city without a river and railway bridge. After I was done with it, it was a war zone If look at google maps at the city of Polozk, you will see that this map only loosely resembles the real thing. Close enough to have a helluva fight

I also deliberately kept the size down of this map, all the detail can really hurt framerates you know.

I can't wait to see city scenarios like this in Berlin with the Reichstag for example...

Thanks to Benpark, too. He does great stuff. Many of my pixeltruppen proudly wear the Benpark label and his "hats" are all the rage on my battlefields this season.

I agree on altering an existing map versus starting from scratch as a time saver. For the last few weeks, I've had an idea banging around my head for a massive overhaul of the Radzymin map with the main town in it. I'm just finishing a test run with a first pass at force mix using the stock map and a quick self-made AI plan (I've discovered the AI is very good at placing tanks in ambush positions around a town if it has enough of them).

Basically, the idea is:

Axis vs AI only. The player gets a full battalion of armored panzergrenadiers, 2 companies of PIVs, lots of arty and four full hours.

The Soviets get a ton of stuff and I fortify the map as heavily as possible with building and terrain alterations--and every other tool I can find. Basically, you're gonna' NEED four hours.

Studying your map (sburke, I know you've got some great rubble info too!) will really help. I sure wish we had building fortification options. I may resort to removing a lot of doors and windows to represent them being blocked by the Soviets to limit their own exposure and channel German infantry into kill zones. It would be great if we had textures showing blocked windows and doors. At this point, that looks a bit too laborious (is it even doable with tags?).

If I do tackle this, I'll be skipping the "packaging" candy like spiffy-looking briefings and spending my time on the map itself.

Oh, and in my last test session, I actually saw a PIV cross in front of a friendly team and block the full force of a broadside from a Soviet SMG team. I've never seen THAT before. I was like, there goes my team...and here's a tank coming...and the Soviets are firing...and...bullets are bouncing off the tank and...OMFG: NO CASUALTIES!

I'll have to do a vid on the turn save when I have time.

[PanzerMike]

Sounds like you want to make a monster scenario. For some people battles just can't be too big. I like em smaller. All a matter of taste.

Polozk is a medium scenario I guess (rating the size of a scenario is somewhat arbitrary), but I wanted to capture the feel of a massive urban battle. The Polozk map is just a part of the city, but is representative of the rest of the fighting in Polozk.

You can start playing right away (with the default setup) and within ten minutes the battle rages with full fury. Even if you wish to alter the setup positions, that is not too much work either, because the force size is quite modest. So starting the scenario is not daunting. Heck, you can replay it a few times within a reasonable timeframe I guess.

And by keeping size down, players with less powerful systems can play it too. My rig is a few years old, but manages something like Polozk quite nicely.

But hey, if you want to make the Mother Of All Battles, knock yourself out

I am sure a lot of players would love it.

One word of advice on "If I do tackle this, I'll be skipping the "packaging" candy like spiffy-looking briefings and spending my time on the map itself.": do not skip this. A good briefing in my opinion is the starting point of a good scenario. The battle starts when the player reads the mission briefing before even hitting the GO button. It sets the mood and draws the player in, if done well. I like a historical background without the battle necessarily resembling the real thing in everything. Close is close enough. But a good back story is crucial IMHO. Immersion! Immersion! Immersion!

And one more thing (and then I will shut up!), building, play testing (especially play testing!!) and finishing up a monster battle is a TON of work. Sometimes you start all excited but run out of steam because it is just too much work. Especially if your aim is to make a scenario fit for eventual release to the crowd (which is quite different from making something just to tinker with for yourself).

Good luck on your project Macisle!

[Macisle]

Thanks for the advice, PanzerMike.

I'm actually a small battle guy who has just started dipping his feet in the deep end of larger battles. That's one of the reasons I have TONS of content left unplayed in the BN family. For some reason, CMRT has triggered a desire for larger battles--though I still love the micro action.

I've experienced making a map and medium-sized scenario from scratch ( http://www.battlefront.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=314&func=fileinfo&id=2834), as well as doing the backstory and graphical polishing for the briefing. I even spent an entire day making a large scale composite map of the battlefield from screenhots (will never do that again!). So, I have an idea of the vast amount of work involved. I'm sure if I actually make the scenario, that I will want to do a polished briefing and packaging of the scenario as well.

Like I said, I'm finishing up playing a first pass to test force mixes (I used the exact Axis force mix I posted earlier), AI plans and the stock map. I've got 6 minutes left out of a 2-hour start time. Just doing that has taken a number of weeks. So, I know...it's a vast amount of work. However, with this idea being for a huge Axis vs. AI only experience, my guess is that I'd have a lot of playtesters interested.

After I finish the first test play, I'll start working with map alterations. That will tell me if I want to take things further or not. Your superb map is going to get a LOT of study!

[PanzerMike]

Ah, you have made a scenario for the community before. Did not know that. Preaching to the choir am I, he he he.

Play testing these beasts is a lot of work. You just don't replay the battle for every tweak you make to it, to see how that tweak works out. Like you said, it has taken yourself a number of weeks. You need determined play testers who are willing to stick to their guns

But if you pull it off, the satisfaction will be enormous :cool:

[Macisle]

That's my only scenario so far because I really don't have much game time (it's easy to read and post a bit on the forums during work breaks). I basically didn't get to play CM during the months I was making it. In order to have time to actually play the game, I've not started another one until now.

There is just something about that map and the thought of pushing the envelope that is pulling me in again.

But first I need to play your scenario! Then I can study your AI plans, too. I'm very weak in that area, although my ultra-quickie AI plan in the test game has been more fun than I expected. Tanks took up interesting, smart ambush positions without help from me. However, infantry placement needs a lot of micro-management.

Did I hear that the patch will include work to make the AI put troops in buildings more often?

[PanzerMike]

Well, if you study my AI scenarios you will see that they are quite simple. CMRT introduced triggers and they are a GREAT improvement to teach the AI a few tricks. But I keep things quite simple. I expect BFC will be improving on this aspect of the game in the coming modules. We'll see.

The patch needs to fix a bug that some players experience. Troops refuse to enter 1 story buildings. My configuration is affected by it, but for some player that is a nasty bug.

Let me know the result of your play of Polozk!

[Agua]

Very immersive and engaging. Russian surrender with around 30 min remaining, but I'd thought we'd been largely overrun with just enough time to perhaps concentrate forces and take out isolated pockets. High replayability here.

[PanzerMike]

Good job Agua. The Russians called off the attack did they :cool:.

It was tricky finding the right balance in this. One more company of fresh Russians late in the game would be almost surely deliver the coup de grace. But a skillful defense should be be rewarded with a victory. I hope I struck the right balance.

In real life this attack failed to take the bridge too. But a little later the bridge was captured nonetheless. Polozk fell within 4 days all in all. The German defenders of Polozk fought bravely but did not stand a chance.

Of course the main goal of this battle was to create an immersive and exciting street battle, unlike ever seen before on the Eastern Front in CM thus far. A showcase for what the CM engine in it's current incarnation can do in a city fight (even playing the defender vs. an attacking AI no less).

The improvements made to the engine in Market Garden really pay of in city fights. There is still room for lots of improvements, but still, not bad at all

[Glubokii Boy]

Hello...

Brilliant scenario. I loved this one !

Like others said...the map is very good and to describe the battle...let me quote Agua...

Very immersive and engaging.

I see this as a perfect scenario to practice doing a fighting withdrawl in an urban area. Very high replay value (especially with multiple AI-plans).

And replay is exactly what i have to do.

My plan in my first attempt was to deploy my troops way forward and then fall back as needed. This worked pretty good but a few times i think i got to 'greedy' when i had good killzones and remained in place to long. I should have withdrawn a little earlier.

My biggest failure however was to get my Herzer immobolized right away (driving past a bombcrater).

This mobile artillerypiece would have made a world of difference i think. Using it to target russian strongpoints but unfortunatelly that was not to be..

------- SPOILER ----------

I managed to repulse the first attackwave and destroy the 5 assultguns supporting that attack but when the russians lauched their second attack supported by even more assultguns my depelted forces failed to stop them and decided to surrender.

Despite failing this first time i think you have the playbalance just right. Had i not lost the herzer right away and made some misstakes i should have been able to stop the russians i think.

Lessons learned. I will have an other go...

Thanks for yet an other top notch scenario

/RepsolCBR