Your Personal Best Game of CM (outcome wise)

[xIGuNDoCIx]

Just finished the first mission of the US Campaign and it was possibly the best game of CM I think I have ever had (outcome wise)!  I think I may replay it again just to see if my initial strategy was really that sound or if my victory was just a fluke.  Only 2 friendly KIA, that can't be right!      Thanks for the fantastic game Battlefront!!!!  I would also love to hear all of your stories about your stellar victories or shameful defeats so get to posting!

 

 

 

[BlackMoria]

I will see if I have a screen shot to put up but my personal best for Black Sea, so far, is the standalone scenario - First Clash.

 

My losses - 2 WIA.

 

Enemy Losses - 27 T-90s, 15 BTRs,  1 AA and 1 Other vehicle and just over 150 KIA / WIA / MIA

 

I have done August Morning, Opportunity Knocks,  Objective Delta and one other scenario I don't recall the name without taking any casualties but I don't count those as personal bests because they are small battles and anyone with caution and good tactics can come away with minimal casualties.

 

I count First Clash due to the larger size of the enemy forces and the rather unforgiving openness of the map.  One simply can't stealth their way to victory.  And the tendency for the T-90s to see my M1s in the treelines first every damn time.  Not that it mattered for the outcome.

 

I play Elite RT mode.

Edited February 9, 2015 by BlackMoria

[Imperial Grunt]

I do recommend playing on 'elite', it provides the most realistic time delays for fire/air support, etc, without the annoyingly realistic spotting (mainly for friendly units) rules in effect.

But still, it seemed you used excellent combined arms tactics. Plus the enemy is basically just coming at you in an old fashion Soviet-style 'echelon' attack. I'd expect similar results in real life actually.

[xIGuNDoCIx]

I do recommend playing on 'elite', it provides the most realistic time delays for fire/air support, etc, without the annoyingly realistic spotting (mainly for friendly units) rules in effect.

But still, it seemed you used excellent combined arms tactics. Plus the enemy is basically just coming at you in an old fashion Soviet-style 'echelon' attack. I'd expect similar results in real life actually.

I just may do that.  I have always played the CM games on "Veteran" without any thought  just because well that's what I am used to playing it on.      Quick question though, is the time delay for fire/CAS go both ways for the Player and the AI?

Edited February 9, 2015 by xIGuNDoCIx

[Glubokii Boy]

In the 'oppertunity knocks' scenario i managed something that does not happen to me every day...

 

Mission completed with ZERO casualties !

 

I'm affraid that i have no picture of the AAR.

 

 

--- SPOILER, SPOILER !!! ----

 

 

- I moved my entire force across the stream and advanced on the enemy possition across the fields to the right.

 

- my 'flank security' managed to defeat the enemy patrol as my javelin guys advanced forward to get LOS to the enemy veichles.

 

- Both my flank- and javelin guys took some enemy fire but no one where hit.

 

- After killing all the veichles i succesfully withdrew my team...

[Imperial Grunt]

I just may do that.  I have always played the CM games on "Veteran" without any thought  just because well that's what I am used to playing it on.      Quick question though, is the time delay for fire/CAS go both ways for the Player and the AI?

I would be very surprised if it didn't apply to the AI but that's a question for Chris to answer.

[George MC]

I will see if I have a screen shot to put up but my personal best for Black Sea, so far, is the standalone scenario - First Clash.

 

My losses - 2 WIA.

 

Enemy Losses - 27 T-90s, 15 BTRs,  1 AA and 1 Other vehicle and just over 150 KIA / WIA / MIA

 

I have done August Morning, Opportunity Knocks,  Objective Delta and one other scenario I don't recall the name without taking any casualties but I don't count those as personal bests because they are small battles and anyone with caution and good tactics can come away with minimal casualties.

 

I count First Clash due to the larger size of the enemy forces and the rather unforgiving openness of the map.  One simply can't stealth their way to victory.  And the tendency for the T-90s to see my M1s in the treelines first every damn time.  Not that it mattered for the outcome.

 

I play Elite RT mode.

Wow! That's very impressive How'd you manage that?

 

Yeah - good tactics but still as you say it's an openish map with lot's of long range fire fights and not a few surprises. Kudos to you mate. Although TBH it was your trade, was it not, for a while?

[BlackMoria]

Wow! That's very impressive How'd you manage that?

 

Yeah - good tactics but still as you say it's an openish map with lot's of long range fire fights and not a few surprises. Kudos to you mate. Although TBH it was your trade, was it not, for a while?

 

Yes, I was a combat arms officer for 17 years, mainly in the artillery.   Tactics, especially unconventional ones is my forte.  

 

I actually was dressed down by a brigadier general for screwing up his brigade exercise, because the OPFOR platoon I commanded as the enemy forces caused such confusion and mayhem that my 'mere' 'Motor Rifle' platoon imposed a three hour delay in the brigade attack and my platoon inflicted some 17 vehicle casualties and destroyed nearly two full companies of infantry during a 'refereed' brigade field exercise.  A story for another time.

 

I found in First Clash that proper use of the two UAVs and precision artillery is beastly, with me destroying about a third of the enemy force vehicle losses by using precision artillery rounds.  The ability for the M1 tanks to reach out and touch someone at 3000+ metres was another factor to my success with this scenario.

 

Thanks for the complement.  I have always been challenged and and very much enjoyed your scenarios.   I hoping for a Black Sea version of Forging Steel from you some day.

Edited February 9, 2015 by BlackMoria

[xIGuNDoCIx]

 

 

I found in First Clash that proper use of the two UAVs and precision artillery is beastly, with me destroying about a third of the enemy force vehicle losses by using precision artillery rounds.

 

 

 

 

That right there is what I based my own strategy around in my original post.  

[Imperial Grunt]

I will see if I have a screen shot to put up but my personal best for Black Sea, so far, is the standalone scenario - First Clash.

 

My losses - 2 WIA.

 

Enemy Losses - 27 T-90s, 15 BTRs,  1 AA and 1 Other vehicle and just over 150 KIA / WIA / MIA

 

I have done August Morning, Opportunity Knocks,  Objective Delta and one other scenario I don't recall the name without taking any casualties but I don't count those as personal bests because they are small battles and anyone with caution and good tactics can come away with minimal casualties.

 

I count First Clash due to the larger size of the enemy forces and the rather unforgiving openness of the map.  One simply can't stealth their way to victory.  And the tendency for the T-90s to see my M1s in the treelines first every damn time.  Not that it mattered for the outcome.

 

I play Elite RT mode.

If there is ever a Combat Mission tournament, sounds like you would be the guy to beat! I designed Obj Delta and during testing I didn't make it through untouched, and I made all the AI plans..LOL.

[womble]

I just may do that.  I have always played the CM games on "Veteran" without any thought  just because well that's what I am used to playing it on.      Quick question though, is the time delay for fire/CAS go both ways for the Player and the AI?

All the rules are applied equally to both sides. In some regards, this makes the AI more dangerous, because its on-call fires come in so much more frequently; it's like it has TRPs everywhere it sees you. This isn't so much of an advantage to the player, since the AI doesn't pay much attention to artillery, but you have very little time to get out from under incoming, in Veteran/Basic Training.

It's worth stressing that the only things that change between "difficulty levels" are the rules as described in the manual. The AI is no more brilliant or dense in "higher" or "lower" difficulties.

[BlackMoria]

If there is ever a Combat Mission tournament, sounds like you would be the guy to beat! I designed Obj Delta and during testing I didn't make it through untouched, and I made all the AI plans..LOL.

Operation Delta was a challenge.

 

In fact, all the scenarios that I managed no casualties in were a challenge, so I hope no one gets the impression that I found them easy.

 

And the no casualties in Operation Delta came down to luck because near the end game, when the Russian fast air came in, all my vehicles were on the move in the open. Thankfully, the lone Stinger team pitched their best fast ball and downed the Frogfoot because otherwise, I would be short one vehicle as a minimum and probably most of the occupants.

Edited February 9, 2015 by BlackMoria

[Imperial Grunt]

Operation Delta was a challenge.

 

In fact, all the scenarios that I managed no casualties in were a challenge, so I hope no one gets the impression that I found them easy.

 

And the no casualties in Operation Delta came down to luck because near the end game, when the Russian fast air came in, all my vehicles were on the move in the open. Thankfully, the lone Stinger team pitched their best fast ball and downed the Frogfoot because otherwise, I would be short one vehicle as a minimum and probably most of the occupants.

That is pretty epic!

As Napoleon once said;

"I know he's a good general, but is he lucky?"

[Pelican Pal]

Back in CM:SF someone did a scenario modelling a battle against the Japanese in Burma (I'm pretty sure it was Burma, but don;t hold me to it) with moderrn equipment. I had a reinforced Platoon and the Company HQ get overrun. With the last surviving members of the defending unit managed to hold out in a pocket just long enough for the Company Commander to call in a fully loaded A-10 onto his own position. The A-10 bagged the best part of a company and a handful of my survivors managed to hold the hill.

[Mord]

HA! I get at least two men killed before I even start a scenario...I lost six guys today during a QB force selection. Going by my record since CMBN was released I am not even the guy you want serving your chow. The only way I could get two WIA would be not to play and it would still be iffy. Good job. I doubt anyone's gonna top that for a while.

 

 

Mord.

[Bahger]

I am proud of my outcome in "Speed and Power", too, with 9 KIA/7 WIA and all territorial objectives accomplished.  I had an interesting time comparing it to ChrisND's run at it on YouTube.  I learned from watching this to take very good care of my recon assets, to place FO/JTAC units carefully and always with a limited 360-degree TA, not to charge tanks downrange but to use their long reach to create intersecting lines of fire and not to run the Bradleys carrying infantry into any possible T-90 engagement envelope.  My tanks in defilade on high ground were able to see the Russian forces approaching from the left side of the map to the right and vice versa, creating cris-crossing kill-zones that attrited much of the Russian force before it arrived at the government building, making the infantry battle at that location gratifyingly anti-climactic.  I put my Bradleys pushing up the middle into cover before they got to the village and kept them there for at least five turns until the platoon C/O, still mounted, with great LOS, managed to put precision rounds on three T-90s nearby that would otherwise have decimated those Bradleys and their dismounts.  Again, I managed to spare my infantry.

 

FWIW, ChrisND had a lot more opposition to bringing two M1A2s up to the high ground on the right hand side of the map, where for some reason I was able to get them there, and there they stayed for the remainder of the battle, raining death and destruction on Russian vehicles approaching the government complex on the left with relative impunity.  It's a meeting engagement and therefore a race to get to the government complex but if you can get there first, having also positioned tanks and ATGMs to spot and attrit Russian armor as it comes down the slope, the battle for the objective need not be quite as bloody or as close-range as it was in Chris's playthrough.

 

 

 

Edited February 9, 2015 by Bahger

[A Canadian Cat]

I do recommend playing on 'elite', it provides the most realistic time delays for fire/air support, etc, without the annoyingly realistic spotting (mainly for friendly units) rules in effect.

+1 to Elite - it also adds less information for you about the enemy. You cannot tell the difference between a scout team, a LMG team or regular infantry (unless you actually see and analyses the equipment but the UI shows less and the icons are generic infantry icons.

  

I just may do that.  I have always played the CM games on "Veteran" without any thought  just because well that's what I am used to playing it on.      Quick question though, is the time delay for fire/CAS go both ways for the Player and the AI?

I'm not Chris but I can give you a definitive answer: the timing of indirect fire and CAS goes both ways.

[xIGuNDoCIx]

+1 to Elite - it also adds less information for you about the enemy. You cannot tell the difference between a scout team, a LMG team or regular infantry (unless you actually see and analyses the equipment but the UI shows less and the icons are generic infantry icons.

  

I'm not Chris but I can give you a definitive answer: the timing of indirect fire and CAS goes both ways.

 

 

Then it is decided!  I shall now only play CM on Elite!!!  

 

From this day forth let it be known that xIGuNDoCIx has graduated to Big Boy Pants and no longer requires the use of Training Wheels!!!!     (Seriously Thanks CM Community and keep these stories coming!)

[antaress73]

everyone seems to have much success in killing T-90s with precision rounds. I find they are useful in degrading the tank's system, immobilizing them and the odd weapon hit .. but killing them outright ? not often. Anyway there seems to be disagreement on how thick is the armor on the top of T-90s and T-72B3s. 

 

You can destroy T-90AMs at 3000 meters ? 

 

Russians, bah.. pushovers like all the rest for some people it seems when playing the US LOL I would not base my jugdment on what would happen in real life on that though. 

Edited February 9, 2015 by antaress73

[xIGuNDoCIx]

everyone seems to have much success in killing T-90s with precision rounds. I find they are useful in degrading the tank's system, immobilizing them and the odd weapon hit .. but killing them outright ? not often. Anyway there seems to be disagreement on how thick is the armor on the top of T-90s and T-72B3s. 

 

You can destroy T-90AMs at 3000 meters ? 

 

Russians, bah.. pushovers like all the rest for some people it seems when playing the US LOL I would not base my jugdment on what would happen in real life on that though. 

I shwack t-90s with precision rounds quite regularly.  Spot them with your FO, make the call with 2 guns so you have 2 rounds coming in.  If the first doesn't kill them the second one right behind it almost always will.  I would estimate a 90%-95% kill rate doing this.

[antaress73]

My artillery shot three excalibur rounds at a T-72B3 .. two direct hits, weapon mount hit so the gun is knocked out (almost a mission kill) but no hard kill. Maybe they were lucky. It seems they are heading in the direction of fixing this in a patch. The T-90, according to new data, is way more armored on the top than previously thought. SO precision rounds will not kill them on a regular basis anymore. They can be useful as with the M1A2, which is immune to russian precision strikes. But when hit by one  it loses most of his sub-systems, optics and if you're moderately lucky the main gun. They could be used in a combined arms way. Shoot precision rounds at them, severely degrade their ability to spot and shoot back, and kill them with another tank or missile system. 

 

What would be the odds (percentage wise) of destroying a T-90AM or T-90A at 3000 meters with the M829A4 ? I know it's like 91% at 2000 meters (in game). 

 

Btw, one of my BMP-3M penetrated 8 times the side armor of an M1A2 with his 30mm cannon. Impressive. It finished him off with an AT-10 Stabber to the little upper part of the side armor that is not covered by ERA.  Another BMP-3M in the same game destroyed another M1A2 with an AT-10 stabber that hit the top turret because the tank was on a very slight slope. I think the lobbing trajectory of the missile and shorter range helped. I was impressed. 

Edited February 9, 2015 by antaress73

[Rinaldi]

 

In the 'oppertunity knocks' scenario i managed something that does not happen to me every day...

 

Mission completed with ZERO casualties ! 

 

I'm affraid that i have no picture of the AAR.

 

 

Well done; care to share your plan?

 

I did this mission last night and managed a total victory, but got surprised by the sudden appearance of....you know. Took heavy losses before I could react to that.

[A Canadian Cat]

Wow, really I have been hitting both T90s and M1s with precision rounds regularly and very few actually are destroyed. Sure some are but my kill rate has been more like 15 to 25 percent. Mind you I did not do the math.

[Glubokii Boy]

Hello, Rinaldi...

 

Well, my basic plan was this...

 

1. Try not to get involved in any serious firefight with the enemy troops at the objective.

2. Trust in my supperior night visison to give me the edge when it comes to spotting and targeting the enemy.

3. Keep my forces concentrated to allow them to give mutual support to eachother.

 

I decided to approch the target on the right side of the stream. I planned on that low-ground to get me close enough to the target to be able to see the veichles from the Crest.

I had my javelin guys sneak up to the Crest to get LOS to the enemy veichles while my HQ team provided flank security.

My most forward guys i kept in possition for just a few minutes to get some spotting done Before i pulled them back to help my HQ team with the security task. This turned out to be a good move...

 

I felt that the field on the right side was a better approach then to try and sneak up amongst the trees by the stream.

Having my men trailing one team behind the other amongst the trees would limit both my firepower to the front as well as my freedom of manuver i felt (maybe not all that much but to some degree). The field to the right seemed like the best option.

 

As it turned out the enemies at the objective managed to see my men after they opened fire and they also spotted my last javelin team as it was manuvering further to the right to get LOS to the last veichle. But their fire were not very accurate.

 

After killing all the veichles i pulled my men back with quick orders the same way they had approached. Halting short of the stream to let one team at a time cross it under overwatch from the other guys.

 

I guess i was very lucky to get them all out of there Before the enemy patroll with the veichle could get Close enough to se them...

[Daroc]

I have a best so far and a general question.

 

I won a Complete total victory on first battle of the campaign - Crossing the Dnieper under warrior difficulty (anything more is just tedious and not adding to any real challenge).

 

I don't know how to do screen shots with the game in full screen mode.

 

I have the save game files.  

 

My question is this _________________________________________  SPOILERS _______________________________________________ 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are 3 occupy objectives for the Russians.  I won the battle with 6:00 min of the start mission time ie. not overtime left.

 

The last objective is totally occupied by the Ukrainians.  I did not however have very many loses.  How was this possible I was given the points for occupying the 3rd objective and the game ended with 6min still left on the timer.  I was not offered a ceasefire/surrender from the computer.