Fire and Rubble Preview: The Anatomy of What Goes Into a Stock Campaign Release

[BFCElvis]

@Ithikial_AU suggested that it might be interesting to players to see what some of the decision making and thought process goes into a campaign for release with a title. For the next preview of the Fire and Rubble module rather than just more screenshots we decided to provide some details about some of the playable content coming your way upon release followed by an explanation over the coming weeks about how this comes about. 

 

As has been previously stated, the purpose of the module is to really flesh out the forces on the Eastern Front from June 1944 and to extend the time frame to the end of the war in May 1945. This does include expanded German branches and formations into the summer months of 1944 already covered by the base game and as suitable for the eastern front setting. Essentially the module is a lot more than just snow and Berlin! There’s going to be ‘out of the box’ engagements to fight with these new forces in the summer of 1944 and the tools for the community to design battles set in the Baltics through to the Courland Pocket.

One of the ways this content will be brought together is in one of the four campaigns shipping with the module. (Before anyone asks - two Soviet and two German focused). The designer of the one in this little project is calling it the “largest shortest campaign for Combat Mission”. In The Battle of Tukums players will take command of Panzerverbände Strachwitz in full on the 18^th of August 1944 across three large scale battles. Army Group Centre has launched Operation Doppelkoph to try and rescue the trapped Army Group North cut off in eastern Latvia and Estonia. It’s effectively one giant armour heavy scenario split into three parts to prevent your CPU’s from melting.

How much armour? Well let’s just say one of the testers called a company of Panzer IV’s under his command the ‘recon element’.

 

[A Canadian Cat]

4 minutes ago, BFCElvis said:

company of Panzer IV’s under his command the ‘recon element’.

Recon in force - the only way to travel.

[BFCElvis]

D

espite being set in summer 1944, every German formation you’ll command except one is newly introduced with the module including:

-          Panzer Brigade Panzer Battalion

-          Panzer Brigade Panzergrenadier Battalion [early] (different from the what you’ve seen on the western front)

-          Waffen SS Ad-hoc Panzer Battalion

-          Waffen SS Infantrie Battalion

-          Kriegsmarine Naval Gun Support (yes you read that last one right)

The historical engagements will also provide some unique tactical problems for a player to tackle that they haven’t had to yet in the CM2 era. How does a Panzer III with a 50mm gun take on a T-34? It’s also a chance to experience what a very hastily put together German force based on anything with tracks and a gun feels like to command. Expect quite a mixed bag in terms of equipment and quality of forces. Oh, and in a nice bit of rarity but historically appropriate, the Germans will actually have some air support! (But that’s from the base game).

 

[BFCElvis]

The campaign’s master map, recreated using 1936 era topographic maps of the area, will also be provided alongside other master maps allowing for players to recreate battles in this area stretching forward into the Courland Pocket if they wish.

 

[BFCElvis]

So at this stage I'll pass the baton over to Ithikial who will provide a series of post over the coming weeks to demonstrate the different stages that go into designing a Combat Mission campaign and provide a guide to starting your own. (Maybe even some help with understanding campaign scripts). Sort of an add-on to JonS' excellent Scenario Design AAR back when you were waiting patiently for the Market Garden module for Normandy.

[Bufo]

18 minutes ago, BFCElvis said:

The campaign’s master map [...]

 

 

What's the size of the master map?

[Glubokii Boy]

Sounds like it could be an intresting thread and campaign...

 

[rocketman]

I guess @Ithikial_AU found the information he asked for a long time ago at FGM. Glad it was enough that it turned into a campaign.

Looking forward to seeing more about this.

[rocketman]

1 hour ago, BFCElvis said:

So at this stage I'll pass the baton over to Ithikial who will provide a series of post over the coming weeks to demonstrate the different stages that go into designing a Combat Mission campaign and provide a guide to starting your own. (Maybe even some help with understanding campaign scripts). Sort of an add-on to JonS' excellent Scenario Design AAR back when you were waiting patiently for the Market Garden module for Normandy.

The guide for making campaigns will be of great worth to the community. In my next life I'll make one. I wonder when it starts though...soon I hope.

[John1966]

I think I can see a partisan in the trees.

And yes! It's a woman.

[Aragorn2002]

Great initiative. Looking forward to this. Delighted to see the late version of the pz III is in.

Edited November 18, 2020 by Aragorn2002

[BFCElvis]

32 minutes ago, rocketman said:

 In my next life I'll make one.  

I always say "the next scenario that I make will be my first". I'm a "taker", not a "giver" with CM content.

  

57 minutes ago, rocketman said:

I guess @Ithikial_AU found the information he asked for a long time ago at FGM. Glad it was enough that it turned into a campaign.

Looking forward to seeing more about this.

We spoke about how he'd present this and he's going to do his best to give as much information out as possible without having any spoilers. I'm curious to see how that works out.
 

[rocketman]

1 hour ago, BFCElvis said:

I always say "the next scenario that I make will be my first". I'm a "taker", not a "giver" with CM content. 

The community "giveth" and the community "taketh". It's all good. Amen to that.

[Vacillator]

3 hours ago, BFCElvis said:

How does a Panzer III with a 50mm gun take on a T-34?

At that stage of the war I would imagine with a lot of trepidation and no expectation of success?

3 hours ago, BFCElvis said:

a very hastily put together German force based on anything with tracks and a gun

Those Pz IIIs look straight from the factory, with no camo scheme and not even any markings .  I think however that they stopped making Pz IIIs in 1943 so there's probably another good reason for this...

[Aragorn2002]

23 minutes ago, Vacilllator said:

At that stage of the war I would imagine with a lot of trepidation and no expectation of success?

Those Pz IIIs look straight from the factory, with no camo scheme and not even any markings .  I think however that they stopped making Pz IIIs in 1943 so there's probably another good reason for this...

Pz III's were still in service in 1944. Mostly observation and command vehicles. 

[BletchleyGeek]

Very nice @BFCElvis and team, this is one of my favourite Eastern Front battles

Looking forward to learn about the other campaign too, a vignette taken from Vistula-Oder or Lake Balaton?

Edited November 18, 2020 by BletchleyGeek

[Vacillator]

5 minutes ago, Aragorn2002 said:

Pz III's were still in service in 1944. Mostly observation and command vehicles. 

In service yes, but not fresh from the factory was my point.  Anyway just needs a good vehicle mod .

[Glubokii Boy]

With the right ammunition...did not late version pz III stand up fairly well to a T34/76 atleast...? against the 85mm maybe not so much

[Aragorn2002]

10 minutes ago, Vacilllator said:

In service yes, but not fresh from the factory was my point.  Anyway just needs a good vehicle mod .

Yes, it does. Than we can simulate Kursk battles. 

[BFCElvis]

16 minutes ago, Vacilllator said:

In service yes, but not fresh from the factory was my point.  Anyway just needs a good vehicle mod .

Maybe MikeyD can chime in about this. We need to keep in mind that the screenshots are of a Beta version of the game. Some thing may not have been completed yet or may not have been added by the last build. Or, it may be by design. MikeyD will know.

[Vacillator]

11 minutes ago, BFCElvis said:

Maybe MikeyD can chime in about this. We need to keep in mind that the screenshots are of a Beta version of the game. Some thing may not have been completed yet or may not have been added by the last build. Or, it may be by design. MikeyD will know.

It's not a biggie either way, thanks for posting it.

[Erwin]

Looking forward to this.  My mother was evacuated from the Courland peninsular (Estonia) around this time.  So, have quite a personal interest.

[Vergeltungswaffe]

10 hours ago, BFCElvis said:

How much armour? Well let’s just say one of the testers called a company of Panzer IV’s under his command the ‘recon element’.

 

[Lethaface]

Nice initiative!

[Ithikial_AU]

The Battle of Tukums: A Campaign Design AAR/DAR

Back in 2013, Jon Snowden collated an extensive collection of material detailing how members of the community could jump into the editor within a CM2 era title and design a scenario from start to finish while building a stock scenario for a pending release. That manual currently sits on all of your hard drives if you have brought anything from Battlefront or updated a title over the last half a decade as it’s included with all your installers.

What the Kiwi started, the Aussie is subtly encouraging you to take the next step and select the ‘Make Campaign’ option inside the editor. True, not everything that is bigger is necessarily better, but have you seen the size of New Zealand*.

This will definitely be a ‘module’ added on to the ‘base game’ book that was created by Jon all those years ago. I will not be covering old ground about how to make a map and creating AI plans. I strongly encourage you to take a look at that manual if you haven't already. Even after all these years I need to double check a few things from time to time.

Finally, everything below will vary from just factual explanations through to subjective opinions based off my own personal experience. Of course, there are alternative approaches out there so please explore. I’m just putting this disclaimer here because, well, this is the internet.

* Honestly, at times part of me wishes I was living in New Zealand. Cooler weather, funny accents, better internet connection... I just don't understand the fascination with rugby.