Campaign ideas

[zmoney]

I think it’d be awesome if this was shipped with three campaigns. First US side circa 79 that uses older US equipment attempting to withstand the red horde. Second a Soviet campaign. Third a US campaign circa 82 that launches a counter attack with the modernized M60’s, Abrams and Brads.

 

What would you guys like to see?

[The_Capt]

Well you are close, right now “officially” there are three campaigns:

US Campaign - Set along Hwy 66 from Fulda to Hanau.  Basically pits a US Battalion TF against a Soviet divisional advance.  There are two versions of this one, the primary is in 82’ so M1s/M2s do make appearances but it is then M60/M113 family that does the heavy lifting.  The second version is the same campaign but set in 79 both with and against older equipment.  The US has M48s as the primary tank, with M60s showing up.  The Soviets will have T55s and primarily T62s.  The 79 Campaign treats Fulda as a secondary theatre but from what we have seen it is the harder of the two.

Soviet Campaign - This one ‘may’ have two versions but I will save that surprise for later.  Set also in ‘82 it follows the 120th MRR in the first 48 hours of the war from the West German Border (near Mansbach) through to the outskirts of Alsfeld.  Right up front this will be the hardest campaign, the Soviets are primarily in BTRs/T62s (but the 120th does have a BMP Bn) against top notch 11 ACR and 3rd Armd Div troops.

NTC- think of it as a tutorial campaign but knowing Bil H it will dole out the challenge (he is a crafty old coot).  Bil, is pulling for his own time at NTC back in the same time period, so I expect to be excellent.

[kevinkin]

Hi ... I believe this will come with the excellent CM scenario editor; just can't find a reference to it in the features list.  

[The_Capt]

6 minutes ago, kevinkin said:

Hi ... I believe this will come with the excellent CM scenario editor; just can't find a reference to it in the features list.  

It definitely does, working in it right now.

[kevinkin]

Great thanks. Any master maps; e.g. for the Fulda Gap area? 

[The_Capt]

2 minutes ago, kevinkin said:

Great thanks. Any master maps; e.g. for the Fulda Gap area? 

The US Campaign maps (which were done up by Pete Wenman) will be made avail so that players can use them in the editor.  By Pete's count we are talking about approx 90 square kms of countryside.

[kevinkin]

18 minutes ago, The_Capt said:

The US Campaign maps (which were done up by Pete Wenman) will be made avail so that players can use them in the editor.  By Pete's count we are talking about approx 90 square kms of countryside.

Got it. 

[LastLeigh]

4 hours ago, The_Capt said:

Soviet Campaign - This one ‘may’ have two versions but I will save that surprise for later.  Set also in ‘82 it follows the 120th MRR in the first 48 hours of the war from the West German Border (near Mansbach) through to the outskirts of Alsfeld.  Right up front this will be the hardest campaign, the Soviets are primarily in BTRs/T62s (but the 120th does have a BMP Bn) against top notch 11 ACR and 3rd Armd Div troops.

I'm already starting to work on researching the 11th ACR and its deployment, plans, OOB, etc.... Reason being, I want to write at least a scenario from their perspective, if no a campaign. My father was a Cav Scout in the 11th in this exact time period. He likes to make the joke that he would have been pointman for WW3. Considering it seems as if CM:CW will come out in April, I may even have it in time to show him for his birthday.

Wish me luck! But also any reading material ya'll can recommend would be nice as well.

[BornGinger]

6 hours ago, The_Capt said:

By Pete's count we are talking about approx 90 square kms of countryside.

If you aren't joking because Pete loves to make large maps, you mean that the maps in Cold War are going to be larger than in the other games.

If I'm correct the largest maps in the other games are about 50 to 60 square km.

[IICptMillerII]

18 minutes ago, BornGinger said:

If you aren't joking because Pete loves to make large maps, you mean that the maps in Cold War are going to be larger than in the other games

In the campaigns at least, the average map size is somewhere around 4x2km. We’ve found this to be an ideal map size to allow period appropriate forces (a Soviet motor rifle battalion for example) the proper room to both maneuver and fight. It also allows for weapon systems that are more modern (ATGMs, Abrams FCS) the right amount of room to stretch their legs. 
 

I know that “knife fighting in a phone booth” has been a common complaint of CM games in modern warfare settings. I think this title goes a long way to mitigate that concern. 
 

Also, Pete is a goddamn wizard with the scenario editor. His maps are honestly jaw dropping. There are others too of course, George MC and MOS come to mind, and that is only a partial list. This title has been blessed by the skillful touch of some of the best mappers out there

[The_Capt]

24 minutes ago, BornGinger said:

If you aren't joking because Pete loves to make large maps, you mean that the maps in Cold War are going to be larger than in the other games.

If I'm correct the largest maps in the other games are about 50 to 60 square km.

No what I mean is if you add up the area of all the US Campaign maps together, they come to approx 90 sq kms.  CM won’t support a single map that large.  Map sizes vary, the largest are about 4x4 kms, the issue here is weapons ranges, with ATGMs they get very long.

And what Cpt Miller said....

Edited March 2, 2021 by The_Capt

[Sequoia]

I'm a little surprised the  '79 campaign has M48s as the most common tank, as I would have thought USAREUR would be high up in priority in receiving new equipment. Is our battalion task force part of the 3rd armored division or a 11th ACR unit?

[BornGinger]

It seems I was wrong about the size of the maps. The largest scenario maps are apparently 4km x 4km and not 7km x 8km.

[Double Deuce]

I'm already working up campaign ideas (mostly the storyline cause the game ain't out yet) but they'll probably be set in the 1985 time frame.

[The_Capt]

7 hours ago, Sequoia said:

I'm a little surprised the  '79 campaign has M48s as the most common tank, as I would have thought USAREUR would be high up in priority in receiving new equipment. Is our battalion task force part of the 3rd armored division or a 11th ACR unit?

Nope, the Bn is in the 8th Infantry, which was an odd one that straddled the line between under and well-resourced.  The 8th was a depth Div so in this campaign they are using M48s, also a good excuse to take out the M48 and see what it can do.

[Sequoia]

Somewhat off topic but do I recall correctly V Corps had the 4th Brigade, 4th Infantry?  The only division with a 4th brigade? The rest of the division was in Colorado.

[Double Deuce]

5 hours ago, The_Capt said:

Nope, the Bn is in the 8th Infantry, which was an odd one that straddled the line between under and well-resourced.  The 8th was a depth Div so in this campaign they are using M48s, also a good excuse to take out the M48 and see what it can do.

8th ID was always the red-headed stepchild of USAREUR. Our Bn was one of the last to get the M60A3 and then again, late getting the M1s.

[The_Capt]

4 minutes ago, Double Deuce said:

8th ID was always the red-headed stepchild of USAREUR. Our Bn was one of the last to get the M60A3 and then again, late getting the M1s.

That is why they are in the M60A1 (RISE Passive) for the '82 campaign, but M60A3s and M1 do show up as reinforcements.  I think people will be surprised by the ol M48, it is actually not a bad tank so long as you treat it more like a Sherman.