Christmas 2022 Scenario Challenge

[kohlenklau]

damn, maybe I am a bit groggy (RN joke?)

Here is a dropbox link to grab the "Cutting Out.." scenario and the mods. I have played it several times and I enjoyed it. I am playing lots of VASL and then a CM counterpart scenario. Sometimes it is viceversa. It is very enjoyable to see the scenario presented in 2 different manners AND PLAY IT.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/dtmste5ecgfrr88/AABgD7hDIrXAvwAj4AaLS_7Ta?dl=0

[MOS:96B2P]

On 9/6/2022 at 6:07 PM, kohlenklau said:

Best wishes and who wants to post a pledge to make a scenario?

New CMBS scenario:

Buran-30 Battalion Tactical Group (BTG).

Command a Russian BTR Battalion Tactical Group.                                                                                                             Russians vs AI only.                                                                                                                                                                      Three hours (tentatively).                                                                                                                                                              Map: 5104 meters x 2512 meters = appx 12.8 square kilometers.                                                                                                  Ground conditions: Wet.  Weather: Hazy.                                                                                                                                  Supply: Scarce.  Headcount: 70%.

SITUATION:  It is 1300hrs on March 30, 2022, in northeast Ukraine.  The Russian Federation is conducting a withdrawal in order to redeploy units to the south.  The withdrawal is under pressure from Ukrainian Army units and partisans.  Many of the Russian units suffer from low morale, low supplies and have lost many vehicles and infantry.  The muddy conditions of the rasputitsa confine vehicles to roads limiting maneuver and increases the danger of ambushes.  

MISSION:  Your call sign is Buran 30.  Your mission is to withdraw your Battalion Tactical Group (BTG) to the east in order to refit and prepare for a future offensive.  It is important to preserve your BTG along with an attached air assault unit (V markings).  A related mission is to destroy Ukrainian units.  Exit all friendly units off the east edge of the Area of Operation (AO) by 1600hrs.

FRIENDLY FORCES:  Your BTG has been in the field for several weeks with inadequate logistics.  Supply is scarce with the headcount at about 70%.  The soldiers are in a weakened state with low morale.  Many vehicles have been lost.  Artillery and artillery shells are generally in good supply. 

Elements of the BTG are arriving in the AO from the west.  A platoon of 120mm heavy mortars is positioned at Derusova Farm and ready to support.  One battery of 152mm and one Orlan drone are also in support.  Lead elements of the BTG have arrived in the northwest and southwest and are standing by for orders.

Status:  Map completed. TOE completed.  One of at least three AI plans completed. 

Map looking northeast from Sonyashnk village.  Eight villages, one river, one powerplant (Ukrainian preserve objective) and one cell tower (Ukrainian preserve objective). 

Random screenshots from testing.

I'll probably eventually start a separate thread in CMBS Maps and Mods forum.  

[kohlenklau]

CMFI AFRIKA AND HERE WE DAMN WELL STAY

14 miles West of EL ALAMEIN, EGYPT, 27 October 1942: In an
ill-organized night attack during Operation Lightfoot, a
battalion of the British 7th Motor Brigade had thrust
forward to seize a German-held position codenamed "Snipe".
However, unaware that their maps were faulty, the men and
carriers had advanced along an incorrect compass bearing,
halting around midnight in a shallow, sandy area a half
mile south of Snipe. There they dug in for all-around
defence, while with great difficulty their 6-pounder AT
guns were brought up through the soft sand. When asked if
they were actually on their objective, the battalion
commander, Lt-Colonel V.B. Turner replied, "God knows. But
here we are and here we damned well stay." Just before
dawn, as nearby Axis tank formations, unaware of the
British presence, began moving to their battle positions
for the coming day, they were met suddenly by the sharp
crack of 6pdrs at point-blank range. Throughout the
morning and afternoon, cut off from their own lines, the
Tommies withstood continuous artillery and direct fire
(several times from friendly units), and repelled
successive armored attacks. The battalion had unwittingly
halted directly in the path of a major Axis counterattack.
It was incurring heavy losses, especially among the
precious 6pdrs and their crews; ammunition for the few
surviving guns was critically low. And now a company of
panzers was forming up for yet another attack - possibly
the one that would finally overwhelm the exhausted
defenders.

PLAY AS EITHER SIDE VS THE AI

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/icm3a2cnnfebzv5/AABxI54rnRxig2gmgMQcCuc2a?dl=0

 

Edited October 6, 2022 by kohlenklau

[kohlenklau]

coming soon

CMRT FESTUNG BUDAPEST UNCLES AND PUPS

^
Buda, Hungary. 1 January 1945.
By 26 December 1944, Soviet forces were finally able to
complete the outer encirclement of Budapest when lead
units of the 18th Tank Corps linked up with forward
elements of the 6th Guards Tank Army northwest of the city
near Estergom. Initial penetrations by Soviet
reconnaissance elements toward the heart of the Axis
defenses, the Vasbegy area, were made from northwest of
the Buda side of the city. These first attacks were
stopped near the new St. Janos Hospital on Christmas Day
by a combined force of squads from the Hungarian
University Assault Battalion and the city gendarmes.
Beginning on 30 December, units of the Soviet 108th Guards
Rifle Division's 311th Guards Rifle Regiment, supported by
SU-76Ms from the 1897th Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment
launched a series of attacks from the area around the
hospital in an effort to dislodge the Axis defenders from
the Varosmajor.
^
You are a Captain in the 311th Guards Rifle Regiment. Your
force is a company of infantry paired with 5 self-
propelled guns. 
^
The Axis force is most likely a Hungarian infantry unit
dug in on their own soil and supported by heavy weapons.
^
Press forward to take the Cogwheel Railway embankment and
the rail station.
^
You have 10-15 minutes to achieve your mission. Points are
awarded for destroying enemy units and getting to several
touch objectives as well as holding them from enemy
counterattack.

Note: this is my translation from an existing ASL scenario

 

[RockinHarry]

I just could probably serve with CMBN, CMFB and CMRT (and modules for all these games) stuff. But I´d really like to know about addressed players preferences before I could probably start on something. Map & force sizes, theater, vs. AI or PBEM, armor or infantry heavy, urban or rural, all that stuff. So if there´s some interest please tell of your ideas!

[kohlenklau]

16 minutes ago, RockinHarry said:

please tell of your ideas!

Thank you sir. I would love a CMFB scenario maybe depicting the January 1945 Operation Nordwind around Hatten, France?

There IS an ASL historical module to squeeze ASL scenario lemons to make CM scenario lemonade as I like to say...

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/254682/hatten-flames-asl-historical-module-9

EDIT: of course, please create in ANY manner you want but I do offer the link below that shows MANY "ASL Scenario Cards" for several scenarios of the above ASL module, "Hatten in Flames" They are the ones with HF in the scenario title. The scenario cards are 1 page "recipes" of the units and situation and in my opinion can really help make a CM scenario. 

https://mmpgamers.com/support/asl/ASLEU2022_scenarios.pdf

Edited October 9, 2022 by kohlenklau

[RockinHarry]

37 minutes ago, kohlenklau said:

Thank you sir. I would love a CMFB scenario maybe depicting the January 1945 Operation Nordwind around Hatten, France?

There IS an ASL historical module to squeeze ASL scenario lemons to make CM scenario lemonade as I like to say...

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/254682/hatten-flames-asl-historical-module-9

EDIT: of course, please create in ANY manner you want but I do offer the link below that shows MANY "ASL Scenario Cards" for several scenarios of the above ASL module, "Hatten in Flames" They are the ones with HF in the scenario title. The scenario cards are 1 page "recipes" of the units and situation and in my opinion can really help make a CM scenario. 

https://mmpgamers.com/support/asl/ASLEU2022_scenarios.pdf

Thanks Kohle IIRC there´s been some Hatten mission(s) beeing made already. Got to check again at TFGM. But I´ve some good Northwind books that should give me some inspirations I think. Also have some book about 6. SS „Nord“ MD which should provide some usefull material. Got to check your ASL links as well. ASL related modules and cards always provide interesting (detail) info, though maps is mostly generic and of little use for CM map making IMO.

[kohlenklau]

14 minutes ago, RockinHarry said:

though maps is mostly generic and of little use for CM map making IMO.

I know what you mean. The generic hex maps are definitely not helpful or EVEN DESIRED to make a CM map. Yuk yuk yuk. Interestingly, the historic modules actually take reality and THEN have to make it work in the ASL hex map system. But once you are talking a reality based CM map, then you can use GoogleEarth and old U.S. Army or Wehrmacht tactical maps or whatever you can find. This is what I am doing for that Budapest ASL scenario translation... 

Thank you for your efforts and I speak for everybody in saying "We look forward to seeing it and playing it!"

Edited October 9, 2022 by kohlenklau

[RockinHarry]

28 minutes ago, kohlenklau said:

I know what you mean. The generic hex maps are definitely not helpful or EVEN DESIRED to make a CM map. Yuk yuk yuk. Interestingly, the historic modules actually take reality and THEN have to make it work in the ASL hex map system. But once you are talking a reality based CM map, then you can use GoogleEarth and old U.S. Army or Wehrmacht tactical maps or whatever you can find. This is what I am doing for that Budapest ASL scenario translation... 

Thank you for your efforts and I speak for everybody in saying "We look forward to seeing it and playing it!"

Yep, that´s what I do usually. But within limitations of what can be done in CM map editor or the game engine can bear. But one can always take some creative freedom here. Still got to try this one, considering the highly complex terrain one got to deal with oftenly. Just what I needed for some serious hurtgen forest battle recreations.

Here´s a comparison between ASL "The Clearing" and the real thing. The "clearing" was in fact a several square km large cultivated area between/around Germeter and Vossenack villages. I´d prefer doing the real thing in any case, but i.e the 28th ID battles there would require making a map likely too large and bringing any computer to its knees. Happened several times with my Win10, AMD R5 1500+, Gtx 1660 (6GB) and 16GB Ram.

https://www.aslscenarioarchive.com/scenario.php?id=61797

vs.

[Combatintman]

Ok - my promised offering is about a week off which will be for CMBS - final test complete so just got to do the graphics and the orders.  It is set on a real piece of ground 4.8km x 3.6km in Ukraine but is a fictional mission as the Russians never got that far.  I'll start a dedicated thread for it on the CMBS board once it is all put together.  Meanwhile, some tasters ...

[kohlenklau]

43 minutes ago, Combatintman said:

my promised offering

Thank you sir! I appreciate it.

[Combatintman]

Dedicated thread for my scenario is here:

 

[Butschi]

I'd contribute a CMAutoEditor map. There is still some work to be done but currently I'm in the process of integrating OpenStreetMap content. Currently importing forests/bushes (with randomized tree types), farmland (with randomized crop types) and water works quite well. Importing roads/foot paths works... in many cases (converting lines on a map into those road tiles is algorithmically less than trivial and, sorry BFC, the line drawing tool sucks). I am thinking about integrating buildings (would have to be very randomized!) but no promises as that is a tough nut to crack and there's no guarantee that it would look adequate in any way...

Anyway, how about we do this: You suggest any area of, say, max. 3km x 3km, preferrably in Germany because there I know how to get good free terrain models in many cases. Name a Combat Mission Title. I'll do the script foo and provide the map. Someone else would have to make a scenario out of it - learning AI plans and all that would currently be a little too much for my schedule.

[RockinHarry]

19 minutes ago, Butschi said:

I'd contribute a CMAutoEditor map. There is still some work to be done but currently I'm in the process of integrating OpenStreetMap content. Currently importing forests/bushes (with randomized tree types), farmland (with randomized crop types) and water works quite well. Importing roads/foot paths works... in many cases (converting lines on a map into those road tiles is algorithmically less than trivial and, sorry BFC, the line drawing tool sucks). I am thinking about integrating buildings (would have to be very randomized!) but no promises as that is a tough nut to crack and there's no guarantee that it would look adequate in any way...

Anyway, how about we do this: You suggest any area of, say, max. 3km x 3km, preferrably in Germany because there I know how to get good free terrain models in many cases. Name a Combat Mission Title. I'll do the script foo and provide the map. Someone else would have to make a scenario out of it - learning AI plans and all that would currently be a little too much for my schedule.

That´s some great news Butschi! I´d always wanted tackling some the complex terrain in hurtgen forest area, namely areas between Raffelsbrand (which was not a settlement in 1944) up north incl. Hurtgen village. Alternatively areas incl Vossenack and Schmidt towns. Both would likely be areas as large as 3x4 or 4x4km! Manual map making these is more than a challenge, particularly the complex contour terrain and height differences. Kall trail anybody?

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Vossenack,+52393+Hürtgenwald/@50.6888937,6.3447175,12z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x47bf653b204792bb:0x24eb146e066cf367!8m2!3d50.6839324!4d6.3623437

[Butschi]

7 hours ago, RockinHarry said:

That´s some great news Butschi! I´d always wanted tackling some the complex terrain in hurtgen forest area, namely areas between Raffelsbrand (which was not a settlement in 1944) up north incl. Hurtgen village. Alternatively areas incl Vossenack and Schmidt towns. Both would likely be areas as large as 3x4 or 4x4km! Manual map making these is more than a challenge, particularly the complex contour terrain and height differences. Kall trail anybody?

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Vossenack,+52393+Hürtgenwald/@50.6888937,6.3447175,12z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x47bf653b204792bb:0x24eb146e066cf367!8m2!3d50.6839324!4d6.3623437

Well, first come, first served. The area looks like an interesting challenge, for sure. Just keep in mind that everything beyond just elevation will probably look a bit different today. So if you want a historically accurate map you'll have to take care of that yourself.

So, CMFB? Which area exactly? (meaning coordinates of the bounding box)

[RockinHarry]

16 minutes ago, Butschi said:

Well, first come, first served. The area looks like an interesting challenge, for sure. Just keep in mind that everything beyond just elevation will probably look a bit different today. So if you want a historically accurate map you'll have to take care of that yourself.

So, CMFB? Which area exactly? (meaning coordinates of the bounding box)

Thanks! I´d imagine these three 4x4km areas to be the most usefull ones. (If just 3x3km goes, I´d make a new selection). Depicting cores of the 9th and 28th US ID (and maybe 4th) combat areas in october-november 1944 CMFB. Think others would be interested in those maps as well. But first lets see what others like converted. No hurry.

I´ve a couple of 1944 era topo maps of the areas in question. So not much of a problem comparing with what it looks like today, incl road nets, settlements etc.

[Lucky_Strike]

14 hours ago, Butschi said:

Currently importing forests/bushes (with randomized tree types), farmland (with randomized crop types) and water works quite well. Importing roads/foot paths works... in many cases (converting lines on a map into those road tiles is algorithmically less than trivial and, sorry BFC, the line drawing tool sucks). I am thinking about integrating buildings (would have to be very randomized!) but no promises as that is a tough nut to crack and there's no guarantee that it would look adequate in any way...

Ooh, does this mean your tool will generate say a forest with a random selection of different tree types to fill the area occupied by forest on a real world map? That's a great addition. Can you do the same with grass areas - meadows, fields, heathland so that they are filled with a random selection of the grass type tiles? Long grass green and yellow with some weeds and flowers for meadows; long grass yellow and green with some extra long grass yellow and green, weeds and brush for steppe? That kind of thing would be a real bonus.

Thanks for your superb efforts.

[Butschi]

10 hours ago, Lucky_Strike said:

Ooh, does this mean your tool will generate say a forest with a random selection of different tree types to fill the area occupied by forest on a real world map? That's a great addition. Can you do the same with grass areas - meadows, fields, heathland so that they are filled with a random selection of the grass type tiles? Long grass green and yellow with some weeds and flowers for meadows; long grass yellow and green with some extra long grass yellow and green, weeds and brush for steppe? That kind of thing would be a real bonus.

Thanks for your superb efforts.

Yes, correct. In OpenStreetMap a forest is a polygon with some tags that mark it as a forest. CMAutoEditor has currently two options for such cases. It either randomly chooses a tree type and density individually for each square within this polygon or an identical one for all squares. The latter is useful for other farmland, for instance. The tool works in a way that you can configure what should go into an area of a specific type. So, if the map contains different grassland types you can have differently looking areas. For forests there are, e.g. tags that say 'broadleaved', so you could select only specific tree types instead of the general mix.

Ok, let's not derail this thread, here is a little sneak peek (mildly cherry-picked of course but everything generated automatically), I'll make a dedicated thread once the code is good enough to present.

Edited October 13, 2022 by Butschi

[RockinHarry]

15 minutes ago, Butschi said:

Yes, correct. In OpenStreetMap a forest is a polygon with some tags that mark it as a forest. CMAutoEditor has currently two options for such cases. It either randomly chooses a tree type and density individually for each square within this polygon or for an identical one for all squares. The latter is useful for other farmland, for instance. The tool works in a way that you can configure what should go into an area of a specific type. So, if the map contains different grassland types you can have differently looking areas. For forests there are, e.g. tags that say 'broadleafed' (or similar), so you could select only specific tree types instead of the general mix.

Ok, let's not derail this thread, here is a little sneak peek (mildly cherry-picked of course but everything generated automatically), I'll make a dedicated thread once the code is good enough to present.

Impressive! I´ll surely start using your autogenerator once you´ve the code ready. So forget about my hurtgen forest examples and focus on getting code ready! Anyway...hurtgen forest is parts of a larger project of mine and I´ll likely need at least half a dozen maps for it. So I better do it all myself then. How´s the generator dealing with built up areas and urban in particular? Think I´d prefer a method where using contours and (most of) road net from the generator then combining it with a map editor overlay layer incl remaining things from the selected period (buildings, forests etc).

[kohlenklau]

1 hour ago, Butschi said:

let's not derail this thread

no worry sir, you are doing the Lord's work! here is no worry at all

 

[Lucky_Strike]

14 hours ago, Butschi said:

Yes, correct. In OpenStreetMap a forest is a polygon with some tags that mark it as a forest. CMAutoEditor has currently two options for such cases. It either randomly chooses a tree type and density individually for each square within this polygon or an identical one for all squares. The latter is useful for other farmland, for instance. The tool works in a way that you can configure what should go into an area of a specific type. So, if the map contains different grassland types you can have differently looking areas. For forests there are, e.g. tags that say 'broadleaved', so you could select only specific tree types instead of the general mix.

Ok, let's not derail this thread, here is a little sneak peek (mildly cherry-picked of course but everything generated automatically), I'll make a dedicated thread once the code is good enough to present.

Wow, this is awesomeness, I can't say how many clicks I've suffered making 'random' forest and grassland. I really hope that BF see this and pay you a big wedge to incorporate this into the game editor in the future. In the meantime thanks! 

[Vergeltungswaffe]

4 hours ago, Lucky_Strike said:

... I really hope that BF see this and pay you a big wedge to incorporate this into the game editor in the future. In the meantime thanks! 

This x3000.

I so miss the random map generator from CMx1 and this looks like the road to having it back.

[Aragorn2002]

20 hours ago, Butschi said:

Yes, correct. In OpenStreetMap a forest is a polygon with some tags that mark it as a forest. CMAutoEditor has currently two options for such cases. It either randomly chooses a tree type and density individually for each square within this polygon or an identical one for all squares. The latter is useful for other farmland, for instance. The tool works in a way that you can configure what should go into an area of a specific type. So, if the map contains different grassland types you can have differently looking areas. For forests there are, e.g. tags that say 'broadleaved', so you could select only specific tree types instead of the general mix.

Ok, let's not derail this thread, here is a little sneak peek (mildly cherry-picked of course but everything generated automatically), I'll make a dedicated thread once the code is good enough to present.

That looks gorgeous!

[Butschi]

Thank you all! You should dial down the level of praise a bit, though, because otherwise it will go to my head.

And please, please don't get your expectations up too much, I don't want you to be disappointed. This is not a random map generator. It will use randomneIss to decide which tree or crop or grass and so on it puts into a square. The information that there should be a tree comes from OpenStreetMap.

8 hours ago, Lucky_Strike said:

incorporate this into the game editor in the future

I keep wondering if they don't have something like this, at least for the professional edition? I have a hard time imagining that the British Army (or whoever is their customer) employs CM scenario designers...

[RockinHarry]

1 hour ago, Butschi said:

Thank you all! You should dial down the level of praise a bit, though, because otherwise it will go to my head.

And please, please don't get your expectations up too much, I don't want you to be disappointed. This is not a random map generator. It will use randomneIss to decide which tree or crop or grass and so on it puts into a square. The information that there should be a tree comes from OpenStreetMap.

I keep wondering if they don't have something like this, at least for the professional edition? I have a hard time imagining that the British Army (or whoever is their customer) employs CM scenario designers...

I´d be perfectly fine with just the contour map conversion which is most the map making PITA when it comes to recreating terrain from real locations IMO. So road nets, trees etc. could be made optional (a switch) as any other the scripts features. In case one uses maps from WW2 most of its terrain features (but contours) will be almost all obsolete when compared to OpenStreetMap. Unless it´s a remote area that didn´t change much for the past decades. So anything but contours one got to create from scratch anyway. More or less. With realistically converted contour terrain one still has lots of time (and work) saved that can be used for placing remaining terrain features.