Annual look at the year to come - 2023

[Centurian52]

6 minutes ago, markus544 said:

Engine 5 does anyone know what that is?

There have been various upgrades to the CMx2 engine over the years (it's called engine 5, but really it's upgrade 5 to the CMx2 engine (or probably upgrade 4, since engine 1 was probably the base CMx2 engine)). The first few upgrades added lots of features, but it's been announced that engine 5 will focus on performance improvements instead of features. The CMx2 engine is a decade and a half old and it hasn't received any performance upgrades in that time. So it's starting to show its age, hence the focus on performance instead of features this time. Theoretically Combat Mission will run much more smoothly after engine 5 is released.

[markus544]

Oh okay, got it.

[BornGinger]

This really goes slow. It seemes Steven, or whoever, is busy with this when sitting in the toilet and only at those times when he isn't reading the newspaper in the toilet.

[dan/california]

4 hours ago, BornGinger said:

This really goes slow. It seemes Steven, or whoever, is busy with this when sitting in the toilet and only at those times when he isn't reading the newspaper in the toilet.

Steve is not the chokepoint, the chokepoint is how many very competent programmers can be hired to assist Charles.

[chuckdyke]

6 hours ago, BornGinger said:

This really goes slow. It seemes Steven, or whoever, is busy with this when sitting in the toilet and only at those times when he isn't reading the newspaper in the toilet.

Basically there is no competition. Til some writes a code as good or better than CM we have just to put up with it. I play CM because of the soft factors and the WEGO mode of play. Also Iron is the ultimate with our house rules. 

[kohlenklau]

You'll get nothing and you'll like it!

 

 

 

[Saurion]

Waiting for Fortress Italy on steam!!! 

[Artkin]

57 minutes ago, Saurion said:

Waiting for Fortress Italy on steam!!! 

It just arrived on Steam

[Murauder]

Man,I want more tanks for CMBS,T80A,T80BV,T80BVM,T72B,T72B3M,T72B3UBH!!!

[Hister]

6 hours ago, Murauder said:

Man,I want more tanks for CMBS,T80A,T80BV,T80BVM,T72B,T72B3M,T72B3UBH!!!

Why? They are all crap and burn the same.

[Murauder]

17 hours ago, Hister said:

Why? They are all crap and burn the same.

Not carp,and compared with CMBN, CMBS has less vehicles,not enough at all. Also, I think T72 series are the most functional tank in the world. These tanks are quite suitable for the east Europe battlefield.

[Hister]

3 hours ago, Murauder said:

Not carp,and compared with CMBN, CMBS has less vehicles,not enough at all. Also, I think T72 series are the most functional tank in the world. These tanks are quite suitable for the east Europe battlefield.

You didn't spot the wink at the end of the sentence I see. 

[chuckdyke]

51 minutes ago, Hister said:

You didn't spot the wink at the end of the sentence I see. 

Israeli comment when fighting the T62 for the first time. They brew up the same as any other Soviet Tank. That's when the Centurions and M60's ruled with the 105mm gun. Yes the T72 is very functional first tank with an ejection turret.

[markus544]

The quality of the tank is one thing, the other thing now and has been Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) space based, drone based. In real time anything on the battlefield can be seen and instantly targeted and blasted off the map. That's what Russian has been doing and will continue to do. Ukraine is doomed. I don't care how many Abrams are sent when they get anywhere near Russian forces they will be turned into so much scrap.

[Bearstronaut]

5 hours ago, markus544 said:

The quality of the tank is one thing, the other thing now and has been Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) space based, drone based. In real time anything on the battlefield can be seen and instantly targeted and blasted off the map. That's what Russian has been doing and will continue to do. Ukraine is doomed. I don't care how many Abrams are sent when they get anywhere near Russian forces they will be turned into so much scrap.

Post this to the Ukraine war thread. 

[A Canadian Cat]

6 hours ago, markus544 said:

The quality of the tank is one thing, the other thing now and has been Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) space based, drone based. In real time anything on the battlefield can be seen and instantly targeted and blasted off the map. That's what Russian has been doing and will continue to do. Ukraine is doomed. I don't care how many Abrams are sent when they get anywhere near Russian forces they will be turned into so much scrap.

Sounds like you have that backwards my friend. Tanks have not had as much effect on the battlefield as many expected mostly due to the simple and plentiful man portable AT systems. That has effected both sides - this is why we didn't see tanks roll into Kyiv and why we don't see tanks rolling over the RA defensive lines now. The tanks being blasted from C4ISR is a contributing reason but not the major factor. On that front it's the AFU that has the upper hand. They have excellent C4ISR and precision munitions are are very capable of using it. The RA has much weaker ISR and much less capable precision munitions.

The balance of C4ISR and raining precision strikes on the enemy is heavily, heavily in the AFU's favour.

Ukraine is far from doomed.

[Vergeltungswaffe]

The russians have proven to be very good at turning their own equipment into scrap.

[Centurian52]

I think the quality of the tank is beside the point. What matters is that there are a lot of battles in the current war that we cannot replicate without T-72Bs, T80BVs, T80Us, T80BVMs, T72B3Ms and so on

[markus544]

59 minutes ago, IanL said:

Sounds like you have that backwards my friend. Tanks have not had as much effect on the battlefield as many expected mostly due to the simple and plentiful man portable AT systems. That has effected both sides - this is why we didn't see tanks roll into Kyiv and why we don't see tanks rolling over the RA defensive lines now. The tanks being blasted from C4ISR is a contributing reason but not the major factor. On that front it's the AFU that has the upper hand. They have excellent C4ISR and precision munitions are are very capable of using it. The RA has much weaker ISR and much less capable precision munitions.

The balance of C4ISR and raining precision strikes on the enemy is heavily, heavily in the AFU's favour.

Ukraine is far from doomed.

I wish you were right, but you're not IMHP. Ukraine is the most corrupt countries on the planet. Doesn't not bother anyone that the scum in DC refuse to give an accounting of all the monies billions given to Ukraine. Botton line is this war needs to stop, now. Before the west gets dragged into WW3 tanks and munitions be damned. I know this is off topic and I am not a Putin *** kisser, this way too many people have died for nothing.

[Hister]

40 minutes ago, markus544 said:

I wish you were right, but you're not IMHP. Ukraine is the most corrupt countries on the planet. Doesn't not bother anyone that the scum in DC refuse to give an accounting of all the monies billions given to Ukraine. Botton line is this war needs to stop, now. Before the west gets dragged into WW3 tanks and munitions be damned. I know this is off topic and I am not a Putin *** kisser, this way too many people have died for nothing.

Erm, Russia is No.1 corrupt state in Europe, followed by Ukraine. While there has been strong civil anticoruption movement in Ulraine, the corruption in Russia is strong as ever.  You might want to check data facts before undergoing Russian propaganda lines.

 

Edit: I am all in for more tank and other vehicle variety in CMBS, I just made a snark remark.

Edited September 28, 2023 by Hister

[Centurian52]

52 minutes ago, markus544 said:

I wish you were right, but you're not IMHP. Ukraine is the most corrupt countries on the planet. Doesn't not bother anyone that the scum in DC refuse to give an accounting of all the monies billions given to Ukraine. Botton line is this war needs to stop, now. Before the west gets dragged into WW3 tanks and munitions be damned. I know this is off topic and I am not a Putin *** kisser, this way too many people have died for nothing.

I'll take your word for it that you're not pro-Russian. But you are clearly getting your information from Russian propaganda. It has been obvious since last April that Russia is going to lose this war. That comes with the caveat that victory conditions are asymmetric. Russian defeat does not automatically mean Ukrainian victory. Russia has already lost this war, and there is absolutely nothing that can change that now. Ukrainian victory has not yet been assured, though it is very likely. In fact the only way that Ukraine could lose at this point is if western support evaporates. So long as western support remains strong, Ukraine cannot lose.

Yes, Ukraine is still struggling with corruption. They are not more corrupt than Russia (they aren't even as corrupt as Russia (even in 2014 Ukraine was still only the 2nd most corrupt country in Europe after Russia)). They are struggling with the same corruption that all former-Soviet/Warsaw Pact and Russia-aligned states struggle with. Notably, all former Soviet/Warsaw Pact states which realigned away from Russia have drastically reduced corruption and increased economic prosperity compared to when they were aligned with/part of the Soviet Union/Russia. We are seeing signs of the same trends in Ukraine. A single decade is far too little time to eliminate all of the corruption that comes with formerly being aligned with Russia, but they are making impressive progress.

There is zero chance of this becoming WW3. Even if war broke out between Russia and NATO (which is basically impossible, considering that Russia has no available forces to attack NATO with (they are all in Ukraine), and in order for NATO to attack Russia all members would need to unanimously agree on something), Russia just isn't a world war-class threat (modern day Russia is not the Soviet Union, and it is not modern day China). It would be a big war, but not a world war (by any reasonable standard).

Stopping the war would overwhelmingly benefit Russia and hurt Ukraine. It would give Russia a chance to rebuild their forces, absorb lessons, and retrain under peacetime conditions. It would undo so much of the progress that has been made towards defeating them. And remember that Russians do not keep to their agreements. Any agreement that is made with Russia will be broken by Russia. Peace now along the current borders will result in Russia invading again in a few years. They will have a better starting position, they will have produced more modern equipment, and they will not underestimate the Ukrainians next time. If we stop the war now then far more people will be killed in the inevitable next war than if we see the current war through. Seeing the current war through will make it possible to more completely defeat the Russian army, allow the Ukrainian army to reestablish itself along more defensible borders, and make it easier to accept Ukraine as a full NATO member, all of which will drastically reduce the threat of future Russian invasions. 

Another reason not to stop the war right now is the importance of deterring future wars started by other would-be invaders. Allowing Russia to keep any part of Ukrainian territory sends the message that land grabs work. Part of the modern rules-based order is that invading your neighbor is no longer a legitimate way of settling territorial disputes (Russia is allowed to claim that Ukraine is a historical part of Russia all they want, but they are not allowed to settle that claim with force). We must send the message that as long as the current world order lasts, land grabs will always fail.

Edited September 28, 2023 by Centurian52

[Vacillator]

3 hours ago, Bearstronaut said:

Post this to the Ukraine war thread. 

Yes, if the above comments were posted on the Ukraine thread I suspect there would be a rather more 'robust' reaction.

[ThathumanHayden]

Many on-topic posts about the year to come. Also, in CMCW, if the Soviet second-generation tanks are not working for you, look at some of Hapless' stuff. Used well they are very formidable. Not too much you can really do against a good opponent in SF2 or CMBS against the Americans though

[ThathumanHayden]

Oh, and Freewhisky and Domfluff. They have great Soviet tutorials.

[Centurian52]

48 minutes ago, ThathumanHayden said:

Oh, and Freewhisky and Domfluff. They have great Soviet tutorials.

Oh yes, I started doing much better as the Soviets/Russians after watching Freewhisky's collabs with Domfluff (and fully reading FM100-2-1 for myself).

49 minutes ago, ThathumanHayden said:

Many on-topic posts about the year to come. Also, in CMCW, if the Soviet second-generation tanks are not working for you, look at some of Hapless' stuff. Used well they are very formidable. Not too much you can really do against a good opponent in SF2 or CMBS against the Americans though

Haven't played against a human in CMBS yet. But I started doing a lot better as the Russians vs US AI after studying Soviet doctrine. The key is to not use Russian forces the same way you would use US forces. Prep the way with forward echelons (recon, feint (only works against a human obviously, so I haven't put this into practice yet), pin down part of the enemy force), choose an unexpected avenue of approach for your main attack, then fully commit everything at once to the main attack when (not before) it's ready to go in. It's a firepower based army, so I make very liberal use of firepower when it's time for the main attack to go in. I'll generally have all of my artillery expending all of its ammunition on anything I think might pose a threat to my main advance. I'll aim to have my tanks and IFVs arrive on the objective while the barrage is still falling, with main guns and autocannons blasting all suspected enemy positions without waiting for spots (to get a vehicle to engage multiple targets in a turn I'll use a target briefly command with a 15 second pause, then a movement order to get them to the next target briefly command), with infantry aiming to arrive on the positions they are trying to storm seconds after the supporting vehicle's 'target briefly' command runs out.

Even with all this though, you can still very much feel the superiority of the US forces. The short artillery call-in times for the Americans practically force you to be aggressive, since if you ever stop moving you will become pinned down. And frontal engagements against American tanks are a complete no-go.

Basically I think it's possible for Russians to do well against the US in CMBS (haven't proven that it's possible to do well against a human US opponent yet, so maybe I need to hop into CMBS and see if I can find an opponent). Though it's certainly harder than the US against the Soviets in CMCW. Probably not possible for the Syrians to do much against the US in CMSF2 though (maybe if you do everything perfectly you could inflict a few more casualties while losing).

Edited September 28, 2023 by Centurian52