Combat Mission Cold War - British Army On the Rhine

[scarletto]

As long as you ensure the vehicles have got BVs, i will be happy. Spent some of my years in BAOR 1976-81 bumbling around Wolfenbüttel  and around the areas. 

[Halmbarte]

On 5/4/2023 at 4:30 AM, The_Capt said:

Ok, pre-Alpha disclaimer so details are subject to change but this is the first map in the Canadian campaign "On the Weser" - got big plans for this one. A Pete Wenman original:

Just southwest of a little town called Boffzen and south of Hoxter (From Google Earth):

Blow up of Canadian AO with rough zone of this map:

What MBTs & APCs were the Canadians using in the game time period? 

H

[Amedeo]

3 hours ago, Halmbarte said:

What MBTs & APCs were the Canadians using in the game time period? 

H

Leopard 1s and M113s.

[Halmbarte]

I was hoping for Centurions but Leopard 1s will be interesting. Kind of the polar opposite to the design philosophy of the Chieftain. 

H

[Vergeltungswaffe]

Read First Clash and you'll want to game some Canadian goodness.

[Centurian52]

On 7/2/2023 at 4:10 AM, scarletto said:

my years in BAOR 1976-81

Goodness, this module is practically being made just for you!

[Centurian52]

On 7/2/2023 at 8:36 PM, Halmbarte said:

I was hoping for Centurions but Leopard 1s will be interesting. Kind of the polar opposite to the design philosophy of the Chieftain. 

H

Well, the module timeframe is from 1976-1982, and the Canadians only started replacing their Centurions with Leopards in 1978 or 79. So I think it's a safe bet that Centurions are going to make it into the game for those early (1976-1977) Canadian forces.

But yeah, expect Leopards for most Canadian scenarios

Edited July 5, 2023 by Centurian52

[Halmbarte]

On 7/2/2023 at 4:10 AM, scarletto said:

As long as you ensure the vehicles have got BVs, i will be happy. Spent some of my years in BAOR 1976-81 bumbling around Wolfenbüttel  and around the areas. 

Upon taking damage to the BV crew moral is 'shaken'.

H

[Pinetree]

On 7/2/2023 at 11:10 PM, scarletto said:

As long as you ensure the vehicles have got BVs, i will be happy. Spent some of my years in BAOR 1976-81 bumbling around Wolfenbüttel  and around the areas. 

Will they show up brighter in thermal viewers?

[Centurian52]

I started a CMA/CMCW playthrough at the beginning of June in anticipation of CMCW:BAOR. I figure I'm about 1/3rd of the way through CMA (I've fought 17 scenarios and estimate that I have around 50ish scenarios, including campaigns). At this rate I figure it will take me another 6.5-8 months to finish off both CMA and the existing content for CMCW. In a perfect world I will finish the last US mission for CMCW the day that we get some British and Canadian missions to play. But I figure I can supplement by going back and playing Commonwealth forces in CMBN if I finish the existing content for CMCW before BAOR is released (start getting into a more British/Canadian mindset, even if its the wrong period (should be able to buy a few more months for BAOR to be released that way)).

I suppose all of this is a long winded way of asking @The_Capt, how are things looking?

[The_Capt]

4 hours ago, Centurian52 said:

I started a CMA/CMCW playthrough at the beginning of June in anticipation of CMCW:BAOR. I figure I'm about 1/3rd of the way through CMA (I've fought 17 scenarios and estimate that I have around 50ish scenarios, including campaigns). At this rate I figure it will take me another 6.5-8 months to finish off both CMA and the existing content for CMCW. In a perfect world I will finish the last US mission for CMCW the day that we get some British and Canadian missions to play. But I figure I can supplement by going back and playing Commonwealth forces in CMBN if I finish the existing content for CMCW before BAOR is released (start getting into a more British/Canadian mindset, even if its the wrong period (should be able to buy a few more months for BAOR to be released that way)).

I suppose all of this is a long winded way of asking @The_Capt, how are things looking?

Steady as she goes gentlemen.

[SchnelleMeyer]

Any news or tentative release time for this DLC?

[Centurian52]

47 minutes ago, SchnelleMeyer said:

Any news or tentative release time for this DLC?

Despite my earlier prodding, I believe they prefer to avoid answering that question until they are pretty close to being finished (customers can have an unfortunate habit of interpreting estimates as promises). My sense is that it's still going to be a while. It usually takes a few months after we get the first screenshots of the new forces, and we haven't got those yet (though we got a juicy pic of some of the new ground a page back (a bit flatter than the Fulda Gap, but still some rolling hills (I'm guessing the sightlines might be a bit shorter on average, since there will be fewer elevated positions, but fewer hills interrupting sightlines might also result in longer sightlines on average))). So I'm guessing the actual release is still a long way away (I'm starting to feel like we may be talking 2024, since we're already in the 3rd quarter of 2023, though perhaps a Christmas 2023 release is on the cards). 

But for something a little more near term, and probably a bit less risky if the estimate turns out to be off, @The_Capt are we getting close to seeing screenshots of forces?

[SchnelleMeyer]

Thanks for you views on the matter @Centurian52. I think earlier it stated a release this year, but knowing BFs track record regarding timelines for releases - that will probably not happen. Would be awesome to have some armour teaser screenshots while we impatiently wait though.

[Sunbather]

At this point, any Battlepack or Module would be welcome. Lots of them were announced years ago (Blitzkrieg module and Black Sea module) and for some games they are desperately needed.

And if we really have to wait for the (probably already finished) BS module until the real war is over, we might as well be thinking 2025 now.

I also have the feeling that the partnership with Matrix/Slitherine slows down releases. They have a very rigorous policy over there to NEVER release a thing when it is done but only when it fits into their PR schedule, i.e. when something other major has released in a quarter, nothing else will release. It is understandable, maybe, but then again wargamers are hardly people who care much about crowded release frames. When two games they want to buy release at the same time, they either simply buy both or buy one now and the other one at a later time. This is just an interpretation from the outside but it can be very frustrating to see how Matrix/Slitherine's release schedule.

That being said, I don't even know if Battlefront might release a module or BP on their website simply when it is ready anyhow. With Matrix/Slitherine release coming at a later point.

[Centurian52]

1 hour ago, Sunbather said:

At this point, any Battlepack or Module would be welcome. Lots of them were announced years ago (Blitzkrieg module and Black Sea module) and for some games they are desperately needed.

And if we really have to wait for the (probably already finished) BS module until the real war is over, we might as well be thinking 2025 now.

I also have the feeling that the partnership with Matrix/Slitherine slows down releases. They have a very rigorous policy over there to NEVER release a thing when it is done but only when it fits into their PR schedule, i.e. when something other major has released in a quarter, nothing else will release. It is understandable, maybe, but then again wargamers are hardly people who care much about crowded release frames. When two games they want to buy release at the same time, they either simply buy both or buy one now and the other one at a later time. This is just an interpretation from the outside but it can be very frustrating to see how Matrix/Slitherine's release schedule.

That being said, I don't even know if Battlefront might release a module or BP on their website simply when it is ready anyhow. With Matrix/Slitherine release coming at a later point.

The Slitherine partnership does not prevent Battlefront from releasing products when they're ready. Nothing gets released on Matrix or Steam until Slitherine puts it into their release schedule, but Battlefront will still release it on their website. I think the main issue is that we lost a year to PBEM++.

There is enough content out right now to keep me busy for a while, so while I'm eager to see British and Canadian forces in action against the Soviets, I'm content to wait as long as it takes for the module (I can backtrack to WW2 if I finish my current CMA/CMCW playthrough before BAOR is released (the main thing is that I don't want to move forward into the modern titles before BAOR is released, since I want to view Cold War equipment in its proper context of being better than WW2 equipment, rather than the skewed context of being worse than modern equipment)). But certainly a patch to fix the ongoing issue of TOW vehicles being counted as tanks on the end screen can't come soon enough.

[DesertFox]

nvm

Edited August 17, 2023 by DesertFox

[MikeyD]

I don't think Canada got Leopard 1 until 1978. Before that it would be... uh.... Centurion 11? It used to be easy to research cold war Germany stuff. But there have been so many subsequent wars that cold war stuff on the internet got pushed aside by Bosnia and Iraq (and all the other wars that followed).

[Centurian52]

On 8/17/2023 at 8:22 PM, MikeyD said:

I don't think Canada got Leopard 1 until 1978. Before that it would be... uh.... Centurion 11? It used to be easy to research cold war Germany stuff. But there have been so many subsequent wars that cold war stuff on the internet got pushed aside by Bosnia and Iraq (and all the other wars that followed).

From what I recall of the research I did a few months back, it was a 105mm gun variant of the Centurion stationed in Germany in 1976/77 (don't remember the exact number, but 11 sounds about right). But there were a few older 84mm variants sitting back in Canada that might come to Europe as reinforcements.

[Centurian52]

A new episode of Anti-Tank Chats just dropped which probably belongs on this thread

 

[LuckyDog]

@The_Capt Is there anything you can share? I'd love to hear any details you feel comfortable imparting! 

[ratdeath]

Please!

[A Canadian Cat]

On 9/20/2023 at 1:24 PM, ratdeath said:

Please!

Don't trust those eyes - it's a trap!

[Rob2020]

Interestingly, board wargame designer Bruce Maxwell has also chosen the BAOR as the first sequel/expansion for his upcoming Air & Armor game, largely due to accidentally having stumbled upon an expert on the BAOR. I wonder whether it's the same person BFC is using.

 

Also, isn't it British Army of the Rhine, rather than on? I've bever heard it called the latter.

Edited September 24, 2023 by Rob2020

[Combatintman]

On 9/24/2023 at 2:39 AM, Rob2020 said:

Interestingly, board wargame designer Bruce Maxwell has also chosen the BAOR as the first sequel/expansion for his upcoming Air & Armor game, largely due to accidentally having stumbled upon an expert on the BAOR. I wonder whether it's the same person BFC is using.

 

Also, isn't it British Army of the Rhine, rather than on? I've bever heard it called the latter.

No, I'm not involved with that title .