An example of Artillery in Action

[Battlefront.com]

Due to popular demand, and some Marine style virtual arm twisting, I have cooked up this little demo of how the CMx2's Support Fire system works. In CMx2 terms, when we say Support we mean both Air Support and Artillery Support unless one is specifically singled out. Each type has quite different options to choose from during when issuing a Support Mission request, and obviously platform (weapon) specific results, but the mechanics of getting an offmap asset to start blowing stuff up is identical. And boy didn't that take a long time to figure out

The first thing you guys should know is that this system is EXTREMELY fast and responsive. Excluding the time you might spend determining what you want to target and by whom, it takes about 8-10 seconds of somewhat leisurely clicking to get a Support Mission request complete and on its way to the shooter. The time for it to arrive is, of course, highly dependent on various game elements.

In this example I'll walk you through the process step by step using a very simple scenario that I threw together for the occasion.

Step 1 - Starting Up

I've got the Platoon HQ for 2nd Platoon selected for this example. You can see that this unit has a dedicated FO, which means I'll get better results from using this unit vs. some other unit that doesn't have such a specialist. You can also see that this unit has C&C with C Company (the parent Company) and 1st Battalion (the parent Battalion). Again, another big bonus. The unit also has a RPDA (satellite linked communications device) and binoculars. Again, more benefits! Er... ignore the info under the single white flag icon (this is the HQ's list of attachments) since I just noticed it's bugging out and reporting all kinds of wrong data! Oh CHARLES!! Also ignore some missing graphics, including a soldier portrait over the LT rank.

Since the Artillery and Air Support buttons are green and lit up, this means I have both types of Assets available. So I click on Artillery and move onto the next step.

Step 2 - Support Roster

Above the main UI the Support Roster appears. I wish I could show you the cool, smooth way it pops up. You'll have to take my word for it What shows in the Roster are all Assets of the type selected, in this case Artillery. A total of 5 can fit into the view at once. If there are more than that arrow buttons appear on the left and right to allow you to scroll the list. Time to select something!

In this example I selected a pair of 155mm M109A6 Paladins. The green dots tell you how "far away" the artillery is from your chosen spotter. I don't mean distance here, I mean organizationally. The more dots the more problems and delays associated with calling it in. If you saw a 60mm Mortar section assigned to C Company there would likely be only a single green dot. If the spotter were a FIST unit (Fire Support) the Paladins would also have much fewer dots. The little red X is a mystery to me (apparently it is a bug), so let's all ignore that!

When you select an Asset it appears down in the Support Panel with the addition of ammo indicators (we only have simple HE plugged in right now). You can change the selected Asset at this point in order to allow you to be browse the choices in more detail if desired. Once you're happy with your selection you need to create a Support Mission Request. CM is kind enough to help you out by walking you through a bunch of steps to set the Mission Parameters, listed in the green screen display. These Parameters are all context sensitive and so can vary quite a bit from Asset to Asset, Mission to Mission.

The first one is Target and you're asked to select Point, Area, or Line. I chose Point, which removes the Roster and moves us along to the next step.

Step 3 - Choose whom to make unhappy

I've decided to make some, uhm, alterations to this little complex of buildings. You can see the special Support targeting cursor and the distance from the spotting unit. Since this is a Point Target all I have to do is make a single click and I'll be moved along to the next Parameter, the number of Guns to fire (in this case a choice between 1 or 2). For Area you'd specify a center point with one click and the distance out from it with a second click. With Line Target you'd specify two end points with two clicks.

Mission allows me to determine how hard I want to hit the target, Duration for how long. These two Parameters allow me to lob sporadic shells over a long period time or go full out for a short period of time. There are about 5 or 6 options for each of the Parameters so there are LOTS of combos available to you. Effect asks you what kind of target you intend on hitting so the virtual artillery battery can select what sorts of ammo and fuze setting combos it should use. In this case I chose "General" which means HE with impact fuzes will be favored. With that one specified you'll get an estimated Delivery time. As you can see it looks like no matter what it's going to take 2 minutes for the first shell to land. Delay, the final Parameter, determines when the whole shoot'n match should start.

The combo of the Spotter and Parameters thus far tell the virtual battery all sorts of other things like firing pattern, how many spotting rounds it should use, etc. In this case I'm expecting about one spotting round, which did this...

Step 4 - See the results

First shell impacts about 16m from the designated target point. You can barely see the small one story building behind it, but I can assure you it wasn't all still there when the dust settled. You can see the deformed terrain (crater) that the shell just created. The first Fire for Effect volley of two shells landing right on top of the two gray buildings, practically dead center on the roofs. Both suffered massive damage.

[ December 07, 2006, 08:05 PM: Message edited by: Battlefront.com ]

[Battlefront.com]

For giggles I also requested that the other Paladin battery whack the trenches that are behind the buildings (you can just barely see them). I used a Line Target and my virtual battery selected a nice airburst fuze setting at about 30m or so off the ground (or so it looked)...

Sorry about the "PAUSED" thing in the middle. I was playing in WeGo Mode so I could choose the right look before hitting the Print Screen button. It was REALLY tough to get a decent looking shot since explosions always look pretty sucky in a static screenshot compared to in the game. And as luck would have it, the dang'd "PAUSED" text was right where I didn't want it to be The results were quite pleasing to my infantry since they were advancing over pretty exposed terrain.

I don't want to get into a big discussion about non-Artillery based stuff right now, but I figure I should say something about the Red icons you're seeing there. These things hover over a unit so you can see where it is and select it without having to hunt for it. For example, you can BARELY see any signs of enemy infantry in the trenches. The icons tell you they are there. Better still, if these were my guys I could select them and issue Commands without having to move the camera up and pitched down so I could look into the trenches so I could actually click on them. This was a problem we didn't usually have with CMx1 because units were generally easier to grab because the terrain wasn't as varied and (of course) the game was always WeGo. The two problems CMx1 did have were vehicle passengers and units in buildings. The icons fix both of these problems quite well. I can't imagine playing the game without them...

My Stryker Rifle Platoon, all mounted up, races towards the trenches with the buildings in the background. Note the bent slat armor... that's done randomly per vehicle, as is the case with the stuff on the top deck and sides of the Strykers. Ignore the self shadowing stuff for now. It's got some "issues" Charles needs to fix, especially with my stupid ATI card. There's also a bug that has this Stryker out of C&C with its Company. Thanks to radios and FBCB2 Strykers should never, ever be out of C2 with each other unless there is some damage to one or both of those systems.

Well, there you go

Steve

[ December 07, 2006, 07:48 PM: Message edited by: Battlefront.com ]

[Holman]

I have spotted a bug:

Step 3 - Choose who to make unhappy

The "who" should be "whom."

Sorry, I'm an English teacher.

[rudel.dietrich]

Buildings are looking very very nice.

I can see myself spending hours working on a single building when making maps.

[Battlefront.com]

You know, I expected the first post would be a grog complaining about something. Little did I know it would be a LANGUAGE grog. They're the worst

Steve

[Sequoia]

Originally posted by Battlefront.com:

First shell impacts about 16m from the designated target point.

Is that the first spotting shell? Is that normal? I was in FDC 25 years ago and that would have been incredibly lucky back then.

[Battlefront.com]

Sequoia,

Is that the first spotting shell? Is that normal? I was in FDC 25 years ago and that would have been incredibly lucky back then.

Yes, that is the spotting round and yes things have changed a tad bit since you were in. The goal is to use a max of one spotting round for FFE. Obviously this is often not possible, but in this case I was directing a VERY accurate Asset using nearly optimal conditions. I'd expect worse results most of the time, though not terribly different.

BTW, there are many AARs coming out of Iraq and Afghanistan that prove that this sort of precision fire is quite possible in the field.

Steve

[Dogface]

Is the green line a LOS or target line or somefink?

ALso, are the little black things around the airburst bees or tsetse flies?

[Battlefront.com]

Dogface,

It's a confirmed Target Line. LOS is not necessary, though helpful. The black things are shrapnel. Like I said, it looks MUCH better when animated. The first time I saw an airburst over a trench I thought "wow... sucks to be them". It really gives you a great idea of the area a shell affects. In the old CM it just was a ball of fire and no sense of how far away it's effect was felt.

Steve

[Dogface]

Dang I was hoping for a bunch of pissed off bees.

Now that would be an ADS I could get on board with.

Really though I feel your pain, I have spent many a night playing through sections of CMxx turns just to get that perfect print screen. I'll tell you this, its looking good so far. Thanks for the bone.

[jeffsmith]

FOW comment/question regarding the Red icons

"you can BARELY see any signs of enemy infantry in the trenches. The icons tell you they are there"

These icons should only show up if there is detection

by the in game units in high levels of FOW

and does that change with lower FOW settings

[dumrox]

Thanks for the post. I think it's the best series of screenshots I've seen. Trenches look nice as does the Stryker dust clouds.

Your delay/delivery descriptions seem out of order with the GUI. You say delay is the final parameter but it looks like delivery is the final parameter. Also, you indicate a 2 minute delay (although you call it delivery) but the parameter value and the game clock seem to indicate that the actual delay was 5 minutes or so.

[Moronic Max]

I think I'm in love.

Steve, will you marry me? If not, will you officiate my marriage with CM?

[John Kettler]

Steve,

Looks great and fire support request interface seems fairly straightforward. Artillery fire mission size in the example given seems to be more reflective of counterinsurgency type combat rather than general warfare, but it may very well reflect real world constraints on use of heavy firepower in MOUT. Is that why the max in the example amounts to only two howitzers? What is the largest fire support formation available in game, please? I understand F-16 type tacair's in, together with AC-130s, but are orbiting B-1Bs sporting JDAMs and SFW in the mix, or are they deemed to be beyond the scope of the game?

The overheads of the target building look like they might be from a UAV. Are they? Definitely wouldn't want to be in that trench! The mounted assault looks pretty cool, and I believe this is our first look at the new pattern armor mod. Love the telephone poles! Will we have wires on them in the finished game? Shadowing looks very good, too. Icons strongly remind me of ToW. Can they be switched off if desired, if nothing else for screenshots and possible movies? Otherwise, no realistic looking "war film."

Martyr's grammatical correction is spot on, to which I'd like to add my request that people stop using "shrapnel" when referring to shell fragments, especially since those who've played the earlier games have been treated to several exegeses on real shrapnel.

Speaking of artillery, does the desired effect list use the same categories found in the FMs? Back in the 1980s, ISTR the categories were H&I, Suppression, Neutralization and Destruction. Not sure what they are these days. Is WP in? If so, may we please have a "shake and bake" screenshot? Have we reached the point where we can finally fire HE Delay, rather than being stuck with Fuze Superquick as in the earlier games? Ideally, I'd like to have the option of blasting anyone topside

first and only destroying the building if absolutely necessary, using the aforementioned HE Delay to penetrate deep inside the building before shell detonation.

Regards,

John Kettler

[Thomm]

Very impressive stuff!

Best regards,

Thomm

PS: What is up with the trees not throwing shadows? Something LOD related?

[Gpig]

beautiful!

I love being able to see the dudes riding in back.

Great stuff.

Gpig

[Imperial Grunt]

Outstanding work Battlefront! Artillery screenshot approved.

Here is a grog critique for you though. A US Army rifle platoon HQ section does not have an XO. XO's appear at company level and higher. The XO should read platoon sergeant.

Keep up the great work.

[hellfish]

I think Steve mentioned a while ago that the XO is the PSG, just not called that (GUI template, I suppose?)

Great screenshots. Can't wait to call a TOT from an FA brigade someday.

[Kineas]

Yummy bone, thanks.

[birdstrike]

Awesome!

System seems to be simple and intuitive to use.

Hopefully we'll get to see some Syrian hardware, soon.

And nice to see the blast wave is having a comeback (well, sort of).

[Romulus]

Impressive! :eek: Guess the abstraction level of the artillery model in CMx1 will look pretty obsolete once we get used to the detail level of CMx2.

[Dirtweasle]

Very nice, thanks for the post.

[YankeeDog]

Very cool stuff!

In addition to all the artillery goodies, I'm also very impressed by other hints in those pix. . . like the fact that the game engine tracks what individual members of a team are doing (spotting, driving, etc.) -- I assume this affect situational awareness, etc.

Two follow ups:

1) How easy is it to coordinate different support assets? For example, if I have a Paladin battery, and an 81mm mortar battery available, and I want to coordinate things so that the Paladin battery hits a cluster of buildings with a few salvos of HE delay, and then the 81mm mortars start a harrassment/interdiction fire on surrounding area immediatly after the 155mm strike is over (to prevent the enemy from re-occupying the buildings), can I coordinate this through the support call system so that everthing times out correctly, or do I have to fudge it manually?

(2) AIUI, many of the longer-range gun artillery assets (like the Paladin) can do Simultaneous Time-On-Target strikes, where one tube can put as many as 6 rounds on the same target, all impacting at roughly the same time, by using different charge & elevation settings. Any plans to include this kind of capability in the game?

Thanks for all the pix and info!

Cheers,

YD

[MikeyD]

In the first picture, do I see the pattern of passing cloud shadows on the terrain below? I recall you mentioning something about that previously. Groovey.

Ah! I also noticed your Strykers now have their headlights positioned far outboard, and how they carry the big exhaust shroud like the current Iraqi vehicles. Good job on a vehicle that there's still no 'official' plan circulating on. You guys haven't missed a trick!

Yeh, it does look like this game will totally make it worth the price of upgrading my setup. Very much 'recreation of real circumstances' looking instead of 'Hollywood shoot-em-up'. Makes me want to grab those "But its not WWII" whiners by the lapels and shake some sense into 'em!

[ December 08, 2006, 08:04 AM: Message edited by: MikeyD ]

[aka_tom_w]

Those screen shots are JUST so amazing in their detail!

Folks actually serving in the US army and specifically in the Stryker Brigades should be looking at this game right now!

They should be putting their pre-orders in right NOW to use it as a training tool for leadership.

How could this not be the cheapest way to train Styker Team Leaders in tactics and leadership??!

I say this because from the looks of the Artillery Model there is so much detail there it really looks to me like an actual military combat simulator and not so much like "Just another wargame/video game".

.... but that is just my "non military" experiece (I have NONE) gee whiz, "wow factor" showing through.

-tom w

[ December 08, 2006, 10:28 AM: Message edited by: aka_tom_w ]