From the Dawn to Setting Sun-Marines Mini-Campaign RELEASED!

[CogNative]

M2 did fine. Use what you got and you will do fine.

M3 Hmm? Much tougher than I thought and with a sassy back side slap. Will have to try M3 again.

Dawn to Setting Sun is an excellent scale and refreshing no armor campaign. Another Village, Town no armor campaign for 2009... Please?

Thanks FMB and all the testers.

[stikkypixie]

I don't get mission 4. The briefing said I can choose an entry point and blast it, but none of my guys are carrying C4. And I don't think the SWAW can blow walls...

[Sergei]

If you have a SMAW team, they should have detonation charges.

[stikkypixie]

Hah, I never noticed that until now.

[Field Marshal Blücher]

@theFightingSeebee,

dan/california is quite correct on this one. You would be absolutely screwed for Mission 3+ having lost 8 men in one mission already.

I'm sorry it makes you quit the campaign, but it's the only way I can do it. You just need to make do with the saves that you have at the beginning of each mission.

[GSX]

Just played through the whole thing tonite.

Very refreshing to play with one unit for 5 missions and have to think about keeping the boys all alive for the next one.

No air/arty/armour is great and I managed to play straight through. Got a minor defeat on the last mission but I was in the zone so won the campaign. I can honestly say I havent smoked so much since I gave up 10 years ago!

One thing I will say, dont lose the SMAW team, I dont think I could have done it without them, especially on the bridge mission, they were essential to getting across the bridge and up to the exit zone.

A really enjoyable infantry OP, thanks very much for doing it and I will look out for more of your work later. The maps were good too, especially the one where I had to kill the Insurgent Boss, this took a bit of thought as to whether to press on or hit CF, I pressed on. Left me a wee bit short of men for the next one and thats probably why I failed.

Good stuff though.

[GSX]

I don't get mission 4. The briefing said I can choose an entry point and blast it, but none of my guys are carrying C4. And I don't think the SWAW can blow walls...

SMAW Rockets can blow walls, also Infantry can also blow walls if you target them. 13 men throwing grenades blow walls in SF. Not really real life but hey, it works in the game....

[CogNative]

You just need to make do with the saves that you have at the beginning of each mission. Good reason for the UI feature of Quick Save in V1.11? Santa?

Got 10 minutes to go in M3 on my 2nd try. Thanks FMB.

[Field Marshal Blücher]

OK, now that I've got some time, I've got a few things to say:

@Capt. Toleran

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for leaving me feedback, last I checked, you were one of only two on CMMODs or the Repository to do so.

@stikkypixie

Yeah, the Assault Squad has demo charges, but only two, so you need to not only be very careful about how you use them but you need to make sure you keep the SMAW squad intact!

@CogNative

Glad you're enjoying it! I may just have something up my sleeve in 2009 . . .

@GSX

Also glad to hear you liked it! You're quite right about the SMAW team.

[theFightingSeabee]

FMB,

I haven't given up yet! I'll be trying again soon.

[CogNative]

@CogNative: Glad you're enjoying it! I may just have something up my sleeve in 2009 . . . Thanks Santa FMB.

Got through your excellent Sun Driven "mini" Campaign. M.V. - I think 4 KIA @ 14 wounded. I admit my M5 was in a less than desirable fashion as I had little time to run the gauntlet. I will go back and play it through in true (as designed) MOUT fashion. Your "mini" Campaign has been distinguished recreation for me and my recommendations for Infantry oriented folks.

[Webwing]

Nice work FMB! Simple, short, strait forward infantry missions.

Just played it. I think the level of difficulty is just right. I didn´t save or replay anything. I really like infantry missions so this was very enjoyable.

Veteran. Tactical Victory. 9 KIA, 11 WIA. Could have done better if I didn´t try to go so fast. But you never know what to expect.

When are you planning to release the next one?

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[Field Marshal Blücher]

Glad you enjoyed it, Webwing!

When are you planning to release the next one?

Since you ask, I might as well release my information. I have two ongoing projects:

1. LAR/CAAT Mini-Campaign

Core forces:

4 LAV-25-A2

2 LAV-AT-A2

4 Scout Teams

2 Mk 19 HMMWV +2 dismounted Mk 19 teams

4 M2 HMMWV +2 dismounted M2 teams

4 TOW HMMWV +2 dismounted TOW teams

This one is 90% finished, but I'm waiting on 1.11 to complete the final playtesting for two of the missions. Then I'll release it to testers, and then I'll release it to everyone. I expect it to be released about a week and a half after 1.11 is released.

2. 101st AB Mini-Campaign

Since I started reading the comments in this thread, I realized that the demand for infantry-based campaigns is very high. I was going to do a campaign based around an M1A1 FEP platoon next, but instead I'm going to do another infantry platoon campaign first. This one is about 15% done; it centers around an infantry platoon from the 1st Battalion, 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment.

Does that answer your question?

[Clevinger]

Glad you enjoyed it, Webwing!

This one is 90% finished, but I'm waiting on 1.11 to complete the final playtesting for two of the missions. Then I'll release it to testers, and then I'll release it to everyone. I expect it to be released about a week and a half after 1.11 is released.

Looking for testers on this one?

[Tuomio]

Very good campaing, this scale is spot on with realtime play. I suggest everybody to try and play with single save per mission, its very doable because you are not engaging a crack paras with overhelming odds like seems to be the norm with other campaings.

Tactic suggestions:

Keep engagement distances long. Under 100 meters you will start to suffer casualties which is definetly no no. If you spot an enemy location, area fire it with all you got until you can be certain that they are dead (this is how they do it in RL also). Use your SMAW troopers, its better to survive with empty clip than die with full one.

Keep your MG troopers deployed at spots where they have good coverage. They seem to be quite good at killing identified targets, rather than area-firing.

[theFightingSeabee]

I've tried the second mission 5 times and cannot seem to pass.

I've tried to approach from the right, the left (3 times), and the middle. I tried to punch a hole with a lightning fast attack and also tried staying back and fighting from a distance. Maybe I'm just unlucky, because I have guys getting capped from enemies 500m away. I wasted thousands of rounds trying to kill a sniper up on the hill and thought he was dead, only to approach and lose several more guys to him.

I also can't seem to get my pickups anywhere near the objective. What am I doing wrong? I feel like I'm using sound tactics, but I'm either running out of ammo or dying, or both. And when a couple of guys buy the farm, I lose the campaign.

[Thomm]

I also can't seem to get my pickups anywhere near the objective.

You do not have to. I just parked them in the treeline and left them alone.

Best regards,

Thomm

[Tuomio]

The second mission is self evident if you look at the map. Only one possible route to advance, which is impassable for vehicles = dismount.

Unless you want to simulate the effect of unarmored troops running into heavy ambush (which might have appeal without the casualty restrictions), you are not going to drive anywhere.

In the context of this campaing, the second and last mission are weird, because you'll be entering enemy ambush when there should be none and if there would, you would avoid them like a plague. Thats why you should forget the briefings and role-playing during those missions.

[Webwing]

That´s great news Field Marshal Blücher!!!!

Looking forward to them! Specially the infantry one.

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[ChrisND]

The balance for the third mission needs to be adjusted. I finished the mission with five casualties, all were spread around the platoon so every element was more than combat effective. I got a draw and was booted out of the campaign. Annoying, to say the least.

[ChrisND]

Five casualties would be considered bad for any one fight the platoon got into. .

I'd consider it pretty darned good for a platoon that is taking on a force armed with RPGs and machineguns in buildings that overlook a few hundred meters of open ground.

[Field Marshal Blücher]

@Clevinger,

I'll post a new beta test request thread when it's ready to go.

@Tuomio,

Glad you enjoyed it! Your advice is quite correct.

@theFightingSeebee,

The way to do mission 2 is to dismount, assault through the ambush, and then remount if necessary. I may need to make the briefing clearer; I'm sorry.

@ND,

The balance, according to Thomm, needs to be redone for 1.11 anyway. I'm going to wait and just fix everything then rather than release a bunch of incremental patches that just get everyone confused.

[CogNative]

Another way (how I did M2) = SCOOT FAST while SHOOTING at suspected targets. Reconnoiter the map and spot the likely suspects for hitting your point and plan support for point +.

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You know you are driving into a "Kill Zone." You can't reasonably drive around it = avoid the ambush. You have no artillery, air support. Your goal in M2 is not combat but getting to exit point relatively intact.

Rule #1=NEVER drive into the kill zone. If in the kill zone, increase speed and try to break out. You have no way to withdraw from the Kill Zone so if you don't dismount, assault through the ambush stay mounted and drive really fast through the Kill Zone.

Move fast but close enough for mutual support yet far enough apart so that one RPG won't take out the entire platoon. Use Mother Nature's dirty smoke too. They can't shoot what they can't see.

Maybe I got lucky but it worked for me. Radio silence is not necessary. I cranked up "Sing, Sing, Sing" Benny Goodman & His Orchestra, on my transport radios

Don't forget to cover your exposed rear end at the exit point.

M3 took me two tries. Radically changed my tactics for the 2nd try. Goal was in reality move along w/o huge losses and I did so but still too many wounded.

M5 I must make time for a true MOUT approach in this scenario. I skirted the likely hot spots and got through enough to get MV. Things might change if I slug through M5 in true MOUT fashion.

Thanks again for the Dawn to Setting Sun fun and the two ongoing projects!

[Field Marshal Blücher]

OK, the new version is updated for 1.11 and out on CMMODs! Hopefully the Repository version will also be up soon. Thomm was definitely right, Mission 3 was impossible with 1.11, so I made it a little easier. Enjoy!

[CogNative]

Now I have to march from Dawn to Setting Sun... again:D

Thanks FMB