Contemporary Military Thinkers: William S. Lind

Mr. Lind is an outstanding scholar and military thinker. His seminal work on "third and fourth generation warfare" will be part of the study of warfare for generations to come.

While I don't subscribe to his cultural conservatism and immigration views (I am an immigrant to the US from Argentina, legal immigrant if you are reading this, Mr. Lind : ) ), his articles on military matters are visionary.

His book Maneuver Warfare Handbook is one of those books to which I always come back to re-read and find something I missed or haven't thought enough about.

He writes a column in the Defense and National Interest website (see it also listed in my "Blogs of Interest" section) named "On War" (link to this week's On War here).


Cheers,

DCS Black Shark: Tactics?

After spending some time getting used to fly the virtual Ka-50, the next natural question is how to use it properly in combat.

As you know, I am a big fan of reading articles/books/doctrinal publications/etc with accounts from real life and then applying that into my war gaming-flight simming.

When it comes to attack helicopters, any of the military superpowers out there appears to be continuously changing their tactics and doctrine.

Unfortunately, it is not easy to find information about real life Russian doctrine, tactics or employment of their attack helicopters. In future posts I will try to expand on whatever meager stuff I found on the net. On the meantime I would like to link you to an interesting article I found in the web about the use of attack helicopters in the anti-air role.

The link to the full article is here:

Air Defense with an Attitude: Helicopter v. Helicopter Combat

(Click on the link on the right of "Proxy Url" thingy and it will download as pdf document)

Cheers,

War over the MidEast: Assorted Screenies

Finally I could get some quality time with HPS Sims' simulation of air warfare, War Over the MidEast.

Don't be fooled by the brief interface, this thing is quite deep and it will take me some time to write something that makes sense.

On the meantime ... screenshots!

Battle Group Commander: Episode One Review at Out of Eight

James Allen, concise, to the point and most importantly spot on as always, has posted a review of Battle Group Commander: Episode One.

Cheers,

Steel Beasts ProPE Upcoming Upgrade Featured in Video

Steel Beasts ProPE, the holy grail of modern armored warfare simulations is preparing an upgrade of its current version.

New and exciting features are included in the upgrade.

Please visit this thread at the official eSim forums.

Cheers,

DCS Black Shark: Patch Coming Up in May

In this post at the official ED forums, EvilBivol-1 announced the new additions we will enjoy in DCS Black Shark. Patch is likely coming in May.

The list he posted is not comprehensive, but there is plenty of new good stuff there.

NEW TRIMMER IMPLEMENTATION

In addition to the default trimmer implementation, in which control input is disabled momentarily to allow the player to quickly re-center his controls, a new method will be included in version 1.0.1 with a different re-centering logic. In the new method, control input is disabled until the player returns the controls to their neutral position. This allows the player to re-center his controls smoothly, minimizing unwanted control input.

The new trimmer logic is optional and is selected ON by default upon installation of the patch. Selection of the trimmer implementation will be available in the GAMEPLAY menu of the options.

The heading trim logic has also been redesigned. Functionality of the heading trim channel will now depend on the yaw rate when the trimmer button is released. If the yaw rate is under 3 deg/sec., the autopilot will stabilize the helicopter heading. If the yaw rate is greater than 3 deg/sec., the autopilot will stabilize the yaw rate to maintain the turn.

The trimming mechanism can be adjusted in the controls configuration file:
...Scripts\Aircrafts\_Common\FMOoptions.lua

The relevant variables are:

HelicopterTrimmerMethod - trimmer implementation option: 1 - original, 2 - new (selected by default).

The default neutral positions to which the player must return his controls to reactivate control input (in % of half of the controls' full motion!)
HelicopterTrimmerZonePitch = 0.05 (5% in pitch)
HelicopterTrimmerZoneRoll = 0.05 (5% in roll)
HelicopterTrimmerZoneRudder = 0.1 (10% in yaw)

HelicopterTrimmerTauInverse = 7.0 - time factor for the period given the player to re-center his controls when using the old trimmer implementation.

IMPORTANT! All of the above LUA values are recorded for track playback. Any alterations of these values may result in incorrect playback. Also, do not use the Windows Notepad to edit LUA files, as it will corrupt them. Use a proper UTF-8 capable text/code editor.


NEW KA-50 WEAPONS

New unguided rockets have been added:

S-8OM - illumination rocket. Once fired, the rocket flies a ballistic trajectory. After 17 seconds, the warhead separates and releases a parachute-retarded illumination flare, which descends at a rate of 8.2 m/sec. The illumination flare burns for 35 seconds.

S-8OFP2 - blast-fragmentation rocket. Enhanced fragmentation effects and increased engine burn time. Used against infantry and unarmored targets.


TRACK PLAYBACK PRIOR TO MISSION START

It's now possible to create missions with a pre-recorded introduction track.

The procedure to create a mission with an intro track:

1. Create a mission with the necessary triggers, graphical and audio material.
2. Launch the mission, record the intro track and save it.
3. Create a new file, called "continue_track" with the number '1' inside. The file can be created with Notepad or other similar program. The file should have no extension.
4. Open the TRK file with your archive opener (winrar, etc.) and insert the "continue_track" file inside the "track_data" folder of the TRK archive.
5. Rename the TRK extention to MIZ.

As a result you will have a MIZ file that includes a track file inside. When the mission is launched, the track will be played back, after which the player will be handed control automatically.


CHANGES AND ADDITIONS TO TRIGGER EVENTS

Removed the MESSAGE action.

Renamed some actions:
- MESSAGE WITH DELAY renamed to TEXT TO ALL
- SOUND renamed to SOUND TO ALL

Added the following actions:

- TEXT TO COALITION
- TEXT TO COUNTRY
- SOUND TO COALITION
- SOUND TO COUNTRY
- DEACTIVATE GROUP (this action will remove the group from the game world permanently. It will not be possible to re-active the group).
- END MISSION (force mission end when the trigger rules are true)
- SET FAILURE (set helicopter system failure with time and probability)
- SET EXPLOSION (use a trigger zone to set the location of the explosion and set the altitude and power of the explosion in the trigger action settings)
- EXPLODE UNIT (select unit to explode and power of explosion)
- SMOKE MARKER (use a trigger zone to set the location of the marker and set the altitude of initiation in the trigger action settings)
- ILLUMINATION FLARE (use a trigger zone to set the location of the flare and set the altitude of initiation in the trigger action settings. Note, the flare burns for 120 seconds, falling approximately 1000 meters in that time.)
- SIGNAL FLARE (use a trigger zone to set the location of the flare and set the altitude of initiation and flare color in the trigger action settings)


WINGMAN REARMING

The wingmen will now re-arm/refuel with the player. They will also shut down/re-start their engines with the player.

Cheers,

What went wrong with Combat Mission Campaigns?

Well, the shocking news of Combat Mission Campaigns (CMC) cancellation almost a week behind, I was wondering what went wrong with this fantastic project.

Full disclosure: I haven't followed the development with the dedication of some fans out there. I just read very briefly about it upon its announcement and really liked the idea. I thought it would be a grand-tactical/operational (?) layer to Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin. Something like you move your battalion/regiment/brigade in a map, with a system that follows some abstract but clever rules and then when two opposite forces collide ... Battle!

Well, I was totally wrong. Take a look at this fragment from the team's developer leader (nickname Hunter):

CMC was designed to be a 'grognard's dream', with every aspect of WWII warfare included at some level. It has a very sophisticated supply model, air forces, weather and 9 different ground conditions with associated (2D!) graphics, artillery support, tactical reserves, entrenchment, etc, etc. There is a ridiculously large code base handling everything from medals to soldier promotions to strategic AI.

Quote above is from Battlefront's discussion forums.

In the same post, Hunter admits that he was "probably too ambitious" and I tend to agree. I don't think that all that level of detail was indispensable to have an enjoyable simulation of WWII warfare.

I don't want to sound like a clever in hindsight moron and let me tell this before any other paragraph: Hunter, your dedication and love for this hobby is commendable. From the bottom of my heart I wish you have succeeded. I mean it.

One forum discussion from Wargamer.com came to my mind. This discussion was about how the grumblings of the grognards affect the game industry. You can read it here.

Cheers,

Target Fixation Never Good: Tactical Misadventures in Steel Beasts ProPE

Did I ever mentioned Steel Bests ProPE, the best modern tank simulation available to the civilian market?

Even when it costs USD$125.00, this is a ride you ought to have if you are interested in modern tank warfare.

Modern tank battles are fast and deadly and this is clearly depicted in the simulated battlefield of Steel Beasts. That feeling of "what the hell got me?" is constant in Steel Beasts.

In my latest battle, a home-made scenario where I was trying to clear a couple of kilometers-wide gap of Iraqi desert, I got owned by a virtual Iraqi tanker because of my fixation on a single target.

The scenario I made pits a hunter-killer team of M3s Cavalry Fighting Vehicles and M1 Abrams tanks. I choose to be in the "hunter" team of M3s and I moved carefully towards contact. In front of my team there were Iraqi BMP2s and tanks. The questions I wanted to explore is how a "hunter" in these fabled "hunter-killer" teams works. How do you drive an M3 towards contact with an armored threat wit superior fire-power? How difficult is to bug-out once contact was made?

Well, didn't get an answer to those questions.

Still, I learned something: target fixation kills.

Things started bad from the beginning. While trying to make contact and keeping a distance at the same time, I lost my wingman to fire from the right flank.
I quickly called the M1s (couple of kilometers behind) to take position and eliminate the threat. The M1s got something: can you see the smoking Iraqi tank in the horizon of the image above?

To my front, I made contact with a couple of BMP2s and I took them out.

But a third BMP was more difficult to take out.
This Iraqi BMP bugged out fast, under a curtain of smoke. This is the instant where I screwed up. In my eagerness to take the fast-maneuvering BMP out and looking for a slightly better angle to shoot, I got owned from my right flank. There was still a threat in my right flank.

Steel Beasts ProPE has this fantastic AAR (after action report) tool that allows you to see a replay of the battle from any angle. It's a wonderful learning tool.

So, this is what happened to me.

The yellow bar in the image bellow is the shell from the Iraqi tank. Can you see the Iraqi tank in the backgroung (the small smoke puff of its main gun)?

Here's what the Iraqi tanker could see from his point of view. Just that little of me showing up above the dunes was enough ...
And a panoramic view of the whole thing.
I'm in the vehicle in the middle, near the bottom. The BMP I was trying to get is throwing somoke and reversing in the top left. The small puff of the Iraqi tank is visible in the extreme right, top corner.

And this is a closer view of the Iraqi tank.

Besides letting my guard down at the flanks, I guess that I failed miserably because I got decisively engaged with my first contacts. I was supposed to spot targets and call the tanks, not taking them myself.

Cheers,

Combat Mission Campaigns Canceled

Very bad news from the team developing "Combat Mission Campaigns": the project is canceled.

"Combat Mission Campaigns" was to add a grand-tactical/operational level layer to the venerable tactical war game "Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin".

Besides the disappointment of maybe never playing this war game, it is very sad to see guys with the same passion for realistic war gaming having to let go their dream.

I'll provide more news and comments as they become available.

DCS Black Shark: Basic Flight School at the ECV56 Condor

In a previous post I mentioned that I joined a virtual squadron named ECV56 Condor (Virtual Combat Squadron 56, Condor). This group of folks is headquartered in Argentina and is organized around so called "wings", each wing featuring a particular flight simulator.

The recently founded Black Shark wing is getting ready to test their pilots in basic flight skills. The upcoming exams will see the pilots showing what they have learned. A helicopter startup, a control hover, taxi, running takeoff, pattern flying and landing will be required to approve the basic flight school. The instructors already produced a series of study guides which are really comprehensive and helpful.

I'm looking forward for my exam.

Cheers,