DCS Black Shark: Patch Delayed

Wags has posted some information on the official forums about the upcoming patch for DCS Black Shark.

The patch is in-work and we still hope to release it in the next month or two. In the process of fixing bugs and adding new features, we’ve had to go back and re-do some of the multiplayer code. This has led to longer than expected development time.

There is also information about other Eagle Dynamics products in this thread.

Cheers,

A Tank Platoon in the Defense, Part 2: Tactical Misadventures in Steel Beasts ProPE

Continued from here.

I played this scenario with some gentlemen from a very well-known simulation community. The identities of the players are withheld to protect the innocent. :) All tanks in the platoon manned by humans except for tank #3, which was handled by the computer. I played as commander of tank #2.

Our platoon commander decided to go as the FRAGO suggested: stay in BP1, inflict some damage, call for an arty smoke mission and reverse to the alternate battle positions.

We never got a chance.

The enemy attacked our right flank (yes, the flank I was holding) and overran my position. When we detected the enemy tanks, they were at a shouting distance from my position. The call for artillery-smoke from our commander was too late as the enemy was already near our position. The enemy moved to the back to our position and took my tank, then tank #1. Tank #3 got destroyed while it was trying to reverse towards safety. Tank #4 made an heroic attempt to eliminate the fast moving enemy tanks. He took 2 of them with him.

The mission went catastrophically bad.

Below are my thoughts on why I think we failed.

• The prepared dug-in firing positions at BP1 had good fields of fire on EA Dog. Good but not optimal.

Click the image for an expanded view. Left: map, showing our initial positions. Right column: birds-eye view from BP1 towards EA Dog. Note the prepared tank positions in front of each tank. Tank #3 and #4 had good overlapping fields of fire, but tanks #1 and 2 were separated by a small elevation covered by a patch of vegetation and they ended up with different views of EA Dog.

A close up of the individual positions of tanks #1 and #2. Note the slight elevation that separates both, which resulted in non-shared fields of fire. Click the image for an expanded view.

• The withdrawal route from BP1 to BP2A and BP2B had no cover or concealment. We should have realized that if the artillery-delivered smoke would fail its purpose (as it did), the withdrawal towards the alternate BPs would have exposed us to enemy observation and fire.

The arrow indicates my withdrawal route, which featured terrain flat as a pancake. The thing in front of my tank is a prepared dug-in tank fighting position.

A bit off topic, I want to mention that my tank took 8 hits during this mission. The 9th was the charm ...

The red rods indicate the direction of the munition hitting my tank. Click in the image for an expanded view.

Cheers,

A Tank Platoon in the Defense, Part 1: Tactical Misadventures in Steel Beasts ProPE

One of the things I like about Steel Beasts ProPE (SBProPE) is that it forces you to think really hard about tactics. The virtual battlefield in SBProPE is fast and brutal and the only way to survive is to get serious about what you are doing with your tank.

This scenario I'm writing about today is part of the older scenarios in SBProPE. It features a platoon of M1 Abrams defending objective "Star" in a sector two kilometers wide or so. The enemy, a motorized rifle company is advancing from west to east.

The OPORD in this scenario is more like a FRAGO, which is correct I guess given the size of the scenario. In the FRAGO, the commander of blue forces orders us to avoid the enemy getting to objective "Star". The commander also has provided some maneuver and tactical guidelines which are depicted in the next map as operational graphics.


Two recon HMMWVs are in front of blue forces as combat patrols and will provide warning of the approaching enemy. Our M1 Abrams tanks are supposed to inflict as many casualties on the enemy by firing from battle position 1 (BP1) towards engagement area "Dog" (EA Dog). On order, we are to withdraw towards battle positions BP2A and BP2B under the cover of artillery-delivered smoke and destroy the remaining enemy forces in engagement area "Cat" (EA Cat).

Simple, uh?

Not quite.

For starters, the scenario is about using tanks, intrinsically offensive weapons, in a defensive role. The British military theorist J.F.C. Fuller, in his "The Foundations of the Science of War", suggested that the basic three actions of combat are: move, strike and protect. According to Fuller, in a typical weapon system, each of these actions influences the other. One soldier cannot fire (strike) as precisely when he is running (move). In addition, if the soldier is running (move), his cover (protect) is reduced. The tank is not exempt from these factors, yet it has a superior mobility (move) that can be used with little compromise of its firepower (strike) and protection against enemy fire (protect). The ability to "move strike and protect" at the same time constitutes the biggest advantage the tank has over other weapon systems. Renouncing to move your tank, as you would do in a defense scenario like the one detailed above, is giving away one advantage. And since the "move, strike and protect" factors seem to combine synergistically, loosing one of three is loosing much more than1/3 of your capabilities. Just staying alive in such conditions requires mastery and study. When tanks stay put in the battlefield with inexperienced crews inside, bad things happen.

FM 17-15 (Tank Platoon) has a whole chapter devoted to defensive operations. In chapter 4 there is this important paragraph:

The two patterns described in FM 100-5 are mobile and area defenses. A mobile defense is executed to destroy the attacking force by permitting the enemy to advance into a position that exposes him to counterattack by a mobile reserve. The focus of area defenses is on retention of terrain; defending units engage the enemy from an interlocking series of positions and destroy him, largely by direct fires.

Since in this scenario we lack a mobile reserve, in this scenario we will be conducting an area defense.

Continues here ...

Cheers,

Hardcore PC Wargames On Sale Right Now at Shrapnel Games!

ProSim's "Battle Group Commander: Episode One", 12% discount.
Get it from the Shrapnel Games Store. Offer is valid until May 12, 2009.

ProSim's "Air Assault Task Force", 13% discount. Get it also from the Shrapnel Games Store. Offer valid through May 2009.

Also, somebody mentioned to me that you could get an additional 5% off by using the coupon code: FFSAVE5P

Cheers,

We made it to 2,000!

This blog has been seen 2,000 times!
Thank you for visiting.

Cheers,

Digital Combat Simulator: More Eye Candy for the Next Sim

Eagle Dynamics, the developers of DCS Black Shark, have hinted some very nice graphic updates for the next installment of the Digital Combat Simulator series.

You can see screenshots of these possible updates here.

I have mixed feelings about this. Of course I like how it looks. But I would be happier if they would make my Black Shark not visible to the computer opponent when I’m hiding behind a 1 km wall of thick forest.

I don’t know … maybe I’m just too old for sugar rushes from candies of any kind.

Cheers,

Wargaming for Leaders

Wargaming for Leaders: Strategic Decision Making from the Battlefield to the Boardroom

This book fell completely under my radar. It was published by November 2008 and its authored by Booz-Allen-Hamilton wargaming honcho Mark Herman.

From the product's description:

If you had the opportunity to probe the future, make strategic choices, and view their consequences before making expensive and irretrievable decisions, wouldn't you take advantage of it?

Of course you would. And in a world of asymmetrical conflict, security threats, intense global competition, and economic uncertainty, there is an even higher premium on road-testing plans and strategies--whether they're spearheaded by government organizations, transnational corporations, or emerging megacommunities.

Wargaming for Leaders provides a methodology to get at the issues that one leader, no matter how visionary, cannot grasp on his or her own. How? By bringing together the real experts on the topic at hand to wage “cognitive warfare.” Through tapping the collective wisdom surrounding an issue, experts can experience the future in a risk-free environment and find answers to questions that had not been on their radar--often with unexpected and startling results.

With examples from the fields of military, corporate, and public policy, three wargaming developers from Booz Allen Hamilton deliver compelling insights on this problem-solving method, including fascinating details on how

• A large equipment manufacturer determined whether making a merger was strategically right for its business growth, as well as which technology investments it needed to drop
• A four-star U.S. general tested his war plan for Iraq and uncovered specific fixes that might have prevented a prolonged conflict
• An increasingly clogged air-traffic system faced a security-versus-convenience issue determined whether military airspace could be used during peak demand periods

Wargaming allows organizations of every type and every size to organize information, plot out scenarios, and tap into the collective expertise of participants. The results allow everyone to identify and tackle obstacles, solve problems, and find new ways to innovate and further performance goals.

Get ready for the battle of your organizational life--and prepare to reap the spoils of victory.

Sounds like a terrific book. Going to get it during the lunch break.

Cheers,

DCS Black Shark Hits Retail in the US

DCS Black Shark has made it to retail in the US.

I've seen copies at local Best Buys, EBGames and GameStops. I bought my second copy from one of those stores.

There are still no news about the upcoming patch and the printed manual Eagle Dynamics has talked about in the past.

Cheers,

DCS Black Shark: First Online Mission

Actually it was a while ago. I just didn't have the time to post about it.

It was a great experience to fly with the virtual pilots of the ECV56 "Condor" (Virtual Combat Squadron 56 "Condor"), a fine group of very dedicated Argentinean fans of flight simulation.

The mission was edited by "Argentinen" (ECV56 Condor) and it features a deep strike operation with 4 Ka-50 Russian helicopters attacking a Georgian Patriot missile air defense system located in the mountainous border between Russia and Georgia.

The mission was a partial success. We could destroy a significant amount of missile systems. Alas, we lost three helicopters during the operation. Two pilots ejected to safety and I was "killed" (I guess the missile that struck me killed me in the cockpit).

It was a great experience to fly with brevity code comms, maintaining formation (this is a thing I'm very bad at), and trying to make good tactical use of the terrain.

Some pics of the action follow.

"Charly" (background) and me (forefront) at the main battle position, acquiring targets. Image courtesy of "Argentinen" from ECV56 Condor.


I needed to lower my nose to aim one of my missiles and when I did so I dived down the slope of the mountain. The enemy shot at me with all they had. I narrowly evaded this missile. Image courtesy of "Argentinen" from ECV56 Condor.

Cheers,

Contemporary Military Thinkers: Martin van Creveld

Dr. van Creveld's contributions to the study of human conflict cover a wide range of military and political matters.

His most-recognized books, "The Transformation of War" and "Supplying War: Logistics from Wallenstein to Patton", are included in the US Army Officer's required reading list.

Showing an amazing erudition in military history, van Creveld puts forward not only new and exciting ideas on how to analyze the historical facts, but also his view on how previous analysis need revision. Not even the mighty Clausewitz escapes from scrutiny.

One of his books I think is under-rated in popularity and importance. In "The Rise and Decline of the State", van Creveld proposes that the sovereign state as we know it in modern societies has outlived his usefulness. "The Rise and Decline of the State" is one of those books that shakes your axioms to the core.

His latest book "The Culture of War", is in my night stand waiting to join the other books from this author in an special section of my bookshelf reserved for the books I consult the most.

Cheers,