Falcon BMS4 - Released

This was quite a surprise, even for those who were in the loop with the many mods for the original Falcon 4.0.

ArmA 2 Operation Arrowhead - Herding Cats: Trying to Get the AI to Stay at and Fight from a Bunker

If you don't look too close, because AIs from all games will do stupid things, the one in ArmA 2 OA is more than decent. Most loved AI trait in my early days after installing the game: how they fire and maneuver against the enemy. Most hated AI trait this past week: how they fire and maneuver against the enemy ...

I'm trying to edit scenarios where the AI defends from the relative safety of a sandbag bunker and the first attempts have been frustrating.

After some Googling I found some old threads in several discussion forums. All good information, most of it beyond my grasp. So, I'm settling for a relatively simple way to get the enemy AI within the bunkers and them to stay there.

VBS2 JCOVE Lite - A Patrols Section Poor Man's Counter Sniper

The mission was posed to be uneventful as the previous week on the north side of the Euphrates.

After securing the north neighborhoods of As Samawah, the south (and main urban center) part of the city has become an afterthought for the higher ups. The Iraqi authorities in As Samawah were eager to reach a deal in order to secure material support from the coalition. So the idea of this bloody meeting came to be. A British Army Col. and the chief medical officer of our regiment were the guests, scheduled to arrive six hours later in a southbound land convoy passing through the north part of As Samawah, then crossing a bridge into the very territory that our intelligence has deemed as friendly.

No peace-support-operations convoy of our regiment was supposed to enter into territory we have not patrolled extensively. But the meeting's time and place was a done deal. In order to take any potential troublemakers by surprise, we planned a heliborne insertion one kilometer north of the meeting place. Then we planned to move on foot through the north neighborhoods of As Samawah. My section was to march the exact route that the land convoy would take. The first bump in the road was the gateway to the south part of the city: a lengthy bridge over the Euphrates. 

Part (hasty) reconnaissance, part show of force. We are the patrols platoon of the regiment and this is what we do.

Falcon 4 Allied Force - Sortie #`1093 - Debrief

Lt. JC ... Cowboy 11 ... Mission number 1093 foxtrot ... Six AGM-65Ds ... Two AIM-9s ... Two AIM-120s ... Take off time is 0900 ... Date is 13Jul11 ... Tail number is 582.

Falcon 4 Allied Force - Sortie # 1093 - Briefing

Yesterday's timid bombing by NATO had no apparent effect on the Serbs. The Serbs have now moved a tank battalion across the border with Albania and they are heading south. A Serbian aerial defense battalion is fully operational providing cover to the advancing forces. The Albanian government has officially asked NATO for air support.

Falcon 4 Allied Force - Sortie # 1024 - Debrief

Serbia continues to provoke the Albanians with violent across-the-border raids. The entire population of the Albanian town of Babine fled just in time for the arrival of a battalion-sized raid party of Serbs. The Serbs overstayed their visit this time. They spent the night in Babine and don't look like too enthused to either move forward or withdraw back to Serbia ...

Lt. JC ... Cowboy 11 ... Mission number 1024 alpha ... Two MK84s ... Two AIM-9s ... Two AIM-120s ... Take off time is 0910 ... Date is 12Jul10 ... Tail number is 582.

Gettysburg - Indie Wargame Now Available at a Reduced Price

I wrote about this one a time ago but haven't had time to enjoy it since then. It's a budget war game, easy to play and learn. I will be posting an AAR sometime in the future.

It's the early afternoon of July 1st, 1863 and things are starting to get interesting. I am commanding the Union forces.

Just a quick alert that now the price of the license is $5.00.

Squad Battles Falklands - Top Malo House Scenario - Video AAR

A bloody and fierce skirmish at the Malo river. Heavy casualties on both sides.

I video recorded the playback of the replay file. This is the whole battle, turn by turn. I hope you can understand how the action unfolded. The video capture software can't grab in-game sounds, so the first part of the video is silent and then an Argentine folklore tune starts. It's named "Nevando Esta" (It's snowing).

The victory dialog ended up like seen below.

Cheers,

Squad Battles Falklands - Top Malo House Scenario - Taking the Fight Outside ... Sorta

This is a continuation from a previous entry.

An Argentine special forces section reinforced with a GPMG has spent the night at the Top Malo House and  is getting ready to resume its march towards an extraction point when it is surprised by a British counterpart (a special forces section reinforced with a weapons team).

Things do not start well for the Argentines (green icons): they received fire from the British (tan icons) right from the start of the scenario. The British appear to be posed for a flanking assault on their left flank supported by the weapons section. Note the precarious, exposed  position of the Argentine GPMG (blue icon near the green counters). 

In this entry, the tactical choices for the Argentines.

Argentine Military History - My Book Collection Expands!

My mother in law arrived from Argentina this morning for a month-long visit.

To my surprise, she brought quite a present for me: the five volume military history of Argentina by Isidoro Ruiz Moreno!

I've been looking for this collection forever! Dr. Moreno is one of the best military historians in the south hemisphere.

Cheers,