Hasty Defense at the Fulda Gap- Steel Beasts ProPE AAR - Part 5 and Final: Barely Winning at Attrition, Badly Losing at Maneuver

This is the final part of the AAR I re-took on Saturday. In a textbook case of "overstaying at a battle position", the tank platoons are flanked by remnants of the Soviet armored thrust. Time to move out!

Tanks of the 2nd. Platoon (background) successfully engage some T-72s that made it through the central avenue of approach of our sector.

Hasty Defense at the Fulda Gap- Steel Beasts ProPE AAR - Part 4: Main Battle Tanks Enter the Fray

This is a continuation of my overdue AAR on this fantastic scenario. The Cavalry troopers did their job, but paid a high price in casualties. A flight of enemy attack helicopters forced the M3A2s to move too much around their fall back positions ... Never a good thing.

The battle was still young and the confidence on the M1A1s Abrams was high. The tankers of First and Second platoons sat tight in their battle positions were with their sights on EA Pirc.

ArmA 3 Alpha - The Rescue of Agent Vidales - Mission Available

Better done than perfect, they say. You can grab the mission from this link.

The mission doesn't include helicopter transport as shown in this picture. I am showing it here because it just looks great.

The mission should be playable both multiplayer and single-player. You and your team start in two assault boats off the coast of Agia Marina.

ArmA 3 - The Rescue of Agent Vidales

This is my first serious attempt to mission editing on the ArmA series. What I mean serious is having a briefing, tasks and an end triggered by accomplishing one of those tasks. Nothing cinematic in the introduction and the ending (no cutscenes), but it was quite a journey and I enjoyed it.

I had to give up on the divers as the special forces conducting this raid. Their organic weapons are apparently from Airsoft and I couldn't figure out how to change their weaponry (always missing something).

ArmA 3 Alpha Lite - Who Wants a Free Key?

There are a free keys available from a reader of the blog and myself. All you need to do is email us and provide your e-mail or Steam user name. If you are not a Steam member yet, you can create a free account here.

Limited availability!

freekeys at aa-vcp dot com
realandsimulatedwars at gmail dot com

Update: we ran out of keys. Thanks James and Johan for helping out with theirs.

What is ArmA 3 Alpha Lite?
From Bohemia Interactive's website:
Arma 3 Alpha Lite is similar to the regular Arma 3 Alpha in terms of content. However, modding and multiplayer are not supported. People can access Arma 3 Alpha Lite for free, but will require an ‘invite’ to do so. These invites can be obtained via people who have purchased the regular Arma 3 Alpha. They will also be randomly dispersed via our social channels and selected media outlets.

Cheers,

ArmA 3 - It's Not Always Sunny in Stratis

Can't un-glue myself from ArmA 3. Come on! There is not too much virtual hardware or real estate to play around.

Last night I got a chance to start seriously testing a mission I assembled in the editor. It's a tactical surface water infiltration mission: a group of six NATO divers must secure intelligence assets caught in the middle of the blitz the Iranians discharged on the island of Stratis.

Hasty Defense at the Fulda Gap- Steel Beasts ProPE AAR - Part 3: The Cavalry Fight

What a battle! The enemy opens fast and unforgiving. The thin and undermanned line of US troopers falls back. Half pushed. Half pulled. But never completely cut.

In this part of the AAR, my cavalry gets a glimpse at the enemy and retreats with expediency.

Opa! Arma 3 Alpha Lands in the Mediterranean

According to my Steam guilt-o-meter (the thingy that details how many hours I've spent not completing my chores, including blog updates), out of the last seven days I dedicated an entire one playing the new ArmA 3 Alpha.

I approached this thing with some considerable reluctance. My opinion of alphas was very low and I pretty much considered them as useful as bug-ridden demos. This time though, even yia-yia approves. There are bugs off course and the contents are limited. But Bohemia Interactive have crafted a cool mix that worked for me beyond just simple showcasing.

Insurgency in the North Caucasian Federal District - War Stories From the Front Lines: # 11 Georgian Army Patrol Secures an UAV Crash Wreckage Site (Intro)

An UAV has been shot down in Georgian sovereign skies and the Georgian Army scrambles to secure the pieces from infiltrating Abkhazian militias. First to make contact with the Abkhazians, a Georgian Army squad with a lot of determination.

This #11 episode will be from ArmA 2 gameplay, modded with the Georgian Armed Forces package.

Hasty Defense at the Fulda Gap- Steel Beasts ProPE AAR - Part 2: Tactical Plan

This a continuation of a previous blog entry. Today, the tactical plan.

The eyes of the company (+) -sized combat team I am commanding: and M3A2 (a cavalry infantry-fighting vehicle) at the very hot edge of our sector.

First, a correction. In my previous entry I indicated that the enemy force is a tank-heavy Soviet regiment. That was wrong: it's actually a Soviet tank battalion reinforced by a mechanized infantry company. Still outnumbered, still scary if you ask me ...