ArmA 3 Alpha - Vidales, Agia Marina and The Theory of Special Operations - Part 1

This two entries could be of interest if you play ArmA 2 or ArmA 3 because missions are frequently themed around special operation forces or tactical situations where David (your team) confronts Goliath (an enemy with all the odds in his favor).

Part 1 of this two entries series is how my team and me rescued Vidales. Part 2 will be a short discussion of the mission in the context of the Theory of Special Operations.

Levels of Tactical Proficiency: The Intermediate Wargamer and Terrain - Combat Mission Battle for Normandy

The intermediate wargamer is able to pinpoint key terrain and to understand its importance. At an early planning stage he makes arrangements to ensure that such key terrain will not be used against him.

Realizing that the key terrain (high ground across the river) is not controlled by his own forces the intermediate wargamer splits his squads into teams. Fire support and assault teams will have different missions before crossing the river. The BAR teams from each squad will be used to suppress the enemy forces occupying the key terrain.

DCS UH-1H Huey Beta - Landing the Huey, What I Didn't Listen To and What Nobody Told Me

One entire night without becoming a fireball in the runway. I'm so proud of myself!

The airbase ahead. Since I got this DCS module, this view equalled to "you will die in two minutes".

Fighting the Desant - ArmA 2 Army of the Czech Republic - After Action Report

This is a fictional custom-made scenario of ArmA 2 featuring a platoon-sized Russian heliborne assault across a river. The Czech Army squad under my command is outnumbered and outgunned. For a detailed briefing of this mission please see my previous blog entry.

Under heavy pressure from the Russian heliborne troops, we were lucky to survive.

DCS UH-1H Huey (Beta) - Now With Increased Stability in the Pitch Axis

The pitch axis of an helicopter determines its forward airspeed and thus it is very important in a flight simulator to get it right. 

 

Taking off with a high climb rate in my DCS UH-1H Huey/

Belsimtek has updated the flight model of its UH-1H and increased the stability of the helicopter in the pitch axis. Virtual pilots immediately noticed the better handling of the bird and now hovering is more controllable.

Gustav Line, a module for Combat Mission Fortress Italy, has been released

Salerno, Anzio, and Monte Cassino, the capture of Rome and the Commonwealth actions during the invasion of Sicily ... New and exciting tactical goodness from Battlefront, fellows.

I just purchased this module and had time only for a quick eye candy tour with it. A few screenshots inside, if you are interested.

Fighting the Desant - ArmA 2 Army of the Czech Republic - Briefing

This is a fictional custom-made scenario of ArmA 2 featuring a platoon-sized Russian heliborne assault across a river. The Czech Army squad under my command is outnumbered and outgunned.



A few hours before the fight. A rifleman from my scout squad along our Pandur II APC.

Migrating to a New Rig - Expect Some Delays

I'm migrating my games to a new computer and it is taking some time ... Posting has not been great during the last few weeks, I know. The migration will certainly add some insult to injury.

Cheers,

Levels of Tactical Proficiency: The Beginner Wargamer and Terrain, Part 2 - Combat Mission Battle for Normandy

Orders issued, men move ahead. The objective is the ford, two (squads) up, one back. That's pretty much it for our beginner wargamer.

With one single waypoint for each unit, the beginner wargamer leaves his men to figure out their paths. In the screenshot above, one squad has to negotiate the hedgerow to reach its destination. The result is not pretty as they become exposed to fields of fire across the river.

DCS UH-1H Huey Beta: Of All Things That Could be Off ...

... Why it had to be an over-reactive pitch angle?

Still a work in progress (it's a beta after all) but praised by enthusiasts and real life pilots all around discussion boards, this thing has all the signs of a big winner in the twitchy world of helicopter flight simulators. When real helicopter pilots say the DCS Huey flies very close to the real Huey, I listen.

According to the official discussion forums, one of the tweaks the flight model needs (besides a likely over-modelled vortex ring state) is the virtual Huey's over-sensitivity and over-response of the pitch angle.