ArmA 3 - Mission Editor Goodies: The "Observation Post Site"

For the tactical nerd with a copious imagination and an urgent itch to fight the firefight he just imagined, there is nothing more convenient than ArmA's mission editor.The editor always allowed to create a rapid prototype and dive straight into it to tune it up into an exciting new mission.

NATO infantry infiltrating enemy positions north of Kavala.

Today I thought of an ArmA 3 mission about the control of those bridges north of Kavala. The CSAT forces would be controlling the bridges and the mission needs computer controlled bots that would hold positions around them and continuously patrol the nearby areas. In ArmA 2 and before this could have been edited in several ways. From scripting to a clever combination of waypoints. The new ArmA 3 offers a click and drop module named "observation post site" that takes care of everything I needed.

The Second Georgian War - Assault on Poti, Part 1 - DCS Black Shark

I flew this mission as the commander of a two Ka-50 flight. There will be two videos plus commentary for this mission.

Details and commentary will follow soon.
Make sure to check the video in YouTube for a high definition version.

Cheers,

Scourge of War: Brandy Station - Review

Scourge of War: Brandy Station, by NorbSoftDev
Published by Matrix/Slitherine Games
Boxed edition: U$19.99 (includes digital download)
Download edition: U$ 9.99

This is an expansion pack that requires ownership of Scourge of War: Gettysburg.

The Battle of Brandy Station (also known as the Battle of Fleetwood Hill), is frequently cited as the biggest cavalry engagement ever on American soil, the unique cavalry-only (almost) battle of the American Civil War and the start of the Gettysburg campaign. Trivia and connection to something bigger aside, you military buffs out there will recognize that this battle holds a special place in military history for who, why and how it was fought. Right after the defeat at Chancellorsville, the Union commander of the Army of the Potomac (Joseph Hooker) grew very uneasy about the threatening deployment of a strong Confederate cavalry force in Culpeper County (northern Virginia). Hooker's assessment was that the Confederate cavalry was about to raid the Union supply lines, and he ordered  Maj. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton to conduct an spoiling attack across the Rappahannock River. Pleasonton, commander of the relatively new Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomac, engaged the command of the legendary Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart with a daring two pronged attack that threw the Confederates off balance for a while. Undaunted by the bravery, skill and stubbornness of each other, both Union and Confederates threw themselves onto a battle of sabers, pistols and carbines.

DCS Mi-8MTV2 Magnificent 8 - Basic Doppler Navigation - Flight and Landing

After taking off from Beslan airport and starting our doppler navigation system over the initial point, we start a climb towards the Caucasus Mountains.

The view from the pilot's seat. The co-pilot's place and his dashboard are visible in the foreground. Note the transition from flat terrain to the mountain range.

To reach our second waypoint, we needed to fly with a course of 210 degrees. Our doppler readings should be  58.11 Km south and 33.8 Km west when we get there.

Combat Mission Market Garden Module - Screenshots from the Dreijenseweg

I have leftover screenshots from my Combat Mission blog entry of yesterday. Who wants to see them?

A halftrack burns after being knocked down by a British anti-tank team.

Combat Mission Market Garden Module - Sharpen Up Lads, We are Light Infantry Against the Rest of The World!

What a pleasant afternoon for a fine Combat Mission scenario, gentlemen!

As a farewell for the lazy hours of yet another great weekend, two very short points on tactics.

DCS Mi-8MTV2 Magnificent 8 - Basic Doppler Navigation - Flight Plan and Departure

I am about to cross the Caucasus Mountains with my Mi-8 and the fun started way before I strapped my virtual self into the cockpit.

As you may know, the Mi-8MTV2 has no fancy avionics, glass cockpit or GPS. Navigation is accomplished via a doppler system which is fed with data by the co-pilot/navigator. In the only two references that I have about the use of the doppler system, this gadget is fed on-flight so planning becomes a necessity. Manual, pen, paper and a calculator ready ... I never felt so flight-sim-nerd as tonight!

The Lion Route - The Sharp End Gaming's Scenario for Command Ops

I'm sure you are following Chris' "The Sharp End Gaming" blog. This entry is to remind you that his recent Command Ops Highway to the Reich scenario is ready to download.

This historical scenario features the British 1st Parachute Brigade, in the delicate tactical situation of being dispersed and fighting to re-group around the Arnhem road bridge. Right click and open on a new tab or window for a better view.

I like this scenario because it is of the right size (one brigade, 1 day 19 hours of simulated combat) and it's a relevant tactical snapshot of operation Market Garden. Please make sure to grab the map, map-cache and scenario files from Chris' blog entry.

Touch Panzer Campaigns Tunisia '43

The first installment of the Touch Panzer Campaigns has been released yesterday. It is available for Android-based devices right now, but we will likely see the iOS version out soon.

Combat Mission Battle for Normandy - The Market Garden Module is Out!

What a pleasant surprise! The Market Garden module for Combat Mission Battle for Normandy has been released. Just in time for the weekend …

Main attractions for this module are: greatly detailed maps (including "master maps" covering a great portion of the main historical battles), some tweaks in game play (for urban warfare), bridges like we have never seen before (yeah, the famous big ones off course but also check out the new overpasses), included scenarios are bigger (a continuation of a great trend we started seeing with the Gustav Line module), new building types and ...