CMSF Game Manual v1.10

8/10/2019 CMSF Game Manual v1.10

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Combat Mission: Shock Force

Game Manual

(c) 2007-2008 battlefront.com, inc.all rights reserved. v1.10

Revised edition. Major changes relative to v1.01 are highlighted in yellow type



2 Combat Mission

LicenseThis License does not provide you with title to or ownership of the software program

“Combat Mission: Shock Force” (the “Software”), but only a right of limited use of theSoftware, and ownership of the media on which a copy of the Software is reproduced.The Software, including its source code, is, and shall remain, the property of Battlefront.com, Inc. You may make a copy of the Software solely for backup pur-

poses, provided that you reproduce all proprietary notices (e.g., copyright, tradesecret, trademark) in the same form as in the original and retain possession of suchbackup copy. The term “copy” as used in this License means any reproduction of theSoftware, in whole or in part, in any form whatsoever, including without limitation,printouts on any legible material, duplication in memory devices of any type, andhandwritten or oral duplication or reproduction. The manual may not be copied,photographed, reproduced, translated, or reduced to any electrical medium or ma-chine-readable form, in whole or in part, without prior written consent fromBattlefront.com, Inc.. All rights not specifically granted in this Agreement are re-served by Battlefront.com, Inc.

You shall not, in any way, modify, enhance, decode, or reverse engineer the Software.

User-created scenarios and other materials like graphics or other mods may be dis-tributed free of charge, but shall not be sold, licensed, or included as part of anypackage or product that is sold or licensed, without the prior written consent of Battlefront.com, Inc.. You may not rent or lease the Software or related materials.

You may permanently transfer the Software and related written materials if you retainno copies, and the transferee agrees to be bound by the terms of this License. Sucha transfer terminates your License to use the Software and related materials.

In order to install and run the Software, you acknowledge and agree to the installationof a third party licensing application on your computer.

Limited warrantyBattlefront.com warrants to the original purchaser that the media on which the Soft-ware is recorded is free from defects in workmanship and material under normal useand service for 90 days from the date of delivery of the Software. This warranty doesnot cover material that has been lost, stolen, copied, or damaged by accident, mis-use, neglect, or unauthorized modification.

Battlefront.com’s entire liability and your exclusive remedy shall be, at Battlefront.com’soption, either return of the price paid, or replacement of the media which does notmeet the limited warranty described above. The media must be returned toBattlefront.com with a copy of your purchase receipt. Any replacement Softwaremedia shall be subject to this same limited warranty for the remainder of the original

warranty period, or thirty days, whichever is longer.

Limitation of liabilityBATTLEFRONT.COM MAKES NO OTHER WARRANTY OR REPRESENTATION, EXPRESS,

IMPLIED, OR ANY WARRANTY ARISING FROM A COURSE OF DEALING, TRADE US-AGE, OR TRADE PRACTICE WITH RESPECT TO THE SOFTWARE OR RELATEDMATERIALS, THEIR QUALITY, PERFORMANCE, MERCHANTABILITY, NON-INFRINGE-MENT, OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. AS A RESULT, THE SOFTWAREAND RELATED MATERIALS ARE LICENSED “AS IS.” IN NO EVENT WILL

BATTLEFRONT.COM BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUEN-TIAL DAMAGES RESULTING FROM POSSESSION, USE, OR MALFUNCTION OF THESOFTWARE AND RELATED MATERIALS. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONAS TO HOW LONG AN IMPLIED WARRANTY LASTS AND/OR EXCLUSIONS OR LIMITA-TION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES SO THE ABOVE LIMITATIONSAND/OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. THIS WARRANTY GIVESYOU SPECIFIC RIGHTS AND YOU MAY ALSO HAVE OTHER RIGHTS WHICH VARYFROM STATE TO STATE.



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The Reality of Reality, A Foreword

Computers are essentially fancy calculators. They like

order, simplicity, and predictability. Chaos is not something that a computer handles very easily or very well. Depending on the circumstances, it might evenbe impossible.

A tactical combat simulator, unfortunately, requires thecomputer to simulate chaos - both natural and manmade. Then, as the simulation is executed inRealTime, the computer must calculate this chaotic

environment quickly and efficiently. As if this isn’t demanding enough, the gamers using the simulator require that the computer also devote a large amount of its power to push around polygons to make thesimulation seem real. Oh, and all of this should work on the average home PC that has been purchased within the last few years.

What game developer in their right minds would want

to tackle something like this? Us, of course! Strangely enough, we even enjoy it.

For a tactical combat simulation to be successful, thedeveloper needs to be realistic about what can and can’t be done in a practical sense. In effect, thismeans very carefully picking what to simulate and how to simulate it. It also means simulating as many elements as abstractly as possible so that resources

can be devoted towards those things that are not aseasily abstracted. Therefore, as realistic as Combat Mission is, it doesn’t mean players won’t noticeabstractions from time to time. This is unavoidable -simply because few gamers have a super computer at home!

Why is this important? Because you, the end user,need to know that although Combat Mission appears to

simulate the real world and all its chaos down to thelast boot heel and rock, there are some fundamental abstractions necessary to make this whole thing work on your PC. The end result is that, as you play CM,sometimes you will see things that don’t look quiteright. A soldier shooting through solid ground,



4 Combat Mission

perhaps, or a tree branch passing through a passingtank. In a perfect world we would have enough timeand computing power to avoid these abstractions.Since we don’t, we can’t. What we can do is makesure these abstractions do not negatively impact the

realism of the overall simulation. The “big picture” of your experience in CM is, after all, what is most important.

Unlearning Combat Mission

Gamers familiar with the original Combat Mission

series will quickly figure out that we haven’t spent three years simply redoing what we already did.Instead, when we started working on CM:SF wedecided, from the start, that nothing was sacred. Weset out to build a better game engine and anything wefelt holding us back from pushing forward was changed or abandoned completely. Yet, at the same time, wetried very hard to preserve the core of what made the

original Combat Mission great.The resulting game probably has, feature for feature,more differences with the earlier Combat Missiongames than you might expect to see. Although it will probably take you some time to get used to thedifferences, we are confident that you’ll be fine oncethe surprise wears off. Just like many of you were fine playing Combat Mission for the first time after years of

wargames that looked and felt like paper and diceboard games. Back then we called the process“unlearning”, so perhaps now we should call it “re-unlearning”!



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Table of contentsForeword ................................... 3

Unlearning Combat Mission– ..... 4

Table of contents ....................... 5

CM:SF Backstory ........................ 8A developer’s conundrum ............. 10

Installation & Licensing ............13Installation from disc ................... 13Installation for Download version ... 13License Overview ........................ 13

Licensing .................................. 14Un-Licensing ............................. 15

E-license support ........................ 16

Keyboard & mouse Controls .....18Camera Navigation ...................... 18

(Mouse) ................................ 18(Keyboard - defaults) .............. 18

Unit Selection ............................. 18Commands ................................. 19Command Keys (defaults) ............ 19Number Pad ............................... 19Editor ........................................ 20

3D Map Preview ........................ 20buildings ............................... 20

Flavor Objects ........................ 202D Map Editor ........................... 20

Options ...................................... 20Customizing hotkeys .................... 21

Options .....................................23

Battles & Campaigns .................25Battles ....................................... 25

How to start ............................. 26Select Combat Force ............... 27Select Game Options ............... 27

Mission Briefing ...................... 27Setup Phase ............................. 28Victory conditions ...................... 29

Terrain based objectives .......... 30Unit based objectives .............. 30Force wide objectives .............. 30

Campaigns ................................. 31Playing A Campaign ................... 32

QuickBattles ............................... 34Quick Battle Options .................. 34

Environmental Options ............ 34

Units options .......................... 35Launch the QB .......................... 35Setup Positions ......................... 35Victory conditions ...................... 36

Gameplay Styles .......................36Single Player .............................. 36

Real-time ................................. 37Turn-based ............................... 37

Two-player ................................. 38Real-time ................................. 38

LAN/Internet ............................ 38Turn-based ................................. 40Hotseat .................................... 40Email ....................................... 40

Multi-player ................................ 41

Skill Levels ...............................42Basic Training ............................. 42Veteran ..................................... 42Elite .......................................... 43

Basic Screen Layout .................. 44Game User Interface (GUI) ........... 45

Unit Info Panel .......................... 45Team Info Panel ........................ 47Details Panel ............................. 49Detail Panel Components ............ 50

Profile ................................... 50Stats .................................... 51Reports ................................. 51

Command Panel .......................... 53Menu Options ............................. 54Command Interface ..................... 55

Number Pad ............................. 56

Keyboard ................................. 56Mouse ..................................... 57On-screen menu ....................... 57

Playback Interface ....................... 57

Spotting & Floating Icons .........58

Commands ................................60Move Commands ......................... 61

Move ....................................... 63Quick ...................................... 64Fast ......................................... 64

Slow ........................................ 65Hunt........................................ 65Assault .................................... 66Blast ....................................... 66Mark Mines............................... 67Reverse ................................... 67

Combat Commands ..................... 68Target ...................................... 68Target Light .............................. 69Target Arc ................................ 70Clear Target ............................. 71Face ........................................ 71

Special Commands ...................... 72Hide ........................................ 72Deploy Weapon ......................... 73Dismount ................................. 74Bail Out ................................... 75Acquire .................................... 75Pop Smoke ............................... 76



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Pause ...................................... 76Open Up .................................. 77

Administrative Commands ............ 78Split Teams .............................. 78Assault Team ............................ 79Anti-Tank Team ......................... 79

Instant Commands ...................... 79

Command & Control (C2) ..........81Maintaining C2 Links .................... 82Information Sharing .................... 83Leaders ..................................... 85

Air & Artillery Support ..............86Requesting Support ..................... 87Selecting a Spotter ...................... 87Support Roster ........................... 88Support Panel ............................. 89Adjusting or Canceling Support ..... 91

Air Mission Parameters ................. 92Artillery Mission Parameters .......... 92

Air Assets .................................94Munitions, Spotters and Equipment96

Munitions .............................. 96Spotters ................................ 98Equipment ............................. 99Environmental Considerations. 100Basic Rules of Thumb ............ 100

Unconventional Warfare .........101Unconventional Forces ............... 103

Specialists ................................ 104Using IEDs and VBIEDs .............. 105

The Editor ...............................107Basic screen layout .................... 107

File Menu ............................... 108Editor Selector ........................ 108

Mission Editor ........................... 110Description ............................. 110

Battle Type .......................... 110Environment ........................ 110Daylight .............................. 110Battle Size ........................... 111Title .................................... 111Description .......................... 111Image ................................. 111

Data ...................................... 111Mission (Blue and Red) ............. 112Parameters (Blue and Red) ....... 114Terrain Objectives (Blue and Red)114Unit Objectives (Blue and Red) .. 115

Map Editor ............................... 116Map Editor Options .................. 117

Ground #1 .......................... 117Ground #2 .......................... 117Brush .................................. 117Foliage ................................ 117Roads ................................. 117Walls/Fences/Trenches .......... 117Buildings ............................. 118

Flavor Objects ..................... 118Craters ............................... 118

Elevation ................................ 118Landmarks ............................. 120Setup Zones ........................... 120Map Toolbar ............................ 121

Object Rotation .................... 121

Paintbrush ........................... 121Map Zoom ........................... 121Map width & depth ................ 121

Units Editor............................. 122Purchase Units .......................... 123Soft factors .............................. 124

typical Setting ......................... 126Purchasing equipment ................ 126

SBCT Specific Units ................. 127HBCT Specific Units ................. 128US Artillery ............................. 128

Syrian Tank Units .................... 128Syrian AFV/IFV Units ............... 129Syrian Anti-Tank Units .............. 129Reinforcements ....................... 130

Earliest Arrival Time .............. 130Arrival Span ......................... 130

Deploy Units ........................... 131Deployment Commands ......... 131

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Editor132AI Elements .............................. 133

Groups .................................. 134Map Zone ............................... 134Orders ................................... 135

Order type ........................... 135Setup Orders ....................... 136

Occupy buildings ..................... 136Stance ................................... 136Passenger status ..................... 137

Plans ....................................... 137Exit Before / Exit After ............. 138

Support Targets (Blue or Red) ..... 139

3D Preview ............................. 140Editing Buildings ....................... 140Single Wall ............................. 141Single Side ............................. 141Entire Building ........................ 141

Editing Flavor Objects ................ 141

Baking Scenarios ....................142

Making Campaigns ..................143Core Units File .......................... 144Scenarios (Battles) .................... 145Campaign Script File .................. 146

Compiling a Campaign ............... 148

Creating Quick Battle Maps .....149Setup Zones ........................... 149AI Plans ................................. 149Victory conditions .................... 149Red and Blue .......................... 150Units on the map..................... 150



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Terrain ................................... 150Battle Type ............................. 150

Mods ....................................... 150Loading order ........................... 151Rezexplode .............................. 151Repack .................................... 152Mods in Action .......................... 152Important ................................ 153

Tips for using the Editor .........154Getting to know the terrain ......... 154

Eastern plateau ....................... 155Water .................................... 155Climate .................................. 156

Realistic maps ........................... 156Tactical considerations ............... 159Towns and cities ........................ 160Flavor Objects .......................... 161

Keep game performance in mind . 162Working with Objectives ............. 163Creating Phase Lines ................. 165 “Secret” Missions ...................... 165Programming the AI .................. 166

Plan for the Plans .................... 166Start simple ........................... 166What would you do? ................ 167Do something else ................... 167The devil is in the details .......... 168

Encyclopedia ...........................169

Coalition (United States) ............ 169Basic Tactics ........................... 169

The Stryker Combat Vehicle ........ 172The Bradley Fighting Vehicle ....... 176The Abrams Main Battle Tank ...... 177The Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle 180

U.S. Air Assets ........................ 181U.S. Artillery Assets ................. 182U.S. Weapons ......................... 183

Syria ....................................... 186Basic Tactics ........................... 186

Tanks .................................... 187Syrian Artillery Assets .............. 195Syrian Weapons ...................... 196

Branches .................................202Coalition (USA) ......................... 202

Stryker Brigade Combat Team ... 202Heavy Brigade Combat Team .... 202

Syria ....................................... 203Republican Guard .................... 203Special Forces ......................... 203Regular Army ......................... 204

Reserve Army ......................... 204Militia .................................... 204Unconventional Forces (Fighters) 204Unconventional Forces (Combatants)

205

Icons ......................................206Specialty (MOS) ........................ 206

Threat ..................................... 206Defensive equipment ................. 206Ammo ..................................... 206Comms .................................... 207Special Equipment ..................... 207Branches ................................. 208

U.S. Army .............................. 208

Syrian Army ........................... 208Syrian Uncons ........................ 208

Troubleshooting ........................ 209Tech Support ............................ 210

Military Terms Glossary ..........211

Credits .................................... 212



8 Combat Mission

CM:SF Backstory

History is merely a list of surprises. It can only prepare

us to be surprised yet again.

- Kurt Vonnegut

The First Unconventional Conventional War

During the Winter of 2008, a number of inconspicuous pieces of luggage were carried by individuals to different parts of theworld. The men were of different ages and nationalities, andnone of them knew of the others. They even appeared to havestarted their trips in different countries - but appearances areoften meant to be deceiving. Instead of being random peoplewith random luggage from random nations, they were all, infact, on the same mission, sent by the same group, residing inthe same country; Syria.

The Terrorists, for that is what they were, spent months making journeys that would have taken people with nothing to hide afew hours. But of course, they each had something to hide,and that something was in the average looking pieces of lug-gage. Once inside their target nations they could move aroundfairly easily, for that is both the benefit and drawback of freesocieties. Still, they moved cautiously and according to differ-ent schedules that were designed to mask their careful

coordination. By the Spring of 2008 they were all in place andwaiting for the signal.

During this time of deployment, the various agencies responsiblefor uncovering such plots had heard much talk about luggageand their possible contents. Some cells within Syria had beencompromised and information was beginning to take shapethat something very bad was about to happen. Unfortunately,the plot took such eventualities into consideration, so the in-formation accumulated was largely useless. Security wastightened up, but the sleepers were already in place and inhiding. A few tips or hunches brought authorities close, butnot close enough.



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Then, one day, a message was sent. The sleepers awoke andmade their way to targets of their own personal choosing withincities not directly chosen by their leaders. Within a few hours,dozens of pounds of radioactive waste uranium were detonatedby conventional explosives, polluting major cities of the West

for hundreds of years. The leaders of the plot came out of hiding to celebrate, claim credit, taunt, and promise more suchattacks. Then they melted back into the population.

At the United Nations, the countries suffering from the attacksdemanded they be given the mandates necessary to go afterthose responsible for the attacks. Of course, the demandswere met with hardly any opposition from UN members. Al-though the target had not yet been fully identified, the pieces

of intelligence accumulated before and after the attacks pointedto one - and only one - country as the point of origin; Syria.With its long history of state sponsored terrorism, it wasn’tdifficult to imagine that Syria was responsible.

While further evidence was being sought, the military forces of the West began to deploy to bases within striking range of Syria. The Syrian government denied involvement, but theyalso denied granting any meaningful assistance to investiga-tors. Instead, they put their military on high alert and mobilizedlarge numbers of reservists. Obviously, such actions did notadd credibility to their denials.

The smoking gun came in April; a video of the terrorist group’sonly known leader celebrating the success of “our mission”.The video showed details that were not known publicly. There-fore, it was concluded that the video was a confession from theman responsible, not someone claiming credit for the deeds of others. Communications surveillance, eyewitnesses, and co-vert operatives all agreed on one thing: this man and hisorganization were located in the heart of Syria. The case for

war was therefore complete.

On June 15th sortie after sortie of Coalition aircraft launched at-tacks to soften up the Syrian defenses. The air attackscontinued for three days. Meanwhile, various nation’s specialforces slipped through Syria’s borders to pave the way for a



10 Combat Mission

larger ground offensive. On the morning of the 19th, a largeAmerican force, Task Force Thunder, left its jump-off positionsand crossed into Syria along the middle section of the borderwith Iraq. Other forces streamed in from the south and alongthe Turkish border. Still more forces landed on the Mediterra-

nean coast. Thus, from three sides, the combined weight of the West’s military might bore down on the safe haven for itsattackers.

Task Force Thunder was assigned the most important task. Ledby a full Stryker Brigade Combat Team, backed up by a mixedbattalion of Armor, Mechanized Infantry, and support assets,its job was to slice through the center of Syria with the great-est possible speed. Its primary mission was to make it

impossible for the defending forces to redeploy from one areato another, to cause maximum confusion of the defense ef-forts, and to eventually seal off Damascus, the Syrian capital -and the toughest objective - from the northeast. Other forceswould be responsible for reducing the pockets TF Thunder cre-ated so that its advance would not be slowed.

As the commander of 2nd Battalion, your mission is to hit theenemy forces hard and keep to TF Thunder’s time table. The

success of the entire military operation rests in no small parton your shoulders.

It is better to be a dog in a peaceful time than to be aman in a chaotic period.

- Chinese Proverb

A developers conundrumIn mid 2002 we decided, for a number of reasons, that the first

game using the new CMx2 engine would be set in the nearfuture instead of the past. More specifically we decided tofocus the game on the Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT)concept, which was in its infancy at the time. We felt it wouldbe interesting to “see what it could do” in a conventional groundcombat role in the near future.

By mid 2004 CM development was at a stage where we had tonail down the region and the specific nation to act as the game’ssetting. From a gaming perspective to get the sort of challengewe required we needed a Red Force (OPFOR) that had a con-



Shock Force 11

ventional armed force capable of offering more than token re-sistance. The country also had to be a plausible foe of theso-called Western nations who make up the Blue Force. Theresulting list was surprisingly short, even when we looked atthe possibility of a setting outside of the Middle East. All things

considered, we decided that Middle East and Syria would offerthe best elements for CM:SF and therefore we chose Syria forour setting. We based our choice primarily on the desire toprovide a tactically rich and interesting modern combat set-ting. Much less important for us was the likelihood of its actualoccurrence. We do not intend this game to be any form of endorsement of actual war between the United States and Syria.

The events that followed 2002 caused us to constantly reevaluate

CM:SF’s designs and to make changes and additions to its com-bat modeling in order to better reflect what we felt groundwarfare would look like in 2008. The drawn-out conflicts inAfghanistan and Iraq gave us great insight, but neither offeredthe mix of conventional and unconventional warfare we sus-pected would be seen in a setting such as Syria.

The short war between Israel and Hezbollah in the summer of 2006 showed us that we were on the right track as far as the

game itself went. However, our back-story for a conflict withSyria was becoming less and less possible, even though, inmany ways, it was becoming more plausible.

By mid 2006 we found ourselves in a conundrum. Due to thestrain on resources from the continuing wars in Afghanistanand Iraq, the ability of the West to wage another large groundwar in the Middle East (or anywhere for that matter) becameless and less possible with each passing month. Still, we wanted

to simulate such an environment and, in fact, were too faralong in the development process to back out even if we wantedto. This conflict between needs and reality presented us withquite a design dilemma. On one hand we had to pick a viableplace to “wage war” or we wouldn’t have a game at all. On theother hand we could see no country that clearly deserved a “virtual invasion”.

To solve this problem we considered setting CM:SF in a com-pletely fictional country against a completely fictional RedForce. After lengthy discussions internally and on our Forumwe decided that a generic, fictional setting would not be ascompelling to play as a real-world setting. Therefore, wechose Syria as the “Red Force” even though there is no indi-



12 Combat Mission

cation that war with Syria would be justifiable - or even fea-

sible - any time in the near future.

Once we chose the setting we dedicated a considerable amount of effort to ensure that we made a fair and accurate representa-

tion of Syria’s ability to defend itself militarily. While we wouldhave done this no matter what the setting was (realism is,after all, our hallmark), it does serve a double purpose in thiscase. Not only does CM:SF’s setting make for a challengingtactical wargame, but it also demonstrates Syria’s likely real-world ability to inflict significant losses on a foreign invaderwhile at the same time not being able to overcome the awe-some lethality of Western military forces. Therefore, it is ouropinion that if such a conflict should start to develop a true

diplomatic solution would be in the best interests of all partiesconcerned.



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Installation & Licensing

Installation from discIn order to install the game, insert the game disc. The CombatMission: Shock Force Installation Menu should appear if youhave CD Autostart enabled on your computer. Click on the “In-stall Game” option to begin the installation process. If you haveCD Autostart disabled, or if the Installation Menu does not ap-pear, please browse the contents of the disc and simplydouble-click on the file called “CMSF_Setup.exe”. That will

manually launch the game installer.

Installation for Download versionAfter you have successfully downloaded the Combat Mission: Shock

Force download file (filename CMSF_Setup.exe), copy this fileto a temporary folder and then double-click on it to launch theinstaller.

License OverviewCombat Mission: Shock Force is protected by an online activation

system called “eLicense”. eLicense is a tool to restrict the ille-gal distribution of the software without being annoying orintrusive to the legitimate customer.



14 Combat Mission

Unlike so many other activation systems, eLicense requires youto register only once and does not mess with your hardware orOS settings. Yet it does prevent illegal use of the game andtherefore ensures that Battlefront.com will be around for a longtime to come. That means more games for you to enjoy in the

future!

LicensingWhen you first run CM:SF, after initial install, you will be prompted

to license it . In most cases all you need to do is:

a) make sure the computer on which you haveinstalled the game has an active online connection tothe internet

b) enter your license key into the correct field in the pop-up window

c) hit the “license” button and wait a few seconds whileyour license authorizes.

If you wish to install the game on a computer which has no internetconnection, you must perform what is called an “Offline Li-cense Request”. As above, when you first launch the game,

after initial install, you will need to do the following when theLicense Screen appears:

a) click on the “off-line license” button and generatethe off-line license request

b) save the ENTIRE request file (including theinstructions on top all the way down to the encrypted portion of the file) to a disc or other removable media(USB drive, floppy etc...)

c) transfer the file you saved in step B to a computer which has internet access

d) On a computer that is connected to the internet, goto http://www.license.net and paste the ENTIRE contents of the file into the corresponding window

e) generate the license file and copy it to a disk or other removable media (USB Drive, floppy etc...)

f) transfer the file from step E, back to the computer where the game was installed and proceed with theoff-line licensing procedure by pasting the entirecontents of the license file into your licensing window

Off-line licensing is also a good workaround for online computerswhich experience problems with a firewall or proxy settings



Shock Force 15

since, unlike the direct online activation, off-line licensing onlyrequires a simple non-encrypted internet connection. If youdo experience firewall or proxy problems, simply follow theoff-line licensing steps on the same computer that is havingthe problem.

eLicense allows you to license, un-license and re-license the gameas often as you wish. This allows you to use CM:SF on severalcomputers if you like (up to two at the same time) withoutreinstallation, and gives you the right to re-sell the game afteryou’ve had your fun with it (as long as you un-license yourcopy).

Un-LicensingOne of the neat features of eLicense is that your license never

expires and is never used up, unlike so many other protectionsystems out there. If you buy a new computer, replace a harddrive, or even give the game to a friend, you can simply un-license the current activation. This frees up your license key tobe re-used elsewhere. There is no limit to how often you areallowed to do this, as long as you un-license first before at-tempting to re-license elsewhere.

If you want to use the game on your desktop and a laptop, that’s

possible without having to unlicense a copy, because each li-cense key allows you two concurrent activations. However, if you already have two activations, and would like to run thegame on a third computer, you must first un-license one of theactive copies before you can activate the game on a third ma-chine.



16 Combat Mission

To activate a third computer, without un-installing from an exist-ing computer, you have to manually un-license it. There areseveral ways to un-license a copy:

a) via program group shortcut. The actual shortcut depends on how you installed the game, but thedefault is:

Start->Programs->Battlefront->Combat Mission Shock Force->Unlicense CMSF

b ) right click on the file you’re using to start up thegame. This can be a desktop icon or an entry in your program menu. Select “un-license” from the pop-upmenu.

c ) Open the Windows System Tray and open theeLicense Control Center. Select the game you want toun-license and right-click on it. Select un-license fromthe pop-up menu.

Other ways on how to un-license, as well as solutions to potentialproblems are explained in the F.A.Q.:

http://www.battlefront.com/elicense_faq.html

After the Un-license window opens, you must enter your licensekey and click the Un-license button while your computer isconnected to the internet. Un-licensing only works online andis not possible if your computer is not connected to the internet.When unlicensing, make sure that you see a Success messageat the end of the process. If you don’t, then your game wasnot properly unlicensed, and your license might still be “in use”.

E-license supportBattlefront.com prides itself on customer service, and this contin-

ues with the implementation of the eLicense system. Pleasecheck out our F.A.Q. section which explains how eLicense works,how to license and un-license games, and what to do if youever run into issues, such as firewall configuration, proxy set-tings or if you simply lost your license key:

http://www.battlefront.com/elicense_faq.html

If you ever need specific assistance, or have lost your license key(we recommend printing it and not only saving it electroni-cally), do not hesitate to email us with a description of yourproblem at [email protected]. We usually respond within1 working day.



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Please note: only the original Battlefront.com version of the game isusing eLicense. If you have purchased your game elsewhere (e.g.in a store), and if it has the Paradox Interactive logo on it, thenyou have the retail version of the game, which is NOT usingeLicense.



18 Combat Mission

Keyboard & mouse Controls

Camera Navigation(Mouse)Cursor at screen edges .........MoveCursor in upper corners ........RotateLeft-click and drag ...............Move cameraRight-click and drag ............. Pivot cameraRight-click and hold(when unit selected) ............ Pivot around unit

Mouse wheel .......................ElevateMouse wheel + SHIFT ..........Elevate + PitchMouse Wheel + CTRL ...........PitchCTRL + Left-click ................. Jump to Map Location

(Keyboard - defaults)W or Up Arrow ........ Move ForwardA or Left Arrow ........ Move LeftD or Right Arrow...... Move Right

S or Down Arrow ..... Move BackQ........................... Rotate LeftE ........................... Rotate RightV ........................... Reverse ViewR ........................... Raise cameraF ........................... Lower cameraZ ........................... Zoom outX ........................... Zoom in

C ........................... Wide Angle View1 - 9 ...................... Preset Camera PositionsArrow Keys ............. Fine Movement

Unit SelectionLeft-click on Unit ................. Selects UnitRight-click on Map ...............Deselects UnitDouble-click on Unit .............Group-select formation

SHIFT+Left-click ..................Adds additional units to groupSHIFT+Left-click & Drag ....... Drag selection rectangle

................................................around multiple units

(Note: + and - keys are restricted to “next” unit within the group when agroup is selected)



Shock Force 19

CommandsESC ....................... Pause GameTAB ....................... Lock Camera to Unit

- ........................... Select Previous Unit+ .......................... Select Next UnitF12........................ Select Last Unit{ and } .................. Adjust 3D Model Quality` ........................... Talk to Internet Opponent

Command Keys (defaults)

U I O ..................... Top Row of CommandsJ K L ...................... Middle RowM , . ...................... Bottom Row

B ........................... Move Fast CommandN ........................... Move Command............................. Reverse CommandH ........................... Target CommandY ........................... Target Light Command

G........................... Face Command / ........................... Deploy CommandP ........................... Pause CommandH ........................... Hide Command[ ........................... Dismount Command] ........................... Vehicle Open Up Command; ........................... Pop Smoke Command

F5 ......................... Movement Command PanelF6 ......................... Combat Command PanelF7 ......................... Special Command PanelF8 ......................... Admin Command Panel

DEL ....................... Clear Unit TargetBACKSPACE ............ Delete Last Waypoint

Number Pad / ........................... Previous Command Panel* ........................... Next Command Panel7 8 9 ..................... Top Row of Commands4 5 6 ..................... Middle Row1 2 3 ..................... Bottom Row



20 Combat Mission

- ........................... Select Previous Unit+ .......................... Select Next Unit

Editor

3D Map Previewbuildings

CTRL+Left-click on wall ........................................ changes windows/doors layout

ALT+CTRL+Left-click on wall.................................... changes windows/doors layout for.................................... WHOLE side of building (all floors)

CTRL+Left-click on roof ........................................ changes shape/type of roof

SHIFT+Left-click on building.................................... changes “Facade” (texture) of the.................................... whole building

CTRL+SHIFT+Left-click ........................................ cycles through balcony types for.................................... selected floor

CTRL+SHIFT+Left-click on ground floor

.................................... cycles through balcony types for the

.................................... WHOLE side of the building (all floors)ALT+Left-Click ...... changes building details

Flavor ObjectsLEFT CLICK ......................... rotate objectSHIFT+LEFT CLICK ..............nudge object in the direction

................................................ the camera is facingCTRL+LEFT CLICK ...............delete object

2D Map EditorCTRL+Right-click ..... changes current tile rotationLeft-click ................ place tile/objectLeft-click & hold....... “paint” tile/object (not all tiles/obj.)Right-click .............. delete tile/object (of the same type as

.................................... currently selected)

OptionsAlt-S ...................... Toggle SoundAlt-W ..................... Toggle ShadowsAlt-K ...................... Toggle SmokeAlt-T ...................... Toggle Tree Display



Shock Force 21

Alt-C ...................... Toggle Camera ShakeAlt-I ....................... Toggle Floating IconsAlt-J ....................... Toggle Show ObjectivesAlt-L ...................... Toggle Show LandmarksAlt-P ...................... Toggle Show All Move Paths

Alt-Q...................... Quit

Customizing hotkeysCM:SF allows you to customize the hotkeys to your liking. In or-

der to do so, browse into your game directory and open the „Data” folder. You will find a file there called „hotkeys.txt”. Openthis file in a text editor program.

You will see entries for Camera controls, the base Command keys,and various other controls there. Each language has a differ-ent default. A tag indicates the language, e.g. <E> for English,<F> for French, <G> for German etc.

In order to change the default hotkey, simply edit this file andsave it in the same location. You might want to keep a fewthings in mind however:

- It might be a good idea to save the original defaults first be-fore making any changes. For example, rename the originalhotkeys.txt file to hotkeys_original.txt.

- When you change a hotkey, make sure that the same key isnot already used / assigned to a different function. The pro-gram does not check for double-assignments, and will performone function, but not both. The game may crash if you assignthe various functions to the same key.

- If you’re not using other languages, feel free to remove allother entries. This will help in editing the file. If no languagespecific entry is found, the <E> keys are used by default.

Here are some further useful tips to keep in mind when customiz-ing your key layout: Combat Mission has two distinctly differentapproaches for using unit Commands via the keyboard; Rela-tive and Direct.

The Relative system involves a set of 9 keys centered aroundthree rows of three consecutive keys each. These 9 keys matchthe 9 Command Buttons in the user interface's Command Panel.Each hotkey controls the commands RELATIVE to the positionon the screen. For example, by default the U key activates theTop Row Left-Most key which would be FAST, TARGET, and SPLIT



22 Combat Mission

depending on which Command Group is visible (Movement,Combat, and Special respectively).

The Direct system, on the other hand, assigns a unique hotkeyfor DIRECT access to each Command. No attention is paid tothe graphical representation on the screen. For example, if soassigned, F would issue the FAST command. T would issue theTARGET command, H would control the HIDE command etc...no matter which Command Group is visible on the screen.

There are pros and cons to each system. The Relative systemallows the player to keep one hand stationary on the keyboardand does not require any "hunting and pecking" to find theright hotkey. The downside is that when you wish to use two

Commands in a row that are in different Command Groups youhave to first switch the proper Command Group (now doneusing the F5-F8 keys).

The Direct system allows you to string Commands together with-out concern for which Command Group they are in, but doeshave the drawback of requiring the hand to move and locate aspecific key, which may or may not be easily memorized. Whichis "better" comes down to personal player preference, there-

fore both are provided.Whenever possible, the order buttons under the various Com-

mand Panels will display the assigned "direct" key in highlightedgreen text.

Note, we recommend that you decide which system you preferand then assign the keys as you wish by editing the hotkeys.txtfile. The default key assignments have all 9 Relative keys as-signed (UIOJKLM,.) as well as a selection of the most commonly

used commands mapped to new Direct keys (Move Fast, MoveNormal, Reverse, Target, Target Light, Face, Deploy, Pause,Hide, Dismount, Vehicle Open Up and Pop Smoke) to give youan idea of how the two systems work. We have found thatusing one or the other systems exclusively seems to have thebest results and do not recommend mixing the two systemstogether. While it's possible to do, it could mean getting theworst of both systems and not really getting the benefits. There-

fore, if you wish to use the Direct system we advise that youedit the hotkeys.txt file to unassign the 9 Relative hotkeys.Also, be aware to not double assign any keys to multiple func-tions.



Shock Force 23

Options

The Options menu allows various global game options, mainly

with regard to visual and audio quality, to be set prior to play-ing a game. For the most part these settings require infrequentresetting. Features that need more frequent customization areset within the game using Hotkeys.

The Options are:

- Sound: Toggles all in-game sounds on or off.

- Display Size: you can select the game to run at the followingresolutions: Desktop (the game will run at whatever resolutionyour desktop is set to), 1024x768, 1152x864, 1280x960

N o t e : If you want to run the game in a resolution and refresh rate not listed, you can manually configure these settings by editing the"display size.txt" file located in your game directory. Simply change the numbers that you see there with the width (in pixels)and height (in pixels) and refresh rate (in Hertz) you wish to runthe game.

E x a m p l e : For 1440x900 at 75Hz refresh rate, you would deletethe numbers in that file and replace with "1440 900 75" (without quotes).



24 Combat Mission

If you put in all zeroes - example: 0 0 0 - the game will revert tousing your desktop resolution and refresh rate.

Exercise caution and only use a resolution and refresh ratesupported by your monitor as damage to your monitor or display

adaptor could occur, especially if you use too high a setting.

- Vertical Synchronization: this option optimizes image qualitybased on your monitor refresh rate. This setting may reduceyour framerate, however.

- 3D Model Quality: Offers several settings for balancing modeldetails with speed. The choices range from “Fastest” (lowestquality, highest game speed) to “Best” (best visual quality but

possibly lower game speed). “Balanced” offers a good com-promise between model quality and frame rate speed.

- 3D Texture Quality: Same as above, except it balances thequality of the graphics. For computers with video cards withless than 64 MB memory, the Fast and Fastest settings arerecommended.

- Antialias / Multisample: Allows you to toggle Anti-Alias and

Multisample on or off. If switched on, this option improves vi-sual quality but may cost game performance.

- High Priority Process: This option instructs Windows to as-sign "normal" application priority or "high" application priorityto the game when it is run. The "normal" setting can fix lag-ging mouse and/or keyboard input issues for some systems.The "high" setting is recommended if you have not experi-enced any input lag problems. The "high" priority option allows

Combat Mission to use more system resources and may resultin better performance.

- Language: CM:SF comes in a multi-language configuration. Itdefaults to the language that your desktop is set to. If youwould like to switch to a different language, you can make thechoice here. You must exit the game after changing languages,in order to access the correct language scenario folders.

N o t e : If you would like to disable the intro video playing at gamelaunch, hold down the “V” key at game startup. The video will nolonger play when the game loads and the setting will be saved inthe preferences file. On subsequent startups you can press “V” again to bring the video back.



Shock Force 25

Battles & Campaigns

CM:SF offers three basic types of scenarios to play: Campaigns,

Battles, and QuickBattles.

BattlesAs the game title “Combat Mission” implies, the actual Battle Mis-

sion is at the core of the game. This is where player and/orcomputer-controlled forces clash and their fate is decided.Battles constitute the base for the Campaigns and QuickBattlesystems, explained further below. A number of pre-designedand tested battles and campaigns are available with the game,and by using the powerful Editor tools, players can also createan unlimited number of new battles.

Battles are missions pre-designed by a scenario designer, andinclude the map, objectives, forces, reinforcements and AIscripting. As such, Battles can depict a nearly unlimited num-ber of combat situations, forces, and mission types. The Editor

section of the Game Manual explains in detail how Battles canbe created.



26 Combat Mission

How to startTo start a Battle, click on the Battle button on the main menu

screen. The battle window opens, listing all available battlesfrom the game’s “Scenarios” folder. Clicking on the title of eachbattle provides additional information to give the player a quickidea of what the Battle is about.

- Image: an optional image associated with the Battle. Could bean in-game shot, or map overview, or anything else that thescenario designer deems worthy of showing. If no image isprovided, this area remains black.

- Parameter icons: four icons that show the most importantparameters for the battle:

- Environment: the general type of map the battle takes place

on. Options include City, town, village, open, rough, hills, etc.

- Weather: the weather setting for the battle. Options includeclear, overcast, rain, etc.

- Battle Type: the type of battle and which side is the attackeror defender. Options include Assault, Attack, Probe and Meet-ing Engagement.

- Battle Size: indication for the battle size, i.e. the amount of units, size of map, and duration. Options range from Tiny allthe way to Huge as shown the by number of soldiers depictedin the icon.

- Time of battle: the time of day when the battle starts



Shock Force 27

- Temperature: the air temperature during the battle

- Description: a short one-line description entered by the sce-nario author to describe what the mission is about

The player has the option to click OK or to Cancel. The latter

brings the player back to the Battle selection screen. HittingOK opens the next screen:

Select Combat ForceThe player now chooses the side he would like to play - Blue (US)

or Red (Syrian)

Select Game OptionsIn the next screen, the Style of play and number of players is set,

as well as the difficulty level for the mission.

Players - options range from single play in real-time or turn-based, or various 2 player options (LAN/Internet, Hotseat andEmail)

Skill - the difficulty setting including Basic Training, Veteran andElite settings.

Click OK to load the scenario.

Mission BriefingThe mission-briefing screen opens when first entering a battle.

The briefing screen shows:

- Strategic Map (e.g. the map of Syria or the geographical loca-tion of the battle). Uploaded by scenario author and empty if not provided.

- Operational Map (e.g. a city map of the neighborhood wherethe battle takes place). Uploaded by scenario author and empty

if not provided.- Briefing Text. Describes the mission orders to the player using

a common format.



28 Combat Mission

- Button for Tactical Map. Toggles map or briefing view andshows a tactical map to the player, e.g. a bird’s eye view of thebattlefield. Empty if not provided by scenario author.

Hitting OK takes the player directly to the 3D battlefield.

Setup PhaseWhen you first enter the 3D battlefield you start out in the Setup

Phase. Gameplay is paused and both sides are able to move

their units within the available Setup Zones.The Setup Zones are visible as colored areas (in shades of red for

the Syrian player, and shades of blue for the US player) over-laid on the terrain. Each side can have up to three differentcolored Zones in any configuration (including non-contiguous).Units may be moved within the same colored Zones they startout with, never any place else.

Almost all of the regular Commands available to a particular unit

while in battle are available during the Setup Phase. However,some Commands only activate once the battle starts. For ex-ample, any Combat Command issued to a unit during SetupPhase won’t do anything until the combat starts. MovementCommands given to a unit within its Setup Zone will move it



Shock Force 29

there immediately and without any game effect, such as Fa-tigue. Movement Commands which are placed outside of aZone instruct the unit to move to that location as soon as thebattle starts, but not before. Other Commands, such as But-ton/Unbutton, Acquire, Split, have an immediate effect and

can be done or undone instantly and without their typical gamecosts (time delays, Fatigue, etc.).

Note: the Target command is available during the Setup Phase, but ONLY to be able to check lines of sight and distances. Notargeting orders are actually saved during the Setup Phase!

Once you have positioned your units to your liking and are readyto start the battle, click on the red blinking button in the lower

right hand corner of the screen. This is the “End Phase” buttonwhich quits the Setup Phase and launches the actual battle.The game clock will start ticking and will continue to do so untilyou pause (RealTime) or until the 60 seconds of the first ActionPhase are completed (WeGo). More about this in the followingchapter about “Gameplay Styles”.

Victory conditionsScenario designers can set a number of specific victory conditions

for battles, and mix different objectives and objective types.Each objective can have a different victory point value associ-ated with it. The objectives of the opposing sides do not haveto match. In fact, one side can have totally different goalsthan the other side. Also, objectives are not automatically knownto both sides: a mission goal is only known to the side that hasto achieve it; or only the other side; or both; or none.

The Editor chapter explains objectives in more detail. Here arethe basics for the player:



30 Combat Mission

For each scenario, there are three main types of objectives foreach side: terrain-based objectives, unit-based objectives, andforce-wide objectives.

Terrain based objectives

The scenario designer can set any number of terrain-based objec-tives, i.e. areas on the map of some importance to the mission.The available objective types include:

- Occupy: player needs to occupy an area, clear it completely of enemy troops, and keep some forces there (until the end of the battle) to gain points

- Destroy: player needs to destroy an area (e.g. a building)

- Preserve: the opposite of Destroy; the player needs to ensurethat an area remains undamaged

- Touch: player needs to reach the objective area to gain points,but does not have to remain in position there

Unit based objectivesThere can be any number of unit-based objectives in a scenario.

The objective can be tied to one single unit (such as a tank or

an HQ unit) or to entire formations (such as a platoon or evena company), or to a mix of various units. Unit-based objectiveoptions include:

- Destroy: you must destroy the designated units. The more dam-age you cause to those units, the more points you earn.

- Destroy all: you must destroy the designated units in order toearn any points. Points are not awarded for damaged units.

- Spot: you earn points by spotting and identifying the desig-nated units.

Force wide objectivesThese are the main victory parameters for a scenario. The sce-

nario designer assigns victory points to each objectiveindividually. Options include:

- Casualties (friendly and enemy): if the player keeps his own

casualties under this percentage (relative to the entire force inthe scenario) and pushes the enemy above another percent-age, he is awarded the respective victory points

- Condition (friendly and enemy): if the player keeps his per-centage of wounded, incapacitated and routed soldiers below



Shock Force 31

this percentage and pushes the enemy above another per-centage, he is awarded the respective victory points

- Ammo (friendly and enemy): if the player retains more thanthis percentage of ammo and pushes the enemy to expendmore than another percentage, he is awarded the respectivevictory points

- Friendly bonus: onetime bonus to the side. A quick “fix” tobalance uneven battles, which can be fun at times.

The full range of Victory objectives is available for Battles andCampaigns. QuickBattles use a simplified auto-generated sys-tem, which is explained at the end of this chapter.

CampaignsA Campaign is a single player game that progresses through a

series of interconnected Battles stretching over many simu-



32 Combat Mission

lated hours, days, weeks, or even months. After completing aBattle, Combat Mission selects the next Battle based on theresults of the one just completed. The Battles within a Cam-paign are all premade, but are adjusted to reflect combat resultsfrom the previous Battle. Combat Mission campaigns are what

we call “semi-dynamic”: this means there are some predeter-mined elements, as well as some based on the player’s actions.

Certain units have their casualties, changes in leadership, ammousage, damage, and other factors carried over to the next Battlethey appear in. Such units are called Core Units and constitutethe bulk of the player’s available force for the Campaign. Thisdoes not mean, however, that every Core Unit appears in ev-ery battle. On the contrary, very often units seen in one battle

might not appear again until several battles later. Some unitsmay only appear a couple of times, while others appear nearlyevery battle. However, Core Units are always seen at least twotimes, unlike Auxiliary Units which are seen only once for thewhole Campaign. Combat Mission makes no attempt to informthe player about which units are Core or , in order to removethe temptation for players to abuse of Auxiliaries (i.e. treatingAuxiliary units as “disposable”).

Depending on conditions before each new Battle, Combat Missionmay replace fallen soldiers, repair damaged vehicles, replen-ish ammo, etc. However, as with any real-life military campaign,replacement, repair, and replenishment are not guaranteedevents. A wise player will keep this in mind and avoid wearingout his forces trying to achieve something that, in the largercontext of the campaign, is relatively unimportant.

Combat Mission chooses which Battle comes next based on the

score from the previous Battle. However, the evaluation isbased on expectations about how well the player should do.Sometimes expectations are high and sometimes not. Thiscould mean a high score for one Battle keeps the player on theoptimal path to victory, while the same exact score for anotherBattle may mean a detour before getting back on the straightpath to the Campaign’s end. Generally, however, better re-sults lead to a more direct path to the final Battle.

Playing A CampaignFrom the Main Screen, click on the Campaign button to view all

available Campaigns. CM:SF includes two Campaigns, bothplayed from the US side; “Yakima Training Center (YTC)” and “Task Force Thunder (TF Thunder)”.



Shock Force 33

YTC is a short Campaign designed to familiarize new players withhow Combat Mission works. TF Thunder follows a battalion-sized combined arms Task Force across the Syrian border, withthe ultimate mission of splitting the country into two. It ishighly recommended that all players (especially those who have

played previous Combat Mission games) play the YTC Cam-paign before doing anything else.

Once a Campaign is selected, the player receives a special one-time-only Campaign Briefing. It describes the “big picture” of what is expected of the player and which forces are availableto achieve the objective. After absorbing this information, theplayer moves onto the Mission Briefing to find out the specificdetails of the coming Battle. At the end of each Battle, theplayer views an After Action Report (AAR) that scores theplayer’s performance for that battle. After viewing the AAR,the next Battle’s Mission Briefing comes up and the whole pro-cess is repeated until the end of the Campaign.



34 Combat Mission

After the last Battle, the player sees the Campaign AAR. Unlikeprevious AARs, which showed results for the just-completedBattle, the Campaign AAR details how the player performedover the entire Campaign. This signifies the end of the Cam-paign.

The individual campaign missions make full use of all Victory Op-tions available for Battles.

Note: Players can create their own campaigns. Please read the “Editor” Chapter for details on how to link battles.

QuickBattles

QuickBattles offer unlimited replayability in CMSF, and are also aquick way to “generate” a new battle. Units for both sides, andthe map to be played on, are randomly chosen according to anumber of parameters set by the player.

Quick Battle OptionsEnvironmental Options

These correspond to the options available for regular scenarios,

and define the general setting for the Quick Battle. These op-tions also determine which Map is randomly loaded for the QBfrom the pool of available maps in the Quick Battle Maps folder.For example, if you set the Environment to “Open”, only QuickBattle Maps with an “Open” Environment setting will be con-sidered when choosing which map to load. If more than onemap is available, then the choice is made randomly. If no eli-gible map is available, the QB will be aborted and you will beredirected to the Main Menu screen instead.

Battle Type – Meeting Engagement, Probe, Attack, Assault, orRandom. This setting has an impact of what type of Quick BattleMap will be loaded – if you select Meeting Engagement, onlymaps defined as Meeting Engagement will be considered forloading. If you choose any of the other Battle Types, then onlymaps which are NOT a Meeting Engagement are considered.

Environment – sets the general type of terrain to be played on.

This setting has a direct impact on what type of Quick BattleMap will be loaded.

Battle Size – ranging from Tiny to Huge. This has an impact onhow many units will be available to both sides.

Region & Month – sets the date for the scenario



Shock Force 35

Daylight – sets the time for the scenario

Weather – sets the current weather for the scenario

Units optionsThese options define the units that both sides will be playing with.

Units are assigned randomly based on the parameters chosenby the player.

Service – choices include: US Army, Syrian Army, Uncons, Ran-dom, Random Blue and Random Red. This defines the basepool of units for that side for the QB.

Branch – depending on the chosen Service, the appropriate Branchcan be selected here, e.g. Mech Infantry, or Armor.

Type – this defines the rough composition of the unit based onthe previous choices. For example, for an Infantry Branch, thechoice could be Heavy Infantry, Medium Infantry or Light In-fantry, defining the TO&E as well as available weapons andformations.

Quality – ranging from Poor to Excellent, this defines the equip-ment used as well as “soft” factors such as morale, leadershipetc.

Condition – sets the physical condition for the side’s units

Force Adjustment – allows playing an unbalanced QB. If set tothe default “no change”, both sides will be roughly equally strongbased on abstract “purchase points”. The options allow you togive the Blue Force an extra 150% of units, or to deduct 60%from the Blue pool.

Launch the QBAfter setting the parameters, and if an eligible QB Map is found inthe QB Map folder, the player will be asked to select which sidethey want to play and which style of play they prefer (RealTime, WeGo, 1 player or 2 etc.) just as for a regular scenario.If no eligible map is found, you will simply be returned to theMain Menu screen.

Setup PositionsThe randomly purchased units are located in the predeterminedsetup areas at the beginning of the QB.



36 Combat Mission

Victory conditionsVictory conditions for QuickBattles are much more limited than

for Campaigns and Battles. Only two types of victory condi-tions are available:

1 - Terrain objective zones. These are always considered as OC-CUPY zones.

2 - An enemy-casualty threshold victory goal for each side is addedautomatically, which is lowest for meeting engagements, andhighest for assaults.

Gameplay StylesCombat Mission: Shock Force can be played in a number of ways.

At its core, it’s a simultaneous-time ground combat simulationwhere one second of playing time equals one second of realtime. In other words, a 30 minute engagement will also take30 minutes to play out. Since not everybody has time to playreal-time, a number of alternative playing styles are supported.

No matter which playing style you choose for a given battle, theunderlying simulation engine always runs in real-time. In otherwords, as far as the game is concerned, turn-based play isnothing else than a game played in 60 second increments of real-time, in between which gameplay is paused to await playerinput. It doesn’t have any effect on the simulation itself.

Single PlayerSingle-player mode allows one player to fight against the Com-

puter Opponent (often also referred to as Artificial Intelligence,or AI).

The Computer opponent consists of three main sub-elements:

- the customizable “Scenario AI” which can be “programmed” bythe Scenario Designer who determines the overall strategicgoals as well as possible avenues of approach and is able to

“script” certain behavior;- the hard-coded Operational AI (OpsAI) that coordinates and

assigns the orders to sub-units;



Shock Force 37

- and the hard-coded Tactical AI (TacAI) that controls the indi-vidual behavior of units and soldiers based on the assignedorders and the situation that develops after the shooting starts.

Real-timeThe Real-time Single Player mode starts with the player entering

the battlefield in the Setup Phase. Time is paused, and theplayer is able to get to know the battlefield, study his ordersand units, and place his troops within the designated setupzones. During the setup phase, it is possible to issue orderswhich will be executed immediately when the battle starts.

With setup completed, the player launches the battle, starting theclock. The clock ticks in true real-time (1 second of game time

equals 1 second in the real world) and only stops if the game ispaused. All actions happen simultaneously. After the allottedScenario Time expires, the battle ends, and the results screenis shown.

Turn-basedThe turn-based single-player mode begins again with the Setup

Phase, which works just like for Real-Time play: both players

are able to change the deployment of their units, and issueorders which will be executed during the first turn.

After the Setup Phase ends, the first game Turn begins. For thefirst turn (only), the turn begins with the Action Phase, duringwhich the units execute the commands given to them duringthe Setup Phase. After the Action Phase ends, players can re-wind and replay the Action (without being able to issuecommands) as often as they like during the Replay Phase.

Each following Turn is divided into three phases: a Command Phaseduring which the player is able to issue orders to his units forthe upcoming turn, an Action Phase, during which the unitsexecute these orders, and a Replay Phase, during which theplayer is able to rewind and watch the action as often as helikes.

The Action Phase runs in real-time for 60 seconds and automati-

cally ends after that time. The Player is not able to issue furtherorders during the Action and Replay Phases but can move thecamera freely around the battlefield.



38 Combat Mission

Two-playerThe Computer Opponent can be quite formidable when you are

just starting to play CM:SF, but it is no match for an experi-enced human player, because, unlike a human, the AI is not

capable of learning from its mistakes or adapting its gameplayto its opponent(s). Although a lot can be done by the ScenarioDesigner to increase the difficulty of winning against the Com-puter Opponent by carefully scripting the Scenario AI, sooneror later multi-player games against other humans will providethe only real challenge.

Playing against other human players is possible using a variety of methods.

Real-timeTwo player Real-time play is possible via two modes: a local area

network (LAN) where two computers are connected to eachother locally, and internet play where the two players can beanywhere in the world and connect via the internet. Both typesof play use the TCP/IP protocol for connection, therefore thesteps to set up and play a game are basically identical.

LAN/InternetCM:SF uses a peer-to-peer connection between the two players.

One player assumes the role of the host, while the other player joins as client. The host first creates a new Battle by choosingwhich scenario he wants to play, and from the Game Startwindow selects the appropriate game type: “2 Player Internet/LAN”. On the next screen, CM:SF automatically detects andlists all IP numbers associated with the host computer, as wellas which port will be used for the connection. It then waits forthe client player to join.



Shock Force 39

N o t e : Combat Mission Shock Force uses the UDP and TCP port 7023 for all multiplayer games. If you are trying to HOST a TCP-IP gamemake sure and open port 7023 for both UDP and TCP traffic.

The host now has to communicate this information to the client

player by email or chat. The client launches the game andchooses “Join Game” from the main game menu. Here, he en-ters the correct IP address and port given to him by the host.After clicking “Join”, the game will attempt to connect with thehost computer and, if the connection was successful, the gamewill launch. From here on, gameplay resolves exactly the sameas in the 1 player Real-Time game mode for each player.

Note that CM:SF lists ALL the IP addresses assigned to a system. If youhave multiple modems or network cards, it will list all IP ad-

dresses associated with those devices. What it can’t do is tell youwhich one is the correct IP address, because that depends on how your system is configured. If you do not know the correct IP address yourself, your opponent will have to try all of them to find the correct one. Make a note of its place in the list, because evenif the IP address itself might change, the order in which the IPsare listed should not.

If either player is behind a firewall (hacker protection) or is usinga proxy system, you may need to reconfigure your system by

manually opening the necessary port for incoming and outgo-ing transmissions. You might have to uninstall some firewallscompletely (software-based) or disable them (hardware-based).Some firewalls might have to be uninstalled completely. Userswith routers need to add the TCP port to the routers forward-ing table and match it to the internal IP address of the computerthat hosts the game, then use the router’s control panel to getthe external IP address given out by your ISP. This external IP

address is what your opponent will need in order to connect toyou as host.

People using Internet Connection Sharing on their home LANscannot host Internet games. They can, however, host locally tosystems that are connected on the same home LAN. They can join other hosted games normally, via Internet or LAN. This



40 Combat Mission

limitation on hosting affects systems that gain their access tothe Internet SOLELY on ICS connection.

Turn-based

Two player turn-based play is possible via two modes - Hotseat,where the two players play on the same computer and taketurns plotting their orders for each turn, and Play By Email(PBEM), where the two players save and swap their turn filesvia email.

HotseatHotseat play is very similar to Turn-Based Single Player games.

Each player plots his commands and actions as he would in a

Single-Player game and, once done, exchanges the seat in frontof the computer with his opponent (hence the term “hotseat”),who now does the same. This is repeated for each turn.

Email Play by Email works exactly like Single-Player Turn-based play,

except that once a player completes their commands and ac-tions, a special save game file is generated. The player emails

this file to their opponent who loads it on their end, executestheir commands, watches the results of the previous turn, thensaves a file and returns it to the first player.

Here is a more detailed explanation of the process:

1. You pick a Game and are prompted to create a password. Thiscreates Game file 01 which is stored as an Outgoing file. Youwill find this file in CM:SF/Games File/Outgoing Email. You send

this to your partner2. Your Partner gets the 01 file and saves it in his Incoming Email

Folder.

3. He starts game and finds file 01 the Saved Game portion of theOpening menu.

4. Partner puts in password and a new file 02 will be generated tobe sent to you.

By saving and swapping these files via email, the players advancethe game from turn to turn at a pace that the players canadjust to their liking. The gameplay itself, i.e. the Action Phase,still takes place in real-time - just like in Turn-Based SinglePlayer mode.



Shock Force 41

Multi-playerFor future modules of Combat Mission, additional multi-player fea-

tures (i.e. more than 2 players) are already in the works,including co-op play (i.e. several players can join the same

side and re-enact a real chain of command).



42 Combat Mission

Skill Levels

When you launch a new battle, you can set the skill level, which

adjusts the overall difficulty of the game. Unlike other games,the skill level does not simply give an artificial bonus to thecomputer opponent, but instead has an influence on core gamemechanics. The following section describes the differences be-tween the different levels. Only the differences from the previouslower level are described.

Basic TrainingThis is the easiest setting. The following special rules apply:

- Friendly units are always spotted

- Spotting information is instantly shared among teams(aka “Borg Spotting”)

- Troops suffer slightly fewer casualties and are lesslikely to panic

- Treatment of wounded soldiers (“buddy aid”) isextremely fast

- Artillery and air support arrives extremely fast

- Enemy units, once spotted, are always fully identified

- The life/death status of enemy vehicles is displayed immediately

- Enemy weapons and suppression are displayed

- You can hear the voices of unspotted enemiesVeteran

Most people familiar with the Combat Mission game system willprefer this setting. It is a fair balance between realism and fun,that does not burden the player with unnecessary details orlong waiting times. The following special rules apply:

- Friendly units are always spotted

- Enemies, once spotted, are not always immediately identified and can appear as generic “Enemy contacts” (but less often than at Elite level)

- Spotting information is distributed among teamsusing the standard Command & Control rules (See



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Command & Control chapter)

- Treatment of wounded soldiers is faster than in real life

- Artillery and air support arrives faster than in real life

- The life/death status of enemy vehicles is hiddenuntil the crew bails out or the vehicle starts to burn

- Enemy weapons and suppression are not displayed

- You cannot hear unspotted enemies

EliteElite is similar to the Veteran setting but introduces more realistic

time delays for a number of tasks and events. Hardcore play-ers will favor this setting. The following special rules apply:

- Enemies appear as generic “Enemy contacts” until they are positively identified by your forces on thebattlefield

- Treating wounded soldiers takes a realistic amount of time

- Artillery and air support take a realistic amount of

time to arrive

IronIron is an optional setting that goes even one step further than

Elite, and introduces special restrictions on what the playercan do and when. While even more realistic than the othersettings, this option introduces a number of interface limita-tions which might put off the casual player, so it is strictly an

optional choice.

- Friendly units need to be spotted just like enemy units. If you have a friendly unit not in line of sight or in contact with another friendly unit, then the only way to find this unit is by either re-establishing contact withanother friendly unit or by clicking through the chain of command in the game interface, jumping from unit tounit.



44 Combat Mission

Basic Screen Layout

The main screen layout breaks down as follows:

1. Top Navigation/Info Bar - the info bar at the top of thescreen provides information about friendly and enemy unitslocated within the viewing cone, even if the units are hidden orobscured by an obstacle. Clicking on one of the triangle-shaped

icons instantly switches the player to that unit.2. Game Area - this is the central display area where all the

action takes place. Using mouse and keyboard controls theplayer can move the camera around the map, as well as ac-cess units and info by clicking on them directly and/or on theirfloating information icons (if enabled).

3. Game User Interface (GUI) - the main interface bar at thebottom of the screen presents the player with all the informa-tion and controls necessary to interact with units.

Note: This screen layout is used for all instances where the playerinteracts with the 3D game world. 2D game elements such asmenu screens and the editor use a different GUI layout.



Shock Force 45

Game User Interface (GUI)As soon as you enter the 3D game world of CM:SF, the GUI ap-

pears at the bottom of the screen. It always consists of thesame three main parts, even though some may be empty or

unavailable at times.

1. Unit Info Panel2. Team Info Panel3. Command Panel

Unit Info Panel The Unit Info Panel displays the most important information for

the currently selected unit. It breaks down as follows:

1. Unit name - standard or customized unit description

2. Unit type - describes the type of unit, such as “Stryker Squad”

3. Portrait - a picture that represents the current unit type

4. Unit attributes - the central characteristics affecting the unit’sability to perform:

a) leader name (leadership modifier)b) experience level (no modifier)c) physical condition (physical fitness modifier)d) morale (motivational modifier)

Modifiers determine, for better or worse, how the unit behavesduring the game. Each modifier can have a positive or nega-tive value, as follows:

+2 - excellent+1 - good



46 Combat Mission

+0 - average-1 - below average-2 - poor

5. Rank - the rank insignia of the highest-ranking leader of the

unit. This does not change within a battle - even if the leaderbecomes a casualty and the next highest ranking member as-sumes the leadership role.

6. Branch of Service - shows which Branch of Service the unitbelongs to.

7. Chain of Command - displays the parent formations of the unit.A green icon indicates that the unit is currently in contact,while a red icon indicates that the unit is out of contact.

8. Ammo panel - the ammo panel displays the available and re-

maining amount of ammunition that the unit has at its disposal.The display is broken down into four groups: small arms am-munition, MG ammunition, hand grenades, and rifle grenades.

9. C2 Link - the Command and Control (C2) link shows the avail-able means of communication for the selected unit. Up to threeof the most effective methods are shown.

10. Suppression Indicator - an inverted color-coded pyramid indi-cates the amount of suppression the selected unit is enduring

at any given time. It also gives the player a rough measure-ment of the total volume of incoming enemy fire. As the colormoves from green to yellow to orange to red, the amount of suppression increases, and the unit will be more likely to go toground, panic, or break. When units are pinned (i.e. they canshoot but do not respond to movement orders) the word “Pinned” is shown in the suppression meter display.

11. Artillery and Air Support buttons - allows access to the Artil-lery and Air Support screen (if such support is available and if the currently selected unit is allowed to request support).

12. Special Equipment - this area consists of 12 slots which dis-play various types of special equipment that a squad, team, or



Shock Force 47

vehicle might be equipped with (e.g. Javelin missiles, democharges, extra ammo etc.).

Note: keep an eye out for knocked-out burning vehicles that containextra ammo and other special equipment. CM:SF is simulating

“cook-offs”, i.e. exploding ammo inside a burning vehicle. After each explosion ammo is crossed off the list, but remaining ammomay still explode later on. You should keep your infantry away from burning vehicles or they could suffer damage.

Team Info Panel The Team Info Panel shows all Soldiers assigned to the unit. De-

pending on the type of unit and the nationality, the Team Infois further subdivided into Teams. Squads show three columnsrepresenting up to three Fire Teams, designated A, B and C. AllUS squads have two Fire Teams and most Syrian squads havenone.



48 Combat Mission

Each Soldier is represented by his Weapon, his Wounds, and hisSpeciality. Behind the scenes, the rank, individual ammo count,type of body armor (if any), number and type of grenades,Special Equipment, and spare ammo are also tracked for eachSoldier. The Unit Info Panel displays cumulative ammo counts

and any Special Equipment. The total weight of everything aSoldier carries is also tracked and has an impact on fatiguefrom movement. In order to prevent unnecessary informationoverload, these details are not available to the player.

There is a large number of Weapons available, and they generallyfall into one of four basic categories: rifle, squad automaticweapon (SAW), sniper rifle, or heavy weapon. CM:SF usesreal-world statistics for these Weapons, such as caliber and

type of ammo, rate of fire, reloading requirements, chance of jamming, inherent accuracy, weight, etc. The Encyclopediachapter covers this in detail. In the Game Area, each weaponis accurately and individually represented for each Soldier.

The color of the Weapon icon in the panel denotes the generalhealth of the Soldier. Green means the Soldier is in good shape,though perhaps a little banged up. Yellow means that thesoldier has sustained a significant would that is likely to impair

his ability to fight. Seriously wounded Soldiers are droppedfrom the Team Info Panel completely. The Soldier’s bases withinthe Game Area also show Green, Yellow, Red (seriouslywounded) and Brown (dead) to reflect their Wound status. If you point the cursor at a weapon, the name of the weapon isdisplayed and that soldier’s base is subtly highlighted in themain 3D display.

Seriously wounded players (red soldier base) can be given first-

aid by their comrades, which is called “Buddy Aid”. There is noCommand for this action, rather it happens automatically whena friendly soldier (regardless if he is from the same squad ornot) is moved close to the location of an incapacitated com-rade. Depending on the situation (incoming fire etc.) the soldiermay decide to treat the wounded man. The word “medic” isdisplayed in the status field. The player can abort the treat-ment at any time by giving the parent unit that the medic

belongs to any kind of Command. The medic may decide toabort the treatment himself as well if there is significant in-coming fire.



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Note: Seriously-wounded (red base) soldiers who have not received “buddy aid” (i.e. disappeared) by the end of the game have a25% chance of becoming KIA in the final tally.

Dead soldiers (brown soldier base) can also receive “Buddy Aid”

(by moving a friendly soldier close to the location), but all itdoes is reclaim their ammo and weapons, if possible. “Aid” todead soldiers is pretty quick.

Many Soldiers have a special ability due to training and/or weaponassignment. These Specialties (MOS in US Military language)are represented in iconic form next to the Soldier’s Weapon(see the “Icons” chapter). The main purpose of this icon is toinform the player what the particular Soldier is specifically sup-

posed to do. For example, drive a vehicle, command a Team,use AT weapons, etc. If a soldier without a specific MOS triesto perform the same task, he is generally worse at doing it.This is especially true for (but not limited to) firing antitankrockets and missiles because soldiers who are not antitankspecialists receive an accuracy or guidance penalty (excep-tion: “secondary” launchers like the M136/AT4 and the RPG-18can be fired by anyone without penalty).

Details Panel All units that are not Squads are simply referred to as Teams and

have up to seven Soldiers in the Team A column. In place of columns B and C is the Details Panel, which is where specialinformation about the Team is shown. There are three differ-ent types of Details Panels based on Team type: Vehicle, HQ,

and Heavy Weapon.The layout for each Detail Panel is essentially the same with Pro-

file, Stats, and Reports sub sections. The Profile shows asilhouette unique to that unit, the Stats give some indicationas to what the unit is capable of, and Reports give details rel-evant to the Team’s specialized purpose. Reports are “tabbed” and can be accessed one at a time. CM:SF remembers whichReport was last in view so the next time you select a unit of

that type, the same Report shows up by default. The followingsections briefly describe the unique features shown for eachunit type.



50 Combat Mission

Detail Panel ComponentsThe Details Panel is divided up into three conceptual pieces: Pro-file, Statistics, and Reports. The information for each varies alittle depending on if the unit is a Vehicle, HQ, or Heavy Weapon(HW).

ProfileDesignation - lower left. Military designation for Vehicles and

HW (e.g. M3A2, M240B, etc.). For HW, it is usually a genericname describing the type or function, such as MMG, Sniper,etc. For HQs, it is usually the Formation Name (e.g. 1st PLT, BCO, etc.)

Purpose - lower right. Shows the player the purpose of that par-ticular unit. Commonly used designations include IFV, ATGM,MMG, etc. For HQs, it’s “PLT HQ”, “CO HQ”, etc.

HQ Button - when a Vehicle or HW is also a HQ, a button appears

which toggles the HQ Reports on or off instead of the unit’sVehicle or HQ Reports.

Silhouette - an illustration of what the unit is. For HW thisimage will change depending on if it is Deployed or not.

Crew Positions - a grey dot for each designated crew position, ablue dot for each occupied position, and a gray dot with a blackcenter for WIA.

Passenger Positions - works the same as Crew Positions, butuses a green dot instead of blue to represent an occupied po-sition.

Vehicle Name - lower left. The common name of the vehicle, if any (e.g. Abrams, Bradley, etc.). Left blank for HQs and HWs.



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StatsVehicles - Weight, Speed, Power-to-weight ratio, Offroad ability,

Turning ability

Heavy Weapons - Caliber, Setup Time, Speed, Minimum and /orMaximum ranges

HQs - Personnel, Experience, Condition, Morale, Suppression

Reports

Ammo Report - available for Vehicles, HQs, and HWs. Displaysthe amount of ammo of each type assigned to that unit.

Defenses Report - available for Vehicles only. Shows the vehicle’sability to defend against ATGM, Large Caliber, Medium Caliber,and Small Caliber munitions against the Front, Sides, Rear,and Top. The amount of threat posed by the various munitionsis shown graphically as Bad (large red X), Poor (small red x),Average (yellow • ), Good (thin green +), and Excellent (thickgreen +).



52 Combat Mission

Damage Report - available for Vehicles only. Shows how well

each system of the vehicle is functioning. The icons show Ex-cellent (thick green +), Average (yellow • ), and Bad (large redX).

N o t e : The game tracks and applies limitations to what a vehicle can or can’t do *precisely* as shown here, so keep an eye on thedamage report during combat! If the engine is destroyed thenyour vehicle won’t be able to move. If its engine or running gear are damaged it may be able to move but only slowly, and even

more so across difficult terrain or up steep slopes. If the radio isdestroyed or damaged, it may lose connection to higher up,resulting in loss of Command & Control, and so forth.

Unit Report - available for HQs only. Shows up to nine units

directly attached to the HQ and if they are in C2 contact (thickgreen +) or out of contact (large red X). Clicking on an entryswitches the player to that unit.



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Formation Report - Identical to Unit Report, but showing up tonine Formations attached to the HQ (if any).

Command Panel The Command Panel is a highly interactive area that allows the

player to issue Commands to units, to select from various Menu

options, and to control the speed of the game. The variouscomponent pieces are broken up logically so they can be ac-cessed quickly. The components are numbered according tothis picture of the Command Panel:

1. Instant Commands - allow one click change in unit behavior.The left button tells the unit to HALT and retain its Commands.Clicking on the button again tells the unit to RESUME. Themiddle button instructs the unit to CANCEL all its Commands

and to do nothing for the moment. The right button tells theunit to EVADE by abandoning its current Commands and seek-ing immediate cover and perhaps popping smoke. Althoughunits can Evade on their own initiative, sometimes they try toohard to stick to their Commands and need to be redirected



54 Combat Mission

without further delay. Instant Commands work in both Real-Time and We-Go styles of play.

2. Command Modes - determines which type of Commands arebeing used; Movement, Combat, Special and Administrative.When selected, the name of the Command Mode is displayedalong the bottom and the appropriate Command Buttons areshown in the Button Screen.

3. Button Interface - shows either Command or Menu Buttons,depending on which is currently selected. Command Buttonsdisplay their assigned hotkey and are color-coded to matchthe Command Lines shown in the Game Area. See section[Commands] for more details about Commands

4. Menu Mode - by clicking on the Button “Menu”, the Screendisplays various special Options the player can use. These

Options are detailed below. Clicking again on the “Menu” but-ton quits the Menu Mode.

5. Playback Interface - used mainly for We-Go style play, thisinterface allows you to replay, rewind and fast forward througheach game turn and phase. The large red button in the middleis used to End Turn (We-Go style) or End Phase (Real-Time andWe-Go). The elapsed game time is shown at the bottom.

Menu OptionsThe Menu Options Panel contains a total of seven buttons, ex-

plained below. The Panel is accessed by clicking on the “Menu” button. Clicking again exits Menu Mode and resumes regularCommand Mode for the Panel.



Shock Force 55

1. Save - opens the Save Game screen, allowing you to save agame in progress.

2. Conditions - opens a pop-up window listing the environmentalconditions for the current battle, including:

- Weather (e.g. Clear, Overcast, Rain...)- Temperature

- Ground Conditions (e.g. Dry, Wet...)- Wind Strength and Direction- Civilian Population Density

3. Briefing - opens the Briefings Panel with the current MissionBriefings

4. Hotkeys - opens the Hotkeys Panel listing all important in-gamehotkeys

5. Cease fire - toggles the call for a Cease Fire on and off. If theopponent selects this option as well, the game ends with amutually agreed to Cease Fire

6. Surrender - immediately surrenders the battle to the opponent

7. Quit - aborts the current mission immediately, without calcu-lating results

Command InterfaceUnits are controlled by issuing Commands. The Command Panel

is the primary method for viewing and issuing Commands. AllCommands are grouped into one of four conceptually similarCommand Modes:



56 Combat Mission

Movement: Commands to get units from waypoint A to B

Combat: Commands to engage enemy targets

Special: various special Commands that complement Movementand Combat Commands

Administrative: Commands that affect a unit’s basic organiza-tion

There are several ways to issue a Command during the game, soyou can choose whichever suits your style of playing best.

Number PadEach key on the Number Pad is “hard-wired” to the Command

Button that is in the same relative position in the currentlyactive Command Panel. For example, with the Move CommandPanel open, the top row of Commands (from left to right - Fast,Quick, Move) corresponds to the keys 7, 8, and 9. You canswitch Command Panels to access other Commands with the /and * buttons.

KeyboardYou can use the keyboard to issue Commands via Hotkeys. You

can customize the hotkeys to your liking and either use a hot-key for each individual command (Direct access) whicheliminates the need to bring up the required Command Panelfirst, or use the Default Keys (Relative access). You can accessCommand Panels directly with the F5-F8 function keys.



Shock Force 57

MouseYou can use your mouse to operate the Command Panel in the

Game Interface directly. Simply click on the correspondingbuttons to switch Panels and issue Commands.

On-screen menuA selectable Command Menu popup in the 3D area is also avail-

able. The onscreen list of available commands can be viewedby selecting a unit and pressing the SPACE BAR. Simply clickon the desired Command and then follow normal proceduresfor that Command (e.g. clicking a Waypoint or selecting anenemy unit to Target). The menu can be dismissed with an-other press of the space bar or clicking the mouse anywhere

outside the menu.

Some Commands are “modal”, such as Deploy Weapon for HeavyWeapons. These Commands remain lit up to show that theunit is already performing that particular Command. Issuingthe Command again has the effect of telling the unit to ceasethat action.

Units whose Morale State is Panic, Broken, or Routed are not ca-

pable of receiving any Commands. Units that are heavilySuppressed (“Pinned”) may accept Commands but may notnecessarily act upon them right away.

Playback InterfaceFor Turn-based We-Go play, this interface is used to playback each

turn’s action. For other play styles such as Real Time, this panelis only used to conclude the Setup Phase at the beginning of

each battle and launch the battle. The controls resemble thoseof a regular VCR or CD player, and include:

-play/pause (toggle)

-skip to end

-rewind

-fast forward

The large red button in the middle of the Playback Interface isused to advance from one phase to the next, i.e. ending the



58 Combat Mission

Setup Phase and starting the game in Real Time mode, or end-ing the Playback phase and starting the Command Phase of the next turn. Below this is the elapsed game time expressedin minutes.

Spotting & Floating IconsOne of the center pieces of the new CM:SF game engine is the

concept of “relative spotting”, where a number of game ele-ments - from command & control, to skill levels, to individualunit abilities - all come together. A typical battlefield is full of chaos by its very nature: combatants worldwide call this chaosthe “Fog of War”, where no two soldiers “see” the same thing.To simulate this, CM:SF employs complex calculations and aunique spotting concept which only shows to the player whathis currently selected unit can see.

This is computed for each unit individually, and is not only basedon actual lines of sight, but includes many other factors suchas: what the spotter and target are doing, the equipment theyhave available (day/night scopes, binoculars, thermal imagingsensors), skill levels, visibility based on climatic effects, evensounds and so forth. On top of that, information about spottedunits does not pass immediately to other friendly units, but istransmitted using the usual Command & Control channels, andis subject to the same restrictions.

Note: Relative Spotting is turned off for Basic Training Skill level

Example: One squad might see an enemy unit that a friendly squad,close to the first, does not see. It only takes a few seconds beforethe first squad is alerted about the enemy presence by visual signals (e.g. hand signals), but it takes much longer to pass thisinformation to other units in the Chain of Command. Units out of contact might not receive this information until they are in contact again.

The game portrays the effects of relative spottingby using the

units’ Floating Icons, which appear above each visible unit onthe battlefield (unless disabled by its hotkey). The floating iconshave three states: regular, dimmed and highlighted.



Shock Force 59

With no unit selected, all icons are in their regular state. Thisshows the player the combined information from all his unitsas passed up the Chain of Command. By clicking on a friendlyunit, the following happens:

- the selected unit is highlighted in a bright unique color- all friendly units within the same formation (e.g. units from

the same platoon) are highlighted- enemy units which the selected unit can see are highlighted- all other icons are dimmed

When an enemy unit is selected, the following happens:

- the enemy unit is highlighted in a bright unique color- friendly units within LOS of the enemy unit are highlighted- all other icons are dimmed

Some of the most immediate effects of this system are that unitswith dimmed icons cannot be directly targeted by the selectedunit. The unit TacAI will continue to behave as if no enemy unitwas present. It will, for example, continue walking down aroad into a possible ambush, unaware of the threat.

The icons displayed are nation-specific and unit-type specific.Normally, it is red diamonds for Syrians, blue circles for US.

The unit representations show the main type, such as tank,infantry, vehicle, etc., using the silhouette of the most com-mon unit for that nation. If play is Red on Red or Blue on Blue,the colors and shapes remain the same but the black unit rep-resentations on the icons change because they are specific toone nation’s equipment.

Most actions which are possible for the player to do by clicking ona unit are also possible when clicking on the unit’s icon in-

stead. This is often easier since the unit icons are “stacked” automatically for easier access. For example, when embarkinga vehicle you can click on the vehicle or on its icon.



60 Combat Mission

Commands

At the very core of the CM:SF tactical game lies its system of

Commands. Commands are the primary form of interactionbetween the player and his virtual soldiers on the battlefield.CM:SF uses a structured Commands system which emulatesmost of the typical orders a squad of soldiers would give orreceive on a real battlefield.

Similar Commands are categorized into specific Command Groups.The four main Command Groups are:

Move Commands - move units from A to B using various methodsCombat Commands - instructs the unit to use its weapons in some

controlled fashion

Special Commands - specific instructions that are nestled in be-tween Move Commands

Admin Commands - similar to Specials, except specific to unitorganization

This structure is more than just for ease of reference. Each unit isable to combine one command from each group and perform itsimultaneously. For example, a unit can conduct a Move andCombat Command at the same time, while another might per-form a Move and Special command. Not all commands can becombined like this, but many can. Some commands, especiallycertain Special and Admin Commands, might require full focusby the unit until completed, while everything else is put on

hold.

Which commands are available to which unit, and at which time,is highly dynamic. Suppression, fitness, unit cohesion, loca-tion, the unit’s equipment, and the time of the battle can allhave an effect on what types of commands are available atwhich time. Some commands might be grayed out, indicatingthat they’re temporarily unavailable, while others might notappear at all because they’re only available to a specific type

of unit, or only if a specific type of equipment is carried.

Just as in real life, your virtual soldiers are not robots and there-fore will not mindlessly execute each and every order fromyou. There are many situations - usually under heavy enemyfire - in which soldiers may simply refuse to execute a Com-



Shock Force 61

mand you have given them, or may replace it with what theyconsider more suitable. For example, you may give a unit aFast Move Command only to see it changed instantly to a SlowMove Command because the soldiers feel hugging the groundis the better way to stay alive. Units with or without orders will

also usually initiate evasive action on their own in the face of extreme danger - for infantry this may including crawling tocover, for vehicles it could mean popping smoke, rotating toface the threat and retreating away from threats. This can hap-pen if you ordered it or not, if you want it or not, as the unit issimply concerned about its own survival at that moment. Keepthis in mind when you see that your Commands are not ex-actly working out as you think they should...

The following is a list of ALL available commands. Certain restric-tions are mentioned, but not ALL possible combinations arelisted.

In addition to the above, a special category, “Instant Commands”,is available. Instant commands do not appear in the usual Com-mands Panel, but have their own buttons at the left top of theCommands Panel interface. These Instant Commands are “emergency” commands, allowing a player to quickly instruct

a unit to PAUSE, CANCEL ALL, and EVADE. Obviously, this ismainly useful for Real-Time play. Instant Commands are ex-plained in more detail at the end of this chapter.

Move CommandsMove Commands include orders that usually have to do with get-

ting a unit from point A to point B in a certain fashion. Movementcommands are generally issued by selecting the desired type



62 Combat Mission

of movement and then clicking on the map with the mouse,thus placing a waypoint. A Command Line extends from theunit’s current position to the waypoint.

Additionally, when an infantry unit is moving and the waypoint isplaced over ground terrain (i.e. not a building or vehicle), thedestination “action spot” is highlighted in yellow. Teams B andC (if any) also have their adjacent destinations highlighted whenplotting moves and when giving facing orders attached to afinal waypoint. Note that the final facing is important for posi-tioning “wing man” teams, so you should attach facing ordersto final waypoints as needed.

Note: if you need even more granular control over each of your teams,

it’s a good idea to split them and issue individual movement commands.

Infantry soldiers/units automatically try to position themselves “smartly” around and along buildings, walls, ridgelines and otherterrain which provides cover and concealment. When targetspresent themselves soldiers will try to gain line of fire by repo-sitioning themselves. However, as in real life soldiers arereluctant to reposition themselves in exposed positions when

they are currently in good cover.

Units do not always follow the exact Command Line drawn on themap, but will choose their movement path independently basedon the terrain between the start and end points, including find-ing their way around impassable obstacles. The chosen routedepends on the type of movement command issued, as well asif the unit is being fired on or not. Keep in mind that the longerthe distance between the start and ending points, the more

the route the unit chooses might deviate from what you had inmind when you gave the order to move out.

N o t e : one common mistake by new players is to underestimate thespace that a vehicle needs to maneuver. Trying to move a widevehicle down a narrow street may not work at all or result in thevehicle being unable to turn to face a threat... Slow Movement Commands usually lead to better results when maneuvering indifficult terrain with many obstacles (such as densly packed urban

areas with narrow streets etc.)

You can issue several Move Commands (from the same type, e.g.Move + Move; or different types, e.g. Move + Fast) one afterthe other, generating a string of waypoints that the unit willpass through one by one. There is no limit as to how many



64 Combat Mission

Example - use Move to change floors in a friendly occupied andpreviously cleared building when speed is not important. UseMove to drive down a road not expecting enemy contact.

QuickInfantry - soldiers move at a jog. This movement type slightly

emphasizes speed over cover, cohesion and awareness, but isnot a full-out run. It may lead to some bunching up, as it’smore difficult for soldiers to remain in formation. More tiringthan Move but still sustainable for longer periods, at least forfit soldiers.

Vehicles - this command means medium to fast speeds, and em-phasizes arriving at the waypoint quickly over returning fire.

Restrictions - same as for Move, but fitness and fatigue play abigger role.

Example - this command is best used to shift positions quicklywhen speed is important but when the area to move through iscovered and not under immediate enemy view and fire

FastInfantry - Fast Movement maximizes speed to get from one place

to another at the cost of fatigue, and also decreases aware-ness and spotting ability, especially to the sides and rear(relative to the unit’s movement direction). Fast makes theunit less likely to return fire or to stop or change its movementdirection and objective. Keep in mind that this means that a

soldier running FAST will NOT stop to reload, either.Vehicles - Fast means movement near the maximum speed pos-

sible for the terrain, and a decreased awareness of what ishappening around the vehicle.

Restrictions - Fast has the same availability restrictions as Move(immobilization, fatigue, etc.), and, additionally, might be un-available when certain components of a vehicle are damaged

(even if not fully destroyed), or for infantry units, when com-bat/equipment loads are excessive.

Example - use Fast to have a squad sprint across an open roadfrom one building to another, making sure that they do notslow down to return fire. Use Fast to cross a stretch of open



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ground with a vehicle in order to reduce the time of exposureto enemy tanks.

Slow

Infantry - Slow is the equivalent of a Crawl command. Soldiersmove forward in the prone position, maximizing cover and con-cealment at the cost of speed and fatigue. Crawling is extremelyslow and very tiring and should only be used to move shortdistances. Crawling soldiers are generally hard for the enemyto spot (depending on terrain). Crawling soldiers tend to pauseand return fire at nearby/exposed enemy troops often, thenresume moving. After reaching the destination, soldiers who

move SLOW (i.e. crawl) will tend to keep their heads down fora little while even if there is no incoming fire and no enemiesare spotted.

Vehicles - instructs the vehicle to move slowly, at walking speed.Useful when coordinating vehicle movements with infantry.

Restrictions - same as for all Movement commands.

Example - crawling up the last meters towards a crest or edge of

a tree line helps maintain concealment. Slow vehicle move-ment makes the vehicle less likely to appear as a sound contactto the enemy.

Hunt

Infantry - this command maximizes the unit’s awareness for pos-sible enemy contact. Soldiers advance slowly, weapons ready.

Upon seeing an enemy unit, the unit stops immediately. This isa good command to use when enemy contact is imminent. Incombination with a Target Arc command, Hunt is restricted toonly the area within the arc, and ignores enemy units outsidethe arc.

Note: when soldiers using HUNT get too tired, they stop and pause for 90 seconds before continuing to HUNT.

Vehicles - orders vehicles to advance slowly and observe the battle-field for enemy contacts. Upon spotting a threat, such as anotherenemy vehicle or tank, the vehicle stops immediately. In com-bination with a Target Arc command, Hunt is restricted to onlythe area within the arc, and ignores enemy units outside thearc.



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Restrictions - same as all other Movement commands.

Example - Hunt is very useful for cleaning out houses which aresuspected to have enemy hiding inside.

AssaultThis command is available for infantry squads only, and requires

a certain minimum headcount (in other words, you cannot useassault if you only have two or three people active). It in-structs the squad to conduct a so called “leapfrog” movement,which is executed by splitting the squad into a movement ele-ment and a firing element. The moving element advances atFAST speed (the same limitations apply as with the FAST com-mand) while the firing element remains stationary and providescovering fire. After the movement element stops (ending thefirst “leap”), the roles switch, and the movement element (nowthe firing element) provides covering fire while the firing ele-ment (now the moving element) advances, reaches andovertakes the firing element, and arrives at the next “leap”.This procedure repeats until the squad has reached its desig-nated objective location.

Assault is usually executed in the face of enemy fire (usually fromthe front) and is a good compromise of security and forwardmovement while maintaining unit cohesion and limiting fatigue.The disadvantages are that it is a fairly slow form of advance,and that it requires a certain minimum unit experience to imple-ment.

Restrictions - Since “leapfrogging” does not make much sense

with only a handful of soldiers, it requires a certain minimumheadcount. In CM:SF, only the US side is eligible to use “As-sault” and does so with varying degrees of success The Syrianside is not able to use this command due to a different TO&Estructure and doctrine.

Example - use Assault to cover open ground over long distancewhile under enemy fire. Use Assault to clean out buildings (onlythe assault team is exposed to ambushes)

Blast

This command enables an infantry unit with demo charges to blasta manhole through a building wall, exterior or interior, as wellas through tall stone or brick walls, allowing units to pass



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through the wall. The time it takes to conduct this commandvaries based on unit experience, and can range from one minuteto several minutes per wall.

The Blast Command instructs the unit where to move. This makesit no different from any other Movement Command, exceptthat the unit attempts to blow up a section of (nearby!) wallalong its path.

Note: It is a good idea to place the Blast Command on the opposite sideof the wall you want breached. This ensures that the correct section of wall is breached and that the unit moves through theopening.

Restrictions - only available for infantry units carrying democharges.

Example - moving in a city down an open street can be lethal -especially when the enemy has a few well position machine-guns in place. A much safer, but more time consuming method,is to blow holes in adjoining buildings, avoiding the open streetentirely. Another good use for this command is to enter andstorm a building from an angle the enemy isn’t expecting.

Mark Mines

This command enables engineer units to detect and mark hiddenminefields so that other units are aware of them. Other unitscan then move through the marked minefield, albeit slowly.Mark Mines is a very slow movement command that takes theunit’s full attention and reduces awareness and returning fire.

Restrictions - only Engineers can mark mines.Example - Marking mines under fire is suicidal unless you have

other forces suppressing the enemy or call for a large scalesmoke screen.

Reverse

Simple “back up” command, available only to vehicles. Instructsthe vehicle to drive backwards without changing its facing (e.g.keeping its gun and stronger front armor forward towards theenemy while retreating).

Restrictions - same as for all Movement commands.



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Example - use Reverse to back up into cover while keeping atank’s front armor directed at the enemy.

Combat CommandsCombat Commands usually have to do with firing one’s weapons

at a designated target, be it an enemy unit or a general areaon the battlefield where enemy units are suspected or knownto hide (or to move to). Only one Combat Command can beactive at any one time, but it can be combined with commandsfrom other Groups (e.g. movement).

Note: In general, the player cannot determine which weapons exactly are used. This choice is made by the squad/unit leader based onthe circumstances (range to target, ammo situation, suppressionand so forth).

TargetThis is the standard fire command, instructing a unit to use all of

its available weapons to fire at the designated target. The tar-get can be an enemy unit or a piece of terrain (area fire).

If the target is an enemy unit, the firing unit will fire only whenthe enemy target is visible and hold fire (but maintain the tar-get) when it is not. If the target is an area, the firing unit will

maintain a constant stream of outgoing fire at the selectedarea.

Note: Area targets always “snap” to the underlying action grid in CM:SF



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How much and what type of fire (small arms, main gun, anti-tankmissile, grenades) is outgoing depends on a number of fac-tors, including the type of firing unit, the distance to the target,target type, and the available ammunition. For smaller targetsfurther away, the firing unit will use aimed fire and single shots

or short bursts while it might switch to full auto at targets atclose range and when it has enough ammunition available.

Targets out of sight are usually displayed to the player through anote hovering near the target mouse cursor. Notes can includea plain “out of sight” message, or more detailed explanationssuch as “reverse slope - no target point”. Usually, the targetwill still be designated even if out of sight, but the unit will holdfire until the target comes into sight.

Additionally, while the target command is being issued, the com-mand line extending from the firing unit to the mouse cursorassumes the function of a Line-of-Sight tool. Different shadesof blue and red indicate if a line of sight is free, obscured, orblocked, and where it is blocked (the area out of sight is markedwith red). When placing a target command the color denoteshow strong the LOS is to the target. If the line to the target islight blue the LOS is clear, part dark blue and part magenta if

it’s blocked, and gray if it’s mostly clear but not for every sol-dier in the squad/team.

N o t e : Virtually each bullet in CMSF is tracked from muzzle to target.This applies to both small arms as well as heavy calibers. The principle of “what you see is what you get” applies: if only part of a vehicle is visible (e.g. behind a wall or partially concealed by aslope in the terrain) then only that part can be hit by direct fire.The only exception to this is that vehicles are NOT shielded by

hiding behind knocked-out armored vehicles (however, infantry does gain cover in this situation).

Restrictions - Target is not available if the unit has no ammo.

Example - enemy snipers are firing from a building. Instead of targeting the enemy unit, the player calls for area fire from atank, which uses high-explosive ammo from its main gun toblow up the whole building.

Target Light

This is a variation of the Target command and works very muchthe same, but at a reduced fire output. Usually it limits thefiring unit to use small arms and MG fire, while larger calibers,



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rockets and heavier weapons hold fire. Target Light is usefulwhen you want to put a few MG rounds into a suspected en-emy location but not waste a tank’s main gun round, or if youwant to take a few aimed shots at a far away infantry targetwithout wasting too much ammo. Target light does not prevent

the use of hand and rifle grenades, though, at the appropriateranges.

Restrictions - same as for Target

Example - for firing at long distances, the game itself alreadyreduces fire output even if you use the Target command, soTarget Light is most useful as an ammo preservation tool fortargets at medium and close ranges.

Target Arc

The Target Arc command orders the unit to only fire at enemieswithin a certain target area. After selecting this command, theplayer has to click on two points on the game map, and thecone-shaped area between those two points represents thedesignated target area. Any visible enemy units that are lo-cated inside this area, or that move into this area, will be firedupon. Any enemy units outside of this target arc will be ig-nored (until self-preservation takes over and the Tactical AIdecides to override player orders; e.g. if an enemy unit sud-denly pops up at extremely short range).

When placing a target arc, the distance in meters is displayed.

This Command is also useful to keep a unit’s “attention” focusedon a specific part of the game map while it moves. If, for ex-

ample, you want to keep a close eye on a bunch of buildings(where you suspect enemy activity) while driving down a road,you could assign a target arc to several units covering thisarea. The target arc increases the chances that units will rec-ognize and engage an enemy threat within the target areaquickly.

After placing an arc, the unit will rotate its main gun turret - if available - to face the center of the designated target arc, to

minimize acquisition delays and maximize spotting abilities.Infantry units will shift their facing accordingly.

Restrictions - You cannot mix Target/Target Light and Target Arccommands. The AI will sometimes override Target Arcs in self-



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defense, when, for example, an enemy unit suddenly appearsat close range.

Example - an unidentified enemy vehicle contact is reported neara building. We give a target arc command to one of our Abramstanks to make sure they engage the enemy vehicle as soon asit pops up from behind cover.

Note: Target Arcs placement is “relative”, i.e. in relation to the unit’s position and facing, and not tied to an absolute location on thegame map. In other words, if you move a unit with a designated Target Arc, that arc will move and turn together with the unit. Inthis way, you can order a unit to “cover the three o’clock position”. You cannot use a Target Arc to “stick” to a particular spot on the map. So, if that’s what you want, you have to keep

the targeting unit stationary or adjust the arc accordingly duringthe unit’s movement.

Clear Target

Instructs the currently selected unit to stop focusing on its desig-nated target. A unit without a designated target is then free toengage targets at will, or will follow other player-specified com-

mands.

Restrictions - Clear Target is grayed out if the selected unit hasnot currently designated a target.

Example - after area firing at a building and blowing a hole in thewall, no further enemy contact is reported. We abort the areafire command to allow the unit to focus on other targets at will.

FaceInfantry - issuing a Face command will cause the soldiers of the

unit to re-evaluate the cover provided by the surrounding ter-rain in relation to the facing the player has indicated, and, if better cover is available, to move to that cover. For example,the unit might move around a wall, or house corner, to face thenew direction while maximizing cover against fire coming from

that direction. You can issue a Face Command to a unit in mo-tion as well. If you do so, then the last waypoint will beautomatically highlighted so the Face Command will apply tothat last waypoint, not the current position. You are also ableto manually select a waypoint (any waypoint, not just the lastone) and issue a Face order from there however.



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Note: the Face command is “absolute” to the point you click onthe map, not “relative” to the position of the unit at the timethat you click. An example: You issue a Face command to amoving unit by clicking on a house in the distance. When theunit reaches its final waypoint, it will turn to face the house.

Vehicles - The unit will rotate its hull and turret (if applicable) toface the direction the player has designated.

Restrictions - vehicles cannot rotate if immobilized.

Example - an RPG team is spotted on the flank. We change thefacing of our Abrams tank to rotate its stronger front hull to-wards the threat.

Special Commands

Special Commands include various special tasks not directly re-

lated to movement or firing weapons. Many Special Commandsdeal with specific situations or specific equipment, and there-fore are only available to a unit if those conditions are met or if the equipment is available. Popping Smoke, for example, isonly possible if the unit has smoke grenades available. Like-wise, Deploy Weapon is only an option if the unit carries aheavy weapon which can (or has to be) deployed before firing.Most Special Commands are exclusive, meaning that they arethe only command that can be executed at a given time, and

cannot be combined with other Command Groups.



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Hide

Infantry - soldiers will generally go prone and hold fire and lookfor nearby terrain offering good concealment, trying hard not

to get spotted.Vehicles - vehicles will hold fire and not move, trying to keep a

low noise profile. Hiding vehicles that are struck by a projec-tile, or that spot an enemy vehicle targeting them, willautomatically un-hide.

Note: Hiding while facing an enemy takes a lot of nerve, and units might decide to stop hiding if fired upon or if the enemy approachesextremely close, depending on that unit’s experience, morale and leadership.

Restrictions - hiding is no good if the enemy is already firing atyou, or if you are trying to hide in open ground in full view of the enemy.

N o t e : issuing a Hide command to a moving unit is possible. The unit will continue moving and will automatically hide after reaching theFINAL waypoint. If you want a unit to hide immediately you haveto first issue a CANCEL ALL Instant Command to clear all waypoints, and then issue the Hide Command.

Example - we hide a Syrian RPG team to let the first few vehiclesand US infantry pass by before un-hiding and launching anRPG at the side of an enemy tank

Deploy Weapon

Certain heavy weapons can be deployed before firing to increasetheir chance of hitting or to increase their fire output, whileothers cannot be fired at all before being properly deployed.Deploy Weapon instructs the gunner of a heavy weapon (suchas a medium or heavy machinegun, a mortar, a recoilless rifle,an ATGM, or other heavy equipment) to deploy his weapon onthe appropriate mount, while one or more other soldiers of thesame unit are designated as loaders and/or security or look-outs.

Some weapons, such as, for example, medium machineguns, canbe fired without first being deployed, but will suffer from de-creased accuracy and a lower fire output. Other weapons, suchas mortars, cannot be fired at all if not properly deployed



74 Combat Mission

Deployment takes a specific amount of time for each type of weapon, and also depends on various other factors, such asthe unit’s experience and current condition.

If you order a unit with a currently active Deploy Weapon com-mand to move, it will automatically first de-activate the DeployWeapon command, and then execute the movement command.There is a longer command delay in such case.

Restrictions - If you issue the Deploy Weapon command to analready moving team, it will deploy its weapon at the end of the movement command. If the movement command consistsof several waypoints, the weapon will be deployed after thelast waypoint has been reached. If you want the team to de-

ploy immediately, you need to first clear the movementcommand(s).

Note: Depending on the weapon system, certain restrictions may apply as to where a weapon can be deployed or not. For example, someweapons may not be deployed inside buildings or on balconies or roofs. Others may be deployed, but the Setup Time is increased:for example, heavy MGs may deploy inside buildings, thoughassembly time is 2+ minutes.

Example - we want to use a heavy machinegun to provide cover-ing fire for an infantry assault. Finding a good position withgood field of view and field of fire, we issue the Deploy com-mand to maximize that guns accuracy and fire output.

Dismount

Orders the passengers of a vehicle to leave the vehicle. This com-

mand is available to both passengers as well as the vehicleitself. If you select a vehicle and issue the Dismount command,ALL passengers will leave. If you select a Passenger unit andissue the Dismount command, only that unit will disembarkand automatically take up a defensive position near the ve-hicle.

Note: For Passengers, Dismount is not the only way to leave the vehicle.You can also select a passenger unit and issue one of theavailable Movement Commands. The passenger unit will auto-matically dismount and then move to the designated waypoint onfoot. This is not possible for vehicle crews, since choosing aMovement order while a vehicle is the active unit will order thevehicle to move to the specified waypoint.



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Disembarking troops may attach Face, Deploy, and Pop Smokeorders to waypoints.

Restrictions - only available to passengers inside vehicles. Other-wise inactive.

Example - after the Stryker platoon arrives at the intended dis-mount point, we group-select all Strykers and issue theDismount command. All teams dismount immediately.

Bail Out

Available for vehicle crews only, this command instructs the crewto leave the vehicle immediately and seek cover nearby.

Restrictions - none.

Example - to preserve the crew, we order them to Bail Out of animmobilized tank with a damaged gun sitting in plain view of enemy anti-tank weapons, since it’s only a matter of secondsbefore the tank is going to blow up. Bail Out can also be usedto dismount the crew and use it for recon, since bailed outcrews can re-occupy the abandoned vehicle.

Acquire

The Acquire command allows an infantry unit to pick up equip-ment, weapons and ammunition from points where such goodiesare available. In CM:SF, this usually means from infantry carri-ers such as the Stryker and BMP-1, for example, which carryadditional equipment in storage compartments.

N o t e : Most notably, Stryker squads start the game by default WITHOUT their allocated Javelin anti-tank missiles (in accordance tostanding Army procedures; these things are HEAVY and are goingto wear down your squad), so they have to Acquire them first at the beginning of the game if you are expecting to face enemy armor.

In order to use Acquire, the infantry unit has to enter the vehiclefirst. A pop-up window lists all available equipment that the

unit is eligible to choose from. Clicking on an entry removesthe equipment or ammo from the list and places it into theinventory of the passenger unit.

Restrictions - only active when the infantry unit is inside a validpickup area, such as inside a Stryker or BMP-1.



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Example - after nearly an hour of continuous combat, the infantryplatoon is running out of ammo. We split the squads into teamsand order them into the Strykers one by one to grab freshammo.

Pop SmokeThis order is available for both infantry equipped with smoke hand

grenades as well as for vehicles equipped with smoke genera-tors or smoke launchers. Pop Smoke instructs such units toplace a smoke screen around its current position. Pop Smokeis used usually as a defensive command when the unit runsinto overwhelming resistance and is useful to spoil the enemy’s

aim (even if only for a few seconds) and therefore gain time toget into a better and more secure position (or out of an am-bush, for instance).

The duration and placement of the smoke screen depends on theunit that is executing this order, as well as the weather andwind conditions. Keep in mind that smoke drifts and dissipatesrather quickly under certain conditions, and can often becomeas much of an obstacle to your own forces as to the enemy.

Offensive use of smoke (e.g. covering an advance) is usuallyleft to supporting artillery or air assets and not to the indi-vidual ground unit.

There are various different types of smoke grenades in the game,from special IR-spectrum blocking smoke such as that carriedby most Strykers (which is recognizable by its brown color), tosimpler vision-blocking smoke only.

Restrictions - available only as long as unit has smoke grenadesavailable and the smoke launchers are not damaged.

Example - a Stryker platoon needs to dismount under fire. TheStrykers are ordered to pop a defensive smoke screen aroundthe dismount point, allowing the infantry to dismount and headfor cover, while spoiling the enemy aim.

Pause

Available for all unit types, this command instructs a unit to waitbefore carrying on with further orders. Pause can have differ-ent states, and each click on the Pause Command Button scrollsthrough the list of available options.



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Timed Pause - when you first select the Pause Command, an infotext appears next to the selected unit icon, saying “Pause00:15”. This means that the unit is going to wait in place (butwill continue firing, if applicable) for 15 seconds before con-tinuing with any other orders. Each further click adds 15 seconds

to the timed pause, for a maximum amount of 1:30 min (thelongest selectable time for timed pause).

Pause - The next click sets the Pause Command to a “Pause forfurther orders” status. This is identical to the “Pause” used forInstant Commands, and is additionally indicated by an acti-vated “Instant Pause” button. The unit will stay in place untilthe player clicks the Instant Command “Pause” button again,after which the unit will resume any pending commands.

Un-Pause - The next click resets the cycle and clears the Pausecommand. At this setting, the unit is not going to pause.

Restrictions - none.

Example - if you want to time it so that one squad crosses a road,using FAST, at a time, you can issue FAST commands to allsquads in the platoon in advance, and assign each a differenttime delay using the Pause command. So, you could have 1st

Squad break and cross the street immediately, then Squad 2thirty seconds later, then Squad 3 after 1 minute, for example.

Open Up

Available for both vehicles and passengers. Open-up is a toggle.When activated (highlighted), it instructs the vehicle passen-gers or crew to open all available hatches. If the vehicle has

none available, nothing happens. When de-activated, it tellsthe crew or passengers to close all hatches.

Restrictions - available only for vehicles and passengers.

Example - fighting from an open hatch increases the field of viewand battlefield awareness of a vehicle crew tremendously, andeven allows passengers to use personal weapons, but it can bevery dangerous and lead to casualties, especially if the enemy

returns fire from close distance. Use this command to switchbetween situational awareness and added protection, as thesituation demands.



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Administrative CommandsAdministrative commands deal with the organization of squads,

teams and crews.

Split Teams

Evenly (more or less) splits a squad into two teams. The Tactical

AI tries to keep both teams at roughly the same strength andalso distribute special weapons evenly, thereby effectively cre-ating two independent maneuver elements. Splitting teams isoften advisable when fighting in urban terrain so as to avoidbunching up of soldiers into too small of an area, where theyall can be taken out by a single well-placed hand grenade.

Split teams (including the assault and anti-tank detachments cre-ated by the two commands explained further below) belonging

to the same parent squad automatically re-join when station-ary within a few meters next to each other, and form a singlesquad-sized unit again without requiring the player to giveanother order. So if you want to split a squad into teams, makesure that you separate the teams shortly after splitting them,or they will reform into a single unit.

Restrictions - not available if the headcount of a given squad istoo small.

Example - we want to send a recon element forward to see if there is an enemy ambush. Splitting the squad minimizes ca-sualties from first contact.



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Assault Team

Splits a squad into two independent teams - a heavily armed se-curity element that usually retains all heavy weapons (such as

machineguns and rockets), and a maneuver element with smallarms and automatic weapons, handgrenades and other equip-ment useful for close quarters battle. The game automaticallytries to include the soldiers with applicable Specialties (MOS) -such as Machinegunner or Sniper - into the correct Teams fortheir task.

Restrictions - same as for Split Teams.

Example - we want to clean out a building suspected to be occu-pied by the enemy. Sending forward the maneuver elementwith light automatic weapons, while keeping the heavy equip-ment back with the security element, reduces possible casualtiesfrom first contact and provides security for the moving team.

Anti-Tank Team

Orders the squad to detach an Anti-Tank element, usually consist-

ing of two or more soldiers (including any soldiers with anAnti-Tank Specialty, if available) armed with the best anti-tankweapon(s) that the unit has at its disposal.

Restrictions - only available if the squad/unit has anti-tank weap-onry available.

Example - we split out a two-man RPG team from the main squadand place it in a different location, issuing a Hide command to

them to wait for a good shot, while the rest of the squad en-gages and distracts the enemy by fire.

Instant CommandsInstant commands are mainly used for emergencies, when you

need to quickly intervene to prevent a unit from getting intotrouble (or to get out of trouble quickly). These commandsallow the player to initiate three pre-defined “procedures” with

one click, which, during emergencies, is often about all thetime one has. These commands simulate actions soldiers wouldnormally take by themselves on the battlefield when findingthemselves in a tight situation.



80 Combat Mission

PAUSE - instructs the unit to temporarily halt all active orders and

wait. This is the equivalent of yelling “Halt”. This button is atoggle, and by pressing it again, the unit is ordered to resumewhat it was doing. This is the equivalent of yelling “Carry on!”

CANCEL ALL - deletes ALL active commands for the unit instantly.If you have plotted a long chain of waypoints, this commandallows you to delete all of them with one click without havingto delete each waypoint one by one. This is the equivalent of yelling “Stop” over the radio.

EVADE - deletes all active commands and instructs the unit totake immediate evasive action. This may include moving tocover as well as popping smoke, if available. This is the equiva-lent of yelling “take cover” over radio.



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Command & Control (C2)

The concept of moving and acting on information is called Com-

mand and Control, or “C2” for short (or, “C4ISR” incontemporary US specific terminology). Arguably, C2 is thesingle most important aspect of a combined arms force oper-ating in the field. Its ability to pass information up and downthe Chain of Command largely determines that force’s oppor-tunities and the options available to it.

Note: the C2 rules applied in CM:SF vary slightly depending on which

Skill level you’re playing. This chapter assumes the highest, or Elite, skill, with all the rules in full effect. At Veteran level, someof the restrictions imposed by the C2 rules are lifted or at least not as strict, while playing at Basic Training level essentially means C2 is not active at all.

There are two primary components of C2: communication meth-ods and control procedures. Each is enhanced by the other,and each is degraded by the other. In practical terms, thismeans a break in communications reduces the ability for theforce to function properly, but good communications don’tmatter if the commanders can’t leverage the information toachieve an advantage.

As a general rule, US forces have excellent communications equip-ment and procedures. There is a lot of redundancy, whichmakes it harder for US units to lose C2. The Syrians, on theother hand, generally have poor-quality equipment, rigid pro-

cedures, and very little of both. Their C2 is considered “brittle” even when it is functioning, since it starts out on shaky groundand can only possibly get worse as the battle progresses. Thisgives the US an inherent advantage, or “force multiplier” in USmilitary speak, since it allows fewer troops to do more thingsover a wider area, faster, and with greater unity of purposecompared to the Syrians. This should not be surprising sincethe US military has spent many billions of dollars over manydecades to achieve this advantage.

C2 methods are divided up into three different groups and dis-played in the Unit Info Panel:



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The methods, from left to right, are:

Visual - Eye Contact (LOS, short- and long-distance)Audio - Voice Contact, Radio Contact (differentiated by type)Satellite - FBCB2 (US vehicle only), RPDA (US infantry only)

Like any sort of chain, the Chain of Command is only as strong asits weakest C2 link. Having all three methods available to aunit at the same time allows for the best possible results, whilehaving none at all means a break in the Chain of Command. A

break means the higher and lower parts of the chain are nolonger connected and therefore unable to communicate witheach other. This can have disastrous game results.

Maintaining C2 LinksThe more types of C2 links units have, the better chance they

have of maintaining connections. Just remember that not allC2 methods are of equal quality. Range is quite important

because the farther away units are from each other the greaterthe chance they will experience breaks in communications. Theinherent fragility of the method is also important since someare inherently more robust.

All units have the opportunity to establish Eye and Voice Contact,but to do so means keeping units fairly close and in plain sight(LOS) of each other. These are the most reliable, robust formsof C2 possible. Unfortunately, from a tactical standpoint, hav-

ing units bunched up is generally not a good idea, nor is iteven necessarily physically possible. Radio Contact is the mostbasic technological means of overcoming these problems, how-ever, radios are tricky things to operate effectively as distancesincrease, and good radios are quite expensive. As a result, theSyrians have few radios at their disposal, while the US haveone for every unit. If these methods fail, either due to dis-tance or interference, the Syrians are out of luck, since they

don’t have a backup system. The US forces, on the otherhand, have two very powerful tools at their disposal: the FBCB2and the RPDA.

The vehicle mounted FBCB2 system is connected, via satellite, toa central computer system that takes input from all the other



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vehicles with FBCB2. Think of it as a specialized computerconnected to the Internet with built in GPS (Blue Force Tracker,aka BFT). Each vehicle with the system is automatically trackedand updated on a digital map shown on all the FBCB2’s screensof all the other vehicles. Therefore, not only does the crew of

the vehicle know where it is, but also where all of the othervehicles are. Better still, commanders can enter informationabout enemy units (type, position, heading, current activity,etc.) so everybody using the system can see the same thing.The other significant feature it has is the ability to “text mes-sage” anybody with a FBCB2 system, regardless of where theyare in the Chain of Command. This offers a means of commu-nication that is, in some ways, superior to radio contact. SinceFBCB2 is satellite-based it is largely immune to the interfer-ence factors of Visual and Audio methods.

Dismounted units have an RPDA (Ruggedized Personal DigitalAssistant) at their disposal. This is basically the same sort of PDA that people carry around with them all over the world, butwith the advantage of being extremely tough. The new mod-els of RPDA are, for game purposes, portable versions of FBCB2,with nearly the same capabilities.

Information SharingThe better organized and connected a force is, the better able it is

to communicate critical pieces of information between units.Though it is not obvious to the player that the informationitself is moved around, the results of it are. There are threeprimary benefits of good organization and communication;spotting of enemy units, calling for support, and maintainingdiscipline.

One of the most important aspects of Combat Mission is its sys-tem of revealing information about enemy units, such asposition, type, and actions. Unlike most other games, CM:SFuses what we call Relative Spotting instead of Absolute Spot-ting. In an Absolute Spotting system, when an individualfriendly unit “senses” something, that information is instantly,



84 Combat Mission

and perfectly, available to all units on its side. It doesn’t mat-ter where the other units are or what sorts of communicationscapabilities they have. Relative Spotting, on the other hand,keeps the unit’s “sensed” information from moving to otherunits unless there is some way of communicating it to them.

In other words, when you click on a unit in CM:SF you get tosee what it sees relative to what it knows. If the unit is iso-lated from the Chain of Command it wouldn’t be able to targetsomething it didn’t spot itself, for example.

Good quality C2 between the right units becomes of paramountimportance when Air or Artillery Support are required. Not allunits are equally capable, or even able, to direct such fire mis-sions. Picture that critical unit, with the ability to possibly change

the course of the battle, cut off from the Chain of Command.How can it call in Support if it can’t communicate with any-body? Well, it can’t! For the Syrians this is a particularlyserious concern since the centralized nature of their ArtillerySupport means very few units are allowed to even requestArtillery in the first place. Unit placement and maintenance of C2, therefore, becomes an overriding priority when such as-sets are available for use.

The US forces have it much easier since C2 is usually availableand any unit can direct Artillery and Air to some extent. Thelimitation comes into play with the type of mission being re-quested or how quickly the mission is needed. Some units canget the job done faster and more accurately than others, whichmeans paying attention to placement and C2 of important unitssuch as the JTAC team.

Lastly, maintaining C2 is important for keeping unit cohesion in-

tact. Units tend to get jumpy when they don’t know what thefriendly units around them are up to, or where their superiorsare, or what the enemy might be trying to do at that moment.Without C2, the imagination can run a bit wild, so to speak,and the unit may be imagining the worst scenario. Perhaps allits buddies withdrew and forgot to tell it to pull back? Maybethe HQ was wiped out and nobody higher up knows about thosetanks coming down the road, and therefore no help is on the

way? Well-disciplined units hold up better under these circum-stances, of course, but every unit has its breaking point. If ithas contact with its fellow forces and feels supported, thingsare less stressful.



Shock Force 85

LeadersEvery unit has someone in charge of its soldiers, though not nec-

essarily the same type of Leader. Leaders provide units with,what else... leadership. They help maintain internal discipline,

direct fire to be more effective, and keep contact with otherLeaders. The more Leaders you lose, the harder maintainingC2 becomes.

Leadership influence takes the form of a Leadership Modifier rep-resented in the Unit Info Panel. The better the modifier, themore effective the Leader is in keeping things on the straightand narrow. Note that the modifier values are +2, +1, 0, -1,and -2. This means that a Leader can have no special effect onLeadership (0 rating) or even a negative influence (-1 or -2).

Anybody that has ever served in the military, or studied it inhistorical texts, knows that some people should never havebeen put in charge of anything except washing dishes (andyou don’t necessarily want to be the one eating from thosedishes). CM dutifully simulates these poor Leaders.

There are two types of dedicated Leaders; Unit Leader and Assis-tant Leader. A Unit Leader is a soldier who has the trainingand rank to command the unit he is assigned to. A Unit Leader

is represented by two stars next to his weapon icon. The As-sistant Leader has similar training and capabilities as the UnitLeader, but is of a junior rank and may not have all the skillsnecessary to command a unit over the long term. However, anAssistant Leader generally has the same chance of being agood Leader in a tactical fight, which is good because that isexactly what he’ll have to do if the Unit Leader becomes acasualty. Assistant Leaders are represented by a single staricon next to their weapon icon.

Squad-type units usually have a Squad Leader (Unit Leader) incharge of Team A, and an Assistant Squad Leader (AssistantLeader) in charge of Team B. When Squads are split up, likeWeapons Squads normally are, this effectively means that thecommand responsibilities are split up. If one Leader falls to



86 Combat Mission

fire, the other one will not take over his responsibilities, be-cause they are assumed to be physically separate units whensplit off as Teams.

When a battle starts, the name and rank displayed are that of theunit’s current senior Leader. Should that Leader fall in battlethe name and rank will change as the replacement assumescommand.

Air & Artillery Support

When the going gets tough, the tough call for Support! Combat

Mission offers players unprecedented access to this all-impor-tant aspect of modern warfare in a way that is both realisticand simple to use. Although Air and Artillery produce quitedifferent results, CM:SF for the most part uses the same inter-face for both forms of Support. Better still, CM:SF helps walkthe player through the various steps needed to complete aSupport Request without requiring months of military training.

To see if Support is available, and what types, all the player has to

do is look at the Support Buttons in the Unit Info Panel, justabove the Special Equipment area. If a button is lit up, thenSupport available; otherwise the button is dimmed and thereis no support available for that type (air or artillery). Thesebuttons not only inform the player about availability, but alsoact as the means of creating new Requests (the act of “asking” for Support) or viewing existing Missions (a Support Requestput into action). A button will also blink when the Mission startsto deliver its munitions, thereby giving the player some warn-ing that something is going to go “boom” very soon.

Sometimes lots of Support is available, other times none. Theavailability of Support is always force wide and determined bythe designer of the Battle. Unfortunately for the Syrian player,Air Support is never available since their real life small air forcewould (literally) be wiped out within minutes of the start of theconflict.



Shock Force 87

Requesting SupportThe first step in making a Support Request is to select a unit to be

a Spotter, then clicking on either the Air or Artillery Supportbutton in the Unit Info Panel (keeping in mind that if a button

is dim Support is not available). Instantly the user interfacechanges to include two new elements; the Support Roster andSupport Panel. The Support Roster shows all available Assetswhile the Support Panel presents options for making a supportfire request.

The following sections explain how to use this new interface tocreate a Support Request and turn it into a Support Mission.

Selecting a SpotterThe player’s first task is to identify which unit to give responsibil-

ity of both creating a Support Request and managing theresulting Support Mission. Since not all units are equal in thisregard, here are some things to keep in mind when selecting aSpotter:

Line of Sight (LOS) - quality LOS to the target area alwaysmakes for more accurate and effective results

Unit Type - specialized observer teams and HQs are better thanthe average combat unit

C2 Links - ideally the Spotter should show green connections toall superior units

Stress Level - suppressed or shaky units don’t make the bestSpotters



88 Combat Mission

As a general rule, any US ground unit can theoretically requestboth types of Support, while only a few specialized ForwardObserver units can call in Artillery for the Syrian side. The dif-ferences between the two sides are realistic and based ontraditional training doctrine as well as the availability of C2

equipment.

Depending on how urgently Support is needed, the Responsive-ness rating (see below) may or may not be critically important.Responsiveness reflects the difficulty a specific Spotter has ingetting in touch with a specific Asset and securing permissionto use it. For example, a JTAC (Joint Tactical Air Controller) istypically headed by an officer with “time in the cockpit” andcan really speak the lingo with on station aircraft. On top of

that, this is the unit that is organizationally tasked with callingin aircraft, therefore it doesn’t have to go through layers of command to access them. Another variable is the JTAC’s equip-ment which, in ideal circumstances, is the best available forsuch work. Compare this to a “run of the mill” Rifle SquadLeader trying to reach an aircraft via 3 or 4 “hops” up theChain of Command. It can be done, but it is obviously moreclunky than having the JTAC call in the same Request.

Remember, if the Spotter doesn’t appear to be up to the task,another Spotter can be selected. To do this, either deselect thecurrent unit or click on the “X” in the upper left hand corner of the Support Roster. There are no game penalties for checkingout how various units pair up with different Assets.

Support RosterThe Support Roster displays all Support Assets available for the

current Battle, though only one type (Air or Artillery) at a time.Each Asset is represented by a colored square with these piecesof information:

Silhouette - an image of the piece of equipment



Shock Force 89

Number of Tubes - count of how many guns are assigned (air-craft are always “1” per Asset)

Matchup - directly above the designation (to the right of thenumber of tubes, if applicable) is a symbol representing howwell the Spotter and Support Asset are matched for each other.There are five states with a thick green “+” as the best match,thick red “x” for the worst. The better the match the moreefficient and effective the results will be.

Responsiveness - green/red dots showing how quickly the cur-rent unit can call in support from that Asset

Designation - military designation, two lines

Main Weapon - primary weapons, two linesMission Status - when an Asset is being used a line of text ap-

pears at the bottom of the Asset display. “Receiving” and “Preparing” indicate the Asset has what it needs to fulfill themission and is setting up to carry it out. Artillery show “Spot-ting” when firing spotting rounds, “Firing” when firing for effect,and “Empty” when all ammo has been expended. Aircraft dis-play “Attacking” when actively engaging targets, “Can’t Locate”

when it’s failed to find the target, “Coming Around” when it ispreparing for another run, and “Landed” when it is no longeravailable. If you see “Busy” the Asset is being used by anotherSpotter and can’t be interfered with by the current unit. Usethe “Go To Spotter” button to switch to the unit directing thatAsset to make changes to the Mission.

Up to 5 Support Assets can be shown at one time, which is usuallymore than enough! However, if more than 5 Assets are avail-

able in the Battle, then Left and Right “shuffle” buttons aredisplayed to shuffle between the previous or next batch of 1-5Assets. Clicking on an Asset in the Roster selects it and makesit activate the Support Panel where some additional informa-tion about the Asset is shown. To see another Asset simplyclick on it and it will swap in for the previous one. At this pointthe player is not committed to do anything with the Assetthereby allowing “browsing” without any sort of penalty.

Support Panel Once a Spotter and an Asset are selected, the Support Panel is

activated and ready to turn a request for Support into reality:



90 Combat Mission

The selected Asset is shown on the right side of the Support Panel

and contains the same information as in the Support Roster.Below it, however, is new information which shows the muni-tion types and quantities available to that particular Asset. Thecombination of the Asset Panel and the Ammo Panel repre-sents all the information there is to see for that particular Asset.

The column of labeled buttons in the middle part of the SupportPanel are the means of communicating with the Asset. Fromtop to bottom the player clicks on a button, follows the instruc-

tions to make a selection, then moves on to the next button.As Parameters are chosen they are displayed to the left in theParameters Screen. When the last Parameter is set the playeris prompted to “Confirm” the Support Request. This is theplayer’s last chance to back out of a Request without penalty,for once Confirmed the Request is off to the Asset for process-ing.

Depending on conditions, it can take a few minutes or many min-

utes for the resulting Support Mission to commence. If the C2Link is broken at the wrong time during this process it cantemporarily delay the Mission from continuing. If there is anextended lack of communication between Spotter and Assetthe Mission will probably be cancelled.

The estimated delivery time in the Fire Support Mission Requestdisplay initially shows the best possible time (usually what you'dget with a “standard” mission). If a mission type other than"standard" is selected, the estimated delivery changes accord-ingly.

Starting from the point of Confirmation, the Spotter and Assetcommunicate with each other to keep the mission on track.These communications are heard by the player in the form of



Shock Force 91

radio traffic between the two. The exact things said depend onif the Support Mission involves an Air or Artillery Asset, thetype of Mission, and what point the Mission is at. The mostimportant thing for the player to keep in mind is that each oneof these communications marks the start of the next phase of

the Mission’s execution. In this way the player can keep trackof how the Mission is progressing and what stage is next.

Adjusting or Canceling SupportSometimes it is necessary to change a Support Mission’s target or

to cancel it entirely. All modifications to a Support mission mustbe made via the Spotting unit, since Spotter and Asset arelinked until the Mission is over. The easiest way to find the

Spotter is to select any unit, click the Support Button for thetype of Asset you’re looking for, then select the Asset of inter-est. Assets which are engaged in a support mission are listedas “Busy”. In the Support Panel the top Parameter button for abusy asset says “Goto Spotter”. Click on that button and theSpotter instantly becomes the currently selected unit, com-plete with the Target line/s shown.

Now that the Spotter is selected the Mission can be Adjusted or

Cancelled in the Support Panel as long as the C2 link to theAsset is still intact! Yes, that’s correct... if you have artilleryraining down on your own troops and you want to cancel themission, but suddenly find the Spotter has no C2, you’re introuble. There is no way to manually Adjust or Cancel the mis-sion at this point. Which is yet another example of why it is sovery important to select a good Spotter!

N o t e : Support units (not only artillery but also air and other assets!) inthe process of receiving a cease fire command cannot be givenfurther orders until the cease fire occurs. Also, note that missionscannot be “adjusted” while they are still being “received”!

It may turn out to be too little too late, but there are two reasonsthat CM will abort a Support mission on its own. The first hap-pens if friendly fire is encountered and the friendlies have goodC2 to the Asset doing the firing. Basically, they will try to get

the Asset to cease fire even if the Spotter can not. The secondreason is if the Spotter is out of C2 long enough that the Assetwonders if the Spotter is still able to direct fire. In that case itmight cease fire on its own simply because it’s a bad idea tofire blind with no feedback. However, in both cases the playeris at the mercy of variables falling into place, so neither should



92 Combat Mission

be counted on in place of using a Spotter to cease fire whenpossible.

Clicking on the Adjust button allows the player to redesignate theTarget portion of the Support Mission while leaving the rest of the Mission as originally specified. Shifting fire like this is veryuseful if the target units have moved or more important tar-gets have presented themselves within close proximity to theoriginal Target area. Observed fire should not require Adjust-ment to stay on Target. That is handled automatically by theSpotter to the degree it can see the Target and has C2 to theAsset.

Air Mission ParametersThese are the Parameters for all Air Missions:

Target - sets the size and shape of the area to hit:

Point - focuses on a single Action Spot or unitArea - one click for center and another click for perimeter

Mission - responsible for establishing the scope of the attack:

Light - lighter MunitionsMedium - mix of lighter and medium MunitionsHeavy - medium Munitions with a smattering of lighter

Type - sets the munition mix based on the target type:

General - favors unguided HE munitionsArmor - weights towards ATGMsPersonnel - favors HE munitions

Delay - establishes when to start the support, prep time inclu-sive. The options are:

None - no extra delay5 Min - sets for 5 minutes min10 Min - sets for 10 minutes min15 Min - sets for 15 minutes min

Artillery Mission ParametersThese are the Parameters for all Artillery Missions:

Target - sets the size and shape of the area to hit:

Point Fire - focuses on a single Action Spot or unit



Shock Force 93

Area -one click for the center and one for the perimeterLine - requires two clicks, one for each end of the line

Number - sets the portion of the Asset to use from 1 to the totalnumber in Asset (usually 2 or 3)

Mission - responsible for establishing initial Rate of Fire (ROF)and sustained ROF:

Emergency - no spotting rounds, otherwise like Heavy (notavailable for pre-planned artillery strikes)

Light - slow ROF, remaining at slow ROFMedium - medium ROF, then going to sustained ROFHeavy - max ROF, then going to heavy sustained ROF

Smoke - medium ROF, firing smoke ammunition to create asmoke screen rather than explosive ammo to damage or destroythe target

Duration - determines number of rounds to use per mission:

Quick - 2-4 roundsShort - 6-12 roundsMedium - 12-18 rounds

Long - 20-28 roundsMaximum - exhausts ammo supply

Type - sets the munition mix based on the target type:

General - generic settingArmor - weights towards anti-armor roundsPersonnel - weights in favor of airburst antipersonnel rounds

Delay - establishes when to start the support, prep time inclu-sive. The options are:

None - no extra delay5 Min - sets for 5 minutes min10 Min - sets for 10 minutes min15 Min - sets for 15 minutes min



94 Combat Mission

Air Assets

The player’s interaction with Air Assets is similar to Artillery. The

differences between the two are explained below, otherwise itshould be assumed the same.

Since there is no conceivable way that the Syrians could manageAir Support missions beyond the first few minutes of a conflict(that is according to military intelligence estimates) the Syrianside does not have access to Air Support in the game.

The player brings up the Air Support Roster by clicking on the Air

Support Button in the Interface. Any unit may request Air Sup-port, however the Mission options and results will vary slightlydepending on the Air Support Skill level of that unit. The bestunit for this is the JTAC (Joint Tactical Air Control) team since ithas the highest degree of training and authority of any USunit. FISTs (Fire Support Teams) and other trained ForwardObserver (FO) type units (HQs, dedicated FOs, etc.) will getdecent results. The remaining unit types can still call in AirSupport, though results may be suboptimal.

Like Artillery, each Air Asset has specific Munitions in specific quan-tities to use. Unlike Artillery, these dramatically affect the kindsof missions the Air Asset can perform. An F-16, for example,can be set up to do a small number of specialized bomb mis-sions (like bunker busting) or outfitted to engage a dozenarmored vehicles. Same plane, entirely different capabilities.A two word description found in the Air Asset Pane helps iden-tify what its best use is:

The two word description represents the hardcoded arrangementof Munitions. For a given type of plane there might be a half dozen such configurations. The Scenario Designer simply se-lects the one(s) he wants for the given Scenario and that is



Shock Force 95

what the player has to deal with. Also, unlike Artillery Assets,the number of planes is always 1 per Asset.

When the player selects an Air Asset in the Support Roster, itappears in the Support Panel like so:

The Mission Parameters and Support Buttons reflect the Air Assetoptions. Setting up a Mission is identical to Artillery, from auser interface standpoint, but different in terms of what op-

tions are available and how the Mission is actually carried out.Air Missions require LOS from the plane to the target, possiblythe identification of the target, estimate of the target size, andpossible customization of the Mission for the scope of the strike.These factors determine if the Mission can be performed at all,how many Attack Runs are made, and which Munitions areused. For example, an F-16 wouldn’t drop a 2500 lb bunkerbuster on a Squad or truck, nor would it make three passesdropping a 500 lb bomb each time.

If the Spotter has LOS to the target and is in communication withthe Air Asset, it can confirm the target destroyed, or requestthat more runs are made if it isn’t. If there is no communica-tions link, or no LOS, then the Air Asset will have to make thisdecision on its own.

Accuracy is determined in part by the type and quality of theSpotter and his directions to the air unit. Basically the Spotter

increases the chance that a target will be seen and also hit.This is particularly important at night. For example, a JTACwith LOS to the target will more than likely get the Air Asset tofind and hit the right thing. A Squad without LOS to the targetwill have to rely on the Air Asset finding the right target on itsown.



96 Combat Mission

Like Artillery, Air Assets have a chance of Auto Cancelling a Mis-sion based on friendly fire risk. Unlike Artillery, this cansometimes happen before even firing a shot. The chance of a “scrubbed” Mission depends on the Spotter type, the quality of LOS between Spotter and Target, as well as proximity to friendly

units.

Munitions, Spotters and EquipmentSimulating the intricacies of air power was quite a challenge for

us. The coordination of ground and air assets is extraordinar-ily complex and error prone in real life. It is also extremelyimportant to understand those different types of Munitions (theordinance carried by the Air Asset) and what the limitations

are. You also have to understand what each type of Spotter iscapable of and what their limitations are. The combination of Munitions and Spotter, not just one or the other, determineshow well effective your strike is.

MunitionsThe most important component of a Munition isn’t how big of a

boom it makes, though of course that is quite important. Whatreally counts most is how the Munition is guided to the target.

This fundamentally determines how likely it is that you will hitwhatever you are aiming at. CM:SF’s Munitions are dividedinto four broad categories:

Dumb (Mk 80 series, Hydra, and Cannon)Laser (LGB, Hellfire)GPS (JDAM)Optical (Maverick, one type of SDB)

Each has its pluses and minuses expressed in terms of who cancall what, time, and accuracy. In general, GPS and Dumbmunitions are best used against stationary targets, Laser andOptical against moving targets. In Combat Mission the gametakes this into account automatically so you don’t have to bebothered with micromanaging this.

Dumb is foolproof, but has a large degree of error for Mk 80 seriesbombs and Hydra rockets, less error for Cannon. Laser is the

most accurate, but it requires constant “lazing” of the targetuntil the Munition strikes. If you don’t have someone with alaser designator (JTAC, FO, and FS3 equipped vehicles) keep-ing LOS on a target the entire time there will be problems.Fortunately, they have a GPS guidance system as a backup incase it can’t find the laser scatter to home in on, so they are



Shock Force 97

not less accurate than GPS and generally far better. GPS re-quires no constant LOS to the target since it is a “fire andforget” weapon, however GPS is not as precise as laser andtherefore pinpoint hits are not a certainty. The one exceptionto this is the new GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb, which is just

about as accurate as laser guided. Generally the bombs arebig enough that “close enough” is good enough. Opticallyguided munitions are “fire and forget” and theoretically as ac-curate as laser guided, however in reality they are more proneto error if the target is moving and/or the air is thick withthings like smoke.

Note: Since the release of CM:SF the US has ceased using dumb bombsfor Close Air Support missions. Additionally, while it is true that

occasionally strafing runs are carried out by fixed wing aircraft,such low flying and usage of self defense ammunition would likely not occur in the sort of high threat environment CM:SF simulatesunless the plane is specifically designed for this mission.Thereforeas of Version 1.10 US fixed wing aircraft no longer use dumbbombs or engage ground targets using its cannons (exceptions AV-8B Harrier in the Marines Module, and Army A-10).

Bombs come in four different sizes; 250 Pounds, 500 Pounds,

1000 Pounds, and 2000 Pounds. The rest of the Munitions areof a fixed size and type. CM does not simulate a host of specialpurpose munitions because they are either outside game’s in-tended scope or are not generally in use any more.

Munition ........................... Type Accuracy.50 cal M2 ..........................Dumb 10m CEP20mm M210 HEI ................. Dumb 10m CEP30mm Cannon .................... Dumb 5m CEP

GBU-39 SDB (250#) ............GPS 1.2m CEPGBU-40 SDB ....................... Optical 1.2m CEPMk82 LD (500#) .................. Dumb 110m CEPGBU-12 LGB (500#) ............ Laser 1m CEPGBU-38 JDAM (500#) .......... GPS 10m CEPMk83 LD (1000#) ................Dumb 110m CEPGBU-16 LGB (1000#) ........... Laser 1m CEPGBU-32 JDAM (2000#) ......... GPS 10m CEPMk84 LD (2000#) ................Dumb 110m CEPGBU-10 LGB (2000#) ........... Laser 1m CEPGBU-31 JDAM (2000#) ......... GPS 10m CEPMk66 Hydra ........................Dumb 30m CEPAGM-114 Hellfire ................. Laser 1m CEPAGM-65A Maverick...............Optical 1.5m CEP



98 Combat Mission

CEP is a standard method for expressing accuracy. It stands forCircular Error Probable, which represents a radius the Munitionhas a 50% chance of hitting within. For example, a Hellfiremissile has a 1m CEP. This means it has a 50% chance of

hitting within 1m of the target and a 50% chance it will miss bymore than 1m. Since most vehicles are no more than 3mlong, if you’re firing against the side profile the chances of hitting are extremely good. On the other end of the spectrum,a Dumb bomb that has a 110m CEP is almost sure to miss aspecific targeted vehicle. Note this is why it is recommendedthat you never engage targets with Dumb bombs when friendlyunits are less than 500m to 300m away (remember a 2000#bomb blast affects a big area compared to cannon fire).

SpottersAny US unit can call for Air Support, however not all units are

created equal. The training a Spotter has, its equipment, andexperience are all critically important to determining how longa strike takes to set up and how accurate it will be. The typesof Spotters are classified as follows:

General (any unit that is not one of the other types)Leader (has some degree of specialized training)FIST/FO (is specifically trained in fire support, but does not

specialize in Air Support)JTAC (specifically trained to direct Air Support)

Obviously the more someone is trained the more options are avail-able to him, not to mention the confidence and speed of puttingin a support call. The type of Spotter is taken into consider-

ation when the call is made and the Air Asset makes a decisionas to what Munition to use based on all the factors, includingthe quality of the Spotter. Additionally, the Spotter may berequired to keep LOS on the target if possible. If not possible,often the pilot can fill in, however a less optimal result is quitelikely. At the very least it slows down the delivery.

Target Tracking: With LOS Without LOSDUMB Aim Point Aim Point

LASER Unit Aim PointGPS Aim Point Aim PointOPTICAL Unit Unit

Some Munitions are more capable of hitting a moving target thanothers. Depending on the Munition type, and the LOS require-



Shock Force 99

ments being met, the weapon “homes in” on either the AimPoint or the targeted unit’s current position (if relevant, of course).

Spotting during TargetingDumb Laser GPS Optical

Eyeball Both Aircraft Aircraft AircraftFBCB2 Both Aircraft Either AircraftLLDR Both Either Either AircraftFS3 Both Either Either Aircraft

This shows who must have LOS to target at time of targeting.Excepting Optical Munitions, a Spotter always attempt to pro-vide LOS, but this may not be possible, in which case itautomatically defaults to the Aircraft. Optical Munitions are

always the responsibility of the Air Asset performing the mis-sion.

Spotting After ReleaseDumb Laser GPS Optical

Eyeball Neither Aircraft Neither MunitionFBCB2 Neither Aircraft Neither MunitionLLDR Neither Either Neither MunitionFS3 Neither Either Neither Munition

Once a Munition is on its way, it may or may not require LOS tobe maintained by the designated Spotter. The unit checked isthe one that was used for spotting during targeting. If a LOScheck is necessary, and it fails, then the Munition will defaultto trying to hit the aim point using GPS. This probably meansa miss if the target is moving since the accuracy is 10 timesworse than it otherwise would be.

EquipmentThe type of equipment available to the Spotter is also critical. A

JTAC in a Fire Support Vehicle has an advantage over a JTACsitting on a roof top with nothing but a set of binoculars. Thecategories are:

Eyeball (no special equipment)FBCB2 (found in nearly all US vehicles)

LLDR (portable laser designator in the hands of some FOs)FS3 (this is the big boxy thing mounted on Stryker RV andFSV, Bradley M7A3, and M707 Scout Humvee)

Eyeball is just someone determining all targeting informationbased on eyes, map, and other low tech items. FBCB2 at



100 Combat Mission

least gives the spotter GPS coordinates relative to his own po-sition can usually give fairly accurate GPS coordinates of thetarget. Target information is also easier to transmit. LLDRputs accurate laser light on the target and generates targetGPS coordinates, which have to be manually transmitted. FS3

is the best by far. It can put laser light on the target, identifya units based on their unique heat signatures, get GPS coordi-nates of the target, track the target at ranges in excess of CM’smax map size, has a direct digital uplink to the aircraft to trans-mit all pertinent data, and it can do this in all weather, day ornight. An amazing piece of equipment that also has an equallyamazing price tag!

Environmental ConsiderationsNot all Munitions are equally adept at firing in all lighting, weather,

and atmospheric conditions. Some are best used in brightdaylight, others are at their best at night. Some are unaf-fected by all of these things, some are horribly affected. Hereis a rough idea of how conditions affect each type of Munition:

Weather ModifierDumb Laser GPS Optical

Overcast V Bad V Good V Good BadFog V Bad Bad V Good V BadRain Bad Bad V Good BadSmoke Average Good V Good V GoodClear V Good V Good V Good V Good

Basic Rules of ThumbAll of these various factors merely scratch the surface of what real

Air Support is like, but it’s probable that even our boiled down

simulation is boggling a few minds reading this. Therefore,we’ll make this simple for you! When you call in Air Supporttry to use a JTAC in a FS3 equipped vehicle with direct LOS of the target. If you do that, you’re going to have the best re-sults regardless of the variables. Next best is probably a FIST/FO in a FS3 Vehicle. After that, any unit in a Fire SupportVehicle. So on and so forth. Even if it takes some time tomaneuver your best spotting unit into position, it generally will

yield a better and quicker result than having some randomSquad make the call. But if you absolutely have no other choice,the Squad can probably get the job done adequately. Just beaware that you want to allow for a greater degree of error thanyou would with a better combo.



Shock Force 101

Unconventional Warfare

The focus of CM:SF is primarily on conventional warfare, between

organized military forces, in a new future setting. However, inthe theater we chose (the Middle East) there is close to 0%chance that a conflict would be purely conventional. There-fore, for CM:SF to accurately portray a near future conventionalconflict in the Middle East it must also simulate unconventionalwarfare to some extent.

Simulating unconventional forces (called Uncons for short) them-selves is not very difficult for us to do as game designers. AHuman with a weapon is pretty much just like all other Hu-mans with weapons. However, complications arise from specifictypes of Uncons that are neither armed nor visibly differentfrom an average civilian.

Uncon Specialists (civilian dressed Uncons with no outward ap-pearance of being armed) in real life blend in with thenon-combatants civilians until they are ready to strike. In asense this gives them a “stealth” capability that armed forcesdon’t have. Yet a direct portrayal of a civilian environment for

them to blend into requires simulating such things as culturalhabits, economic activity, traffic patterns, daily civilian activi-ties, thousands of autonomous “entities” (i.e. people), etc. Youdon’t have to be a game designer grasp that this is actuallymore work than the military side of the simulation! Even if it



102 Combat Mission

could be coded, most gamers we know don’t have super com-puters so they wouldn’t be able to run it anyway.

So what to do? The answer is simple – abstraction! Instead of attempting to simulate and display every detail of a MiddleEastern village, town, or city, Combat Mission instead just simu-lates the ability for Uncon Specialists to avoid detection. Sincethe effect is what matters in a game, an abstraction that pro-duces the correct feel and outcome is good enough.

At the beginning of a battle all Uncon Specialist units are simu-lated as civilians to the US player. Meaning, the Syrian playercan theoretically move them about without the US player be-ing able to spot them, even when in line of sight of US units,

since the Uncon Specialists look just like any other civilian.The key part of this statement is “in theory”.

In the real world a civilian must act like a civilian in order to beperceived as a civilian. When a civilian ceases to behave like acivilian the opposing force might notice this and grow suspi-cious that all is not as it appears to be. Once the suspicionlevel gets high enough the cover is blown and now the Unconis no longer protected by civilian anonymity. In game terms

this means the Uncon Specialist is now reviled to the US playeras an enemy unit and is treated just like any other militarytarget. In other words, the US player will get the green light to “fire at will” against Uncon Specialists.

As in real life, the activities that raise suspicions most are move-ment and proximity to military forces. The more out of characterthe movement is, and the closer it is, the greater the chancethat more suspicions are raised. The crucial game factors are

the terrain the Uncon Specialist moves over, the type of Move-ment Command used, and the proximity to US units. Forexample, an Uncon Specialist crawling across the desert is highlysuspicious while one walking right down a densely populatedcity street probably will go unspotted.

Obviously the more civilians present, the more difficult it is for theother side to spot suspicious activity. Combat Mission simu-lates this by allowing scenario designers to specify the Civilian

Density to simulate how much cover the Uncon Specialistsshould have. The Civilian Density is set by the scenario de-signer and shown as part of the Conditions Menu, accessibleduring gameplay by clicking on the Menu button at the bottomof the Command panel. The higher the density setting the lesslikely the unit will be spotted before it’s too late. The type of



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terrain is also important since civilians are only expected inlarge numbers in urban type terrain. In fact, a large congre-gation of people out in the middle of nowhere would besuspicious all on its own!

The closer an Uncon unit comes to US troops, the higher thechances of being revealed. “Normal” civilians usually try toavoid combatant forces during battle, so anyone milling aroundclose to the soldiers will invariably make himself suspicious.Therefore, the closer an Uncon Specialist gets to a US unit, themore “normal” it’s behavior needs to be to avoid detection.

Note: We do not publish the exact parameters of what behaviour increases the chances to remain unspotted on purpose. There is

also quite a bit of randomness and variability based on a number of factors. By keeping the descriptions somewhat vague thechances that this feature will become “gamey” (unrealistically used) are reduced. Plus, in real life all of this is an art, not ascience.

Unconventional ForcesFighters are regular soldiers, mercenaries and other types of ir-

regular military personnel who operate in small groups anduse guerrilla tactics instead of conventional military method.They can be well trained and motivated and occasionally haveaccess to fairly sophisticated and advanced equipment. Someheavy weapons are mounted on civilian vehicles, otherwiseknown as Technicals. Since they are armed and wear distinc-tive clothing, the Stealth rules do not apply to Fighters.

Combatants are civilians who pick up weapons and organize them-selves in small groups, usually on short notice and in an ad-hocway. Combatants are usually only lightly armed and untrained,though probably well motivated. Some heavy weapons aremounted in civilian vehicles, otherwise known as Technicals.Since they are always visibly armed, and sometimes carry spe-

cial clothing, the Stealth rules do not apply to Combatants.

Specialists include several groups of special unconventional unitswith unique features and tasks: Spies, Transports, IEDs (im-provised explosive devices aka bombs), and VBIEDs (vehicle



104 Combat Mission

based i.e. mobile IEDs). These are discussed in more detailbelow.

Specialists

Spies: instead of using weapons, Spies use their eyes and ears topick up information about enemy units and then relay it toarmed Uncons. Their primary goal is to remain undetected,therefore remain largely stationary and in good cover. Oncerevealed, a Spy simply disappears because he is no longer of any use.

Transports: civilian vehicles used to quickly relocate groups of unconventional units. The available units include Taxis, Sedans

and Pickups. There are literally hundreds of different civilianmodels to choose from, but effectively there is not much dif-ference between them and boil down to two types:

PICKUP (4x4)Name: Toyota HiLuxWeight: 6000 lbs (2722 kg)Power: 96 hp (72 kW)Top speed: 90 mph (144 kph)

CAR (2x4)Name: VAZ-21053Weight: 2200 lbs (998 kg)Power: 71 hp (53 kW)Top speed: 93 mph (150 kph)Price: $2,920 (that’s for a new car!)

Technicals: the same type of pickup used as a Transport with a fulltime heavy weapon mounted in back. Combat Mission includespickups armed with medium machineguns (PK/PKM), heavymachineguns (DShK), and recoilless rifles (SPG-9). Althoughvery fast and mobile, Technicals have no armor protection atall. Once spotted and taken under fire they are easily put outof action.

IEDs: Improvised Explosive Devices (i.e. bombs). Three different

types, in various sizes, are simulated in the game. The sizedetermines the strength of the explosion and therefore abilityto cause damage and casualties. The different types deter-mine reliability as well as the distance at which the triggermancan be positioned.



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Wire – shortest distance (about 100m), 10% failure chanceRadio – medium distance (about 300m), requires line of sight, 20% failure rateCell phone – long distance (about 600m), 10% failurechance

IEDs typically consist of the bomb itself and the triggerman. Thebomb is placed during the setup phase like any other unit.Once placed, it cannot be moved again. The triggerman, how-ever, can be relocated.

VBIEDs: vehicle based IEDs, or in other words, a civilian vehiclestuffed with explosive material. VBIEDs are driven by a suicidebomber with the intention to come close to an enemy unit anddetonate the device. A VBIED team typically consists of onedriver and one spy. The driver’s function is to drive the vehicleand trigger the explosion, while the spy is used to designatethe desired target from a safe position outside of the vehicle.

Using IEDs and VBIEDsIn game terms there is very little difference between operatingIEDs (i.e. roadside bombs) and VBIEDs (i.e. vehicle bombs).As you read this section consider everything you read about an



106 Combat Mission

IED applies to a VBIED unless specifically noted to the con-trary.

In order for an IED to detonate it must first be activated, other-wise it remains inert. To activate an IED, select it and choosethe Target command from the Combat panel, then click on themap to arm it. If you want the IED to target the first unit thatcomes near it, click anywhere on the map. If you instead wantto target a specific enemy unit, click on that unit and the IEDwill ignore other possible targets. You can re-designate thetarget at any time by repeating these steps.

Activation is not just a matter of specifying a target, however. Foractivation to occur the triggerman, at the time the Target com-

mand is used, must be in good shape (e.g. not panicked),have an undamaged trigger device in its inventory, be withinthe maximum range (and/or LOS if required) of the IED, andpass a reliability check. The reliability check determines if theIED itself, or the ability to detonate it, has failed. IEDs thatmalfunction can’t be made to detonate no matter what. If thereis a change to one of these factors, such as the triggermanbeing eliminated, then the IED remains activated but will notdetonate until all requirements are fulfilled again.

VBIEDs differ from IEDs mostly in terms of mobility. VBIEDs aredriven by a suicide bomber with the intention to come close toan enemy unit and detonate the device. A VBIED team typi-cally consists of one driver and one spy. The driver’s function isto drive the vehicle, select a target and trigger the explosion,while the spy is used to help the driver find possible targetsfrom a safe position outside of the vehicle.

The VBIED automatically detonates once in proximity to the firstenemy unit that comes near it. No activation is needed.

You can also select a specific target for the VBIED. In order to dothis, select the VBIED, and choose the Target command. Next,click on the desired enemy unit to target. However, keep inmind that vehicles are generally viewed with suspicion so go-ing after the first vehicle is generally the only practical thing todo. As long as the Target command remains active, the car

will only detonate when the selected target unit comes intoproximity. Other enemy units will cause no detonation.Targetting a specific unit allows you to let part of a columnpass by and detonate the VBIED later. But keep in mind thatthis is increasing the chances of the enemy to spot you, aswell.



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The Editor

CM:SF provides players with the same tools that were used to

create the stock battles and campaign, and allows them tocreate their own maps and missions from scratch.

The Editor really combines four separate editors in one:

Mission Editor - settings needed to make a scenario, such asweather variables, briefings, victory conditions and more

Map Editor - creates realistic 3D combat maps from scratch

Unit Editor - purchase, organize, and deploy units

AI Editor - tailors higher level parameters for the computer op-ponent to follow, such as unit behaviour, movement paths,and more

Basic screen layoutThe picture below shows the basic layout for the Editor.

1. File Menu - buttons to Save, Load, and create a New scenarioor Exit to the main screen.

2. Editor Selector - a pop-up menu to choose the Editor you wantto work with. The popup menu also lists three additional im-portant features - 3D Preview, Bake and Make Campaign,explained later in this section.

3. Mode Selector – a list of buttons showing the main Modes of

each selected Editor.4. Option Palette - graphical button palette which shows Options

specific to the selected Mode

5. Settings List - displays values for the selected Option (if any),some of which may be editable (depending on Option).

6. Toolbar - tool icons for Map Editor

7. Display Area - this is where the 2D overview map is displayedfor certain combinations of Editor, Mode and Options.



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File Menu

Displays buttons for:

LOAD - opens dialogue to load an existing scenario file (from theScenario folder)

SAVE - opens dialogue to name and save the currently activescenario to disc. If the scenario has already been saved be-fore, the current name and save location are loaded as default.

NEW - erases all settings and creates a “blank” new scenario filewith all settings reset to their default entries. Don’t forget tofirst save any existing scenario you’ve been working on!

EXIT - exits the Editor and jumps back to Main Screen

Editor SelectorThis pop-up menu displays all available Editors and main func-

tions. The selection made here has direct influence on whichOptions and Settings are shown, as well as the options avail-able in the Toolbar and Display areas.



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MISSION - used for editing mission parameters such as briefings,objectives, time and date, weather and more.

MAP - used to edit terrain features

UNITS - used to organize and deploy Blue and Red forcesA.I. - used to “program” custom computer player AI

3D PREVIEW - used to jump to a 3D view of the current gamemap

BAKE - creates a special type of scenario that has pre-programmedCommands “baked” into it. For example, starting the game off with an artillery barrage, having a column of vehicles snake

their way down a road, infantry dashing into new positions,etc. The downside of this process is that the scenario filechanges to that of a save game. Meaning, there is no way toedit a “baked” scenario file directly, making it a good idea tokeep the original scenario file to make changes to if needed.Baked scenarios are incompatible with Campaigns.

MAKE CAMPAIGN – The creation of a campaign file requires sev-eral ingredients:

(1) The currently loaded scenario will provide the “core” troops,the mission briefings, and the snapshot data for the scenariochoice screen.

(2) A campaign “script” text file that designates the parametersand battle .btt scenario files (not baked) by name.

(3) The .btt scenario files for campaigns are created just like anyother standalone scenario, but additionally the player imports

the “core” troops from the base scenario mentioned under (1)above.

(4) The battle files named in the script must be in the same direc-tory as the script file or the Scenarios directory. The finished



110 Combat Mission

campaign “.cam” file will be saved in the Campaign directory,overwriting any previous file.

Mission Editor

The Mission Editor defines the basic parameters and settings for agiven scenario. The various components are:

DescriptionDataMission (Blue and Red)Parameters (Blue and Red)Terrain Objectives (Blue and Red)Unit Objectives (Blue and Red)

DescriptionWhen choosing which scenario to play the player can click on it in

the scenario list and see a brief overview to the right of thescreen. These details help the player determine which sce-nario to play without needing to load it. None of these settingshave any impact on the scenario itself. Just like any productsitting on the shelf, the packaging simply informs the person

what is inside, nothing more than that.

Battle TypeSpecifies the general nature of the battle and who is the attacker.

Depending on the nature of the scenario’s storyline you maywish to be “vague”, or even inaccurate, so you don’t give awaysurprises.

Assault, Attack, Probe, Meeting Engagement

EnvironmentThis setting gives the player a rough idea of the nature of the area

being fought over. People specifically seeking an urban battle,for example, will know right away that they want to skip over ascenario that is taking place in a Forest.

City, Town, Village, Open, Rough, Forest, Hills

DaylightCharacterizes the average natural lighting conditions. The actual

lighting is determined by the time & day settings in the Datasection.

Dawn, Day, Dusk, Night



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Battle SizeThe scenario’s approximate size, from Tiny to Huge, gives players

an idea of the overall scope of the battle. Each scenario authorprobably has a different idea of what Tiny or Huge is, but as aguideline the amount of units involved as well as map size and

battle duration should be factored into the setting here. As ageneral guideline, a Tiny battle involves platoon sized forces,or smaller, for each side and a very small map. A Huge in-volves a force of several companies on each side and a verylarge map. The rest fall somewhere in between.

Tine, Small, Medium, Large, Huge

Title

The scenario list is listing scenarios by the text entered here (i.e.the scenario title). Titles should be short and to the point, butcatchy, too. When you playtest your game make sure the titlelooks good in the list.

DescriptionA short one-line description of what players can expect to find

when they decide to play the battle. Be mindful that there is noway to customize the text to match a particular side’s perspec-tive, so keep it generic. When you play your scenario youshould double check that all your text fits in the box.

ImageEach scenario can have, and should have, a small image file asso-

ciated with it. Think of this as the slick marketing image foundon a packaged product. Make something exciting and dra-matic, if possible, that gives the player a small idea of the

nature of the battle they’re contemplating to play. The file hasto be in BMP format and a maximum of 170 x 170 pixels insize. Three buttons allow the scenario designer to:

Import a new image fileExport the existing image fileClear the existing image file

DataThe Data section defines a number of parameters which, unlike

the Description section, do affect the inner workings of thescenario. These settings control:

LENGTH OF BATTLE - the maximum duration of the sce-nario (in minutes)



112 Combat Mission

VARIABLE LENGTH – sets a variable (random) ending timefor the battle

REGION & MONTH - sets the month and year in which thebattle takes place.

DAY - the day on which the battle takes place

HOUR - at which hour the battle startsMINUTE - minute when the battle startsWEATHER - sets the current weather for the battle to Clear,

Hazy, Thick Haze, Overcast etc.WIND STRENGTH - sets the wind strength as none, gentle,

light, medium or heavy.WIND SOURCE - the direction from which the wind is origi-

natingTEMPERATURE - the temperature during the battleGROUND CONDITION - sets the general ground condi-

tion. Options include Very Dry, Dry, Damp, Wet, Muddy etc.CIVILIAN DENSITY – abstractly represents the amount of

non-combatant population as None, Sparse, Light, Moderate,Heavy and Very Heavy.

BLUE FRIENDLY DIRECTION - sets the direction into whichBlue units would withdraw to join their lines

RED FRIENDLY DIRECTION - sets the direction into which

Red units would withdraw to join their linesEARLY INTEL - can be set to None, Red Force or Blue Force.INTEL STRENGTH - can be set between No Intel (0%) to

Full Intel (100%) and any step between in 10% steps.Force vs Force - this setting allows you to create Blue on

Blue and Red on Red missions in addition to the standard Blue vsRed. This setting defines what units are available for purchaseand deployment in the Units Editor. You may even mix and match

forces in this way.

Mission (Blue and Red)The Mission Briefings seen by the Blue and Red players at the

beginning of the battle are determined/created here. Each sides’ set is unique to itself, but the method for creating them isidentical for both. A full Mission Briefing set consists of a stra-tegic overview map, an operational overview map, a tactical

overview map, and the text for the briefing itself.All four files (three image files for the maps and one text file for

the briefing text) have to be imported into the scenario file.



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Note: Once imported you do not need to include the original filesanymore.

The three map images all have to be in BMP (Bitmap) format, buteach can have a different maximum size:

Strategic Map: 224 x 224 pixelsOperational Map: 702 x 224 pixelsTactical Map: 952 x 350 pixels

Note: We recommend using the strategic overview map that ships withthe game in order to have some consistency. The map used for the operational briefing map is publicly available online fromWikipedia’s “Syria” entry. You can of course simply draw a tactical map by hand, but another good approach is to take a top-downscreenshot of the actual map at least as the base; or even ascreen capture from the 2D editor map. If you decide to use real maps, please keep in mind any potential copyright infringements(maps are usually copyrighted just like books or photos).

The briefing text itself is a simple text (.txt) file. A template isused as default for the briefing text when you create a newmission from scratch. It might be a good idea to export thetemplate first, fill in your orders into the template, and thenimport the completed text.

Note: The ^ tags indicate the end of a section, and should not beremoved.

The options for the images and briefings are:

Import a new file,export an existing fileclear (delete) an existing file



114 Combat Mission

Parameters (Blue and Red)Unlike most wargames, Combat Mission allows “asymmetric” vic-

tory conditions where each side has its own unique parametersand is judged based on how well it achieves them. The sidethat best achieves its goals is declared the winner, even if tech-nically both sides were within specified parameters. This iscritically important for simulating asymmetric warfare sincerarely are both sides operating under the same or even similarparameters. You can specify the following conditions for eachside:

CASUALTIES - the number of casualties the side is allowed

to endure.CONDITION - the number of units allowed to be panicked,routed, tired, or wounded.

AMMO - the amount of total ammunition that side is al-lowed to expend.

For each parameter the scenario designer determines the thresh-old in % (from 0% to 100%) and the amount of victory pointsassociated with each once the threshold is reached. Specifi-

cally, you get the points if:

Enemy Casualties > X% Enemy Condition < X%

Enemy Ammo < X%

Friendly Casualties < X% Friendly Condition > X%

Friendly Ammo > X%

Casualties is casualties suffered , e.g. 100% means the whole forcewas wiped out. Both soldiers and vehicles are factored into thisand you get partial credit for immobilizing a vehicle.

Condition is a combination of (from most important to least) mo-rale, fatigue, suppression, and light wounds (more seriouswounds or death are part of casualties, not condition).

Terrain Objectives (Blue and Red)

Each side can be assigned up to 8 terrain based objectives. This involves defining where the objectiveis, what the player is supposed to do with it, andvarious other details. These parameters allow thedesigner to simulate a wide range of missions in-stead of just the usual “capture the flag” and “king of



Shock Force 115

the hill” objectives commonly found in wargames. To start off,click on the corresponding button labelled Obj 1 - 8, and “paint” the objective area onto the 2D map.

Note: there are no limitations in how you “paint” the objective area. You

can create a single large area, two or more independent ones, or even sprinkle small spots all over the map. Keep in mind that points for a specific objective are only awarded once and that 10separate spots for a single objective means that the player must pay attention to ALL 10 spots, not just one. If the mission is todestroy these areas, for example, that means all 3 must bedestroyed in order for the player to get points. This can bedifficult to effectively communicate to the player, so be careful when spreading things out. Therefore, generally it is better tomake separate objectives for non-contiguous goals.

After determining the objective area(s) you need to specify whatthe player must do with the area(s) and who knows about it:

OCCUPY - friendly units have to move to the area, clear itcompletely of enemy troops, and remain there when the battleends

DESTROY - the terrain (e.g. building) has to be destroyed/damaged

PRESERVE - the terrain must be protected from destruc-tion/damage

TOUCH - friendly units have to reach the area and areawarded points immediately upon reaching it. They do not haveto remain in place

KNOWN TO... - player, enemy, both, none

Note: With this last option you can create all sorts of unique, dynamic situations by assigning “hidden” objectives without telling the

player where they are, or even that they exist! More about usingthis powerful tool can be found in the next section, Tips for usingthe Editor.

POINTS - assign how many points are awarded to the playerwho fulfills the objective

NAME - assign a name to the Objective for easier reference(it’s also shown to the player on the 3D map and upon comple-tion)

Unit Objectives (Blue and Red)In addition - or instead - of terrain based objectives, you can also

designate enemy units as objectives. This allows for such thingsas “destroy all enemy tanks” as the mission and to judge itssuccess based on tank destruction instead of other things.



116 Combat Mission

To designate a unit or formation as a scenario objec-tive, you have to first assign it to a “unit objectivegroup” in the Unit Editor. To do that, simply selectthe unit or formation and hold down the SHIFT keywhile pressing a number key from F1-F7. The selected

units will then show a [U] next to its name followedby the corresponding group number you pressed. In order toremove a unit that is already part of a group, select that unitand hold down SHIFT and press F8.

Once you’ve done this, go back to the Mission editor and selectthe Unit Objectives Option. Click on one of the buttons for Unit1 through Unit 7 to set the parameters for that group.

Note: keep in mind that only ENEMY units can be assigned as unit objectives. For example, a Red unit assigned to Group 1 will betied to the Blue side’s Group 1 objective, never to the Red side’sGroup 1 objective.

Unit Objectives can be one of three types – Destroy, Destroy Allor Spot.

DESTROY - the designated target unit has to be knockedout for full points to be awarded, and damaged for partial points.

DESTROY ALL - the designated target(s) must be com-pletely eliminated for points to be awarded.

SPOT - the designated target unit has to be spotted in orderto be awarded target points.

KNOWN TO... - player, enemy, both, or nonePOINTS - assign how many points are awarded to the player

who fulfills the objectiveNAME - assign a name to the Objective for easier reference

(it’s also shown in the After Action Report)

Map EditorThe Map Editor is where you design your own maps from scratch

by “painting” the landscape in a 2-dimensional top-down view.To see the results of your work in 3D, click on the “Editor Se-lector”, and select “3D preview” from the pop-up menu. After

you’ve explored the 3D world, hit the ESC key to bring youback to the Map Editor.

The Map Editor consists of three main tools: the Option Selectoron the left allows you to choose which features of the map toedit; the Settings Selector allows you to choose a specific type/



Shock Force 117

feature of the selected Option; and the Tool icons on top of thescreens allow you choose from several editing modes and “brushes” and change the map’s dimensions.

Map Editor OptionsOptions and Settings are as follows:

Ground 1The basic set of available ground types. Dirt, Dirt Red, Hard, Hard

Red, Grass, Yellow Grass, Tall Grass, Tall Yellow Grass, Rocky,Rocky Red and Sand.

Ground 2Second set of possible ground types. Pavement 1 and 2, Gravel,

Dirt Lot, Grain, Mud, Marsh.

BrushBrush terrain.

FoliageSix types of trees and three types of large bushes.

RoadsA number of road types: Dirt Road, Gravel Road, Paved Road 1

and 2, and a multi-lane Highway.

Walls/Fences/TrenchesVarious types of walls and fences (Stone, Tall Stone, Brick, Tall

Brick and Rural Stone), as well as trench lines.



118 Combat Mission

BuildingsA large selection of buildings, from 1 to 8 stories high as well as

rubbled. After selecting a type, you can then choose the foot-print and orientation for each building individually.

Flavor ObjectsFlavor Objects are small objects which add atmosphere and eyecandy to the scenery but have little or no impact on gameplay.Options include: Street Lights, Telephone Poles, Drums, vari-ous Road Signs, and Sacks.

CratersAllows to place various types and patterns of craters on the map

in clusters of 3, 7 or 15 small craters (L); 1, 2 or 4 mediumsized craters (M); 1 or 2 large craters (H), and 1 super-sizecrater (S).

ElevationBy default the map is perfectly flat and all tiles are set to elevation

level 20. You can adjust elevation levels to be anywhere be-tween 0 and 999. Each elevation change represents a heightdifference of 1 meter.

CM:SF’s approach to elevations might be conceptually difficult tograsp at first (especially if you worked with the earlier CM edi-tors in the past). However, once you get a feel for it you’llnever want to use another elevation editor again! Instead of setting the height of each individual tile, you simply “draw” contour lines like you see on a topographical map. CM thenlogically slopes the terrain between the contours so that thetransitions are smooth and natural looking.

The mechanics are quite simple. There are four different ways tochange the elevation of a tile and you can set multiple tiles tothe same height by keeping the left mouse button pressed asyou move the cursor around the map. No matter which methodyou use, or how you use it, the results are the same. The tilesclicked on turn black to signify that you have “locked” the par-ticular tile to a specific height, which is displayed in whitenumbers. All others remain in their natural state, showing

that they are “unlocked”. All locked tiles remain at the heightyou specified, all the unlocked ones dynamically change theirheights to conform to the placement of new locked tiles. Thisway you can specify a crest of a hill and the rest of the terrainwill smoothly come up to meet it instead you having to do itmanually.



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The four choices are in the Options panel on the left:

DIRECT- set a specific elevation with one click. First choose thedesired elevation by using the + and - keys on the keyboard,then click on the map at the desired location. The elevation of that tile changes to the value you specified.

ADJUST - decrease or increase elevations by the amount set us-ing the + and - keys on the keyboard. The default is 5, meaningthat if you left-click on a tile with the elevation set to 20, it will

be increased to an elevation of 25. Clicking on it again sets itto 30. Left-clicking while holding the SHIFT key decreases el-evation by the set amount.

You can also set the adjustment value to 0. This locks a tile towhatever its current height is. For example, if an unlocked tileis 23 you can click on it and it will lock in at 23 without havingto manually set the height to 23 using the Direct method. Thisis useful when you want to establish a fixed base to create a

steep hill or valley without changing the surrounding heights.ADJUST ALL - this allows you to nudge ALL tiles up or down by

one level each time you press the + or - key, respectively. Thisis useful if, for example, you reached elevation 0 on the mapbut suddenly notice that you need a few lower elevations tofinish a canyon. Increasing all tiles by +5 height gives you theneeded room while retaining all your hard work map wide.

Note: this option only works when at least ONE elevation has been set by you on the map (i.e. when there is at least one black dot placed on the map).

CLEAR – unlocks a locked tile and adjusts nearby elevations auto-matically. For example, say you decided to flatten out a sectionof map that you had previously made hilly. Just clear the lockedtiles and it will settle to whatever the surrounding terrain is setto.

Elevation numbers are by default only visible in this mode. If youwant to see elevations in other map editing modes you canpress the “E” key on your keyboard, which places an elevationoverlay over the current 2D map display. Pressing E again re-moves the overlay.



120 Combat Mission

LandmarksIdentifying key terrain features in the Briefing helps the player

associate what he is tasked to do with where he is supposed todo it. To help tie these things together you can place text “landmarks” to indicate, specifically, where something is. Forexample, identifying a prominent hill as “Hill 586” and notingin the Briefing what the player is supposed to do with “Hill586”. To place a landmark, first click on the tile you want tolabel. A pop-up window opens with a text field to enter thename of the landmark. Note that this name is visible to bothplayers, so it is generally a bad idea to make the landmarkstoo side specific if you intend on the scenario being playablefrom both sides. If you find you don’t like the landmark you

put down, or see that it is in the wrong place, click on it in the2D map to select it and then choose Delete.

Note: if you want only one side to see a map label, use Objectivesinstead (see Mission Editor as well as the Tips&Tricks section)

Setup ZonesAllows “painting” of up to three setup zones per nation, labeled

Blue 1, 2, 3 and Red 1, 2, 3 respectively. Zones are used torestrict how much the player can customize his starting loca-tions. For example, allowing the attacking player to set up inthe same spot as the defender would not be a good idea. Like-wise, allowing the defender to put some snipers or AT teams inthe middle of the attacker’s assembly area isn’t likely to winyou any friends from people who play as the attacker!

Setup zones do not have to be adjacent, meaning that you can

create one large zone, two or more independent zones, or evensprinkle spots all over the map. Units located within a specificzone during the Setup Phase of a battle can be moved to allspots of that same zone number, no matter where they are. Soif you create two Zone 1 spots on the opposite ends of themap, a unit can jump from one spot to the other without re-strictions, as long as it is placed on a spot with the same zonenumber.

Note: units placed by the scenario designer outside of a Setup Zoneduring deployment cannot be moved at all by the player duringthe Setup Phase.



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Map ToolbarThe Map toolbar at the top of the screen is always visible when

the 2D overview map is shown. The tools contained in the barallow you to quickly access four functions:

Object RotationMost objects which can be placed on the map, such as buildings,

road tiles, walls etc. can be rotated in one of four directionsbefore placing them on the map. The four arrow buttons indi-cate the currently selected direction.

You can also change the rotation by holding the CTRL key andright-clicking (it doesn’t matter where you click). Repeat thisuntil the rotation direction you want is selected (the currentselection is always indicated by a depressed button)

PaintbrushThe “brush” with which you can “paint” terrain/objects on the 2D

map is set to one of four sizes. The smallest size paints only

one terrain tile per click, while the biggest level paints a rect-angle of 15 by 15 tiles per click. Left-click applies the currentlyselected terrain to the area covered by the brush, right-clickremoves it.

Note: not all objects are eligible for different brush sizes. Most terraintypes are, but for example Buildings or Flavor Objects are not.Flavor Objects additionally can only be placed in 2D view but not deleted by right-clicking (since they are not visible in 2D view).

You have to go to the 3D preview to deleted Flavor Objects.

Map ZoomThe 2D map can be set to any one of five different levels of mag-

nification by clicking on the corresponding button. The left mostbutton is max zoom in, the right max zoom out. The middlezoom level is the default. If the map view is zoomed in, thenthe view will scroll when you move the cursor to the screenedge.

Map width & depthSets the dimensions for the playable area of the current map. Two

“boxes” are available, one for setting the width and the otherfor setting the height.



122 Combat Mission

In order to adjust map sizes, you use one of the four buttonsavailable per “box”. Obviously the + buttons increase the size,while the - buttons decrease map size. Each click increases themap by 32 meters.

Note: by pressing and holding the SHIFT key while clicking on one of thebuttons, the increase (or decrease) is 160 meters.

What might be less obvious, but is logical once you think about it,is that the placement of the buttons also indicates the direc-tion into which (or from which) the map is increased (ordecreased).

You just have to consider which axis is being lengthened or short-

ened, and the +/- pairs are then formed to affect each end of that axis.

The plus and minus on the left affect the west side of the map. Sopressing the plus on the left adds space to west. Similarly the

minus on the right removes space from east.

Here the plus and minus on top affect the northern border of themap, while the plus and minus in the bottom do it for thesouthern border.

Units Editor

The Units editor provides all the tools to create Order of Battlesfor both Blue and Red sides. On the left is a list of optionsarranged logically, from top to bottom, in the order generally

used to create an Order of Battle. First you purchase units fora side, then you assign reinforcements, and lastly you deploythose units in the 3D environment.

The main screen layout consists of two columns in the main dis-play area. On the left is a list of all the Available Troops thatcan be purchased for a specific “Branch” (sub category of a



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side’s units). On the right is the Activated Troops display thatshows all the units you’ve “purchased” for inclusion in yourbattle. At the bottom of the screen are various options to tweakthe data for a whole formation or a specific unit. The buttonsoff to the lower right side are the most important since they

control Purchase, Delete or Rename functions.Purchase Units

Formations are a very important concept to both gameplay (whichis not directly relevant here) and scenario making. Most of Combat Mission’s formations are based on authentic Tables of Organization and Equipment (TO&E) for the various forces usedin the game. Some, like Uncons, aren’t organized so explicitlyin real life so we’ve simply made approximations of what onemight find on the battlefield. No matter what, though, every

single individual unit belongs to a single formation, which inturn may (or may not) be a part of another formation. A for-mation isn’t a unit itself, rather just a container for either unitsor other formations. For example a Rifle Squad is a unit that istypically found in a Platoon formation, which itself usually be-longs to a Company formation.

When you purchase units for the first time you’ll quickly discoveryou are only allowed to purchase formations, generally quite

large ones at that. After you purchase a formation you then “delete” the specific units/formations you don’t want. This mightseem a backwards way to do things, but really it is quite nec-essary. If you bought units on their own they would have noformational context. Since such context is very important togameplay and realism you’d then have to go through a compli-cated process of attaching units to each other, possibly in waysthey never would be in real life. Therefore, it is much easier to

start with the correct formations attached to each other andsimply toss aside the units and formations you don’t want.

Purchase UnitsAll units are organized by Force type (e.g. US Army, Syrian Army,

etc.) and then secondarily to a specific Branch of that Force(e.g. US Stryker BCT, Syrian Republican Guard, etc.). Forceoptions for a particular side are presented in icon form in the

middle of the left portion of the user interface. When youselect a Force a list of the available Branches appears below.Selecting one of these shows what the Available Troops are forthat particular Branch. You are allowed to mix and match unitsfrom Forces and Branches as much as you like, no matter howunrealistic it may be in real life.



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Each line in the Available Forces represents a unique, purchasableformation. At first glance there doesn’t appear to be manychoices since you initially see just the tip of the iceberg. Nextto every formation name is a small + icon which allows you to “expand” it to show attached formations and units. By default

all formations start out “collapsed” in order to minimize theamount of space it uses in the display. To expand a formationall you have to do is click on the + icon. One expanded theicon turns to a – icon which, when clicked on, collapses theformation again. Collapsing is rather important since the dis-play can not be scrolled, therefore you can only see one screenheight’s worth of units at a time. Therefore, if you should findyourself out of room just collapse some of the formations youaren’t interested in and you’ll be all set.

To “purchase” a unit, doubleclick on it or, alternatively, single-click to highlight the formation, then click on the Purchase buttonin the lower right hand corner. Either way, once a formation ispurchased it moves to the Activated Troops column and is im-mediately available for use in the scenario. However, it is highlyunlikely you’ll need all the units of the formations you pur-chased. Therefore, you’ll want to remove formations and units

that aren’t necessary for your battle.Removing units is very easy. In the Activated Troops list simply

select the formation or individual unit to remove and then clickon the Delete button in the lower right corner of the screen.The unit’s name grays out showing that it is no longer availablefor your battle. If at any time you change your mind, not aproblem. Simply highlight the formation or unit and hit theDelete button to reset them.

Soft factorsEach unit has certain “soft” data that can be adjusted if desired.

Soft factors are those elements that are, more or less, variablefrom unit to unit regardless of type. Most of these are relatedto the soldiers themselves, not the equipment they have as-signed to them. You can see what the soft factors are by clickingon a unit or formation and looking at the popup options at the

bottom section of the screen.

When adjusting these factors try to put yourself into the boots of the soldiers in the unit within the context of your scenario’ssetting. For example, is the unit supposed to represent a dispir-ited bunch of farmers rounded up one day, given a gun the



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next, and put in the front the day after? Or is the unit a highlytrained, physically fit, ready for just about anything? Yourbattles can go from boring to intensely interesting simply bytweaking some of these settings so that they match a story of what the battle is about.

EXPERIENCE – determines the experience and training level of the soldiers of the formation. Options include:

- Conscript: draftees with little training and no combat experi-ence whatsoever.

- Green: draftees with little training and some combat experi-ence or reservists with some training and no combat experience.Green can also represent professional soldiers whose training

is substandard in comparison to another force.

- Regular: professional soldiers who went through extensive,quality training programs, but lack combat experience. OrRegular can represent troops that received mediocre trainingthat have a fair amount of combat experience.

- Veteran: professional soldiers with standard military trainingand first hand combat experience. Alternatively, it can be pro-

fessional soldiers who have trained to a slightly higher standardthan Regulars, yet lack combat experience.

- Crack: exceptional soldiers with more than the average train-ing and plenty of combat experience.

- Elite: the best of the best. Superb training, frequent combatexperience, and generally all around tough guys.

MOTIVATION – determines the soldiers’ will to fight. Options

range from Fanatic (soldier will never give up and fight evenwhen facing certain death) all the way to Poor (soldier has littledesire to fight and will take the first chance to rout).

FITNESS – determines the inherent degree of physical readinessof the unit’s soldiers. This influences on how quickly soldierstire and recover from physical tasks, such as running or beingbombarded by enemy fire. Options include: Fit, Weakened, andUnfit.

LEADERSHIP – the capability and experience of the unit leaderdoes not always correspond with the quality of the unit. Thisrating allows a unit to range from great soldiers and terribleleaders, or terrible soldiers and great leaders. The values are



126 Combat Mission

from -2 to +2, indicating the leader’s influence on the unitcohesion and various other capabilities.

SUPPLY – determines the amount of ammunition and equipmentavailable to the unit at the start of the game. Options includeSevere, Scarce, Limited, Adequate and Full.

EQUIPMENT – the quality of the equipment available to the unitcan vary even within a formation. This option is unique in thatit behaves differently depending on when you set it. If you setthis option for “activated” units (i.e. already purchased and inthe right-hand activated column), the available equipment issimply adjusted in its performance (accuracy, jams etc.). If you set this option BEFORE purchasing a unit, this setting de-

termines what type of weapon or equipment the unit will beequipped with. This is explained in more detailed under “Pur-chasing Equipment” below.

VEHICLE STATUS – changes a Vehicle to be immobilized, knockedout, or burning from the very start of the game.

typical SettingFor all of the above settings except Vehicle Status, the option

“Typical” is also available. This choice randomly sets the valueto be a typical value for the selected formation. When youselect a Reserve unit you generally get different results (oftenonly conscripts and green units with low leadership values)compared to a Typical Guards Unit (mostly Regulars and Vet-erans with high Motivation). Typical is the default setting for alloptions and is a good way for the scenario designer to getsome variety for his scenario without having to adjust eachand every unit individually.

Purchasing equipmentMost of the units in CM:SF have very specific equipment assigned

to them because, in real life, there isn’t significant variation tospeak of. However, some types of equipment are more vari-able and therefore are assigned to units semi-randomly. Thissection explains how you can exercise some control over CM

choices for those particular units.BEFORE you purchase a formation you can change the Equipment

settings for either entire formations or for specific units. Thisgives you some influence, more or less, over what CM picks forthe units that have variable equipment options (all others willignore your Equipment setting and go with their assigned equip-



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ment). By design your choice is still somewhat randomized soas to ensure a greater variety of equipment is used instead of the same few things being used time after time. Therefore,instead of specifying a particular piece of equipment you gen-erally influence what CM picks to equip the units with.

Sometimes, however, there are so few choices for a particularunit type that you actually do have fairly precise control.

The Equipment’s top two picks (Excellent and Good) always choose “good” equipment, the bottom two choices (Poor and Fair) onlychoose “bad” equipment. The choice in the middle (Normal)picks from either list randomly. The chance of selection variesdepending what is available for that unit. The fewer items inthe list, the more control you have. Also, the better the setting

the more likely it is to pick from the first type available, thelower the setting the more likely the pick will come from thelast available.

One anomaly you’ll notice is that some of the choices really don’thave anything to do with quality. A Stryker ICV with M2machinegun is not inferior to a Stryker ICV with Mk19 grenadelauncher. In this case of tanks, however, there is a definitequality difference between the different types of tanks.

For example, a SBCT Sniper Squad can be armed with either the M1107.62 Sniper rifle or the M107 .50 Cal Sniper rifle. If you leaveEquipment at Normal CM will arm the two teams of the Squad with either M110 or M107 rifles. If you set Equipment to the toptwo choices one of the Teams will get an M110 and the other islikely to get a M110. The bottom two choices select M107s for both Teams. Neither weapon system is really “better” than theother, but to be consistent the same qualitative labels are used.

To help guide Equipment selection, the following information showswhat equipment options exist for each type of unit with vari-able equipment options:

SBCT Specific UnitsSniper SquadGOOD ......................................... BAD- M110 ........................................ - M107

- Mix of both M110 and M107Sniper TeamGOOD ......................................... BAD- M110 ........................................ - M107

Scout TeamGOOD- M4s only



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- M4s and M240 MMG

Stryker Infantry Carrier VehicleGOOD- M1126 ICV with Mk19- M1126 ICV with M2

Stryker Recon Vehicle

GOOD- M1127 RV with Mk19- M1127 RV with M2

HBCT Specific UnitsSniper SquadGOOD ......................................... BAD- M110 ........................................ - M107- Mix of both M110 and M107

Scout TeamGOOD- M4s only- M4s and M240 MMG

Scout HumveeGOOD ......................................... BAD- M1114 with M2 ........................... - M1114 with M240

Abrams TankGOOD ......................................... BAD- M1A2 SEP .................................. - M1A2- M1A1 SA ................................... - M1A1 HC

Abrams Tank (MOUT)GOOD ......................................... BAD- M1A2 SEP (TUSK) ....................... - M1A2 SEP- M1A2 SA (TUSK) ......................... - M1A1 SA.................................................. - M1A2.................................................. - M1A1 HC

Bradley Fighting VehicleGOOD ......................................... BAD- Bradley (any type) with ERA ......... - Bradley (any type) without ERA

US ArtilleryCompany Mortar SectionGOOD ......................................... BAD- M252 81mm Medium Mortar ......... - M224 60mm Light Mortar

Battalion Mortar SectionGOOD ......................................... BAD- M120 120mm Heavy Mortar ......... - M252 81mm Medium Mortar

Syrian Tank UnitsRepublican Guards TankGOOD- T-72M1V TURMS-T- T-72M1V 2001

Regular TankGOOD ......................................... BAD



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- T-72M1V .................................... - T-72M1- T-62MV ..................................... - T-72M (late)- T-55MV

Reserve TankGOOD ......................................... BAD- T-72M (early) ............................. - T-62 1975- T-62M ....................................... - T-62 1972.................................................. - T-55 1974

Static TankGOOD- T-55 1970- T-54B

Syrian AFV/IFV UnitsRegular Mech Infantry (Command BMP-1)GOOD ......................................... BAD

- BMP-1PK with AT-4C .................... - BMP-1PK with AT-4A

Regular Mech Infantry (Normal BMP-1)GOOD ......................................... BAD- BMP-1P with AT-4C ...................... - BMP-1P with AT-4A

Reserve Mech Infantry (Command BMP-1)GOOD ......................................... BAD- BMP-1PK with AT-4A .................... - BMP-1K with AT-3

Reserve Mech Infantry (Normal BMP-1)GOOD ......................................... BAD- BMP-1P with AT-4A ...................... - BMP-1 with AT-3

Regimental ATGM PlatoonGOOD ......................................... BAD- BRDM-2 with AT-5 ....................... - BRDM-2 with AT-3

Syrian Anti-Tank UnitsSpecial Forces Anti-Tank PlatoonGOOD ......................................... BAD- AT-14 ........................................ - AT-13

Republican Guards Anti-Tank Platoon

GOOD ......................................... BAD- AT-13 ........................................ - AT-4C- AT-7- AT-3D

Regular Anti-Tank PlatoonGOOD ......................................... BAD- AT-4C ........................................ - AT-4A- AT-3C ........................................ - AT-3B

Reserve Anti-Tank PlatoonGOOD ......................................... BAD

- AT-4C ........................................ - AT-4A- AT-3C ........................................ - AT-3B

Reserve Anti-Tank Platoon (Infantry Branch)GOOD ......................................... BAD- AT-4A ........................................ - AT-3B

Uncon Fighter AT TeamGOOD



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- RPG-29- RPG-7V

Uncon Fighter ATGM TeamGOOD- AT-3B- AT-3D- AT-4C- AT-14

ReinforcementsUp to seven groups of units per side can be designated as Rein-

forcements from the Available Units list, irrespective of theirparent formation. This allows the scenario designer to haveunits enter the battle at some later (more or less) randompoint in time. The units of each Group enter the map at the

same time, but the entry location is set individually for eachunit using the Deploy function. Staggering units can help withearly game unit congestion, enhance the plot of the scenario,or simply space things out for variety’s sake.

The first step is to assign units to one or more Groups by high-lighting them in the Available Units column and pressing a keyon your keyboard from 1 to 7 (not on a NumPad!). This assignsthe unit(s) to the respective Reinforcement Group, and a small

[R] followed by the number of the assigned Group appearsnext to its name. For example, [R1] means the unit is as-signed to Reinforcement Group #1. To remove a unit from aGroup simply highlight it and press the 8 key and you’ll see thedesignation go away.

Once you have at least one unit assigned to one Group you canspecify when it comes into the game. To do this click on theGroup you want in the list on the left side of the screen. Foreach group, you can set the time of the earliest arrival, anddetermine a random time span within which the arrival timemight deviate.

Earliest Arrival TimeCan be set from 5 minutes after the beginning of the battle up to

60 minutes after the beginning. This specifies the soonest aGroup comes into the battle.

Arrival SpanCan be set to be Exact (no deviation, i.e. the unit will always

arrive exactly on the time set above) or a value between 5 and30 minutes in 5 minute intervals. Specifying a time deter-mines a +/- range modification of Earliest Arrival Time.



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Note: be careful of what you do here since there is a chance for significant unintended consequences. For example, if a 60 minutebattle has Earliest Arrival Time set to 30 minutes and the Arrival Span to 30 minutes, the reinforcement group might arriveanytime between one second after the beginning of the battle and

one second before its end. If you set Earliest Arrival Time to 60minutes and the Arrival Span to 10 minutes, then the reinforce-ment group might arrive 10 minutes before the end of the battle,and there is a 50% chance that it will never arrive (because thebattle might end before the arrival time).

Deploy UnitsThis feature switches you from the 2D Unit Editor to the 3D pre-

view map so you can position the Available Units in the exact

spot, orientation, and stance you want. This applies to Rein-forcements as well, no matter when they come into the game.This allows you to do all sorts of things, such as putting unitsinto vehicles, deploying heavy weapons so they can fire imme-diately, etc.

If you created Setup Zones they are shown on the map. A unit ina Setup Zone can be moved freely within that particular Zoneduring a game’s Setup phase. Units placed outside of a Setup

Zone can not be moved at by the player until after the gamestarts.

Note: pay extra attention to where Reinforcements are place in order toavoid unrealistic situations, such as units suddenly appearing inthe middle of a field or a spot that is likely to be occupied by theother side. It might be a good idea to have Reinforcementsappear in a place out of sight of enemy troops in order to allow the other player a chance to move them before getting shot at.

Deployment CommandsDuring Deployment mode a limited number of Commands are

available for each unit type, mainly related to administrativetasks.



132 Combat Mission

MOVE, FACE, HIDE, ACQUIRE, DISMOUNT, DEPLOY WEAPON, SPLITTEAM, ASSAULT TEAM, ANTITANK TEAM

Note: The Commands work the same way they do during a battle. Seethe Commands section of the manual for more details.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Editor

Most game Artificial Intelligence (Computer Player) systems arebased on highly scripted, reactive behavior. The scenario de-signers program very specific instructions for even the mostbasic behavior, often to the point of “if the enemy moves here,attack, otherwise don’t do anything”. The game play tends tobe quite predictable over time and potentially easy to fightagainst because the designer has to correctly anticipate whatthe player will do.

Other game AIs, including the one in the previous Combat Mis-sion series, are dynamic AIs that act and react on the fly. Sinceits behavior patterns are more generic, it is more flexible whenplaying a specific mission/battle. Unfortunately, the same ge-neric attributes preclude the Computer Player from takingadvantages peculiar to the battle being fought. The designercan set up a perfect double pincer envelopment and watch theAI decide to conduct a frontal assault instead.

CM:SF’s Computer Player is a sort of hybrid of scripted and dy-namic systems. The scenario designer has the ability tocustomize the higher level, and to some extent lower level,

behavior specific to the tactical considerations of the battle.However, the AI can improvise, to some extent, within thedesigner’s parameters. This greatly reduces predictability overtime, but more importantly it allows the AI to conform to thestory of the battle. If the battle’s story revolves around anambush or a convoy to move along a certain road, such crucialelements can be coded into the scenario to make sure theyhappen.

The scripting aspect of CM:SF is also critical for coaching the Com-puter Player on how to win. For example, if the defendingComputer Player needs to defend a set of buildings inside acity, the designer can specify which key spots should be mannedin order to ensure the success of a more abstract victory con-dition. No matter how good a dynamic AI may be, practically



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speaking it will never equal the insight the designer has with-out some very specific help. Therefore, think of the scriptingas the designer helping the AI understand what it needs to do,where, and how.

AI ElementsThere are four distinctly different concepts that create a decent

Computer Player.

Groups - a collection of units (up to 8 Groups per side)

Map Zones - areas of the map for Groups to focus on (up to 16per Plan)

Orders - basic instruction sets for a Group (up to 16 per Plan)Plans - overall coordination of Groups, Orders, and Zones (up to

5 Plans per side)

Units are assigned to Groups to concentrate on geographical MapZones using various Orders to direct their behavior. Plansspecify which Groups use what Map Zones with which Orders.The Computer Player only ever uses one AI Plan for a scenario,however it can use different Plans (if they exist) each time thescenario is played.

Once a Computer Player’s Group reaches an Order’s Map Zone, itbegins to look at the next Order (and associated Map Zone) if one exists. The computer player decides when to “move on” tothe next Order by looking at two time points set by the author,and the condition of its troops.

These concepts are identical for both Blue and Red sides, how-

ever the elements can be used in different ways in order tosimulate the different behavior patterns, doctrinal approachesto combat, etc. of each side’s simulated force. The importanceof each specific element varies from scenario to scenario, sideto side. However, generally a good Computer Player comesfrom equal attention paid to all four elements.

A scenario can have a Computer Player for either or both Red andBlue sides. However, if the designer did not specifically create

a Computer Player for a side the units for that side will simplysit wherever they start out and do nothing. Therefore, thescenario designer should make sure to mention in the briefingthat a scenario is supposed to be played from a specific sideonly.



134 Combat Mission

GroupsA Group is a collection of units (squads, teams, and vehicles)

assigned to perform tasks together. Each Group acts indepen-dently of other Groups using Orders it receives from a Plan.Because only there is only one Plan in use during a scenariothere is no risk of Groups getting contradictory instructions.This means the designer must be quite sure of why variousunits are in one Group and not another, because if there as-signments aren’t sensible then the Orders are less likely toproduce desirable results.

All units are assigned to Group 1 unless specifically assigned toGroups 2 through 8. To assign a unit to a Group simply go to

the Unit Editor’s Purchase Units option, select the unit or for-mation by clicking on it, then use F2-F8 keys to set the Groupnumber to 2-8. Units assigned to Groups 2-8 have their Groupnumber appear to the right of their name as [A2] through [A8].To reassign a unit to a different Group, simply repeat the pro-cess with a different numbered F key. To have an assignedunit return to Group 1, simply highlight it and hit F1.

Map ZoneMap Zones are “painted” on the map, much like a Setup Zone or

a victory Objective area. Each Order can have one, and onlyone, Map Zone assigned to it. The shape and size can be asregular or irregular, small or large, and you can even generateseparate discontinuous areas, but they are still considered partof the same map zone. That doesn’t mean it is necessarily agood idea to make huge, crazy shaped Map Zones, just that itis possible. Generally the more “creative” the Map Zones are,

the less likely Groups will behave as desired. Therefore, it isusually better to break up larger concepts into smaller piecesand assign different Groups to each with their own Orders andMap Zones.

Note: Orders do NOT have to have Map Zones assigned with them. If noMap Zone is defined, the unit will simply remain stationary whileexecuting the other options of an order (change in stance, changefloors, dismount).

The composition of the Current Group should be kept firmly inmind to make sure that the Map Zone isn’t too small or too bigfor the number of units, the distance too great, the type of terrain unfavorable, etc.



Shock Force 135

It is very important to keep in mind that the Map Zone is thedesired END ZONE and NOT the path. The TacAI determines,based on Plan’s Orders and tactical Commands, how to getfrom one Map Zone to another. A Group will NOT follow a longand skinny Map Zone; it will simply move all its units onto it

and stop before moving onto the next Order’s Map Zone. If you want to influence the path a group of units takes, issueseveral orders as you would waypoints.

OrdersEach Order consists of a single instruction for a specific Group to

follow. The specified Map Zone is the destination and the Or-der represents the method to get there. This is an important

thing to fully grasp since doing the opposite, treating the MapZone as the start of the Order, will likely doom a Plan to failure.There are a total of four pieces to each Order (not includingthe Map Zone), except the first Setup Order, which only hasthree (explained further below).

Order typeDash – basically this is an “everyone run for the hills” option that

should be used very rarely. Make sure that the distances are

fairly short or the units are vehicle only, otherwise they willlikely exhaust themselves before reaching the specified MapZone. It is also wise to make sure the Group isn’t likely to fightalong the way since the units won’t be predisposed to doingthat. Use Dash for things like getting units to move quicklyfrom one major source of cover to another at maximum speed,such as across a dangerously exposed road or field.

Quick – emphasizes speed over combat, but to a lesser extent

than dash. Units will attempt to get from A to B as quickly aspossible but not at all cost, and not at maximum speed. Unitsmay stop and return fire occasionally, but are generally un-likely to do so. Quick is useful when covering medium distancesthat you want to cross quickly but without completely tiringout the units, and when enemy contact is unlikely but not im-possible.

Advance – this is the “happy medium” between Dash and Max

Assault. This is generally the best Order to use when movingfrom place to place and not specifically anticipating a big fight.Units instructed to Advance decide what they should do, butgenerally it is to keep moving after taking some shots at spot-ted enemy units.



136 Combat Mission

Assault – this order emphasizes combat over movement. Unitsordered to assault will generally interrupt their movement whenfacing the opportunity to engage the enemy, but will not re-main stationary for too long. This is the best order to use foradvancing while in contact with the enemy at medium to longer

distances.

Max Assault – the opposite of Dash, Max Assault tells the Groupto stop and engage with maximum firepower whenever eachunit sees an opportunity to do so. This is generally a poorchoice for getting a Group to stay on the move if a lot of enemyis expected in the vicinity. It can also be a bad idea if the areabeing moved over is a poor place to stop for a firefight. Thebest use is for short moves where there is good cover and

enemy activity is expected.

Setup OrdersThe very first order of each plan is a Setup Order. It works exactly

as other orders with one big exception: the Map Zone for theSetup Order defines the area where units begin the game, notwhere they need to move to. As such, the Map Zone is NOT theEnd Zone as for all other regular orders. Therefore, Setup Or-ders have no option for “Order Type” since the units do nothave to move anywhere.

Note: the AI does not break the rules. If you paint a Map Zone for aSetup Order outside of a valid Red or Blue Setup Zone (as defined in the Map Editor), the AI will never setup there. Therefore, makesure that your Map Zone for Setup Orders for the AI plan matchesa valid Setup Zone in the Map Editor. To make this easier, SetupZones are always shown on the 2D map when you select a SetupOrder in the plan.

Occupy buildingsThis option tells the unit which floor to occupy if it enters a build-

ing. If a unit is not inside a building, this option has no effect.

StanceThis option defines the basic behavior and combat posture of a

unit for a given Order.

Cautious – shoot only when a clear target presents itself anddon’t get too worked up when one does. This helps conserveammo and limits how much the Group makes its presenceknown to the enemy.



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Active – shoot early and shoot often. This is generally the bestoption when the Group is being tasked with assaulting a knownenemy position.

Ambush – instructs the units to only open fire if the enemy closeswithin a specific distance. Several distance options are avail-able, from 75m to 1000m.

Hide – just as it sounds! This instructs the Group to avoid doinganything that might attract attention, such as moving or shoot-ing. Units that get shot may return fire, but other units in theGroup will try to remain hidden.

Passenger status

This option tells infantry carrying vehicles and bunkers to Dis-mount its passengers or keep them Mounted. Keep in mindthat this option is activated BEFORE the designated Map zoneis reached! If you want to dismount after reaching a map zone,you will need to create one Order for getting there mounted,and then a second order (with or without a Map Zone) to dis-mount on location.

Note: There is no way to instruct the AI to Mount units once Dismounted

due to the complications of coordinating vehicles and infantry (real life military units train for months to get this right!).Practically speaking, it would be rare to see infantry units get intoand out of vehicles multiple times within the scope of a Combat Mission battle, so it is less of limitation than it may initially appear to be.

Plans

Plans are the glue that holds together Groups, Map Zones, andOrders. They act as “scripts” for the AI to follow, but not in thetraditional FPS/RTS sense in which tactical behavior is tied totrigger points, patrol routes, etc. Instead it is a set of behav-ioral instructions just like in a real military formation. Forexample, the “script” doesn’t say “Tank 231 goes from thispoint to this point and then tries to shoot here”, rather it says “Tank 231 will try to move through this area and shoot at anythreats it sees”. The actual tactical moves and decisions theunit makes are left up to the TacAI, which means they arecontext sensitive decisions.

When the player starts to play a scenario Combat Mission selectsone semi-randomly chosen Plan to be used for the duration of the battle. This allows the Computer Player to be unpredict-



138 Combat Mission

able each time a scenario is replayed, yet still follow specificinstructions made by the scenario designer. Or not! The Sce-nario designer may choose to make only a single Plan for aparticular side, thereby guaranteeing that one Plan is alwaysthe one used. The designer can also skew the chances a Plan

is selected, or not.

To create a Plan, and the component pieces, select one of the fivepossible Plans from the list in the user interface to the left. Thefirst popup menu controls how likely the selected Plan is usedby CM. The second popup menu designates which Group isconsidered the “Current Group”. When selected, existing Or-ders assigned to that Group can be seen and manipulated,new ones created. The third popup controls the Current Order

for the Current Group. The first of the 16 possible Orders isalways Setup. New orders can be added by clicking on the Addbutton, existing orders can be deleted by clicking on Delete.

Note: Plans need to be tested by the designer in order to make surethey work as expected. However, since CM randomly chooses aPlan it is difficult for the designer to be sure of debugging aspecific Plan if there is more than one. To overcome this, simply change the chance of the desired Plan happening to “Used

Frequently” and the others down to “Not Used”. Just remember tochange the values back to whatever it is you want before sendingthe battle off to be played by others!

Exit Before / Exit AfterThe “Exit Before” option causes the Group to try very hard to get

to the next Order before the specified time is reached. Thisdoes not mean the Group will do it, just that it will try. If it has

taken excessive casualties, is immobilized or heavily engagedit may blow the set “Exit Before” time.

The “Exit After” option does the opposite by telling the Group tostay at the current Map Zone until the specified time is reached.With this setting a Group never moves on to the next Orderbefore the “Exit After” time is reached. These two options al-low for some reasonable level of coordination between Groups.

You can increase the “jumps” for the above settings by holding

the SHIFT key while you click on the + or - buttons.

Note: all of a Plan’s Orders are saved into the scenario file even if thereare no Groups assigned to it. This allows the designer to move,remove, redo, and otherwise manipulate units and Groupswithout worrying about wiping out work done on a Plan prior to



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the changes. Obviously, if no Groups are assigned to an Order none of the Order’s actions are carried out in the game, so thereisn’t any point of creating Orders that have no Groups, thoughthere is also no problem if unassigned Orders are left in the filesince the Computer Player simply ignores them.

Support Targets (Blue or Red)The scenario designer can specify Support Targets for the Com-

puter Player’s artillery to use at the beginning of the scenario.Such artillery strikes represent preplanned bombardments fora side controlled by a Computer Player. If a Human player is incontrol of a side the designer’s assigned Support Targets aresimply ignored.

When Support Targets are specified, all Artillery and Air SupportAssets allocated to that side’s force are considered availablefor the AI to use. The only requirement is that a valid spotterhave line of sight (LOS) to the designated target(s) in order toinitiate the strike. All normal support rules apply such as C2links, delay times, etc. Artillery and Air Support Assets notused against the Support Targets are available for the AI touse during the regular course of the battle.

Up to 20 independent Support Targets can be designated. Simplyselect a target number and paint the zone to be fired at in the2D map. Zones can be any size, contiguous or disjointed,though practically speaking it is best to keep in mind the actualamount of assets available. If one target zone covers half of the map, but the side only has a battery of two measly 82mmmortars available that are low on ammo, don’t expect an earthshattering map-covering artillery strike. Instead, it is more likely

that the AI spotter will randomly pick one place out of theentire zone and pound it until the mortars are empty. That’sprobably not a good thing for that side!

Each target can be assigned one of three possible missions. Thesedetermine the intensity and duration of the strike:

Destroy – heavy intensity, long duration. Issue this type to causemaximum damage. Available assets, ammo, and size of the

target area are especially critical here. A couple of 60mmmortars aren’t going to level a city block, for example, but 4batteries of 155mm Howitzers certainly can!

Damage – medium intensity, medium duration. Good for a quick,devastating shock to a particular area. Good balance betweenammo conservation and damage.



140 Combat Mission

Suppress – low intensity, short duration. This is best used forharassing fire or to pin an enemy force down to allow friendlyon map units take advantage of the situation.

Preplanned strikes arrive at the beginning of a scenario, but notalways immediately in the first few seconds. Normal C2 delaysapply. Each target is attacked in order, and if multiple assetsare available, several targets can be attacked simultaneously.

Any support assets that are not used up for the pre-planned bom-bardments are available for the AI Player to use dynamicallyduring the battle as long as it has what it needs to call in astrike (e.g. proper spotter, adequate communications links,etc.). In other words, the AI Player is bound by the same rules

as the Human Player, as explained in various sections of thismanual.

3D Preview

The 3D Preview previews the battle in 3D mode, which can beuseful for spotting possible issues with terrain, elevations, or

the overall look of the map. It is also good for getting a feel forhow to set up the AI’s Orders and Plans. Additionally, Previewmode allows the direct manipulation and fine-tuning of certainmap aspects which cannot be accessed from the 2D Map Edi-tor. This applies mainly to buildings and Flavor Objects.

Editing BuildingsIn 2D mode you choose the basic building types and determine

their placement on the map. The actual look of the building isdetermined randomly from a number of options specific to eachtype of building. However, these automatically assigned at-tributes can be overridden and customized if desired.

For each side and each floor of each building the texture, numberof doors, and number of windows can be set. If the wall isexposed it can have a balcony of one sort or another. The typeof roof can be changed as well, which not only changes the

look of the building quite dramatically, but it also determineshow much cover there is for soldiers occupying the roof.

One of the more interesting, and powerful, features is the abilityto completely remove walls by toggling through the “window/door layouts” until the wall disappears. This allows adjacent



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buildings to be combined into larger structures, such as a mas-sive warehouse or L shaped house. Since individual walls onindividual floors can be removed, it is possible to have a build-ing complex that is open on some levels and closed on others,or 3 stories in one section and only 2 in another section. The

tactical possibilities created by this feature should not be over-looked!

In general, each of the following clicks and key+click combina-tions toggles through the available options for each building insuccession.

Single Wall CTRL-CLICK on a side changes window/door layout for floor

CTRL-SHIFT-CLICK on a side adds balconies for that floor

Single SideALT-CTRL-CLICK on a side changes window/door layoutCTRL-SHIFT-CLICK on ground floor adds balconies

Entire Building

ALT-CLICK changes window/door frames for all four sidesSHIFT-CLICK changes the buildings texture for all four sidesCTRL-CLICK on roof changes shape/type of roof

Editing Flavor ObjectsThe placement and rotation of Flavor Objects can be finetuned in

3D Preview mode. After placing a Flavor Object in regular 2D

mode in the general area where you would like to have it, youcan now “nudge” it into position and also rotate it to achieverealistic placement.

This is done through a combination of keys and mouse clicks, asfollows:

LEFT CLICK - rotate objectSHIFT+LEFT CLICK:- nudge object in the direction the camera is facing

CTRL+LEFT CLICK - delete object



142 Combat Mission

Baking Scenarios

The scenario designer can save his scenario file in a special for-

mat (.btb) that enables units to have pre-assigned Commands,which normally is not possible to do. This feature allows abattle to start up right in middle of a firefight, for example, orto have a column of vehicles begin the scenario already inmotion. Thus the commands are “baked” into the file itself.

It is very important to note that Baked scenarios use a special fileformat that can not be edited again. Therefore, it is advisableto bake a scenario only after all edits are complete and toalways keep an “un-baked” (normal) version so you can makechanges to it later if need be. It’s a good idea to give the un-baked version a different filename to avoid possible confusionsince file extensions are not always shown in Windows.

To Bake a file go to the Editor, then select “Bake” from the Editormenu to select the scenario file to Bake. After a valid file isselected CM automatically switches the Editor to Bake Mode,which is similar to the 3D Preview mode. Unlike the normal 3DPreview, Bake Mode shows both sides’ forces at the same timeand activates the Command menus. These are the same menusavailable during Setup Phase when playing a scenario (exceptthat here you can do it for both sides simultaneously). Com-mands issued in Bake Mode are executed immediately at thestart of the game.

After issuing all commands the Baked file must be saved to diskor the commands will be lost. Changes are saved in the sameway that you would create a save game in a regular scenario –call up the game Menu by clicking on the Menu button in theCommand panel and choose Save. When saved the file auto-matically appears in the “Baked” directory in Game Files folder.

Hit the ESC key to leave Bake Mode and return to the Editor.

Baked scenarios can be extra fun and exiting when the playerstarts out a battle in the thick of things, such as a prepared

ambush or moving in a convoy. Baked scenarios are also use-ful if you want to prevent other people from editing your scenario(e.g. for tournaments or simply to protect your own work).The disadvantage of Baked scenarios is that they cannot beedited and can not be used as part of a campaign.



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Making Campaigns

New Campaigns for Combat Mission are technically quite easy to

make, however since they require many custom made battlesit can be somewhat time consuming to put together becauseeach battle takes a fair amount of effort to make.

A Campaign is a semi-dynamic string of individual battles linkedtogether. Each battle for a Campaign is just like every otherscenario made in the Editor, save one major feature; a com-mon pool of units imported from a central “core units” file.This allows Combat Mission to track individual units from battleto battle, which in turn allows the results of a previous battleto have a direct effect on those that come later.

At the heart of a Campaign are two sorts of battles; primary andbranches. Primary battles are those that represent the opti-mal path from start to finish. If a player wins each battle theseare the only ones that are played. Branches are those battlesthat the player is diverted to after failing to win the previousbattle. There is a great deal of flexibility as to how these fea-tures are used, enabling campaign designers to customize thestructure of a Campaign to conform to a particular “plot”. Infact, the campaign doesn’t have to branch at all if that is whatthe designer wishes to do.

Note: in theory you can create loops in the branching structure, by directing the player to a scenario he played previously, e.g. after a loss. While this is possible, please keep in mind that any

damages and changes to the map from the previous fight are not saved. This means destroyed buildings from the first time throughare magically rebuilt, craters filled in, burning vehicles removed,etc. Therefore it might be a good idea to avoid such loops for themost part.

It is possible to have units tracked from battle to battle on bothsides. However, this is not recommended in general since itmeans the same two forces face each other battle after battle.That’s not very interesting! Plus, with the high casualty ratefor the Syrian side, it is unlikely that a significant portion of theCore Units would survive more than a few battles. Still, it’s afeature and players are welcome to experiment with it if theywant.



144 Combat Mission

It is also possible to have a Campaign played from the Red player’sperspective. Again, there is a problem with high casualty rates,even for good troops, and the lack of realism since it is likelythat once engaged a Syrian unit would be hit where it was untildestroyed. In other words, Blue forces make excellent sub-

jects for a realistic Campaign, Red forces much less so. Again,the tool is there to be used as the player sees fit. There is norule that says a Campaign has to be realistic, after all!

Core Units FileThis is a scenario file, just like any other, that does nothing more

than provide a common pool of units to draw from and certainelements needed to present the Campaign to the player. It’s

as simple as purchasing some units and setting up the missioninformation (briefings, title, etc.). Combat Mission ignoreseverything else so don’t worry about the map, unit placement,etc.

Battles within a Campaign can use units that are not in the CoreUnits File, therefore it is only important to put units in herethat are central to the story. For example, if the Campaignrevolves around a single Rifle Company and a Tank Platoon,

you don’t need to put in an Engineer Platoon or a Scout Pla-toon that are only used once. Such auxiliary units which don’tmake an appearance in more than one battle can be addedinto any scenario normally using the Unit Editor as one wouldfor a stand alone battle.

One very important thing to keep in mind is how CM tracks unitsfrom battle to battle. When a formation is put into the Acti-vated Units column of the Unit Editor (i.e. purchased) uniqueidentification numbers are assigned to all the units within it.This allows CM to know that Tank 1234 in Battle #1 is thesame Tank 1234 in Battle #2. After a units appear in theActivated Units column it can be manipulated, such as havinga unit’s Experience changed or deleting a formation so it isn’tavailable, just like in a normal scenario. These changes can beundone or redone as often as desired. However, these changesare not automatically incorporated into existing battles for the

Campaign. To have such changes registered each existing sce-nario file must be “synchronized” with the Core Units File inorder to bring those changes into existing battles (see below).



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Scenarios (Battles)There is nothing inherently different between scenarios made for

a Campaign and those made for stand alone use. Maps, AIs,Mission Parameters, etc. all have to be created just like any

other stand alone battle. The only significant difference is thatsome (or all) of the units from one (or both) sides can beimported into a scenario so that they carry through from battleto battle. Also, it isn’t necessary to make the small 170x170picture that represents the scenario in the Battle selection dia-log because it is ignored.

Importing units is quite easy. Create a new scenario in the Editor,choose the Units Editor, and then select the “Import Campaign

Units” option. An open dialog appears so the Core Units Filecan be located and selected. Once confirmed all the units inthe Core Units File are imported into the current scenario file.

The next step is to whittle down the Core Units to those neededfor the current battle only. Often this is a small subset of thetotal units found in the Core Units File. Select the PurchaseUnits option and look in the Activated Units column. All CoreUnits are there with a notation that they are, indeed, Core

Units. To remove unwanted units simply do what is done forany other scenario; select the unit, or formation, and selectthe Delete button in the lower left corner. This toggles the unit “off” so it won’t appear in the battle at all. It can be toggledback “on” at any time, like a normal scenario, by repeatingthese steps. Additional, non-core, units can be purchases atany time as in any other scenario.

From time to time changes may be made to the Core Units Filethat require synchronization with existing Campaign battles.This is generally an extremely easy and painless thing to do.Just open up the scenario file and Import Campaign Units again.Core Units already in the scenario retain almost all of theircustomization, such as placement, Group assignments, Orders,etc. Therefore, synchronizing with the Core Units File does notwipe out hard work! What it does do is remove units no longerin the Core Units File, imports newly added units, and updates

attributes (such as names, experience, etc.). The latter isprobably the only potential drawback of synchronizing sincecustomized settings like that must be redone.

Note: any formations completely removed from the Activated Troops list in the scenario will reappear and must be deleted again (if that is



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/*Note the characters before and after this text. They allow designer to put in comments,

or notes, such as why something was done a certain way. Anything between thesecharacters is ignored by Combat Mission. Otherwise an error will occur when theCampaign is compiled.

*/

// Alternatively two back slashes can be entered to create a comment. There’s nofunctional difference between this method and the previous mentioned method.

/* Campaign Header*/[PLAYER FORCE] blue // options are: blue/red[HUMAN OPPONENT ALLOWED] no // no/yes

[BLUE VICTORY TEXT] You won![BLUE DEFEAT TEXT] You lost!

[RED VICTORY TEXT] You won!

[RED DEFEAT TEXT] You lost!

/*Battle #1*/[BATTLE NAME] My First Little Battle // note, do not include “.btt”, just the

file name[WIN THRESHOLD] tactical victory // total defeat, major defeat, tactical

defeat, minor defeat, draw, minor vic-tory, tactical victory, major victory, to-tal victory

[NEXT BATTLE IF WIN] My Second Little Battle[NEXT BATTLE IF LOSE] // a blank signals an end of the cam-

paign

[BLUE REFIT %] 20 //always express this a number be-tween 0 and 100

[BLUE REPAIR VEHICLE %] 40[BLUE RESUPPLY %] 70[BLUE REST %] 80

[RED REFIT %] 10[RED REPAIR VEHICLE %] 10[RED RESUPPLY %] 50[RED REST %] 60

/*Battle #2*/[BATTLE NAME] My Second Little Battle[WIN THRESHOLD] minor defeat[NEXT BATTLE IF WIN] // end campaign[NEXT BATTLE IF LOSE] // end campaign

[BLUE REFIT %] 20[BLUE REPAIR VEHICLE %] 40[BLUE RESUPPLY %] 70[BLUE REST %] 80

[RED REFIT %] 10[RED REPAIR VEHICLE %] 10[RED RESUPPLY %] 50[RED REST %] 60



148 Combat Mission

Compiling a CampaignUnlike some games, a Combat Mission Campaign consists of a

single file (with the extension .CAM) that contains all the infor-mation the game needs to play a Campaign from start to finish.

The single file format ensures that it can be transported fromperson to person without missing pieces. It also ensures thatplayers can’t cheat by opening up individual battles in the Edi-tor to peek or alter elements to make it easier to win. Thismeans the person making the Campaign must keep the indi-vidual battles or forever lose the ability to make changes tothe Campaign.

Compiling a Campaign is technically quite easy, however mistakes

made in the Script File are easy to make and that probablymeans a couple of failed attempts are likely. Not to worry,though, since Combat Mission gives useful feedback about whatthe mistake is that is preventing a compile from happening.

Before starting, put all the files for the Campaign into a singledirectory. The Core Units File doesn’t have to be in the samedirectory, though it does help keep things tidy. Once this isdone, do the following things in this order:

1. Enter the Editor

2. Load the Core Units File

3. Click on the Editor selection popup menu and choose “MakeCampaign”, which is the last option

4. A dialog comes up that gives some reminders of what is aboutto happen.

5. When you click on Make Campaign an Open Dialog comes upand asks for the Campaign Script File

6. Select the Campaign Script File and click “Open”.

7. If the Script File contains no errors a new file, with the .CAM,extension appears in the Campaigns directory. The file nameis taken from the currently open scenario, which should be theCore Units File.

Note: if there are errors a dialog pops up and says what the problem is.Simply make the correction needed and repeat the steps above.Since CM stops and reports the very first error it detects, eacherror requires a fix and another compile attempt.



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Once a Campaign is successfully compiled it must be located inthe Campaign directory, in the Game Files folder, in order forCombat Mission to offer it as a choice in the Campaign optionwithin the game. Campaign files received from other peoplealso need to go into the Campaign directory in order to be

available for play. The size of a Campaign file is directly re-lated to the size of the combined scenario files that are compiled.Therefore, Campaigns tend to be several megabytes in size.

Creating Quick Battle Maps

Any regular scenario can be turned into a Quick Battle Map. Inorder to be picked for a Quick Battle, the .btt file needs to beplaced in the Quick Battle Maps folder in the game directory.Theoretically you can simply copy an existing scenario intothat folder and see what happens. Unused settings or features(such as any units on the map) are simply ignored. Practicallythere are a number of additional points to consider when copy-ing maps or when creating them from scratch.

Setup ZonesQuick Battle Maps MUST have valid Setup Zones for Red and Bluesides. Without valid Setup Zones units of both sides will prob-ably end up right on top of each other. Not fun!

AI PlansQuick Battle Maps MUST have an AI plan for BOTH sides. You can

use more than one plan and you can use as many groups in

each plan as you like. The AI player will randomly assign unitsinto groups.

Note: Since nobody knows which units will be taking part in a givenQuick Battle it makes sense to create AI plans in a much moregeneric way than for regular scenarios.

Victory conditionsOnly terrain objectives are considered for determining victory con-

ditions in a QB. All other objective types and parameters areignored. All terrain objectives are converted to OCCUPY objec-tives automatically. The code automatically adds anenemy-casualty threshold victory goal for each side is added



150 Combat Mission

automatically, which is lowest for meeting engagements, andhighest for assaults.

Red and BlueSides are interchangeable in QBs. A Red Attack scenario can be

picked for a Blue attack QB, and the game will automaticallyswitch sides for the players.

Units on the mapAny units placed on a QB map are simply ignored and deleted,

and will not appear in the QB.

Terrain

The type of terrain you set for a map determines when it will beavailable for a QB. If a player wants to play a city map QB, onlymaps defined as city maps will be available for him.

Battle TypeProbe, Attack and Assault maps are selected for either of these

options is selected for a QB. Meeting Engagement maps areonly selected when the player chooses to play a Meeting En-gagement scenario.

Mods

Two new Mod Tools (RezExplode and RezPack) are included in theMod Tools directory. Both programs work with ".brz" files, whichare "packed" data files containing the individual sounds and

graphics used by Combat Mission. For simplicity we'll refer tothe contents of a ".brz" file - the sounds and graphics - as"resources". These contents are not normally visible, but canbe extracted using RezExplode.

RezExplode takes a ".brz" file and "explodes" it into its individualresources (like ".wav" files for sounds and ".bmp" for graph-ics). These individual resources can then be edited or replacedby you.

RezPack takes the resources that you have modded, and "packs"them back into a single ".brz" file. This is not only convenient,but allows users to (de)activate a "mod pack" easily by movinga single ".brz" file into or out of the CMSF "Data" folder.



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In the main Combat Mission Shock Force folder is a folder called"Data". Here is where all the sounds and graphics for thegame are stored. You'll see files with names like "Version100.brz", "Version 101.brz" and possibly others. To mod CMSF,you'll use RezExplode to access the contents (resources) of

the ".brz" files that ship with the game (like "Version 100.brz"),then edit the ones you want, and then use RezPack to recom-bine your modded versions of the sounds and graphics into anew ".brz" file that you will name.

Loading orderWhen Combat Mission starts up, it loads all the .brz files it finds in

the Data folder. However, it's possible that a given sound or

graphic (say, "tank texture.bmp") might be contained in morethan one .brz file, and the two files might be different despitehaving the same name.

Combat Mission has a method to ensure that the "latest" versionof a sound or graphic is always the one used by the game: the.brz file name that is LATER in alphabetical order is given prior-ity. For example, if "tank texture.jpg" is contained in both "A.brz"and "B.brz", the version contained in "B.brz" will be used, and

the one inside "A.brz" will be ignored. Similarly, "Version101.brz" takes priority over "Version 100.brz" because it comeslater alphabetically.

As you explode the .brz files that come with the game, you'llnotice some duplicates of various texture graphics and such.The reverse-alphabetical loading order allows later-version .brzfiles to take priority over the earlier ones. This is importantbecause you want to make sure that your mods get priorityover the sounds and graphics that ship with the game. Seebelow for details.

RezexplodeTo access the contents of a .brz file, COPY it into the "input" folder

inside the RezExplode folder. Now run RezExplode by double-clicking it.

There is no user interface. Just wait a few moments until an"exploded" folder appears. Inside there you'll find the con-tents of the .brz file you just exploded. The files inside the"exploded" folder are the ones you'll want to consider modding,and later repacking using RezPack.



152 Combat Mission

RepackWhen you've finished modding the sounds or graphics you want,

you can package them back up as a new .brz file. Copy yourmodded files into the "input" folder inside the RezPack folder.

It's OK to copy nested folders here - RezPack will dig down intothe folder hierarchy to find all your modded files.

Run RezPack. There is no user interface. Wait a few momentsuntil a "packed.brz" file appears. You should rename this fileas you wish. It is ready to be moved into Combat Mission's"Data" folder (see section below for details).

RezPack also creates a file called "log.txt" or "log error.txt". In-

side this file you'll see some useful information. If the file iscalled "log error.txt" it means that you accidentally packed twoor more resource files with the same name (inside differentnested folders) and the log file will list these "conflicts" at thetop of the file. You will likely want to remove all but one of theconflicting files and run RezPack again. Also contained in thelog.txt file is a list of all the resource files you packed, and thenested folder hierarchy (if any) they came from.

Mods in ActionNow that you've created your mods as .brz file(s), it's time to see

them work inside Combat Mission. Here is the easiest way tobe sure that your mod files get loading priority over the filesthat ship standard with Combat Mission.

First, note that any enclosing folder names are included with filenames in the alphabetical priority comparison for loading. Now

go inside the Data folder and create a new folder called "Z".Because "Z" comes after the names of the standard game files("Version XXX") you are guaranteed that any mods you putinto the "Z" folder will be loaded and used by Combat Mission.

Second, note that among the .brz mod files you create and putinto this "Z" folder, the alphabetical rule still applies within thatfolder. So if you have "MyMod1.brz" and "MyMod2.brz" filesboth inside the "Z" folder, data from "MyMod2.brz" will take

priority over "MyMod1.brz" for any duplicate contents.

You may also place single *non-brz* files into the Data folder (likeindividual WAV or BMP files). Combat Mission can recognizeindividual BMP or WAV files even when not packed into a BRZfile. This is not recommended when creating a "mod pack" for



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use by others because dozens or hundreds of individual filesare difficult to manage, but it can be useful while you are cre-ating your mod, and want to test out small edits. Individualfiles are given loading priority over ALL .brz files regardless of how they are named.

ImportantDon't remove the "Version XXX.brz" files from the Data folder.

The loading-priority system will ensure that your mods areused when present.

Don't monkey with the contents of Combat Mission's Data folderwhile Combat Mission is running. To get a "clean" reload of

mods, quit Combat Mission, move the .brz files around as youwish, then restart Combat Mission.

Mods you create and pack as .brz files do NOT have to replace (orinclude) all the contents of whatever .brz files you originally"exploded". You should RezPack ONLY the resources youmodded, and Combat Mission will locate the others in theiroriginal .brz files.



154 Combat Mission

Tips for using the Editor

The Editor included with CM:SF represent extremely powerful tools,

which you rarely see included in other games, that allow play-ers to extend their enjoyment of the game almost indefinitely.While the basic concept of how the Editor works is easy tounderstand, the difference between making a good scenarioand a great one requires some experience.

This section of the manual presents a number of tips collectedfrom the team that created the stock maps and scenarios. Thesetips should help get you up to speed quickly... or if you arealready an experienced map maker, simply provide a few freshideas.

Getting to know the terrainTo make a map that fits in with the character of the CM:SF setting

it is quite helpful to know a little bit about the topography,vegetation, climate, etc. of Syria. The following is a nearly

verbatim reproduction of the Wikipedia article “Geography of Syria”:

The area includes about 185,180 square kilometers of deserts,plains, and mountains. It is divided into a coastal zone—with anarrow, double mountain belt enclosing a depression in thewest— and a much larger eastern plateau. The climate is pre-dominantly dry. Along the Mediterranean, a narrow coastalplain stretches south from the Turkish border to Lebanon.

The Jabal an Nusayriyah mountains, a range paralleling the coastalplain, has an average elevation of just over 1,212 meters. Thewestern slopes catch moisture-laden western sea winds andare thus more fertile and more heavily populated than the east-ern slopes, which receive only hot, dry winds blowing acrossthe desert. Before reaching the Lebanese border and the Anti-Lebanon Mountains, the Jabal an Nusayriyah range terminates,leaving a corridor—the Homs Gap—through which run the high-

way and railroad from Homs to the Lebanese port of Tripoli.For centuries the Homs Gap has been a favorite trade andinvasion route from the coast to the country’s interior and toother parts of Asia. Eastward, the line of the Jabal an Nusayriyahis separated from the Jabal az Zawiyah range and the plateau



Shock Force 155

region by the Al Ghab depression, a fertile, irrigated trenchcrossed by the meandering Orontes River.

Inland and farther south, the Anti-Lebanon Mountains rise to peaksof over 2,700 meters on the Syrian-Lebanese frontier andspread in spurs eastward toward the plateau region. The east-ern slopes have little rainfall and vegetation and mergeeventually with the desert.

In the southwest the Hawran Plateau—frequently referred to asthe Hawran— receives rain-bearing winds from the Mediterra-nean. Volcanic cones, some of which reach over 900 meters,intersperse the open, rolling, once-fertile Hawran Plateau southof Damascus and east of the Anti-Lebanon Mountains. South-

west of the Hawran lies the high volcanic region of the JabalDruze range (renamed Jabal al Arab), home of the country’sDruze population.

Eastern plateauThe entire eastern plateau region is intersected by a low chain of

mountains, the Jabal ar Ruwaq, the Jabal Abu Rujmayn, andthe Jabal Bishri, extending northeastward from the Jabal AlArab to the Euphrates River. South of these mountains lies a

barren desert region known as the Hamad. North of the Jabalar Ruwaq and east of the city of Homs is another barren areaknown as the Homs Desert, which has a hard-packed dirt sur-face.

Northeast of the Euphrates River, which originates in the moun-tains of Turkey and flows diagonally across Syria into Iraq, isthe fertile Jazirah region that is watered by the tributaries of the Euphrates. The area provides substantial cereal and cottoncrops while oil and natural gas production can be found in theextreme northeastern portion of the Jazirah.

WaterThe longest and most important river is the Euphrates, which rep-

resents more than 80 percent of Syria’s water resources. Itsmain left-bank tributaries, the Balikh and the Khabur, are bothmajor rivers and also rise in Turkey. The right-bank tributaries

of the Euphrates, however, are small seasonal streams calledwadis. Throughout the arid plateau region east of Damascus,oases, streams, and a few interior rivers that empty into swampsand small lakes provide water for local irrigation.



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ClimateThe most striking feature of the climate is the contrast of sea and

desert. Between the humid Mediterranean coast and the ariddesert regions lies a semiarid steppe zone extending acrossthree-fourths of the country. In the northern coastal area, bythe Turkish mountain region, rainfall is fairly abundant. Mostof the rain falls between November and May with an annualmean temperature range from 7.2° C in January to 26.6° C inAugust. Farther south, rain-bearing clouds from the Mediter-ranean reach the area of Homs and, sometimes, the stepperegion east of that city. Still farther to the south, however, theAnti-Lebanon Mountains bar the rains from the Mediterranean.This area, which includes the capital city of Damascus, is part

of the semiarid climatic zone of the steppe, with precipitationaveraging less than 20 centimeters a year and experiencestemperatures from 4.4° C in January to 37.7° C in July andAugust. The vicinity of the capital is, nevertheless, cultivablebecause of irrigation from the Barada River by aqueducts builtduring Roman times.

In the southeast, the humidity decreases and annual precipitationfalls below 10 centimeters. The scant rainfall is highly variable

from year to year, causing periodic droughts. In the barrenstony desert south temperatures in July often exceed 43.3° Cand sandstorms are common during February and May. Northof the desert ranges and east of the Al Ghab depression lie thevast steppes of the plateau, where cloudless skies and highdaytime temperatures prevail during the summer. In contrast,severe frosts are common from November to March. Precipita-tion averages 25 centimeters a year but falls below 20

centimeters in a large belt along the southern desert area. Inthis belt, only the Euphrates and Khabur rivers provide suffi-cient water for settlement and cultivation.

Note: This article contains material from the Library of Congress Country Studies, which are United States government publications in the public domain. This article contains material from the CIA World Factbook which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain.

Realistic mapsThe highly detailed environment simulated in CM:SF is only as

good as the terrain played on. An eye for detail, and a bit of creativity, can make all the difference between a boring en-



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gagement and an exciting battle. Of course it’s easy to simplyput a few map features here and there and use a large brushto “mass-paint” some underlying ground types, but the resultwill most likely feel empty and unrealistic. To avoid this, ourtesters have come up with a bunch of hints to help ensure that

your maps look and play like real terrain.

1. Do your homework! Taking a little bit of time to research thearea you’re simulating can make the process go a lot easierand the end product much better than it otherwise would havebeen. If you have topographic maps of the area that’s perfect,but even a quick look on Google Earth (and other similar toolsfreely available online) is a great help to familiarize yourself with the surrounding terrain, the lay of the land, the size and

structure of settlements, roadnets and so forth. Even if you donot plan to base your map on any particular real world locationa look at areas with the general type of climate and topogra-phy can lead to some great ideas, and help improve yourmapmaking skills a great deal.

Try to get an idea of the terrain you want to depict and see howthe people living there use it (if at all). This conceptual walkthrough before you start making your map can generate count-

less ideas about basic topography, where to place man madeobjects, which terrain types are found near each other, etc.Ask yourself, “is that big grassy field there farmland or unat-tended pasture?” If it is farmland, perhaps there is a shack tostore farm equipment nearby and a dirt road connecting it to alarger road. Or if it is just unattended land, is there a hardman made divider (like a wall or road) between it and some-thing that is actively used by people? If you decide there is a

small village near by, remind yourself that the people livingthere need to shop, work, relax, etc. Ask yourself what type of village is this, rural or a more dense town? How do people getfrom here to there? There are countless questions to ask your-self and at least as many answers. Few geographic areas inthe world are completely untouched by Humans, as even themost remote locations usually serve one purpose or another.Trying to figure out what an area is like before making yourmap is a big help towards creating a realistic environment.

2. Don’t get lazy! Just because you put down a bunch of elevationcontour lines, nicely spaced out terrain features, and a nicelittle village… don’t assume every bit of it is exactly as youexpect it to be in the 3D environment. Instead, assume theopposite since you’re bound to make some mistakes or be sur-



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prised how Combat Mission handles a particular request of yours. Doublecheck your topography (elevation, hills, ravines,roads) in 3D preview mode to make sure that it makes sense.Roads in real life rarely lead up steep slopes or cliffs and tendto be relatively flat (paved roads are usually perfectly flat) so

that vehicles can actually travel on them. Make sure yours arethe same. Nature is less symmetric and predictable, so makesure your hills are rarely have irregular shapes and that ra-vines don’t travel perfectly straight for too long at a stretch.Settlements tend to be built on fairly even ground or, at most,on a gently sloping hillside. Farmland and fields tend to belocated on flat terrain to allow for easier harvesting. If you feelan are is too open, don’t hesitate to put in some terrain undu-lations. The “Adjust” tool is perfect for this, as with a few clicks(a few with the Shift key press which cases the adjustment tobe negative) you can create some variation in elevation height.But don’t be afraid to go extreme sometimes – a steep differ-ence in tile elevation of several levels creates the impression of large stones or boulders for example. In short, use the 3Dpreview option extensively, and from view levels 1 or 2 to geta good idea of the land and spot any problematic areas early.

3. Don’t be boring! If you make a large grass field, don’t just usethe big brush and paint the same grass type across half of themap. The editor gives you dozens of different terrain combina-tions to work with – use them! A simple grass field can stillhave different types of grass (yellow, tall, short, green), differ-ent types of soil, perhaps some brush, a smattering of trees,or a stretch of bare dirt. The same is true when creating adesert environment. Even a sand desert does not contain sandalone. Sprinkle some regular dirt or rocky tiles here and there.

The subtle variation creates a much more natural look, as wellas an interesting one. Moreover, when adding things liketrenches and vegetation, keep in mind that these types of ter-rain are rarely found in sand, so pick some sort of dirt terrainfor them to go with. If you do create large stretches of sandterrain, use elevations to create some sand dunes and avoid abilliard table look for your map. Variety is key to creating anatural looking and interesting environments to battle in.

4. Urban areas need a plan! Making a town or village is muchmore than simply plunking down a few buildings. CM:SF givesyou the ability to customize each building by choosing differ-ent textures, layouts, building details, roofs, and balconies.Think for a second about what a building is supposed to be – a



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hotel, hospital, government building, what? If it is a hotel, itshould probably have a lot of balconies and not be adjacent toother tall buildings. Perhaps you want a building with a largefootprint but not much in the way of height, so what wouldthat building likely be? A hospital might work, and perhaps it

was built over many years by adding addition after addition.So don’t make it too uniform looking. Or maybe it is a ware-house complex, in which case the buildings should be veryuniform in shape and have few interior walls.

5. Where there are people, there is clutter! You can populate astreet with roadsigns, streetlights, traffic lights and many other “flavor objects” which are found in every city of the world.Take the time to properly position them. A flavor object par-

tially sticking through a wall might not cause the game anyproblems, but trust us… it detracts from the player’s emersionin the battle, which is never a good thing. Keep in mind thatstreet lights are usually placed in a spot to provide light forcars or pedestrians. They should point in useful directions andtend to be grouped around intersections. If you place junkobjects, keep in mind that people tend leave such things inareas that they don’t move through or live in. On the other

hand, things like storage boxes or sacks would rarely be leftout in the open where they could be damaged by weather orstolen. Instead they should be in storage areas, warehouses,or other controlled environments. Since you know what thefunction is of the buildings you’ve put down (right?), you shouldknow exactly where these things should or shouldn’t be.

6. It’s all in the details! Take the time to get the little details rightand you’ll be rewarded with an environment which is as fun to

play in as the battle itself.

Tactical considerationsRealistic looking terrain alone does not necessarily make for an

interesting battle. Terrain details that present the player withintriguing tactical challenges is crucial. This should be kept inmind when creating maps since even small features can havea big impact on how a scenario plays out. There is plenty of

room for creativity even when recreating a real place, but thereis obviously far more freedom when creating a fictional mapfrom scratch. Through clever placement of hills, ravines, for-ests, impassable terrain such as marshes, towns and otherterrain features you can purposefully determine the best placesto advance, ambush, snipe, etc. These decisions, in turn,



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present the players on both sides with tactical problems tosolve.

What you have to do is imagine how each player sees the mapfrom his perspective given the mission you intend to give eachside. Generally players should have at least two options tochoose from and still wind up winning. Leaving no choice makesthe player feel like he’s following a script, and that isn’t veryfun.

On the other hand, on some maps you may want to restrict cer-tain options and/or throw some additional obstacles into thepath of the player. Impassable terrain can make the direct ap-proach to an objective difficult or even impossible. This forces

the player to adapt and look for alternatives.For a largely open map, with little to break up line of sight, you

can add subtle elevation changes and undulations to turn eventhe most open map into tactically interesting terrain. A wholeinfantry battalion can literally disappear in the desert in a fewgullies and behind some flat slopes. All it takes are a meter ortwo in elevation change at just the right place. Sometimes youcan achieve this by pure coincidence when creating a map, but

a good map designer will deliberately add such features tomake a battle into something memorable.

Towns and citiesWhen creating towns and cities, do some research first; browse

the internet for pictures, tourist maps, etc. Towns in the MiddleEast are often very old and grown over centuries, resulting in amuch less “tidy” look of straight streets and carefully arranged

building blocks than many Western towns. Buildings are oftenaligned inconsistently even on one street, tiny alleys mightlead to nowhere, and roof tops can be so jumbled togetherthat it seems no two buildings are the same height. Tall stone-walls are very often used to create enclosed spaces and pathsbetween buildings. Roads are often not paved at all but ratherhardpacked dirt.

On the other hand, many areas were created fairly recently and

are exactly the opposite as the older sections. In the biggercities, or more recently settled suburbs, there can be a lotmore uniformity and planning. The same wide multi-lane high-ways, commercial buildings, shopping areas and wealthysuburbs found in the West can be found in the Middle East.Cultivated parks and large paved marketplaces here, a big villa



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surrounded by high walls there, a major commercial sectionabutting both, etc. The more attention you pay to what it isthat you’re trying to represent on the map, the more your mapis going to look like the Middle East and the less like downtownManhattan.

Flavor ObjectsFlavor objects are the key to turning a map into a work of art. It

does take some time to get used to how to handle them, butthe time spent figuring out how to best use them is time wellspent. Some objects are easier to place randomly here andthere (rocks, stomps, etc.), many others call for precise spac-ing on their own (traffic lights, road signs, etc.) or in relation to

each other (telephone poles, street lamps, etc.). Others arealso important to position exactly in relation to other types of terrain (ATMs next to walls, air conditioners on roofs, etc.).

The main point of difficulty is the fact that Flavor Objects are notshown in the 2D map. This is because they are too detailed todisplay in such a small amount of space. Therefore, when youplace an object in the 2D map you get no visual reference thatit is there. This can be somewhat confusing if you’re trying to

place a series of objects or one in a very specific spot. Andthat’s why we’re letting you in on a couple of tricks!

Use objectives as temporary markers in both 2D and 3D maps.From the “mission” menu, select the “terrain objective” tool.Click on any one “obj” button in the sub menu. Make sure it’sset to “known to both”, otherwise it won’t load on the 3D mappreview. Now paint the map where you want the objects to lineup. When viewing the map in 3D you’ll see the terrain youpainted over highlighted. Use it to put manipulate the objectsand then wipe the objective clean when done.

To place objects in a very specific spot, use the objectives trickagain, but in a different way. Instead of painting a path, justpaint a single tile at a time. Say for example you want to puta traffic light at a particular intersection. Just mark that onetile and put the traffic light object there. Then switch over to3D Preview and nudge it into the exact spot. Orientate it theway you want by left clicking on it and that’s that. When it’swhere you want it to be, go back to the 2D map and erase theobjective from that area so you won’t be confused by it oraccidentally leave it in your completed scenario.

Some other useful tips to get the most out of flavor objects:



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- try to avoid using the same object in the same location toooften. There is a vast variety of objects available, includingvarious sub-types from the same category, so use them. See-ing a dozen identical drums next to each other is going to lookodd.

- If you do have to re-use the same object, make sure that yourotate the objects at various angles. Even drums can be ro-tated to present a different part of its texture to the playerfrom any given camera position, helping to avoid repetitivelooks.

- Even if you spend only one second thinking about why you’replacing the object where you are placing it is better then spend-

ing none. Putting one cardboard box in the middle of a road isgoing to look odd in most cases. What is it doing out on thestreet? Wouldn’t it be better to add a few more and stack themagainst a building wall?

- Above all make use of the 3D preview as much as you can. Itwill really pay off in presenting a detailed and visually appeal-ing environment to your players that makes the mission andmap come alive, rather than look like a rush job.

Keep game performance in mindAs much as we hate to say it, we have to remind you that every-

thing you add into your scenarios requires some sort of hardware effort. The more things you do, the more the hard-ware has to work. That’s a fundamental rule of the universethat we simply can’t get around through clever programming.This is not to say you should be stingy with features, rather

you should try to balance the “pig” features so they don’t turnan otherwise great scenario into a slideshow. Here are sometips on what to look out for:

- Trenches/Gullies. These things require an inordinate numberof polygons to look good and there are fewer “tricks” that canbe applied to them.

- Dense forests. Avoid the three-tree tiles unless they are trulynecessary.

- Avoid sharp elevation changes (a high elevation very near alow elevation). Having some cliffs in here or there, when theyadd to the gameplay, shouldn’t be a problem. Adding them just because they look cool is not the best use of polygons.



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- Unnecessary urban density. Large numbers of buildings allclumped together can cause a moderate frame rate issue, butit’s not too bad and generally buildings are placed like that fora good reason (e.g. a town). What would be good, though, isfor scenarios that have dense urban areas you should avoid, or

tone down, other possible speed killers. For example, it’s nota good idea to have a dense urban environment with lots of trenches and thick forests. You’re just asking for a badframerate if you do that!

- Variety should have a purpose. Putting in lots of variety of units and terrain means a lot of chewing up of VRAM. Themore VRAM taken up by duplicative or largely unnecessaryunits and/or terrain, the more likely there will be an overall

decline in visual look (depending on VRAM available, of course!)since CM will be forced to downsample textures in order to getthem all loaded. Remember, a 1024x1024 texture takes up just as much memory if it is used for one model or 100. So if you are going to use something, you might as well use it a lot.This is especially true for buildings, which have multiple choicesfor textures. In a dense urban area you probably do want touse most of the textures available, but for a small village per-

haps it is best to use fewer variations.Remember that there is no magic formula for keeping a scenario’s

framerate up in the playable range. Keep this information inmind as you test and if you see the framerate drop to an unac-ceptable level, think of what might be responsible and thenthink of how to trim it back. It is wise to make these changesto a copy of your current scenario file just in case you don’tnotice any improvement. If that’s the case, toss out the newly

created duplicate and then try something else. If you work off of one file you will definitely regret it when you find deleting awhole bunch of stuff didn’t do anything and now you want toput it back in!

Working with ObjectivesThe ability to mix three types of objectives (Terrain, Units, and

Parameters) with three states (known to one side, both sides,

or neither) and combine this with individual victory points foreach creates a staggering amount of possible combinationsand scenario ideas. That’s great, of course, but it can be a bitdaunting at first. This is especially true for older CM scenariomakers who are used to two types of flags and a more simplis-tic points system.



164 Combat Mission

Fear not, though, as the options are quite logical and you do notneed to use all of them at once. In fact, it is advisable to startwith relatively simple objectives. Start with maps with one ortwo simple terrain objectives and vary the Parameters to get afeel for how it all balances out. Then make a couple of missions

entirely focused on Unit objectives to learn what works andwhat doesn’t. Only then should you consider mixing differentobjective types within a single mission.

It might be very helpful to have a concrete idea of what the mis-sion is about before you even start making the map. This helpsyou focus on the editor tools you need and ignore those thatyou don’t. Remember, there are a ton of options available toyou, but they are all in fact optional. Don’t feel that you have

to use everything in every scenario. In fact, that probablyisn’t a good idea anyway since the lack of design focus willlikely show itself to the player.

In fact, really great missions are usually that way because theydo focus on a few objectives and therefore give the player acrystal clear idea what is needed to win. If the player has tofirst spend 15 minutes just trying to understand what he’s sup-posed to do then the player will likely get it wrong, lose the

scenario, and be frustrated by the experience.

One really good way to present the player with a simple, yet pre-cise, idea of what is expected of him is putting in a well worded “commander’s intent” in the Briefing. The military uses “commander’s intent” to explain things in plain language sothat subordinate commanders can think on their own and yetstill go about things the right way. Don’t just tell the playerthey have to get to x location by y time, tell them why. “There

is an enemy column of tanks coming down the road and youneed to be in your ambush places on time or you‘ll be caughtout in the open. If you manage to destroy some or all of theenemy armor, fantastic. However, that is of secondary impor-tance to holding your positions”. In two short sentences theplayer knows he needs to get into position quickly and to notworry so much about destroying the enemy as preventing itfrom advancing. With objectives to match, everything should

go well.Adding secondary goals sparingly spices things up, sure enough.

However, be careful that the total number of victory points beproportioned correctly so the main goals communicated to theplayer are the ones with the most points assigned to them.



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Keep in mind also that the more goals you assign, the lessfreedom of action you leave the player. This might be desirableor even realistic in some cases, but if done too often it willmake your scenarios more work than fun.

Creating Phase LinesObjectives can be used to simulate Phase Lines (PL), Rally Points

(RP), etc. All you need to do is select one of the 8 TerrainObjectives and paint the line, or point, on the map. Give theobjective a name, like “Phase Line Eagle” and set the pointvalue to zero, unless the PL, RP, etc. is part of the mission andnot just a reference point on the way to achieving the mission.Also use this technique to identify key terrain or to supply some

limited intelligence to the player, such as marking a place wherethe other side sets up as “Enemy Assembly Area”.

Secret MissionsObjectives that are unknown to one or both players should be

used sparingly. They can be fun to play, but can get frustratingquickly if every other mission the player experiences involvesguessing what needs to be done and then being punished if the guess is wrong. Having said that, there are many funideas rooted in hidden objectives and you should experimentwith them. Just use them sparingly.

If you base the main idea for a scenario on a hidden objective,you might also reduce the replayability of that mission. Evenwithout cheating and looking up the other side’s objectives inthe editor (which some people will do!), once the player fin-ishes the scenario he will usually find out what the hiddenobjective is... and it won’t be a secret anymore.

Therefore, if you do choose to use a hidden objective, it is prob-ably a good idea to make it a secondary goal and one that isstill fun even if known (through replay or peeking). A goodexample for the latter is a hidden territorial objective knownonly to one side but explained in the Briefing to the other side.That means the objective, as a concept, is known to both sides,

but only one side knows exactly where it is. Even after theexact location is know, the mission should still be fun for bothsides.



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Programming the AIThe AI Editor is an extremely powerful tool that takes some time

to understand it and be able to utilize its full power. Creatinggood AI plans is an art, and until you’ve learned the basics it is

difficult to make a masterpiece. Don’t be frustrated by thisfact since the strength of the system is its complexity and va-riety of choices. Have faith that the reward for your perseveranceis superior scenario for people to play.

This manual can not possible touch upon all the intricate details of programming a specific scenario AI, but we’ll try to highlight afew basic concepts:

Plan for the PlansIt can be very easy to lose track of which plan is which and what

it is supposed to do, especially when working with lager sce-narios. What works well is to outline, on a sheet of paper, whatthe missions are, which plans are assigned to them, whicheach AI Groups are assigned to which plans, and roughly whatis expected of them. This makes you more sure of what you’redoing as your implementing your plans as well as making you

less prone to accidentally tweaking the wrong Plan after playtesting.

Start simpleNo matter how much planning you do, only through careful and

repeated playtesting will you be able to ensure that your AIplan works as intended. There is no way around it. “No plansurvives first contact with the enemy” is more true than everin this regard. Therefore it makes sense to start with a simpleplan and progressively add more detail, since this makesplaytesting your AI plan much easier. Starting out with a com-plex plan, before any play testing, is likely to make it difficultto identify specific problem areas because everything is all jumbled together. A good approach is to first assign biggerformations to your AI groups than you intend on using, thenbreak away individual units or formations for complimentaryplans not yet made. Alternatively, don’t be afraid to simply

leave some units idle and without any orders and focus on onlypart of the force during your playtesting. As you go throughrounds of testing you can make the plans more complex byadding orders and coordinating plans with each other.



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However, don’t go too wild with the details. Unless you have avery good reason for it, and unless you are sure that the playerwill be able to notice a difference, don’t split individual unitsaway from larger formations. Doing that only multiplies yourworkload when creating and testing an AI plan, while not mak-

ing the AI’s overall behavior appreciably different to the Humanplayer.

What would you do?A good approach to creating AI plans is to ask yourself “what

would I do if I was playing the scenario”? In a way this re-sembles the normal planning process each player (andbattlefield commander) goes through when tasked with a mis-

sion. Think of what you’re expected to do, where you’re to doit, with what forces, and against what likely enemy? Moreover,you need to think about what the other player might do ingiven situations, since if you anticipate the wrong enemy ac-tion your plan is likely to crumble. Therefore this approach ismore likely to produce a realistic and sensible AI strategy thanwould come from simply winging it.

That being said, try to avoid scripting the plan too much because

the Human opponents can not be easily pegged to one specificapproach to their mission. If you expect the player to do thingsthe smartest way, and rigidly plan for that possibility, you mightfind that the dumbest player out there can easily beat yourscenario simply because he showed up in the wrong place andthe right time in a way you never expected. Then you’re care-fully laid plans fall apart, just like they would in the real world.

Try to create a tactically sound plan for the AI no matter what the

enemy player decides to do, and you will find that your AI planwill tend to be robust regardless of what actual course of ac-tion the player takes.

Do something elseThe best scenario is going to grow boring quickly without some

variation built in. Human players tend to learn from their mis-takes and will adapt their course of action quickly, and will beable to counter even the most effective AI plan after a fewattempts at the latest. Luckily, you can create a number of AIplans for each scenario and set different probabilities for theAI to pick one plan or another, thereby keeping the humanplayer off-balance because he can’t assume the AI will reactthe same way as the previous time. The challenge, however, is



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Encyclopedia

The following section is a quick reference for the main vehicles

and weapon systems available in the game. It is by no meansexhaustive and should be seen as a starting point for researchfor interested players only, who will find countless and muchmore detailed materials available in printed and online media.

Coalition (United States)

Basic Tactics

While it is true that the US Army fields the most powerful conven-tional land combat force of the world, and certainly the mostmodern, it is far from invincible in a tactical engagement. Don’tbe fooled into thinking otherwise, or you will quickly find yourvirtual tanks burning and your infantry shattered. The currentmilitary capabilities and tactics of America’s potential adver-saries may not be enough to win wars, but they are certainlygood enough to deal your forces a serious defeat if you fail to

lead them skillfully.The real strength of the US Army forces is its superior ability to

“shape the battlefield” to its advantage. This is done througha combination of elements, such as accurate firepower, sen-sors to know where the enemy is, GPS systems to know wherefriendly forces are, superior training standards, flexible tacti-cal doctrine, etc. The more time and distance available, themore effectively these elements can be combined and directed

to achieve positive results. However, the enemy is fully awarethat the opposite is also true; the less time and distance theUS forces have to react, the less effective and more vulnerablethey become.

The enemy commander knows, as well as you do, that an Abramstank can hit and kill anything it sees at 3000m without a sig-nificant risk to itself. Hopefully you also know, as well as theother side does, that at 300m the offensive capability of the

Abrams may be the same, but its vulnerability goes up dra-matically. The same is even truer for the lighter armoredvehicles, such as the Bradley, Stryker, and Humvees underyour command. Putting yourself in the enemy commander’sshoes for a minute, which fight would you rather take up withthe US forces? The short ranged one, of course. Which is why



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you should expect the enemy to do everything it can to en-gage your forces at close range where it has some chance of causing harm.

While it is true that the billions of Dollars worth of sensors yourforces have give you much better, quicker, and more flexiblecommunications and intel, these advantages are degraded whenthe engagement ranges are short. If one of your soldiers cansee the white of the enemy’s eyes, what sort of advantagedoes a red colored icon on his handheld Ruggedized PersonalDigital Assistant (RPDA) give him an edge at that moment?Obviously, none. No matter how good your comms and weap-ons, it is your training, experience and tactical skill that willwin battles, not expensive gadgets. A rifle kills just as easily in

the hands of a capable shooter with no education and nothingmore high-tech than a wristwatch as it does in the hands of one of the best trained, best equipped soldiers in the world.Forget that and there will be less best trained best equippedsoldiers in the world.

What the sensors and communications equipment do give you issuperior information about the battlefield than the enemy hasavailable to him. This allows you to formulate and execute

plans much faster, with greater confidence, and greater accu-racy than the enemy could ever hope to achieve. Having saidthat, a bad plan is still a bad plan. If you don’t have what ittakes to lead your forces successfully, no amount of gadgetrywill get you out of the tough spot you find yourself in.

You need to remember, and remember well, that although theenemy’s inventory is outdated and outmatched by whateveryou have at your disposal, an outdated system that hits its

target is still likely to turn a good day into a bad one. Moreimportantly, you cannot assume that the weapons pointed atyou are inferior. Several modernization programs and recentforeign “shopping trips” to Russia have put rather capable com-bat systems into the hands of certain enemy units. RepublicanGuards and Special Forces, in particular, have plenty of waysof turning your forces into Swiss cheese. A T-72 TURMS-T,RPG-29, or AT-14 Kornet-E can effectively destroy anything in

you have at our disposal. Not only do these weapons have agood chance of hitting what they aim at, they have an excel-lent chance of killing whatever they hit!

There is, however, one area that the US is unmatched; supportfire from air and artillery assets. The Syrian player has no ac-



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cess to air support at all thanks to the US’ ability to smash thetiny and poorly equipped Syrian Air Force to pieces within thefirst few hours of the conflict. For artillery, the sum of theSyrian capability is largely a “paper tiger”. Meaning, on paperit is formidable, but in reality is likely to be far less threaten-

ing. The equipment is generally quite old and the doctrine forits use even more so. It is basically the same centralized,inflexible Soviet doctrine developed during WW2. It could beeffective if used against an equally equipped and trained force.However, when used in an environment where the skies arehostile and incoming counter battery fire is both quick andaccurate, the chances of Syrian artillery being employed effec-tively (by US standards, at least) is quite limited. Having saidthat, this is small comfort for a US Rifle Platoon that is pinneddown by 120mm mortars or 122mm Howitzers. Sure, thechances are those guns will be put out of action very quickly,but until then the platoon has to endure the fire and hope itdoesn’t do more than rattle the fillings in their teeth.

The US forces, on the other hand, have a large selection of firesupport options available all the way down to the lowliest squadand team can call in support. US training and doctrine allows

just about everybody with a radio, RPDA, or access to FBCB2to call for support. That being said, your forces have dedi-cated FIST and JTAC teams with specialized equipment thatcan call in artillery and air support far more effectively thananybody else. They also have the ability to use the supportplatforms to their best effect, such as directing laser guidedbombs onto targets instead of hoping the pilot has selectedand maintained the correct target himself.

With all that in mind, remember the old saying “no plan survivesfirst contact with the enemy”. Fortunately for you, your forceshave a very good chance of surviving first contact long enoughto come up with a revised plan. The same is generally not truefor the enemy’s forces, which is the big weakness of their “upclose” battle plan. In an ambush situation, the force that canproject power faster and more effectively is the one that islikely to win. Therefore, if they hit you first your best immedi-ate option is to hit back as hard as you can with everything you

have.

When engaged in an unexpected close range fight (ambush), gen-erally it is best to hit back as hard as you can without delay.Unleashing your forces’ massive firepower helps disrupts theenemy’s capacity to cause further harm and gives you a chance



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to reshape the engagement to your advantage. Get your forcesout kill zones, fix spotted enemy units to where they are, putdown area fire where you suspect other forces are, then redi-rect and concentrate your heaviest systems to systematicallyeliminate the threats while you maneuver other forces to seize

key terrain.

Remember that hitting hard is not the same as lashing out. Thelatter does not keep in mind the consequences of your actions,which can have deadly consequences for your own forces if notdirected properly. If enemy targets are within 300-500m of your units think twice before calling in support fire. An errant155 fire mission or 2000 pound JDAM strike can ruin your day just as much as the enemy’s. You will likely regret forgetting

this, do don’t.

The Stryker Combat Vehicle FamilyThe Stryker eight-wheeled all wheel drive vehicle is a highly modified version of the LAV

III design. The design offers impressive speed, mobility, sustainability, and advancedcommunications capabilities. There are 10 specialized variants, 7 of which are in-cluded in Combat Mission.

All Strykers are capable of withstanding small arms fire up to 14.5mm in caliber and arefitted with “slat armor” to offer varying degrees of protection against RPGs. Top

speed is about 60mph (96.5kph) on roads, significantly lower off-road depending onterrain. The Stryker can also operate reasonably well with 2-4 flat tires due to the “run flat” core that is in each. Short distances can be traveled even with all 8 tiresflat. Each vehicle is equipped with a FBCB2 and radio communications systems, al-lowing all vehicles to see where each other is and to share information about theiractions and those of the enemy’s.

Most Stryker variants now have a Remote Weapons Station (RWS) capable of mountingeither a M2 .50 Cal heavy machine gun or an Mk.19 40mm grenade launcher. It isstabilized so it can fire on the move and can be rotated 360 degrees. The weapon isfired from within the vehicle using either a daytime camera or night-time thermalimager for viewing targets and a laser range finder for better direction of fire. Unfor-tunately, reloading requires the commander to pop up through his hatch and feed inmore ammunition. Smoke grenade launchers attached to the RWS can be fired tointerfere with various enemy threats. The thermal imager allows the Stryker crew tosee through the smoke it generates. Stryker IR-blocking smoke is colored brown.

Vehicles without a RWS have a simple pintle mounted machine gun or Mk.19 that mustbe fired directly by the commander. Smoke launchers are also present, but they arein fixed positions. Some variants have no substitute for the RWS’ camera and ther-mal-imager since their job does not include actively supporting infantry with directfire.

M1126 Stryker ICV (Infantry Combat Vehicle)

The most numerous of all the Strykers is the Infantry Carrier Vehicle (ICV). It providesarmored protection for 9-10 fully equipped soldiers, 3-4 more than the M2 Bradleycan carry. It is most commonly found in the Stryker Rifle Platoons, but is also foundhere and there throughout a Stryker Infantry Battalion.



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An ICV is crewed by a driver and a combination gunner/vehicle commander. Whenpassengers are present, the most senior sits to the left of the commander. At thisstation is a display that allows the soldier to see what the commander sees and to useFBCB2 functions.

In order to better see what is going on around the Stryker, and to better protect it from

threats, two passengers usually stand up through two rear “air guard” hatches withtheir weapons. Each is assigned to cover one side and rear of the vehicle, thoughboth might engage the same target together if possible. To better protect thesesoldiers, and the vehicle commander, extra armor was added around the top outeredge of the Stryker.

M1127 Stryker RV (Reconnaissance Vehicle)The Reconnaissance Vehicle is tasked with seeking out and identifying enemy units and

their positions, as well as observing their activities. This capability is achieved throughuse of the RV’s Fire Support Sensor System (FS3), located where the RWS usually is

found.

The FS3 system includes a second-generation Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) imager,day TV, laser designator, laser rangefinder, and special software that automaticallyidentifies the type of unit being observed. All this information is fed directly intoFBCB2, which means that if a Stryker RV spots something it knows where it is andtherefore so does everybody else with access to FBCB2. This is particularly useful forcalling in artillery or air support since those assets know exactly what they are toattack and where.

There is no RWS on the RV, which means there is no remote controlled weapons systemon the vehicle. Instead, a manually fired M2 or Mk.19 is located on a skate rail nextto the FS3. The skate rail allows each system to be rotated 360 degrees. The lack of a RWS also means there is no remote day or night viewing via camera or thermalimager. Instead, the RV is equipped with a commander’s cupola that offers 360degree vision from within the vehicle superior to other Stryker variants.

M1128 Stryker MGS (Mobile Gun System)One of the last variants to enter production was the main direct fire support version, the



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Mobile Gun System. The main weapon is a 105mm cannon, similar to the one usedon the original M1 Abrams. The MGS’ purpose is to provide dismounted infantry withdirect fire against hardened targets, such as bunkers. It is NOT intended as an anti-armor vehicle, though in an emergency it can be used for that purpose. It tooklonger than expected to work the kinks out of the MGS, but they were and it hasalready seen use in combat.

The entire weapon system can rotate 306 degrees and fire while on the move, day ornight. A sophisticated fire control system ensures extremely good accuracy andproper ammo selection from the automatic loader. A total of 18 rounds of 105mmammunition are carried, including HE against infantry and light targets and HEAT andAPFSDS against light-armor and armored targets.

Besides the main gun, a modified M240 7.62mm medium machinegun, mounted coaxially,is fully integrated into the fire control systems, making it an excellent means of engaging exposed enemy infantry. A pintle mounted M2 .50 Cal heavy machinegunis available too, though the commander must be unbuttoned to use it. Two M6 smokegrenade launchers are also fitted to the gun system.

M1130 Stryker CV (Command Vehicle)The M1130 Command Vehicle is essentially the same as the M1126 ICV version but with

added communications equipment and aerials. It is found only at the Battalion HQlevel.

M1131 Stryker FSV (Fire Support Vehicle)The FSV provides Stryker units with “first round” fire-for-effect capability. It uses the

same FS3 system found in the Stryker RV to spot, identify, and target enemy units

for engagement by artillery and air support assets. Extra communications equip-ment allows the commander the additional advantage of having direct voicecommunication with the supporting assets.



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M1132 Stryker ESVThe Engineer Squad Vehicle (ESV) is essentially the same as the Stryker ICV in Combat

Mission. The specialized engineering capabilities of the vehicle are currently notsimulated.

M1134 Stryker ATGM (Anti Tank Guided Missile)The ATGM variant is designed primarily to engage and destroy any armored vehicle

threat to the Stryker Infantry Battalion. To do this it has a remote controlled TOWATGM turret with two missile tubes. It can be rotated 360 degrees, elevated, andtilted by the commander from within the vehicle. The targeting systems allow vari-ous types of TOW missiles to be fired in day or nighttime conditions. Like all TOWsystems, the Stryker ATGM must have direct line of sight contact with the enemy inorder to engage it.

Just as the MGS has a secondary ability to engage armor, the Stryker ATGM has second-ary capability of engaging infantry. In fact, due to the development delays of theMGS, the ATGM variant was used in its place. However, it is not the vehicles mainmission and therefore it is not as good at taking on enemy infantry as the MGS is.



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The Bradley Fighting Vehicle FamilyM2A3 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV)

The Bradley IFV is a heavily armed and well armored tracked vehicle designed to bringinfantry into the thick of the fight and stay there to offer direct support. It is capableof protecting its passengers from light to medium fire and can destroy nearly any

threat it encounters. Standard practice is to pair Bradley IFVs with Abrams tanks soeach can watch out for the other, because while a Bradley is capable of defeatingheavy enemy armor it is far more vulnerable to them than an Abrams is.

The M2A3 carries a crew of three (Commander, Gunner, and Driver) and seven passen-gers. This is less than the size of a single Rifle Squad, so in real life there is aconvoluted “cross loading” of personnel within the platoon. This is not somethingCombat Mission can simulate since the possible game and user interface complica-tions of splitting mounting and dismounting would be a nightmare for everybody.Therefore, the game capacity of a Bradley IFV is 9 passengers instead of 7.

The Bradley’s main armament is the single barreled M242 25mm “Bushmaster” ChainGun with coaxial 7.62mm M240C machine gun (mounted to the right of the Bush-

master). With its integrated dual-feed ammunition supply it can switch betweenfiring AP and HE with the flip of a switch. The maximum rate of fire is 200 rounds perminute and it has a range of 2,000 meters. Its AP ammo is capable of penetrating thearmor of all light and medium vehicles as well as the sides and flanks of most tanks.In fact, in both Gulf Wars Bradleys were credited with knocking out more Abramstanks through accidental fire than the enemy.

When a target appears to be stronger than the Bushmaster can handle, the Bradley hastwo powerful TOW-2 Anti-Tank Guided Missiles at the ready in an armored launchrack on the left of the turret. This allows the Bradley to engage and destroy almostany tank it is likely to encounter at ranges of up to 4,000m. However, the TOWs arenot nearly as versatile as the Bushmaster and therefore are not the preferred choiceof weapon.

The main drawback to the TOW is the vehicle has to be at a complete stop when themissile is fired and continue to remain stopped until the missile strikes its target. Thesecond problem is reloading the Bradley’s two tubes requires the vehicle to be at acomplete stop for at least 5 minutes with the turret stationary as well. Because themission of the Bradley is to directly support its infantry, reloading in battlefield con-ditions is difficult, if not impossible.

Some M2A3 IFV’s can be equipped with explosive reactive armor (ERA).

M3A3 Bradley Cavalry Fighting Vehicle (CFV)The M3A3 Cavalry Fighting Vehicle is identical to the M2A3 Bradley IFV in terms of its

outward appearance, weaponry, and armor. However, its mission is to gather infor-mation and to provide support for specialized M707 Scout Humvees, not get into thethick of fighting with tanks and infantry.

The primary difference of the CFV is its reduced passenger capacity due to the inclusionof extra communications equipment and supplies. Each Bradley carries a small ScoutTeam of 4 men to provide the Scout Platoon with its dismounted infantry force.Normally only 2 Scouts are carried in the CFV and the other 2 Scouts in two separate



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Humvees. Imagine the nightmare of having to manually combine three 2 man sec-tions and six 1 man sections together to form three 4 man Scout Teams!

Some M3A3 CFVs can be equipped with explosive reactive armor (ERA).

M7A3 Bradley Fire Support (B-FIST) Vehicle

The most specialized version of Bradley in Combat Mission is the M7A3 B-FIST. Its roleis to provide the Mechanized Infantry and Armored Companies with advanced firesupport capabilities. This is achieved by cramming the Bradley full of advancedcommunications and fire control systems without sacrificing its basic ability to oper-ate alongside other Bradleys and Abrams units.

A quick glance at the exterior of a B-FIST shows no major visual differences to tell itapart from either the M2A3 or M3A3 Bradleys. However, internally major changeswere made to customize it to the task of fire support. The most significant is the lossof the TOW capability. The pod is still there, but instead of it housing two TOW-2launch tubes it instead houses sensors and lasers to give the Fire Support Team(FIST) the capability to identify and target to a degree the other Bradleys can’tmatch. Although different from a Stryker FSV’s FS3 sensor system in construction, interms of functionality it is about the same.

Passenger capacity is extremely low with room for only a single 2 man Forward Obser-vation Team. Normally the team remains mounted in the Bradley, thus maximizingtheir ability to direct support quickly and accurately. However, the FO Team candismount in the event that it proves tactically wise to do so.

Some M7A3 FISTs can be equipped with exposive reactive armor (ERA).

The Abrams Main Battle Tank Family

M1A1HC (Heavy Common) AbramsThe Abrams Heavy Common “standard” is the designation for M1A1s that have a seriesof upgrade packages installed. This was the military’s attempt to bring togethervarious improvements implemented separately on Army and Marine tanks. This isthe most basic model of Abrams included in Combat Mission.

The M1A1, itself a major production level upgrade of the basic M1, combines a deadlyaccurate 120mm smoothbore cannon with advanced fire control systems to give itsuperior one-shot one kill capability against most contemporary threats it is likely to



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meet. A coax 7.62mm M240C machinegun and remote controlled commander’s.50cal MG allow the Abrams to engage unarmored and lightly armored targets with-out as much risk of damaging buildings or friendly forces. Additionally, the gunner’sstation has a pintle mounted M240B machinegun which he can used when unbut-toned.

Its composite Chobham and Depleted Uranium armor allow it to survive hits that wouldtear apart other tanks. It can survive direct hits from most RPGs, ATGMs, and Tank

rounds, though not necessarily remain functional. The Abrams rear armor, however,is vulnerable to most threats greater than a heavy machinegun.

The Abrams powerful gas turbine engine gives it the speed and acceleration needed ontoday’s modern battlefield. It can keep up with its Bradley counterpart and outmaneuver many of the threats it faces. Combined with the excellent fire on the movecapability of its main gun, the M1A1 HC is able to shoot up enemy targets whilerunning circles around them.

M1A1HC SA Abrams

(Situational Awareness Upgrade)This is a M1A1HC with various “Situational Awareness” equipment upgrades added on.These enhancements include an upgrade to 2nd Generation Forward Looking Infra-red (FLIR) sights (increasing maximum engagement range and lethality), fullyintegrated FBCB2 digital system, thermal sight for the loader, thermal Sight for theCommander’s .50 cal machinegun, externally mounted tank-infantry phone, a LaserRanger Finder, and various vision enhancements for the driver. The combination of these improvements put it almost on a par with the M1A2 SEP Abrams, and thereforein some ways slightly superior to the standard M1A2 production model.

Another modification available is the TUSK (tank urban survival kit) with enhanced all-round protection and armor upgrades.

M1A2 AbramsThe M1A2 offers many improvements over the basic M1A1 model, though the majority

of them are not relevant to Combat Mission. The major improvements include im-proved turret and hull armor, 2 additional 120mm rounds of ammo, more integrationof digital systems, and the Commanders Independent Thermal Viewer (CITV). The



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CITV allows the commander to seek out and identify targets independently of thegunner, then pass the new targeting information onto the gunner digitally. Thisoffers the M1A2 superior targeting and overall lethality compared to earlier M1A1models.

One feature removed is the commander’s remote .50cal M2 weapons station. Insteadthe commander has to unbutton to use the machinegun, whereas the M1A1s allowhim to fire fully buttoned.

M1A2 SEP Abrams(Systems Enhancement Package)

At the present time the most advanced tank in the US military’s arsenal, and arguablyany nations’ arsenal, is the M1A2 SEP. As with previous upgrades, the SEP programbrings a number of major changes to a standard production model Abrams, the mostsignificant of which is the addition of a 2nd Gen Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR)system for the commander. This allows the SEP model to acquire targets faster,more accurately, and at greater ranges than the M1A2 or M1A1HC.

Another relevant improvement is the fully integrated digital systems within the vehicleand interfacing with FBCB2 system. This gives the M1A2 SEP a greater understand-ing of what is going on within the tank as well as outside of it. The full integrationwith FBCB2 allows this knowledge to pass with greater speed and accuracy to otherunits tied into the digital network.

M1A1 SA description reads a lot like this one, which is not accidental. The original planwas to upgrade a large number of M1A1s to M1A2 SEP standards, however financiallythis was simply not practical. Therefore, the military focused on upgrading the mostimportant components instead. Not surprisingly, those are the same things thatconcern a simulation such as Combat Mission. Things like 2nd Gen FLIR have a majorimpact on the performance of the Abrams in combat, while the reconfiguration of the

driver’s control dials don’t. Therefore, in many ways the M1A1HC SA and M1A2 SEPare comparable.

Another modification available is the TUSK (tank urban survival kit) with enhanced all-round protection and armor upgrades.



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The Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle FamilyM1114 HMMWV

The M1114 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV or Humvee) is a fourwheel drive armored truck designed to meet a number of different military roles. Itis protected against most small arms ammunition of 7.62 mm size or smaller, 155

mm artillery air bursts, and 12 lb. anti-tank mine blasts to the side. The vehicles inthe game are equipped with the FRAG-5 up armor kit, which further increases pro-tection for the crew from small arms fire, IEDs, and fragmentation hit.

The basic model of M1114, which is the most common in Combat Mission, is not armed.Such vehicles are mostly dedicated to moving around specialized support teams andare not meant to get into the thick of fighting. Two armed versions, armed witheither the .50cal M2 or 7.62mm M240b machinegun, are found in the HBCT’s Scoutunits. The presence of the weapons station means it is more vulnerable to fire fromabove, especially artillery, since the roof is mostly open and therefore not armored.

M707 Scout HMMWVThis is the base M1114A1 HMMWV model fitted with the same FS3 system found on the

Stryker RV and FSV vehicles. M707s are found only in the Scout Platoons of HBCT,three vehicles per platoon. The FS3 system gives the Scout Platoon an amazingintelligence gathering capacity and ability to call in support assets quickly and accu-rately. However, because the FS3 system uses the weapon station’s mount, theM707 is unarmed and obviously just as vulnerable to enemy attacks as all otherHumvees. When used correctly in combination with the Scout Platoon’s armed M1114Humvees and M3A3 Bradley CAV vehicles the M707s have all the protection theyneed while they perform their scouting mission.



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U.S. Air AssetsAH-64D Longbow Apache

The AH-64D Longbow Apache is the US Army’s premier attack helicopter and has beenin active service since 1984. The AH-64D variant is equipped with new Longbowmillimeter wave fire control radar and upgraded weaponry over previous models.

Armed with an integrated 30mm chain gun, it also can carry Hellfire II Missiles and2.75 inch (70mm) Rocket Pods.

OH-58D Kiowa WarriorThe OH-58D Kiowa Warrior is an armed version of the earlier OH-58D Kiowa Advanced

Helicopter Improvement Program (AHIP) aircraft, which itself was a highly modifiedversion of the original OH-58A/C Kiowa scout helo. The OH-58D Kiowa Warrior mountsa dedicated weapon pylon on each side of the fuselage and in the game these sta-tions can be equipped with 70mm Rocket pods and a .50 cal machine gun.

F-16CJ Fighting FalconThe F-16CJ Block 50/52 is the current production version of the F-16 Fighting Falconand first began to appear in the late 1990’s. Able to be armed with a staggeringcombination of anti-air and air to ground (precision guided and unguided) munitions,the F-16CJ has repeatedly proven itself to be an extremely capable and adaptableweapons platform. In the game, depending on the type of mission, support weaponryincludes various types and sizes of bombs and the AGM-65G Maverick Missile inaddition to the F-16’s internal 20mm PGU-28/B cannon.

F-15E Strike EagleEquipped with the low-altitude navigation and targeting infrared for night (LANTIRN)

system, the two seat F-15E Strike Eagle is a potent dual role fighter/fighter-bomberin the US Air Force arsenal. The F-15E can carry a weapons payload up to 23,000lbs.In the game the Strike Eagle can carry various sizes of bombs. The F-15E also wieldsan internally mounted 20mm M61A-1 Gatling Gun.

A-10 Thunderbolt IIThe workhorse and durable A-10 (affectionately nicknamed the Warthog or simply Hog

by pilots and enthusiasts alike) has been in service since 1977. Designed around theawesome GAU-8/A 30mm Avenger Gatling Gun, the A-10 was born and breed toconduct close air support (CAS) tasks. The A-10 can carry up to 16,000lbs pounds of

mixed ordinance including various sizes of bombs and AGM-65 Maverick Missiles.



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U.S. Artillery AssetsM777 Howitzer

The towed 155mm howitzer provides artillery support for the Stryker BCTs. It has adigital fire control system which allows it to respond quickly and accurately to supportcalls from frontline infantry. Maximum rate of fire is 4 rounds per minute, 1 rounds

per minute sustained.

M109A6 PaladinSelf-propelled 155 mm howitzer in use with the US Army’s Heavy BCT artillery battal-

ions. The advanced fire control and communications equipment allows the Paladin tohalt from the move and fire within 30 seconds. This improves the survivability byallowing the battery to operate dispersed by pairs across the countryside and torelocate between salvos. Maxium rate of fire is 4 rounds per minute, 2 rounds perminute sustained.

M224 Light MortarUsed by Stryker BCTs for quick, light suppressive fire. Although smaller than the otherUS mortars, the M224 has the advantage of a faster and more sustainable rate of firethan the larger and heavier M252 and M120. Maxium rate of fire is 30 rounds perminute, 20 rounds per minute sustained.

M252 Medium MortarStandard 81mm medium mortar used for long-range indirect fire support for Stryker

BCT infantry formations. It is found at both the company and battalion levels of command, thereby providing quick response to support calls. Maxium rate of fire is

20 rounds per minute, 15 rounds per minute sustained.

M120 Heavy MortarThe 120mm M120 provides Stryker and Heavy BCTs with heavy indirect fire. Generally

used at the company level, the M120 allows infantry commanders to have powerfulsupport within easy reach. Maxium rate of fire is 16 rounds per minute, 4 rounds perminute sustained.



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U.S. Weapons

M4A1

The M4 Carbine is tracing its roots back to the famous M16 Assault Rifle, and is essen-

tially a shorter and lighter version of the M16A2 Assault Rifle, sharing 80% of itsparts. The M4A1 can be fired semi or full-auto, unlike the M4 which could only firesemi and 3 round bursts. It fires 5.56 x 45mm NATO ammunition and is a gas-operated, air-cooled, magazine-fed, selective fire firearm with a telescopic stock. It iseffective to about 150m with a maximum range of about 400m.

M4A1 w/M203

This is a standard M4A1 carbine fitted with a M203 40mm single-shot grenade launcherattached under the barrel. The trigger is just forward of the rifle magazine, whichfunctions as a hand grip when firing the M203. A separate sighting system is added to

rifles fitted with the M203, as the rifle’s standard sights are not matched to thelauncher. The M203 is capable of firing 5-7 rounds per minute at an effective distanceof 150m, and maximum range of 400m.

M249

The M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW) is an air-cooled, fully-automatic-only fire-arm which belongs to a sub-family of the Belgian FN Minimi squad automatic weapon.It fires 5.56 x 45mm NATO ammunition through the top mounted feed tray or M16-type magazines through the side-mounted port. Linked ammunition is the standardmeans of fire, with the ammo being fed from either a loose belt or from a plastic box

(or cloth pouch), containing 200 rounds, clipped under the receiver. The M249 SAWfeatures a built-in bipod and a quick change barrel that helps prevent overheatingduring sustained fire. United States military doctrine states the effective ranges are600m for a point target, 800m for an area target, 1000m for suppression, and 3600mas the maximum range.

M110

The M110 SASS (semi-automatic sniper system) is the newest long range precisionsniper rifle system in the US Army arsenal. Developed by Knight’s Armament Com-pany it replaces the older bolt action, single shot M21 and M24 systems. The M110

uses 3 different types of ammunition, including military standard 7.62 x 51mm cali-ber ammunition, M118LR long range open tipped ammunition, and the M993 armorpiercing (AP) ammunition. The greater choices available give the operators moreoptions and flexibility for different target types. Military requirements specified thatthe weapon able to provide accurate fire with ranges up to and exceeding 1000m inorder to increase the survivability of the operators while increasing the kill probabilityover previous systems.

M107

The M107 Long Range Sniper Rifle is a semi-automatic .50 BMG sniper rifle adopted by

the U.S. Army in the early 2000s. The M107 is used for traditional sniper tasks, butis especially useful for long-range, counter-sniper, and anti-materiel roles comparedto more traditional smaller bore sniper rifles. It has a magazine capacity of 10 roundsand a maximum effective range of 2000m.

M136 AT-4

The M136 AT4 is the US Army’s light, multi-purpose shoulder fired rocket. The M136



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AT4 is a single shot, disposable recoilless rifle originally intended for use by InfantryForces to defeat light armor. More often it is used to defeat hardened infantry fight-ing positions. The recoilless rifle design permits accurate delivery of an 84mm HighExplosive Anti-Armor warhead with negligible recoil. The M136 AT4 is a self-con-tained weapon consisting of a free-flight, fin-stabilized, rocket-type cartridge packedin an expendable, one-piece, fiberglass-wrapped tube. Though the M136 AT4 can beemployed in limited visibility, the firer must be able to see and identify the target and

estimate the range to it. The system’s tactical engagement range is 250m and canonly be fired from the right shoulder.

Demo ChargeThe M322 Demolition Kit, Rapid Wall Breach, is a man-portable demolition kit that

rapidly creates a man sized hole in triple brick and reinforced concrete walls. M322Kit includes: 3.3m Flexible Linear Shaped Charge, 61m shock tube initiation system,an attachment device to the target, and a carrying bag.

Fragmentation M67The body of the M-67 hand grenade is a 63.5mm diameter steel sphere designed to

burst into numerous fragments when detonated. The grenade body contains 184g of high explosive. Each grenade is fitted with a fuse that activates the explosive chargeand is capable of effectively causing casualties within a range of 15m.

Smoke AN M8 HC White SmokeThis grenade is used to produce dense clouds of white smoke for signaling and screen-

ing.

40mm HE M406 Rifle GrenadeThis round has an olive drab aluminum skirt with a steel projectile attached, gold mark-

ings, and a yellow band. It arms between 14 and 27m, and it produces a groundburst that causes casualties within a 5m radius.

40mm HEDP M433 Rifle GrenadeHigh-explosive dual purpose (HEDP) round. This round has an olive drab aluminum

skirt with a steel cup attached, white markings, and a gold band; it penetrates atleast 5cm when fired straight at steel armor. It arms between 14 and 27m and cancause casualties within a 5m radius.

Javelin Anti-Tank missile systemThe Javelin is a manportable, fire-and-forget, antitank missile employed by dismounted

infantry to defeat current and future threat armored combat vehicles. It is the onlyAT missile in use with ground troops that does not require tracking of the target aftermissile launch. The Javelin’s range of approximately 2500m is more than twice thatof its predecessor, the Dragon, and has secondary capabilities against helicoptersand ground-fighting positions. It is equipped with an infrared imaging (I2R) systemand a fire-and-forget guided missile. The Javelin’s normal engagement mode is top-attack to penetrate the tank’s most vulnerable armor, though it can also fire indirect-attack mode to engage targets with overhead cover or with greater vertical

vulnerability. Its “soft launch” allows employment from within buildings and enclosedfighting positions. The soft launch signature limits the gunner’s exposure to the en-emy, thus increasing survivability.

The Javelin consists of a missile in a disposable launch tube and a reusable CommandLaunch Unit (CLU). The CLU houses the trigger mechanism, an integrated day/nightsighting device for surveillance and target acquisition, built-in test capabilities, andassociated electronics. The CLU, powered by a disposable battery, provides the capa-bility for battlefield surveillance, target acquisition, missile launch, and damage



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assessment.The round consists of a disposable launch tube assembly, battery coolant unit (BCU),

and the missile. Missile range is generally considered to be around 2000 to 2500m,though the missile is capable of hitting targets much farther way than that. Thelimiting factor is the CLU’s screen resolution which makes it difficult to discern targetsat ranges greater than 2500m. The missile locks on to the target before launch usingan infrared focal plane array and on-board processing, which also maintains target

track and guides the missile to the target after launch. A full-up system weighs22.5kg.

M240B MG w/tripod

The M240B is a ground or vehicle mounted, gas-operated, crew-served machinegun.This 7.62mm machine gun delivers more energy to the target than the smaller cali-ber M249 SAW. It is the standard medium weight machinegun of US military forces.It has an effective range of 1800m for area targets and 800m against point targets.



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Syria

Basic TacticsWith some notable exceptions, Syria’s arsenal of weapons is largely

outdated and not an equal match for the Western counter-parts. Militia and Reserve units largely use equipment from the1960s, with some mild upgrades for their tanks. Regular unitsprimarily rely on technology that is 20 years old and have sometanks with more recent (though modest) upgrades. Only theelite Republican Guards Division and Special Forces have trulymodern equipment at their disposal, with the Guard’s TURMS-T upgrade for the T-72 main battle tank being the best armoredvehicle in Syria’s arsenal. Special Forces (and in some cases

also Guards) also have the AT-14 Kornet-E anti-tank guidedmissile in significant quantities, and the Special Forces also theRPG-29, either of which can destroy any tank in the world.The Unconventional forces have a mix of old and new equip-ment with no consistency from one group to the next. Theydo, however, have access to deadly “homemade” weapons thatthe other forces don’t.

As the Syrian player, your tactics need to reflect the limitations of your equipment, soldiers, and organization. Bravado and ma-chismo are more likely to hand the US forces a stunning victorythan even a mild defeat. Your forces generally stand no chanceof success in a straight fight along traditional conventionalwarfare terms. Recognize this and accept it, otherwise expectto suffer casualties 10 to 1 (or worse!) even with superior num-bers. Conventional engagements are the West’s strength, afterall!

The West is weakest when the use of its high-tech weaponry ismost limited. Ambush tactics minimize reaction time and dis-tance advantages inherent in Western forces. Try to focus on afew key units in order to cause maximum damage before yourambush sites are located and rendered ineffective. Save yourbest units for the most difficult assignments, don’t fritter themaway on targets that lower quality units might actually have achance against. Above all, don’t get “cocky” when things ap-

pear to be going well. The margin for error is so small that thesituation can easily turn around completely without warning.Being cleverly cautious is more likely to produce results thanattempting to be cleverly bold (or worse, bold without beingclever!).



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TanksT-54B

Original T-55 series with 100mm gun, coax and AAMG. Used in static positions in thehundreds around the Golan Heights and other strategically important key points.Several hundred have been moved to positions along the Iraqi border.

T-55-1970Upgraded version of the original T-55. It has a more powerful type of 100mm gun,

stabilization system, and slightly more powerful engine. Probably 300-400 of theseexist as static or bottom of the barrel Reserve tanks.

T-55-1974A further upgrade to the T-55, it has the improvements of the 1970 model with the

addition of new fire control systems, including the KTD-2 laser range finder. Hun-dreds are still in active inventory, filling out the bulk of the Reserve units.

T-55MVIn 1983 a major upgrade was started to bring some of the oldest tanks in Syria’s

inventory up to contemporary standards. This involved adding the Volna fire control



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system, ability to fire Bastion ATGMs, a more powerful engine, skirt armor (10mmrubber/steel combo), smoke launchers, improved night vision system, Kontakt ERA,and other small improvements. A fair number of these rebuilds were completed andare, believe it or not, better than most of the T-62 and T-72 models in inventory. Thisis one of the best tanks found in the Regular armored forces.

T-62-1972The base T-62 model, slightly upgraded since its introduction. It is similar to the T-55

with a longer hull to add the larger 115mm gun and ammo. This model also offers animproved fire control system, main gun stabilization, and night vision out to a rangeof approx. 600-800m. This model is found in the Reserves only, though not in greatnumbers. Perhaps less than 100 exist in running condition.

T-62-1975Similar to the 1972 version but with KTD laser range finder and a few additional fire

control system improvements. Like the previous model this one is found in the Re-serves only and probably not in very large numbers.

T-62MVery similar to the T-55MV except having appliqué armor panels instead of ERA. 200 or

so found in the Reserve units.



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T-72M1This Czecoslovakian export model combines all the improvements of earlier models

with additional armor and other minor improvements. Many of the T-72M1s pur-chased were in turn upgraded (see below), therefore not many remain in service in

their original state. The few that have remained running and not upgraded are foundtowards the bottom end of the Reserve’s tank roster.

T-72M1VThis is a base T-72M1 with Kontakt ERA added for greater protection. Maybe 100 or so

of these exist and they constitute the top end of the Reserve tank formations. (NOTE– adding the “V” designation is our idea since there is no specific designation for thisupgrade)

T-72M1V (2001)A Russian upgrade package was added to some base T-72M1 models to give them

greater offensive and defensive capabilities. The package adds 3rd generation Kontakt-5 reactive armor, upgraded suspension, more powerful engine, improved 125mmgun capable of firing ATGM’s, remotely operated AAMG, combined gunner/commanderthermal imaging system (night vision range is approx 3000 to 3500m), new firecontrol computer and stabilization system and GPS. The new Kontakt-5 was, at the



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time, able to defeat M1A1 Abrams depleted uranium (DU) rounds apparently, how-ever the current Abrams SABOT rounds have largely overcome this problem. Perhapsas many as 100 or so of these upgraded vehicles are still in service with the Repub-lican Guards Division. (NOTE – adding the “V” and “2001” designations are our ideasince there is no specific designation for this upgrade)

T-72M1V TURMS-TThis is the top of the line Syrian tank and it is a very capable vehicle indeed. It com-

bines the improvements of the 2001 upgrade with the Italian TURMS-T fire controlsystem. The end result is a tank most similar to the Czech produced T-72M4. Itincludes a day/night stabilized commander’s panoramic periscope sight, gunner’sstabilized sight with thermal imager and laser rangefinder and digital fire controlcomputer. The digital fire control computer downloads data from the tank’s meteoro-logical and wind sensors, together with the tank attitude, barrel wear characteristics,ammunition and target data. The computer calculates the fire control algorithms andis used to control the gun, the sighting systems and the laser rangefinder. Not

surprisingly, this highly sophisticated tank is only found in the Republican GuardsDivision. The number in service could be as high as 200.

Command TanksThe Company Commander of a Tank Company has extra radio equipment that allows it

to communicate with its platoons and the Battalion Commander. From a perfor-mance standpoint the vehicles are all identical to the tanks under their command,except for the extra radio antennas mounted on them. However, from a practicalstandpoint when a command tank is lost communications between platoons suffers,communications with battalion are lost completely.

BRDM-2The BRDM-2 (Boyevaya Razvedyvatelnaya Dozornaya Mashina, literally “Combat Re-

connaissance/Patrol Vehicle”) is an armoured scout car used by Russia and the formerSoviet Union. It was intended to replace the earlier BRDM-1 with a vehicle that hadimproved amphibious capabilities and better armament. The armament is the sameas the BTR-60 armored personnel carrier, a 14.5 mm KPV heavy machine gun with a



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7.62 mm machine gun as a secondary weapon. The armor on the vehicle protectsagainst small arms fire and artillery shell fragments. The BRDM-2-series tires arevulnerable to puncture from fire of all kinds.

BRDM-2 atgm

The BRDM-2 ATGM launcher vehicle mounts launch rails for the AT-3 Sagger or AT-5anti-tank guided missile in place of the turret, and are found in the Regimental ATGMPlatoon only.

BRDM-2UThe BRDM-2U adds extra radio equipment for Company and higher communications,

but otherwise is the same as a standard BRDM-2. The only external difference isextra radio antenna. The loss of a command BRDM hurts command and control.There is a turret-less version of the BRDM-2U which is not found in CM:SF because itis used by Regimental and higher HQ units not simulated in the game.

BMP-1/BMP-1PThe BMP-1was first introduced in the early 1960s as the first true “Infantry Fighting

Vehicle”, as opposed to an “Armored Personnel Carrier” (i.e. battlefield taxi). Thesteeply-sloped front armor is proofed against .50-calibre machine guns and lightcannon fire, but armor quality varies greatly with factory and year of manufacture. Itis armed with an unstabilized 73 mm smoothbore gun which fires a low velocity HEATround, and as such the main gun is unreliable in windy conditions. The standardBMP-1 has an AT-3 Sagger ATGM launcher is mounted above the gun, the BMP-1Phas an AT-4 Spigot. The launchers have to be loaded by hand through a smallloading hatch. This combination of armament and armor made it a formidable ve-hicle in the 1970s, but by today’s standard it is highly vulnerable to enemy IFVs andtanks of all types. The gun has only primitive fire control systems and the vehiclemust be at a dead stop to fire and guide its ATGM. Nevertheless, the BMP-1 is still athreat to light AFVs or dismounted infantry and the Syrians have loads of them.Perhaps as many as 2000 are still in service.



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BMP-2The BMP-2 is an improved version of the BMP-1 introduced in the early 1980s. The

major difference is a smaller turret with a 30 mm cannon and externally-mountedAT-5 Spandrel ATGM. The cannon is quite accurate (it is also used on the Mi-28

attack helicopter) and its antipersonnel capability is a quite good. Some BMP-1’sshortcomings remain, such as the poor quality of vision equipment, unstabilized weap-ons, the requirement to remain stationary while firing an ATGM, and a lack of computercontrolled fire control systems. These deficiencies make it difficult to successfullyengage targets while on the move. The Republican Guards use Syria’s entire inven-tory of about 200 as their main form of armored transport.

BMP-1K/BMP-1PK/BMP-2KThese are the command versions of the standard BMP models. These vehicles are used

by Company HQs and are identifiable by the extra radio antennas on the top hull. A

reduction of 2 passenger spaces was necessary to accommodate the extra equip-ment. In other respects the “K” versions are the same as their non-commandcounterparts. Loss of these vehicles degrades communications between formations.



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BTR-60PBThe BTR-60 is the first vehicle in a series of Soviet eight-wheeled armored personnel

carriers. It was developed in the late 1950s and was mass produced in the 1960sthrough mid 1970s. The welded steel boat-shaped hull protects against small arms

fire and shrapnel. The BTR-60PB is the last modification of the BTR-60 series, featur-ing a small turret fitted with an unstabilized KPVT 14.5 mm heavy machine gun withan improved sighting system. Syria has around 600 in use with Regular and Reserveformations.

BTR-60PBKThe command version of the standard BTR-60PB is the BTR-60PBK. It is identifiable by

the extra radio antennas mounted on the top hull. Otherwise, it is no different thana standard BTR-60PB.

UAZ-469BThe UAZ-469 is an all-terrain vehicle manufactured by UAZ starting in 1973. It is a

sturdy, but not-so-comfortable, light truck that is able to drive in virtually any terrain.As many as 9 men can cram themselves into it.



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Syrian Artillery AssetsM-46 Field Gun

Standard medium 130mm towed artillery. Though phased out of service in favor of more modern guns, the M-46 still remains in service with the Syrian Army’s higherechelon artillery batteries. Maxium rate of fire is 8 rounds per minute, 5 rounds perminute sustained.

D-30 Medium HowitzerA 122mm towed howitzer which entered service in the late 1960s. Although phased

out of many militaries, the D-30 continues to provide Syrian regiments with the bulkof their artillery support. Maxium rate of fire is 8 rounds per minute, 4 rounds perminute sustained.

2S1 M-1974 Gvodzika

A 122mm self-propelled howitzer commonly found in former Soviet equipped militaries.The 2S1 is found in the howitzer battalion of BMP equipped regiments. Maxium rateof fire is 5 rounds per minute, 2 rounds per minute sustained.

Type 63 Rocket ArtilleryA small, mobile 107mm multiple-launch rocket launch system dating from the 1960s.

It has 12 tubes that can be fired all at once or one at a time. It is not an accurateweapon, rather it is designed to put a lot of fire down on a section of front veryquickly. It can fire all 12 of its rockets in just 9 seconds, which gives it a theoreticalmaximum rate of fire of nearly 110 rounds per minute. This is just theoretical sinceafter it fires 12 rounds it takes 5 minutes to reload.

BM-21 Rocket Artillery122mm multiple-launch rocket system dating from the 1960s and is unquestionably

the world’s most widely-used rocket artillery system. What it lacks in accuracy itmakes up for in volume. It can fire 40 rockets in 20 seconds, which gives it atheoretical maximum rate of fire of 120 rounds per minute. However, when its 40tubes are expended it takes about 10 minutes to completely reload, therefore it’spractical rate of fire is limited to 40 rockets per 20 seconds. It can also fire one tubeat a time.

M1937 Medium MortarAlthough this 82mm mortar has largely been replaced by the larger M1943, it can stillbe found in Syrian Reserve battalions and companies. One advantage it has over thelarger 120mm mortar is the ability to fire faster and for longer. Maxium rate of fire is25 rounds per minute, 12 rounds per minute sustained.

M1943 Heavy MortarThis is essentially the same 120mm heavy mortar used by Soviet, and Soviet equipped,

forces since WW2. It is a reliable design that provides good fire support for infantrybattalions and companies. Maxium rate of fire is 9 rounds per minute, 4 rounds per

minute sustained.



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Syrian WeaponsPM Pistol

The Makarov PM (Pistolet Makarova) is a semi-automatic pistol which was designed inthe late 1940s by Russian firearms designer Nikolai Fyodorovich Makarov. For manyyears, it was the Soviet Union’s standard military side arm.

AKM

The AKM was introduced in 1959 as a lighter and cheaper version of the AK-47 with aneffective range of between 300m to 400m. It fires the standard Soviet era 7.62 x39mm round. The AKM was an improvement over the original AK-47 through its useof steel stampings instead of milled steel, which made it lighter and easier to pro-duce. It is not a sophisticated weapon, having only crude sights, no bolt hold opendevice, and an inconveniently located safety/selector. Despite of these problems itgained a strong and wide reputation for ruggedness and reliability. Tens of millionswere sold to former Soviet aligned nations, making it one of the most common weap-

ons on the battlefield today despite its age and obsolescence.

AKMS

This is a standard AKM with a folding stock.

AK-74

The AK-74 is basically an AKM rechambered and rebored to fire a 5.45 x 39mm car-tridge. It offers few innovations over the earlier AKM, though it is lighter, has lessrecoil, and a slightly longer effective maximum range (500m). Like its predecessor,it uses a 30-rd detachable box magazine. Originally the stock and hand grips weremade of wood or reddish brown plastic, but in the 1980s black plastic became thestandard.

AKS-74

Folding-stock version of the AK-74 with a Y-shaped, tubular stock.

AKS-74U

A modified AKS-74 with a much shorter barrel (207mm) and a conical flash suppressorinstead of a muzzle brake. With an overall length of 492mm (with stock folded) andweight of 2.7kg, it is a very compact and light firearm. Technically the AKS-74U is anassault rifle due to its cartridge size, however its compactness and intended purposemake it more akin to a submachinegun. It is primarily used for purposes where spaceor weight is at a premium and there is little need to engage targets with accurate firebeyond a limited range (200m, less than half that of an AKS-74).

AKS-74 w/GP30

Standard AKS-74 rifle fitted with the Under-barrel Grenade Launcher GP-30. The GP-30Obuvka is a 40mm muzzle-loaded, single-shot, detachable, under-barrel grenadelauncher. It is the successor to the earlier GP-15 and GP-25, though its performanceis roughly similar. The advantages of the GP-30 design are in the areas of weight,ease of use, and production costs. It can use two types of ammo, both of which areused by the crew served AGS-17 grenade launcher; the VOG-25 (High Explosive) orthe VOG-25P (Delayed Fuze High Explosive). Only recently has this weapon comeinto widespread use within Russia and it is slowly making its way to other nations.



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RPD

The RPD (Ruchnoy Pulemyot Degtyareva) is a 7.62 x 39mm belt-fed machine gundesigned to fulfill the role of squad automatic weapon. It was made in the 1950s and1960s, though it is still found in large numbers in second line troops and unconven-tional fighters. The RPD can be fired from a prone position with the built-in bipod, orfrom the hip with the aid of a sling. It is fed by refillable non-disintegrating links heldin a 100-rd detachable drum magazine. It is a heavy, though robust, weapon with aneffective range of 800m. Its major limitation is the lack of an interchangeable barrel,which means the weapon has to be allowed to cool when used heavily. The 100-rdammo capacity was specifically formulated to limit the possibility of problems anddamage due to over heating by way of notifying the gunner that he needs to give theweapon a rest.

RPK

This is a long barreled version of the AK-47 designed for use as a squad automaticweapon. It fires full-auto only and uses the same 7.62 x 39mm ammunition as theAKM. Its major drawback is its lack of an interchangeable barrel, which means thatit can not sustain prolonged fire without risking a reduction in accuracy, misfires,misfeeds, and even damage to the weapon itself. While it is generally considered areliable and effective weapon, its drawbacks are significant and therefore the RPK isa less effective squad automatic weapon than many others found on the battlefield.It can use 40-rd detachable magazines, but in the case of Syria is most often foundwith the 75-rd detachable drum magazine (similar to the RPD).

RPK-74

The RPK-74 is an updated version of the RPK, along with all its limitations, and uses thesame 5.45 x 39mm ammunition as the AK-74. Instead of the prominent muzzlebrake used on the AK-74, the machinegun is longer and has an attached bipod.Unlike the RPK it only uses 40-rd (standard) or 30-rd detachable magazines, not adrum magazine.

DShKM

Originally developed during the 1930s for anti-aircraft and anti-armor purposes, theDShK became a standard fixture on tank turrets during WW2 and for many decades

after with slight improvements (DShKM). It became a popular weapon due to itslarge caliber (12.7mm) and multipurpose functionality, being deployed in the groundroll on a two wheeled mount. It has a 600 rpm sustained rate of fire and is effectiveup to about 2000m. Due to the weight of the weapon and its large caliber ammosupply the DShKM is effectively a static defensive weapon. It is generally found aspart of lower quality, static Syrian Reserve Infantry Battalions.

SVD

The Dragunov Sniper Rifle (Snayperskaya Vintovka Dragunova, abbreviated SVD), is asemiautomatic rifle designed by Evgeniy Fedorovich Dragunov in the Soviet Union

between 1958 and 1963. The SVD was the world’s first purpose-built military preci-sion marksman’s rifle, and is common (along with several variants) throughout allformer Soviet client states. It chambers a special 7.62 x 54mm rimmed cartridge,with a muzzle velocity of about 830m per second, which makes it lethal at rangesabove 1000m. However, its effective range is far shorter at around 600m with stan-dard ammunition. The weapon handles easily for its size and is very durable.



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RPG-18

The RPG-18 Mukha (“Fly”) is a light, single shot, short-range disposable multi-purposerocket launcher. The RPG-18 fires a 64 mm PG-18 HEAT capable of 6 seconds of flightafter launch (about 200m) before self-destructing. The round can penetrate up to375 mm of conventional armor, with significantly poorer performance against HEATresistant ERA or composite armor (as found on the Abrams). It can also be usedagainst hardened infantry targets, such as bunkers. The RPG-18 is similar in bothappearance and in functionality to the United States’ LAW rocket, the predecessor tothe M136 AT-4. The RPG-18 is carried with part of the launch tube collapsed makingthe weapon much more compact. When preparing to fire, the soldier using the RPG-18 extends the tube, places it on his shoulder, and uses the iron sights on the top toaim at the target. Once extended the RPG-18 is armed and can not be reset to adisarmed state.

Demo ChargeThis piece of equipment simulates various types of explosives bundles used to breach

walls and other obstacles. Usually the main explosive component is TNT.

Fragmentation RDG-5RDG-5 (Ruchnaya Granata Degtyareva) is an egg shaped Blast & Fragmentation hand

grenade that produces around 350 steel fragments. The effective radius is around15-20m resulting in a 43 square meter kill zone.

Smoke RDG-1A cheap stick type grenade made of cardboard and sometimes a wooden handle. It is

ignited using a method common to a road flare. On one end there is a cap which isremoved and struck against an igniter. The resulting smoke screen lasts for about60-90 sec and covers an area of roughly 35m.

PK w/tripod

The PK is a gas operated, rotary locked, full-auto only machine gun that is fed fromlinked sections of non-disintegrating metallic belts of 7.62 x 54R mm ammunition. Adetachable steel box secured directly under the breech provides 100 rds of ammuni-tion at the ready. This makes the PK extremely portable and capable of being fired

from the hip as well as prone or on a tripod. It has a rate of fire of 650 rounds perminute and is effective out to about 1000m. One drawback is a slower barrel chang-ing procedure compared to some other nations’ general purpose machineguns.

PKM w/tripod

The PKM is little more than a simplified PK design meant to facilitate faster and lessexpensive production. The barrel is a bit shorter and the total weight a bit less, butperformance is nearly identical.

NVSThe NVS is a 12.7mm caliber heavy machinegun most comparable to the US M2 .50cal

machinegun. Like the M2 it is normally mounted on armored vehicles for use againstground or air targets. It is also used on a tripod for defense of fortified positions outto a maximum effective range of about 2000m. It is fed from non-disintegratingbelts of 50-rds each and has a rate of fire between 700 and 800 rounds per minute.



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The heavy caliber ammo allows it to penetrate as much as 20mm armor at 500m.

SPG-9

The SPG-9 is a 73mm caliber recoilless, smooth-bore, breach loaded antitank weaponthat fires both antiarmor and antipersonnel ammunition. It is man portable, thoughusually it is transported by truck or APC and remains relatively local thereafter. It canbe carried fully assembled over short distances, however usually it is broken downand carried in its component pieces due to weight. The SPG-9 has a rate of fire of 6rounds per minute and can fire either HE against soft targets or HEAT against hard/armored targets. The HE round has an effective range of about 2500m, though it cantheoretically be used at much greater distances. The HEAT round can achieve 400mmarmor penetration at any range up to about 800m, at which point a hit becomesdoubtful.

AGS-17

The AGS-17 Automatic Grenade Launcher fires 30mm grenades in either full auto orsemi auto modes. Ammo is fed from non-disintegrating steel belts and a rate of fireof 350 to 400 rounds per minute can be achieved in full auto mode. The weapon isone of the primary means for defenders to suppress an oncoming attacking infantryforce. Its effective range is about 1200m for area suppression, but only about 800mfor precision targeting. The kill radius of each round is about 6m, which can becombined to produce a 70 square meter kill zone with a well aimed barrage. The fullyassembled weapon is man portable over short distances, though disassembly is re-quired for longer distances.

RPG-7V1

When someone thinks of a threat to an armored vehicle, the RPG-7V is usually the onethat comes to mind first. This is the quintessential shoulder shoulder-fired, reloadableanti-tank rocket launch. Its light weight allows a single person carry it and a fewgrenades with little difficulty. However, standard practice is to have an assistant grena-dier who carries additional ammo, protects the gunner, and reloads after firing. Thereare many different types of grenades for both anti-armor and anti-personnel pur-poses. Although very simple to operate and shoot at short distances, the RPG-7Vquickly becomes increasingly inaccurate as range increases. For example, a mild11kmh crosswind can reduce first-round hit probability by 50% at ranges beyond180 meters. Hitting moving targets at anything but point blank range usually comesdown to pure luck. On top of the accuracy problems, many of the rounds commonlyfound around the world are duds, either due to poor manufacturing standards of export rounds or degradation due to age. Inexperienced users are also said to some-times forget to arm the round before loading, thereby assuring the round won’tdetonate. Still, with all its negatives the RPG-7V is a serious threat because it onlytakes one hit, lucky or otherwise, to cause massive damage to a vehicle or death toexposed infantrymen.

RPG-29

The RPG-29 is a thoroughly modern 105mm anti-tank grenade launcher. Known asVampire, the RPG-29 shares very little in common with the RPG-7V. It is much longerand therefore can be broken down into two parts in seconds for one soldier can carrymore easily. It is loaded from the rear, fires a much larger grenade, and thanks tothe design is quite accurate. It has almost double the effective range of the RPG-7V,posing a significant threat to enemy armor out to 500m. With its tandem warheadgrenade it can effectively counter ERA (reactive) armor by detonating the explosiveblocks with its first charge and penetrating the base armor with the second. It canalso penetrate over 1.5m of reinforced concrete and still have enough power remain-



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ing to cause casualties beyond. The anti-personnel round is the controversialthermobaric type which kills by using over pressure instead of fragmentation or ex-plosive effect. The RPG-29 may not be as sophisticated and powerful as the USJavelin, yet it is extremely lethal to even the heaviest armored vehicles.

AT-3B

The AT-3 Sagger B (NATO designation) is a wire-guided anti-tank missile of the SovietUnion first produced in the 1960s, then improved in the early 1970s. It was the firstman-portable Soviet anti-tank missile and was produced in huge numbers. The AT-3B can be fired from a portable fiberglass suitcase launcher or from certain vehicles(BMP-1, BRDM-2). Setup time for the man portable version is about 5 minutes. Oncefired the missile is guided by line of sight to its target up to 3000m. The gunnertracks both the missile and the target, adjusting the missile’s direction via a joystickthrough wires spooled out from the missile as it travels towards the target. Trackingboth the missile and target simultaneously requires some skill and concentration onthe part of the operator. Hundreds of hours of constant training are needed to achievethese skills and maintain them. It is simply too expensive to train gunners to this

level of proficiency, so most go into battle to “learn on the job”. Being a generallyslow missile with a big smoke signature means that the gunner might come undereffective fire from the enemy before the missile has reached its target. It also givesthe target warning, which allows it to do evasive maneuvers that make a hit even lesslikely. Another major drawback is the inability to track the missile until it is at least500m from the gunner, which effectively means targets closer than 500m can not beengaged at all. Which is why estimates of the missile hitting the target range from2%-25% depending on the situation and gunner skill.

AT-3C

AT-3C Sagger C consists of a slightly improved AT-3B missile (greater penetration) anda different guidance system, semi-automatic command line of sight (SACLOS). In-stead of having to track both the target and the missile the gunner only has to trackthe target. This vastly improves the chance of hitting the target from 2%-25% toperhaps 90%.

AT-3DAT-3D Sagger D is a further improvement of the AT-3C system by introducing three new

warheads and a faster missile. The first is a HEAT warhead that offers almost doublethe penetration power of the original AT-3. The second is a tandem HEAT warheaddesigned to overcome ERA (reactive) defenses. The third new warhead type is

thermobaric for use against soft targets. A fully equipped AT-3D team should beexpected to have a mix of these new missile types.

AT-4A

The AT-4 Spigot is using a semi-automatic command line of sight (SACLOS) systemsimilar to that found on the AT-3C. The system consists of a launcher and a dispos-able tube with one missile. Technically it is man portable, but it is quite heavy andtherefore practically speaking can only be moved a short distance. The gunner liesprone while firing and must keep the target lined up until missile impact. The AT-4missile is more powerful than the AT-3 and is able to get up to speed much faster,

thus reducing the dead space for targeting down to 70m from 500m. A target movingfaster than 60km/h (37mph) is unlikely to be hit, which for most circumstances is anacceptable limitation since few vehicles travel faster than that on the battlefield.Penetration power, however, is no better than the original AT-3 and its range is shorter,with a maximum of 2000m.



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AT-4C

A slight improvement over the AT-4A is the AT-4C Spigot C. It retains the same trackingsystem but boosts the missiles range to 2500m. A new tandem HEAT warheadincreases penetration over the AT-4A by almost 50%.

AT-7

The AT-7 Saxhorn is a significant departure from the AT-3 and AT-4 systems. It uses animproved AT-4 type targeting system and a small, lightweight launch platform. Ad-ditionally, the missiles themselves are much lighter than earlier ones. This makesthe system much more portable and capable of being fired from the shoulder (thoughthis is difficult to do). The downside is that the lighter weight of the missile came atthe expense of range with a maximum range of just 1000m. It can be used fromwithin a moderately enclosed space at any target further away than 40m and travel-ing 60km/h (37mph) or slower. Penetration is similar to the AT-3B and AT-4A systems,

though it is much faster due to its light weight.

AT-13

The AT-13 Metis-M (confusingly NATO also refers to this at the Saxhorn) is an improvedversion of the AT-7 by combining the same launch system with a superior missile. Itis slightly slower than the AT-7, but its tandem HEAT warhead can penetrate nearlytwice the amount of armor and is designed to defeat ERA. There is also a thermobaricwarhead for use against soft targets.

AT-14

The Kornet-E is the most current and capable ATGM threat faced by Western forces. Itis similar in appearance to the AT-7 and AT-13 systems, but only superficially. Unlikeprevious systems the AT-14 comes standard with a thermal sight and uses a laser forguidance. This makes tracking targets much easier and less vulnerable to interfer-ence, though the gunner must still remain stationary until the target is hit. Withthese new tools in his hands, a decent gunner is almost assured of hitting whateverhe aims at up to 5000m. And if he hits, the target is probably knocked out. Thetandem HEAT warhead has nearly three times the penetration power of the early AT-3 systems, AT-4, and AT-5 systems and 50% more punch than the AT-13. It can alsofire a powerful thermobaric missile against soft targets. This is the weapon every

tanker, Western or otherwise, fears coming up against.



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Branches

Coalition (USA)Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT)

The Styker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT) is a “medium” forcewith a high tech, infantry-centric organization built around the8 wheeled Stryker family of medium weight armoured vehicles.The Stryker Infantry Battalion gives commanders more “bootson the ground” and firepower than the infantry forces in eitherthe Heavy or Infantry Brigade Combat Teams (HBCT and IBCT).SBCTs are capable of conducting the full spectrum of combatoperations, though they are best suited for missions that em-phasize mobility over firepower, infantry over armor. ThoughSBCT formations are capable of standing up to a heavy force,

and defeating it, by design this is not what they are best at.Such combat is the primary mission type for HBCTs.

An important aspect of the SBCT concept is the full integration of advanced command and control systems. Centered on thesatellite based FBCB2 (Force XXI Battle Command Brigade andBelow), these systems allow all units to “see” the entire battle-field and exchange information about enemy and friendly forces.All of this information is distributed directly to each Stryker

unit without having to filter up and down the chain of com-mand. Better still, the system can’t be jammed or lose itssignal like radios can. When combined it means that when aStryker unit sees something it can report it, and when it re-ports it the others can receive that report. In short, what oneunit sees ALL units see regardless of the tactical circumstances.

Heavy Brigade Combat Team (HBCT)

The Heavy Brigade Combat Team (HBCT) is the US Army’s heavi-est combat formation. It’s main element, the Combined ArmsBattalion (CAB), contains Abrams tanks and Bradley IFV



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mounted infantry companies in equal proportions. Although anHBCT has significantly less infantry and infantry support sys-tems than a SBCT, it has enormous firepower and strongprotection from enemy fire. The HBCT’s main mission is break-ing through enemy positions and smash any counter attacks

that may materialize.

The US Army is in the middle of upgrading HBCTs to have thesame level of command and control capability the SBCTs haveenjoyed since their creation. This is being done on a Brigadeby Brigade basis. Because of this, Combat Mission simulates “digitized” (upgraded) HBCTs, giving them almost identicalcommand and control benefits as the SBCT.

SyriaRepublican Guard

The Republican Guard is the most important force protecting theregime from external and domestic threats. It consists of a

single oversized Mechanized Division that generally has firstpick of equipment and personnel. The training standards arehigher and the leadership is promoted based on merit, notpolitical favorism.

Special Forces

The Special Forces of Syria are considerable both in terms of num-bers and capabilities. Their standard of training is very highand they are equipped with the best weapons available. Sevenindependent SF Regiments (basically large battalions) arespread over the whole of Syria, tasked with protecting keyareas from threat. Four other SF Regiments are equipped moreheavily and organized as the 14th Special Forces Division for

operations in the Golan Heights. The Special Forces give Syr-ian commanders a rapid, flexible force capable of both offensiveand defensive operations. Recent rumors indicate that manyof the independent SF Regiments are dispersed, in companystrength, throughout the country to prepare for an systemicresponse to any invading force.



204 Combat Mission

Regular Army

By far the biggest arm of the full time Syrian Armed Forces arethe Regular Army forces, consisting of seven Armored and threeMechanized Divisions. Equipment, training, and leadership isgenerally good, but definitely a qualitative step down from theRepublican Guard. While competent, these forces are of me-diocre quality by Western standards.

Reserve Army

In time of war Syria has the ability to more than double its ArmedForces by calling upon previously trained conscripts and re-tired professional soldiers. A significant portion of these arefiltered into an Armored and two Motorized Divisions, the restgo to various independent (and largely static) Brigade andsmaller formations. They have the worst armored vehicles(when present at all) and in general the hand-me-downs fromthe other units. Additionally, the Reserves are not kept in ahigh state of military readiness and unit cohesion is quite low.

In theory the divisional units are capable of offensive action,but it is doubtful they would be much good at it. The rest donot have much in the way of motorized transport, thereforethey are limited to defensive operations only.

MilitiaA large amount of the Syrian Reserves are called up to form inde-

pendent units tasked with defending their local areas from

attack. They lack most everything one expects from a com-bined arms force in terms of equipment, training, andleadership. The equipment they do receive is the worst inSyria’s inventory. As a result, the Militia’s combat capabilitiesare quite limited. Their fate is to be situated in fixed positionsand hope for the best.

Unconventional Forces (Fighters)

Combat Mission simulates two different classes of unconventionalforces (Uncons for short); Fighters and Combatants. Fightersconsist of terrorists, foreign trained fighters, and local fanatics



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with some semblance of military organization, including a dis-tinguishable “uniform”. They fight in small, unevenly distributedforces using all means of warfare at their disposal such as IEDs,technicals (armed civilian vehicles), and the latest in anti-tankweaponry. What they lack in skill they attempt to make up for

in determination.

Unconventional Forces (Combatants)

Combatants are little more than armed civilians with some sort of motivation to fight. Unlike Fighters, these units are ad-hoc in

nature. Therefore, they lack the proper uniform, commandstructure, and organization of even Fighters, not to mention aunit in the Armed Forces. They rely on hit and run tacticsusing light weapons, IEDs, technicals, and simple AT weapons.



206 Combat Mission

Icons

CM:SF is making extensive use of various Icons to allow the player

to spot vital information in the game user interface at a glance.Below is a list of the most important icons used in the gameand their description.

Defensiveequipment

Slat armor

Smoke Launcher

Active Defense

ECM

Laser Destroy

Laser Diffuse

Reactive Armor

Ammo

Hand grenades

Small arms ammo

MG ammo

Rifle Grenades

Specialty (MOS)

Air Controller

Antitank

Artillery Controller

Commander

Assistant Leader

Driver Engineer

Forward Observer

Gunner

Loader

Designated Marksman

Radioman

Threat Anti-tank missile

Small caliber Medium caliber Large caliber



Shock Force 207

Comms

FBCB2

PDA

Radio

Visual (Close)

Visual (Distant)

Voice

Special Equipment AT4

Binoculars

Nightvision Goggles

Demo Charge

GPS

IED detonator

Javelin Command Launch Unit

Javelin missile

RPG 7

RPG 18

RPG rocket /anti-tank

./anti-personnel

./thermobaric



208 Combat Mission

BranchesU.S. Army

Heavy Brigade Combat Team (HBCT)

Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT)

Syrian Army

Armor

Infantry

Mech Infantry

Republican Guard

Special Forces

Syrian Uncons

Combatant

Fighter

Specialist



Shock Force 209

TroubleshootingWhile we’re taking utmost care in preparation of this software to avoid bugs, today’s

myriad of available systems, software and hardware configurations makes it impos-sible to guarantee 100% compatibility. Below you will find a few known issues as wellas a list of contacts available to help out.

An up-to-date Troubleshooting Guide is also available at our webpage:http://www.battlefront.com/products/cmsf/Troubleshooting%20Guide.html

Multi-GPUOn certain systems with multiple video cards a known bug prevents players to select

units occasionally. Turn off the additional video card(s) to solve this problem.

Intro videoIf you have a problem with launching the game, try disabling the intro video. You can do

this by holding down the “V” key while the game launches. This setting is remem-bered, so you won’t have to hold down the key on subsequent launches.

Multiple Video Cards (SLI) very SlowIf you are running multiple nVidia video cards running in SLI mode, download the latest

Forceware drivers (169.21 at least).

Units disappear with Shadows onThis problem seems to affect people with certain combination of newer (8000 series)

GeForce cards and various OS and video driver combinations. Until Nvidia releases anew set of Forceware drivers that specifically address this problem, simply play thegame with shadows disabled (use Alt-W to toggle shadows on or off).

Level of detail CM:SF tries hard to keep up framerates and will automatically downsample textures,

and adjust model quality, and level of detail calculations if it detects performancelimits (VRAM used up etc.) This may lead to a subpar graphics quality during gameplay.Often it is a better idea to manually adjust the model and textures quality downward

in the Game Options Menu, leading to better overall look and faster framerates.



210 Combat Mission

Tech Support

BugsIf you run into a bug, or have problems in running or installing the game, please visit

our Tech Support forum at:

.............. http://www.battlefront.com/discuss/ultimatebb.php?category=15

If you do not find a solution to your problem there, please email us at.............. [email protected]

PatchesPlease also do not forget to check regularly for the latest patches to the game at:.............. http://www.battlefront.com/products/cmsf/

Your can also do an auto-check to find out if your version of the game is up to date. In

your Start>Program Group you will find a link within the Combat Mission Shock Forcesub-group called “Check for latest version”. Clicking the link will automatically com-pare your currently installed version of the game with the latest version available fordownload, and the results will be displayed in your browser.

LicensingFor problems with licensing or unlicensing the game, please refer first to the FAQ at:.............. http://www.battlefront.com/elicense_faq.html

If you do not find a solution to your problem there, please email us at

.............. [email protected]



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AFV .......................... Armored Fighting VehicleAT ............................ Anti-Tank

ATGM ....................... Anti-Tank Guided MissileBFT .......................... Blue Force TrackerBN ........................... BattalionC&C ......................... see C2C2 ........................... Command & ControlC4ISR ...................... Command, Control, Communications,

............................ Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance

............................ and ReconnaissanceCO ........................... Company, and also: Commanding OfficerCPL .......................... CorporalECM ......................... Electronic Counter MeasuresETD .......................... Estimated Time of DeliveryFBCB2 ...................... Force XXI Battle Command, Brigade-

............................ and-Below (communications system)FAC .......................... Forward Air Controller (outdated, see JTAC)FIST ......................... Fire Support TeamFO ........................... Forward ObserverGPS ......................... Global Positioning SystemHE ........................... High ExplosiveHMG......................... Heavy MachinegunHQ ........................... HeadquartersHW .......................... Heavy WeaponsICM .......................... Improved Conventional Munition

IED .......................... Improvised Explosive DeviceIFV .......................... Infantry Fighting VehicleJTAC ......................... Joint Tactical Air ControllerKIA .......................... Killed in ActionLGB .......................... Laser Guided BombLOS.......................... Line of SightMBT ......................... Main Battle TankMCLOS ..................... Manual Command Line of Sight............................... (First-generation missile guidance system)

MMG ........................ Medium MachinegunMOS ......................... Military Operation Specialties

MOUT ....................... Military Operations in Urban TerrainOOB ......................... Order of BattlePDA ......................... see RPDAPLT .......................... PlatoonROF ......................... Rate of FireRPDA........................ Ruggedized Personal Digital AssistantRPG ......................... Rocket Propelled GrenadeSACLOS .................... Semi-Automatic Command Line of Sight............................... (Second-generation missile guidance system)

SGT ......................... SergeantTO&E........................ Table of Organization & Equipment

TRP .......................... Target Reference PointVBIED ...................... Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive............................ Device. Also VBIED

WIA ......................... Wounded in ActionWP ........................... White PhosphorusXO ........................... Executive Officer

Military Terms Glossary



Game DesignCharles Moylan

Stephen GrammontThe Battlefront TeamCharles MoylanStephen GrammontDan OldingMatt FallerFernando J. Carrera BuilTim OroszMartin van Balkom

ProgrammingCharles Moylan

User Interface DesignS h G

Charles CrailPhillip CullitonThomas DaxnerRudel DietrichMichael A. Dorosh

Mike DuplessisMark EzraMatt FallerAndy FarleyMark GibsonJames GoodmanStephen GrammontJean-Charles HareJeff HoolihanMark JarvisBil Hardenberger

Craig HarveyPhilip HedegardR b K i ht

Credits Stephen GrammontMartin van BalkomBlaine Whitney

Tips & GlossaryMark GibsonGeorge McEwanJean-Vincent RoyJon SowdenMartin van Balkom

TranslationsThéophile MonnierJean-Vincent RoyMartin van Balkom

CMSF Game Manual v1.10

Documents

Transcript of CMSF Game Manual v1.10