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Game Manual
Shock Force 1
License
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2 Combat Mission
The Reality of Reality, A Foreword
Computers are basically 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 even be impossible for
it to do.
A tactical combat simulator, unfortunately,
requires the computer to simulate chaos, both
natural and man made. Further, when the
simulation is executed in RealTime, the
computer must calculate these difficult things
quickly and efficiently. If this wasn’t tough
enough, the gamers using the simulator require
that the computer also devote a large amount
of its power to push around polygons to make
the simulation 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 the developer needs to be realistic
about what can and can’t be done in the
practical sense. In effect this means picking
what to simulate and how to simulate it very
carefully. It also means simulating as many
elements as abstractly as possible so that
resources can be devoted towards those things
which are not as easily abstracted. Therefore,
as realistic as Combat Mission is it doesn’t mean
players won’t notice abstractions from time to
time. It’s 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 the last boot heel and
Shock Force 3
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
quite right. A soldier shooting through solid
ground, perhaps, or a tree branch passing
through a passing tank. In a perfect world we
would have enough time and computing power
to avoid these abstractions. Since we don’t, we
can’t. What we can do is make sure 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.
4 Combat Mission
Table of contents
The Reality of Reality, Veteran ..................................... 36
A Foreword ............................... 3 Elite .......................................... 37
Shock Force 5
Unit Objectives (Blue and Red) .. 103 Creating Phase Lines ................. 150
Map Editor ............................... 104 “Secret” Missions ...................... 150
Map Editor Options .................. 105 Programming the AI .................. 151
Elevation ................................ 106 Plan for the Plans .................... 151
Landmarks ............................. 108 Start simple ........................... 151
Setup Zones ........................... 108 What would you do? ................ 152
Map Toolbar ............................ 109 Do something else ................... 152
Object Rotation .................... 109 The devil is in the details .......... 153
Paintbrush ........................... 109 Encyclopedia ........................... 154
Map Zoom ........................... 109 Coalition (United States) ............ 154
Map width & depth ................ 109 Basic Tactics ........................... 154
Units Editor ............................. 110 The Stryker Combat Vehicle ........ 157
Purchase Units .......................... 111 The Bradley Fighting Vehicle ..... 161
Soft factors .............................. 112 The Abrams Main Battle Tank .... 162
typical Setting ......................... 114 The Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle164
Purchasing equipment ................ 114 U.S. Air Assets ........................ 166
Reinforcements ....................... 118 U.S. Artillery Assets ................. 167
Earliest Arrival Time .............. 118 U.S. Weapons ......................... 168
Arrival Span ......................... 118 Syria ....................................... 171
Deploy Units ........................... 119 Basic Tactics ........................... 171
Deployment Commands ......... 119 Tanks .................................... 172
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Editor120 Syrian Artillery Assets .............. 180
AI Elements .............................. 121 Syrian Weapons ...................... 181
Groups .................................. 121 Branches ................................. 187
Map Zone ............................... 122 Coalition (USA) ......................... 187
Orders ................................... 123 Stryker Brigade Combat Team ... 187
Occupy buildings ..................... 124 Heavy Brigade Combat Team .... 187
Stance ................................... 124 Syria ....................................... 188
Passenger status ..................... 125 Republican Guard .................... 188
Plans ....................................... 125 Special Forces ......................... 188
Exit Before / Exit After ............. 126 Regular Army ......................... 189
Support Targets (Blue or Red) ..... 127 Reserve Army ......................... 189
3D Preview ............................. 128 Militia .................................... 189
Editing Buildings ....................... 128 Unconventional Forces ............. 189
Editing Flavor Objects ................ 129 Icons ...................................... 191
Specialty (MOS) ........................ 191
Baking Scenarios .................... 129
Threat ..................................... 191
Making Campaigns .................. 130 Defensive equipment ................. 191
Core Units File .......................... 132 Ammo ..................................... 191
Scenarios (Battles) .................... 132 Comms .................................... 192
Campaign Script File .................. 133 Special Equipment ..................... 192
Compiling a Campaign ............... 135 Branches ................................. 193
Creating Quick Battle Maps ..... 137 U.S. Army .............................. 193
Setup Zones ........................... 137 Syrian Army ........................... 193
AI Plans ................................. 137 Syrian Uncons ........................ 193
Victory conditions .................... 137 Troubleshooting ........................ 194
Red and Blue .......................... 137 Multi-GPU ............................... 194
Units on the map ..................... 138 Screen resolution .................... 194
Terrain ................................... 138 How to adjust AA/Vertical Synch 194
Battle Type ............................. 138 Level of detail ......................... 194
Tech Support ............................ 194
Tips for using the Editor ......... 139 Bugs ..................................... 194
Getting to know the terrain ......... 139 Patches .................................. 194
Realistic maps ........................... 141 Licensing ................................ 194
Tactical considerations ............... 144
Towns and cities ........................ 145 Military Terms Glossary .......... 195
Flavor Objects .......................... 146 Credits .................................... 196
Keep game performance in mind . 147
Working with Objectives ............. 148
6 Combat Mission
CM:SF Backstory
History is merely a list of surprises. It can only
prepare us to be surprised yet again.
- Kurt Vonnegut
Shock Force 7
Then one day, a message was sent and the sleepers awoke and
made their way to targets of their own personal choosing within
cities not directly chosen by their leaders. Within a few hours
dozens of pounds of waste uranium were detonated by con-
ventional explosives, polluting major cities of the West for
hundreds of years with toxic radiation. The leaders of the plot
came out of hiding to celebrate, claim credit, taunt, and prom-
ise more such attacks. Then they melted back into the
population.
At the United Nations the countries suffering from the attacks
demanded they be given the mandates necessary to go after
those responsible for the attacks. Of course, it was given with
hardly any opposition amongst its members. Although the
target had not yet been fully identified, the pieces of intelli-
gence accumulated before and after the attacks pointed to one
and only one country as the point of origin; Syria. With its
long history of state sponsored terrorism, it wasn’t difficult to
imagine.
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 they also de-
nied granting any meaningful assistance to investigators.
Instead, they put their military on high alert and mobilized
large numbers of reservists. Obviously such actions did not
make their denials more credible.
The smoking gun came in April when video of the terrorist group’s
only known leader was seen celebrating the success of “our
mission”. Details were given that were not known publicly,
therefore it was without a doubt a confession from the man
responsible, not someone claiming credit for the deeds of oth-
ers. Communications surveillance, eye witnesses, and covert
operatives all agreed on one thing... the man and his organi-
zation were in the heart of Syria, no place else. 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 attacks
continued for three days as various nation’s special forces
8 Combat Mission
slipped over Syria’s porous borders to pave the way for the
larger ground offensive. On the morning of the 19th a large
American force, Task Force Thunder, left its jump off positions
and crossed into Syria along the middle section of the border
with Iraq. Other forces streamed in further south and along
the 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 its at-
tackers.
Task Force Thunder was assigned the most important task. Led
by a full Stryker Brigade Combat Team, backed up by a mixed
battalion of Armor, Mechanized Infantry, and support assets,
their job was to slice through the center of Syria with the great-
est speed possible. The primary mission was to make it
impossible for the defending forces to redeploy from one area
to another, cause maximum confusion of the defense efforts,
and to eventually seal off Damascus, the capital and toughest
objective, from the northeast. Other forces would be respon-
sible for reducing the pockets TF Thunder created so that it
would not slow down.
As the commander of 2nd Battalion, your mission is to hit the
enemy forces hard and keep to your time table. The success
of the entire military operation rests in no small part on your
shoulders.
A developers conundrum
In mid 2002 we decided, for a number of reasons, that the first
game using the new CMx2 engine would be set in the near
future instead of the past. More specifically we decided to
focus the game on the Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT)
concept, which was in its infancy at the time. We felt it would
be interesting to “see what it could do” in a conventional ground
combat role in the near future.
By mid 2004 CM development was at a stage where we had to
nail down the region and specific nation to act as the game’s
Shock Force 9
setting. To get the sort of challenge we required from a game
perspective we needed a Red Force (OPFOR) that had a con-
ventional armed force capable of offering more than token
resistance. The country also had to be a plausible foe of the
so-called Western nations who make up the Blue Force. The
resulting list was surprisingly short, even when we looked at
the possibility of a setting outside of the Middle East. All things
considered, we decided that Middle East and Syria would offer
the best elements for CM:SF and therefore chose it for our
setting. Our choice was based primarily on the desire to pro-
vide a tactically rich and interesting modern combat setting,
much less on the likelihood of its actual occurrence, and not at
all as any form of endorsement for 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 to better reflect what we felt ground warfare would
look like in 2008. The drawn out conflicts in Afghanistan and
Iraq gave us great insight, but neither offered the mix of con-
ventional and unconventional we suspected 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 backstory for a conflict with
Syria was becoming less and less possible even though in many
ways it became more plausible.
By mid 2006 we found ourselves in a conundrum. Due to the
strain on resources to continue the wars in Afghanistan and
Iraq the ability of the West to wage another large ground war
in the Middle East (or anywhere for that matter) became less
and less possible with each passing month. Still, we wanted to
simulate such an environment and in fact were too far along to
back out even if we wanted to. This conflict between needs
and reality presented us with quite a design dilemma. On one
hand we had to pick a viable place to “wage war” or we wouldn’t
have a game at all, while on the other we could see no country
that had clearly justify a “virtual invasion”.
To solve this problem we considered setting CM:SF in a com-
pletely fictional country against a completely fictional Red
Force. After lengthy discussions internally and on our Forum
we decided that a generic, fictional setting would not be as
compelling to play as a setting in the real world would be.
10 Combat Mission
Therefore, Syria was chosen as the “Red Force” even though
there is no indication that war with Syria would be justifiable
any time in the near future.
Once the setting was chosen we dedicated a considerable amount
of effort to ensuring we made a fair and accurate representa-
tion of Syria’s ability to defend itself militarily. While we would
have done this no matter what the setting was (realism is,
afterall, our hallmark), it does serve a double purpose in this
case. Not only does CM:SF’s setting make for a challenging
tactical wargame, but it also demonstrates Syria’s likely real
world ability to resist a foreign invader. Therefore we hope it is
clear that our choice of setting is intended as no offense to the
people of Syria, and that CMSF is purely a simulation, not a
push for real-life conflict. Further, CM:SF’s simulation does not
support the naive notion, held by some in the West, that Syria
would be a “pushover” in the event of ground war. In fact, we
see CM:SF as showing both sides that they would be wise to
put all their effort into settling their disputes diplomatically
instead of wasting energy saber rattling. A war between the
two would likely have undesirable results for both sides.
Shock Force 11
Installation & Licensing
Installation from disc
In order to install the game, insert the game disc. The Combat
Mission: Shock Force Installation Menu should appear if you
have CD Autostart enabled on your computer. Click on the “In-
stall Game” option to begin the installation process. If you have
CD Autostart disabled or if the Installation Menu does not ap-
pear, please browse the contents of the disc and simply
double-click on the file called “CMSF_Setup.exe”. That will
manually launch the game installer.
License Overview
Combat 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 or
intrusive to the legitimate customer.
12 Combat Mission
Unlike so many other activation systems, eLicense requires you
to register only once and does not mess with your hardware or
OS settings. Yet it does prevent illegal use of the game and
therefore ensures that Battlefront.com will be around for a long
time to come. That means more games for you to enjoy in the
future!
Licensing
When 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 you have installed
the game on has an active online connection to
the 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 while your license authorizes.
If you wish to install the game on a computer which has no internet
connection, 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 the
License Screen appears:
a) click on the “off-line license” button and
generate the off-line license request
b) save the ENTIRE request file (including the
instructions 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
Shock Force 13
proceed with the off-line licensing procedure by
pasting the entire contents of the license file
into your licensing window
Off-line licensing is also a good workaround for online computers
which experience problems with a firewall or proxy settings
since, unlike the direct online activation, off-line licensing only
requires a simple non-encrypted internet connection. If you
do experience firewall or proxy problems, simply follow the
off-line licensing steps on the same computer that is having
the problem.
eLicense allows you to license, unlicense and re-license the game
as often as you wish. What this means is you are allowed to
use CM:SF on several computers if you like (up to two at the
same time) without reinstallation and have the right to re-sell
the game after you had your fun with it (as long as you un-
license your copy).
Un-Licensing
One of the neat features of eLicense is that your license never
expires and is never used up, unlike so many other protection
systems 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 to be re-used elsewhere. There is no limit to how often you
are allowed to do this, as long as you un-license first before
attempting to re-license elsewhere.
14 Combat Mission
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 2 concurrent activations. However, if you
already have two activations, and would like to run the game
on a third computer, you must first un-license one of the active
copies before you can activate the game on a third machine.
To activate a third computer, without un-installing from an exist-
ing computer, you have to manually un-license it. There are
several ways to un-license a copy:
a) right click on the file you’re using to start up
the game. This can be a desktop icon or an
entry in your program menu. Select “un-
license” from the pop-up menu.
b) Open the Windows System Tray and open
the eLicense Control Center. Select the game
you want to un-license and right-click on it.
Select un-license from the pop-up menu.
Other ways on how to un-license, as well as solutions to potential
problems are explained in the F.A.Q:
http://www.battlefront.com/elicense_faq.html
After the Un-license window opens, you only have to enter your
license key and click the Un-license button while your com-
puter is connected to the internet. Un-licensing only works online
and is not possible if your computer is not connected to the
internet.
E-license support
Battlefront.com prides itself in customer service and that contin-
ues with the implementation of the eLicense system. Please
check out our F.A.Q. section which explains how eLicense works,
how to license and unlicense games, and what to do if you
ever 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 your
problem at elicense@battlefront.com. We usually respond within
1 working day.
Shock Force 15
Keyboard & mouse Controls
Camera Navigation
(Mouse)
Cursor at screen edges ......... Move
Cursor in upper corners ........ Rotate
Left-click and drag ............... Move camera
Right-click and drag ............. Pivot camera
Right-click and hold
(when unit selected) ............ Pivot around unit
Mouse wheel ....................... Elevate
Mouse wheel + SHIFT .......... Elevate + Pitch
Mouse Wheel + CTRL ........... Pitch
CTRL + Left-click ................. Jump to Map Location
(Keyboard)
W or Up Arrow ........ Move Forward
A or Left Arrow ........ Move Left
D or Right Arrow ...... Move Right
S or Down Arrow ..... Move Back
Q ........................... Rotate Left
E ........................... Rotate Right
V ........................... Reverse View
R ........................... Raise camera
F ........................... Lower camera
Z ........................... Zoom out
X ........................... Zoom in
C ........................... Wide Angle View
1 - 9 ...................... Preset Camera Positions
Arrow Keys ............. Fine Movement
Unit Selection
Left-click on Unit ................. Selects Unit
Right-click on Map ............... Deselects Unit
Double-click on Unit ............. Group-select formation
SHIFT+Left-click .................. Adds additional units to group
SHIFT+Left-click & Drag ....... Drag selection rectangle
................................................ around multiple units
(Note: + and - keys are restricted to “next” unit within the group when a
group is selected)
16 Combat Mission
Commands
ESC ....................... Pause Game
TAB ....................... Lock Camera to Unit
- ........................... Select Previous Unit
+ .......................... Select Next Unit
F12 ........................ Select Last Unit
{ and } .................. Adjust 3D Model Quality
Command Keys
U I O ..................... Top Row of Commands
J K L ...................... Middle Row
M , . ...................... Bottom Row
Y ........................... Move Command
H ........................... Target Command
N ........................... Face Command
P ........................... Previous Command Panel
; ........................... Next Command Panel
BACKSPACE ............ Delete Last Waypoint
Editor
3D Map Preview
buildings
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
Shock Force 17
Flavor Objects
LEFT CLICK ......................... rotate object
SHIFT+LEFT CLICK .............. nudge object in the direction
................................................ the camera is facing
CTRL+LEFT CLICK ............... delete object
2D Map Editor
CTRL+Right-click ..... changes current tile rotation
Left-click ................ place tile/object
Left-click & hold ....... “paint” tile/object (not available for all
.................................... tiles/objects)
Right-click .............. delete tile/object (of the same type as
.................................... currently selected)
Options
Alt-S ...................... Toggle Sound
Alt-W ..................... Toggle Shadows
Alt-T ...................... Toggle Tree Display
Alt-I ....................... Toggle Floating Icons
Alt-J ....................... Toggle Show Objectives
Alt-L ...................... Toggle Show Landmarks
Alt-Q ...................... Quit
Customizing hotkeys
CM:SF allows you to customize SOME of the most important
hotkeys to your liking. In order to do so, browse into your
game directory and open the „Data” folder. You will find a file
there called „hotkeys.txt”. Open this file in a text editor pro-
gram.
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 and
save it in the same location. You might want to keep a few
things in mind however:
- It might be a good idea to save the original defaults first be-
fore making any changes. Rename the original hotkeys.txt file
to hotkeys_original.txt for example.
18 Combat Mission
- When you change a hotkey, make sure that the same key is
not already used / assigned to a different function. The pro-
gram does not check for double-assignments, and will perform
one function, but not both. Worst case the game may crash if
you assign the various functions to the same case, best case…
nothing will happen.
- If you’re not using other languages, feel free to remove all
other entries. This will help in editing the file. If no language
specific entry is found, the <E> keys are used by default.
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 infrequent
resetting. Features that need more frequent customization are
set within the game using Hotkeys.
Shock Force 19
- 3D Model Quality: Offers several settings for balancing model
details with speed. The choices range from “Fastest” (lowest
quality, highest game speed) to “Best” (best visual quality but
possibly lower gamespeed). “Balanced” offers a good compro-
mise between model quality and framerate speed.
- 3D Texture Quality: As above except it balances the quality of
the graphics. For computers with video cars with less than 64
MB memory, the Fast and Fastest settings are recommended.
- Antialias / Multisample: Allows to toggle Anti-Alias and
Multisample on or off. If switched on, this option improves vi-
sual quality but may cost game performance. For some video
cards setting Anti-Alias to “use application default”might not
be enough and requires an adjustment of the graphics card’s
settings before this option can be enabled.
- Language: CM:SF comes in a multi-language configuration. It
defaults to the language that your desktop is set to, but if you
would like to switch to a different language, you can make the
choice here. You must exit the game after changing languages
to access the correct language scenario folders.
20 Combat Mission
Battles & Campaigns
CMSF offers three basic types of scenarios to play, Campaigns,
Battles and QuickBattles.
Battles
As the game title “Combat Mission” implies, the actual Battle Mis-
sion is at the core of the game. This is where player and/or
computer controlled forces clash and their fate is decided.
Battles constitute the base for the Campaigns and QuickBattles
systems, explained further below. A number of pre-designed
and tested battles and campaigns are available with the game,
but using the powerful Editor tools, players can also create an
unlimited amount of new battles.
Battles are missions pre-designed by a scenario designer, includ-
ing the map, objectives, forces, reinforcements and AI scripting.
As such, Battles can depict a nearly unlimited number of com-
bat situations, forces, and mission types. The Editor section of
the Game Manual explains in detail how Battles can be cre-
ated.
Shock Force 21
How to start
To start a Battle, click on the Battle button on the main menu
screen. The battle window opens, listing all available battles
from the game’s “Scenarios” folder. Clicking on the title of each
battle, some additional information is given so the player gets
an idea of what the Battle is about at a glance.
22 Combat Mission
- Temperature: shows 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. Hitting
OK opens the next screen:
Mission Briefing
The mission briefing screen opens when first entering a battle.
The briefing screen shows:
- Strategic Map (e.g. map of Syria or the geographical location
of where the battle is taking place). Uploaded by scenario au-
thor and empty if not provided.
- Operational Map (e.g. a city map of the neighborhood where
the 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.
Shock Force 23
- Button for Tactical Map. Toggles map or briefing view and
shows a tactical map to the player, e.g. a bird’s eye view of the
battlefield. Empty if not provided by scenario author.
Hitting OK brings the player right to the 3D battlefield. Good luck!
Victory conditions
Scenario designers can set a number of specific victory conditions
for battles, and mix different objectives and objective types
which the player needs to fulfill. Each objective can have a
different victory point value associated with it. The objectives
of the opposing sides do not have to match, in fact, one side
can have totally different goals for a scenario than the other.
And objectives are not automatically known to both sides - a
mission goal can be known to only the side who has to reach
it; or only the other side; or both; or none.
Objectives are explained in more details in the Editor chapter.
However, here are the basics for the player:
For each scenario, there are three main types of objectives for
each side: terrain based objectives, unit based objectives, and
force wide objectives.
24 Combat Mission
Terrain based objectives
The scenario designer can set any number of terrain based objec-
tives, i.e. areas on the map of some importance for the mission.
The available objective types include:
- Occupy: player needs to occupy the area and keep some forces
on it to gain points
- Destroy: player needs to destroy area (e.g. building)
- Preserve: the opposite of the above, player needs to ensure
that the area remains undamaged
- Touch: player needs to reach the objective area to gain points,
but does not have to remain in position
Shock Force 25
- Ammo (friendly and enemy): if the player retains more than
this percentage of ammo and pushes the enemy to expend
more than another percentage, he is awarded the respective
victory points each
- Friendly bonus: one time bonus to the side. A quick “fix” to
balance uneven battles - which can be fun at times.
The full range of Victory objectives is available for Battles and
Campaigns. QuickBattles use a simplified auto-generated sys-
tem, explained at the end of this chapter.
Campaigns
A Campaign is a single player game that progress through a se-
ries of interconnected Battles stretching over many simulated
hours, days, weeks, or even months. After completing a Battle,
Combat Mission selects the next Battle based on the results of
26 Combat Mission
the one just completed. The Battles within a Campaign are all
premade, but are adjusted to reflect combat results from the
previous Battle. Combat Mission campaigns are what we call
“semi-dynamic”. Which means there are some predetermined
elements as well as some based on the player’s actions.
Certain units have their casualties, changes in leadership, ammo
usage, damage, and other factors carried over to the next Battle
they appear in. Such units are called Core Units and constitute
the bulk of the player’s available force for the Campaign. This
does 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 units
may only appear a couple of times while others appear nearly
every battle. But Core Units are always seen at least two times,
unlike Auxiliary Units which are seen only once for the whole
Campaign. Combat Mission makes no attempt to inform the
player about which units are Core or Auxiliary in order to re-
move the temptation for player abuse of Auxiliaries (i.e. treating
Auxiliary units as “disposable”).
Depending on conditions before each new Battle, Combat Mission
may replace fallen soldiers, repair damaged vehicles, replen-
ish ammo, etc. However, as with any real-life military campaign,
replacement, repair, and replenishment are not guaranteed
events. A wise player will keep this in mind and avoid wearing
out his forces trying to achieve something that, in the bigger
context of the campaign, isn’t very important.
Combat Mission chooses which Battle comes next based on the
score from the previous Battle. However, the evaluation is
based on expectations about how well the player should do.
Sometimes expectations are high and sometimes not. This
could mean a high score for one Battle keeps the player on the
optimal path to victory, while the same exact score for another
Battle may mean a detour before getting back on the straight
path to the Campaign’s end. Generally, however, better re-
sults lead to a more direct path to the final Battle.
Playing A Campaign
From the Main Screen click on the Campaign button to view all
available Campaigns. CM:SF includes two Campaigns, both
played from the US side; “Yakima Training Center (YTC)” and
“Task Force Thunder (TF Thunder)”.
Shock Force 27
YTC is a fairly short Campaign designed to familiarize new players
with how Combat Mission works. TF Thunder follows a battal-
ion-sized combined arms Task Force across the Syrian border
with the ultimate mission of splitting the country into two. It is
highly recommended that all players (and this includes espe-
cially those who have played previous Combat Mission games)
play the YTC Campaign before doing anything else.
28 Combat Mission
After the last Battle the player is shown the Campaign AAR. Un-
like previous AARs, which showed results for the just completed
Battle, the Campaign AAR details how the player did for the
entire Campaign. This signifies the end of the Campaign.
The individual campaign missions make full use of all Victory Op-
tions available for Battles.
Note: Players can create their own campaigns. Please check the “Editor”
Chapter for details on how to link battles.
QuickBattles
QuickBattles offer yet more replayability in CMSF, and are also a
quick way to “generate” a new battle. Units for both sides and
the map to be played on are randomly chosen according to a
number of parameters set by the player.
Shock Force 29
Daylight – setting the time for the scenario
Weather – setting the current weather for the scenario
Units options
These options define the units that both sides will be playing with.
Units are assigned randomly based on the parameters chosen
by the player.
Service – choices include US Army, Syrian Army, Uncons, Ran-
dom, Random Blue and Random Red. This defines the base
pool of units for that side for the QB.
Branch – depending on the chosen Service, the appropriate Branch
can be selected here, e.g. Mech Infantry, or Armor.
Type – this defines the rough composition of the unit based on
the previous choices. For example, for an Infantry Branch, the
choice could be Heavy Infantry, Medium Infantry or Light In-
fantry, defining the TO&E as well as available weapons and
formations.
Quality – ranging from Poor to Excellent, this defines the equip-
ment used as well as “soft” factors such as morale, leadership
etc.
Condition – sets the physical condition for the side’s units
Force Adjustment – allows playing an unbalanced QB. If set to
the default “no change”, both sides will be roughly equally strong
based on abstract “purchase points”. The options allow you to
give the Blue Force an extra 150% of units, or to deduct 60%
from the Blue pool.
Launch the QB
After setting the parameters, and if an eligible QB Map is found in
the QB Map folder, the player will be asked to select which side
he wants to play and which style of play he prefers (Real Time,
WeGo, 1 player or 2 etc.) just as for a regular scenario. If no
eligible map is found, you will simply be returned to the Main
Menu screen.
Setup Positions
The randomly purchased units are located in the predetermined
setup areas at the beginning of the QB.
30 Combat Mission
Victory conditions
Victory 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 added
automatically, which is lowest for meeting engagements, and
highest for assaults.
Gameplay Styles
Combat Mission: Shock Force can be played in a number of ways.
At its core, it’s a simultaneous-time ground combat simulation
where one second of playing time equals one second of real
time. In other words, a 30 minute long engagement will also
take 30 minutes to play out. But not everybody has time to
play real-time, and therefore a number of alternative playing
styles are supported.
No matter which playing style you choose for a given battle, the
underlying simulation engine always runs in real-time. In other
words, as far as the game is concerned, turn-based play is
nothing else than a game played in 60 second increments of
real-time, in between which gameplay is paused to await player
input. It doesn’t have any effect on the simulation itself.
Single Player
Single-player mode allows one player to fight against the Com-
puter Opponent (often also referred to as Artificial Intelligence
or short, AI).
The Computer opponent consists of three main sub-elements:
- the customizable “Scenario AI” which can be “programmed” by
the Scenario Designer; he determines the overall strategic goals
as well as possible avenues of approach and is able to “script”
certain behavior;
- the hard-coded Operational AI (OpsAI) coordinating and assign-
ing these orders to sub-units;
Shock Force 31
- and the hard-coded Tactical AI (TacAI) controlling individual be-
havior of units and soldiers based on the assigned orders and
the situation that develops after the shooting starts.
Real-time
The Real-time Single Player mode starts off with the player enter-
ing the battlefield in the Setup Phase. Time is paused, and the
player is able to get to know the battlefield, study his orders
and units, and place his troops within the designated setup
zones. During the setup phase it is already possible to issue
orders to units which are executed immediately after the battle
starts.
With his setup completed, the player launches the battle, starting
the clock. The clock is ticking in true real-time (1 second of
game time equals 1 second in the real world) and only stops if
the game is paused. All actions happen simultaneously. After
the allotted Scenario Time expires, the battle ends, and the
results screen is shown.
Turn-based
The 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 issue
orders which will be executed during the first turn.
After the Setup Phase ends, the first game Turn begins. For the
first turn (only), the turn begins with the Action Phase, during
which the units execute the commands given to them during
the Setup Phase. After the Action Phase ends, the player can
rewind and replay the Action (without being able to issue com-
mands) as often as he likes during the Replay Phase.
Each following Turn is divided into three phases: a Command Phase
during which the player is able to issue orders to his units for
the upcoming turn, an Action Phase during which the units
execute these orders, and a Replay Phase during which the
player is able to rewind and watch the action as often as he
likes.
The Action Phase runs in real-time for 60 seconds and automati-
cally ends after that time. The Player is not able to issue further
orders during the Action and Replay Phases but can move freely
across the battlefield.
32 Combat Mission
Two-player
The Computer Opponent can be quite formidable when you are
just starting to play CM:SF, but is no match for an experienced
human player, because unlike a human the AI is not capable of
learning from its mistakes or adapting its gameplay to its
opponent(s). Although a lot can be done by the Scenario De-
signer to increase the difficulty of winning against the Computer
Opponent by carefully scripting the Scenario AI, sooner or later
multi-player games against other humans will provide the only
real challenge.
Playing against other human players is possible using a variety of
methods.
Real-time
Two player Real time play is possible via two modes - a local area
network (LAN) where two computers are connected to each
other locally, and internet play where the two players can be
anywhere in the world and connect via the internet. Both types
of play use the TCP/IP protocol for connection, therefore the
steps to set up and play a game are basically identical.
LAN/Internet
CMSF 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 choosing
which scenario he wants to play, and from the Game Start
window selects the appropriate game type: “2 Player Internet/
LAN”. On the next screen, CMSF automatically detects and lists
all IP numbers associated with the host computer, as well as
which port will be used for the connection. It then waits for the
client player to join.
Shock Force 33
The host now has to communicate this information to the client
player by email or chat. The client launches the game and
chooses “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 the
host computer and, if the connection was successful, the game
will launch. From here on, gameplay resolves exactly the same
as in the 1 player Real-Time game mode for each player.
34 Combat Mission
Turn-based
Two player turn-based play is possible via two modes - Hotseat,
where the two players play on the same computer and take
turns plotting their orders for each turn, and Play By Email
(PBEM), when players save and swap their turn files via email
with their opponent.
Hotseat
Hotseat 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 front
of 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 after the player completed his commands and ac-
tions, a special save game file is generated. The player emails
this file to his opponent who loads it on his end, executes his
commands and actions and watches the results of the previous
turn, then saves a file and returns it to the first player again.
By saving and swapping these files via email, the game advances
from turn to turn at a pace which the players can adjust to
their liking. The gameplay itself, i.e. the Action Phase, still takes
place in real-time just like in Turn-Based Single Player mode.
Multi-player
For future modules of Combat Mission, additional multi-player (i.e.
more than 2 players) features are already in the works, includ-
ing co-op play (i.e. several players can join the same side and
re-enact a real chain of command).
Shock Force 35
Skill Levels
Each time you launch a new battle, you are able to set a skill level
and in this way adjust the overall difficulty of playing the game
and winning missions. Unlike other games however, the skill
level does not simply give an artificial bonus to the computer
opponent, but has an influence on some core game mechanics
and the way that the game is played. The following sections
describes the differences between the various Skill levels. Only
the differences to the next lower level are described.
Basic Training
This is the easiest setting to play the game. 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
less likely to panic
- Treating wounded soldiers (“buddy aid”) is
extremely fast
- Artillery and air support arrives extremely fast
- Enemy units are always fully identified once
spotted
- The life/death status of enemy vehicles is
immediately displayed.
Veteran
Most people familiar with the game system will prefer this setting.
It’s a fair balance between realism and fun, not burdening the
player with unnecessary details or waiting times. The following
special rules apply:
- Friendly units are always spotted
- Enemies are not always immediately identified
once spotted and can appear as generic “Enemy
contacts” (but less often than at Elite level)
36 Combat Mission
- Spotting information is distributed among
teams using the standard Command & Control
rules
- Treating 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
hidden for a while until the crew bails out or the
vehicle is burning
Elite
The most difficult setting, it introduces a number of realistic re-
strictions on what the player can do and when. While realistic,
these features also require more effort and attention from the
player during the game, something that not everybody might
consider fun. So we made it an optional setting for hardcore
wargamers.
- Friendly units need to be spotted just like
enemy units. If you have a friendly unit not in
line of sight or contact with another friendly
unit, then the only way to find this unit is by
either re-establishing contact with another of
your units or by clicking through the chain of
command in the game interface, jumping from
unit to unit.
- Enemies often need to be identified and until
then appear as generic “Enemy contacts”
- Treating wounded soldiers takes a realistic
amount of time
- Artillery and air support take a realistic
amount of time before arriving
- Commands may not be issued when the game
is paused
Shock Force 37
Basic Screen Layout
The main screen layout breaks down as follows:
Note: This screen layout is used for all instances where the player
interacts with the 3D game world. 2D game elements such as
menu screens and the editor are using a different GUI layout.
38 Combat Mission
Game User Interface (GUI)
As soon as you enter the 3D game world of CMSF, the GUI ap-
pears at the bottom of the screen. It always consists of the
same three main parts, even though some might be empty or
unavailable at times.
1. Unit Info Panel
2. Team Info Panel
3. Command Panel
Shock Force 39
+0 - average
-1 - below average
-2 - poor
40 Combat Mission
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 Info is
further subdivided into Teams. Squads show three columns
representing up to three Fire Teams, designated A, B and C.
However, all US squads have two Fire Teams and most Syrian
squads have none.
Shock Force 41
There are a large number of available Weapons which generally
fall into one of four basic categories: rifle, squad automatic
weapon (SAW), sniper rifle, or heavy weapon. CM uses the
real world statistics for these Weapons, such as caliber and
type of ammo, rate of fire, reloading, chance of jamming, in-
herent accuracy, weight, etc. The Encyclopedia chapter is
covering this in detail. In the Game Area, each weapon is
accurately represented for each Soldier.
The color of the Weapon icon in the panel denotes the general
health of the Soldier. Green means the Soldier is in good shape,
though perhaps a little banged up. Yellow shows that the sol-
dier has sustained a significant would that is likely to impair his
ability to fight in some way or ways. Seriously wounded Sol-
diers are dropped from the Team Info Panel completely. The
Soldier’s bases within the Game Area show Green, Yellow, and
Red (seriously wounded) to reflect the Wound status as well.
Many Soldiers have a special ability due to training and/or weapon
assignment. These Specialties (MOS in US Military language)
are represented in iconic form next to the Soldier’s Weapon.
The main purpose is to inform the player what the particular
Soldier is specifically supposed to do. For example, drive a
vehicle, command a Team, use AT weapons, etc. Specialities
are covered in more detail in the “Icons” chapter.
Details Panel
All units that are not Squads are simply referred to as Teams and
have up to 7 Soldiers in the Team A column. In place of col-
umns B and C is the Details Panel, which is where special
information 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 a
silhouette unique to that unit, the Stats give some indication
as 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 remembers which
Report was last in view so the next time you select a unit of
that type, the same Report shows up by default. The following
sections briefly describe the unique features shown for each
unit type.
42 Combat Mission
Detail Panel Components
The Details Panel is divided up into three conceptual pieces: Pro-
file, Statistics, and Reports. The information for each varies a
little depending on if the unit is a Vehicle, HQ, or Heavy Weapon
(HW).
Profile
Designation - lower left. Military designation for Vehicles and HW
(e.g. M3A2, M240B, etc.). For HW, it’s usually a generic name
describing the type or function, such as MMG, Sniper etc. For
HQs, it is usually the Formation Name (e.g. 1st PLT, B CO, 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’s
Vehicle or HQ Reports.
Silhouette - an illustration of what the unit is. For HW this
image will change depending on if it is Deployed or not.
Crew Positions - a grey dot for each designated crew position,
blue dot for occupied position, gray with black center for WIA.
Passenger Positions - works the same as Crew Positions, but
uses a green dot instead of blue to represent an occupied po-
sition.
Vehicle Name - lower left. Common name for Vehicle, if any
(e.g. Abrams, Bradley, etc.). Left blank for HQs and HWs.
Shock Force 43
Stats
Vehicles - Weight, Speed, Power-to-weight ratio, Offroad ability,
Turning ability
Heavy Weapons - Caliber, Setup Time, Speed
HQs - Personnel, Experience, Condition, Morale, Suppression
Reports
Ammo Report - available for Vehicles, HQs, and HWs. Displays
the amount of ammo available for each ammo type assigned
to that unit.
44 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 red
X).
Shock Force 45
Formation Report - Identical to Unit Report, but showing up to
9 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, select from various Menu
options, and to control the speed of the game. The various
component pieces are broken up logically so they can be ac-
cessed quickly. The components are numbered according to
this picture of the Command Panel:
46 Combat Mission
units can Evade on their own initiative, sometimes they try too
hard to stick to their Commands and need to be redirected
without further delay. Instant Commands work in both Real-
Time and We-Go styles of play.
2. Command Modes - determines which type of Commands are
being used; Movement, Combat, Special and Administrative.
When selected, the name of the Command Mode is displayed
along the bottom and the appropriate Command Buttons are
shown in the Button Screen.
3. Button Interface - shows either Command or Menu Buttons,
depending on which is currently selected. Command Buttons
display their assigned hotkey and are color coded to match the
Command Lines shown in the Game Area. See section [[Com-
mands]] for more details about Commands
4. Menu Mode - by clicking on the Button “Menu”, the Screen
shows various special Options the player can use. These Op-
tions are detailed below. Clicking again on the “Menu” button
quits the Menu Mode.
5. Playback Interface - used mainly for We-Go style play, this
interface allows to replay, rewind and fast forward through each
game turn and phase. The large red button in the middle is
used to End Turn (We-Go style) or End Phase (Real-Time and
We-Go). The elapsed game time is shown at the bottom.
Menu Options
The Menu Options Panel contains a total of 7 buttons, explained
below. The Panel is accessed by clicking on the “Menu” button.
Clicking again exits Menu Mode and resumes regular Com-
mand Mode for the Panel.
1. Save - opens the Save Game screen, allowing to save a game
in progress.
2. Conditions - opens a pop-up window listing the environmental
conditions 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
Shock Force 47
3. Briefing - opens the Briefings Panel with the current Mission
Briefings
4. Hotkeys - opens the Hotkeys Panel listing all important in-game
hotkeys
5. Cease fire - toggles the call for a Cease Fire on and off. If the
opponent selects this option as well, the game ends with a
mutually agreed to Cease Fire
6. Surrender - immediately surrenders the battle to the opponent
7. Quit - aborts the current mission immediately without calculat-
ing results
Command Interface
Units are controlled by issuing Commands. The Command Panel
is the primary method for viewing and issuing Commands. All
Commands are grouped into one of four conceptually similar
Command Modes:
Movement: Commands to get units from waypoint A to B
Combat: Commands to engage enemy targets
Special: various special Commands that complement Movement
and Combat Commands
Administrative: Commands that affect a unit’s basic organiza-
tion
To issue a Command, the Command Panel it belongs to must be
visible. For example, to issue a “Fast” Movement Command,
48 Combat Mission
the Movement Command Group must first be selected. To
make a particular Command Mode active, click on one of the
selection buttons (M, C, S, and A) or use the assigned hotkeys.
The Commands shown are context sensitive to both the cur-
rent unit type, what it is inherently capable of doing, or what it
is able to do at that particular moment. The Commands them-
selves are selected by either directly clicking on the Command
Button or by selecting the hotkey displayed on the Command
Button. The Command Button layout corresponds to the
NumPad keys.
Some Commands are “modal”, such as Deploy Weapon for Heavy
Weapons. These Commands remain lit up to show that the
unit is already performing that particular Command. Issuing
the Command again has the effect of telling the unit to cease
that action.
Units whose Morale State is Panic, Broken, or Routed are not ca-
pable of receiving any Commands. Units that are heavily
Suppressed my accept Commands but not necessarily act upon
them right away.
Playback Interface
For Turn-based We-Go play, this interface is used to playback each
turn’s action. For other play styles such as Real Time, this panel
is only used to conclude the Setup Phase at the beginning of
each battle and launch the battle. The controls resemble those
of a regular VCR or CD player, and include:
-play/pause (toggle)
Shock Force 49
-skip to end
-rewind
-fast forward
The large red button in the middle of the Playback Interface is
used to advance from one phase to the next, i.e. ending the
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 expressed
in minutes.
Note: Relative Spotting is turned off for Basic Training Skill level
Example: One squad might see an enemy unit which a friendly squad,
close to the first, does not see. It only takes a few seconds before
the first squad is alerted about the enemy presence by visual
signals (e.g. hand signals), but it takes much longer to pass this
information to other units in the Chain of Command. Units out of
contact might not receive this information until they are in contact
again.
50 Combat Mission
In the game, the effects of relative spotting are portrayed using
the units’ Floating Icons, which appear above each visible unit
on the battlefield (unless disabled by its hotkey). The floating
icons have three states: regular, dimmed and highlighted.
With no unit selected, all icons are in their regular state. This
shows the player the combined information from all his units
as passed up the Chain of Command. By clicking on a friendly
unit, 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
Some of the most immediate effects of this system are that units
with dimmed icons cannot be directly targeted by the selected
unit. The unit TacAI will continue to behave as if no enemy unit
was present. It will, for example, continue walking down a
road 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 common
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 repre-
sentations on the icons change because they are specific to
one nation’s equipment.
Shock Force 51
Commands
At the very core of the CMSF tactical game lies its system of Com-
mands. Commands are the primary form of interaction between
the player and his virtual soldiers on the battlefield. CMSF is
using a structured Commands system which emulates most of
the typical orders a squad of soldiers would give or receive on
a real battlefield.
Each Command is part of a specific, like minded Command Group
or category. The four main Command Groups are:
Move Commands - move units from A to B using various methods
Combat 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 unit
organization
This structure is more than just for ease of reference. Each unit is
able to combine one command from each group and perform it
simultaneously. For example, a unit can be conducting a Move
and Combat Command at the same time, while another might
be doing a Move and Special command. Not all commands can
be combined like this, but many can. Some commands, espe-
cially some Special and Admin Commands, might require full
focus by the unit to complete and put everything else on hold
until completed.
Which commands are available to which unit and at which time is
highly dynamic. Suppression, fitness, unit cohesion, and even
location, the unit’s equipment and the time of the battle can all
have an effect on what types of commands are available at
which time. Some commands might be greyed out, indicating
that they’re temporarily unavailable, while others might not
appear at all because they’re only available to a specific type
of unit... or only if specific type of equipment is carried.
What follows is a list of ALL available commands. Certain restric-
tions are mentioned, but it’s nearly impossible to list ALL possible
combinations.
52 Combat Mission
Additional to the above, a special category “Instant Commands”
is available. These commands do not appear in the usual Com-
mands Panel, but have their own buttons on the left top of the
Commands Panel interface. The Instant Commands are “emer-
gency” commands, allowing a player to quickly instruct a unit
to PAUSE, CANCEL ALL, and EVADE. Obviously this is mainly
useful for Real-Time play. This is explained in more detail at
the end of this chapter.
Move Commands
Move Commands include orders which usually have to do with
getting a unit from A to B in a certain fashion. Movement com-
mands are generally issued by selecting the desired type of
movement and then clicking on the map with the mouse, thus
placing a waypoint. A Command Line extends from the unit’s
current position to the target waypoint.
Units do not always follow the exact Command Line drawn on the
map, but will choose their movement path independently based
on the terrain between the start and end points, including find-
ing their way around impassable obstacles. Which route is
chosen depends on the type of movement command issued as
well as if the unit is being fired on or not. Keep in mind that the
longer the distance between the start and ending points, the
more the route the unit is choosing might deviate from what
you had in mind when you gave the order to move out.
You can issue several Move Commands (from the same type, e.g.
Move + Move, or different types, e.g. Move + Fast) one after
the other, generating a string of waypoints which the unit will
pass through one by one. There is no limit as to how many
Shock Force 53
waypoints you can place, though more than a handful is hardly
practical.
Infantry units will usually halt at each waypoint for a few seconds
and regroup, maintaining formation etc. Vehicles will simply
pass through waypoints if it’s a string of the same movement
types and if they can do so without having to slow down for a
hard turn.
Move
Infantry - This is the standard “move from A to B” command usu-
ally used in situations where enemy contact is not expected or
unlikely. It is fairly slow, maintains unit cohesion, pretty good
all-round awareness (but no anticipation of imminent contact),
and is not tiring to infantry. Usually units that come under fire
while executing a Move Command stop or change their move-
ment order and take evasive action, and there is a high chance
that they will return fire and look for cover.
Vehicles - this command means slow to medium speed and usu-
ally instructs the crew to unbutton to maintain good all-round
observation.
Restrictions - Move is not available when a vehicle has been
knocked out or immobilized (usually by a track, wheel or en-
gine hit, but also if the crew has been decimated). For infantry,
move might not be available temporarily due to wounded and
incapacitated soldiers as well as excessive fatigue (in which
case you have to let the soldiers rest a little)
Example - use Move to change floors in a friendly occupied and
previously cleared building when speed is no important. Use
Move to drive down a road not expecting enemy contact.
Quick
Infantry - infantry soldiers are moving at a jog. This movement
type slightly emphasizes speed over cover, cohesion and aware-
ness, but is not a full out run. It may lead to some bunching up
as it’s more difficult for soldiers to remain in formation. More
tiring than Move but still sustainable for longer periods, at least
for fit soldiers.
Vehicles - this command means medium to fast speeds, and em-
phasizes arriving at the waypoint quickly over returning fire.
54 Combat Mission
Restrictions - same as for Move, but fitness and fatigue play a
bigger role.
Example - this command is best used to shift positions quickly
when speed is important but when the area to move through is
covered and not under immediate enemy view and fire
Fast
Infantry - 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 the
unit less likely to return fire or to stop or change its movement
direction and objective.
Vehicles - Fast means movement near the maximium speed pos-
sible for the terrain the unit is moving through, and a decreased
awareness to what is happening 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 road
from one building to another, making sure that they do not
slow down to return fire. Use Fast to cross a stretch of open
ground with a vehicle reducing the time of exposure to enemy
tanks.
Slow
Infantry - for infantry units, Slow is the equivalent of a Crawl
command. Soldiers move forward in the prone position, maxi-
mizing cover and concealment at the cost of speed and fatigue.
Crawling is extremely slow and very tiring and should only be
used to move short distances. Crawling soldiers are generally
hard to spot for the enemy, depending on terrain.
Vehicles - instructs the vehicle to move slowly at walking speed.
Useful when coordinating vehicle movements with infantry.
Restrictions - same as for all Movement commands.
Shock Force 55
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 sound contact
to the enemy.
Hunt
Infantry - this command maximizes the unit’s awareness for pos-
sible enemy contact. Soldiers are advancing slowly, weapons
ready. Upon seeing any enemy units, the unit stops immedi-
ately. This is a good command to use when enemy contact is
imminent. In combination with a Target Arc command, Hunt is
restricted to only the area within the arc, and ignores enemy
units from outside the arc.
Vehicles - orders vehicles to advance slowly and observe the battle-
field for enemy contacts. Upon spotting a threat, such as another
enemy vehicle or tank, the vehicle stops immediately. In com-
bination with a Target Arc command, Hunt is restricted to only
the area within the arc, and ignores enemy units from outside
the arc.
Restrictions - same as all other Movement commands.
Example - Hunt is very useful for cleaning out houses which are
suspected to have enemy hiding inside.
Assault
This command is available for infantry squads only, and requires
a certain minimum headcount (in other words, you cannot use
assault 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 at
Fast speed while the firing element remains stationary and pro-
vides covering fire. After the movement elements stops (ending
the first “leap”), the roles switch and the movement element
(now the firing element) provides covering fire while the firing
element (now the moving element) advances, reaches and
overtakes 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 from
the front) and is a good compromise of security and forward
56 Combat Mission
movement while maintaining unit cohesion and limiting fatigue.
The disadvantage is that it is a fairly slow form of advance and
that it requires a certain minimum unit experience to use it.
Restrictions - Since “leapfrogging” doesn’t make much sense with
only a handful of soldiers, it requires a certain minimum
headcount. In CM:SF, only the US side is eligible to use “As-
sault” and does so with varying degrees of success, while the
Syrian side is not able to use this command due to a different
TO&E structure and doctrine.
Example - use Assault to cover open ground at long distance while
under enemy fire. Use Assault to clean out buildings (only the
assault team is exposed to ambushes)
Blast
This command enables an infantry unit with demo charges to blast
a manhole through a building wall, exterior or interior, as well
as through tall stone or brick walls, allowing the unit and any
other units that would follow to pass through the wall. The
time it takes to conduct this command varies based on unit
experience, and can range from one minute to several minutes
per wall.
Restrictions - only available for infantry units carrying demo
charges.
Example - moving in a city down an open street can be lethal
when the enemy has a few well position machineguns in place.
A much more safe but time consuming method is to blow holes
in adjoining buildings, avoiding the open street entirely. An-
other good use for this command is to enter and storm a
building from an angle the enemy isn’t expecting.
Mark Mines
This command enables engineer units to detect and mark hidden
minefields so that other units are aware of them. Other units
can then move through the marked minefield, albeit slowly.
Mark Mines is a very slow movement command which takes
the unit’s full attention and reduces awareness and returning
fire.
Restrictions - only Engineers can mark mines.
Shock Force 57
Example - Marking mines under fire is suicidal unless you have
other forces suppressing the enemy or call for a large scale
smoke screen.
Reverse
Simple “back up” command, available only to vehicles. Instructs
the vehicle to drive backwards without changing its facing (e.g.
keeping its gun and stronger front armor forward towards the
enemy while retreating).
Restrictions - same as for all Movement commands.
Example - use Reverse to back up into cover while keeping a
tank’s front armor directed at the enemy.
Combat Commands
Combat Commands usually have to do with firing one’s weapons
at a designated target, be it an enemy unit or a general area
on the battlefield where enemy units are suspected or known
to hide (or to move to). Only one Combat Command can be
active at any one time, but it can be combined with commands,
from other Groups e.g. movement.
58 Combat Mission
Target
This 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 when
the 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 selected
area.
Note: Area targets always “snap” to the underlying action grid in CMSF
How much and what type of fire (small arms, main gun, gre-
nades) is outgoing depends on a number of factors, including
the type of firing unit, the distance to the target, target type,
and the available ammunition. For smaller targets further away
the firing unit will use aimed fire and single shots or short
bursts while it might switch to full auto at targets at close
range and when it has enough ammunition available.
Targets out of sight are usually displayed to the player through a
note hovering near the target mouse cursor. Notes can include
a plain “out of sight” message, or more detailed explanations
such as “reverse slope - no target point”. Usually the target
will still be designated even if out of sight, but the unit will hold
fire until the target comes in sight.
Additionally, while the target command is being issues, the com-
mand line extending from the firing unit to the mouse cursor
assumes the function of a Line-of-Sight tool. Different shades
of blue and red indicate if a line of sight is free, obscured, or
blocked, and where it is blocked (the area out of sight is marked
with red).
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 a
tank, which does so using high-explosive ammo from its main
gun, blowing up the whole building.
Shock Force 59
Target Light
This is a variation of the Target command and works very much
the same, but at a reduced fire output. Usually it limits the
firing unit to use small arms and MG fire, while larger calibers,
rockets and heavier weapons hold fire. Target Light is useful
when 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 you
want to take a few aimed shots at a far away infantry target
without wasting too much ammo. Target light does not prevent
the use of hand and rifle grenades, though, at the appropriate
ranges.
Restrictions - same as for Target
Example - for firing at long distances, the game itself is already
reducing fire output even if you use the Target command, so
Target Light is most useful as an ammo preservation tool for
targets at medium and close ranges.
Target Arc
The Target Arc command orders the unit to only fire at enemy
within a certain target area. After selecting this command, the
player has to click on two points on the game map, and the
cone-shaped area between those two points represents the
designated target area. Any visible enemy units which move
into or are located inside this area will be fired upon, while any
enemy units outside of this target arc will be ignored (until
self-preservation takes over and the Tactical AI decides to over-
ride player orders; e.g. if an enemy unit suddenly pops up at
extremely short range).
This Command is also useful to keep a unit’s “attention” focussed
on a specific part of the game map while moving around. If, for
example, 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 this
area. The target arc increases the chances that units will rec-
ognize and engage an enemy threat within the target area
quickly.
After placing an arc, the unit will rotate its main gun turret - if
available - to face the center of the designated target arc, to
60 Combat Mission
minimize acquisition delays and maximize spotting abilities.
Infantry units will shift their facing accordingly, if needed.
Restrictions - You cannot mix Target/Target Light and Target Arc
commands. The AI will sometimes override Target Arcs in self-
defense, when for example an enemy unit suddenly appears
at close range.
Example - an unidentified enemy vehicle contact was reported
near a building. We give a target arc command to one of our
Abrams tanks to make sure they engage the enemy vehicle as
soon as it pops up from behind cover.
Clear Target
Instructs the currently selected unit to stop focussing on its des-
ignated target. A unit without designated target is then free to
engage targets at will, or will follow other player specified com-
mands.
Restrictions - Clear Target is greyed out if the selected unit has
not currently designed target.
Example - after area firing at a building and blowing a hole in the
wall, no further enemy contact is reported. We abort the area
fire command to allow the unit to focus on other targets by
itself.
Face
Infantry - 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 the
Shock Force 61
new direction while maximizing cover against fire coming from
that direction.
Vehicles - The unit will rotate its hull and (if applicable) turret to
face the direction the player has designated.
Restrictions - vehicles cannot rotate if immobilized.
Example - an RPG team was spotted on the flank. We change the
facing 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 Commands
deal 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 is only
possible if the unit has smoke grenades available. Likewise,
Deploy Weapon is only an option if the unit carries a heavy
weapon which can (or has to be) deployed before firing. Most
Special Commands are exclusive, meaning that they are the
only command that can be executed at a given time, and can-
not be combined with other Command Groups.
Hide
Infantry - soldiers will generally go prone and hold fire and look
for nearby terrain offering good concealment, trying hard not
to get spotted.
62 Combat Mission
Vehicles - vehicles will hold fire and not move, trying to keep a
low noise profile.
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 ap-
proaches extremely close, depending on that unit’s experience,
morale and leadership.
Restrictions - hiding is no good if the enemy is already firing at
you obviously, or if you are trying to hide in open ground in full
view of the enemy
Example - we hide a Syrian RPG team to let the first view vehicles
and US infantry pass by before un-hiding and launching an
RPG at the side of an enemy tank
Deploy Weapon
Certain heavy weapons can be deployed before firing to increase
their chance of hitting or to increase their fire output, while
others cannot be fired at all before properly deployed. Deploy
Weapon instructs the gunner of a heavy weapon such as a
medium or heavy machinegun, a mortar, recoilless rifle, ATGM
or other heavy equipment to deploy his weapon on the appro-
priate mount, while one or more other soldiers of the same
unit are designated as loaders and/or security or lookouts.
Some weapons such as for example medium machineguns can be
fired without first being deployed, but will suffer from decreased
accuracy and a lower fire output. Other weapons such as mor-
tars cannot be fired at all if not properly deployed
Deployment takes time which is specific to each type of weapon
but also depends on various other factors, such as the 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 Deploy
Weapon command, and then execute the movement command.
Obviously there is a longer command delay in this case.
Restrictions - If you issue the Deploy Weapon command to an
already moving team, it will deploy its weapon at the end of
the movement command. If the movement command consists
of several waypoints, the weapon will be deployed after the
last waypoint has been reached. If you want the team to de-
Shock Force 63
ploy immediately, you need to first clear the movement
command(s).
Example - we want to use a heavy machinegun to provide cover-
ing fire for an infantry assault. Finding a good position with
good 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 vehicle
itself. If you select a vehicle and issue the Dismount command,
ALL passengers will leave. If you select a Passenger unit and
issue the Dismount command, only that unit will disembark
and 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 the
available Movement Commands. The passenger unit will auto-
matically dismount and then move to the objective on foot. This is
not possible for vehicle crews obviously, since choosing a
Movement order while a vehicle is the active unit will order the
vehicle to move to the specified waypoint.
Bail out
Available for vehicle crews only, this command instructs the crew
to leave the vehicle immediately and seek cover nearby.
Restrictions - none.
Example - to preserve the crew, we order them to Bail Out out of
an immobilized tank with a damaged gun sitting in plain view
of enemy anti-tank weapons, since it’s only a matter of sec-
onds before the tank is going to blow up. Bail out can also be
used to dismount the crew and use it for recon, however, since
bailed out crews can re-occupy the abandoned vehicle.
64 Combat Mission
Acquire
The Acquire command allows an infantry unit to pick up equip-
ment, weapons and ammunition from points where such goodies
are available. In CMSF, this means mainly infantry carriers such
as the Stryker and BMP-1 for example, which carry additional
equipment in storage compartments.
In order to use Acquire, the infantry unit has to enter the vehicle
first. A pop-up window lists all available equipment which the
unit is eligible to choose from. Clicking on an entry removes
the equipment or ammo from the list and places it into the
inventory of the passenger unit.
Restrictions - only active when infantry unit is inside a valid pickup,
such as inside a Stryker or BMP-1.
Example - after nearly an hour of continuous combat, the infantry
platoon is running out of ammo. We split the squads into teams
and order them into the Strykers one by one to grab fresh
ammo.
Pop smoke
This order is available for both infantry equipped with smoke hand-
grenades as well as for vehicles equipped with smoke generators
or smoke launchers, and instructs such units to use them to
place a smoke screen around its current position. Pop Smoke
usually is used as a defensive command when the unit runs
into overwhelming resistance and is useful to spoil the enemy’s
aim (even if only for a few seconds) and therefore gain time to
get 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 the
unit that is executing this order, as well as the weather and
wind conditions. Keep in mind that smoke is drifting and dissi-
pating rather quickly under certain conditions, and can often
become as much of an obstacle to your own forces as to the
enemy. Offensive use of smoke (e.g. covering an advance) is
usually left to supporting artillery or air assets and not to the
individual ground unit.
Restrictions - available only as long as unit has smoke grenades
available or the smoke launchers are not damaged.
Shock Force 65
Example - a Stryker platoon needs to dismount under fire. The
Strykers are ordered to pop a defensive smoke screen around
the dismount point, allowing the infantry to dismount and head
for cover, while spoiling the enemy aim.
Pause
Available for all unit types, this command instructs a unit to wait
before carrying on with further orders. Pause can have differ-
ent states, and each click on the Pause Command Button scrolls
through the list of available options.
Timed Pause - when you first select the Pause Command, an info
text appears next to the selected unit icon, saying “Pause
00:15”. This means that the unit is going to wait in place (but
will 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. This
is the longest selectable time for timed pause.
Pause - The next click sets the Pause Command to a “Pause for
further orders” status. This is identical to the “Pause” used for
Instant Commands, and is additionally indicated by an acti-
vated “Instant Pause” button. The unit will stay in place until
the 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 Pause
command. 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 all
squads in the platoon in advance, and assign each a different
time delay using the Pause command. So you could have 1st
Squad break and cross the street immediately, then Squad 2
thirty 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 tells
the crew or passengers to close all hatches.
66 Combat Mission
Restrictions - available only for vehicles and passengers.
Example - fighting from an open hatch increases the field of view
and battlefield awareness of a vehicle crew tremendously, and
even allows passengers to use personal weapons, but it can be
very dangerous and lead to casualties, especially if the enemy
is returning fire from close distance. Use this command to switch
between situational awareness and added protection as the
situation demands.
Administrative Commands
Administrative 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 and
also distribute special weapons evenly, thereby effectively cre-
ating two independent maneuver elements. Splitting teams is
often advisable when fighting in urban terrain so as to avoid
bunching up of soldiers into a too small area, where they all
can be taken 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 single
squad-sized unit again without requiring the player to give
another order. So if you want to indeed split a squad into teams,
Shock Force 67
make sure that you separate the teams shortly after splitting
them.
Restrictions - not available if the headcount of a given squad is
too small.
Example - we want to send a recon element forward to see if
there is an enemy ambush. Splitting the squad allows to mini-
mize casualties from first contact.
Assault Team
Splits a squad into two independent teams - a heavily armed se-
curity element which usually retains all heavy weapons such
as machineguns and rockets, and a maneuver element with
small arms and automatic weapons, handgrenades and other
equipment useful for close quarters battle.
Restrictions - same as for Split Teams.
Example - we want to clean out a building suspected to be occu-
pied by the enemy. Sending forward guys with light automatic
weapons and keeping the heavy equipment back reduces pos-
sible casualties from 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 armed with the best anti-tank
weapon(s) that the unit has at its disposal.
Restrictions - only available if squad/unit has anti-tank weaponry
available.
Example - we split out a two-man RPG team from the main squad
and 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 Commands
Instant commands are mainly used for emergencies, when you
need to quickly intervene to prevent a unit from getting into
trouble (or to get out of trouble quickly). These commands
allow the player to initiate three pre-defined “procedures” with
one click, which, during emergencies, is often about all the
68 Combat Mission
time one has. These commands simulate actions soldiers would
normally take by themselves on the battlefield when finding
themselves in a tight situation.
PAUSE - instructs the unit to temporarily halt all active orders and
wait. This is the equivalent of yelling “Halt”. This button is a
toggle, and by pressing it again, the unit is ordered to resume
what 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 command
allows you to delete all of them with one click without having
to delete each waypoint one by one. This is the equivalent of
yelling “Stop” over radio, for example.
EVADE - deletes all active commands and instructs the unit to
take immediate evasive action. This may include moving to
cover as well as popping smoke, if available. This is the equiva-
lent of yelling “take cover” over radio.
Shock Force 69
Command & Control (C2)
The concept of moving and acting on information is called Com-
mand and Control, or C2 for short (C4ISR in contemporary US
specific terminology). Arguably C2 is the single most impor-
tant aspect of a combined arms force operating in the field. Its
ability to pass information up and down the Chain of Com-
mand largely determines that force’s opportunities and options
available to it.
70 Combat Mission
The methods, from left to right, are Visual, Audio, and Satellite:
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)
Maintaining C2 Links
The more types of C2 links units have, the better chance they
have of maintaining connections. Just remember that not all
C2 methods are of equal quality. Range is quite important
because the farther away units are from each other the greater
the chance they will experience breaks in communications. The
inherent fragility of the method is also important since some
are 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) to each other. These are the most reliable, robust forms
of C2 possible. Unfortunately, from a tactical standpoint hav-
ing units bunched up is generally not a good idea, nor is it
even necessarily physically possible. Radio Contact is the most
basic technological means of overcoming these problems, how-
ever radios are tricky things to operate effectively as distances
increase and good radios are quite expensive. As a result the
Syrians have few radios at their disposal while the US have
one 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 other
hand, have two very powerful tools at their disposal; FBCB2
and RPDA.
The vehicle mounted FBCB2 system is connected, via satellite, to
a central computer system that takes input from all the other
Shock Force 71
vehicles with FBCB2. Think of it as a specialized computer
connected to the Internet with built in GPS (Blue Force Tracker,
aka BFT). Each vehicle with the system is automatically tracked
and updated on a digital map shown on all the FBCB2’s screens
of all the other vehicles. Therefore, not only does the crew of
the vehicle know where it is, but also where all of the other
vehicles are. Better still, commanders can enter information
about 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 they
are in the Chain of Command. This offers a means of commu-
nication that is, in some ways, superior to radio contact. Since
FBCB2 is satellite-based it is largely immune to the interfer-
ence factors of Visual and Audio methods.
Information Sharing
The 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 information
itself is moved around, the results of it are. There are three
primary benefits of good organization and communication;
spotting of enemy units, calls for support, and maintaining dis-
cipline.
One of the most important aspects of Combat Mission is its sys-
tem of revealing information about enemy units, such as
position, type, and actions. Unlike the most other games, CM:SF
uses what we call Relative Spotting instead of Absolute Spot-
ting. In an Absolute Spotting system, when an individual
friendly unit “senses” something, that information is instantly,
72 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 communications
capabilities they have. Relative Spotting, on the other hand,
keeps the unit’s “sensed” information from moving to other
units unless there is some way of communicating it to them.
In other words, when you click on a unit in CM:SF you get to
see 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 target
something it didn’t spot itself, for example.
Good quality C2 between the right units becomes of paramount
importance when Air or Artillery Support are required. Not all
units 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 particularly
serious concern since the centralized nature of their Artillery
Support means very few units are allowed to even request
Artillery 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 available
and any unit can direct Artillery and Air to some extent. The
limitation comes into play with the type of mission being re-
quested or how quickly the mission is needed. Some units can
get the job done faster and more accurately than others, which
means paying attention to placement and C2 of important units
such 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 the
friendly units around them are up to, where their superiors
are, 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 all its
buddies withdrew and forgot to tell it to pull back? Maybe the
HQ was wiped out and nobody higher up knows about those
tanks 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 it
has contact with its fellow forces and feels supported, things
are less stressful.
Shock Force 73
Leaders
Every 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 other
Leaders. The more Leaders you lose, the harder maintaining
C2 becomes.
74 Combat Mission
fire the other one will not take over his responsibilities because
they are assumed to be physically separate units when split off
as Teams.
When a battle starts the name and rank displayed are that of the
unit’s current senior Leader. Should that Leader fall in battle
the name and rank will change as the replacement assumes
command.
Shock Force 75
Requesting Support
The first step in making a Support Request is to select a unit to be
a Spotter, then clicking on either the Air or Artillery Support
button in the Unit Info Panel (keeping in mind that if a button
is dim Support is not available). Instantly the user interface
changes to include two new elements; the Support Roster and
Support Panel. The Support Roster shows all available Assets
while the Support Panel presents options for making a support
fire request.
Selecting a Spotter
The player’s first task is to identify which unit to give responsibil-
ity of both creating a Support Request and managing the
resulting Support Mission. Since not all units are equal in this
regard, here are some things to keep in mind when selecting a
Spotter:
Line of Sight (LOS) - quality LOS to the target area always
makes for more accurate and effective results
Unit Type - specialized observer teams and HQs are better than
the average combat unit
C2 Links - ideally the Spotter should show green connections to
all superior units
Stress Level - suppressed or shaky units don’t make the best
Spotters
76 Combat Mission
As a general rule, any US ground unit can theoretically request
both types of Support, while only a few specialized Forward
Observer units can call in Artillery for the Syrian side. The dif-
ferences between the two sides are realistic and based on
traditional 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 in
getting in touch with a specific Asset and securing permission
to use it. For example, a JTAC (Joint Tactical Air Controller) is
typically headed by an officer with “time in the cockpit” and
can really speak the lingo with on station aircraft. On top of
that, this is the unit that is organizationally tasked with calling
in 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 for
such work. Compare this to a “run of the mill” Rifle Squad
Leader trying to reach an aircraft via 3 or 4 “hops” up the
Chain of Command. It can be done, but it is obviously more
clunky 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 the
current unit or click on the “X” in the upper left hand corner of
the Support Roster. There are no game penalties for checking
out how various units pair up with different Assets.
Support Roster
The 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 pieces
of information:
Shock Force 77
Responsiveness - green/red dots showing how quickly the cur-
rent unit can call in support from that Asset
Number of Tubes - count of how many guns are assigned (air-
craft are always “1” per Asset)
Designation - military designation, two lines
Main Weapon - primary weapons, two lines
Mission Status - text description of what the Asset is currently
doing. This can be a generic Busy message, but also more
specific status info such as Receiving, Executing etc.
Availability - the ability for a specific Spotter to use an Asset at
the time. The possible states are Unavailable, Denied, and Re-
stricted. Unrestricted is not labeled.
Up to 5 Support Assets can be shown at one time, which is usually
more than enough! However, if more than 5 Assets are avail-
able in the Battle, then Left and Right “shuffle” buttons are
displayed to shuffle between the previous or next batch of 1-5
Assets. Clicking on an Asset in the Roster selects it and makes
it activate the Support Panel where some additional informa-
tion about the Asset is shown. To see another Asset simply
click on it and it will swap in for the previous one. At this point
the player is not committed to do anything with the Asset
thereby 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:
The selected Asset is shown on the right side of the Support Panel
and contains the same information as in the Support Roster.
78 Combat Mission
Below it, however, is new information which shows the muni-
tion types and quantities available to that particular Asset. The
combination 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 Support
Panel are the means of communicating with the Asset. From
top 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 the
Parameters Screen. When the last Parameter is set the player
is prompted to “Confirm” the Support Request. This is the
player’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 C2
Link is broken at the wrong time during this process it can
temporarily delay the Mission from continuing. If there is an
extended lack of communication between Spotter and Asset
the Mission will probably be cancelled.
Shock Force 79
It may turn out to be too little too late, but there are two reasons
that CM will abort a Support mission on its own. The first hap-
pens if friendly fire is encountered and the friendlies have good
C2 to the Asset doing the firing. Basically, they will try to get
the Asset to cease fire even if the Spotter can not. The second
reason is if the Spotter is out of C2 long enough that the Asset
wonders if the Spotter is still able to direct fire. In that case it
might cease fire on its own simply because it’s a bad idea to
fire blind with no feedback. However, in both cases the player
is at the mercy of variables falling into place, so neither should
be counted on in place of using a Spotter to cease fire when
possible.
Clicking on the Adjust button allows the player to redesignate the
Target portion of the Support Mission while leaving the rest of
the Mission as originally specified. Shifting fire like this is very
useful if the target units have moved or more important tar-
gets have presented themselves within close proximity to the
original Target area. Observed fire should not require Adjust-
ment to stay on Target. That is handled automatically by the
Spotter to the degree it can see the Target and has C2 to the
Asset.
80 Combat Mission
5 Min - sets for 5 minutes min
10 Min - sets for 10 minutes min
15 Min - sets for 15 minutes min
Number - sets the portion of the Asset to use from 1 to the total
number in Asset (usually 2 or 3)
Mission - responsible for establishing initial Rate of Fire (ROF)
and sustained ROF:
Precision - uses Copperhead rounds (only available for FIST)
Emergency - no spotting rounds, otherwise like Heavy
Light - slow ROF, remaining at slow ROF
Medium - medium ROF, then going to sustained ROF
Heavy - max ROF, then going to heavy sustained ROF
Shock Force 81
Air Assets
The player’s interaction with Air Assets is similar to Artillery. The
differences between the two are explained below, otherwise it
should be assumed the same.
Since there is no conceivable way that the Syrians could manage
Air Support missions beyond the first few minutes of a conflict
(that is according to military intelligence estimates) the Syrian
side 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 slightly
depending on the Air Support Skill level of that unit. The best
unit for this is the JTAC (Joint Tactical Air Control) team since it
has the highest degree of training and authority of any US
unit. FISTs (Fire Support Teams) and other trained Forward
Observer (FO) type units (HQs, dedicated FOs, etc.) will get
decent results. The remaining unit types can still call in Air
Support, 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 kinds
of 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 dozen
armored vehicles. Same plane, entirely different capabilities.
A two word description found in the Air Asset Pane helps iden-
tify what its best use is:
82 Combat Mission
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, it
appears in the Support Panel like so:
The Mission Parameters and Support Buttons reflect the Air Asset
options. Setting up a Mission is identical to Artillery, from a
user 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, possibly
the identification of the target, estimate of the target size, and
possible 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 are
used. For example, an F-16 wouldn’t drop a 2500 lb bunker
buster on a Squad or truck, nor would it make three passes
dropping a 500 lb bomb each time.
If the Spotter has LOS to the target and is in communication with
the Air Asset, it can confirm the target destroyed, or request
that 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 this
decision on its own.
Accuracy is determined in part by the type and quality of the
Spotter 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 JTAC
with LOS to the target will more than likely get the Air Asset to
find and hit the right thing. A Squad without LOS to the target
will have to rely on the Air Asset finding the right target on its
own.
Shock Force 83
Like Artillery, Air Assets have a chance of Auto Cancelling a Mis-
sion based on friendly fire risk. Unlike Artillery, this can
sometimes 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
The most important component of a Munition isn’t how big of a
boom it makes, though of course that is quite important. What
really counts most is how the Munition is guided to the target.
This fundamentally determines how likely it is that you will hit
whatever you are aiming at. CM:SF’s Munitions are divided
into 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 can
call what, time, and accuracy. In general, GPS and Dumb
munitions are best used against stationary targets, Laser and
Optical against moving targets. In Combat Mission the game
takes this into account automatically so you don’t have to be
bothered with micromanaging this.
Dumb is foolproof, but has a large degree of error for Mk 80 series
bombs and Hydra rockets, less error for Cannon. Laser is the
most accurate, but it requires constant “lazing” of the target
until the Munition strikes. If you don’t have someone with a
laser 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 in
case it can’t find the laser scatter to home in on, so they are
84 Combat Mission
not less accurate than GPS and generally far better. GPS re-
quires no constant LOS to the target since it is a “fire and
forget” weapon, however GPS is not as precise as laser and
therefore pinpoint hits are not a certainty. The one exception
to this is the new GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb, which is just
about as accurate as laser guided. Generally the bombs are
big enough that “close enough” is good enough. Optically
guided munitions are “fire and forget” and theoretically as ac-
curate as laser guided, however in reality they are more prone
to error if the target is moving and/or the air is thick with
things like smoke.
Bombs come in four different sizes; 250 Pounds, 500 Pounds,
1000 Pounds, and 2000 Pounds. The rest of the Munitions are
of a fixed size and type. CM does not simulate a host of special
purpose 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 CEP
20mm M210 HEI ................. Dumb 10m CEP
30mm Cannon .................... Dumb 5m CEP
GBU-39 SDB (250#) ............ GPS 1.2m CEP
GBU-40 SDB ....................... Optical 1.2m CEP
Mk82 LD (500#) .................. Dumb 110m CEP
GBU-12 LGB (500#) ............ Laser 1m CEP
GBU-38 JDAM (500#) .......... GPS 10m CEP
Mk83 LD (1000#) ................ Dumb 110m CEP
GBU-16 LGB (1000#) ........... Laser 1m CEP
GBU-32 JDAM (2000#) ......... GPS 10m CEP
Mk84 LD (2000#) ................ Dumb 110m CEP
GBU-10 LGB (2000#) ........... Laser 1m CEP
GBU-31 JDAM (2000#) ......... GPS 10m CEP
Mk66 Hydra ........................ Dumb 30m CEP
AGM-114 Hellfire ................. Laser 1m CEP
AGM-65A Maverick ............... Optical 1.5m CEP
Shock Force 85
specific targeted vehicle. Note this is why it is recommended
that you never engage targets with Dumb bombs when friendly
units are less than 500m to 300m away (remember a 2000#
bomb blast affects a big area compared to cannon fire).
Spotters
Any US unit can call for Air Support, however not all units are
created equal. The training a Spotter has, its equipment, and
experience are all critically important to determining how long
a strike takes to set up and how accurate it will be. The types
of 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 putting
in a support call. The type of Spotter is taken into consider-
ation when the call is made and the Air Asset makes a decision
as to what Munition to use based on all the factors, including
the quality of the Spotter. Additionally, the Spotter may be
required to keep LOS on the target if possible. If not possible,
often the pilot can fill in, however a less optimal result is quite
likely. At the very least it slows down the delivery.
Target Tracking: With LOS Without LOS
DUMB Aim Point Aim Point
LASER Unit Aim Point
GPS Aim Point Aim Point
OPTICAL Unit Unit
86 Combat Mission
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 it
automatically defaults to the Aircraft. Optical Munitions are
always the responsibility of the Air Asset performing the mis-
sion.
Spotting After Release
Dumb Laser GPS Optical
Eyeball Neither Aircraft Neither Munition
FBCB2 Neither Aircraft Neither Munition
LLDR Neither Either Neither Munition
FS3 Neither Either Neither Munition
Equipment
The type of equipment available to the Spotter is also critical. A
JTAC in a Fire Support Vehicle has an advantage over a JTAC
sitting on a roof top with nothing but a set of binoculars. The
categories 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 and
FSV, Bradley M7A3, and M707 Scout Humvee)
Shock Force 87
day or night. An amazing piece of equipment that also has an
equally amazing price tag!
Environmental Considerations
Not all Munitions are equally adept at firing in all lighting, weather,
and atmospheric conditions. Some are best used in bright
daylight, others are at their best at night. Some are unaf-
fected by all of these things, some are horribly affected. Here
is a rough idea of how conditions affect each type of Munition:
Weather Modifier
Dumb Laser GPS Optical
Overcast V Bad V Good V Good Bad
Fog V Bad Bad V Good V Bad
Rain Bad Bad V Good Bad
Smoke Average Good V Good V Good
Clear V Good V Good V Good V Good
88 Combat Mission
Unconventional Warfare
The focus of CM:SF is primarily on conventional warfare, between
organized military forces, in a new future setting. However, in
the 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 conventional
conflict in the Middle East it must also simulate unconventional
warfare to some extent.
Simulating unconventional forces (called Uncons for short) them-
selves is not very difficult for us to do as game designers. A
Human with a weapon is pretty much just like all other Hu-
mans with weapons. However, complications arise from specific
types of Uncons that are neither armed nor visibly different
from an average civilian.
Shock Force 89
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 Middle
Eastern village, town, or city, Combat Mission instead just simu-
lates the ability for Uncon Specialists to avoid detection. Since
the 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 player
can 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 be
perceived as a civilian. When a civilian ceases to behave like a
civilian the opposing force might notice this and grow suspi-
cious that all is not as it appears to be. Once the suspicion
level gets high enough the cover is blown and now the Uncon
is no longer protected by civilian anonymity. In game terms
this means the Uncon Specialist is now reviled to the US player
as an enemy unit and is treated just like any other military
target. 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 character
the movement is, and the closer it is, the greater the chance
that 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. For
example, an Uncon Specialist crawling across the desert is highly
suspicious while one walking right down a densely populated
city street probably will go unspotted.
Obviously the more civilians present, the more difficult it is for the
other 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 Specialists
should have. The Civilian Density is set by the scenario de-
signer and shown as part of the Conditions Menu, accessible
during gameplay by clicking on the Menu button at the bottom
of the Command panel. The higher the density setting the less
likely the unit will be spotted before it’s too late. The type of
90 Combat Mission
terrain is also important since civilians are only expected in
large numbers in urban type terrain. In fact, a large congre-
gation of people out in the middle of nowhere would be
suspicious all on its own!
The closer an Uncon unit comes to US troops, the higher the
chances of being revealed. “Normal” civilians usually try to
avoid combatant forces during battle, so anyone milling around
close to the soldiers will invariably make himself suspicious.
Therefore, the closer an Uncon Specialist gets to a US unit, the
more “normal” it’s behavior needs to be to avoid detection.
Unconventional Forces
Fighters are regular soldiers, mercenaries and other types of ir-
regular military personnel who operate in small groups and
use guerrilla tactics instead of conventional military method.
They can be well trained and motivated and occasionally have
access to fairly sophisticated and advanced equipment. Some
heavy weapons are mounted on civilian vehicles, otherwise
known as Technicals. Since they are armed and wear distinc-
tive clothing, the Stealth rules do not apply to Fighters.
Shock Force 91
based i.e. mobile IEDs). These are discussed in more detail
below.
Specialists
Spies: instead of using weapons, Spies use their eyes and ears to
pick up information about enemy units and then relay it to
armed Uncons. Their primary goal is to remain undetected,
therefore remain largely stationary and in good cover. Once
revealed, 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 civilian
models to choose from, but effectively there is not much dif-
ference between them and boil down to two types:
PICKUP (4x4)
Name: Toyota HiLux
Weight: 6000 lbs (2722 kg)
Power: 96 hp (72 kW)
Top speed: 90 mph (144 kph)
CAR (2x4)
Name: VAZ-21053
Weight: 2200 lbs (998 kg)
Power: 71 hp (53 kW)
Top speed: 93 mph (150 kph)
Price: $2,920 (that’s for a new car!)
92 Combat Mission
Wire – shortest distance (about 100m), 10% failure chance
Radio – medium distance (about 300m), requires line of
sight, 20% failure rate
Cell phone – long distance (about 600m), 10% failure
chance
IEDs typically consist of the bomb itself and the triggerman. The
bomb is placed during the setup phase like any other unit.
Once placed, it cannot be moved again. The triggerman, how-
ever, can be relocated.
Shock Force 93
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 choose
the Target command from the Combat panel, then click on the
map to arm it. If you want the IED to target the first unit that
comes near it, click anywhere on the map. If you instead want
to target a specific enemy unit, click on that unit and the IED
will ignore other possible targets. You can re-designate the
target at any time by repeating these steps.
Activation is not just a matter of specifying a target, however. For
activation 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 within
the maximum range (and/or LOS if required) of the IED, and
pass a reliability check. The reliability check determines if the
IED itself, or the ability to detonate it, has failed. IEDs that
malfunction can’t be made to detonate no matter what. If there
is a change to one of these factors, such as the triggerman
being eliminated, then the IED remains activated but will not
detonate until all requirements are fulfilled again.
VBIEDs differ from IEDs mostly in terms of mobility. VBIEDs are
driven by a suicide bomber with the intention to come close to
an enemy unit and detonate the device. A VBIED team typi-
cally consists of one driver and one spy. The driver’s function is
to drive the vehicle, select a target and trigger the explosion,
while the spy is used to help the driver find possible targets
from a safe position outside of the vehicle.
The VBIED automatically detonates once in proximity to the first
enemy unit that comes near it. No activation is needed like for
IEDs.
You can also select a specific target for the VBIED. In order to do
this, select the VBIED, and choose the Target command. Next,
click on the desired enemy unit to target. However, keep in
mind that vehicles are generally viewed with suspicion so go-
ing after the first vehicle is generally the only practical thing to
do. As long as the Target command remains active, the car
will only detonate when the selected target unit comes into
proximity. Other enemy units will cause no detonation.
Targetting a specific unit allows you to let part of a column
pass by and detonate the VBIED later. But keep in mind that
this is increasing the chances of the enemy to spot you, as
well.
94 Combat Mission
The Editor
CM:SF provides players with the same tools that were used to
create the stock battles and campaign, and allows them to
create 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 as
weather 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
Shock Force 95
File Menu
Editor Selector
This pop-up menu displays all available Editors and main func-
tions. The selection made here has direct influence on which
Options and Settings are shown, as well as the options avail-
able in the Toolbar and Display areas.
96 Combat Mission
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 forces
A.I. - used to “program” custom computer player AI
3D PREVIEW - used to jump to a 3D view of the current game
map
BAKE - creates a special type of scenario that has pre-programmed
Commands “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 file
changes to that of a save game. Meaning, there is no way to
edit a “baked” scenario file directly, making it a good idea to
keep 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 scenario
choice screen.
(2) A campaign “script” text file that designates the parameters
and battle .btt scenario files (not baked) by name.
(3) The .btt scenario files for campaigns are created just like any
other 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
Shock Force 97
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 a
given scenario. The various components are:
Description
Data
Mission (Blue and Red)
Parameters (Blue and Red)
Terrain Objectives (Blue and Red)
Unit Objectives (Blue and Red)
Description
When choosing which scenario to play the player can click on it in
the scenario list and see a brief overview to the right of the
screen. These details help the player determine which sce-
nario to play without needing to load it. None of these settings
have any impact on the scenario itself. Just like any product
sitting on the shelf, the packaging simply informs the person
what is inside, nothing more than that.
Battle Type
Specifies the general nature of the battle and who is the attacker.
Depending on the nature of the scenario’s storyline you may
wish to be “vague”, or even inaccurate, so you don’t give away
surprises.
Assault, Attack, Probe, Meeting Engagement
Environment
This 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 a
scenario that is taking place in a Forest.
City, Town, Village, Open, Rough, Forest, Hills
Daylight
Characterizes the average natural lighting conditions. The actual
lighting is determined by the time & day settings in the Data
section.
Dawn, Day, Dusk, Night
98 Combat Mission
Battle Size
The scenario’s approximate size, from Tiny to Huge, gives players
an idea of the overall scope of the battle. Each scenario author
probably has a different idea of what Tiny or Huge is, but as a
guideline the amount of units involved as well as map size and
battle duration should be factored into the setting here. As a
general 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 very
large 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, but
catchy, too. When you playtest your game make sure the title
looks good in the list.
Description
A short one-line description of what players can expect to find
when they decide to play the battle. Be mindful that there is no
way to customize the text to match a particular side’s perspec-
tive, so keep it generic. When you play your scenario you
should double check that all your text fits in the box.
Image
Each scenario can have, and should have, a small image file asso-
ciated with it. Think of this as the slick marketing image found
on 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 has
to be in BMP format and a maximum of 170 x 170 pixels in
size. Three buttons allow the scenario designer to:
Import a new image file
Export the existing image file
Clear the existing image file
Data
The Data section defines a number of parameters which, unlike
the Description section, do affect the inner workings of the
scenario. These settings control:
LENGTH OF BATTLE - the maximum duration of the sce-
nario (in minutes)
Shock Force 99
VARIABLE LENGTH – sets a variable (random) ending time
for the battle
REGION & MONTH - sets the month and year in which the
battle takes place.
DAY - the day on which the battle takes place
HOUR - at which hour the battle starts
MINUTE - minute when the battle starts
WEATHER - 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-
nating
TEMPERATURE - the temperature during the battle
GROUND 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 which
Blue units would withdraw to join their lines
RED FRIENDLY DIRECTION - sets the direction into which
Red units would withdraw to join their lines
EARLY 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 vs
Red. This setting defines what units are available for purchase
and deployment in the Units Editor. You may even mix and match
forces in this way.
The three map images all have to be in BMP (Bitmap) format, but
each can have a different maximum size:
Strategic Map: 224 x 224 pixels
Operational Map: 702 x 224 pixels
Tactical Map: 952 x 350 pixels
Note: We recommend using the strategic overview map that ships with
the game in order to have some consistency. The map used for
the operational briefing map is publicly available online from
Wikipedia’s “Syria” entry. You can of course simply draw a tactical
map by hand, but another good approach is to take a top-down
screenshot of the actual map at least as the base; or even a
screen 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).
Note: The ^ tags indicate the end of a section, and should not be
removed.
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 10
separate spots for a single objective means that the player must
pay attention to ALL 10 spots, not just one. If the mission is to
destroy these areas, for example, that means all 3 must be
destroyed in order for the player to get points. This can be
difficult to effectively communicate to the player, so be careful
when spreading things out. Therefore, generally it is better to
make separate objectives for non-contiguous goals.
Note: keep in mind that only ENEMY units can be assigned as unit
objectives. For example, a Red unit assigned to Group 1 will be
tied to the Blue side’s Group 1 objective, never to the Red side’s
Group 1 objective.
Map Editor
The 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 you
back to the Map Editor.
The Map Editor consists of three main tools: the Option Selector
on the left allows you to choose which features of the map to
edit; the Settings Selector allows you to choose a specific type/
Ground #1
The 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 #2
Second set of possible ground types. Pavement 1 and 2, Gravel,
Dirt Lot, Grain, Mud, Marsh.
Brush
Brush terrain.
Foliage
Six types of trees and three types of large bushes.
Roads
A number of road types: Dirt Road, Gravel Road, Paved Road 1
and 2, and a multi-lane Highway.
Walls/Fences/Trenches
Various types of walls and fences (Stone, Tall Stone, Brick, Tall
Brick and Rural Stone), as well as trench lines.
Flavor Objects
Flavor Objects are small objects which add atmosphere and eye
candy to the scenery but have little or no impact on gameplay.
Options include: Street Lights, Telephone Poles, Drums, vari-
ous Road Signs, and Sacks.
Craters
Allows 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 medium
sized craters (M); 1 or 2 large craters (H), and 1 super-size
crater (S).
Elevation
By 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 height
difference of 1 meter.
CM:SF’s approach to elevations might be conceptually difficult to
grasp at first (especially if you worked with the earlier CM edi-
tors in the past). However, once you get a feel for it you’ll
never 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 then
logically slopes the terrain between the contours so that the
transitions are smooth and natural looking.
The mechanics are quite simple. There are four different ways to
change the elevation of a tile and you can set multiple tiles to
the same height by keeping the left mouse button pressed as
you move the cursor around the map. No matter which method
you use, or how you use it, the results are the same. The tiles
clicked on turn black to signify that you have “locked” the par-
ticular tile to a specific height, which is displayed in white
numbers. All others remain in their natural state, showing
that they are “unlocked”. All locked tiles remain at the height
you specified, all the unlocked ones dynamically change their
heights to conform to the placement of new locked tiles. This
way you can specify a crest of a hill and the rest of the terrain
will smoothly come up to meet it instead you having to do it
manually.
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).
Note: if you want only one side to see a map label, use Objectives
instead (see Mission Editor as well as the Tips&Tricks section)
Setup Zones
Allows “painting” of up to three setup zones per nation, labeled
Blue 1, 2, 3 and Red 1, 2, 3 respectively. Zones are used to
restrict how much the player can customize his starting loca-
tions. For example, allowing the attacking player to set up in
the same spot as the defender would not be a good idea. Like-
wise, allowing the defender to put some snipers or AT teams in
the middle of the attacker’s assembly area isn’t likely to win
you 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 even
sprinkle spots all over the map. Units located within a specific
zone during the Setup Phase of a battle can be moved to all
spots of that same zone number, no matter where they are. So
if you create two Zone 1 spots on the opposite ends of the
map, 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 zone
number.
Object Rotation
Most objects which can be placed on the map, such as buildings,
road tiles, walls etc. can be rotated in one of four directions
before 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 and
right-clicking (it doesn’t matter where you click). Repeat this
until the rotation direction you want is selected (the current
selection is always indicated by a depressed button)
Paintbrush
The “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 currently
selected terrain to the area covered by the brush, right-click
removes it.
Note: not all objects are eligible for different brush sizes. Most terrain
types 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 Zoom
The 2D map can be set to any one of five different levels of mag-
nification by clicking on the corresponding button. The left most
button is max zoom in, the right max zoom out. The middle
zoom level is the default. If the map view is zoomed in, then
the view will scroll when you move the cursor to the screen
edge.
Note: by pressing and holding the SHIFT key while clicking on one of the
buttons, 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 (or
decreased).
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. So
pressing 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 the
map, while the plus and minus in the bottom do it for the
southern border.
Units Editor
The Units editor provides all the tools to create Order of Battles
for both Blue and Red sides. On the left is a list of options
arranged logically, from top to bottom, in the order generally
used to create an Order of Battle. First you purchase units for
a side, then you assign reinforcements, and lastly you deploy
those 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 that
can be purchased for a specific “Branch” (sub category of a
Purchase Units
All 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.). Force
options for a particular side are presented in icon form in the
middle of the left portion of the user interface. When you
select a Force a list of the available Branches appears below.
Selecting one of these shows what the Available Troops are for
that particular Branch. You are allowed to mix and match units
from Forces and Branches as much as you like, no matter how
unrealistic it may be in real life.
Soft factors
Each unit has certain “soft” data that can be adjusted if desired.
Soft factors are those elements that are, more or less, variable
from unit to unit regardless of type. Most of these are related
to the soldiers themselves, not the equipment they have as-
signed to them. You can see what the soft factors are by clicking
on 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’s
setting. For example, is the unit supposed to represent a dispir-
ited bunch of farmers rounded up one day, given a gun the
typical Setting
For all of the above settings except Vehicle Status, the option
“Typical” is also available. This choice randomly sets the value
to be a typical value for the selected formation. When you
select a Reserve unit you generally get different results (often
only 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 all
options and is a good way for the scenario designer to get
some variety for his scenario without having to adjust each
and every unit individually.
Purchasing equipment
Most of the units in CM:SF have very specific equipment assigned
to them because, in real life, there isn’t significant variation to
speak of. However, some types of equipment are more vari-
able and therefore are assigned to units semi-randomly. This
section 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. This
gives you some influence, more or less, over what CM picks for
the units that have variable equipment options (all others will
ignore your Equipment setting and go with their assigned equip-
For example, a SBCT Sniper Squad can be armed with either the M110
7.62 Sniper rifle or the M107 .50 Cal Sniper rifle. If you leave
Equipment in the middle, Normal, CM will arm the two teams of
the Squad with either M110 or M107 rifles. If you instead set
Equipment to the top two choices for sure one will get an M110
and probably b. Bottom two choices, for sure you will get M107
Team. Since each has its good and bad points, neither one is
really better or worse than the other.
US Artillery
Company Mortar Section
GOOD ......................................... BAD
- M252 81mm Medium Mortar ......... - M224 60mm Light Mortar
Battalion Mortar Section
GOOD ......................................... BAD
- M120 120mm Heavy Mortar ......... - M252 81mm Medium Mortar
Arrival Span
Can 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 and
30 minutes in 5 minute intervals. Specifying a time deter-
mines a +/- range modification of Earliest Arrival Time.
Deploy Units
This 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 units
into vehicles, deploying heavy weapons so they can fire imme-
diately, etc.
If you created Setup Zones they are shown on the map. A unit in
a Setup Zone can be moved freely within that particular Zone
during a game’s Setup phase. Units placed outside of a Setup
Zone can not be moved at by the player until after the game
starts.
Deployment Commands
During Deployment mode a limited number of Commands are
available for each unit type, mainly related to administrative
tasks.
MOVE, FACE, HIDE, ACQUIRE, DISMOUNT, DEPLOY WEAPON, SPLIT
TEAM, ASSAULT TEAM, ANTITANK TEAM
Note: The Commands work the same way they do during a battle. See
the Commands section of the manual for more details.
Groups
A 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.
Map Zone
Map Zones are “painted” on the map, much like a Setup Zone or
a victory Objective area. Each Order can have one, and only
one, Map Zone assigned to it. The shape and size can be as
regular or irregular, small or large, and you can even generate
separate discontinuous areas, but they are still considered part
of the same map zone. That doesn’t mean it is necessarily a
good idea to make huge, crazy shaped Map Zones, just that it
is possible. Generally the more “creative” the Map Zones are,
the less likely Groups will behave as desired. Therefore, it is
usually better to break up larger concepts into smaller pieces
and assign different Groups to each with their own Orders and
Map Zones.
Note: Orders do NOT have to have Map Zones assigned with them. If no
Map Zone is defined, the unit will simply remain stationary while
executing the other options of an order (change in stance, change
floors, dismount).
Orders
Each 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 Map
Zone as the start of the Order, will likely doom a Plan to failure.
There are a total of four pieces to each Order (not including
the Map Zone), except the first Setup Order, which only has
three (explained further below).
Order type
Dash – 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 will
likely exhaust themselves before reaching the specified Map
Zone. It is also wise to make sure the Group isn’t likely to fight
along the way since the units won’t be predisposed to doing
that. Use Dash for things like getting units to move quickly
from 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 as
possible but not at all cost, and not at maximum speed. Units
may stop and return fire occasionally, but are generally un-
likely to do so. Quick is useful when covering medium distances
that you want to cross quickly but without completely tiring
out 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 moving
from place to place and not specifically anticipating a big fight.
Units instructed to Advance decide what they should do, but
generally it is to keep moving after taking some shots at spot-
ted enemy units.
Assault – this order emphasizes combat over movement. Units
ordered to assault will generally interrupt their movement when
facing the opportunity to engage the enemy, but will not re-
main stationary for too long. This is the best order to use for
Setup Orders
The very first order of each plan is a Setup Order. It works exactly
as other orders with one big exception: the Map Zone for the
Setup Order defines the area where units begin the game, not
where they need to move to. As such, the Map Zone is NOT the
End Zone as for all other regular orders. Therefore, Setup Or-
ders have no option for “Order Type” since the units do not
have to move anywhere.
Note: the AI does not break the rules. If you paint a Map Zone for a
Setup Order outside of a valid Red or Blue Setup Zone (as defined
in the Map Editor), the AI will never setup there. Therefore, make
sure that your Map Zone for Setup Orders for the AI plan matches
a valid Setup Zone in the Map Editor. To make this easier, Setup
Zones are always shown on the 2D map when you select a Setup
Order in the plan.
Occupy buildings
This 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.
Stance
This option defines the basic behavior and combat posture of a
unit for a given Order.
Passenger status
This option tells infantry carrying vehicles and bunkers to Dis-
mount its passengers or keep them Mounted. Keep in mind
that this option is activated BEFORE the designated Map zone
is 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.
Plans
Plans are the glue that holds together Groups, Map Zones, and
Orders. They act as “scripts” for the AI to follow, but not in the
traditional FPS/RTS sense in which tactical behavior is tied to
trigger points, patrol routes, etc. Instead it is a set of behav-
ioral instructions just like in a real military formation. For
example, the “script” doesn’t say “Tank 231 goes from this
point to this point and then tries to shoot here”, rather it says
“Tank 231 will try to move through this area and shoot at any
threats it sees”. The actual tactical moves and decisions the
unit makes are left up to the TacAI, which means they are
context sensitive decisions.
When the player starts to play a scenario Combat Mission selects
one semi-randomly chosen Plan to be used for the duration of
the battle. This allows the Computer Player to be unpredict-
able each time a scenario is replayed, yet still follow specific
instructions made by the scenario designer. Or not! The Sce-
nario designer may choose to make only a single Plan for a
Note: all of a Plan’s Orders are saved into the scenario file even if there
are no Groups assigned to it. This allows the designer to move,
remove, redo, and otherwise manipulate units and Groups
without worrying about wiping out work done on a Plan prior to
the changes. Obviously, if no Groups are assigned to an Order
none of the Order’s actions are carried out in the game, so there
isn’t any point of creating Orders that have no Groups, though
Note: use of Support Assets during the game is left completely up to the
TacAI’s assessment of the tactical situation, availability of LOS,
amount of support available, availability of good spotters, etc.
The designer has no influence of this behavior at all.
3D Preview
The 3D Preview previews the battle in 3D mode, which can be
useful for spotting possible issues with terrain, elevations, or
the overall look of the map. It is also good for getting a feel for
how to set up the AI’s Orders and Plans. Additionally, Preview
mode allows the direct manipulation and fine-tuning of certain
map aspects which cannot be accessed from the 2D Map Edi-
tor. This applies mainly to buildings and Flavor Objects.
Editing Buildings
In 2D mode you choose the basic building types and determine
their placement on the map. The actual look of the building is
determined randomly from a number of options specific to each
type 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, number
of doors, and number of windows can be set. If the wall is
exposed it can have a balcony of one sort or another. The type
of roof can be changed as well, which not only changes the
look of the building quite dramatically, but it also determines
how much cover there is for soldiers occupying the roof.
One of the more interesting, and powerful, features is the ability
to completely remove walls by toggling through the “window/
door layouts” until the wall disappears. This allows adjacent
buildings to be combined into larger structures, such as a mas-
sive warehouse or L shaped house. Since individual walls on
individual floors can be removed, it is possible to have a build-
ing complex that is open on some levels and closed on others,
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 Side
ALT-CTRL-CLICK on a side changes window/door layout
CTRL-SHIFT-CLICK on ground floor adds balconies
Entire Building
ALT-CLICK changes window/door frames for all four sides
SHIFT-CLICK changes the buildings texture for all four sides
CTRL-CLICK on roof changes shape/type of roof
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 a
battle to start up right in middle of a firefight, for example, or
Making Campaigns
New Campaigns for Combat Mission are technically quite easy to
make, however since they require many custom made battles
it can be somewhat time consuming to put together because
each battle takes a fair amount of effort to make.
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 that
some (or all) of the units from one (or both) sides can be
imported into a scenario so that they carry through from battle
to battle. Also, it isn’t necessary to make the small 170x170
picture that represents the scenario in the Battle selection dia-
log because it is ignored.
Note: any formations completely removed from the Activated Troops list
in the scenario will reappear and must be deleted again (if that is
still desired). This is to make sure deleted formations can be
brought back in if the designer changes his mind after removing
them. It’s very important to know this since reintroduced
formations appear in default positions in the 3D environment
automatically, which can create a rather interesting game
experience until it is fixed in the Editor.
Note: the very beginning of a Campaign starts out with a special one
time Campaign Briefing. This is identical to a normal battle’s
briefing, complete with Operational Order (OPORD) and maps.
CM looks for this information in the Core Units File, which should
be loaded when the Campaign is compiled (see next section).
/* Campaign Header*/
[PLAYER FORCE] blue // options are: blue/red
[HUMAN OPPONENT ALLOWED] no // no/yes
/*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
[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
Compiling a Campaign
Unlike 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 from
person to person without missing pieces. It also ensures that
players can’t cheat by opening up individual battles in the Edi-
tor to peek or alter elements to make it easier to win. This
means the person making the Campaign must keep the indi-
vidual battles or forever lose the ability to make changes to
the Campaign.
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, each
error requires a fix and another compile attempt.
Setup Zones
Quick Battle Maps MUST have valid Setup Zones for Red and Blue
sides. Without valid Setup Zones units of both sides will prob-
ably end up right on top of each other. Not fun!
AI Plans
Quick 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 units
into groups.
Note: Since nobody knows which units will be taking part in a given
Quick Battle it makes sense to create AI plans in a much more
generic way than for regular scenarios.
Victory conditions
Only terrain objectives are considered for determining victory con-
ditions in a QB. All other objective types and parameters are
ignored. All terrain objectives are converted to OCCUPY objec-
tives automatically. The code automatically adds an
enemy-casualty threshold victory goal for each side is added
automatically, which is lowest for meeting engagements, and
highest for assaults.
Terrain
The type of terrain you set for a map determines when it will be
available for a QB. If a player wants to play a city map QB, only
maps defined as city maps will be available for him.
Battle Type
Probe, Attack and Assault maps are selected for either of these
options is selected for a QB. Meeting Engagement maps are
only selected when the player chooses to play a Meeting En-
gagement scenario.
Eastern plateau
The entire eastern plateau region is intersected by a low chain of
mountains, the Jabal ar Ruwaq, the Jabal Abu Rujmayn, and
the Jabal Bishri, extending northeastward from the Jabal Al
Arab to the Euphrates River. South of these mountains lies a
barren desert region known as the Hamad. North of the Jabal
ar Ruwaq and east of the city of Homs is another barren area
known 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, is
the fertile Jazirah region that is watered by the tributaries of
the Euphrates. The area provides substantial cereal and cotton
crops while oil and natural gas production can be found in the
extreme northeastern portion of the Jazirah.
Water
The longest and most important river is the Euphrates, which rep-
resents more than 80 percent of Syria’s water resources. Its
main left-bank tributaries, the Balikh and the Khabur, are both
major rivers and also rise in Turkey. The right-bank tributaries
of the Euphrates, however, are small seasonal streams called
wadis. Throughout the arid plateau region east of Damascus,
oases, streams, and a few interior rivers that empty into swamps
and small lakes provide water for local irrigation.
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 maps
The highly detailed environment simulated in CMSF 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-
Tactical considerations
Realistic looking terrain alone does not necessarily make for an
interesting battle. Terrain details that present the player with
intriguing tactical challenges is crucial. This should be kept in
mind when creating maps since even small features can have
a big impact on how a scenario plays out. There is plenty of
room for creativity even when recreating a real place, but there
is obviously far more freedom when creating a fictional map
from scratch. Through clever placement of hills, ravines, for-
ests, impassable terrain such as marshes, towns and other
terrain features you can purposefully determine the best places
to advance, ambush, snipe, etc. These decisions, in turn,
Flavor Objects
Flavor 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, but
the time spent figuring out how to best use them is time well
spent. Some objects are easier to place randomly here and
there (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 are
also 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 not
shown in the 2D map. This is because they are too detailed to
display in such a small amount of space. Therefore, when you
place an object in the 2D map you get no visual reference that
it is there. This can be somewhat confusing if you’re trying to
place a series of objects or one in a very specific spot. And
that’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’s
set to “known to both”, otherwise it won’t load on the 3D map
preview. Now paint the map where you want the objects to line
up. When viewing the map in 3D you’ll see the terrain you
painted over highlighted. Use it to put manipulate the objects
and then wipe the objective clean when done.
To place objects in a very specific spot, use the objectives trick
again, but in a different way. Instead of painting a path, just
paint a single tile at a time. Say for example you want to put
a traffic light at a particular intersection. Just mark that one
tile and put the traffic light object there. Then switch over to
3D Preview and nudge it into the exact spot. Orientate it the
way you want by left clicking on it and that’s that. When it’s
where you want it to be, go back to the 2D map and erase the
objective from that area so you won’t be confused by it or
accidentally leave it in your completed scenario.
Some other useful tips to get the most out of flavor objects:
Secret Missions
Objectives that are unknown to one or both players should be
used sparingly. They can be fun to play, but can get frustrating
quickly if every other mission the player experiences involves
guessing what needs to be done and then being punished if
the guess is wrong. Having said that, there are many fun
ideas rooted in hidden objectives and you should experiment
with 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. Even
without cheating and looking up the other side’s objectives in
the editor (which some people will do!), once the player fin-
ishes the scenario he will usually find out what the hidden
objective 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 is
still fun even if known (through replay or peeking). A good
example for the latter is a hidden territorial objective known
only 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 the
exact location is know, the mission should still be fun for both
sides.
Start simple
No matter how much planning you do, only through careful and
repeated playtesting will you be able to ensure that your AI
plan works as intended. There is no way around it. “No plan
survives first contact with the enemy” is more true than ever
in this regard. Therefore it makes sense to start with a simple
plan and progressively add more detail, since this makes
playtesting your AI plan much easier. Starting out with a com-
plex plan, before any play testing, is likely to make it difficult
to identify specific problem areas because everything is all
jumbled together. A good approach is to first assign bigger
formations to your AI groups than you intend on using, then
break away individual units or formations for complimentary
plans not yet made. Alternatively, don’t be afraid to simply
leave some units idle and without any orders and focus on only
part of the force during your playtesting. As you go through
rounds of testing you can make the plans more complex by
adding orders and coordinating plans with each other.
Do something else
The 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 be
able to counter even the most effective AI plan after a few
attempts at the latest. Luckily, you can create a number of AI
plans for each scenario and set different probabilities for the
AI to pick one plan or another, thereby keeping the human
player off-balance because he can’t assume the AI will react
the same way as the previous time. The challenge, however, is
The FS3 system includes a second-generation Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) imager,
day TV, laser designator, laser rangefinder, and special software that automatically
identifies the type of unit being observed. All this information is fed directly into
FBCB2, which means that if a Stryker RV spots something it knows where it is and
therefore so does everybody else with access to FBCB2. This is particularly useful for
calling in artillery or air support since those assets know exactly what they are to
attack and where.
There is no RWS on the RV, which means there is no remote controlled weapons system
on the vehicle. Instead, a manually fired M2 or Mk.19 is located on a skate rail next
to 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 thermal
imager. Instead, the RV is equipped with a commander’s cupola that offers 360
degree vision from within the vehicle superior to other Stryker variants.
The entire weapon system can rotate 306 degrees and fire while on the move, day or
night. A sophisticated fire control system ensures extremely good accuracy and
proper ammo selection from the automatic loader. A total of 18 rounds of 105mm
ammunition are carried, including HE against infantry and light targets and HEAT and
APFSDS 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 machinegun
is available too, though the commander must be unbuttoned to use it. Two M6 smoke
grenade launchers are also fitted to the gun system.
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 the
MGS, the ATGM variant was used in its place. However, it is not the vehicles main
mission and therefore it is not as good at taking on enemy infantry as the MGS is.
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), fully
integrated FBCB2 digital system, thermal sight for the loader, thermal Sight for the
Commander’s .50 cal machinegun, externally mounted tank-infantry phone, a Laser
Ranger 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 therefore
in some ways slightly superior to the standard M1A2 production model.
M1A2 Abrams
The 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 integration
of digital systems, and the Commanders Independent Thermal Viewer (CITV). The
CITV allows the commander to seek out and identify targets independently of the
gunner, then pass the new targeting information onto the gunner digitally. This
offers the M1A2 superior targeting and overall lethality compared to earlier M1A1
models.
One feature removed is the commander’s remote .50cal M2 weapons station. Instead
A-10 Thunderbolt II
The 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 the
awesome GAU-8/A 30mm Avenger Gatling Gun, the A-10 was born and breed to
conduct 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.
M109A6 Paladin
Self-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 to
halt from the move and fire within 30 seconds. This improves the survivability by
allowing the battery to operate dispersed by pairs across the countryside and to
relocate between salvos. Maxium rate of fire is 4 rounds per minute, 2 rounds per
minute sustained.
M4A1 w/M203
This is a standard M4A1 carbine fitted with a M203 40mm single-shot grenade launcher
attached under the barrel. The trigger is just forward of the rifle magazine, which
functions 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 the
launcher. The M203 is capable of firing 5-7 rounds per minute at an effective distance
of 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 standard
means 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 SAW
features a built-in bipod and a quick change barrel that helps prevent overheating
during sustained fire. United States military doctrine states the effective ranges are
600m for a point target, 800m for an area target, 1000m for suppression, and 3600m
as the maximum range.
M110
The M110 SASS (semi-automatic sniper system) is the newest long range precision
sniper 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 armor
piercing (AP) ammunition. The greater choices available give the operators more
options and flexibility for different target types. Military requirements specified that
the weapon able to provide accurate fire with ranges up to and exceeding 1000m in
order to increase the survivability of the operators while increasing the kill probability
over 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, but
is especially useful for long-range, counter-sniper, and anti-materiel roles compared
to more traditional smaller bore sniper rifles. It has a magazine capacity of 10 rounds
and 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
Demo Charge
The 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. M322
Kit includes: 3.3m Flexible Linear Shaped Charge, 61m shock tube initiation system,
an attachment device to the target, and a carrying bag.
Fragmentation M67
The 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 charge
and is capable of effectively causing casualties within a range of 15m.
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.
T-55-1970
Upgraded 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 these
exist as static or bottom of the barrel Reserve tanks.
T-55-1974
A 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-55MV
In 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
T-62-1972
The 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 an
improved fire control system, main gun stabilization, and night vision out to a range
of approx. 600-800m. This model is found in the Reserves only, though not in great
numbers. Perhaps less than 100 exist in running condition.
T-62-1975
Similar 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-62M
Very similar to the T-55MV except having appliqué armor panels instead of ERA. 200 or
so found in the Reserve units.
T-72M (early)
The base T-72 model for the Syrians has a number of improvements over the T-62,
including a 125mm gun and more sophisticated fire control systems. This model has
a few additional upgrades, such as the KTD-1 laser range finder used on the T-72A.
Found only in Reserves as the best tank for them. Probably less than 100 are still
functional.
T-72M
A slight upgrade of the earlier version. It adds appliqué armor to front of hull, skirt
armor, and smoke dischargers. This is found at the bottom end of the Regular tank
unit’s roster with few still in running condition.
T-72M1V
This 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 this
upgrade)
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 125mm
gun capable of firing ATGM’s, remotely operated AAMG, combined gunner/commander
thermal imaging system (night vision range is approx 3000 to 3500m), new fire
control computer and stabilization system and GPS. The new Kontakt-5 was, at the
T-72M1V TURMS-T
This 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 control
system. The end result is a tank most similar to the Czech produced T-72M4. It
includes a day/night stabilized commander’s panoramic periscope sight, gunner’s
stabilized sight with thermal imager and laser rangefinder and digital fire control
computer. 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 and
is used to control the gun, the sighting systems and the laser rangefinder. Not
surprisingly, this highly sophisticated tank is only found in the Republican Guards
Division. The number in service could be as high as 200.
Command Tanks
The 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 practical
standpoint when a command tank is lost communications between platoons suffers,
communications with battalion are lost completely.
BRDM-2
The BRDM-2 (Boyevaya Razvedyvatelnaya Dozornaya Mashina, literally “Combat Re-
connaissance/Patrol Vehicle”) is an armoured scout car used by Russia and the former
Soviet Union. It was intended to replace the earlier BRDM-1 with a vehicle that had
improved amphibious capabilities and better armament. The armament is the same
as the BTR-60 armored personnel carrier, a 14.5 mm KPV heavy machine gun with a
BRDM-2 atgm
The BRDM-2 ATGM launcher vehicle mounts launch rails for the AT-3 Sagger missile in
place of the turret.
BRDM-2U
The 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 is
extra 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 it
is used by Regimental and higher HQ units not simulated in the game.
BMP-1/BMP-1P
The 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). The
steeply-sloped front armor is proofed against .50-calibre machine guns and light
cannon fire, but armor quality varies greatly with factory and year of manufacture. It
is armed with an unstabilized 73 mm smoothbore gun which fires a low velocity HEAT
round, and as such the main gun is unreliable in windy conditions. The standard
BMP-1 has an AT-3 Sagger ATGM launcher is mounted above the gun, the BMP-1P
has an AT-4 Spigot. The launchers have to be loaded by hand through a small
loading 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 and
tanks of all types. The gun has only primitive fire control systems and the vehicle
must be at a dead stop to fire and guide its ATGM. Nevertheless, the BMP-1 is still a
threat to light AFVs or dismounted infantry and the Syrians have loads of them.
Perhaps as many as 2000 are still in service.
BMP-1K/BMP-1PK/BMP-2K
These 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-command
counterparts. Loss of these vehicles degrades communications between formations.
BTR-60PBK
The 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 than
a standard BTR-60PB.
UAZ-469B
The 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.
AKM
The AKM was introduced in 1959 as a lighter and cheaper version of the AK-47 with an
effective range of between 300m to 400m. It fires the standard Soviet era 7.62 x
39mm round. The AKM was an improvement over the original AK-47 through its use
of 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 open
device, and an inconveniently located safety/selector. Despite of these problems it
gained a strong and wide reputation for ruggedness and reliability. Tens of millions
were 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 less
recoil, 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 were
made of wood or reddish brown plastic, but in the 1980s black plastic became the
standard.
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 suppressor
instead of a muzzle break. With an overall length of 492mm (with stock folded) and
weight of 2.7kg, it is a very compact and light firearm. Technically the AKS-74U is an
assault rifle due to its cartridge size, however its compactness and intended purpose
make it more akin to a submachinegun. It is primarily used for purposes where space
or weight is at a premium and there is little need to engage targets with accurate fire
beyond 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-30
Obuvka is a 40mm muzzle-loaded, single-shot, detachable, under-barrel grenade
launcher. It is the successor to the earlier GP-15 and GP-25, though its performance
is 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 are
used by the crew served AGS-17 grenade launcher; the VOG-25 (High Explosive) or
the VOG-25P (Delayed Fuze High Explosive). Only recently has this weapon come
into widespread use within Russia and it is slowly making its way to other nations.
RPK
This is a long barreled version of the AK-47 designed for use as a squad automatic
weapon. It fires full-auto only and uses the same 7.62 x 39mm ammunition as the
AKM. Its major drawback is its lack of an interchangeable barrel, which means that
it 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 a
reliable and effective weapon, its drawbacks are significant and therefore the RPK is
a 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 found
with 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 the
same 5.45 x 39mm ammunition as the AK-74. Instead of the prominent muzzle
brake 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 a
drum magazine.
SVD
The Dragunov Sniper Rifle (Snayperskaya Vintovka Dragunova, abbreviated SVD), is a
semiautomatic 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 all
former 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 ranges
above 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.
RPG-18
The RPG-18 Mukha (“Fly”) is a light, single shot, short-range disposable multi-purpose
rocket launcher. The RPG-18 fires a 64 mm PG-18 HEAT capable of 6 seconds of flight
after launch (about 200m) before self-destructing. The round can penetrate up to
375 mm of conventional armor, with significantly poorer performance against HEAT
resistant ERA or composite armor (as found on the Abrams). It can also be used
against hardened infantry targets, such as bunkers. The RPG-18 is similar in both
appearance and in functionality to the United States’ LAW rocket, the predecessor to
the M136 AT-4. The RPG-18 is carried with part of the launch tube collapsed making
the 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 to
aim at the target. Once extended the RPG-18 is armed and can not be reset to a
Demo Charge
This 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-5
RDG-5 (Ruchnaya Granata Degtyareva) is an egg shaped Blast & Fragmentation hand
grenade that produces around 350 steel fragments. The effective radius is around
15-20m resulting in a 43 square meter kill zone.
Smoke RDG-1
A 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 is
removed and struck against an igniter. The resulting smoke screen lasts for about
60-90 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 from
linked sections of non-disintegrating metallic belts of 7.62 x 54R mm ammunition. A
detachable steel box secured directly under the breach 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 per
minute 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 less
expensive production. The barrel is a bit shorter and the total weight a bit less, but
performance is nearly identical.
NVS
The 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 against
ground or air targets. It is also used on a tripod for defense of fortified positions out
to a maximum effective range of about 2000m. It is fed from non-disintegrating
belts of 50-rds each and has a rate of fire between 700 and 800 rounds per minute.
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 weapon
that fires both antiarmor and antipersonnel ammunition. It is man portable, though
usually it is transported by truck or APC and remains relatively local thereafter. It can
be carried fully assembled over short distances, however usually it is broken down
and carried in its component pieces due to weight. The SPG-9 has a rate of fire of 6
rounds 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 can
theoretically be used at much greater distances. The HEAT round can achieve 400mm
armor penetration at any range up to about 800m, at which point a hit becomes
doubtful.
RPG-7V1
When someone thinks of a threat to an armored vehicle, the RPG-7V is usually the one
that comes to mind first. This is the quintessential shoulder shoulder-fired, reloadable
anti-tank rocket launch. Its light weight allows a single person carry it and a few
grenades with little difficulty. However, standard practice is to have an assistant grena-
dier who carries additional ammo, protects the gunner, and reloads after firing. There
are 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-7V
quickly becomes increasingly inaccurate as range increases. For example, a mild
11kmh crosswind can reduce first-round hit probability by 50% at ranges beyond
180 meters. Hitting moving targets at anything but point blank range usually comes
down to pure luck. On top of the accuracy problems, many of the rounds commonly
found 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’t
detonate. Still, with all its negatives the RPG-7V is a serious threat because it only
takes one hit, lucky or otherwise, to cause massive damage to a vehicle or death to
exposed infantrymen.
RPG-29
The RPG-29 is a thoroughly modern 105mm anti-tank grenade launcher. Known as
Vampire, the RPG-29 shares very little in common with the RPG-7V. It is much longer
and therefore can be broken down into two parts in seconds for one soldier can carry
more easily. It is loaded from the rear, fires a much larger grenade, and thanks to
the 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 warhead
grenade it can effectively counter ERA (reactive) armor by detonating the explosive
blocks with its first charge and penetrating the base armor with the second. It can
also penetrate over 1.5m of reinforced concrete and still have enough power remain-
ing to cause casualties beyond. The anti-personnel round is the controversial
thermobaric 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 US
Javelin, 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 Soviet
Union first produced in the 1960s, then improved in the early 1970s. It was the first
man-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. Once
fired the missile is guided by line of sight to its target up to 3000m. The gunner
tracks both the missile and the target, adjusting the missile’s direction via a joystick
AT-3C
AT-3C Sagger C consists of a slightly improved AT-3B missile (greater penetration) and
a 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 track
the target. This vastly improves the chance of hitting the target from 2%-25% to
perhaps 90%.
AT-3D
AT-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 double
the penetration power of the original AT-3. The second is a tandem HEAT warhead
designed to overcome ERA (reactive) defenses. The third new warhead type is
thermobaric for use against soft targets. A fully equipped AT-3D team should be
expected 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) system
similar 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 and
therefore practically speaking can only be moved a short distance. The gunner lies
prone while firing and must keep the target lined up until missile impact. The AT-4
missile 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 moving
faster than 60km/h (37mph) is unlikely to be hit, which for most circumstances is an
acceptable 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.
AT-4C
A slight improvement over the AT-4A is the AT-4C Spigot C. It retains the same tracking
system but boosts the missiles range to 2500m. A new tandem HEAT warhead
increases 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 an
improved AT-4 type targeting system and a small, lightweight launch platform. Ad-
ditionally, the missiles themselves are much lighter than earlier ones. This makes
the system much more portable and capable of being fired from the shoulder (though
this is difficult to do). The downside is that the lighter weight of the missile came at
the expense of range with a maximum range of just 1000m. It can be used from
within a moderately enclosed space at any target further away than 40m and travel-
AT-13
The AT-13 Metis-M (confusingly NATO also refers to this at the Saxhorn) is an improved
version of the AT-7 by combining the same launch system with a superior missile. It
is slightly slower than the AT-7, but its tandem HEAT warhead can penetrate nearly
twice the amount of armor and is designed to defeat ERA. There is also a thermobaric
warhead for use against soft targets.
AT-14
The Kornet-E is the most current and capable ATGM threat faced by Western forces. It
is similar in appearance to the AT-7 and AT-13 systems, but only superficially. Unlike
previous systems the AT-14 comes standard with a thermal sight and uses a laser for
guidance. This makes tracking targets much easier and less vulnerable to interfer-
ence, though the gunner must still remain stationary until the target is hit. With
these new tools in his hands, a decent gunner is almost assured of hitting whatever
he aims at up to 5000m. And if he hits, the target is probably knocked out. The
tandem 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 also
fire a powerful thermobaric missile against soft targets. This is the weapon every
tanker, Western or otherwise, fears coming up against.
Syria
Republican Guard
Special Forces
By far the biggest arm of the full time Syrian Armed Forces are
the Regular Army forces, consisting of seven Armored and three
Mechanized Divisions. Equipment, training, and leadership is
generally good, but definitely a qualitative step down from the
Republican 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 Armed
Forces by calling upon previously trained conscripts and re-
tired professional soldiers. A significant portion of these are
filtered into an Armored and two Motorized Divisions, the rest
go to various independent (and largely static) Brigade and
smaller formations. They have the worst armored vehicles
(when present at all) and in general the hand-me-downs from
the other units. Additionally, the Reserves are not kept in a
high 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 do
not have much in the way of motorized transport, therefore
they are limited to defensive operations only.
Militia
A 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, and
leadership. The equipment they do receive is the worst in
Syria’s inventory. As a result, the Militia’s combat capabilities
are quite limited. Their fate is to be situated in fixed positions
and hope for the best.
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, command
structure, and organization of even Fighters, not to mention a
unit in the Armed Forces. They rely on hit and run tactics
using light weapons, IEDs, technicals, and simple AT weapons.
Gunner
Loader Ammo
Sniper Hand grenades
MG ammo
Threat Rifle Grenades
Anti-tank missile
Small caliber
Medium caliber
Large caliber
Binoculars
PDA
Breach kit
GPS
Visual (Close)
IED detonator
Javelin Command
Visual (Distant)
Launch Unit
Javelin missile
Voice
RPG 7
RPG 18
RPG rocket
Armor Combatant
Infantry Fighter
Republican Guard
Special Forces
Multi-GPU
On 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.
Screen resolution
CM:SF automatically runs the game at the resolution of your desktop.
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 performance
limits (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.
Tech Support
Bugs
If 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
.............. support@battlefront.com
Patches
Please also do not forget to check regularly for the latest patches to the game at:
.............. http://www.battlefront.com/products/cmsf/
Licensing
For 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
.............. elicense@battlefront.com