Combat Mission Red Thunder: AAR Getting Ugly Part 1

15:35hrs, 24th June 1944
Soviet elements of the 459th Rifle Regiment of the 42nd Rifle Division have closed in on the village of Chernevka where a column of German trucks and armour have been passing through to set up a defensive line in the village of Ugly on the opposite bank of the Basia river.
Single player, WeGo, Elite.

[@usuallyhapless9481]

Nice! Going to be interesting to see how you deal with those Panthers- I haven't played as the Soviets for ages, but I remember that they're very different from the other factions. Can't wait to see those Tank Desant troops open up too.

[@joseywales3848]

Thanks Hapless, or perhaps we'll see how those Panthers deal with me!

[@sirfanatical8763]

Hola

[@voakk4062]

Josey descends from the heavens and blesses my day again. Thank you for the amazing content, as always

[@sproge2142]

I've gotta say, I do think I enjoy the SinglePlayer AARs as much as the MultiPlayer ones, if not more. They're very different beasts but SP tickles me the right way, the scenarios are often more interesting. And if SP requires less time and effort than the MP AARs, meaning possibly more uploads from you, I'd love to see them more often on the channel! Excellent work as always, can't wait for the next part ^^

[@joseywales3848]

I agree, SP and MP are two totally different animals. I find a methodical approach tends to work well for the most part in SP, whereas MP is usually about taking the right risks at the right time and trying to out think your opponent. Glad you enjoyed.

[@StaffordMagnus]

I find it hard to get excited about single player tbh, be it playing or AARs, while Joseys level of presentation can make any game interesting I find the AI is simply too predictable after a while, against a human you never know what they're going to do. They'll be sneaky, think outside the box, utilise approaches and tactics you never even considered, or make mistakes and fall into your carefully laid traps. That said, looking forward to part 2!

[@joseywales3848]

Single player is a good place to start and campaigns offer an extra level of challenge, but playing against a human opponent is for me where the game really shines.

[@sproge2142]

@@joseywales3848 that's fair, but there's another reason to like playing SP, (the reason I personally almost only play Normandy in SP) there's a lot more variety in scenarios, the forces can be more "unbalanced" in SP, and there can be more "bold" tactics from the AI. In this vid for example you actually faced two real counterattacks supported by armour, that's would prob never happen vs a player as he would be much more careful with his assets. This is even more so true in the campaigns where there are more considerations than just winning the mission at hand. Overall I enjoy a lot of the "puzzles" SP brings, and how it let's you experience more different and quirky scenarios. The operation Market Garden campaign stands out to be as a prime example of how fun and different SP can be, and I'd recommend anyone who has not tried it to give it a shot!

[@CharlesvanDijk-ir6bl]

@@joseywales3848 In SP the AI only reacts if you give your position away. Houses and other areas of concealment are for the human player a lot more secure. I found out if you '"camp" after an engagement the AI comes down like a ton of bricks. Find out what was the trigger, I think it happens as soon as your armour enters an objective. I enjoyed this battle too.

[@austintatious7209]

Despite the age of the series, I still think they all look great. Good to see you playing RT. Hope you enjoy it.

[@JuergenGDB]

Exactly.. they may look a little dated but the amount of playability and re-playability with all the Nations is just great, and even better when you play against another. It is Advanced Squad Leader of old, albeit a 3d perspective with better maps, etc.

[@PiresArsenalLegend]

Liking for that sexy correct pronunciation of 'Bagration'. *Arches eyebrow at Steel Division*

[@RyanDudeTrolls]

Still a truly amazing narrative following of all combat events. Do keep up the great work and hope to see even more in the future!

[@Philhamm]

Life is worth living again

[@joseywales3848]

Ha, good to see you Lemons

[@Kilomikepapa]

“No cabbages were harmed during the making of this movie,” lol. Great video, very well done. RT is the only one of the series I don’t own. Might have to correct that situation...

[@remake223]

Josey Wales back at it again! 👏👏👏👏

[@cathrynnroberts]

Thankyou, your cinematic style and tactical overviews of the battlefield are very helpful and inspirational.

[@Holdit66]

Excellent AAR - well edited and with tight narration. Good job.

[@robertcampbell1170]

This is just wonderful work, with your planning, explanation of the situation, mission, execution, etc. I have been glued to this since I started watching. It is as engrossing as any a great ww2 movie I have ever seen.

[@IHateYoutubeHandlesVeryMuch]

I got finals I need to study for but a day Josey Wales uploads is a great day. Glad to see you're making a video on Red Thunder.

[@joseywales3848]

Glad you enjoyed it, now get back to those books 😉

[@nathangun2261]

What a cliff hanger.

[@joseywales3848]

Always keep them wanting more...

[@theShermanator]

Wow just got into Combat Mission Shock Force 2 but this looks so awesome! I wonder how you even got all these cinematic angles, is there a replay system?

[@joseywales3848]

Thanks, yes if you play in the turn based WEGO mode you can watch a 1 minute replay of each turn.

[@GrumblingGrognard]

I have played them all for decades. If you have ANY interest in WW2 jump on whatever one suits your fancy, or grab a pack.

[@JuergenGDB]

The WWII titles are extremely well done just as are Shock Force 2, Black Sea, and the newer 'Red Dawn" era Combat Mission Cold War!

[@jobu88]

Holy crap that 152 hole in the side of the Stug LOL. Great camera work as usual.

[@Seshins]

Excellent AAR JW. Now onward to part 2!

[@rinaldiaars5443]

Excellent video; whoever made the AI plans deserves some credit.

[@joseywales3848]

I agree, the scenario designer leaves some historical notes on the actual battle in the briefing screen but doesn't say who he is.

[@nicknewton3390]

I’ve been waiting for you to finally come back Josey!

[@bencurtis4883]

So great to see you back! One of my favorite channels!

[@caleb7922]

These cinematic are near movie quality, love it.

[@Vgrad2]

I've been playing CM since the first one, yet the Soviets take some adjusting to. They're a force which does well when aggressively pressing and attempting to overwhelm the enemy, but perform poorly when doing anything else. You need 3 things to maximize their potential: rocket artillery, massed submachine gun infantry (tankodesantniki are best), and T-34s (preferably the 85mm gun model)

[@AITullball3333]

12:25 That's a pretty impressive hole.

[@joseywales3848]

Yep 122mm

[@michaelhansen5662]

It’s always refreshing to see someone play a game well

[@wartsnall7332]

Excellent video. I'd completely forgotten this battle. Looking at my records it looks like it was a stroll when I played as the Axis. I'll keep my Russian result to myself for the time being. Roll on Part 2!

[@joseywales3848]

As the Soviets the AI wrong foots you on several occasions, however these AAR's do contain spoilers.

[@KingstonKingdom]

wow never seen this game before looks awesome, and great narration mate

[@MrHyde-wv8wi]

My comment to show support and appreciation for your Video is as follows. -Big Thumbs Up

[@JagdT34]

Sweet I gotta shout out at the start, thanks man! Apologies to your fans if my defeating you previously attributed to your CM break. As always your AAR is great, well done again!

[@joseywales3848]

Ha, no my break had nothing to do with our games, it just came at the right time to get away and play a bit of Field of Glory Empires & Crusader Kings 2.

[@grzegorzp2314]

it's like hidden&dangerous briefing. Marvelous!

[@joseywales3848]

That brings back some fond memories from a long time ago.

[@fortress2270]

Would love to try this game out someday. Thanks for sharing another great content!

[@JohnsonLobster]

23:35 The hobbits hiding from the Nazgûl.

[@CharlesvanDijk-ir6bl]

Very nice I thought you guys had left. :)

[@joseywales3848]

No just had a break, CM is too good to leave.

[@sponjis6944]

Great vid hope to se more soon!

[@markheithorn3905]

Excellent video.

[@worldwarmini3919]

YES!!! The best!!!!

[@joseywales3848]

Many thanks man!

[@GenBuBlu]

Awesome video, as usual! I have to say I have a soft spot for soviet assault guns. PS: Retreat! Retreat! Sauve qui peut!!!!

[@joseywales3848]

Had to brush up on my French there. Glad you enjoyed it. I am coming around to your way of thinking that a lot of these battles become knife fights and there is something to be said about playing with a smallish force on a huge map that allows for longer engagement ranges.

[@GenBuBlu]

@@joseywales3848 It doesn't apply to all Combat Mission maps - most scenario maps are scaled relatively realistically. My main gripe are quickbattle maps most of which strike me as unrealistic and small. Unfortunately, the solution needs to be more complex than just picking larger maps and smaller force sizes. A lot depends on the "size" (footprint) of terrain features on the map. For example, I'd argue that the footprints of many hills on Combat Mission maps are too small. How does that even matter? The consequence of "small hills" is that the hills' ridges get sharper, which in turn makes units spot each other across the ridge at shorter distances. So you end up with more "ambush situations" (knife fights, short ranged engagements) across ridges.

[@joseywales3848]

@General Butterblümchen , I see what you're saying. Are you aware of any maps which do meet that criteria and thereby allow for more manoeuvre and longer engagement ranges for any of the WWII titles?

[@GenBuBlu]

@@joseywales3848 Some time ago, I tried to look up the actual locations of some of the Final Blitzkrieg scenarios. I haven't tried them all, just five or so, but I was a bit disappointed as I could only locate a single one. The other ones I tried seemed to be fictional locations. The one I could identify was the "Hung up at Cheneux" scenario. You've already played it! :) I measured the distances and concluded that the scale was 100% realistic. I would say it's a scenario that most players would describe as very open, yet it is just your normal Ardennes landscape. In many places, this map allows for longer engagement ranges, yet this doesn't neccessarily increase manoeuverability. Tanks and MGs (both of which are in their element at longer ranges) still interdict movement. I also need to point out that a large part why CM scenarios turn out to be overly bloody is that secnario designers often beef up the number of AI troops in order to keep up a challenge for the player. In some scenarios, it feels like the defender has more troops than you as the attacker. :)

[@alpasta364]

I love your videos! please do more battles!

[@markraffety3246]

I have come to prefer the t34 with the 76.2 mm gun over the t34/85. The t34/76's canister rounds are invaluable against the German infantry and the Soviet player can always add some heavy armor in his task force if he is concerned about the big German cats.

[@hkrider]

great AAR and great editing

[@joseywales3848]

Thanks man

[@warrenwitkowski4696]

What mods are you using for the Soviet tanks and where did you find them? Excellent video by the way!

[@joseywales3848]

Thanks, all the vehicle mods are ARIS and can be found here; cmmodsiii.greenasjade.net/

[@ranhu7101]

Dear Josey, are you using any mod for the unit card in this video? The dark red looks much better than the vanilla ones I've seen in earlier games.

[@joseywales3848]

Hello, I use CatTactical Icons mod but I've manually changed the colour of them myself as I thought that the vanilla red was way too bright. I did this by opening each icon in Paint and recolouring it.

[@markraffety3246]

Interesting AAR. The eastern front is quite an adjustment and I puzzled for a long time on how to adjust my tactics as German or to develop my tactics as Soviet. It is still a work in progress. The German player has to live with the reality that the Soviets have armor that in some ways out powers them. Soviet tanks have massive guns which translates not only into great armor penetration but devastating HE fire. Even the t34 76s have lots of canister rounds which means that German infantry is always at severe risk when Soviet tanks are present. On the plus side for the German player Soviet tanks fire slow by comparison and ammo depletion has become an issue in long scenarios for the Soviet side. Soviet SMG squads are also devastating at close range. I think that mortar support is even more important for the German on this front to break up Soviet infantry attacks mainly due to the presence of the SMGers. The Germans definitely have to shoot and scoot more since AFVs like ISU 122s can really do a number on them if they hit them. And Soviet armor can really take it. In one scenario an IS-1 took 17 hits off my panthers with no visible effect (far quarter hits) though oddly it never seemed to spot the panthers. On the plus side I find Marders much more effective on the eastern front than in the West, unless the Soviet players has Shermans. Shermans do not miss often especially on their first shot but a lot of Soviet tanks do which I find allows the Marder to get quite a few swats in before it risks getting hit. Again, great video. I look forward to the sequel.

[@joseywales3848]

This is a great insight, very helpful.

[@xXJAKMACKXx]

Quality video

[@cameronfoley7859]

23:35 that oh shit moment lol

[@TheJaskier666]

awesome montage!

[@randallorndorff]

Maybe a silly question years later, but why not have guns on the bridge? Was that impossible because the sight lines were exposed?

[@bomberfox8360]

May I ask what kind of FPS you expect while recording? I am thinking about recording some Combat mission: Battle for Normandy footage, however I can only seem to manage around 30fps and lower in some cases. This is with improved model detail and shadows turned off. Got any tips for improving the frame rate while also keeping the videos looking as good as yours? I have a £1,000 gaming PC with a 2070 Super, so.... I don't think my hardware is an issue.

[@joseywales3848]

We ll I don't have any tips other than the ones you've already tried. This AAR had the choppiest frame rate of all but I don't know why. I can only have a guess that frame rate is more to do with battle size than graphics settings so perhaps try a small battle first and see if you get any improvements.

[@sullybiker6520]

Between you and hapless I will get absolutely no work done for about the next decade.

[@joseywales3848]

Ha thanks. Also have a look at Double and Panzer Pyjamas.

[@one_pang]

What mods do you use? I've been working on some Red Thunder content, and really like the look of your CM.

[@joseywales3848]

Thanks, I use all of Aris mods for vehicles, sky box and terrain. I use HQS for sound.

[@one_pang]

Thank you!

[@nbrunt7]

Hey, great video. What mods and shaders are you using for CMRT?

[@joseywales3848]

Thanks, I'm using Aris mods for vehicles, effects, background and terrain. Jujus UI and Cattacticalicons

[@nbrunt7]

@@joseywales3848 thanks!

[@GamerGuy249]

*It was nice to not have to crawl through mud* Ivan thought to himself as he crawled up the ridge. He and three other men were supposed to scout out the town. The weather was perfect for them to see everything, and radio it back to the small group waiting for the intell. Unfortunately, the weather also worked against Ivan, because as soon as he and the other three men crest the ridge, a burst of machine gun fire takes out one of the men. Before Ivan can call out any orders, a second burst takes out another man. "Where is it coming from!?" The tank commander yells over the radio. "No idea!" Ivan shouts back. "Most likely position is the second story of the building right across from us." Ivan turns to the other man pinned down with him. "Let's get out of here. That machine gun is going to make it impossible to see shit." Ivan and the other solider turn and begun running back down the crest. A T-34/76 slowly makes it's way towards the top of the ridge, more then likely to open fire and hopefully kill the bastards. The sound of explosions proves Ivan's thoughts right as he makes it back to the group. As he looks around for the man he was with, he spots a third body near the top of the ridge, facing away from the ridge, after only taking a few steps. Three men already dead from the first small skirmish. While it wasn't good, Ivan had no idea how ugly it was really going to get.

[@joseywales3848]

Superb!

[@GamerGuy249]

@@joseywales3848 Thank you

[@miniaturesandstuff5209]

the suspense! :O

[@JuergenGDB]

This is a doozy of a scenario. played both sides, very fun. I still need someone or people to test "Clash Of Titans Reborn v2" I am Ghostrider33 can be solo German or Head to Head. Red Thunder scenarios.

[@jona826]

I converted this the CM Black Sea if anyone is interested.

[@keaganmaguire6613]

Do you use any mods?

[@joseywales3848]

Yes, pretty much all of the 'Aris' mods, CatTacticalIcons and HQS sound mod.

[@CharlesvanDijk-ir6bl]

Little bit annoyed with 'Battlefront' I had to download all of my games and at the first instance can't open the Zip files as Microsoft Windows doesn't read the files. For in case anybody faces the same dilemma.After spending some time looking for a solution on the Battlefront website is a link for WinRAR soft ware. winrar.en.softonic.com/download You get 40 days to try out the software and it works. I will buy it and hope that "Battlefront" keeps its customers better informed. Computer games are a highly competitive business and they don't have the best tools in the shed. I realize it takes two to tango and Windows update are as much to blame. The RAR opener from the Windows store is next to useless.