Combat Mission Basics: How to Conduct Reconnaissance/ISR

Driving down roads and getting blown up. Or not.

[@sedghammer]

Reconnaissance/ISR is what sets CM apart and in a different league from other strategy titles. The slower pacing combined with the way spotting works is something that I think other wargaming titles could replicate to improve their overall gameplay.

[@RisingChaosWriting]

Not to be rude or anything, but these are skills used in most strategy games. While it's often just called scouting, the acts of finding the enemy and tracking their activity while controlling vision across the map are key skills across the genre. Steel Division comes to mind as a game that is in a similar vein for spotting, though its larger scale means the spotting is less detailed

[@Ron-nr8lw]

A lot of strategy games have vastly quicker paces than CM which is why information gathering is streamlined since it is just as vital in other games but often due to a variety of factors isn’t nearly as in depth since that’s not the focus

[@AR-GuidesAndMore]

@@RisingChaosWriting You rarely have to be concerned to distributing the Information of a Spot to other Units however, so often it matters not who spots the enemy. In CM it really makes a difference, if you customize your forces for Example to have individual Spotting abilities per company or even Squad or having it centralized in a dedicated Company or Squad for it or if its even directly under Battalion changes things.

[@WysteriaGuitar]

I just have to say you produce THE BEST Combat Mission lessons/tutorials/ play throughs EVER. Thanks it has helped me learn the game better.

[@markchorlton60]

I agree. Hapless has improved my game play enormously.

[@tonybaminaboni4737]

I also wholeheartedly agree. His videos are the reason I bought my first CM game, Shock Force 2, on Steam

[@GrumpyReaper2525]

It is amazing how you've packed such a crucial topic in such a short video. On the other hand, you may argue that all tactical entries in your CM Basics series is a continuous exploration of recon and information in war(gaming).

[@Nomad2118]

Dude your channel is the reason I got combat mission. Stellar breakdowns always.

[@usuallyhapless9481]

Thanks very much!

[@eNoble-US]

Great information as always 💯

[@Wojtek7060]

I am glad that Combat Mission does not include dogs into gameplay. They are absolutely the worst scout's nightmare. In Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead they can mess up every scout / raid. Especially at night. There is a reason why dogs are still used in the era of a night vision, thermal vision, drones

[@football_Habbibibi]

I think having dogs would be a cool addition tho

[@jimmydesouza4375]

C:DDA is a zombie apocalypse roguelike. What are you mentioning recon for?

[@Wojtek7060]

@@jimmydesouza4375 Have you ever played Cataclysm? This is the most complex, realistic game I ever played. Depth of gameplay mechanics may be overwhelming. Yes, there is a heavy science fiction setting, but it has "paratrooper deep behind enemy lines" vibe. Stealth, and a good recon is crucial because permadeath is the thing in Cataclysm. Watch some videos of CDDA raids, and you will understand. If you like old school, hardcore strategy / tactical games, I highly recommend trying CDDA

[@robertkalinic335]

Dude if you get close enough for dogs to find you chances are people are already shooting at you in this game. Coming closer than 100 or 80 meters means short firefight and casualties, rambo hiding in the forest stealthy killing everyone with knife just doesnt occur in this game. The only situation where dogs would be maybe useful is to sniff out unarmed spies but troops have to come closer anyway so whats the point...

[@jimmydesouza4375]

@@Wojtek7060 "Have you ever played Cataclysm?" I have, and it is nothing like what you describe hence why I ask. Was there some kind of massive update recently or something as I only played it a couple of years ago. Back when I played it it was just a normal "zombie apoocalypse survival roguelike" (though IIRC CDDA was the first one), except with a bunch of sci fi stuff tacked on. Good game of course but no stealth and raids and all sorts.

[@ahadpezeshkpoor1042]

Thanks for another great video. I play red thunder and I found that for the Soviets ISR sometimes is a waste of time. The entire infantry arm has no radios except the FOs. And those FOs are two valuable to risk. Even company level commanders have no radios. Here are the steps I take when I play as the Soviets: 1. Forget recon. Dump all your fie support on the most expensive piece of real state on map. Send everyone there and take it. From that point dictate the battle. Rinse and repeat as needed. 2. Always merge parallel commands. If you have an infantry battalion and an armor battalion make sure the battalion commander is riding the armored commander's tank. The biggest issue is always the T34s going in blind and getting chewed up by a pak40. 3. Have jeeps available to take intel from the infantry to armor. When recon is necessary jeeps are needed. I once lost 8 Shermans and 2 T34/85s to a single Panther in conealment in two minutes because eventhough my infantry had eyes on it there was no way to send the info to the tanks. The lack of radios in the red army is a huge issue and really changes one's play style for the worse.

[@usuallyhapless9481]

Yep. The Soviets are very command-push and terrain oriented, which... puts somewhat less emphasis on recce

[@Stinger913]

Babe wake up! New hapless Combat mission tutorial dropped!

[@vinnart]

Always well produced and informative Hap. Few tips to add for the newbe's- Officers generally spot better. Personally, I use XO's for this since I'd rather risk them than a Platoon Ldr. up front. Recon is one task target arcs are useful to not give away position especially when observing from a building. I usually make tiny, pretty little wedges for these units. Forward Observers usually get tiny arcs to try to keep them from engaging. One last thing be patient - Have your units stop at intervals to observe and listen often w/ hunt command when moving forward. They will spot better when not moving, and spot better slower they move. HUNT and MOVE are best for spotting on the move.

[@rightfeelI]

It's been only a bit that I got into combat mission at first I was skeptical as the graphics didn't seem so lovely but now I got both CMBN and CMSF2 and I'm loving it it's definitely one of the best games I've played, thanks for these guides

[@kbzworld]

As a former Cavalry scout, I absolutely love the reconnaissance mechanics in this game.

[@masonm9316]

In game terms, I always found it more useful to have the highest ranking units as my passive observation Recce force. How information flows between subunits (platoons, companies, etc) Its quicker if the higher ups know where your enemy is and then disseminate that information down the chain of command. Unless your NATO armys the horizontal flow of information is lackluster at best or none existent. It does suck when your BTG commander its wacked by a precision arty strike because you put him in the most obvious location for a FOP.

[@usuallyhapless9481]

Even NATO armies benefit greatly from commander recce- there really is nothing like seeing the ground in person

[@RomanHistoryFan476AD]

I sometimes find the best way to find out what the enemy has, is too send in the "expendables" to find the enemy. Though this is more with games set in the older time periods. To be fair though in Cold War the Soviet method of recon is to send people into the fray.

[@usuallyhapless9481]

Yep. The unfortunate fact is that 'recon by death' is always going to be one of the most effective ways of finding the other guy. And it's going to be painful until drone vehicles really step up.

[@RomanHistoryFan476AD]

@@usuallyhapless9481 quite true. Especially in the case of combat Mission when against Human players, or in any game really.

[@comradeboris2335]

I don't play CM often anymore, but this information is amazing to have for the graviteam series as well

[@Crazyjedi2]

All your basics videos have really helped me as a new player just getting into the series recently. The game itself does a pretty bad job of explaining all this stuff to a new player they should just put your videos in a playlist inside the game lol. I appreciate them.

[@usuallyhapless9481]

Sadly the format for the game makes tutorials very difficult to pull off- essentially the only ways the mission designer can communicate a useful amount of information to the player is by using the briefing or an external source, like a video or PDF- both of which force the player to break away from the game. I've dabbled with trying to come up with some kind of more organic tutorial, but it's very difficult.

[@markchorlton60]

An excellent video (again)! Highlights the major mistake I made in a recent CM:FB battle. I assumed enemy forces were further back then they were and stumbled in and got my forces shot up badly. Shows the importance of ISR!

[@Rainwarlord]

Honey! Drop everything right now! Usually Hapless just dropped a new video, grab the popcorn and make sure to take notes!

[@stadt5048]

Thanks for this video, helped me a lot with reconnaissance

[@johnleney9541]

Friday, and a new Hapless Combat Mission video - what could be better?

[@ArsenalFC-hp7xr]

Never disappoints!

[@overwatch1828]

Greetings! Wanted to thank you for all your awesome videos and I'm a huge fan! Was wondering if you might consider doing a video on the SUPPLY topic how too... Using different vehicles to increase mortar ammo counts and Inf supplies in the WWII / Modern titles... I hope you have a pbem match in the works as well as I enjoy them so much! Best to you!

[@usuallyhapless9481]

I'll add it to the list!

[@gabmol27]

Loving these series. Also the one on "units". Currently playing the demo of CMBS with a cousin, so if you make one of the tipical US and Russian unit would be great 😅. Furthermore, I believe your "Firefights" plus other videos like the one on machinegun theory are a category on their own that would be great to be expanded, because the only videos that I know good enough about that apart from a those are the ones from an old channel called Armchair General, but those are only six and only about the oldest titles of CMx2. Thanks for everything!

[@larsdejong7396]

Your channel just got recommended to me when I was listening to video's about modern warfare in general... can't say I'm dissapointed. Not quite sure if I will buy the game though... I do like turn-based strategy games, much more relaxing then something like Wargame or Steel division, and the realism in this game is astounding. But I don't really like the visuals, and for 50 bucks... I think I will stick with Advance wars for now. But, you certainly earned a new subscriber today. :)

[@jakeman52]

The least attractive looking spot is almost always the best OP. Better to have living scouts and see a bit less than dead scouts and get no info.

[@usuallyhapless9481]

Absolutely!

[@artemisfowl7191]

So what is the best way to employ recon light vehicles (Humvee's, those British technical things, M1127's, etc) I get that recce infantry generally want to remain hidden and poke and prod carefully, while something like an M3 or such can aggressively punch through screens to recon the enemy's main force, seems like lighter vehicles just get eliminated.

[@usuallyhapless9481]

One of the key advantages of lighter vehicles is that they can get in (and out) quickly. The crew doesn't have to stay in the vehicle (though there might be advantages in doing so if it has mounted optics like US LRAS etc)- they can always use the vehicle to get to some terrain, then dismount and set up an OP on foot.

[@artemisfowl7191]

@@usuallyhapless9481 Further followup question, what about stuff in the ballpark of BRDM-2 and FV107's, which seem super easy to get into trouble and not nearly heavily armed enough to get out of trouble

[@usuallyhapless9481]

@@artemisfowl7191 Well, finding out if there is trouble ahead is their job, right? The reality is they don't necessarily need to survive as long as they (or their buddy vehicle) can get a contact report out.

[@sweep1777]

Great content as usual

[@j.franklin21]

The most frustrating thing is when you try to do recon, but your scouts take shots at the enemy, and then get blown up by a tank.

[@usuallyhapless9481]

That's what target arcs are for

[@j.franklin21]

I saw you do that in one of these videos. HUGE help! Thanks!@@usuallyhapless9481

[@lutherburgsvik6849]

That's one thing that struck me as odd: seeing all of the terrain, in detail, from before the start of the game. Most other RTS, and similar genre games, always had a fog of war as an option. That should be easy to add to Combat Mission, and would add an extra an interesting dynamic to the game. Perhaps the fog of war terrain could have a military map instead of the terrain, instead of pitch blackness, representing what the player may be aware of the battlefield from maps given to him by his superiors.

[@robertkalinic335]

That would be nice but you have to remember that drones and satellites are a thing in modern cm titles.

[@usuallyhapless9481]

It would be a good addition that would change the game up massively. Especially interesting would be the unseen areas of the map represented by a map- with the option for the map to be inaccurate, out of date and not take into account enemy actions (ie. blown bridges). It could be possible to simulate it by playing with pucksters (ie. one set of players makes the decisions off a paper map and never see the actual game, which is played by another set of people who only try to follow orders).

[@thecallidus6654]

I find it hard to make use of recon vehicles. Most of the time they are easier spotted then that they spot anything. Most are also rather expensiv compared to a squat or two of infantrie that u just place and forget.

[@TheSeb12345]

One thing in terms of spotting i always wounder is how good of a concelement are for example (wheat) fields. Can i move small scout teams forward in modern titles, or a they quickly discovered. Same with light forest areas. Its always some guesswork till where you can go, where you have to crawl etc.

[@usuallyhapless9481]

It's tough, to be honest. There's too many variables to really nail it down.

[@victoriousomen]

Are there any actual recon missions in Combat Mission? You'd get points for spotting enemy forces and in return not give any to the OPFOR by staying hidden.

[@CarHubTalk]

Combat mission Cold War has one.

[@victoriousomen]

@@CarHubTalk Ok, thanks. Going to look into it.

[@dudududu1926]

There's one on SF2 British dlc. You have to recon the airfield for mine, bunkers position etc before you attack.

[@usuallyhapless9481]

There a few specifcal recce missions about- some of them are folded into campaigns but, a few standalones off the top of my head: Wadi Scouts in Shock Force 2 August Morning in Black Sea NTC If it ain't Cav in Cold War Can't think of any WW2 ones

[@victoriousomen]

@@usuallyhapless9481 Thank you for a comprehensive list.

[@Its_shiki_time4876]

I get this video just a soon as i realize im trash at recon

[@sirfanatical8763]

Can you please explain the difference between C2 and C3? And what both are important for.

[@usuallyhapless9481]

C2 is almost always "command and control", C3 generally adds another work beginning with C and doesn't explain what it is. It could be 'Communications', 'Coordination', 'Consultation'... C3 is also car made by Citreon. It's not a very good acronym.

[@dyaman_]

can you touch on the uses and effectiveness of different spotting equipments like ir, binoculars

[@usuallyhapless9481]

In short: Mk1 Human Eyeball

[@dyaman_]

@@usuallyhapless9481 thanks for the answer mate

[@robinschingen6757]

Can you someday cover the BRM 1K and BRM 3K from CM:BS? They appear in some missions and i have absolutely no clue how to set them up and what they can and can´t do. It looks like they have some sort of ground surveillance radar on an mast.

[@usuallyhapless9481]

I cover the BRM 3K a little here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ipTbgnVve8yWaaMsi=rhvbWX018WX-k61n&t=1129 The BRM 1K is similar, just on a BMP 1 chassis instead of the BMP-3 (so, 73mm gun instead of 30mm cannon). TLDR, the radar on top aids in spotting and sees through smoke (even thermal blocking smoke).

[@robinschingen6757]

@@usuallyhapless9481 Thank you 👍

[@karlhungus545]

This is another area where the poor AI in this game reveals itself. It's too easy to get the AI to show their position as they will attack infantry and the smallest recon vehicles with AT guns for example, where a decent human player would keep it's units in hiding as long as possible. Recon-by-Death is a viable tactic in CM games unfortunately.

[@usuallyhapless9481]

Recon-by-Death is a viable tactic in reality too. Just not a low-casualty one.

[@karlhungus545]

@@usuallyhapless9481 Which always amazes me that anyone is willing to get into a recon vehicle...

[@firefighter9207]

are your troops should unbuttoned in fennek, recce hmmwv?

[@usuallyhapless9481]

Definitely in the recce HMMWV to use the LRAS etc- it's not possible to unbutton in the Fennek. Or use the mast, which would be really helpful

[@AR-GuidesAndMore]

@@usuallyhapless9481 Yeah, that the Mast is fixed realy is a crime, it should be implemented with the deploy weapon command. 😥

[@velkdra]

what specific battle is this?

[@usuallyhapless9481]

I made most of it up in the editor for specific shots

[@ccccccc95]

Huge, I suck at recon. Full stop.

[@usuallyhapless9481]

It's tough

[@johngojcevic8731]

You’re very verbose

[@usuallyhapless9481]

Ta!