Hi all,

Has anyone ever tried to re-create these games using Arma3?

I've been playing around with the editor for a while and it looks like it would be possible to do even going so far as to do a full campaign and training your tank crew etc. Certainly there's enough units of the right era to make interesting encounters and good multiplayer options for multicrew tanks and the like.

I've got a little random mission generator built that picks an area of the map, assigns some random units under your control and gives you a (basic) mission to kill the enemy.

Am I crazy to try such a thing?

M1 Tank Platoon REDUX
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Current Version: 1.0 BETA

Download Link (Arma3): Please grab a copy from the Steam Workshop. Just search for "A3 Tank Platoon" or just "Tank Platoon"
Video Link (youtube): You can view a video of how the mission works here - A3 Tank Platoon Video

This is the first initial version of my attempt to remake the original M1 Tank Platoon by Microprose using the Arma 3 editor. The aim is to try and re-create (as best as possible) the feeling of M1 Tank Platoon using modern day software with the final goal being to have a fully functioning campaign generator and tank crew upgrade path.

REQUIRED SOFTWARE
-----------------

You will need a copy of Arma 3 as well as
Red Hammer Studios RHS:USAF
Red Hammer Studios RHS:AFRF
Both can be found here : Red Hammer Studios

CUSTOM ACTION MENU CONTROL - PLATOON COMMAND
--------------------------------------------
This new action menu gives you access to some very useful commands. Most are designed to be used in the High Command mode and allows you to take command of High Command units, remove drivers or gunners etc so you can tag along as well as complex orders for loading and unloading troops.

It also contains the Mission Support menu which gives access to air and artillery support.

You also start the main mission from here by choosing the Tank Crews LOAD UP! option.

UPDATES
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V1.0 BETA
- I have now released this on to Steam's workshop. You should be able to find it by searching for "A3 Tank Platoon" or just "Tank Platoon"
- As this is now on the workshop I will be only keeping that up to date.

V0.8a
- Added tasks to the mission to help guide the player
- Added tracking to enemy units so the mission now knows when all enemy units are destroyed.
- Added two successful outcomes to the mission. 1 when 70% of the enemy is destroyed and 1 when 100% of the enemy is destroyed
- Removed some more unecessary hint pop ups.

V0.7a
- Resized maps to 4km x 4km. This helps get into combat much quicker while still leaving room to manoeuvre. Feels much closer to the original M1 Tank Platoon in terms of quick combat than the original 5km x 5km maps used.
- Added code to help aircraft maintain their airspeed. Forces them to fly faster and helps them avoid enemy fire. A-10 based aircraft have a lower setting, AV8B a mid setting and the arma 3 Buzzard has the fastest setting. Downside is it leaves them less time to shoot.
- Any mechanised infantry assign to you in the mission will have each squad of infantry set as a separate High Command unit (Troops1 - 4). This gives much more freedom to drop infantry squads at multiple locations and have them recon an area or set up multiple firing positions. Their transport units can then be deployed elsewhere.
- Added hint messages showing whether CUP or RHS add-ons are detected.
- Faster mission start up
- Removed other hint messages

V 0.65
- completely re-written the unit spawn code to safely spawn vehicles and infantry
- Main commander (player) now cannot be killed allowing you to select another tank when yours is destroyed or damaged.
- Both allied and enemy infantry are selected from 4 different types (normal infantry, weapons squad (AA+AT), AT Team, AA Team)
- High Command groups are now named sensibly so you now know what they are without having to ask for their status.

V 0.6a
- Added new battleground so there are now 2 the game chooses from at random.
- Added the ability to switch tanks via the Action Menu. This works much better than using TeamSwitch (which is now disabled) as it will keep access to the Action Menu and High Command Menu.
- Added custom loadouts to aircraft.
-----The CUP AV8B now has mavericks instead of bombs
-----The Buzzard now has 4 missiles instead of 2 missiles + 2 LGBs
-----The WipeOut has had its bombs replaced with 4 missiles making it very deadly
- Infanry squads have been reduced in size to max size of 6
- Allied infantry squads are now picked from 4 different types
-----Squad - 6 man team with light anti-tank
-----Weapons Team - 6 man team with light anti-tank and anti-air weapons
-----AT Team - 4 man team with guided anti-tank
-----AA Team - 4 man team with anti-air weapons
- Enemy infantry squads are picked from a single type with light anti-tank and no anti-air weapons to help aircraft survive better.
- Allied infantry are now in a separate team to their transport allowing you to drop them off and have them move more easily through woods etc. Useful for scouting and not risking vehicles.
- Mission now chooses a random time of day for the mission
- Mission now chooses a random weather condition from fine to overcast + rain. There is no fog as the AI seems to cheat and can shoot you before they become visible!

V 0.5a
- Added support for Community Upgrade Pack (CUP) vehicle pack ( CUP Pack or from the Steam Workshop)
- You can now use RHS and CUP mods together, own their own or not at all
- Vehicle arrays and player tanks now chosen correctly depending on addons available.

V 0.4a
- Mission now starts with your tanks and crew in parade mode. This will be used in the future for handing out promotions and medals after a mission. For the moment it allows you to take a good look at your crew and tanks.
- New Action Menu Control! Mission will start with the new action menu open with three options
Option 1 - Mission Support - Allows you to call in air and artillery support.
Option 2 - Unit Command - SEE ABOVE FOR FULL DETAILS - Contains a whole load of advanced unit controls for both High Command and Squad Command.
Option 3 - Tank Crews LOAD UP! - this starts the mission by loading your crews in to their correct tanks and starts a 5 second count down to mission start.
- Helicopter and Airplane support are now autonomous and will engage as they see fit. They have an on station time of about 5 minutes after which they will bug out and return to base to refuel and re-arm. They will then be available to call again.
- Added patrolling additional forces who will randomly patrol enemy POI locations. Their appearance is totally random so you will have to be aware when moving to the target location.
- Tweaked artillery (at the moment it will always be available in the new Action Menu).
- FULL SUPPORT FOR PEOPLE NOT USING RHS ADDONS. If you are not using these addons then when starting the game you will be placed in an M2A4 Slammer UP and the mission will use only Arma3 default units.

V 0.3a
- Tweaked spawn points so vehicles should no longer spawn in the sea!
- Reintroduced the random chance of getting support units.
- Added some battlefield life. You will now see both allied and enemy aircraft transiting the battlefield. They will not take active part in the mission, but will feedback intel on enemy positions if they spot any and they can be shot down.
- If you do not have the Red Hammer Studios addons installed the game should fall back and substitute in Arma3 default vehicles (not fully tested)
- Enemy vehicles should do more interesting things rather than just sit there as they now have fuel!

V 0.2a
- I have now moved this mod to Arma 3. Seems more likely people will have Arma 3 and Arma 3 is still being supported. Also, it removes any issues with DLC as Arma 3 includes all DLC elements (you just can't personally use them if you don't own them, but the AI can ).
- I have built a single map on Altis with multiple start points and enemy encounter points. Work in progress at the moment, may need to tweak encounter points later.
- Added custom helicopter and aircraft AI to increase survivability. Arma 3 AI consists of fly straight at enemy, shoot, fly over enemy at slow speed, get shot down. The custom AI works by dynamically assigning waypoints to the aircraft. When the aircraft shoots there will be a random delay before new waypoints are assigned which should make the aircraft turn away from the enemy before it gets too close, it will the retreat towards allied lines and then line up for another attack run.
- Improved Allied spawn code. Should stop units spawning on top of each other or colliding causing the unit to fly up in the air. To do this all units must spawn stationary (i.e. no fuel). Once all units are ready, fuel will be restored.
- At the moment the mod is set to give you something of everything. So you'll get supporting tanks, mechanised infantry, artillery and full air support.
- Arma 3 vehicles are also used, but I may remove these as I'm not sure if they are balanced against the Red Hammer Studios vehicles.
- Aircraft custom load outs have been removed. I'll add them back in the next update.

V 0.1a
- Simple random mission generator for Takistan map.
- Missions will take place on a random 5km x 5km chunk of Takistan. Currently there are three 5km x 5km maps that I've created which cover the North part of Takistan. It looks like I should be able to create another 4. The rest of the map looks too mountainous for tank battles.
- Only one mission type is available at the moment which is a straight forward attack an enemy position. Future missions will include patrolling several points, defending a position and an open battle. Other possible mission could be more complex such as rescuing downed pilots or providing support of allied units already in a battle. Not sure what other mission tanks take part in!
- Your start position and the enemy position will be chosen at random from a list of suitable locations
- Your assigned forces will be chosen randomly but can comprise of 1 or more from Armoured Support (Tanks and/or Anti-Tank vehicles), Mechanised/Motorised Infantry Support with deployable infantry, Helicopter Support, Air Support and Artillery Support.
- Mission task and assigned forces will be detailed in the NOTES section of the map screen.
- Assigned units can be commanded using High Command (CTRL + SPACE usually)
- Enemy forces are randomly created with a higher chance of less modern units appearing (but more of them i.e lots to shoot!)
- Support units can be called in via the text menu when inside Tank 1 (this is for multiplayer support later)
- A-10 has modified loadout to include 6 mavericks which replace the guided bombs it usually has seeing as the AI can't use them without a laser designator.
- AV8B has 6 mavericks replacing the 6 bombs it usually has seeing as the AI is a bit rubbish when using them.
- F35B has 2 mavericks instead of its laser guided bombs.
- Aircraft have a modified script running to try and get them lined up for attack runs and then when they fire to get them to turn away from the enemy ready to line up again instead of just flying over the enemy slowly and getting shot down. You can see it automatically assigning waypoints when you call them in. It's some what successful, so at the moment they currently take no damage at all.

KNOWN ISSUES
- there is no ending for the mission...you'll have to decide when your happy to call it a win (or loss!)
- Sometimes units will spawn on top of each other and die. I think I've fixed it for all blufor units, but opfor my still get it sometimes.
- it takes about 10 seconds or so for the mission to fully create all units etc. You will know when the mission is ready as you will get the MISSION BRIEFING section in the map notes detailing where the enemy is etc.
- you can go outside the mission boundaries.
- enemy never deploys air support
- enemy never uses artillery
- Smoke artillery doesn't seem to work
- Support aircraft will appear in the High Command menu so you can order them around if you want. You will see alert messages detailing what the aircraft is doing and you may see the aircraft leave and then re-join the High Command menu. This is all by design at the moment. In the future aircraft will be autonomous and you will not be able to order them around apart from deciding when to call them in.

No go for it.
We armour sim enthusiasts need innovative people to try new things
I would certainly give it a try.

I've had a bit more of a play today and it looks pretty do-able.

I've got a fairly basic random mission generator working. Any suggestions where to pop the files for people to try?

Not sure if I can attach zip files to posts on this forum...

If it works and your having a good time with it, Go for it!
Most of us spend way more time than we should pretending to kill people, so crazy is the norm around here.

I think that's fabulous! Very interesting development, I miss M1TP!

Yeah, I played the original so much when I was younger (that and F15 Strike Eagle II)....I remember I'd just had a creative labs sound blaster for Christmas that year too and couldn't believe the sound effects!

The re-playability was fantastic, they just don't make 'em like that any more

If you're talking about the original M1TP Jim then yes.That was almost responsible for a divorce in my household.

Me too, also a lack of sleep, just one more mission
That bloody campaign mode. LoL

Yes, the original just had something about it that the sequel just missed. I think it was the combination that you had just enough room to make tactical maneuvers, but not so much that it took very long to get in to combat while really wanting to keep your tank crews alive and hoping, at the start if each mission, that you'd get the Apache AND A10 in the same mission!

Love to hear what else people think made it special....especially as that's what I'm trying to capture in re-making it.

For me it just had it all.Game play was king.I re-visited the PC version a few years back using DosBox.I was amazed that I could still remember most of the commands.It all came flooding back.

The fact that you could detach units from a platoon for scouting etc.Create pincer attacks,it seemed that you could do whatever you wanted.I used to love seeing what support I had for a mission.A platoon of M-60's? M113's,anti-tank infantry? Figuring out how best to utilize them.Artillery:smoke or H.E,MLRS,you had it all.And if you were lucky,the A-10,Apache or the OH-58.

I used to get really annoyed when I lost a really experienced crew doing something stupid.That's enough reminiscing for now...

As for the sequel? Nah,not even close.

Well, I've got a test version up, see the initial post for full details and download link.

It is single player only at the moment, but everything should work for 4 player multiplayer (each player commands a tank in the platoon) as long as the server is NOT dedicated (but I haven't tried it myself yet).

Ah damn,I don't have any of that DLC.Any chance of a YouTube video of it in action?

No worries, I've put up a LITE version which uses Chernarus and just the units from the base Arma 2. There's only 1 map for Chernarus but it does have more mission locations. Should be enough for you to see how it all works - I will update to a version that can detect what DLC you have installed at some point .

Thanks for that,most appreciated. I'll get Arma 2 re-installed later.

I still have the original manual spent hours studying it.
Also The original M1 used to employee tanks on a reverse slope defence.
And it was a hell of a job to flank them.

Jim,I'm in need of a little help.

I put the mission file in the 'mission' folder but when I run it I get 'You cannot play/edit this mission;it is dependant on downloaded content that has been deleted.CATracked_E'

I have a fresh Arma 2 install and I downloaded the 'Lite' version of your file.

I do have Operation Arrowhead but it's on DVD and Arma 2 is on Steam.I did try to combine the 2 once for DayZ when it came out but I'd have had better luck performing my own brain surgery than getting that completed.

I do have Arma 3 but I guess this is 2 only?

Hmmm, not sure what would be causing that. I'll double check to make sure there are no vehicles being used that aren't in the base Arma 2...


...ok, it should be working now. I've uploaded a new version so try that . I've been able to play it by launching vanilla arma 2.

Yes,it's now working!

Awesome, I've noticed that the Aircraft support doesn't seem to work in vanilla Arma2...think it might be because of the custom loadouts. Everything else played well though, but the lack of thermal on the tanks makes it a bit more tricky to spot the enemy

I'll be honest Jim,I'm going to have to learn how to play it.I only ever dabbled with Arma 2 and I've never used the squad function.

I have a love/hate relationship with the Arma series.I love what it can do,plus it looks great,but I hated playing it.But the chance to re-live one of my all time favourite games,well that's something I don't want to miss out on.Thanks for your effort in trying to do this and if you develop it further I could be persuaded to pick up the complete version as it's now quite cheap if it means I can fully take advantage of your work.

Any chance of some screen shots and may be instructions how to install and run this mod.
It sounds interesting.

Marko,just extract and drop the .PBO file into the 'mission' folder and select 'scenario' in-game,it's easy.It must be,I managed it

I have to say I am the same. I love all the systems that are available, but there really wasn't ever any game there. When you get in to the scripting side you suddenly realise how powerful the tools are, and also just how unfinished a lot of the game was and still is even in Arma 3.

For example, the AI for attack helicopters comprises of see enemy, fly at enemy, shoot enemy, fly over enemy, get shot down. It never uses the terrain to its advantage...but the tools in the scripting language are there to do it. You can tell it to find a nearby hill and move to it and hide behind it. You can then tell it to perform a bob-up to locate and shoot enemies before hiding down again and relocating. Why this was never done I really don't know...

It is a good idea to learn how to command other groups of forces via the High Command function (especially for this mod). You can set them multiple waypoints by holding CTRL down and then clicking on the map points. You can then modify the attributes of each waypoint setting speed, formation, combat mode, unloading troops etc. by right clicking on the waypoint. It is quite powerful...and also quite similar to M1TP2's order system.

I shall be developing this further, but I probably won;t be able to keep the vanilla one updated so if you can get Arma 2 OA then that would be the best bet (British Armed Forces and the other DLCs aren't actually needed)

I had the idea to do this years ago (and/or a remake of Gunship 2000) but never had the time or motivation. I'm very, very happy to see someone else did.

I'm gonna re-download Arma2 to give this a whirl. Really excited to try (and thought it's 1am on a Sunday night I, depending on how fast the game downloads from Steam, this may be a 3am bedtime for me...)

Any reason you didn't do Arma3? With the Arma2 terrains and the excellent Red Hammer Studios US and Russian armor, I'd think it would provide a much better base to work from.

Thanks chucky.
I will have to do fresh install.

Just tried it. The lite version, it seems I miss one of the addons for the deluxe version.

Ok, is a bit frustrating as the friendly AI sucks, the three M1 on my platoon ended upside down by navigation errors, also the combat in Chernarus is too closed to be fun without infantry. It has potential, but I think we should have a more open map.

The reason I didn't choose Arma3 is because of the dificulty of finding well done US and Russian units. It tried a few that imported the vehicles across but the physics on the tanks were terrible....sliding down hills, no brakes etc.

Arma 3 would be choice to build this mod as it has a number of scripting improvments....I'll check out these Red Hammer mods and see if they work well.

If so, I might jump to Arma3 before getting too far with it. I'm guessing more people have Arma 3 and also it doesn't matter about having any of the DLC.

The AI is not that great...seems to work better on Takistan as there is less for them to drive in to and the map is more open allowing long range tank battles.

Just checked out the Red Hammer mod....wow is all I can say. It is awesome!

I shall move this mod to arma3 and it will have a soft dependancy on Red Hammer's RHS:AFRF & RHS:USAF addons. This means to get the full range of vehicles & aircraft you'd need the addons installed...other wise you'll only get the basic Arma 3 vehicles & aircraft.

I'll post an updated version of the mod in a day or two

Glad I didn't rush out and buy the complete Arma 2 collection then.I look forward to the next instalment.

Hope everyone had a great Christmas

I've now updated this mod to run on Arma 3. You will need the Red Hammer Studios USAF & AFRF addons ( Red Hammer Studios ).

I've also included the first version of my improved aircraft AI. They will now perform attack runs in a more realistic way and will try not to over fly enemy locations. Both helicopters and planes use the same AI at the moment, but I do have a dedicated helicopter script as well which makes them hunt out hills to hide behind and perform bob-up attacks. Works well with the Apache and I'll try to include it in the next update.

Other than that, the mod is the same as the Arma 2 version. It is set on Altis and at the moment has only 1 map. The current version will always give you supporting units just so you can try everything out.

My next goal is to add some intelligence to the enemy units. At the moment they will sit there and not do much. Some may patrol the area (but mainly they will just sit and wait). I want to make missions a bit more unpredictable so will add in some patrolling routes, and maybe make the enemy units start in multiple locations and then converge at a single point as well as send out recon patrols and other enemy activity not necessarily directly linked to the mission (think supply convoys, helicopters/aircraft over flying the area, etc).

I also want to get the enemy AI to call in aircraft and artillery (if they have it) realistically.

Link to download the mission is in the first post as usual. However, once I've got this to a reasonable stage I'll pop it on the Steam Workshop and then any updates will be sent to you automatically

Thanks for the update Jim.I'm trying to install those 2 mods but d/load speeds are at best awful.

*edit* Do you or anyone else know what the final size of the 2 folders are? It's taking forever to come down and I'm not sure that if I stop it the download will continue from where it left off? It's running in a dosbox so it's a little unfriendly as far as info goes.

Looking forward to this.

Looks to be around 2.3GB.Speeds are around 30-80kb/s and yes the download does continue if you restart.Getting close now.

You can download the RHS mod from here. I had really good DL speeds.

http://www.armaholic.com/page.php?id=27139

Thanks Hellfish,that's much better.I was using the RHS updater which must have capped download speeds.

Just uploaded a new version with a few tweaks. The main thing is you will now see allied and enemy planes/helicopters transiting the area. They won't attack anything but they can be shot down! Quite cool when you see a pair of C-130s fly past a low altitude.

Next bit is to add some more interesting combat unit ai and to spread some more enemy units around the area. I'm thinking of infantry units occupying random villages & forests or patrolling areas etc so you will make sure areas are clear before moving through them to the main target.

EDIT
----

Just uploaded a new version which I think fixes all the issues when not using the RHS addons. The mission should now be fully playable using vanilla Arma3 units.

I've also added a new Action Menu to control various bits of the mission including requesting air support etc.

I've left the mission so that it always gives you every support so you can have a bit of fun

EDIT
----

Added support for the Community Upgrade Pack vehicles so you can now use those together with RHS or own their own or not at all

EDIT
----

New version up with some important changes including random time and weather for the mission.

This mod is now well under way, in fact it is very close to being in a state which would allow me to release it on the Steam Workshop.

just need to have a proper mission complete state which then moves your tanks and crew back to the initial parade mode ready for you to promote them (and increase their skill level) before embarking on another mission.

Everything else seems to be working well.

Any one tried it yet? Would love some feedback

Not yet,I just made sure it worked.I think once you get it in the Steam Workshop the feedback will come.

I still haven't learnt the game apart from messing around in some MP,which is very user-unfriendly in my opinion with regards mods etc.

I just need to drag myself away from World of Warships...

Ah, world of warships....what a game Have you tried Armored Warfare...that's quite good too.

I have now released this mission on to the Steam Workshop. you should be able to find it by searching for "A3 Tank Platoon" or just "Tank Platoon".

I just tried the workshop version in A3.

I cannot comment on much because I didn't get a mission complete yet, but I noticed one thing:

Once I disembarked my damaged tank, I was able to go stare a BMP in the eye at pointblank range, get shot at by the whole ennemy army, with many hits but no wound at all. I elected to kill the whole ennemy infantry with my new god mode, but lack of antiarmor weapons made me leave the mission before it was completed.

AI tank crews seem as stupid as ever, and Altis offers very good cover for those pesky BMPs, won't be easy.

Thanks for this mission

yes, one of the things I had to do is make the player invincible. This is down to the fact it is a single player mission and so there is no respawn ability.

In the original M1 Tank Platoon you could switch to a different tank if yours was destroyed, to simulate this in Arma3 I need the player to survive the destruction of their tank - hence you cannot die.

i will be changing this shortly so that you are only invincible for a short duration. Just long enough to switch to another tank.

Good idea.

Another thing, probably not mission related though ?

When turned in, using max zoom switches to IR vision, and zooming out doesn't revert to day vision.
When turned out, binocular view would be appreciated.

Thanks again

This depends on the mod you're using. RHS tanks are much better than CUP or vanilla, IMHO, and let you use your binos when you're turned out. Also, the vehicle optics and fire control are superior. Plus, they look way better.

I posted some suggestions on the scenario's workshop page, but I'll post 'em here too.

1. Recommend you either create the option to pick RHS, CUP or Vanilla units or you make separate versions of the mission for each mod pack. I have CUP and RHS installed, and the scenario defaults to the CUP vehicles. I'd much prefer RHS, but I'd also prefer not to exit out of the game and deactivate all the CUP stuff I'd still like to have in.

Maybe when you start the scenario, you let the player pick a unit to be a part of? For example, 1-7th Cavalry of the 1st Cavalry Division would have RHS M1A2s. 2-66th Armor of the 1st Armored Division would have CUP M1A2s. Support units would be associated with these - one RHS unit would have M2A2s, another RHS unit might have M2A3s, etc. It'd let the player select the kind of unit and mod set he wants to play with.

2. Also recommend you never use dismounted infantry. They're way too slow for a mechanized battle. Give them IFVs or APCs or Humvees or something, otherwise you might be waiting for 30 minutes for infantry to even get to a town to clear it.

3. Final recommendation for now is you rationalize your orders of battle. Don't just mix and match - a US tank platoon belongs to a tank company, which belongs to a combined arms battalion that is part of a brigade combat team. Don't just throw assets into a mission because they're cool or random - add them deliberately because that is what a tank platoon would have supporting it. The battalion scouts are in humvees or JLTVs. The infantry are in platoons with Bradleys. 155mm artillery support or battalion 120mm mortars. Give us a sustainment unit with fuel, repair and ammo HEMTTs in every battle, and mark their position on the map (or assign them to us in HC).

Playing the scenario, I'd get Dingo squads assigned to me, or HY-55s for attack helicopters. Why? A US tank company would have infantry in Bradleys, scouts in Humvees and AH-64s or A-10s as air support. Don't be generic when you don't have to be - more variety isn't always better!

Likewise for the OPFOR, use realistic templates. For example:

Force 1: Motor Rifle - picks from 2-3 BTR-70/80/82 platoons and 1-2 T-72 platoons, with ATGM and recon support.

Force 2: Mechanized Rifle - picks from 2-3 BMP-2/3 platoons and 1-2 T-72 or T-90 platoons, with some recon support

Force 3: Tank - picks from 2-3 T-72 or T-90 platoons and 1-2 BMP-2/3 platoons, with some recon support

For all forces, add random supply convoys, air support, artillery support, and/or air defense support.

Hi Hellfish6,

Yes I saw your comments in the workshop. Definitely good ideas

I do like the idea of choosing realistic vehicle compositions.

Do you have any more information about what vehicles would appear with other vehicles and sizing etc? Also, any information about infantry group composition would also be really useful.

Really, any information would be greatly received and I shall of course credit you as a technical consultant in the mission

Yes, that's the RHS tanks (and 1 reason why I don't personally like to use them). I like to be able to switch optics modes myself...not be forced into thermal which is useless if vehicles are parked with engines off. They do have superior zoom though (I assume much closer to real life M1A2 tanks), but the forced thermal at max zoom kills it for me.

I've certainly not been able to find a way to switch it off

Yeah, I can definitely help. If it's easier, I can make the units - both friendly support and enemy - as an Arma3 mission for you, and you can copy/paste or merge as you want to. Let me know and I can put it on dropbox or something.

Also, have you thought about other mission types?

Maybe like:

-Reconnaissance: where you have to go to a place (player is present trigger?) but killing the enemy isn't as important? Or a "OPFOR unit is detected by player" type of trigger to look for something specific - a headquarters or supply depot maybe?

-Defend: have the enemy attack the player's position.

-Meeting engagement: have the player and the enemy meet and fight over someplace in the middle of a map (like a town or crossroad or base or something).

Just ideas.

Oh, I just played the latest version and had a great time doing it. My lone M1 platoon took on a mostly BMP/BMD force with a couple of T-80s thrown in there. Getting used to commanding tanks in Arma3 is paying off. No losses for the first time!

I did almost run outta ammo, though. Gotta pay attention when you're firing from a hill that your gun barrel has as clear a LOS as your sights. I was wondering why I couldn't even see my tracers - turns out they were impacting a bump that my gun was pointing at but I couldn't see.

You've got a great mission here. Certainly the best tank mission I've played in any of the Arma series.

Hi hellfish6,

Thanks for the feedback. Glad you're enjoying it so far...hopefully it can only get better

If you could do a quick mission with the relevant units that would be awesome. That will make it really easy for me to translate it over to the mission generator

I like the idea of a recon mission, hadn't thought of that one. I think that could crop up as both a primary mission and also as a side mission (once I've got those working)

Even missions where you are not authorised to directly attack enemy positions yourself but have to do it via air/artillery support would put a bit of a different spin on things. I'm not sure if tanks would be used as a forward air controller, but would be fun to mark enemy units with smoke artillery etc

The meeting engagement is exactly what I have got planned (although I called it a move to engage mission) where both forces will move towards a single point and fight for control.

With regards to ammo resupply etc, I thought I would add in a random chance for a FARP to be present on the map somewhere. This would give you the option to rearm/refuel tanks, but probably not repair them (i still think this might be unrealistic during a battle - maybe repairing up to a max of 50% to simulate field repairs?)

I did RHS unit templates first, if only because those are what I use most often. I'm happy to do CUP or vanilla-specific versions if you like with the units they have (which could potentially include CUP's US Marines if you want to make them an option).

http://s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=00058896844684474309

Turn on markers (F6) to see descriptions and recommended numbers. Bluefor is near the airport and the OPFOR is out on the salt lake.

US Forces are what a tank platoon in a modern armored brigade combat team would expect to have for support. TUSK Abrams wouldn't be used outside of major cities, so I didn't use them - feel free to add as an option for support forces.

I broke the OPFOR templates down into a few categories:

Easy, which depicts a mid-80s style Soviet motor rifle unit. Early T-72s, BMP-1s, BTR-70s and rather unimpressive other elements.

Average, which depicts a late Soviet or Russian motor rifle unit up until about 2005 or so. T-80s, BTR-80s, BMP-2s and respectable supporting forces (artillery, aviation).

Hard is a modern, contemporary Russian motor rifle battalion tactical group through about 2020. Basic T-90s, BMP-3s, BTR-80As, and good support forces.

Extreme difficulty depicts a contemporary Russian tank battalion tactical group - more tanks (advanced T-90s), advanced BMP-3s, Ka-52s for air support, and other bits and pieces you'd expect to see.

I also did a Soviet/Russian Air Assault (VDV) forces if you want to do them too - a Soviet era one with mixed BMD-1s and BMD-2s or a modern Russian one with BMD-4s and 2S25s.

Hi Hellfish6,

That sounds awesome! I shall be doing some work on the mission over the next few days.

I love that you've broken them down in to era's. That means I can make the mission briefing quite accurate when saying what units you are likely to encounter and what type of force has been spotted.

Thanks for your hard work, this should help make the mission even closer to the original.

Just a quick update...

I have now completed the upgrade of the mission generator so that both Allied and Enemy forces are chosen form realistic company sized compositions.

Big thank you to Hellfish6 for sending me some awesome force layouts to use. I also found an online version of the manual for M1 Tank Platoon 2 which also detailed force compositions etc. This means when the briefing says you are going to engage a Motor Rifle Company then you will encounter the correct forces (including HQ platoons) and not just some random selection, right down to the correct platoon sizing for different vehicles (e.g. early T-72s will come in platoons of 4 not 3) and correct infantry units (e.g. AT units for HQ platoons).

There are still some limitations. If you play with only Arma 3 standard units then there really isn't much variation between groups and Arma 3 units will still show up even if you are using CUP or RHS.

This doesn't mean you will always know exactly what you will be up against as I have included reinforced companies as well as standard companies. In addition, companies may have already lost units in previous battles (i.e. they are now under strength) and also the ability for other forces to be attached to a company e.g. AAA attachments or Anti-tank attachments etc

The mission now generates a selection of optional targets for the player to attack if they so wish. These include things like FARPS/Supply Points, C3 positions, UAV controllers etc.

I have also updated the unit lists to include the latest vehicles from the CUP & RHS addons.

The downside is that infantry units have been downsized to only 4 units per squad. This prevents the game slowing down due to large numbers of AI but it still gives a good impression of infantry groups.

Finally, the mission is now completed when allied forces have occupied the target position rather than once a set number of units have been destroyed.

The added bonus of taking so long to build arrays to do this is that I can then utilise them in any future military missions. I'm thinking Gunship 2000 or Silent Thunder re-makes

If anyone is interested - I've setup a Kickstarter to help make this mod. I know it sounds a bit controversial but unfortunately real life is getting in the way of being able to dedicate much time to this project.

I really want to produce something that is of commercial quality rather than it going the way of a lot of complex mods and only getting half done or totally abandoned.

Anyway, here is the link - M1 Tank PLatoon Kickstarter

Development will continue either way....just a lot slower without kickstarting it and of course the mod will be available to all when finished either way in line with the ArmA license agreement.

Backed.