Yet another YT video. Lots of roaring engines and... "Tigers in the Snow".NoHUD!

[Lemonade]

Lots of vehicle close-ups and infantry fire fight while the combined arms forces advance towards various enemy positions. No HUD! Action only!

[Dane49]

Very cool video Lemonade,I love the graphics in this game .I lurk the Combat Mission forums every so often to see how that game is progressing(still not impressed with that series).What's funny though,is how most of the senior members in that forum don't consider that APOS is a valid tactical simulation ,and also have no problems with dismissing APOS as nothing more than "eye candy" and have gone as far as stating that CM has no competitors in the the 3D tactical simulation market.I find that ludicrous,considering the whole point in taking a tactical game into a 3D environment is to display the "eye candy"Yet at the same time also attempting to model a decent computer generated artificial intelligence and realistic physics.Something I think Graviteam has done a very credible job with considering what a small team they are(still could use some tweaking and more content though).But,my problem with the CM series is,if your going to half ass the graphics"eye candy",then I don't see the point in trying to bring a boardgame like Advanced Squad Leader into a 3D environment.Which IMO is what CM is not only trying to do but have done,and failed this hybrid on both accounts.I have a question about your video also?Did you speed it up?I thought the soldiers were moving pretty fast.Someone mentioned in one of my videos that the soldiers moved to slow,I thought they were suppose to be moving slow since they are in snow/mud and dressed in thick clothing.I spent 3 weeks up in Alaska when I was in the infantry going through the Winter warfare training school at Ft.Greely(-50 below every day and We lived in tents).Heavy boots,thick clothing,snow and a full combat load tends to exert a lot of drag and does not lend itself to speed.We had a saying whenever anyone asked us what was the toughest part about the Winter training in Alaska. "Trying to get 2 inches of dick out of 5 inches of clothing when using the latrine "

[Tanker]

Nice videos.  The men do look sped up. 
As far as CM goes, this does a better job of battalion size battles with a larger battle space.  To me it is more immersive and atmospheric than CM. 

I've always felt that the new series of CM games look kind of antiseptic.

I think Apos is easier to play real time because the ai needs less micro management.  And fanbois are...well fanbois.  They can never see the warts on their girl friend.

[maxi_s]

Great video mate ¡¡¡¡¡¡¡

[Dane49]

Yes,I love the large maps to maneuver on.To me recon and maneuver are the essence of this game.I sometimes spend a whole hour just scouting and reconning the battlefield trying to locate and identify the AI enemys plan of defense before I formulate a plan of attack.If my recon units are strong enough I use them as base of fire and suppression,while my main assault groups maneuver onto the flanks or infiltate any weak spots in the defense line.With the large maps recon units actually get to perform thier intended role and aren't just another unit to be used as an additional assualt element because of map space restrictions.My prefered method of play,especially with battalion size units(not a fan of micro-management either,I like to zoom in and watch the action),is after I've formulated my attack plan and issue the initial orders to the platoons,is to then sit back and watch the battle unfold for 10 minutes before I issue new commands with 10 minute intervals betwen each issuance of new commands(that is unless my plan is completely falling apart,then I may intervene directly sooner),and I also only issue the commands from the tactical map not the 3D map.To me that simulates the battalion commanders inability to influence every single action on the battlefield and negates the unrealistic gods eye view of the battlefield that the player as commander enjoys and allows for a semi realistic chain of events of the commander trying to get in radio touch with his company officers and they in turn filter that info down to the platoon and squad level.I like to play real time and only pause occasionally to change covered arcs or redirect my artillery missions.To me combat isn't a chess match,but a bar brawl with the officers trying to maintain some semblance of control in an otherwise very difficult to control environment.Most men on the battlefield could care less about the master plan and basically are just looking for a way to survive while in the performance of thier duties and hope someone else will do the heavy lifting and take the risks before they are called upon or ordered to do so themselves.

[murkz]

Thank you Lemonade, a truly great video and a very good ambassador for APOS, it ought to go on the Graviteam front page and on the youtube channel.

[Tanker]

Interesting points Dane.  What do you set the battle clock to?  I usually put mine at 1 hour.

[Dane49]

Quick battles:3 hours,Campaign:1-2 hours.Actually most times it really depends on how much free time and patience I can spare.I like the 3 hour settings though.Recon and maneuver is what I appreciate most about this game,with 3 hour settings during quick battles I can immerse myself in the game and get up close and personal with the units at my command.Too bad I'm not German or Russian,so I can really feel like part of the team.It still feels awkward commanding foreign troops.I don't get that sense of familiarity and protectiveness towards my pixel soldiers that might otherwise manifest itself if I was commanding an American unit.

[Lemonade]

Thanks for the positive feedback folks and sorry for replying in such long notice.
The video has not been sped-up in any way, so troops advancing towards the tree line in the first couple of minutes of the video are doing it with the exact same speed as they did in the game. I found it strange too. Sure they were fresh troops from the LSSAH division unlocked two or three turns before this very battle, but just before this clash, they moved two kilometres through the snow, on foot, during the tactical phase. This might not seem to be a great distance, but as Dane said, it's pretty hard to run in the thick snow. Perhaps the simulation interpreted the terrain as "frozen snow"? Dunno. This puzzles me same as you.

After reading someone's post @ sukoi Forum I think, I've decided to reduce the battle time from 2 hours to 1 hour. 2-hour operation battles had a tendency to end up with either one side running out of ammo too fast or one of the sides being completely eradicated. 2-3 hours are good for quick battles I suppose.