Red Tide 1985 memories

[krause]

I can't believe its been almost 3 years since the Red Tide 1985 campaign. I recently got back into SB, playing in the latest Long Night of Tanks game, and then began to reflect on my past SB MP experiences.

I must say that the Red Tide 85 campaign was so fun, it ranks as one of my most memorable gaming experiences in any game or community. It was the only time, besides some times in Falcon 4, that I felt like a "real war" was going on, and had a genuine fear of the chaos of battle. The desperate realization that there is a russian armored battalion barreling down the road, and you and your 4 shitty, half-broken tanks (which took persistent damage over the campaign) are all that is going to stop them was terrifying and extremely exciting.

I was the NATO XO - but performed duties as a CO a few times, and also a company commander. I'm always excited to work with Mark Gibson and this was no exception, my imagination was truly suspended during tense briefings in which everyone on NATO waited with dread as Mark calmly explained (the way an experienced, skilled officer can) the hopeless tactical situation in several of those missions, and our best actions to repel the Soviets with our horribly attrited forces.

I hope we can get something like this going again - even if it's more co-op heavy, but still with 2-3 opfor human commanders. It was legendary on the same level as Brave Rifles, which I never had the honor to partake in, but the videos of which (by Zipuli) got me into SB in the first place.

Some trails to memories here:

http://www.steelbeasts.com/sbforums/showthread.php?t=16653

[Volcano]

Hello Krause,

Thanks for the compliment. Yes, it was extremely fun - it seems like once a month or more hear someone reminiscing about it (usually me). The end result was so close, and so hard fought on both sides that it was about as perfect as it could have been. It would be difficult to top the result as another campaign result might turn out to be one sided. It went a long way to show how well both sides were matched.

I have been more busy with SB work lately and hadn't had a chance to even run a Top Tank Tournament again. That said, I do plan on doing something similar after the next full update so stay tuned.

[krause]

Hello Krause,

Thanks for the compliment. Yes, it was extremely fun - it seems like once a month or more hear someone reminiscing about it (usually me). The end result was so close, and so hard fought on both sides that it was about as perfect as it could have been. It would be difficult to top the result as another campaign result might turn out to be one sided. It went a long way to show how well both sides were matched.

I have been more busy with SB work lately and hadn't had a chance to even run a Top Tank Tournament again. That said, I do plan on doing something similar after the next full update so stay tuned.

Awesome. Glad to hear you're still involved in the community in that way.

I would love to be involved in another campaign like that.

[Tjay]

+ 100.

[Volcano]

+ 100.

Whoaaa, too much excitement! :clin:

[Marko]

Whoaaa, too much excitement! :clin:

I remember thinking after we got the playable T-62 in the last big update

What would the red tide campaign have been like using AFV's from an earlier period of the Cold war. instead of M1A1/ leo-2/ CR-2 etc. if you edited the missions and used the

leo-1A5 may be the AS1 as a centurion substitute. and the M1 as a M-60A3.

Give the opfor the T-62 lots of them. LoL and the T-72m as the t-64A

Edit the maps a little. alter the ratio's and pick new commanders not that the previous ones did a bad job just adding some new blood at the command level.

It mite be a easier less time consuming alternative them making a new campaign from scratch.

Just a thought.

Giving it some more thought it would be a bigger challenge for the Opfor

Then the original campaign, simply trying to hit a moving target and any range over 1500 in a T-62 is a hell of a challenge

Equally with the exception of the M1 the other NATO forces would be more vulnerable to Arty and early ATGM like the sagger.

Edited October 7, 2015 by Marko

[TSe419E]

Thank you, Krause.

It was my finding your Red Tide video that led me to Steel Beasts.

:cvcsalut:

[TankHunter]

Red Tide was definitely fun times. God damn stressful, but fun.

[krause]

Thank you, Krause.

It was my finding your Red Tide video that led me to Steel Beasts.

:cvcsalut:

So we come full circle. Cool!

[Tjay]

Whoaaa, too much excitement! :clin:

I had been playing SB for only a few weeks and UKA was in its infancy (IIRC) when Red Tide happened. I'd dearly love to do it all again now.

I understand your reluctance to run the exact same scenario again, but could it not be modified in terms of the size/inventory of the two sides to make effectively an 'updated' version? Sound like a quick lunch breake job to me. :heu:

[enigma6584]

@Krause

Loved that campaign as well. Your video was especially memorable for me because I was the guy whose BMP-2 company was to your front. :gun: :luxhello:

[krause]

@Krause

Loved that campaign as well. Your video was especially memorable for me because I was the guy whose BMP-2 company was to your front. :gun: :luxhello:

I really wish I had more opportunity to record video, but in most of the missions I was mostly looking at the map and issuing orders - or I just didn't have the chance to record due to hardware limitations. I wish I had a long video of each mission!

Thanks for your fire!

[Volcano]

I understand your reluctance to run the exact same scenario again, but could it not be modified in terms of the size/inventory of the two sides to make effectively an 'updated' version? Sound like a quick lunch breake job to me. :heu:

Sure, it could be modified to be earlier or later or just 1985 on a different map. Maybe 1980 or 1978 would be interesting at some point, depending on what we have playable. It was made to be modular.

Also, I am not saying I wouldn't run it exactly the same 1985 on same map, just that the first play is exactly the way you want a campaign to end (close) so it seems that replaying it exactly would only produce an inferior result that ruins the memory. But a different map and/or different year would be a while different thing.

I also made a modern Korean War version of the campaign as well ("Red Dragon"), but the map is still under construction. Then there is the Operation Fury, and Operation Coin (both in the SB Wiki) that I haven't gotten around to running yet either... so little time, ugh.

[Tacbat]

I also made a modern Korean War version of the campaign as well ("Red Dragon"), but the map is still under construction. Then there is the Operation Fury, and Operation Coin (both in the SB Wiki) that I haven't gotten around to running yet either... so little time, ugh.

And now TTP 2015...

[12Alfa]

Sure, it could be modified to be earlier or later or just 1985 on a different map. Maybe 1980 or 1978 would be interesting at some point, depending on what we have playable. It was made to be modular.

Also, I am not saying I wouldn't run it exactly the same 1985 on same map, just that the first play is exactly the way you want a campaign to end (close) so it seems that replaying it exactly would only produce an inferior result that ruins the memory. But a different map and/or different year would be a while different thing.

I also made a modern Korean War version of the campaign as well ("Red Dragon"), but the map is still under construction. Then there is the Operation Fury, and Operation Coin (both in the SB Wiki) that I haven't gotten around to running yet either... so little time, ugh.

Weak!

[Hedgehog]

Sure, it could be modified to be earlier or later or just 1985 on a different map. Maybe 1980 or 1978 would be interesting at some point, depending on what we have playable. It was made to be modular.

Also, I am not saying I wouldn't run it exactly the same 1985 on same map, just that the first play is exactly the way you want a campaign to end (close) so it seems that replaying it exactly would only produce an inferior result that ruins the memory. But a different map and/or different year would be a while different thing.

I also made a modern Korean War version of the campaign as well ("Red Dragon"), but the map is still under construction. Then there is the Operation Fury, and Operation Coin (both in the SB Wiki) that I haven't gotten around to running yet either... so little time, ugh.

You need a job title change.

eSim/Steelbeasts community campaign coordinator.

The one bitter memory I have of Red Tide, is it was the TGIF slot.

I think I made it to 1 Mission, 0300 Saturday morning is an effort.

A more European friendly Sunday afternoon slot would be best

So, USA Sun Morning (Post church service) / West Euro Sun Afternoon / East Euro Sun Evening.

But having played Brave Rifles I know where Krause is coming from.

[Gibsonm]

Hedgehog said:

You need a job title change.

eSim/Steelbeasts community campaign coordinator.

The one bitter memory I have of Red Tide, is it was the TGIF slot.

I think I made it to 1 Mission, 0300 Saturday morning is an effort.

A more European friendly Sunday afternoon slot would be best

So, USA Sun Morning (Post church service) / West Euro Sun Afternoon / East Euro Sun Evening.

But having played Brave Rifles I know where Krause is coming from.

Well then you'd better step up as both the Red and Blue CO's would be unlikely to play (since we both live in Australia).

 

Edited May 20, 2020 by Gibsonm

[Volcano]

You need a job title change.

eSim/Steelbeasts community campaign coordinator.

The one bitter memory I have of Red Tide, is it was the TGIF slot.

I think I made it to 1 Mission, 0300 Saturday morning is an effort.

A more European friendly Sunday afternoon slot would be best

Well, the problem there is that I am rarely ever available on the weekend. If the coordinator isn't available, then it just won't happen.

Who wants to run a campaign but not participate in it? :clin:

[Hedgehog]

That's the problem...