[Uberdave]

(It should be noted that I finished this mod back in September of 2015, before the newer version of Kharkov of
TLD had been released. Thus, this review of Kharkov is of CCTLD v2.2)

Intro:
The CCTLD adaption of Kharkov was interesting to play. It is a solid Eastern Front mod in the spirit of CC3. The
GC vs AI was EPIC...longest one I've ever played! Took literally months to complete, playing full-time. Drizzt has
clearly put a lot of work into this. However, it is not as polished as the other mods and seems to sacrifice refined
craftmanship for ferocious gameplay.  A decent mod that adds a much-needed dimension to the variety of CC
mods...the East Front!


Likes
-10 man squads!!!
-GUI tint color seems to fit with mod (tan/beige tank armor)
-nice differentiation between weapons like Walther38 and Luger08.
-Some unit pics are very good
-Soviet voices (such as mortar barrage, air strike) are good
-82mm mortar seems to have perfect delay
-Some good ambient sounds, esp Stukas,tank engines
-BA10 and other vehicles look great (who did the graphics?)
-Nice wreck for GAZ truck!
-Indirect fire option on ML-20 gun (152mm) is great in battle, but IMO, ahistorical for this mod.
-T26 and other early Soviet vehicles/wrecks look GREAT!
-Like the strat map option/connections...very challenging
-Nice 'fire' sound on short 75/18 gun (not on Gds version though?)
-AA Maksim 4x gun sounds good!
-Nice Stuka ambient sounds
-Ppsh41 sounds good!
-Not enough trees on maps...just shadows/no trees on some(?)
-BG markers are nice , well-done


Observation
-Weak Romanian vehicles (ugly graphics too!)
-Conscript and Regular SOV rifle teams have only a 2 pt difference, despite big differences in morale and firepower
-German Brandflaschen vs molotov effectiveness vs vehicles?
-Some tanks and halftracks look bigger than scale to infantry and maps.
-ZP52-K obr39 (85mm); graphic for gun is good, it is coded as a monior
-Map suggestions Fjord on NW corner of Husarivka map could be defined better;
(elements go from deep to shallow w/no corresponding graphic)
-What is range on Soviet infantry flamers...42m?
-German 23rd Pz BG forced a Soviet rifle BG off 'Martore'(sp?) @ 3pm on 1st day of GC. Germans also forced
USSR off the map on 'Balakleia'(Sp?). Another @ Ligoveka'.
-Enemy 250/11 Kom wagen survived Katyusha barrage then destroyed T34 '41 in a front:front face-off (too strong !!??)
-DshK sounds too fast (RoF)
-ZSU 4M used as vehicle in Kharkov mod! yay
-Sufficient job of simulating armor:armor fights!
-Some tanks appear too large and disproportionate to other vehicles. Taken from different sources/mods?
-Some eastern map sectors nnot recieving arty support
-Beginning maps are mainly river crossings w/bridges (chokepoints)
-ML20 gun has bazooka graphic/smoke when firing (indirect arty fire?)
-Sound: USSR tank MGs are weak, Maxim sounds like American M60, sMG34 could be improved
-Il-2 airstrike is overwhelming!!!
-'Bely Koblez' is one of the best E Front maps Ive seen in a while  
-Elevation on Stary S__ map shows a lake not lower than the ground next to it...wierd(?)


Questions
-Is there really any difference between the Russian 'obr. 42' gun and the 'Divisional Gun' other than names?  Is it simply duplicated?
-Soviet 'Militsionary' teams do not have NKVD title in them, no descriptor, yet they are NKVD affiliated.
-What does (e) in KV-1(e) obr.41 mean?
-Length of "repair time" in data reflected in what value??
-Med IG used in direct fire role/but crew acts strange and turns gun on its own, often excessively.
-What does (w) on Gewehr 41?
-Strat map used from which source?  Or is it original?
-On ML20, how to have HT rounds fire direct and HE rounds fire indirect????


Gripes
-Some weak sounds (Soviet Maxim sounds heavy/muddy)
-Title screen has skewed / odd placement of General names in middle of screen.
-Sloppy UI features under FM on Debrief Screen.
-Overall mod art could use some refining, retouching. Looks rough and sloppy in many areas.
-The graphic strip with names of maps and BG types is still default CC5 (bluish) color in 'Strategic Screen'
-Red enemy spot shows on mini-map on the Strat map, but no BG on regular Strat Map
-Weapons MG37, Mg26t need new pics
-Some maps are unfinished; some have tree shadows but no trees.
-StuG variation names need consistency (ex: StuGIII vs Auf C or Stug40 ausf F, etc)
-Yellow and Orange indicators on Ammo/Fuel/Fatigue/Cohesion are hard to discern or tell apart.
-Kavalry Squads (USSR) should be armed with more M38 Carbines, as this was their historical allotment.
-Barrel on T34 '42 appears too long
-IMO, Werfs and Katyushas should be removed, as realistic spread of fired rockets and general accuracy is difficult to model in CC TLD
-Fpool list is disordered on BG screen (team types all mixed together, no consistency)
-Too many over-powered weapons 6x 120mm mortar, 6x BM13 Katy, ..even on Hero setting
-Maps should be edited to show accurate contrast between vehicles and objects on the map
-120mm mortars very clunky, constantly fidgeting, losing targets/opportunities bc of excessive movement
-85mm gun too lehtal (?) area effect?
-Need more photos of Kharkov 42, not of other conflicts or period
-'Militsionery' to have diff name, or designation indicating NKVD affiliation
-Poor elevation depiction on some maps - flat areas of 25.0 meters on most areas.. creating stagnancy (ex: Verkhnig?, Bishkin?. Kartamysh?)
-Maps become very repetitive with the same visual motifs
-Very poor coding on some maps - cant place guns in trenches (Belly Kolder?)
-"Russians and "Soviets" used in text interchangeably throughout GC (inconsistent?)
-2cm gun on T60 needs explosion size reduced
-Some tank MGs are wrong in weap pics (in relation to barrel)
-45mm blast too big...needs reduced
-Accurate text descriptions of each sector/battle would improve the experience


Bugs/Fixes
-CTD #1 at the end of a battle (possible German airstrike?)
-Germans could reinforce on the 17th @ Barenkovo (384/384 ID)
-Far west edge of Krasnograd has two Air strike cursor markers NW of the Church VL.
-"Mayor German Victory"  (mispelled)
-Central VL in 'Myrne' should be 'Large Field', not 'Large Filed'
(only 1x CTD total during GC!)


GC:
EPIC!  After starting the first turn with 12+ battles, the war rages and picks up momentum quickly. Death and
destruction begin to dominate the screen and tactical options soon take a back seat to navigating the carnage. As
bloody and intense as Betio/Tarawa at times, but with more strategic depth.
Soviets defeated the AI and won a Total Victory at 3pm on the 18th.  (DAY???*)

Best Soviet units (lots of kills due to repeated battles, high survivability of certain units):
-T60                       (Lenin- 39k, 6 bravery)
-obr 27 IG              (Lenin- 62k)
-BM-13 Katyusha   (RS- 51k, 2g)
-ZP52-KM              (RS- 61k, 1g)
-KV-1 obr.41           (RS- 4t, 11k)
-NKVD Maxim        (IC- 64k)
-82mm Mortar         (IC- 42k)
-Sniper                    (2x RS/39k)
-arty ML-20            (AB/44k, 1g)

Conclusion:
An unforgettable, EPIC GC played against the background of the mid-war Eastern Front. Definitely the most carnage (KIA.WIA) I've ever seen in a CC5 GC!
Great armor and infantry simulation on maps that are representative of the area fought in. Unfortunately, lack of variety and repetitive map
art lowers the replay value. I became frustrated many times, having to play on the same map literally a dozen times
before moving to the next one. New maps with modern art and features would definitely put this mod among the
best.

3.5/5 stars

[Uberdave]

First round...the carnage begins!!  Love those Soviet tank graphics!!

[Uberdave]

many heroes among the fallen

[Drizzt]

Hi, thanks for your detailed review (I have seen it only few days ago).

In the next days/weeks, I will try to give you a complete reply about your questions/suggestions (where I can).