Santa’s coming to Defense town: Command PE v2.3 now available

December 8, 2023 · Posted in Command PE

Boy, time sure flies past when you’re having fun. It’s been barely a little over half a year since the groundbreaking release of CPE 2.2, and here we are again with another milestone release for Command PE: Version 2.3 is now available for download by new and existing pro customers alike.

The v2.3 update follows closely on the steps of the commercial CMO v1.06 release, and leverages the numerous groundbreaking changes introduced in that update. Chief among them is undoubtedly the migration to a 64-bit architecture and the adoption of a brand-new, DirectX-11-based map engine.

Other new features include:

Weather and the day/night cycle affect air sorties. Non-all-weather aircraft are grounded at night or in bad weather.
C-RAM and counter-battery mechanics: Unguided rockets are no longer auto-detectable and unengageable: They can now be engaged by suitable weapons (Centurion C-RAM, Iron Dome etc.) but first they need to be picked up by sensors capable of detecting them. Sensors designed for counter-battery role can even backtrack the trajectory of a detected rocket or ballistic missile and provide a rough location of its firing point, thus enabling counter-battery fire.
Target Priority Lists: Prioritize targets as part of doctrine settings. This makes it even easier to set up realistic targeting behaviors for the AI.
Numerous UI tweaks and improvements such as revised zone management and mouse-driven selection on zones and patrol areas.
Proximity-fuzed airburst round mechanics: Much more realistic modeling of proximity flak, a weapon/fuze type critical in WW2 and currently making a big comeback as a drone & PGM killer.
New weapon type: Directional high-power microwave (HPM) projector weapons (aka “EMP guns”). Two distinct subtypes of EMP projectors are currently modelled: Mechanical antenna emitters like AFRL’s THOR/Mjolnir prototype, which emit a broad “broom sweep” EMP beam to effect single or multiple enemy units concurrently, and AESA antenna emitters like Epirus’ Leonidas system, which are able to form and direct multiple tight beams concurrently in order to defeat multiple threats.
Per-sensor mast height. Different horizon ranges and LOS clearances for different sensors on the same platform.
Terrain type-dependent skyline / land-cover heights. Some units can fly between treelines or buildings, or pop their mast-mounted sensors above the local vegetation to get a clearer look of the battlefield.
Proper “QuickSink” mechanics: If you’ve seen any of AFRL’s videos on QuickSink then you know the tremendous potential of this new JDAM fuse, and the implications in any future maritime theater.
Decoy mobile platforms: Can use entire full-kitted platforms as realistic-looking decoys.
Rudder as a discrete component on ships & submarine, and rudder mechanics (incl. damage/destruction). If you’ve ever wondered by big ships and submarines feel very sluggish on turns, or are curious how the battleship Bismarck was significantly degraded after its rudder was stuck by a lucky torpedo hit, you can now find out.
New OpenTopoMap layer: A superb layer for topography and road & urban networks that effectively replaces the now-retired Stamen map layers.
Weapon-deployable platforms: For example, transport and launch child aircraft from parent aircraft (e.g. D-21 and WZ-8 recon drones).
Numerous fixes and improvements on DIS connectivity – including a new start-up window for configuring the selected NIC as well as all other DIS-related properties.
Numerous additions to Lua event hooks with new hook types such as UnitMovesBefore, UnitMovesAfter and OnStatusChange.
The latest sim database releases with thousands of additions and tweaks.

In addition, v2.3 is the first CPE version eligible for submission into the ATO (Authority To Operate) process, with the goal of formally certifying its suitability for mass deployment into combatant commands, front-line units and other high-security environments.

CPE v2.3 is available for download to all customers through the Matrix Pro Sims personalized portal. Get it and turbocharge your wargaming, analysis and training capability today!

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