Jump to content

Capitalistdoginchina

Members
  • Posts

    410
  • Joined

  • Last visited

    Never

About Capitalistdoginchina

  • Birthday 01/11/1963

Converted

  • Location
    Now in Australia
  • Interests
    Anything related to WW2
  • Occupation
    Senior Manager

Recent Profile Visitors

The recent visitors block is disabled and is not being shown to other users.

Capitalistdoginchina's Achievements

Senior Member

Senior Member (3/3)

0

Reputation

  1. Hi there, It has been a very long time that i have been away from these forums and its always a pleasure to see that the Scenario "Our Backs to the Volga" still generates a lot of interest. It was my all time favourite scenario and a quick search revealed so many topics where this scenario has a mention several years after its release. Looking back there are so many reasons why it was so good, firstly the very name has a great ring to it and brings an expectation from the start that it will be a tough battle and it expresses the flavour of the battle very well. The lads at Boots & Tracks especially the play testers and Scott all made great suggestions from gameplay to units and historical data which is why the team at B&T produced such great scenarios in the Stalingrad Pack. I hope you continue to enjoy the scenario in whatever form it is regenerated. I am not sure if Boots & Tracks still exist and they may wish to have a say in the matter - but for me its fine. Best wishes, Terence McLaughlan
  2. To Add: Mid battle orders. Scenario designers can then write revised orders/objectives in reaction to the arrival of reinforcements. The orders will appear on screen at a predetermined turn (Usually on the same turn as the arrivl of reinforcements) CDIC
  3. I also have played this scenario 1 1/2 times PBEM. I am always interested in analyzing this one, because I feel it has 3 flaws which are common to many, many CMBB scenarios. 1) It is too short 2) The defender has too much materiel 3) As a result of 1 and 2, the scenario favors the defender. This scenario often ends in a draw. However, just because the scenario ends in a draw does not mean it is balanced. The scenario is too short for the German player to reach the large VP flags in the rear. That isn't balance because the German player doesn't have an opportunity to win. </font>
  4. Hi H, That's a very quck turn rate if you are nearly finished already. I would love to play test scenarios, but unfortunately when i came back to China i left my CM disks in Australia because this job is too demanding.....alas, i have no free time to play my beloved wargame! CM is too much of a distraction for me, so i resign myself to posting here on this forum to satisfy my craving. You could of course come visit me with a laptop and a copy of CMAK one weekend and help me out mate! Cheers CDIC
  5. Hi Holien, No plans yet to visit old blighty this year...maybe next. Hope you enjoy the scenario.....you are usually very competent on the attack (Memories of my worst ever defeat at your hands in PBEM still give me nightmares and flashbacks....q music from a thriller movie)so it should be a good battle. Cheers CDIC
  6. Great AAR if i may say so, very absorbing and well written. What was the end score (Percent)? The battle seemed to be going well for the Germans in the first half - a gallant defence swung the tide in the second half.......seems much like Stalingrad! Axis casualties were very high indeed. Hope you all had a great Xmas and new year! Terry
  7. Both have a lot in common - both great guys, both love CM and both contribute a lot to the wargaming community. God bless them both! WBW & WWB CDIC
  8. "Holien" is also a taffy, so you are not alone. He posts frequently on the CMBB forum. Me, HHhmm, well my mum is Irish, My father Scotish, i was born in London, i have an Australian passport and i live in China. Not sure what i am really. CDIC
  9. May i be the first to congratulate you - glad to have you back guys!! CDIC
  10. Your advance in the center has gone extremely well and according to your plan so far. It will be interesting to hear your opponents comments about his plan and setup post-battle. Either he has pulled back to form a stronghold or there are heaps of guys in the sewers due to arrive on the scene any moment now. Having played as the Russians before you are no doubt aware of what he may be doing hehehe. Brent, its a very clear and well written AAR, keep it up. Thanks. Does your opponent make any comments during the exchange of PBEM files? It would be interesting to hear a few. I imagine the Russians are getting very worried at this stage Cheers CDIC
  11. Hi Guys, I am very happy to see an AAR on this scenario - thanks Brent, it will be interesting to see the outcome. Thanks also for the review at the depot. This Scenario has generated a lot of interest and you can get some more background info and comments in these threads; Is it possible to win Our Backs To The Volga as Germans? Longest TCP Attacking Scenario Just a few comments from me; On the topic of Balance: It is possible to win as either side, more often than not it is the Germans who will come out on top. Usually the outcome will be pretty close. However the most important thing for me is that you enjoy playing it, and judging from the comments in the above threads and at the Scenario Depot it seems most of you do. The Large rear center flag is not intended to be captured in reality - it is there to ensure balance and to create an objective, however if the Germans can contest the flag and advance that far they will most certainly have won anyway. The larger flags are hard to take, the smaller ones are relatively easy. I spent a lot of time trying to create the right atmosphere and feel for Stalingrad and i experimented with the rocky ground instead of rubble tiles - too much rubble on a city map looks very dark and moody for my taste, hence i used rocky ground instead to obtain the right visual effect. I also took a lot of time to get the ferry terminal looking right. If you place a rubble tile on the map (Water) before placing the bridge tile you will get the effect of a damaged pier. The guys at Boots & Tracks did a great job playtesting this one and providing suggestions and tweaks - they are awesome! I will be out of town for a few days and i will check back in next week. Keep up the discussion. I hope you all enjoy the scenario. All comments, suggestions and criticisms are welcome. Best wishes from a warm and sunny China, CDIC PS. Brent. I don't know how i overlooked the fanatacism of the Russians (Your comment at the Depot is valid). We were under a time pressure to get the Stalingrad Pack out in time for the anniversary so maybe it was overlooked. If i were to change anything about this Scenario that would be it. I am still convinced that 30 Turns variable ending is sufficient. Typically it will last 35 to 36 turns in total.
  12. From a playability point of view it is not always a good idea to give exact details of reinforcements, placing or composition in the briefing. Some players, if they know (For example) armour is arriving say within the first quarter of the battle will wait for them to arrive before making a massed attack on enemy positions. This can effect the way the battle is played out and the balance of the game. Not to mention the opponent claiming that the scenario is terribly unbalanced. Not only that, but for me, when i am playing a scenario, i get a real thrill when i get reinforcements just when i badly need them. I find it adds excitement, unpredictability, uncertainty and it can change the course of the battle as well as my strategy - and in MHO it is more realistic - so i tend to bear this in mind when designing a scenario. Its just personal choice though. There are a lot of players who really expect to know the full intel in order that they may play the battle the way they want - but some designers want the battle to play the way they intend it to be played. Horses for courses I guess CDIC PS. Since it is also known that a few unsavoury players may open up both briefings to see OOB before choosing sides when playing scenarios it helps to prevent players from choosing the side they think is strongest. Mind you even without the briefing if they really want to they can play it out first against the AI - It does happen!
  13. I think that just about covers it for me. Online players at other game sites only know the other players by their screen name/alias, and once they die they just dissapear off screen. The forums for other sites also lack a peronal touch that you can sometimes find on certain threads here. During PBEM we sometimes get to know the real person a lot better. I had never played PBEM until i purchased Combat Mission and i found it to be entirely refreshing to other means of play - TCP included. CDIC
×
×
  • Create New...