John Hough
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Stalin as the worst monster of all
John Hough replied to a topic in Combat Mission Archive #3 (2001)
Um. Those numbers aren't quite right. The Holocaust killed 6 million Jews, a number beyond dispute, and a few million others, communists, gypsies, homosexuals, and such. (I'm sorry I don't have better figures for those) So even the highest figure there is only (only! eep.) 10 times the number of Jews killed in the Holocaust. Anyway, I see little profit in comparing the horrible things these two men (yes, men, like you and I, not monsters) did, and got others to do, to argue who was the worst. Men are not logs, that you can stack up the bodies next to each other to grant the title of Worst Tyrant to the man with the highest pile. 60 million murdered is a horrible atrocity. So is 10 million. Or 6 million, or 6 hundred, or six. Or one. Really, I wasn't aware there was an issue here. Does anyone seriously think that Stalin doesn't have the blood of many millions on his hands? Even the high school history classes I took, a few years back, weren't so bad as to try to claim Stalin wasn't responsible for horrible atrocities. Just who is it that Rimland is arguing against? -
What sort of "mouse" are you guys using??
John Hough replied to ARCHANGEL's topic in Combat Mission Archive #3 (2001)
My beloved MouseMan classic died from a coffee spill a couple months ago, and I've been unable to quite find a satisfactory replacement. All the mice these days seem to be too large, or a bad shape, or both. I finally, after an hour or so of testing mice in the store, settled for the basic Logitech optical wheelmouse. Not the best shape, but at least it's small, and light, and the shape isn't too bad. And I've gotten to love having a wheel. -
"The System" -- Would it work IRL?
John Hough replied to a topic in Combat Mission Archive #3 (2001)
So 'the system' is basically a massive infantry rush? Yeah, I seem to recall the Soviets managed some limited success with that system. Might've done better with it if they'd had good officers or infantry tactics when they had no choice but to use 'the system'. The problem, of course, is that in real life, people are worth more than their ability to kill people with a submachine gun. And population is a finite resource. And so a lot of the focus of technology in war is devoted to finding ways to move as many of those people as possible to factories in the rear, where they make the guys at the front able to kill more guys with less risk to themselves, and thus contribute more to the killing than they would if they were in the front lines with submachine guns. And, still, in real life, it all comes down in the end to having ordinary infantry standing on the ground you want that matters. Everything else is just around to kill infantry or kill the other guy's things that kill infantry. But when your infantry is pixels, not people, you don't really need anything else. Oh, and transport/logistical stuff, but that's mostly out of cm's scale. Of course, in cm terms, this probably means infantry, or at least certain infantry, are a bit underpriced, 'coz they are an obviously superior choice, and if the point system were perfect, infantry would be just as good a choice as anything else. ------------------ so you can stay cool behind your window and choose the view you want to see but as long as there's others held captive do not consider yourself free -EMBRACE, "DO NOT CONSIDER YOURSELF FREE" [This message has been edited by John Hough (edited 03-23-2001).] -
How does moving units off the map affect QB score?
John Hough replied to Lawyer's topic in Combat Mission Archive #3 (2001)
No, actually, your opponent gains more points for killed guys than for surrendered guys, which I found out during my artillery testing. The allies pounded a less expensive axis force, then I surrendered 'em, and the allies got a minor victory. Which I like a lot. Gives you incentive to surrender a hopeless situation, rather than fight it out and kill more little polygon dudes for no gain. Or rather, to move eveyone you can off the map, to deny even the capture points for those, then surrender the rest. ------------------ so you can stay cool behind your window and choose the view you want to see but as long as there's others held captive do not consider yourself free -EMBRACE, "DO NOT CONSIDER YOURSELF FREE" -
The Warren Commission did.
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A Must Read For Newbies: PBEM FILE NAMING
John Hough replied to Arien's topic in Combat Mission Archive #3 (2001)
A small price to pay for being able to analyze the game from your opponent's POV as well. And it's not like you need maximum password security for games of CM. I just write down my password in the folder I keep the saved turns in. No big deal. But I can see how you might not wanna do that. -
A Must Read For Newbies: PBEM FILE NAMING
John Hough replied to Arien's topic in Combat Mission Archive #3 (2001)
My preferred naming scheme includes the side which gets to go, what turn it is, and whether or not the person who goes gets to watch a movie. Thus: allied setup axis orders 01 allied orders 01 axis movie 01 allied movie 01 axis orders 02 allied movie 02 axis movie 02 allied orders 03 and so on. The numbering of the orders only turns isn't important, but I keep all my old PBEM files around, each game in a separate folder, and ask my opponent for his password after the battle, so I can look at it again from both sides to better learn from my mistakes. So it's important to me to get all the movies properly labeled. But I'm cool with whatever naming scheme my opponent prefers, I can rename the files myself. ------------------ so you can stay cool behind your window and choose the view you want to see but as long as there's others held captive do not consider yourself free -EMBRACE, "DO NOT CONSIDER YOURSELF FREE" -
Artillery Spotters and Night Vision
John Hough replied to Cos's topic in Combat Mission Archive #3 (2001)
A couple questions: Were the shells falling on the 88 in the tight pattern you get with los, or the looser pattern you get without? Was the 88 in woods or in the open? Could any of his other units have possibly gotten los to the gun? Had the ai seen the gun in the first battle of the operation? Was it shelled in the first battle? I suspect the problem may be that the ai has trouble with forgetting it's seen things between battles in an operation... -
Show off, folks: Let's see your picture!
John Hough replied to Binkie's topic in Combat Mission Archive #3 (2001)
Guys, please. As much as I appreciate the sentiment, I really don't need anyone to stick up for me. I can take a little friendly mockery. And I knew full well what I was getting into when I posted the first picture. ------------------- 'So put me down, punk, wouldn't you prefer a maiden fair? Isn't there a kitten stuck up a tree somewhere?' -Ani DiFranco, 'Not a Pretty Girl' -
Show off, folks: Let's see your picture!
John Hough replied to Binkie's topic in Combat Mission Archive #3 (2001)
oops, double post [This message has been edited by John Hough (edited 02-20-2001).] -
Fortifications can be set up in the first battle of an operation, but are locked for the others. The only solution, I think, is to make the map for each battle really big, and give the axis player an enormous deployment zone(s) for the first battle. If you want the fortifications to be deeper than you can manage with one battle map, you're out of luck. ------------------ so you can stay cool behind your window and choose the view you want to see but as long as there's others held captive do not consider yourself free -EMBRACE, "DO NOT CONSIDER YOURSELF FREE"
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Show off, folks: Let's see your picture!
John Hough replied to Binkie's topic in Combat Mission Archive #3 (2001)
All right, you bastards, how's this? ------------------ so you can stay cool behind your window and choose the view you want to see but as long as there's others held captive do not consider yourself free -EMBRACE, "DO NOT CONSIDER YOURSELF FREE" -
Show off, folks: Let's see your picture!
John Hough replied to Binkie's topic in Combat Mission Archive #3 (2001)
Nope, sorry. Not a girl. Note the glasses. Nor, in fact, am I gay. I just took a picture of myself with a flower in my hair and my hair down, and it turned out looking really nice. Like a really nice girl. I do look more masculine with the hair up, or when you can see my chest or hips. I think there may be something going on, 'coz 3 of 4 past girlfriends have been bisexual... -
Show off, folks: Let's see your picture!
John Hough replied to Binkie's topic in Combat Mission Archive #3 (2001)
Sorry guys, this is the fruitiest picture ever, but it's also the only good picture I've had taken of me. The lens flare is an artifact, added by a friend for use on a different web site. Alas, I've lost the original... ------------------ so you can stay cool behind your window and choose the view you want to see but as long as there's others held captive do not consider yourself free -EMBRACE, "DO NOT CONSIDER YOURSELF FREE"