Mark Gallear

Not read all the posts so maybe I have a number of repeated points. Players have used CM for large multi-player Campaigns so I would like to see tools that would help with this. Umpire mode with management systems and editing of troops which would normaly be considered cheating. (I think this needs some thought and discussion with players who have run these campaigns.) (I am against units getting better with combat experience because the opposite effect is what really happened.) Motorcycles and Mounted Cavalry represented if possible. Better modelling of MGs on tanks – coaxial (more like HMG) different from Hull (LMG burst mode). I think tank MGs are not represented as powerful enough in the current CM games – very apparent in early period. Better modelling of tank commanders getting killed or buttoning up. Better modelling of grenade throwing – so tactic before assault and Hand to Hand with bayonets, etc Options for larger and more real defensive systems such as minefields in depth rather than the odd booby trap representation that we have now - ok I admit these are not very playable for points games but should be available for scenario designers. If you are going to do Pacific then Naval landings (nice for D-Day too) and jungle terrain. Better modelling of real AI in operations and options for not just moving from one end of the map to the other. I tried to model a real battle where the Germans arrived on the side of the map! Also option to remove troops for operation designers after a fight – such as heavy artillery left behind in the chase phase of a battle. Greater effort at accurately representing real troop organizations such as large squadron sized tank units. Can we move on from trying to represent paper organizations and try and represent the real understrength and battered real combat organizations used for the different periods. This could be flexible with players been able to pick and mix to a certain extent at Battalion level, ie optional levels of Infantry AT weapons such as AT-Rifles or PIATS - currently over strength compared with most real organizations. Not interested in moving clouds and other such crap! Please concentrate on getting the gameplay right. Ok Mike my Englsh is still crap but at least I am English [ August 29, 2005, 10:13 PM: Message edited by: Mark Gallear ]

I am very sorry at the demise of the Scenario Depot and the loss of the work of Admiral Keith and all the designers. :mad: I put up some scenarios just before the site disappeared you can still get them from my site the THE MOD FILES. Ok not much consulation .....

Hi Wild Bill Hope you are well, been a long time since I heard from you! Glad you have not totally retired!

Very interesting Lucho - not sure why that has happened. I coud maybe reduce no mans land which could help. Keep your comments coming on how your game is progressing - The Herman Gornmg Division did almost drive the 1st Division off he beaches at one stage in the battle!

Checked the orginal file it is fine could ave got corrupted going up or more likely down - its a big file for Geocities. Try again if you still don't get it email me!

I have recently put up a CMAK Op - Operation Husky – Darby’s Rangers invade Sicily and a CMAK scenario – The Lion of Capazzo. I also have a “newish” mod by Padvine. You may want to check the site out for a few mods. I was designing a Sicily operation with Brian Martuzas but he has given up on CM as it seems have many old players! I just finished the briefings.

I was designing a Sicily operation with Brian Martuzas but he has given up on CM after computer problems. I have spent today finished the briefings. Testing has been more minimal than our past scenarios. Involves Darby's Rangers landing at Gela and fighting the Herman Goring Division. Probably going to be my last Scenarios and Operations for a while.

Just put up the final test version of my scenario The Lion Of Capuzzo. Description: The battle for Fort Capuzzo was the most successful attack in the 1941 Operation Battle Axe offensive. The two sides are very dissimilar in terms of troop quality and weapons. Extra suspense is from the fact that troops keeping turning up through out the battle. This has of course caused problems for getting the game balance correct. The name of the operation comes from the title given to a German Panzer Commander for stopping the British advance. I have enclosed JPGS of photos of the Fort Capuzzoand the Lion and a map of the operation. Had problems with the CMAK unit database, which through out the play balance, which I have now fixed by changing the date from June to December! Panzer IVs do not have HC rounds before this date. :eek: Also put up Padivine German portrait mod and I have a number of others that may be worth checking out on he site.

Got my first look at the patch and despite the very many improvements I am still shocked and disappointed by CMAK and the omissions that could have been made very easily. Major howlers such as: The gamey CMBO armed jeeps in British Service, which simply did not exist. Flamethrowers in British Service long before they were even developed! Lee in British service still more common than the Grant – OK although despite not been able to find any figures for the Lees – a US grog rightly pointed out to me the photographic evidence for their existence in NA in British service. However, this can only have been a handful of vehicles (probably well less than 10) that were probably slipped in a Grant order to show the Lee in action back home in some propaganda photos. (This one just kills any credibility or suspension of disbelief for me in CMAK. I thought Steel Panthers was wonderful and the designers Omnipresinent until I started to do my own oobs and then realised it was sh*t.) Airacobra in “British service”, when the few test planes were withdrawn before going into action. (I was taught English by the widow of an Airacobra test pilot – maybe Michael can still see all that the angst in my form of expression!) Kittyhawk in British service as a strafing fighter when it was only used as a ground attack bomber and was considered ineffective even in this role, etc for the planes in almost all nationalities. The latest marks of Spitfires as fighter-bombers when the early types strafe! Ok, we got the AA Brens but they soon proved ineffective in this method of deployment except on vehicles soon went out of service long before Italy anyway! (I suppose this one is about actual usage of weapons, vehicles and men as against some paper ideal. What was the point of all the Valentine variants being modelled if there is no difference between diesel and petrol engines? Churchill III the commonest of this tank type is still missing! Not checked to see but my guess is that the Free French in the early desert are still weird – they should be in British uniforms with a French Flag patch and have British weapons. Is this a US image of the French only coming over to the allied side after they landed in NA and asked them nicely? Ok I picked on the Brits, but yes, there are lots more howlers even in the US list! Please, please model actual organizations and vehicle usage at the level you are modelling – the company and tank Squadron at a certain location or battle and not extrapolate from general vehicles numbers from a larger theatre or present us with the weird and wonderful as being common place and standard. These problems are largely editable in the oob – ok I don’t know how hard that is in CM but in most games systems like SPWAW if you know the changes you are going to make it takes only an afternoon to radically change a list. (Although I did say easily at the top of the post - I do appreciate it is much harder than that to get the necessary info, etc and the problems with taking a vehicle completely out of the game when it is in loads of scenarios, etc.) Ok, I get the commercial point that BFC are in the industry to make money and will not be able to make the games that we want if they spend all their time on patches. An American producer in the “industry” once told me that he was cautious because if he made a turkey then it would be much harder for his company to sell even a great game the next time around. I think enough said on my personal viewpoint – after all I only invested a couple of a quid in the game and have only made a few posts, and played it a few times – so who cares. (I suppose I am excited enough at the changes to try and do a few scenarios but points games are still going to be silly for me to even consider. Strangely for some reason all my current games are with CMBB.) I have already more than had enough of my role of trying to get BFC to see the light and do the right thing and will now shut up and consider myself banned. Telling people what they don't want to hear is not how the world works not just in BFC land. No doubt I won’t be missed even if Michael posts a score of replies under different names shouting me down! At least the modders are having fun!

Thanks Mad Matt, Michael and everybody else at BFC for creating the CMAK patch at last. (I have computer problems at present and am going to do a reinstall soon and have not got around to installing it yet.) Hopefully, I will now do some more scenarios and operations with CMAK. My only CMAK scenario had the wrong type of Churchill! (I have still been working on perfecting the CMBB Operation Ghosts of Napoleon with Brian Martuzas.) I have been working on a Husky period Operation with Brian Maruzas but there are historical problems with the game. Bazookas were issued at Kasserine Pass but as the troops did not know how to use them and they were thrown away. For the invasion of Scilly – they are in the game in large numbers but accounts suggest AT grenades were the main infantry anti-armour weapon at this time. (I do not think they were used at all.) (In contrast British Paras have AT- rifles in the game but these were never used in Action and they had the PIAT at this time!) So I am hoping this issue has been addressed and if not I am hoping that it will be addressed with the correct plane types in a 1.04 ! I do not know if the US patch will work with the CDV version. Can somebody say - if not I have Schoerner fix and other mods to make the game that bit more historical. (The website pages on gamedesign have largely been revised - just in case anybody interested!.) Schoerner made me do my first post on the forum for some time! I could not login for a bit there, I thought that I might have been banned in my absence like everbody else or was it another oversight by Mad Matt! :eek:

Upon the request of a certain mod making I have added and changed the section on installing mods on the Mod School page (plus minor tweaks across the board.)

I have been working on my website for an exam (well sort of) and have redone Mod Corner – now has sections on installing and making a simple mod at Mod School. Also a new section on making scenarios and operations. Be grateful if Flaming Knives and Michael would take a look and criticize my content and take the mickey out of my English. I know that I need it! (On the wb design front now has CSS!) The files to download are now on The Mod Files page, which is the same link as before. (Not redone the history of the computer wargames and strategy games but have redone The Adventure and CRPG genre pages just in case any of you are interested!)

Gosh, I have been asking for Russian (female)snipers for years!

Very, very nice and dusty.

The only information I have on the 2pdr "HE" round apart from an experimental round is a short quote in Ian Hoggs Armour in conflict for QF 2pr Armour-Piercing Mark 1", filled with Lyddite, had a base fuse and went into service in 1935. This is before the 2pdr came into service and was clearly meant to be an anti-armour round. There was infrmaton that numbers were sent to Russia with lots of other junk the British Army wanted rid of and donated. It appears in CMBB but I suspect the Russians binned them. I have an account of Churchill killing 88mm crew with the MG as the gunshield can not protect all the crew they can be effective.