RuhrRiver

All good entries, but I think Chelco nailed it. The Commander in Chief refused to visit Germantown, saying he didn't "have time to visit a foreign country," but you still get this handsome poster. It's suitable for framing if you print it out large enough on good paper. Thanks all!

Really nice screenshots, guys. Here are two from my current game (red v. red): Only retouch is covering up some flames which appeared through the side of the launch tube. No retouch--from same turn as the launch, above. The 72 Virgins Express arrives... The last three are all unretouched screen shots--except for captions/word balloons which suggested themselves. I leave the caption for this unretouched screenshot as an exercise for the reader. Best suggestion gets 15 minute congratulation visit from our Commander In Chief. Second best suggestion gets 30 minute visit.

I'm sure this is an elementary question, but why would the USSR launch an attack during Reforger? Weren't a lot of NATO troops out and about as opposed to some holiday or something?

I wish the world wouldn't give up on Starship Troopers...it wasn't Heinlein's fault that the movie bit the big one. I thought the Avalon Hill board game of starship troopers showed its potential...I'm sure Charles is itching to take his crack at ST and we should give him room! Right...

The other reason to list scenario size (# of units and/or map size) is for those of us who like to micromanage and are looking for battles that don't have dozens and dozens of units to move. If it can be done in the listing as M. Dorosh suggests, that would be 'way cool. And Mark, I can't believe you have uninstalled CMx1. Would you throw away the Liberty Bell just because it's old and doesn't work as well as electronic chimes? (Well, it doesn't work at all, actually...)

sECOND THAT...

Very nice....wait, that gives me an idea...

Inspired by M1A1TankCommander's "Black World" mod (hope you don't mind I've borrowed your map!), I've come up with some more "world" backgrounds to chase those Distant Mountains blues away: FOOTBALL STADIUM WORLD MOD You'll swear you can hear 20,000 fans leap to their feet cheering as you clear the last enemy-occupied building... STAR WARS WORLD MOD Morale among your troops will be sky(walker!) high with the inspiring Rebels' destruction of a Deathstar overhead... VEGAS WORLD MOD What gets run over by an M1A1 in Vegas, stays in Vegas... DALI WORLD MOD If you thought a 3-man squad in CMBO was weird, wait'll you play with THIS level of abstraction! I've saved the scariest for last: BRITNEY WORLD MOD Real (and scary) enough to make you reach for your Javelin and scream for backup...

And people think my projects are weird... Great looking rifle, however!

I hope this thread gets shut down quickly. But while we're talking about it, I wonder how quickly we could invade and control Canada and Mexico? It would eliminate the border "problems" with Mexico, and nip all that socialized medicine in Canada in the bud.

Rollstoy: >Maybe the flavor object next to the door causes >problems?! You mean the flaming bag of turds? Hoolaman: >You never go them to go in right? >What scenario is that? I never got them to go in, or go in right, no matter how I sequenced the orders. Scenario is "Al Amarah."

Okay, I did some "tests." dpabrams was right: one of the soldiers lights a paper bag full of turds at the back door and runs off and then they all run up the street giggling so they won't get caught. Except they run into dozens of opfor soldiers who kill them all. Just kidding, but I did do tests in hotseat mode and moved all the Syrian forces far away...same setup with the US squad in one building and ordered to the 2nd floor of the building across the street through the seemingly accessable back door: 1. Single "fast" order Result: They leave building and run up the street towards certain death. 2. Four-step "fast" order: to street, to back "patio," to 1st floor, to second floor. Result: They leave building and run up the street towards certain death. 3. Four step varied order: fast to street, hunt to patio, move to 1st floor, hunt to second floor. Result: They move to street, then 3 soldiers move to patio, then they all run up the street towards certain death. I also tried three "move orders:" to street, to largest space between the two buildings including the target building, to the large courtyard in front of the target building. Result: They all "move" up the street to certain death. I think this is a real pathfinding problem--but maybe it's just with that particular building/wall setup? Maybe it's the number of troops involved?

dpabrams, Thanks for the suggestion---I think tried that, but I will run it through again and make sure.

Ah, here’s the adventure I wanted: (Note: the squad’s behavior and general location/environment is accurately presented; anything else is probably touched up a tad) Levity aside, with coaxing and very short orders I can get troops to reach the door, but they refuse to go through it, and given any leeway at all, go back to bounding off down the street to be slaughtered as they try to circle the block. I’m sure there’s some rule or attribute of buildings that I’m missing here….what is it?

1.06 brings all the positive things everyone has noted. I started playing Al Amarah, a scenario that had been very frustrating for me when I tried it right after buying the game, due to pathfinding problems of the vehicles and lack of AI with sense of self-preservation. All of that is incredibly improved. I had just one little problem, illustrated in this exciting screen shot replay of one squad’s behavior: No---wait---that’s Sgt. Fury leading his “Howling Commandos” into another unfair match-up with the entire German army (unfair for the Germans, that is…). For more, see Marvel site: http://www.marvel.com/digitalcomics/titles/Sgt~dot~_Fury_and_His_Howling_Commandos.1963 Okay, see next post for correct adventure…

Very funny flying fish!

Don't know why someone hasn't done an "Invasion: Tiny Countries" series. BF could be the first: "Operation Urgent Fury:" the U.S. invasion of Grenada, October 1983 "Operation Just Cause:" the U.S. invasion of Panama, December 1989 "Operation Uphold Democracy:" the U.S. invasion of Haiti, September 1994

Thanks & glad it provided some enjoyment; it kept me off the streets and away from any actual modding for some time... I'm honored that Steve added some pics to his "insane customer contributions" folder, and funny that he should mention the legendary HAMPSTERTRUPPEN! I just found a folder on my drive filled with pics like this from those glory days of, uh, hampsters dressed up as WWII soldiers, tankers, and flyers: And, I should have added these credits but didn't want to disturb the serious documentary-like atmosphere of the first post: The Bin Laden pic (with Hello Kitty modification) was at the http://www.ogresview.com. The Hello Kitty "transport vehicle" is actually a "US M93 Fox Recon vehicle...used for Nuclear, Biological and Chemical detection and are based on the German TPz1 Fuchs APC" according to a letter on the website at http://www.thepeoplescube.com The "special version of the Kalashnikov" rifle is to be found at http://www.glamguns.com/hk47.html Where the following is noted (don't know if it's serious...): "The Glambo Signature Series "Hello Kitty" HK-AK-47 The world should note the hand-crocheted shoulder-stock muffler and the anodized titanium plating. This fully functional firearm fires standard 7.62mm 125 or 150 grain ammunition with a muzzle velocity of approximately 710 meters per second and a maximum effective range of approximately 300 meters. Several choices in stock wood are available. With a limited run of only 500, buy now before they're gone! A mere $100 extra includes Glambo's signature wood-burnt into the opposite side of the handguard. A perfect gift for the young lady of the house. A bargain at only $1072.95!"

For my first modding effort in CMSF, I chose the uniform, vehicle, and weapons of a Stryker spec ops unit whose existence is known but impossible to confirm---since DOD staff and military personnel predictably respond to any questions with a “no comment.” The unit was organized in response to numerous situations where individuals such as Bin Laden or other high-value personnel targets have been located in a specific area, but without exact enough coordinates (such as a particular building or vehicle) to use precision guided munitions. Even when US military planners have had operable intelligence and employed so-called “surgical” strikes, in both Afghanistan and Iraq the result has too often been that the buildings or vehicles destroyed were empty or occupied by low-value personnel (such as civilians). The Stryker spec ops team I’m modding has been one approach to this problem. From what I’ve read on-line and in print sources, this small (five to seven men) unit of intensively-trained operatives can deploy high-yield, limited-area, tactical thermonuclear weapons utilizing a newly refined substance called tritium isotope Y-238, also nicknamed “parboiled uranium.” The result is a device that can essentially vaporize an area of up to a mile across with *no* radioactive fall-out (and hence, no detection as a nuclear device). Such a large effective strike area means that getting anywhere close to the target insures optimal results. Although such devices might possibly be seen as a technical “violation” of arms treaties if their use became known, the nature of the weapons allow for maximum secrecy through their wide-ranging collateral effects also referred to as “zero witness survival.” The units using the new tactics/weapons are known as High-Effectiveness Locate-and-Level Operations using Kill-and-Incapacitate Thermonuclear Tactical Y-238, also known as H.E.L.L.O. K.I.T.T.Y. units. All the above is background to the reason I was eager to try modding them: they have unique uniform patches and other I.D. devices, and use their own specialized version of the Kalashnikov assault rifle, along with a hand-held launching system that fires the “Parboiled Uranium” Ranged Rocket or P.U.R.R. They also have their own modified Stryker-family vehicle that can be used in black ops and other clandestine situations where typical military vehicles might be more readily noticed. First I modded some of the regular CMSF US uniforms with some of the special identifiers of the HELLO KITTY units: The uniform patches have an additional benefit of making the soldiers less frightening to small children, not to mention making any descriptions of the uniforms by OPFOR troops to their officers more or less unbelievable (“Their unit patches were what?”). In this mod, note the nuclear-themed unit identifier backpack banner, nicknamed the “Kitty on the Can” patch. I’m still working on the mod of their special version of the Kalashnikov assault rifle based on this low-res photo from a rogue web site. I’ve also almost finished modding the P.U.R.R. rocket mentioned above. The P.U.R.R., a modified Javelin, carries the small thermonuclear warhead shown below with its distinctive camo scheme: I’m modding the H.E.L.L.O. K.I.T.T.Y. transport vehicle shown here in highway transport mode in a rare photo from the website mentioned above. Note the driver’s pink helmet—have to work on that one later. This is an unconventional approach to a low-profile black ops vehicle, based on the theory that onlookers will either ignore it as too silly to be a military vehicle or else be rendered helpless with laughter until the vehicle is out of the area. I know I’m going to get a lot of “I’m drooling already! WHEN WILL THIS BE DONE????” “I WANT IT NOW ALREADY!” “PLEASE-PLEASE-PLEASE WHERE CAN I DOWNLOAD IT RIGHT NOW!?” To which I gotta reply: I know it’s hard to wait, guys, but please be patient; when a mod is as good as this one looks to be, it’s worth waiting for. I mean, almost everyone is a hello kitty fan…

I never check out these threads, and I'm not checking this one. Don't even try to make me. Nope--not doing it. Stop it, stop it--I don't want to have to hurt you...

That is a beauty. Nice.

And Happy New Year, gang. ---RuhrRiver/Max Molinaro

I'm sure it will, Steve. Deja vu below: people demanding you release something for them...waiting for another build of CMBO in this case. Boy, if anyone wanted proof of graphics improvement...

Thanks guys, my pleasure. Also, thanks to Rollstoy for the most practical suggestion(I'll try anything once) and Mark for the funniest...although giving more orders tonight to that bunch of cowering doorophobes won't be so humorous....

STRYKER A.I.---MISSION: GO THROUGH THE DOOR! Part II! Note I'm playing and having fun, lest this be taken as a pointless criticism of the AI...heheh.