russellmz Posted March 10, 2001 Share Posted March 10, 2001 <font color="AA0000"><big>Frequently Asked Questions (now with answers!)</big></font> First off, Probably the Number One Most Frequently Asked Question How do I take a screenshot? "On a Mac press Command + Shift + 3. A file will appear on your hard disk called Picture 1. Subsequent screenshots take subsequent numbers. On a PC press Print Screen. This saves the screen to the clipboard. Then open Paint and use Ctrl + v to paste to a new document." Now then, Look at the FAQs! Also a very good search function is available above. It is sometimes quicker at answering your questions then waiting for a reply. Your best bet is CAR_12's excellent FAQ at his webpage(look for a FAQ link there) CAR_12's CM for Macs Webpage wargamer.com's FAQ, based on posts by Steve and Charles The Wargamer CM FAQ Big Time Software's CM FAQ(way out of date): Big Time Software's CM FAQ Mina's Combat Mission Site Combat-Mission.com FAQ's and also useful is the Terms page. <font color="BB0000"><big>Board Culture, Usage, and Vocabulary</big></font> How do I use the UBB Board? <A HREF="http://www.battlefront.com/discuss/faq.html" TARGET=_blank>How to: make smillies provide urls post images bold text and etc.</A> How do I look at the UBB with no frames? How do I become a member? You need to post 30 messages. How many posts do I have? Look at one of your messages. There is an icon of a face with a question mark. Hit that button to get your current number of posts. What's with all the Peng threads? After a certain while a Peng thread (aka the Cesspool) gets so big that the UBB crashes(bad). Hence, new Peng threads. Who moderates/represents the BTS BBS/company? Big Time Software(Steve or Charles), Madmatt, and KwazyDog. Where can I test my signature? Try the General Forum. There is usually a "Test" post. Just reply to it to test your signature and avoid starting a new thread. If you do need to test, just mention that there's no topic(n/t) so people don't have to click on it. What's with all the "Hi Mom!" posts in certain threads? The moderators lock down threads that threaten to spiral out of control into flamefests. Posters who think this is going to happen sardonically post "Hi Mom!" since you want to say hi to mom before the thread's locked. What's with all the gerbil and hamster talk? Most probably from the SS are overpriced hamsters! thread. Now it's part of the board vernacular. What's an UberTank? The biggest and baddest tanks in the game. Mostly German, they are the heaviest tanks in the game, and are almost impervious to smaller enemy tanks. A few examples are the Tiger, Panther, Jumbo, and Pershing. There are others as well. What's a mod slut? Someone who always searches for, downloads, and uses new mods for the game. <font color="BB0000"><big>TCP/IP and PBEM</big></font> Where's the TCP/IP patch? <a href="http://www.battlefront.com/downloads/index.html">Da' Patch<a/>. Scroll down till you see Combat Mission in Patches. How do I find an opponent? There is an opponents forum at battlefront: CM Opponent Finder. Also try the Tournament House Gaming League and Combat Mission HQ chat rooms. How do I tell my IP address? 1) Use this URL: http://www.babygrrl.com/ip.shtml 2A) choose RUN from the Start menu and type "WINIPCFG". Then click one of the connection devices, and it will reveal your IP. 2B) If you are using Mac, look at the TCP/IP setting in the Control Panel. 3) Host a TCP/IP game, then your IP address is shown automatically.[last two from GriffinCheng+] How do I switch from TCP/IP to PBEM? What are Fionn's Short 75 / Panther-76 Rules? Fionn's Rules can be found here. They were rules set up to prevent every engagement from being an uber tank battle(ex. all King Tigers vs. all Super Pershings). How is scoring done? <font color="BB0000"><big>Gameplay</big></font> How do I order infantry mounted on a vehicle to a fixed spot and disgorge the troops? Order the troops to move to the spot you want, and add some pauses so that it covers the time of the trip, plus command delay. Why did my embarked unit not get off that tank? "When you dismount, always dismount right next to the vehicle, somewhere close. If your dismount point is a good distance away from the mounted vehicle, the passengers will stay mounted, even with vehicles paused. They are waiting for the vehicle to approach close to the dismount point. So try it out. Pause the vehicle, plot it to move, and at the same time, plot the passenger to dismount right next to the vehicle. Then plot the passenger to move away. Turn vehicles off if the "embark" keeps happening when you try to dismount close. After following the above, I've ceased having dismount problems. See if it works for you." -kump. <font color="BB0000"><big>Reality</big></font> My King Tiger/Super Pershing/Uber tank missed fifteen times and got killed by a Stuart/Lynx/wuss tank! How did that happen? Sometimes bad luck happens, even in war. The little units may be computers but they act like men, so there will be screw-ups, chokes, and bad karma. On the technical side tanks have weak spots, poor armor quality, or even design flaws. Plus, the Allied tanks have and now use tungsten rounds in the new 1.1 patch, a major tank killer. How come my tank fired at a nearby target and died when nothing hit it? If the target was too close the main gun's blast knocked out the tank. You can check if this is so by clicking on the unit, pressing ENTER, and clicking "kills". The tank should list itself as a kill. How did a machine gun take out my tank? Depends on how close the machine gun was and it's ability to penetrate armor. Angle and armor quality also factors in. For example, a Hetzer's side armor cannot withstand a .50 caliber machinegun at medium to close range. The .50 caliber was designed to take out light armor. Here is an example of the MG42 and .50 caliber's penetrating power: Do machine guns on vehicles jam or get damaged? No, but they get knocked out if the main gun gets damaged. Do machine guns jam or get damaged at all? Yes, a machine gun can indeed JAM. What's cool is that the gun crew can unJAM it given enough experience and time. Machine guns can also be immobilized. Why can't my light/heavy machine gun run? They have to carry the machine gun(heavy), spare gun barrels(a bit of weight), and ammo(really, really heavy). See the links so kindly provided by Lindan: spur of the moment complaining and David Aitken: Light MG 42's speed Why do the firepower stats not add up for some German squads? Most likely the squads have a light maching gun, the MG42, which requires two men to man. One soldier with a rifle will drop his rifle and help with the more deadly LMG. Does anyone know where one can get good topological maps of European battlefields? Of course, there is also Topozone. Do vehicles provide cover for infantry? Only if they are knocked out and burning because the smoke blocks line of sight(LOS). The calculations are too complex for CM to do it while the vehicles are on the move. Why can't I have a roster of all my troops? Why can't my artillery spotter hide and fire at the same time? It can. It will have reduced accuracy and longer response time. Why does the artillery clock countdown at 2 sec for every second in real time? That will happen if the oberver doesn't have a clear LOS. it will only move at 1 sec/1 sec if there is a clear LOS to the target. Unit experience also is a factor I believe. How much does it take to destroy a bridge? Generally wooden bridges blow up in a few turns. Stone bridges are tougher. The large heavy stone bridge needs 14 inch guns or 300mm rockets to destroy in any decent amount of time. <font color="BB0000"><big>Graphics</big></font> How do I take a screenshot? Possibly the most asked question. "On a Mac press Command + Shift + 3. A file will appear on your hard disk called Picture 1. Subsequent screenshots take subsequent numbers. On a PC press Print Screen. This saves the screen to the clipboard. Then open Paint and use Ctrl + v to paste to a new document." Why are there only three men max shown per squad? It takes too much computing power to show all 8-12 men. A lot of polygons go into those little men so tripling the number will tax almost any CPU/videocard. Why isn't a bloody corpse shown for every casualty? Again, too much computing power is required. Not only that but BTS felt that too much gore will detract from the game. Can we have sandbags in the foxhole graphics? Sorry no, the big, dark crater is the same picture as the foxhole picture. How can I make 3D rubble? Sorry, in CMBO it is a flat .bmp, not a 3D object. However you could place several roadblocks on top to simulate a pile of rubble, since they use the same bmp file. <font color="BB0000"><big>Mods & Sounds</big></font> Where can I get some cool mods? There are numerous places. Try this post, for beginner tips. The major mod palace is CMHQ. This is where most mods start off or wind up. Another place I go to is CM Outpost. Be sure to read this great article on CM mods, written by one of this board's very own members! Where can I find the desert mod? The Desert Fox Desert Rats mod is at http://www.dfdr.net/ How do I change .bmp & .wav files to use on a Mac? "The Mac Combat Mission Mod Manager (MCMMM - MCM3 for short) and the MacMod Manager are both at CMHQ under third party dl's iirc." -jd How do I change that background grass that stretches to infinity? Where can I find a list of all the .bmp files? Right here. Why does the .wav file I added crackle and squeal in CM? The .wav file should be at Mono 16bit 44100 samples. How do I change that really loud exit sound? Change file 00000171.wav and either use a computer sound recorder program to reduce the noise level or copy in a different sound like the sniper sound 00000410.wav or the end of battle sound 00000129.wav. Where can I find a sound map of the .wav files? The above link goes to a thread where I posted a general sound map. Scroll Down till you see a listing... <font color="BB0000"><big>Combat Mission 2</big></font> (thanks to GriffinCheng+ for a large chunk of below) When will it be available? Late fall is the tentative release date. What theater will it cover? The Eastern Front. (The Russian Front for those of you living east of the Eastern Front...) Will it have a new graphical engine? No, the next generation engine (CM II) will probably not be avaliable before CM 4. But it will be bigger and badder. Will trenches be in CM2? "BTS hasn't said anything yet concerning what CM2 will include." -JoePrivate What new units will be added? TBD. What units will not be added? TBD, but mounted troops and "Russin Tank Rush" are out of the question. Will it be available in stores? No. Will there be better city fighting rules? There was a hint back then that the engine will be modified to recreate city fightings like in Stalingard. No definite word is out yet. Will CM2 feature captured vechicles? TBD. Will there be TO&E added for "Axis Minor" Yes. Will there be partisan activities scenarios? As of yet, no. Will there be unarmed human wave attack? TBD. What will be the title? No official title yet, but the forum members DID provide a few suggestions... <font color="BB0000"><big>Scenario Editing and Work-arounds</big></font> How do I increase a scenario map to the South and West in the scenario editor? On the width and height buttons, hold SHIFT and click the height and width buttons to increase/decrease map to the south and west. How do I: o generate a random map? There's an "Auto Generate" random map button at the top of the editor. o turn off the numbers indicating height in terrain mode? There's a "Don't Show Height" button at the top left of the editor. o add bocages, walls, hedges, etc.? There're more tiles than can be show in one screen. Hit the button with the down arrow above the tiles. o edit a unit? In the unit listing double-click the unit you wish to edit, or click the edit button at the bottom of the screen. o liiiive without yooooou? I waaant to knooow... How do I set the initial view for each side when the scenario starts? Before you exit the editor, move the camera to the view that you want the Allied player to see when the game starts. Then for the Axis player, press "\", no quotes (not the turn 180 degrees key, other slash), then set the camera view. Press GO! and then save it. How can I make 3D rubble? Sorry, in CMBO it is a flat .bmp, not a 3D object. However you could place several roadblocks on top to simulate a pile of rubble, since they use the same bmp file. How can I edit a vehicle so it is immobilized? No actual editor commands for that but I found a work arounds (I hereby claim credit for the rubble immobilization technique now and forever!). First, take the vehicle and padlock it exactly where you want. Go to the terrain editor and place a rubble tile on top. The vehicle can still rotate, but it can't move out. How can I put a gun in a house? Same as above, place unit where you want, then put a terrain tile over it.[note: this worked for an earlier version of CM. I haven't ever tried this, so be warned.] How can I edit a vehicle unit so it is gun damaged? Edit the unit so it has no ammo. How can I edit a unit so it has wounded? Use split squads and make some of them shaken. That's the best idea I heard as of yet. <font color="BB0000"><big>Misc</big></font> <A HREF="http://www.battlefront.com/discuss/Forum1/HTML/014130.html" TARGET=_blank>When will my copy get here? </A>"Answer is that normally it takes about 3-5 days for an order to arrive in the US, about 10-15 elsewhere." -Steve Also says it takes 2-4 times longer during the holiday season. Not to mention that BTS sometimes runs out of stock due to demand. Overseas can be even longer: for example, three weeks for Finland. How can I watch all the movies together? You probably can't. Unless you do PBEM(which saves movie files) you can't save movie files since a saved turn has a different outcome each time. If you do have PBEM files, KMan made a PC utility that works on some computers to play all the files. ------------------ russellmz, Self-Proclaimed Keeper for Life of the Sacred Unofficial FAQ. "They had their chance- they have not lead!" - GW Bush "They had mechanical pencils- they have not...lead?" - Jon Stewart on The Daily Show [This message has been edited by russellmz (edited 03-27-2001).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russellmz Posted March 10, 2001 Author Share Posted March 10, 2001 Originally posted by Germanboy: IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT BEFORE READING ON!!!!! The only post truly worth reading is the first one. All the other posts are a public service mostly provided by people from the Peng Thread to keep the first post afloat. If you have any moral/legal/tastal/mammal or any other issues with the Peng Thread and its occupants, please refrain from reading on, since even JD Morse will not be able to get damages for you in that case. We will write a harmless story and promise to try very hard to behave and self-police this. Honest. If you read on, you have been warned, don't come a-crying later. continued from former holy remains of FAQ the Second quoted from Phillies Phan ...and more importantly, "why have I been called a "newbie" for 8 months now?" That was a question for another time. Mace put on his sequin jump suit and his magic belt. With his holster and a positive outlook on life, he... [This message has been edited by russellmz (edited 03-09-2001).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mace Posted March 10, 2001 Share Posted March 10, 2001 quoted from Phillies Phan ...and more importantly, "why have I been called a "newbie" for 8 months now?" That was a question for another time. Mace put on his sequin jump suit and his magic belt. With his holster and a positive outlook on life, he... ...sat Phan up on his knee, looked at Phan's teared filled eyes and said in a calm, hushed voice, "PHAN, YOU NONG! IF YOU GOING TO GO AROUND CHANGING YOUR NICK ALL THE TIME, OF COURSE THE READERS ARE GOING TO CONFUSE YOU WITH A NEWBIE...SHEESH!!!!" all the while shaking Phan back and forth! Phan smiled in his little relieved way, got off Mace's knee, then promptly fell over the edge of a cliff to be dashed to pieces on the rocks below. "Damn, that's another one", thought Mace, "I gotta get rid of these sequins, the reflection from them in this bright sun are blinding" Meanwhile, not 10 metres away, Paras from the King's Own Scottish Borderers were digging in to protect the drop zone from... [This message has been edited by Mace (edited 03-09-2001).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mannheim Tanker Posted March 10, 2001 Share Posted March 10, 2001 Originally posted by Mace: ...sat Phan up on his knee, looked at Phan's teared filled eyes and said in a calm, hushed voice, "PHAN, YOU NONG! IF YOU GOING TO GO AROUND CHANGING YOUR NICK ALL THE TIME, OF COURSE THE READERS ARE GOING TO CONFUSE YOU WITH A NEWBIE...SHEESH!!!!" all the while shaking Phan back and forth! Phan smiled in his little relieved way, got off Mace's knee, then promptly fell over the edge of a cliff to be dashed to pieces on the rocks below. "Damn, that's another one", thought Mace, "I gotta get rid of these sequins, the reflection from them in this bright sun are blinding" Meanwhile, not 10 metres away, Paras from the King's Own Scottish Borderers were digging in to protect the drop zone from... [This message has been edited by Mace (edited 03-09-2001).] ...the expected gamey jeep rush. Just then a spotting round from an 81mm mortar fell perilously close to the Paras' positions. The commander looked around, then ordered,"Quick men, bring up the..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maximus Posted March 10, 2001 Share Posted March 10, 2001 Originally posted by Mannheim Tanker: ...the expected gamey jeep rush. Just then a spotting round from an 81mm mortar fell perilously close to the Paras' positions. The commander looked around, then ordered,"Quick men, bring up the..." ...BFG 9000, we'll show'em!" But just then Duke Nuke'em showed up with his brigade of Warpigs and then all hell broke loose as.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lord General MB Posted March 10, 2001 Share Posted March 10, 2001 Sir, ....the pigs were vaped by 81mm rounds. Duke turned to the hamster SS that had just shown up. "GTI!" said Duke "Can't I get some tang around here?" Now all the sides sat ready and then just as the BFG was fired..... ------------------ Salute! Lord General Mr. Bill Supreme Commander 1st Army [This message has been edited by Lord General MB (edited 03-10-2001).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mace Posted March 10, 2001 Share Posted March 10, 2001 Originally posted by Lord General MB: Now all the sides sat ready and then just as the BFG was fired..... ....a large mass of over-sexed penguins involved in the largest (and longest running) orgy ever seen moved across the pending battlefield and disrupted the planned slaughter! The combatants were.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maximus Posted March 11, 2001 Share Posted March 11, 2001 Originally posted by Mace: ....a large mass of over-sexed penguins involved in the largest (and longest running) orgy ever seen moved across the pending battlefield and disrupted the planned slaughter! The combatants were.... ...the Sturmtruppen Walruses and the Panzergrenadier Seals. As these flipper-ladden creatures advanced on the Penguin Orgy they discovered that their commander had yet to land on the ice, however..... [This message has been edited by Maximus (edited 03-10-2001).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DekeFentle Posted March 11, 2001 Share Posted March 11, 2001 Originally posted by Maximus: ...the Sturmtruppen Walruses and the Panzergrenadier Seals. As these flipper-ladden creatures advanced on the Penguin Orgy they discovered that their commander had yet to land on the ice, however..... higher headquaters was about to para-drop sardines and squid to der blubbergroupe. Upon spotting the approaching aircraft the tuxedoed troop of beak groping combatants raised such a hue and cry that... ------------------ Winning is why we play! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maximus Posted March 11, 2001 Share Posted March 11, 2001 Originally posted by DekeFentle: higher headquaters was about to para-drop sardines and squid to der blubbergroupe. Upon spotting the approaching aircraft the tuxedoed troop of beak groping combatants raised such a hue and cry that... ...the company of Walruses and Seals retreated back to the sea. However, their commander finally showed up and he rallied them with sound that you wouldn't want to hear twice. As the Sea Lion company started marching back towards the Penquin orgy, the commander was seen for the first time. It was none other than a... ------------------ For your dream car click here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mace Posted March 11, 2001 Share Posted March 11, 2001 Originally posted by Maximus: ...It was none other than a... ...Seanachai, spouting verbatim words of his favorite poetry, and rousing his troops with stirring (if somewhat offkey) sing-a-longs! "Some one shut him up!!!!" cried the... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
109 Gustav Posted March 11, 2001 Share Posted March 11, 2001 College students who had been thrown out on the streets for spring break. "You can never really appreciate living in a room the size of a cardboard box until... ------------------ Well my skiff's a twenty dollar boat, And I hope to God she stays afloat. But if somehow my skiff goes down, I'll freeze to death before I drown. And pray my body will be found, Alaska salmon fishing, boys, Alaska salmon fishing. The Last Defense- Mods, Scenarios, and more! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mannheim Tanker Posted March 12, 2001 Share Posted March 12, 2001 Originally posted by 109 Gustav: College students who had been thrown out on the streets for spring break. "You can never really appreciate living in a room the size of a cardboard box until... ...you wake up in the back seat of some stranger's Honda Civic, still wearing the same clothes you had on the day before (at least most of them). There you are: shirt on backwards, three empty MadDog 20/20 bottles on the floor, and some chick that looks like... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
109 Gustav Posted March 12, 2001 Share Posted March 12, 2001 She could stand to lose a few hundred pounds. Funny, she seemed to look much better while you were drinking the Madmatt 20/20. Maybe it was... ------------------ Well my skiff's a twenty dollar boat, And I hope to God she stays afloat. But if somehow my skiff goes down, I'll freeze to death before I drown. And pray my body will be found, Alaska salmon fishing, boys, Alaska salmon fishing. The Last Defense- Mods, Scenarios, and more! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mace Posted March 12, 2001 Share Posted March 12, 2001 Originally posted by 109 Gustav: Maybe it was... ...the paper bag you had on your head, and the one on hers in case yours came off! You also found that the gear stick always managed to... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maximus Posted March 12, 2001 Share Posted March 12, 2001 Originally posted by Mace: ...the paper bag you had on your head, and the one on hers in case yours came off! You also found that the gear stick always managed to... ...be useful in these situations and I'm not talking about while driving either. However, if you really want to try something new, try using the... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
109 Gustav Posted March 12, 2001 Share Posted March 12, 2001 ...choke knob. It's so useful for so many things, it makes you wonder why new cars don't have... ------------------ Well my skiff's a twenty dollar boat, And I hope to God she stays afloat. But if somehow my skiff goes down, I'll freeze to death before I drown. And pray my body will be found, Alaska salmon fishing, boys, Alaska salmon fishing. The Last Defense- Mods, Scenarios, and more! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phillies Phan Posted March 12, 2001 Share Posted March 12, 2001 Originally posted by 109 Gustav: ...choke knob. It's so useful for so many things, it makes you wonder why new cars don't have... ...a bump on... ------------------ http://www.derkessel.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mannheim Tanker Posted March 13, 2001 Share Posted March 13, 2001 Originally posted by Phillies Phan: ...a bump on... ...the grill for making parking easier in those hard-to-maneuver spaces. Of course, if her bag falls off, you still have yours on. If that falls off, you'd better... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mace Posted March 13, 2001 Share Posted March 13, 2001 Originally posted by some interjector who snuck one in while I was working on my contribution: ...Of course, if her bag falls off, you still have yours on. If that falls off, you'd better... ...have an alternative plan of action. This being to poke your eyes out with a... [This message has been edited by Mace (edited 03-12-2001).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
109 Gustav Posted March 13, 2001 Share Posted March 13, 2001 ...kelp knife, the rusty butcher knife found on every fishing boat. It's an incredibly useful tool, because you can use it for cutting seaweed, butchering fish, making peanut butter sandwiches, and... ------------------ Well my skiff's a twenty dollar boat, And I hope to God she stays afloat. But if somehow my skiff goes down, I'll freeze to death before I drown. And pray my body will be found, Alaska salmon fishing, boys, Alaska salmon fishing. The Last Defense- Mods, Scenarios, and more! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Shaw Posted March 13, 2001 Share Posted March 13, 2001 ...kelp knife, the rusty butcher knife found on every fishing boat. It's an incredibly useful tool, because you can use it for cutting seaweed, butchering fish, making peanut butter sandwiches, and... ... butchering the peanuts from whence the peanut butter comes. Mind you it's important to be careful not to cut the ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Yarbrough Posted March 13, 2001 Share Posted March 13, 2001 ...cheese if you are driving a Civic. As anyone will tell you, that's the most common cause of... ------------------ Your Most Humble, Obedient Servant, Jimmy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
109 Gustav Posted March 13, 2001 Share Posted March 13, 2001 ...Ending up with a paper bag over your head. However, once Mace took the bag off, he found that he still... ------------------ Well my skiff's a twenty dollar boat, And I hope to God she stays afloat. But if somehow my skiff goes down, I'll freeze to death before I drown. And pray my body will be found, Alaska salmon fishing, boys, Alaska salmon fishing. The Last Defense- Mods, Scenarios, and more! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maximus Posted March 13, 2001 Share Posted March 13, 2001 Originally posted by 109 Gustav: ...Ending up with a paper bag over your head. However, once Mace took the bag off, he found that he still... ...couldn't see the lassy because he was still suffering from the effects of the hang-over that got him into this situation to begin with, however...... ------------------ For your dream car click here. For a Close Encounter click here. Hey look! I can see my house! And for all you Hamster Lovers out there, check this out! Kitty, this one's for you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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