Thomm

Thank you, Sir! Much appreciated!

What I mean is the costal cartilage tissue connecting the sternum with the actual ribs. If you google up a picture of a human skeleton and scale it to fit the Samurai, this specific section of the frontal part of the rib cage falls into the location of the bright "stripes" on the photograph. The lungs and heart would still be fully covered. Of course, we cannot even be sure that we are looking at the same photograph. Best regards, Thomm

I am pretty convinced that what you see in the hole in the armor is actually the bottom of his rib cage. I do not think he survived that fight either. Best regards Thomm

Regarding the abuse: I faintly recall that it was not the actual frontline soldiers who committed most of the assaults, but rear echelon troops following up, drinking and "celebrating". Best regards, Thomm

This is how a CM like game could work in VR: Out of Ammo at YouTube Includes taking over soldiers in FPS mode. Best regards, Thomm

Some days ago I had the chance to participate in a 10 minute demo session of the HTC Vive VR system. I would like to share some experiences and exchange opinions. Certainly, all of us have read numerous reports about the various VR systems. My verdict is that the "hype" is justified. The HTC Vive does what it is supposed to do: It puts you into a virtual world. Since it is a roomscale VR system, you can walk around on a few square meters of floor. In the first of the three demos I have experienced, this is used to put you on a platform of a sunken ship, where you can walk up to the guardrails and peek over them to see the ocean floor. This demo also clarified two things for me: Can the system give an impression of "infinite distance" and can it show "big objects" convincingly. Turns out that the answer is yes on both questions. Actually, the view distance was not really "infinite" because the ocean ground faded out in the middle distance because of the foggy apperance of the water. But the "big object" display was demonstrated nicely by a whale which approached me and passed by. I involuntarily took a step back, which proved to me that the virtual whale made an impression on me. The next demo was painting in 3/D with the two controllers. It worked without problems, and mainly demonstrated to me how the two controllers could be used in a CM-like environment by pointing at menues floating in 3/D space and selecting locations on a map (in this case, the color palette). The last demo put the player in a cubicle (limited floor space not a problem in this case) and let one play around with various objects. It all felt very real. In fact it felt so real that I thought to myself why I am wasting time not doing anything useful in the virtual reality. Summary: These systems are the future, no doubt about it. What I have been shown corresponded very well with the media reports of "presence". It all felt very real, and was implemented flawlessly as far as I can tell. The technoloy is kind of scary in that it adds an additional motoric component to playing games. In the office demo, you could easily throw objects around, and you did so with the same movements as in the real world. Perhaps this lowers the threshold of doing stupid things in the real world, also. The two major problems I saw are: (a) Resolution. It is simply too low at the moment. You can see the pixels. It is not a perfect experience. But of course this problem will be solved in the next years, and I guess easily so. (b) Comfort: The googles are heavy and you start to sweat, especially after adding the ear phones. Of course it is cool to be able to walk around, but I do not think that will be the defining factor in the future. I guess nobody wants to play a game for, say, two hours standing up. It should be a killer app for architects, though, selling in general, where you can walk around objects that are not physically in a store. I want to add that I could try out a Samsung Gear VR and it did pretty well compared to the Vive, the main criticism being, again, the visibly low resolution. The demo running in the Gear VR demonstrated the future of watching movies very well. I have yet to try out a car racing game in VR. These should work very well and would be the most attractive applications of VR for me. Best regards, Thomm

Lots of drama at this thread: Close Combat Series Thread. Best regards Thomm

Now I have a question: Why did you move the AA half-track in the field of fire of the Sturmtiger? Best regards, Thomm

Thank you for the clarifications and congratulations on doing so well! Best regards, Thomm

Bil, Congratulations on your hit on that SdKFz! Just a question: Was the shell from the Hellcat ever in danger of hitting the ground on its way to the halftrack? Best regards, Thomm

That is unfortunate, but interesting! Perhaps the trajectory of the shell was such that it "hugged the ground" in a parabola until impact. That would explain at least part of this event. Not the spotting, though. Best regards, Thomm

The sacrifice was not in vain: It got you our full attention! Best regards, Thomm

Thank you, Sir!

Excellent grapics! But they look as if they were created on a drawing tablet?! When you refer to paper, do you mean actual paper? A sketch, maybe, to be scanned for final drawing? Best regards, Thomm

Apparently there is only so much a main programmer and a supporting programmer can do. So if you want an improved product, there is little choice but to wait. For all of us. I do not think BFC keep anything from you out of mean spirit. Best regards, Thomm

Bud_B, I was fortunate to read this fine novel in one go on an actual monitor (i.e., not a smartphone) and I must congratulate you on this fantastic work! Only "criticism": Those black lines indicating movement do not really work for me. I would omit them. Beware of the Sturmtiger! It is not easy to destroy! I hope your wife is well and wish her a speedy recovery! Best regards, Thomm

I am looking forward to see how these things will fare with proper flank protection! Best regards, Thom

I greatly enjoyed the performance of Polina Gagarina at the ESC yesterday, by the way! Even had the privilege to see her live! Very nice. Best regards, Thomm

Very creative and impressive work! Best regards, Thomm

Thank you, Sir!

Sorry guys, I have two off-topic questions and I do not want to start a new thread: 1) Do helicopters also have laser warning systems these days? 2) Can the (co-axial?) gun sight of a modern tank gun move independently (at least a small amount) of the turret or does the gunner loose sight of the target once the gun starts to lead? Best regards, Thomm

Ad 1: Artillery strikes plotted during the set-up phase of the game will arrive with minimal delay once the game has started. Ad 2: Depends whether you chose an Area Target (targets of opportunity will be engaged) or a Point Target. Ad 3: There is a "Hide" command for this. Best regards, Thomm

One thing? A buttoned-up indicator for vehicles. Best regards, Thomm

Because it is more fun than working, I procrastinated this out of Google: http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20074494,00.html No Queen mentioned there, though. Best regards, Thomm

Since this thread is going nowhere, I filed a bug report. Please keep the save games; depending on whether it is working as designed or not, they may be needed later. Thanks for reporting, Thomm