BFCElvis

Well, I guess that is enough of boring folks with my reminiscing. My loose count so far is about a half a dozen (driving from Maine? Really? You would think Steve would just invite you to corporate HQ). Time to start nailing down a date. Sunday the 13th should also be in play.

I worked at Great Adventure for a couple of years and am very familiar with the area. I am about 2 1/2 hours from Wrightstown. Hearing abot Ft Dix reminds of a day when we were hanging at the pizza place next to the entrance to McQuire AFB (it may not even be there..this was 1979) and the Ramones walked in and we played pinball with Joey Ramone and his girlfriend for a couple hours and the rest of the band hung with us and bought us pizza. Weird place to run into what I always call" the Beach Boys of the 80s"

No, that isn't what I have been saying and I suppose I'm not being articulate enough. I'll give it one more shot. The going to ground that I am talking about is a combination of factors. Not a simple "I have lost 50% so I am not longer effective on attack." Is the unit also tired? Is the unit currently under fire? Is the unit in C2? Is the unit tired or rested or exhausted? Is it currently exposed? Etc.... The answer to all of these questions is very clear to the player so when you run a sqaud that is nervous, out of C2 and has lost 4 out of 9 men across an open field and they take MG42 fire you would expect them to go to ground. When you have units that are broken an have 80% losses and have only regained C2 in the last 5 minutes you would expect them to be skitish and go to ground at the first hint of trouble. It is a comination of factors and when a player sees the beavior they aren't the least bit surprised. In fact they need to plan their next actions for these units with those thoughts in mind. Perhaps the best way for you to see what I am saying would be to take the CMSF or Afghan demos for a spin.

Right, individual men in a squad may not go to ground or may not surrender etc but the unit as a whole is what I was referring to.

No, not exactly. You are able to see the condition of the morale of you men. And also the physical condtion (how many KIA/WIA, tired, rested etc...) and you are about to see if they are in C2. If you have an out of comm, broken, tired squad that has lost 50% of the men in the squad and you see them not get spooked then you are looking at a bug. There isn't (and shouldn't be) any randomness there.

Good question. And there is a screen shot in my last postins that may help you seeit. The units aren't green but after they have paniced and broken enough time the may as well be. They get spooked very quickly and when out of C2 it is even worse. And as you point out it is nearly impossible to mount an attack with men in that condition. I am assuming they will not even be close to the meat of my attack but hopefully I can get them in a position to hold the Villa. The largest portion of my" attack" is made of of support personal and HQ units that had not had their morale shakin earlier in the battle. When they go to ground they seek the best cover they can. The screen shot I mentioned earlier is the one of the Sherman firing at the MG42 on the hill. 3rd squad/3rd platoon has gone to ground and you can see the men getting as much cover as they can in the shell holes from my 105mm bombardment.

I actually agree with Erwin on that point. And I don't think the Steve, especially in hindsight, is very happy with the initial release of CMSF. I think he has even said as much here. That being said, a lot of hard work went into making good on the shortcomings of the initial release. And to their credit it was not limited to bug fixes but also the constant addition of new gameplay features with every patch and module.

And they're buried all over France.

Thanks Mark. I use an HDMI cable to connect my TV to my cable box. However I'm not sure if there is a plug on my computer that it fits. I'll check out your PM.

Hi Willy, Peng and I grew up next door to you in Moorestown. It takes me about 2 1/2 hours to get from here to my parents in Marlton, to give you an idea of the distance. Right now I am planning at my house. If the crowd looks like it will be too big for here I guess we'll look at other options. However, I've got no extra cash to rent space. I am very friendly with a local bar/restaurant that may left us use one of their dining rooms with the expectation that we'll be spending money eating and drinking.

Regarding the date...I really would prefer start in the afternoon rather than at night. I really want to do what I can to accommodate Lansfeld and he isn't available on weekends. Friday the 18th works well for me and probably also with Peng and Lans has already told me that's cool with him. Of the guys who expressed a desire to come is a Friday afternoon going into the night something that might work? The added benefit for me is that the wife and kids would be out of the house for most of that time. Not that I am trying keep them away from you guys..it's just that the kids get a little....excited...when there are people in the house and I don't want them to be too much of a distraction. Another thing I wanted to mention is, we finally joined the 21st century and have a HD TV. It's not too far from my desk top computer and a laptop would certainly be able to be near it. Does anyone know what's needed so that game can be on both the computer being played and the TV at the same time? It might be kind of cool and easier than looking over each others shoulders.

Of course there be no "non-sacrificial" neighborhood pets missing around th etime of the get together....Everyone knows dogs, cats and hamsters require slow overnight cooking. Hey, should I make chili?

It would be rude for me to not test them before serving them, don't you think?

Cool. I may ask if you can stop at Federal Street Pretzels and make a pick up for me if that's possible.

Yeungling will be what's in the house. We have a brewery in Wilkes Barre, Lionshead, but it tastes like my socks.

I am very close to Rt115. When you get off the NE Extension of the Turnpike on Rt115 I am 15 minutes away. I Googled Arrow Lakes in Pa though and it looks like it is close to Pittsburg.

The Sherman on Hill 144 continues to fire into buildings in the Villa as more troops begin their advance. I’m trying to pound and level everything that the Sherman is able to see. My men are in such bad shape that it is important that any help they can get from preliminary pounding from the Sherman may be critical to taking the Villa. These men are in such bad shape they go to ground every time someone breaks wind. Full size As the Sherman arrives the 3rd squad/3rd Plt can be seen going to ground and seeking some cover from the shell holes left by my 105mm artillery (maybe it will have done some god after all). The Sherman spots and targets the MG42 on Hill 148. The first shot looks like enough to eliminate the MG as a threat to my advance. Full size On Hill 154 the order for the Sherman there to advance on the foxholes has been given. I co-ordinate this with the arrival of the security infantry. Unlike my initial assault on 154 the time is off. The Sherman arrives long before the infantry and the inevitable happens (who didn’t see this coming?). What I believe is a panzerfaust slams into the Sherman. Full size The crews quickly abandons the tank and hides in the tall grass…………… Full size

1524 hrs The time to take the Villa is now. Despite my fears of the AT gun on Hill 154 I decide to move a reserved Sherman forward to try to eliminate the MG42 of Hill 148.It is causing far more problems for me than the AT gun at this point. It’s time to get the assembled men on Hill 144 in motion. Full size The Sherman begins its journey across the open field. I’m really hoping this isn’t a bad idea. I realize that I have lost a lot of armor so far. I believe my 4 remaining Shermans will be the deciding factor in this battle so it is a high priority to preserve them until the AT gun is knocked out. But the infantry is having a difficult time advancing to the Villa. Full size On Hill 154 the Sherman waits for the infantry to take up positions along to tree line to provide security for me to advance the Sherman on the gun and get rid of it once and for all. Full size In the center the hard work of crossing the field to the first building is finally paying off. Once they are close to the building they encounter no further resistance. Full size The first arrivals on the western side of the Villa also take their assigned buildings with no resistance. I find the bodies of the MGs crews that had previously occupied the houses but no sign of anyone alive. Full size

I plan on hosting a preview party in NE Pa. I live near Wilkes Barre. That is about 1 3/4 hours North of Philly, 2 hours West of NYC. Right now I am thinking either Friday February 18th or Sunday the 20th but it is open for discussion to get the best turn out. The hope is to have a couple of PC set up and do some LAN play and some solo action. My preference is for an afternoon into evening thing. Anyone interested let me know.

Yeah. Too bad that AT gun on Hill 154 is still around and affecting my ability to move around more freely

rune, any chance for one of your "special" scenarios that can be used at these previews? I know I'd love to see one.

Here’s a look at what those guys in the middle are facing. You can kind of make out the foxholes and ? counter showing the location of the MG on Hill 148. Full size As I start the clock again for you in this battle I still have men throwing down their guns on Hill 154… Full size ….even as my first men reach the Villa. Full size

1519 hrs The battle has been on for almost an hour. Now might be a good time to give a little overview/state of the union post. On my right flank I have been trying to load up as many able bodied men as possible. Even straggles from the doomed Pioneer platoon are joining the assembly. My inability to control Hill 154 and the wall I have hit coming up the center make approach from Hill 144 my best, and maybe only, option. The crowd gathers…. Full size The area seen from above. I want to advance on the Villa with only units that have C2 and leave the rest to protect the small patch of ground I have taken on Hill 144. It will be hard enough moving over with beaten up platoons, trying it with units out of C2 would be impossible. I am able to gather, along with their HQs, the remains of 1st and 3rd Plt/G Co and (believe it or not) elements of the Pioneer platoon. I plan on moving them all East along the road and in the tree line toward the Northern edge of the Villa. Along the cart path is a beat up squad, a MG and its ammo bearer. The squad is 3rd Squad/3rd Platoon G Co and since I am moving that platoon toward the town and hope to get the squad back in healthy C2. Full size In the center I really have to get men moving forward. The MG back on Hill 148 has been slowing the process but I still need to get up close. There is a small unit in the tree line that I want to move up to the Villa and see if I can get a foothold in one of the buildings. Full size On Hill 154 I still feel like knocking out that gun will be the thing that really frees me up to take control of this game. I want to order the infantry I have through the tree line to screen my Sherman and take another chance with getting in close and trying to knock that thing out once and for all. Full size

Close. I'll give you a hint...They're known for their kisses.

I know someone also fairly close to a place famous for chocolate but not home to NATO that may be hosting one.