aka_tom_w

Just in case you missed it: Here is the official word: from this thread: http://www.battlefront.com/cgi-bin/bbs/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=23;t=004745;p=1 Battlefront.com Administrator Member # 42 posted December 23, 2002 02:13 PM Hi all, It is with great disappointment and embarrassment that I have to make this post. As you all know, we pride ourselves on quality and attention to detail. Sadly, as I will explain below, we had our first failing in regards to our high standards. We also consider the support of our customers something that should NEVER be taken for granted or abused. Hopefully you all will see in this post how seriously we take legitimate customer dissatisfaction and how completely we seek to address it. As most of you know the Combat Mission - Barbarossa to Berlin Strategy Guide (Strategy Guide for short) was released a few weeks ago. You also know that it didn't take long before people started posting typos and mistakes found when their copies arrived. At first we thought this was not surprising since the book is 300 pages long and it is a first edition. We thanks people for the corrections then sent them off to the author for a 2nd edition print run. A little while later some more mistakes were pointed out. We started to feel like the number of errors was getting to be a bit much, but we didn't feel that even this number was a "killer". Again, we took the errors and handed them off to the author. Argh... another week went by and even MORE mistakes were pointed out! Now we knew that was something seriously wrong with the text. The new batch of mistakes were handed over to the author and we stated that we needed to put out a PDF errata correction ASAP. *SNAP* the straw that broke the camel's back hit us this weekend. Yet another thread was started up detailing errors, both grammatical and factual, which clearly showed that the bottom of the problem had not been found. The problems found thus far were enough that even a PDF errata correction wasn't likely to be good enough. We had a very quick conference about the problems with the Strategy Guide, and everybody agreed that we needed to do the following: 1. Stop the sale of the Strategy Guide without further delay. This was done on Sunday, December 22nd. All orders placed before we put up the backorder notice will be sent out. 2. Work hard to get the author to make all corrections and changes ASAP so we can produce a 2nd edition that will be free of mistakes. 3. Inform you all of the problem and... 4. Promise to send a corrected 2nd edition to each and every one of our customers who took receipt of the 1st edition. The replacement will be sent out automatically and free of charge as soon as we have a corrected print run in our warehouse. When will this be? We don't know, but it is certain to be no sooner than mid to late February. Well, there you have it. We are formally apologizing for what can only be described as an unacceptable screwup. The number and nature of the mistakes is inexcusable. Although Battlefront itself did not wish or cause this problem, we must accept full responsibility for it and therefore put things right with our customers. For those of you who might speculate, the costs of such a remedy were computed but not part of the decision to send out replacements or a PDF. If we had valued the costs more than our customers' good will, I can promise you we wouldn't be sending out replacements Hopefully our admission, apology, and remedy will reassure everybody that we are still the same crazy idealists that we were 5 years ago when we started up Battlefront. You folks are the reason we are here. We intend to never take this fact for granted. Thanks, Battlefront

yes helps them get it right and because it is too entertaining to quit now. I don't have my typo riddled 1st printing yet but I am enjoying the quotes and posts in this thread. Don't stop now. -tom

Yes worth repeating "Very commendable indeed – and besides, being ethical is a VERY smart long-term marketing strategy" -tom w [ December 23, 2002, 05:35 PM: Message edited by: aka_tom_w ]

since this is still a challenging aspect of the game I am hopeing the 2nd printing of the Strat Guide will cover this in more depth. For instance can you order and Assualt in one direction (toward the rear) and give a target/fire order in the opposite direction (toward the attacker) and hope that Assault will work backwards? :confused: Never tried it so I don't know? :confused: thanks -tom w [ December 23, 2002, 05:36 PM: Message edited by: aka_tom_w ]

WOW I mean WOW I am Blown away I have not received my first (poor typoed) guide yet and I just kept figuring "Oh it CAN'T be all that bad" I guess it is/was. WELL one thing is for sure, at least people are actually reading the thing. AND it would make sense that more than a few "scholarly" types who enjoy the game felt it needed to be proof read. I am awash with awe and emotion as I read Steve's post. It sort of sad to say the MOST if not ALL (BUT BFC's ) customer service and custom support is SO abismal (lousy) that many of us, myself included, may have just assumed that's the "way it is". It had some typo's in it OK its BAD so what, we'll fix in the 2nd printing and everyone else is out of luck. That attitude might seem normal to some/most folks here. The funny thing about a PRINTED book is you can't fix it with a downloadable patch. so the cost incuured in this solution is to send and NEW corrected 2nd edition manual to all who ordered the first "prototype" edition. I am Thrilled beyond words to have been treated so fairly in this solution. This just shows you that in this case you don't get BURNED for being an early adopter!! AND That's worth alot of customer loyalty and brand loyalty on my part. So Can I pre-order the new Game Based on the Engine Rewrite that has not officially started yet? I am now certain I can do so with complete confidence in a great product! :cool: With MANY Thanks and Season's Greetings! -tom w [ December 23, 2002, 04:47 PM: Message edited by: aka_tom_w ]

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nobody has anything to say about this issue??? -tom w

GOOD suggestion! Poor form definatly -tom [ December 23, 2002, 08:51 AM: Message edited by: aka_tom_w ]

ok I caught up to you same problem iMac 10.2.3 CMBB running in 9.2.2 screen blacks out inbetween turns during the crunch -tom w

congrats! you must be the first to find that one I'm not there yet. sorry can't help -tom w

I would be surprised to find out that BFC is actually getting "ripped off". They had to sell the game first to CDV so the deal they Had in Europe must have been a good one, or they would not have signed it. They may in fact be makeing WAY more money through the CDV distribution of the game in the USA then thru any other north american distributor. BFC is NOT a software distribution company as they are software developers so MAYBE CDV is saving them a distribution head ache by selling retail in the US for them??? :confused: Maybe this one is a Win-Win situation for BFC and CDV??? Maybe not? but I have no clue so this ALL jsut speculation???? but like everyone else here I am curious -tom w

oh I see.... so a Tobruk Grog show up Yeah,.. well ALL I remember is I was ALWAYS played the Allies and Those Damn Pz IIIJ's and the 88's would shread my helpless Grants and Stuarts before they knew what hit them. Oh Yeah it was "Dice at Gazala" alright! Too bad more folks that Play CMBO and CMBB can't appreciate how EASY the virtual dice rolling in the computer makes it now. You had to REALLY want to play a War Game to get into Tobruk. I still have my boxed game here on my book shelf. AND that game modeled the Dud rate! GREAT designer notes too! -tom w [ December 22, 2002, 10:53 PM: Message edited by: aka_tom_w ]

Even as bloody as "The Neverending Story III: The Retreating Ubertank Threads"? </font>

OK so now the question becomes how many kids are going to get this for Christmas because its handy/available on a shelf, in a MAJOR store and it has a flashy ( :confused: ) cover on the box and then not have a clue what it is. For those over 40 here do you remember your friends (who didn't have a clue) who got gifts like "The Russian Campaign" or AH's "Afrika Korps" or (the BIG one) ASL or SL for Christmas because some well meaning relative or parent thought this would be a "fun" game because it was a flashy box in a game store sitting there right beside Monopoly?? I know more kids in high school that ended up getting "real" strategy games for Christmas than there were "serious" players that actually played the game. In my highschool there were only a hand ful (like 4 or 5 kids in TOTAL) of "nerds" that actually played those cardboard games like PanzerBlitz and Tactics II and Wooden Ships and Iron Men and (my personal Favourite) Tobruk (small units and single tanks counters and EVERY round was accounted for! for every round fired you had to roll the dice THREE times, Did it hit/Not hit (one Roll) if it hit Where did it hit (Second Roll) once you knew where it hit (third roll) you Rolled AGAIN to determine penetration or damage, AND then if you were lucky you Got ANOTHER roll to determine crew casualities or critical hits! Anyway, with CMBB now in stores ALL kinds of people might get the Game and not have a CLUE they were just given the VERY best Eastern Front WWII combat simulator available at this time. Its kind of funny actually Makes me laugh anyway ... -tom w [ December 22, 2002, 09:22 PM: Message edited by: aka_tom_w ]

since I only know one US zip I used it 90210 Combat Mission 2 Manufacturer: CDV Mfg Part #: CDR8038 CompUSA SKU: 300084 CompUSA Price: $49.99 Product Availability: Product availability at stores around zip 90210 (Beverly Hills, CA) Store Information Distance Availability Culver City Superstore Culver City, CA 90230 (310) 390-9993 8 Miles In-Stock Burbank Superstore Burbank, CA 91502-1024 (818) 848-8588 9 Miles In-Stock Woodland Hills Superstore Woodland Hills, CA 91367 (818) 999-9101 15 Miles In-Stock Redondo Beach Superstore Redondo Beach, CA 90278 (310) 793-9955 16 Miles In-Stock Long Beach Superstore Long Beach, CA 90815 (562) 598-1992 30 Miles In-Stock The mileage estimates are "as the crow flies." Your house or office may be farther from the CompUSA store than the locator estimates. Pricing and availability information is up-to-date as of 12/22/2002 8:38:37 AM. Listed prices are national prices, and actual retail prices may vary by market. Products are sold on a first come, first serve basis. Close [ December 22, 2002, 09:05 PM: Message edited by: aka_tom_w ]

I seem to remember this came up a long time ago, over on the CMBO forum. IIRC, it was suggested that infantry might not want to hang around too close to a large slab of metal that's attracting a lot of enemy attention. When small arms fire is trying to get a tank commander to button up, you don't necessarily want to be around it when bullets are ricocheting in all directions. Someone else stated that the correct place for infantry is in front of the tank, not behind it, as a screening force to counter the possibility of ambushes by enemy infantry armed with anti-tank assets. Personally, I think I'd rather be behind a tank than in front of it, especially when I remember the hostility displayed by some of my highschool friends whose fathers were infantrymen towards the tankers' off-spring. It seems that in the peacetime army a high number of casualties are caused by tanks accidentally rolling over friendly infantry hidden in foxholes. But then, what happens if the tank commander suddenly spots a deadly enemy ahead, and decides to sling the tank into reverse? I would imagine that visibility to the rear isn't too great in one of those things. I think, actually, I don't want to be anywhere near a tank. Or a battle, come to that. </font>

Check out this thread and Scroll down for Dorosh's post: http://www.battlefront.com/cgi-bin/bbs/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=23;t=004683

ok I got it , I did the cut and paste but your version still looks better than mine I will delete mine and refer to yours... thanks -tom w [ December 22, 2002, 03:37 PM: Message edited by: aka_tom_w ]

Armour doesn't really hide..... Its all about reducing "Sound Contacts" by idling/quieting the engine noise. This is also my understanding of the Hide order for armour. VERY well put From the Primer: " Note: Vehicles and HIDE are just a bad combination. Vehicles do not actually hide, what they do is quiet there engines down so they won't end up as a sound contact to the enemy, if you have a tank waiting in ambush, behind a house or a hill or something (clearly out of LOS) then select Hide for the tank (while it is NOT moving) and it will quiet down its engine so as not to makes sounds the enemy can detect as a sound contact of enemy armour. IMHO this is of very dubious value." -tom w [ December 22, 2002, 03:40 PM: Message edited by: aka_tom_w ]

more tech geek stuff here: http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/G4ZONE/G4firmwareMXrom.html Nvidia Card Support in G4 Firmware Update? First Posted: 4/9/2001 Last Updated: 2/19/2002 for OS X 10.1.3 update report ------------------------------------------------------------------------ OS X 10.1.3 Update Note: A reader that had been running a non-flashed retail (PC) GeForce2MX AGP card fine with OS 10.1.2 reported problems after installing the OS X 10.1.3 update: " After installing 10.1.3 and rebooting my GeForce 2 MX 400 [The PNY verto] stopped working. After the happy mac goes away the screen just goes black. The card worked great with out flashing it or anything in every other version of 10. I would try flashing it but I can't get the flash app to work in os 9 and I can't get the pc to recognize it, it is as if it was already semi-flashed by os X or something. I have the original ati rage 128 pro in here now... 400mhz agp G4 -WiredSoul" ------------------------------------------------------------------------ (Original article text follows) Two readers have written in the last week to note the 4.1.8 firmware update for G4s included rom support for GeForce2MX cards, saying they no longer needed to flash a PC card with the Mac firmware. (latest report first) " You no longer need to flash GeForce2MX AGP PC cards. If you upgrade your G4 firmware to 4.1.8 it will load it's own copy of the GeForce2MX ROM. No more flashing! I noted this on your forum Strobe The first report of this from last week: " hi mike sorry for my worst english. Last week i bought an Elsa Gladiac 2MX for my G4 500. When i tryed it on my computer, it didn't work. I had to flash it with a PC to work. Today i bought exactly the same card (same serial, same 3.11.00.18.33 firmware) to make some tests. I put it on my mac... and the card is working without flash !!!! I assume that the new firmware 4.1.8 allow now to boot with 2Mx PC firmware. It will be very good if the Geforce 3 can make the same thing. Lionel, www.macbidouille.com (late the same day he wrote) Mike i found it. There is the 3.11.00.15.03 2Mx firmware in the 4.1.8 firmware see the screenshot

has anyone seen this: http://www.cybercoment.com/macgeforce.htm Flashing a PC GeForce (2, 3 and NOT 4) or Radeon 8500 card with a Mac ROM Image. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ***This project voids your warranty (DUH!) and might **** your system up, I assume no responsibility** * Seems that the new G4 Firmware 4.1.8 lets some GeForce 2 MX cards work WITH OUT flashing them, BUT only a few low resolutions in OS X * Does not work in pre-B&W G3s (to my knowladge) * All links on this page are direct downloads off my site, they wont go away unless lawyers get involved. * Geforce 4 cards require a hardware modification. So good luck. The following cards are known to work with this method(Get Retail Cards, OEM and bulk cards have slow RAM [>5.5 ns], and might not work, possably causing artifacts. See utillity in D/L section for a fix): from: http://www.insidemacgames.com/features/view.php?ID=30&Page=11 To Flash or Not to Flash At this point, let me reiterate my disclaimer. Flashing a PC GeForce2 MX and using it in your Macintosh is not supported by Apple or NVIDIA. Driver, and especially ROM, updates released in the future may be difficult to apply. Mac OS X and DVD playback may work now, but there is no telling what will happen in the future. If you decide that you want to perform this procedure on your own, realize you are taking a risk. You are risking your own money and possibly your computer and video card. It is unlikely that using an unsupported video card will render your computer useless, but stranger things have happened. On the upside, a PC GeForce2 MX is inexpensive. You can find them for around $80 to $100, nearly half the price of a Radeon AGP. Flashing the video card in a PC is not particularly difficult, even if you don't know much about PCs. There is not doubt that the GeForce2 MX is an impressive performer at it's price point, which is why it is so popular on the PC. If you are seriously thinking replacing your Rage 128 with a GeForce2 MX, I would recommend the Hercules Prophet II MX I used in this article. It's 5.5 nanosecond memory guarantees that it will run at 183 MHz and the PCB is a cool indigo color! http://www.insidemacgames.com/features/view.php?ID=30&Page=1 [ December 22, 2002, 12:23 PM: Message edited by: aka_tom_w ]

does anyone know where I can download the VERY latest Nvidia driver for my friends iMac? its a GeForce 2 MX and we are running 9.2.2 the nvidia web site seems to have NO mac drivers or software on it?? I'm stumped? :confused: thanks -tom w [ December 22, 2002, 12:29 PM: Message edited by: aka_tom_w ]

I was hoping someone had come up with a solution. I have some screen grabs I can post but I 'think' (I hope ) that we all know what the problem looks like. I have Flags going sparkly white and Clown tanks too, some Pz IV but not all in one scenario, and then when the abandoned crew graphic turns to the nationality icon it goes into a digital pixel puke sparkly fit as well are those the same symptoms on the iMac G4? -tom w

BUMMER! -tom w

OK! thanks Karl I did not update any drivers yet I was looking for a link or a specific ('cause I'm lazy today) spoon fed solution I will look for the latest n'vdia driver when I get a chance I'm just trying to help out a friend/student with a tech support problem so it is not really a burning issue for me BUT I am still curious to see the solution thanks Karl -tom W