aka_tom_w

I just did a test scenario last night where a company of Regular Soviets were pinned down and beat up by German HMGs for 30 turns. They never spotted them more than "sound contact?". Granted, there weren't enough troops in the game to get The Borg kicking in full tilt like it can in a real game, but in CMBO more information would certainly have been aquired, easier, and sooner than what I saw. Extreme Fog of War is going to be the standard option for most people Steve</font>

I was wondering where that quote was from? Can anyone confirm if it was from Burgett's "Seven Roads to Hell" Thanks -tom w

Hi to Steve and Charles and the BTS CMBB Play testers. I think about CMBB ALL the time.... really On my way to work this morning I was wondering if you have any keen young Video gamer GAMERS play testing CMBB to check for loopholes and gamey tactics or cheats? What I mean is this game is likely to appeal to video game player gamers as well, at least we all hope it appeals to that segment of the market so you will sell more copies Anyway I'm wondering with all the focus on historical accuracy and military detail and the like, will there be any exploitable loopholes in the extreme fog of war settings? I am actually suggesting you might consider a focus group of KEEN teenagers that already playing CMBO and let them try TOTALLY gamey and ahistorical tactics and tricks in CMBB in extreme fog of war to see what happens. ONE interesting tactic that other new players to the game, younger video game gamers, who know next to NOTHING about military tactics, have determined that a successful attack can be mounted by band boxing EVERY unit on the start line and giving them ALL a run or FAST move order STRAIGHT ahead. Seriously, it matters not how they are lined up or where they are, no thought is needed, you just select EVERY unit you have an send them all straight ahead as fast as they can go...... (IT doesn't work all the time but it is the kind of gamey thing you can do when you don't know what else to do) I just wanted to suggest that the "gamey" Video Game play testers may have some NEW interesting insights into Extreme FOW in CMBB if you let them at it and watch how they play. The first thing some of us are going to do when we get CMBB is take a GOOD long hard look at the Extreme FOW setting and see how to "beat" it or optimize the information about the opposing force by risking our cheapest or most expendable units. For instance, will the gamey Sucide Jeep rush work to draw fire and will you get any good results from that? Are anti tank teams and sharp shooters still good recon units? Who can see what on the battlefield? What are my best units for recon purposes? Hopefully with the EXTREME FOW setting, Recon will take on a NEW priority as getting hammered by opposing units you can't see will become VERY annoying. I am hopeing you folks will PLAY test the HELL out of the EXTREME fow setting so there are no obvious gamey cheats or loopholes to exploit, and to that end I humbly suggest you let teenage GAMEY video game players at it who know nothing about sound military tactics on the Eastern front and see how they do? Just a Thought? Waiting patiently for the BEST war game of all time..... -tom w

</font>

There is one "sort-of" issue here that you will find some sympathy with (at least from me) THe Tiger I had a disctinct LONG range advantage which is why the Allies wanted to close fast on them or get flank shots. the game does not model very many tank duals over 1000 m Most tanks duals in CMBO are less then 500 m the Tiger Shines in encounters with allied tanks when it can fire at them from over 1000 m then that 88 mm main weapon can really be effective BUT it has been suggested a few times that the 88 mm does not have the long range accuracy or penetration ability it "should" be historically afforded. this has been debated here MANY times. The simple fact is it boils down to keeping the uber tank the (Tiger I) way back out of the action and trying to pick off the allied armour from a distance without exposing your flanks. When those Sherms get in close the 17 lbr in the Fire Fly and the 76 mm sherms can and do penetrate the frontal armour of the Tiger, they can do this especially effectively with HVAP (tungsten) as the Tiger I does not sport nice sloping frontal armour. other comments? -tom w [ February 19, 2002, 09:53 PM: Message edited by: aka_tom_w ]

So let me get this straight, a Tiger with a REG crew at 250 m missed HOW Many shots (?) while a Hellcat Bravely pumped off 8 (!) rounds at 250 m??? Stories like this can only be regarded as EXCEPTIONALY bad luck for the Tiger, and good fortune for the hellcat as it would only take ONE 88mm round to KO that Hellcat into oblivion. Was the Hellcat shooting while moving FAST? That might "sort of" explain it. -tom w [ February 19, 2002, 02:25 PM: Message edited by: aka_tom_w ]

I too Have complained LONG and HARD about the accuracy of firing on the FAST move.... the way that gyrostablizing mechanism is modeled is truly a WONDER to behold The US Hellcat and the Greyhound (37 mm) can shoot and scoot with the best of them and can SHOOT while scooting at great speed and with an high degree of accuracy that is truly mind boggling. AND I agree the long range accuracy of the 88 mm could be somewhat enhanced. (several LONG threads have addressed the long range accuracy and shooting on the fast move issues trust me ) however all these things have been brought up before and we are stuck with it the way it is for now..... -tom w [ February 19, 2002, 02:15 PM: Message edited by: aka_tom_w ]

you might say it is only gamey if cherry pick only the very best/cost efficient units from each nation, it is then both gamey and ahistorical. how's that? -tom w

Again for the record I think this game still only costs $45.00 US (that is ALOT of money in Some other countries like Somolia or Canada ) BUT the point is for $45.00 US you get an AI that is pretty advanced and savy for a wargame. Think of the AI as like Training wheels on a bike, its there so you can learn how to play with the mechanics of the game and test out things like new scenarios and basically practice new skills and tactics. If you don't expect anymore than that out it (remember you only paid $45.00 US for it) you will NEVER be disspointed. To get a satisfiying result or a real challenge you really must match wits with a human opponent, to expect the AI to give you a game anywhere NEAR a cunning human opponent is simply unrealistic for $45.00 US piece of software. Besides after losing to 3 or 4 humans in a row its nice to play the AI and get some satisfaction out of kicking some AI BUTT. (Note also that BTS made the AI so it doesn't cheat, it plays by the SAME fair rules with same intel and info that you do. So I don't imagine you want them to make the AI harder to beat by letting it cheat?? ) Anyway the AI is fun, just don't expect it to be a challenge -tom w [ February 18, 2002, 05:35 PM: Message edited by: aka_tom_w ]

I'm sorry, I reeeeeally don't mean any disrespect, but everyone try reading this in the Simpsons' Comic Book Store Guy voice. It's hilarious! Just kidding around, Directive -Andrew</font>

WOW great sometime this week? you KNOW we will ALL be looking forward to it...... THANKS so much for all your hard work with all the experience you have on making STUNNING winter scenary, MAYBE BTS will invite you to contribute to the beauty of CMBB ????? I'm sure you must have some files, textures or at the VERY least modding experience on winter scenes that could come in handy. Just a thought -tom w

good timing with the sceen grab but it was just plain BAD luck in the game that was likly one of those mutual destruction duals where both tanks fire at the same time and both knock each other out! oh well bad luck thats all -tom w

has this wheat mod been released yet? I'm still looking for it -tom w

Sorry its not my model I found it here: http://www.clandavidsonusa.com/wac/modelphotos/russian/su-57/su-57.htm after a BRIEF internet search to see what it looked like.... I found someone else's model I think the original modeler was: by Jamie Olson (He says:) "Basic kit was a Tamiya and Italeria and a lot of scratch building." Sorry I can't enter one I did not build I did quote the web page for the source of the images in the first post. -tom w

mostly NO! If it was a 76 mm Sherm and it fired HVAP (tungsten) there might be a SLIM chance in CMBO they it could get a "weak spot penetration" but (Unless I am mistaken) other than that you had "to get real damn close to them to be effective", preferably from the side or REAR. I'm sure others will jump in here with more relevant stats and opinions. -tom w

Hell Has No Heroes by Wayne Robinson © 1962 Describes the action of a DD tank that landed on Omaha beach. It is a Great book written by someone that was there. pg 202 firing HE 75 mm from a DD Sherm range about 500 yards..... "Blast that house on the left! Blast It! Blast the whole house!" The gunner listening on the intercom already had his first round on the way and followed it immediately with a second round as Morris fed the gun. Barska watch as the house erupted and began to break apart. It was not a large house, timbered upper floor above stone. The first round smashed the second story the second round dropped the front wall away, and the third brought the roof crashing down into the lower floor. The house collapsed into itself, a crushed ruin, begining to burn. "Thats enough, Cease Fire" That was ONE light house and a 75 mm Sherm collapsing it with 3 well placed rounds of HE from about 500 yards. Another section of the book describes a church Steeple being used as an observation post for a german arty spotter and to take it down, required 8 shots, the first shot missed and then they changed the range and it took 7 more shots of HE to bring the steeple down. the book has plenty of blow by blow expamples of how this one DD Sherm Crew leveled buildings, and from reading that and seeing how buildings come down in CM I think the way CM handles 75 mm HE with regard to knocking down buildings is pretty much RIGHT ON (at least according to the way this crew and TC of the Sherm describe leveling buildings ) I agree however with JasonC on his perspective about German AA fire with small rounds and how they work too quickly and efficiently to level buildings. I will post more GREAT quotes from this book as I come across relevant info about knocking down buildings. I read the book for the first time in high school 25 years ago and am just now in the process of re-reading it having recently purchased a used copy on the internet. -tom w

like this from here http://www.clandavidsonusa.com/wac/modelphotos/russian/su-57/su-57.htm

I have been enjoying this thread a GREAT deal Mostly because there is NO real flaming going on and Steve is posting so often. I'm wondering (and yes this is TOTALLY unrelated to this thread) would there be a way to somehow flag threads the BTS adminstrators are posting in? I would like to read the posts in threads where I know Steve or Dan or Matt or Charles or Martin (did I miss anyone?) are posting. As it is now I have search through all active threads to find comments from BTS. Just a Thought now...to comment on the topic of this thread I have never ever played an operation because of the negative things I have heard and all the beefing and complaining about how they don't work, given that, I'm still interested in how others here want to make suggestions to improve the system so operations will be more enjoyable in the future. Maybe I will play me first operation in CMBB once they are "fixed" -tom w [ February 14, 2002, 10:52 AM: Message edited by: aka_tom_w ]

Hell Has No Heroes by Wayne Robinson © 1962 Describes the action of a DD tank that landed on Omaha beach. It is a Great book written bey someone that was there. The book describes in accurate detail ALL kinds of things about the Sherman DD tank. it tells how the crew ROUTINELY knocked down brick and stone buildings by blasting a round of AP into the wall near the corners and then quickly following up by pumping a few HE rounds through the hole without moving the tank or the gun. If that did not knock the place down they would fire another AP round to make a new hole and the pump a few more rounds of HE into it. This procedure was used to knock buildings quite quickly. The BEST book I have ever read about tank combat from the perspective of a Sherman tank crew post D-Day in the ETO is "Hell Has No Heroes" and the book is NOT a work of fiction, but it reads like a novel because it is told like a story, but the author states that it was his experience he was writting about and all the events actually happened to him or the men and tanks around him as told. It is out of print but you can order it on the internet. My copy only cost me about $8.00 US (cheap by may war book standards) -tom w

needs a bump this thread could very well have a seperate forum all to itself Hint hint The Public CMBB FAQ thread/forum -tom w

another thing to keep in mind is OPTICS... Ok, so this plays no role in CM , but in reality, what good is a 76mm gun when you can't hit anything with it? I was under the impression that the russian optics were not the best in WW2?</font>

I think it is shift "L" to see all plots (or is that one Shift "P" sorry it seems more like a reflex action when in the game, not being in the game now I have to stop and think about which hot key it is) you can cycle thru 3 options see all plots see all targeting lines see all plotted moves and target lines and see only the unit selected ok I guess that is four options sorry can't help you with the "follow" command (I think that would be handy too! ) -tom w [ February 11, 2002, 07:50 PM: Message edited by: aka_tom_w ]

I run CMBO on a G3 Mac laptop (400 mHz 192 Megs RAM) and play almost always against one other guy on a fast new (purchased this past Christmas) PC running windows XP I think. I think he is running with 128 megs of ram. I usually host and the game when it does crash (not that often) crashes on my Mac. if that helps... -tom w

Very nice picture there with Trees in the streets Very nice touch. and yes there is a burning kubelwagon -tom w

I would llike to point out that MANY of us here bought the game by pre-ordering it before it was released KNOWING full well the version of the game they shipped us would NOT have TCP/IP capability and that we should not expect it for another 5-6 months And there are ONLY 5, really just 5 guys (Are you up to 6 now?) working on this thing and there is ONLY one programmer (Charles the God of Programming Wargames) Hell, I have alot of respect for them because these TWO guys (Steve and Charles) said HEY!, "lets make the kind of game we would like to play" Lets look at ASL as the foundation and make it FUN and REALISTIC with historically accurate armour penetration and those 2 guys Made CMBO out of nothing really. And yes they made a PILE of money on it and now it is finished they will make more money on CMBB, I'm VERY happy for them they made a game that we would only ever dream about back in the old days when we playing Tobruk and had to roll the dice 4 times for EVERY single round that a tank fired. TCP/IP works most of the time really anyway and yes it is the best way to play. When the game was released I bought without the ability to play TCP/IP thats right I was one the players to be (future buyer of the game, it was only available in beta demo then) who voted (yes we actually had a chance to vote back in those days of the beta demo) to have the game released to us (for FULL price) without TCP/IP. That is the truth. it was taken on faith that a WORKING patch would follow the release of the game (that patch is the v1.12 path we are using) the game was patched and re-released about 4 times since then and then they finally said it works now and we are done with it lets move on to the Russian front. I cannot find fault at all because they asked us all to pay full price up front for a game that did not have tcp/ip capability until about 6 months after it was released. no big deal really I hope a little historical perspective helps here. -tom w [ February 11, 2002, 04:48 PM: Message edited by: aka_tom_w ]