aka_tom_w

Hi I think Gyrene has been waiting for this one: http://142.55.231.199/demo/cmbo-pano.mov I'm not sure how to make the actual .mov file come up inside this window so just click the link to go and see it. I have used many Mods from many different sources. I would like to thank ALL the mod artists whose work appears in this panorama. If you see something (Like one of the MANY German tanks in there) that you did, why don't you post here and say which are your mods . The colours were modified in Photoshop because I thought the Dawn lighting was too dim, but I'm not thrilled with the way the colours turned out. Its late now and I might get another shot at it over the weekend to brighten it up without the colour shift. you will need the QTVE plug-in to see it. it was made in the Apple QTVR Authoring Studio after shooting about 38 single screen grabs from level one at varying angles of rotation. All 38 shots were not used but I needed about twice as many as the standard 18 shots at 20 degree each to make sure I had all the right angles because it is (to the best of my knowledge) impossible to rotate the camera exactly 18 times in 360 degrees at 20 degrees per shift while rotating the camera at level 1. The Pano would only stitch from level 1 and still it is not perfect, as all the angles were not covered idealy even in my 38 screen grabs. Its not perfect but it took about 6 hours of computer time to construct. I think its the first in game panorama of its kind . The shot was staged to show off tanks, sort like in a dealer's show room or at the Auto show, they are not in any combat positions, mostly I set them up to make a nice picture and show off the mod work of other artists. (Again sorry for the colour shift). Its big, 640x480 and it will take quite some time to download if you are not on a cable modem or ASDL high speed phone line, the file size of the QTVR .mov file is 1.3 megs. And you need the QTVR plug-in to see it and interact with it, you can zoom in and out and move all around the 360 of the image. Have Fun! -tom w [ 01-16-2002: Message edited by: aka_tom_w ] [ 01-16-2002: Message edited by: aka_tom_w ]</p>

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Admiral Keth: aka_tom_w, Sorry, but the former Scenario Mega Pack is long since defunct. Distributing such a compilation without authorial permission to do so violates their personal copyrights. The only way to obtain these scenarios is to download them indivdually from any of the various hosting web sites. All of the scenarios that _were_ in the original Mega Pack are available on their respective pages at The Scenario Depot. Let's put this thread to bed people...<hr></blockquote> OK thanks for the update Admiral Keth, GREAT web site! that Scenario Depot is a REAL service to the CMBO community. THANKS!! -tom w

Hi I'm searching for the link to that mega pack. the LARGE scenario zipped mega pack you speak of? Where is it available for down load? is it still available? if not can some one e-mail the zipped file they have to me? tcw@mac.com Thanks -tom w

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Panzerman: Looks like hes got the Normandy Mod, which the rutted road is part of.<hr></blockquote> that is a GREAT rutted road is that the complete Normandy mod terrain set? Those mods look and work GREAT together can anyone say with certainty where they are all from? VERY nice screen shots its nice to see what someone's elses game looks like. -tom w

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by rune: Hmm...i get to tell JasonC he is wrong. There were 1549 Panzer IIIj made with the short 50mm/L42. production started March 1941 and the German designation was Sd Kfz 141. The actual order was for 2700 of them However, in December 1941, the Panzer IIIJ with the 50mm/L60 was produced. 1,067 were made, and had the designation of Sd Kfz 141/1. Sources include Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War Two by Chamberlain and Doyle. Rune<hr></blockquote> WOW thats news to me From Playing Tobruk (the board game) long ago, I thought the Panzer IIIJ only came with the long 50mm. Perhaps in the Arfica Korps it appeared in the dessert only in its long barreled form. I did not know there was an earlier Panzer IIIJ short barreled 50mm version. Very informative. Thanks also to JasonC for the equally informative earlier post. -tom w

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Mace: The 50mm equipped PzKpfw III Ausf J is going to have a lot of trouble penetrating the front of a T34/76 A. This was one reason why it's stable mate the PzKpfw IV was upgunned to a (longer) 75mm. Mace<hr></blockquote> Interesting... What does Rexford's book have to say on the issue?? -tom w

found it it was Casey Jones Ghost Great Scenario! -tom w

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by TSword: Captain Wacky talks that this game is based on facts. Really ? Can anyone show me the fact that with exception of PzIV G, Tiger I all german AFV's have lowered armor quality Or the fact that the Tigermantlet has 130 mm Cast (Deeply researched by rexford again) I think Phantom Rocker makes a very good offer and i would like to see it materialize and many more players i know.<hr></blockquote> From the README v1.12 the tiger Mantle issue was addressed: "* Tiger tank now models the varying thickness of its mantlet armor (up to 200mm in places)." So in the game it "should" be theoretically harder to penetrate now. -tom w

say its NOT so did this thread just turn into a flame war right before my eyes? -tom w

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Zitadelle: I have an idea for an inexpensive marketing and exposure opportunity for the CMBO/CMBB team. How about using your recently made contacts with Missing Links (missing-lynx.com) to set up a table at the upcoming Armor Modeling and Preservation Society (AMPS) 2002 National Convention held April 19-20, 2001 in Havre de Grace, Maryland. For those that don’t know, every year the convention not has an incredible display of armor models and lectures, but a great vendor section “specially oriented to armor modelers and historians.” You could demo CMBO- both the shipped version and a CMMOS high-res version. Also, you could demo a beta version of CMBB, or maybe the final product…. I imagine that the expense would be minimal, and you could probably find a few volunteers- including people that were already going to be there. In the vendor section, you would be marketing directly to individuals that would enjoy your product: military historians, modelers, and wargamers. Also, you could spark some interest with modelers to provide you examples for your modeling contest (maybe even get some photos at the convention). You can also contact AMPS directly at: Corrected AMPS Web Page Just a thought I had over the weekend.... And, I would be interested in other forums visitors' opinions [ 01-07-2002: Message edited by: Zitadelle ]<hr></blockquote> This is a Great idea here is their web page: http://www.amps-armor.org/Conventions/Amps2002.asp I wish I could attend myself. It seems like a GREAT marketing opportunity for BTS as well. Maybe even set up a VERY small fun tourniment? (That might be too much) it seems like a great opportunity though! -tom w

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by redwolf: As the person who did this I have to jump in here and point out that I did not reverse engineer the CMBO program (like doing disassembly). The license clearly forbits that. The score computing analysis was purely based on munching result numbers for some test battles over some breakfasts and then verifying with some new test battles. I also like to point out that while I thought the score computing should be known (because it is important to scenario designers), I think that the exactly computation of things like global morale, local morale and flag ownership is not worth knowing and documenting it would make gameplay worse, not better.<hr></blockquote> OK Sorry Redwolf, when you state "The score computing analysis was purely based on munching result numbers for some test battles over some breakfasts and then verifying with some new test battles" THAT is exactly what I meant when I used the term "retroengineered" nothing sinister or illegal or inappropriate in any way, just a series of trial and error tests to see how the game reacts in controled situations and draw conclusions from what is observed as the scoring outcome. Other folks including myself have done similiar tests on the CMBO simulated gunnery test range to determine accuracy results of certain weapons at certian ranges in controled conditions then publish the results. Thats all I meant when I (perhaps mistakenly) used the term retro engineered. sorry for the confusion thanks for the clarification. -tom w [ 01-11-2002: Message edited by: aka_tom_w ]</p>

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Jeff Duquette: Lorrin Birds and Robert Livingstons armor penetration book is available from Angelray Books. Try: http://www.angelraybooks.com/books/hw/0017hw.htm [ 01-11-2002: Message edited by: Jeff Duquette ]<hr></blockquote> WOW is that really the webpage for THE Rexford's book on WWII armour penetration?? I had always thought the book was only of interest to grogs and was largely an "underground" effort, sort of something only folks knew about via word of mouth. BUT now an online web page? How congrats to Rexford! thats like the BIG time! I guess he's a STAR now, next will come the lecture circuit and speaking engagements!! -tom w

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Jeff Duquette: Lorrin Birds and Robert Livingstons armor penetration book is available from Angelray Books. Try: http://www.angelraybooks.com/books/hw/0017hw.htm [ 01-11-2002: Message edited by: Jeff Duquette ]<hr></blockquote> WOW is that really the webpage for THE Rexford's book on WWII armour penetration?? I had always thought the book was only of interest to grogs and was largely an "underground" effort, sort of something only folks knew about via word of mouth. BUT now an online web page? How congrats to Rexford! thats like the BIG time! I guess he's a STAR now, next will come the lecture circuit and speaking engagements!! -tom w

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Vanir Ausf B: Phantom, by-in-large, these things are already known or have been appoximated. Read pg. 68-71 in the CM manual. That is not comprehensive, but almost all of the factors BTS uses for their armor and gun calculations are known by now. Even some of the exact percentages are known. For example, it it known that if a turreted tank is hit by a shell it has a flat 12% of striking the lower hull; weak point hits occure on 1% of hits except on tanks with shots traps where it is 10% (although I've heard some say they think it may be lower). We will never know all of these exact numbers unless BTS publishes the formulas which they will not do, but there have been so many tests done by CM players in the 1.5 years since its release that we have a pretty good idea on most things. As someone else pointed out there has been no shortage of debate over this stuff in the past. And I'm sure there will be pages uppon pages of debate on gun accuracy in CMBB.<hr></blockquote> I agree with this post most of the important underlying principles of how this game works (for instance how the winning score is calculated http://www.battlefront.com/cgi-bin/bbs/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=019346 have been determined by folks here who took the time to basically retro engineer the game. Most of what you are asking to know has sort-of been figured out by folks who have been playing the game since the beta demo. -tom w

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Ben Galanti: Its been noted already that CM does not account for top hits when firing from above... Which explains the results you are seeing. Ben<hr></blockquote> BUT firing an AT weapon from an elevated position will negate slope effects. There was another thread here where someone documented that a hetzer could be more easily killed with an AT gun from an elevated position because the slope effect of the frontal armour was negated by the higher angle of fire. AND and this is the big part The game was designed with this very thing you are bitching about in mind. Mr Rocker if you play wargames with the intention of minimizing every mathimatical risk and maximizing every mathimatical advantage or opportunity, (the min maxer)try think of this game and the game mechanics as intentionally lying to you or deceiveing you with the intention of adding a sense of the FOG of WAR, the mechanism and math and algorythms and formulae are LARGELY "under the hood" AND they are that way to intentionally encourage the player to play the game by getting a FEEL for how THIS game works. One thing about this concept..... IT WORKS and if you play hard enough and long enough you will undoubtably find consistancy in your results.These results in this game can then be fairly predictable. The results you complain about may not "feel" right to you (and to be sure this issue, has come ALL the time since the game was introduced in its beta demo release) but they are consistant and predicatable. AND these is all the things that have ALREADY been fixed as a result of suggestions and input from the players who love this game. (see below) Now the development phase is OVER so there will be no additional changes Please read this official BTS README before further posting: Combat Mission: Beyond Overlord v1.12 UPDATE PATCH - Macintosh February 6, 2001 www.battlefront.com This is the version 1.12 update for "Combat Mission: Beyond Overlord". It updates versions 1.0 through 1.11. Please follow these instructions: 1. Move the "Graphics 13" and "Sound Effects 11" files into the "Data" folder (inside your Combat Mission folder). If it overwrites an older file of the same name, that's OK (although if you are playing with "mods" you might want to save a copy of your current "Graphics 13" first). 2. Drag the other three files/folders (Combat Mission, OpenPlay Modules (folder), and OpenPlayLib) into your Combat Mission folder. 3. OPTIONAL: Several game scenarios have been updated. You may wish to move the five files from inside the "Revised Scenarios" folder into the "Scenarios" folder (which is in your Combat Mission folder). Note: Don't move the "Revised Scenarios" folder itself, move its *contents* into the "Scenarios" folder. 4. OPTIONAL: If you are having problems with the graphics in Combat Mission (especially if you don't see any of the white game text on a black background) you may want to install Apple's OpenGL 1.2.1 which is included with this update patch. If you are not currently experiencing any graphical problems, you may want to skip this step. 5. Read the INTERNET PLAY READ ME file to learn how to play Combat Mission live over the Internet. You're all done! Below is the list of changes made. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * v1.12 2/6/2001 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Tanks use better hull-rotation logic. * Gun accuracy is somewhat higher at long range. * Firing ordnance while moving is less accurate than before. * Quick Battles have a new "unrestricted" force type. * Pillboxes have slightly better 'reaction time' and are slightly less easier to spot at long range. It is also somewhat harder to hit their firing slits from longer ranges. * Smoke usage logic tweaked. * 20mm gun in Lynx cannot fire on aircraft. * If both sides have global morale below 25%, a battle will end immediately with an enforced cease-fire. * Fixed a bug (introduced in v1.1) where simultaneous cease-fire requests by both players in play by email could lead to a crash. * Fixed a bug so that the computer will never place antitank mines in woods. * Fixed a bug that made hotseat mutual cease-fires activate one turn later than they should. * Fixed a bug that could cause a game previously (partly) played as PBEM, but subsequently reloaded as TCP/IP to "lose" minefields and barbed wire. * Fixed a bug that made the TacAI hesitant to give targeting orders to the rearward-firing Archer. * Fixed a bug that occasionally showed FOs having a "label" showing JAM. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * v1.11 1/12/2001 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Fixed a bug that allowed tungsten rounds to be overly effective against highly-sloped armor. * Data changes: - Sherman Jumbo speed, turret rotation, and some armor values lowered. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * v1.1 12/23/2000 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * TCP/IP play has been implemented (i.e. "live" Internet play). The game can also run as a "spawn", meaning that you do not need the CD-ROM in the drive, but you will be restricted to joining TCP/IP games only. SEE THE "INTERNET PLAY READ ME" file for more detailed instructions. * If both sides have global morale below 15%, a battle will end immediately with an enforced cease-fire. * Quick Battles: - Ratio of attacker to defender points has been reduced slightly for Attack and Assault scenarios. - Fortifications are cheaper to purchase. - Automatic unit purchaser does a better job of using up (nearly) all available points. - Force proportion limits modified slightly (main change is that attackers have a higher limit on support points than before). * Armored vehicles are smarter about rotating their hulls to bring their main weapons to bear faster, however vehicles rotate 'in place' more slowly now. * Vehicles in hunt mode are more likely to stop moving in order to engage "lesser" enemy vehicles than before. * Allied tanks and guns are more likely to fire tungsten rounds when available. * Infantry TacAI is less likely to seek cover when it would require moving closer to the enemy to reach that cover. Also, infantry (sometimes) retreats from buildings being blasted by heavy weapons that are in danger of collapse. * Fixed a bug that incorrectly counted the number of knocked out vehicles and crewmember casualties during Operations. * A bug that incorrectly identified (or failed to identify) vehicles as hull-down when the mouse was pointing at them has been fixed. * Forward Observers no longer cancel a bombardment on a building that is blasted to rubble (though any other unit using area fire still does). * Enemy units targeting an ambush marker are no longer displayed as doing so. * Vehicle top speed over open ground reduced somewhat, especially for jeeps. And all wheeled vehicles are slightly more likely to bog down in bad terrain. * Vehicles, especially those with only a few crewmen, have greater difficulty spotting enemies when moving. The difficulty is proportional to speed and ruggedness of terrain. * Vehicles can more readily spot other vehicles at greater ranges (3000+ m) in clear weather with clear line of sight. * Vehicle sound contacts are not shown rotating their turrets. * When faced with a threat, unarmored vehicles will sometimes seek shelter at a new destination chosen by the TacAI even when ordered to move fast or in reverse. * Fixed a bug that caused tanks to 'fear' pillboxes even when they were out of its firing arc. * Hull down display when drawing LOS line also indicates "bow MG blocked" when appropriate. * Mortars gain target acquisition a bit more slowly now, and their point values have been lowered slightly. They are also somewhat less effective at hitting vehicles. * Gunnery accuracy equations modified slightly to permit greater accuracy at point-blank ranges. * Fixed a bug that prevented Churchill AVREs from killing a pillbox form the side. * Vehicles which are targeting ambush markers, and are directly hit by anything other than small-arms fire, will cancel their ambush orders and react to the attack normally. * Crews that bail from a knocked out vehicle have "low" ammo and are often panicked or worse. * Fixed a bug that caused events happening past the normal 60 seconds of action sometimes to be "undone" by rewinding and fast-forwarding past them. * Fixed a bug that caused the battle number not to advance when both players in an operation agreed to a cease fire. * Fixed a bug that often caused airplanes not to show up in Operations. * Rough terrain tiles now abut so that they block vehicular traffic along shared edges. * A letter 'c' after the armor slope display indicates that a vehicle has a curved gun mantlet, so the actual slope can vary depending on where the shell strikes. (Example: Panther tank). * Fixed a bug that allowed game saves to be done before the battle was even underway. * Passengers no longer immediately jump off a vehicle that bogs down unless the vehicle becomes permanently immobilized. * You can no longer trace line of sight (LOS) from a Target Reference Point (TRP) during setup. * Vehicles which use up their last round of ammunition are quicker to cancel targeting. * TacAI does a better job weighing the importance of hull-down status when choosing targets. * Fixed a TacAI bug in the logic that causes vehicles use the coaxial MG instead of the main gun (to conserve ammo when the MG is nearly as effective anyway). The bug sometimes made the vehicle switch to the coaxial MG when it should not have. * Forward Observers' targets are never shown to the enemy, even in action playback. * Bug fix for group-moves of mixed tanks and infantry, to ensure that FAST/RUN and MOVE orders are carried out appropriately. * Pillboxes: - Acquire targets a bit faster than other guns (it's assumed that they've pre-ranged to landmarks). - Carry a little more 'weight' when calculating the new position of the front lines in operations. * Bug fix that makes the 'setup' between campaign battles work out the same no matter how many times you reload the play-by-email file. * Bug fix so operations don't have empty white (Allied) or black (Axis) setup zones. * Bug fix: passengers disembarking out of sight of the enemy are no longer 'seen' as doing so by the enemy. A spot marker does not appear for the disembarked unit. * Fixed a bug that made vehicles moving in reverse immune to bogging down or striking minefields. * When placing cursor over an unidentified enemy infantry unit, your tank will be shown as "hull down" (if it is hull down) just in *case* the enemy unit is an antitank unit. * AI is less likely to fire off-map artillery smoke missions when overall visibility is poor. * M3A1 Halftrack, M3A1 Scout Car, and M5A1 Halftrack are not forced to remain buttoned up after suffering only one crew casualty. * Split squads rejoin when within 10m of one another, not 15m as before. * Fixed bug so you cannot get TRP bonus when adjusting fire, unless you are within 20m of TRP (was 100m due to bug). * Vehicles can only do a 'hide' order if they do not currently have movement orders. * Popup menus are not obscured by text-input fields. * Fixed a bug that sometimes slightly overloaded tank ammo between battles in operations. * Texture fix on Stuart V. * Fixed it so sound contacts right on the edge of listening range don't flutter in and out of contact, which made them 'bounce around'. * If the user enters illegal characters in the name of a saved game, they are converted to spaces, avoiding an error in Windows or MacOS. * Fixed a bug that sometimes made target selection "jump" very quickly between different targets. * Fixed a bug that caused the TacAI sometimes not to regard foxholes as "sufficient" cover. * Fixed a bug that sometimes caused vehicles to stop on the map edge instead of exiting. * Data changes: - MG Jeep cannot carry passengers. - PzIV silhouette reduced. - Firefly's turret rotation speed is medium. Point value is reduced before September 1944 to reflect that no High Explosive (HE) ammo is carried. - 17pdr gun no longer has shatter-prone armor-piercing ammo (so penetration is increased). - Marder III armor changed. - Sherman Jumbo's speed and some armor values lowered. - Muzzle velocity slightly lowered on some German vehicle-mounted 75mm guns. - HEAT/Shaped-charge penetration values changed for some German weapons: 75mm howitzer, 75mm recoilless, 75mm L/24, 105mm howitzer, 105mm recoilless, 150mm gun, 150mm infantry gun - More AT guns, PIATs, and carriers added to British infantry battalion TO&E. - Vehicle point values adjusted slightly. - British M5 Halftrack added. - Puppchen is available on all dates. - British Carriers now have smoke mortars. - British rifle battalion may have MG platoon attached or not. - Polish may use the Cromwell, but not the Stuart, Sherman II/IIA/IIC, or Sherman III tanks. - Canadians may not use Sherman II/IIA/IIC or Churchill (exc. Crocodile) tanks. - M3A1 Scout Car and Humber Scout Cars are able to cross hedges. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * v1.05 8/24/2000 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Units will NOT switch away from an ambush marker target just because they have been spotted by the enemy. * Units area-targeting a building which collapses and has no visible surviving enemy troops in the resulting rubble will cancel their area target. * Buildings and bridges are labeled with "damage" or "heavy damage" when they've taken over 50% damage and the "Warning Labels" option is on. Additionally, they're listed with a '*' attached, like "light building*", or a '**' for heavy damage. * JPz IV and JPz IV/70 now have a bow MG, but it's somewhat less effective at short (under 100m) range than a 'standard' bow MG due to its simplified and somewhat underprotected mounting. * T8 Recon vehicle now first available in December 1944 (same time as arrival of M24 Chaffee). * Fixed a bug introduced in v1.04 that made some units with normally large ammo loads, in scenarios created with v1.03 or earlier, have ammo loads above 65000. * Roads are never considered "slopes", in order to make mapbuilding easier and avoid the problem of vehicles not being able to traverse *roads* on steep grades. * When a unit's last movement order is "rotate", and it tries to move through impassable terrain, the TacAI is no longer confused about the intended endpoint of the movement path if a new movement path must be calculated (bug fix). * Victory flags in a meeting engagement quick battle are more centered (to avoid giving one player too much of an advantage). * In previous versions, the TacAI was less likely to fire vehicle heavy weapons at bailed crews, but it wasn't as inhibited about wanting to fire the coax MG at them, which still caused the turret-swiveling-away-from-real-threats problem. So the coax MG has been "toned down" vs. crews like the main weapon (bug fix). * TacAI code for a tank swiveling its turret back to a forward position when it has no target is smarter. It will do so as default behavior except for a 2-3 minute period after the tank has targeted an enemy which had anti-armor capability and the tank is not moving or rotating (i.e. moving or rotating the tank will cause the turret to swivel back to forward even if the last target was an anti-armor threat). * Large guns like the 88mm AT are allowed to use the rotation order (this was a bug). * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * v1.04 8/17/2000 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Play-by-email format has changed. Both players must use v1.04 to be compatible. IMPORTANT: Upgrading to v1.04 part way through a scenario or play-by-email is NOT recommended, due to a change in the way artillery ammunition is tracked (see below). * Scenarios created by v1.04 cannot be loaded by PREVIOUS versions of Combat Mission. * Artillery Forward Observers (FOs) track their ammunition by individual shells rather than by fire missions. So this will make it look at first like they now have 4 times as much ammo, but they really don't. Spotting rounds now count against ammo usage. Older scenarios are dynamically updated when loaded to account for this change. * Tanks are less likely to target a new, not-highly-threating unit which, to engage, would require significant turret or hull rotation away from a recent, important threat. * Tanks with no target do not automatically return turrets to face forward unless they are moving or hull-rotating. * Enemy units must be closer before full identification can be obtained. * Mortars now have a more difficult time tracking moving targets. * TacAI is quicker to move open-top vehicles away from mortar attack, and to recognize .50cal MGs as threats to light armor. * Armor penetration capability for high-explosive (HE) rounds fired from high-velocity cannon has been toned down. * Tiger tank now models the varying thickness of its mantlet armor (up to 200mm in places). * Armor penetrations by MG bullets and small AP shells are somewhat less likely to knock out the target (no change for 75mm and up). And crews of struck vehicles are less likely to bail out when no serious damage has been suffered. * MG fire against vehicles is now less effective (i.e. less accurate) if the firer or target is moving. * Reinforcements are placed better around entrance locations. * Small-caliber shells that enter a pillbox's firing slit are less likely to knock out the whole pillbox. * Vehicles with rear-facing guns (not including mortars) may not 'hunt'. * Bailed-out crews are never eligible for exit points. * Units are a little smarter about finding the "right" cover to move to when they come under fire or panic. * British 2-inch mortar is now able to run for short distances (like Panzerschreck), but ammo load reduced from 22 to 20. * Vehicles in hunt mode, whose guns are damaged, will stop movement and consider evasive action. * Very small changes made to vehicle unit point cost based on top armor thickness. * When one side surrenders, any prisoners it still has on the map are automatically uncaptured. * Slight modifications made to the firepower ratings for MP44, MP40, Thompson SMG, and Sten SMG. * Captured units cannot set off mines. And the code that checks for captured units escaping has been extended to allow units to escape (sometimes) even when enemy guards are nearby, provided that nearby friendly forces have a significant local superiority. * Bug fix makes passengers free to disembark and re-embark on assault boats without problems during battle setup phase and scenario editing. * Bug fix: there is no longer a problem with quick battles when the starting player chooses "human chosen" units and the other player has "auto pick", with the first player's setup phase being skipped. * Bocage blocks LOS less severely, provided the spotter or target is adjacent to the bocage (bug fix). * Sometimes very small reinforcement groups (e.g. one or two units) under computer control had a tendency to sit still and not get involved in the battle. This is fixed. * The No-Man's-Land Size setting for Operations no longer changes from 0 to 400 when saving/loading the file (bug fix). * Area fire target lines disappear automatically when a unit is out of ammo. * Movement paths created by the TacAI don't "hug" road edges so much. * AI bug fixed so it does a better job 'defending' against an enemy exit edge, even if the AI is the attacking force. * Vehicles with limited AP ammo were sometimes overly cautious about using it (e.g. SPW 250/9). This has been remedied. * Canadians have use of 40mm Bofors AA gun. * M3A1 scout car has 3 crewmen (driver and 2 gunners). * M3A1 halftrack, M5 halftrack, and M3A1 scout car can still fire one MG after suffering one crew casualty. * Two-man vehicles that suffer a crew casualty will only display only one crewman now (bug fix). * Recoilless rifles are placed better (graphically) upon transporting vehicles (bug fix). * When a vehicle towing a gun is knocked out, the gun is not visually 'trapped under' the vehicle (bug fix). * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * v1.03 7/26/2000 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Play-by-email format has changed. Both players must use v1.03 to be compatible. * Infantry moving in the open is more vulnerable to casualties than before. * Small-arms units, especially MGs, fire more rapidly at units that are moving in the open. * Top-mount MG range increased for: Stuart, T8, PSW 234/3 * Vickers MG is available to British and Polish paratroops. * Running units spot enemies more poorly. * Mortar shell top armor penetration capability reduced slightly. * The 'front line' in Operations does not tend to shift quite as much in the attacker's favor as it did before. * v1.01 made pillboxes just a little bit too resistant to artillery. This resistance has been toned down slightly. * Fog of War 'preference' is remembered properly. * Unit point values have been tweaked, especially small recoilless weapons. Vehicles with veteran or better experience also cost more. * Quick Battles - Max length is now 60 turns. - Troop quality, weather, and time of day can be set to "random". - The automatic force chooser can now pick Conscript (on Low quality setting), and Crack and Elite troops (on High quality setting). - Allow a slightly greater portion of points to be spent on artillery. - In a 2-player Quick Battle, a reminder window appears to both players if there is a handicap in force size. - Attacker-to-defender ratio in points is slightly reduced. * TacAI (esp. for tanks) is less 'distracted' by targets of lesser importance. * Vehicle reinforcements are more likely to be placed on a road, if one is (very) nearby. * Operations have always been able to end when one side is "pushed off" their own map edge, but the algorithm which determines when this has occurred is more forgiving now, and allows the force to be "squeezed" up closer against that map edge before force-ending the operation. * FOs are no longer automatically fully resupplied between battles in an operation. * Foxholes dug in Tall Pines terrain were treated (in part) as if they were dug in the open. This is now fixed. * Vehicles that button up or turn away are less likely to lose visual contact with their *current* target. * One can no longer change a rotation waypoint to a movement waypoint, therefore circumventing command delay. * Computer player is smarter about exiting units for points (when allowed by scenario). * Grenade and demo charge attacks against armored vehicles can no longer cause collateral damage to friendly units. * Random map generator no longer creates "spiky" hills. * Silhouette rating for M24 Chaffee reduced. * Bailed crews now have poor visual spotting ability. * When a sound contact to an enemy vehicle is lost, the sound effect of its engine stops too. * Units out of ammo will never be shown as 'reloading'. * Pillbox MG ammo no longer 'wraps around' back up to 254 or 255 shots. * Reinforcements in an operation are no longer sometimes placed in impassable terrain. * Turret penetrations are likely to cause more crew casualties than before. * Time penalty for adjusted artillery missions is slightly reduced. * Captured troops don't stay panicked for unreasonable lengths of time. * A bug which sometimes caused a unit which had just suffered a casualty, but had not fired, to say "reloading", has been fixed. * Split squads kept split at the end of a battle during an operation no longer have problems remembering the number of casualties suffered. * Sometimes in the scenario editor, squads split into teams would be given different squad I.D. numbers. This has been fixed. * Deleting a split-squad team in the editor simultaneously deletes the other team as well. Also, the point values for split-squad teams are corrected, and correct data is shown for them in the cursor-hotspot info window. * Sneaking is now more sensitive to incoming fire when it decides to stop (i.e. "advance to contact") * Occasionally during an Operation, a vehicle knocked out in a previous battle, when hit again, could produce a 'new' crew bailing out. This is fixed. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * v1.02 6/21/2000 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Quick Battles can have larger forces. * Unarmored vehicles and those with rear-facing guns are smarter about when to rotate the whole vehicle (TacAI). * Woods terrain doesn't "break" over elevation changes. * UNSPOTTED infantry won't ever fire panzerfausts at enemy infantry. * Heavy buildings are slightly less likely to catch fire. And firing bazookas and panzerschrecks from inside any type of building is slightly less likely to cause a fire than previously (from backblast). * Previously, if you canceled out of the password screen and started up a new 1-player game, CM would crash. This is fixed. * A sharpshooter's data screen lists main weapon as "sniper rifle" (was previously blank). * Several small bugs fixed in how aerial rockets damage armored vehicles. * U.S. Paratrooper battalion has 9 bazookas in its HQ Company, not 8. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * v1.01 6/14/2000 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Play-by-email (PBEM) fixes: - Both players MUST upgrade to v1.01. v1.01 cannot play PBEM with the original v1.0. This is due to bug and security fixes which changed the format of PBEM files. - Barbed wire does not lose its ability to slow down infantry. - Doing a normal save-game no longer causes the occasional skipping of one player's orders phase. - Units no longer occasionally target smoke toward the map corner. - There is no longer the occasional problem of being unable to give orders to a vehicle, seemingly for no reason. - Reinforcements don't arrive differently upon subsequent reloads of a PBEM file. - Vehicles no longer sometimes switch from 'destroyed' to 'abandoned'. - Captured vehicle crew are counted properly when one side surrenders. * TacAI fixes: - Less fickle with targeting changes, i.e. targeting 'stickiness' increased slightly. - Buttoned-up tanks are less likely to target low-visibility targets (like hiding infantry) at longer ranges, even when the target *is* spotted by another friendly unit. - Less likely to fire smoke at less-important targets, especially ones that are already pinned down or panicked. - Paths made by TacAI no longer occasionally have visually 'floating' waypoints. - Judges 'cover' behind stone walls and bocage properly, not prematurely forcing units to abandon these positions as if they're too exposed. * New explosion graphics (when using "high quality smoke" option) * Camera can rotate on a 'point' rather than around a circle (SHIFT-J option). * Units can hide during setup. * Handicapper unit choice is more logical. Can also go to +200%. * Player can give the AI an "experience bonus" that raises all AI units from 1 to 3 experience levels. * Infantry "close combat" versus armored vehicles has been reworked: - Demo charges and grenades thrown at armored vehicles now have a visible blast wave. - Tossed demo charges vs. armored vehicles are more accurate. - Various bug fixes * Some computer-player tweaks, including no longer moving gun-damaged tanks into the map corner. * Nonmoving infantry is slightly harder to spot (i.e. max range decreased a bit). * Pillboxes are slightly harder to spot (if in cover), and can 'hide' (which helps save ammo). Also, they are now far more resistant to artillery. * In hotseat play, uncontacted enemy vehicles' engine sounds are not audible. * Flamethrowers stop firing once their AREA target is burning. * Map elevation algorithm is improved, making roads run more smoothly up/down hill faces, not stair-stepped. * Gun crews won't abandon their (functioning) guns until they're fully ROUTED (rather than BROKEN) provided they have less than 50% casualties. * Sneaking units, when fired upon in cover, are more likely to stop and return fire rather than keep moving. * In the action phase the rewind button would sometimes cause a building-destruction animation to play at the incorrect time. This has been fixed. * Fanatic units are subject to panic (like normal units) when attacked by flamethrower. * Captured (or escaped) infantry is allowed to move at run speed, regardless of initial weapon type. However, this can only happen as a result of running for cover when under attack; no captured unit may be given orders to "run". * Smoke shells leave a small impact crater. * When a unit kills an enemy armored vehicle, it now (usually) plays the appropriate voice sound effect. * "Detailed armor hit text" is not shown to the enemy when a vehicle is hit by a mine or artillery outside of enemy observation. * When repositioning a unit during setup, the colored line always turns red to indicate that a position is not allowed. * Sound contacts are no longer indicated (to the enemy) as knocked out or destroyed even if they actually are. And if destroyed, they are not shown on the map at all. And they are never shown as being located off the map edge. * Armored vehicles are slightly less likely to be immobilized or receive gun damage from nearby blasts (e.g. artillery). * You can give movement orders to bogged vehicles, which they'll execute if they're able to un-bog. * Split-squads' casualties are tallied correctly in the after-action report. * 'Target Next' order works for vehicles with machineguns but no main gun. * 0 vs. 0 final score is reported as a 'draw' not an Axis victory. * Units 'notice' more quickly that an enemy unit has surrendered, and don't shoot at them just seconds after surrendering. * Bailed vehicle crews who are less than 'fully' spotted are drawn with generic infantry uniforms. * Infantry moves more slowly on slopes. * Automatic force picker for Quick Battles picks fewer defensive fortifications. * Captured guns and mortars are tallied correctly in the after action report. * Interior graphic problem with the SPW 251/1 halftrack fixed. * If a tank became immobilized while rotating its turret, sometimes the turret would keep spinning. This has been fixed. * If you move a vehicle carrying passengers during setup, its passengers' command and control links are updated immediately and correctly. * No 'reinforcements have arrived' message is shown if all of them are airplanes. * Vehicles in 'hunt' mode are a little more likely to stop before shooting. * Sometimes the 'hide roofs' and 'transparent buildings' options would interfere with one another. This has been fixed. * When loading or saving a file in the editor, the dialog 'default' directory is the Saved Games directory. * Slight problem of diagonal bocage and walls not quite matching 3D placement on map is fixed. * No prisoner will ever be shown as "reloading". * Some open-top armored vehicles were suffering crew casualties from nearby explosions, even when buttoned-up. This has been fixed. * Unit editor allows U.S. Paratroops to carry up to 3 rifle grenades (was 2). * Bazookas, panzerschrecks, and PIATs display caliber and muzzle velocity in data window. * Sometimes reloading a 1-player game would have the wrong fog of war setting (it wasn't being reloaded properly). This is fixed. * Sometimes shells were passing through buildings when firing at the top story. Fixed. [ 01-11-2002: Message edited by: aka_tom_w ]</p>

ok lets put it another way I (and I think most folks would agree) would NEVER agree to play this game against someone else via TCP/IP or PBEM even if both my game settings and his game settings could be sychronized in this new fashion that Mr. Rocker is suggesting. I completely disagree with any suggestion that would propose "user definable stats, settings or unit specifications" The game now largely adheres (for the most part I believe) to stats and generally accepted laws of ballistics, physics and armour penetration that can be found in Rexford's WWII armour penetration book. Here's a hint don't propose to mess with the life blood of this game (Historical Accuracy) unless you are a hardcore grog or hold a Ph. D. in WW II armour penetration. I say this because a few folks on this forum and who have been involved in the production of this GREAT game have such respectable credentials (or should have by way of knowledge demonstrated in this forum eg. Jason Cawley). There is no good reason to introduce user defineable specs! none! not now, not in CMBB not ever! -tom w

I played it and it was fun The British attack through woods and scattered trees from the bottom of the map, a bombed out Rail marshalling yard. it was fun but now I can't remember the name of it? Any suggestions? -tom w

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Big Time Software: To be clear, there is absolutely no difference with the "new" UK/French game or manual compared to what we were selling before. To do that would create a whole bunch of problems for us, including a major distraction from work on CMBB. And we can't have that now can we? Steve<hr></blockquote> OK that pretty much answers my last question thanks for the clarification. -tom w

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Runyan99: New units?<hr></blockquote> Same OLD CMBO game right?? what about the suggestion of new units? "CDV Software let us know that they plan on releasing a two-disc Combat Mission compilation pack called Combat Mission Gold in mid-February. The pack will include the original game, mods, new scenarios, units, skins and lots more. are we talking about re-branding CMBO v1.12 ? or some new patch with new units? Who would want to purchase such a CD? Will it have something new on it that is not freely available else where on the internet? enquiring minds want to know??? -tom w

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Andreas: I think it is worth remembering that CDV has the distribution rights for Germany (and other countries), i.e. is a business partner of BTS, while Ripoff Publishing had nothing but an attitude and a lack of respect for other people's intellectual property.<hr></blockquote> Well that sounds promising, thanks for mentioning the link to the "distribution rights for Germany (and other countries), i.e. is a business partner of BTS," many folks such has myself may not have known that. -tom w

Combat Mission Gold 7:32 AM - James "Prophet" Fudge - Games: Turn-Based Strategy - (1) CDV Software let us know that they plan on releasing a two-disc Combat Mission compilation pack called Combat Mission Gold in mid-February. The pack will include the original game, mods, new scenarios, units, skins and lots more. If you dig 3D turn-based strategy games, then you'll want to get your hands on this. This what they have to say at the above site. interesting? -tom w

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Madmatt: Wanna bet? Your gone! Madmatt<hr></blockquote> THANKS! just in the nick of time too, he was really starting to tick me off!! -tom w

who cares just ban him do it now -tom w

Penetration at Weak Spot is without a doubt THE "Magic Bullet" in this game, and in my personal experience this little "feature" generally works largly to the benefit of the Allied player. or depending.... -tom w

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Bullseye: http://www.civilization.ca/cwm/armwar/indexwareng.html Choose "Enhanced version", then "Start Adventure". Nice, sort of RPG adventure, where you get to be a Canadian Sherman commander.<hr></blockquote> ITs Actually very interesting. It is unquestionably of Canadian Origin. check it out -tom w [ 01-09-2002: Message edited by: aka_tom_w ]</p>