aka_tom_w

Still posting to this thread to generate more actual historical data on German Zeiss Tank Gunnery optics in WWII. Still searching for relevant info. -tom w

"One question for everyone who has the full version: Can that unit screen be displayed in playback mode so you can monitor when a soldier gets killed in real time or can the screen only be pulled up after the fighting is over?" Yes in the movie (even in the demo no?) you can select that unit and watch it die a slow one man by one man, painful death. Then when there are none left what was the unit lies down and becomes a dead body. I think if you look closely you can watch the unit go from three men down to two men (2 or 3 dead) to one man (4 - 6 Dead), and these casualties will show up in the screen beside the red cross + at the bottom of the screen. This Aspect of CMBO works EXCEPTIONALLY well and IMHO need not be triffled with. -tom w ------------------ <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> "Remember that no dumb bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country." G. S. Patton <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

oops [This message has been edited by aka_tom_w (edited 08-23-2000).]

There have been MANY threads about this: Try this one: http://www.battlefront.com/discuss/Forum1/HTML/004014.html Steve's comments are wildly entertainging! BTW there are Dead Bodies One single dead body is left on the ground when the last man in the unit is incapacitated, or becomes a casuality. If you look closely at the battle field there are dead bodies when units are wiped out. This has been a Very hotly debated topic in the past. -tom w ------------------ <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> "Remember that no dumb bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country." G. S. Patton <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I thought that Mac "How to" stuff was posted in Tips and Techniques I think you will fin it in this thread: http://www.battlefront.com/discuss/Forum7/HTML/000007.html good luck -tom w

from this web page: http://www.history.enjoy.ru/is2_3.html "Compared with the Tiger, the IS-2 was slightly better protected even though it was ten tons lighter.. The 88 mm and 122 mm guns had more or less the same AP ability, but again, German gun had less HE ability. Both tanks could penetrate each other's frontal armor from ~1000 metres. At greater distances success highly depended on experience of the crew and battle conditions. The IS-2 had thicker armor, thus it had a better chance at distances over 1500 metres. On the other hand, the Tiger had better optics and thus had a better chance of hitting the IS-2. The main drawback of the Tiger was the slow angular velocity of the turret. However, the Tiger had an excellent length/width ratio (almost 1:1) which made it extremely maneuverable. And if the Tiger could not traverse its turret fast enough, the whole tank could swivel to bring the gun to bear." Still looking for how much better German Zeis Gunnery Optics were... -tom w

This is interesting. from: http://www.panzerelite.com/faqmsgboard.html There are some questions and answers from the Panzer Elite Board, about they model tank Gunnery. An interesting read: QUESTION: Zeiss Optics: If I'm aiming at something (looking through the gunner reticle) and I change the shell type (from AP to HE) I think that the reticle should change position due to the different muzzle velocity of the different shell. If the target is at 500 m, I put the first right triangle on it when I read AP500, I shoot and my shot is fairly accurate. If I change to HE the reticle doesn't change position. I read HE500, I shoot and my shot is short because the shell's speed was lower. The reticle should change position to make me elevate the gun to make up for the difference in muzzle velocity. ANSWER: The Zeiss optics were used for AP ammo mainly, to fire HE the gunner just "added" 200 meters to the target's assumed range. This is historical. PROBLEM: I don't see any option to delete saved games, how do I do this? SOLUTION: This was an oversight and it will be corrected in the future. For now you must do it manually, in the Panzer Elite\**\SAVEGAMES folder (** is the campaign you are in, i.e., `Desert'). PROBLEM: Several of us have drawn attention over the past weeks to a tendency for the AI gunner, in the midst of generally accurate and consistent targeting and shooting, to sometimes enter a phase of shooting 5 or 6 shots in succession 20 or 30 degrees off line, with no apparent or obvious reason. This is still occurring after 1.07 final and I am wondering whether this was investigated. ANSWER: We know about this but we can't recreate it. This makes it very hard to debug, we are still looking into this. QUESTION: What factors go into the gunnery in PE? ANSWER: The factors we use are: - Target range: Longer range makes it close to impossible, but not impossible to hit. - Target speed: More speed = worse hit chance - Target size: 5 different target sizes - Line of sight obstructions: They reduce hit probability and spotting probability, the best initial defense. - Wind speed. - Wind direction in relation to your path of aim. - Relative quality of the gun system: PE uses 4 modifier to show various qualities: S, normal, L and LL. S is the worst while LL is the best. This is basically a combination of barrel length, muzzle velocity, and to lesser extent; optics and fire control equipment. - Gunner quality: His skill plays a major role. PE does not use: -Target aspect: We do not use target aspect, or we use a simplified version. The target size for a side shot could be increased by 1 though, but I don't think it would matter much. -Target maneuvering: We don't take that into account, we only take the current speed at the moment when the shot gets off. QUESTION: When does AI use the special rounds such as HEAT, APDS, etc.?. ANSWER: The AI (Enemy tanks and your wingmen) "knows" if it can penetrate it's target or not by simple means (not taking exact calculation, it does a rough quickie on those). If not, it tries to drive closer or uses APS (or Heat) if available.

from: http://www.company7.com/zeiss/history.html The Carl Zeiss Company History Page: When World War II began (arguably) in September 1939 there was an air of invincibility in Germany, and in keeping with traditional practice, most Zeiss products (and those of other manufacturers in Germany) had proudly borne the trademark, and city of their origin of the product. However, soon it became clear that the Allies were able to identify and bomb targets in Germany. So, in February 1942 the German Armaments Ministry assigned three letter code marks to those companies engaged in fabricating military hardware. The codes identified the manufacturer, and their facility of origin. Carl Zeiss Jena products employed code marks including "blc"; Leica "beh", and so on. There were forced foreign laborers ("Fremdarbeiter") brought to work at Carl Zeiss Jena and other German manufacturing facilities. And it is certain that not all Germans were sympathetic to the Nazi regime, in fact there are known examples of intervention by the Zeiss Personnel Department to obtain the release from prison of foreign laborers. Some Germans might warn newcomers to "what what you say" around certain other Germans who might be Nazi party supporters. One foreign laborer at Jena recalls visiting a couple whose son was at the Russian front and listening to the English news from London; he was later warned such conduct could lead to the death penalty. Zeiss optics figured prominently in the success of many weapons systems. For examples there were the pressure resistant U-Boat targeting bearing transmitter binoculars, ultra wide angle large aperture binoculars, the stereoscopic range finders and sights used to direct fearsome weapons such as the outstanding 88mm anti-tank guns. One of the most published early photographs of the war shows Adolf Hitler outside of Warsaw Poland in September of 1939 observing through a pair of artillery director periscoping binoculars (commonly used by a battery director to evaluate and correct artillery ranging) as the city is leveled by German artillery and air forces. However, with the turning tide as the end of the "Third Reich" approached, the advancing allied forces would discover interesting products of German research and development efforts in many areas including optics. Among these was the "liberation" of at least one 200mm binocular made by Zeiss which weighed about 1200 lbs! These remain in the custody of the U.S. Government in Washington, D.C. and are completing a comprehensive restoration by Mr. Kevin Kuhne in New Jersey even though there are no plans to display them. Intricate examples of complex lens making were found bearing Zeiss code marks indicating production after November 1944, even though the need for such sophistication and refinement on one product in a nation beset by lack of raw materials and manpower could be questioned. We have an example of a finely crafted hand held Zeiss 7x50 binocular with very sophisticated optics, two custom made sets of filters, finely sewn leather case with straps and eyepiece rain guard (engraved "Benutzer" - for the use of) that was made at a time while other Zeiss hand held military binoculars made were being shipped with painted prism housings instead of the pebble grain exteriors and no accessories. Major German cities were bombed during the war. Stuttgart for example was bombed in 1944 with the central district being obliterated while the Contessa factory in the Henslack district suffered only minor damage. Jena was bombed by the U.S. 8th Air Force several times during the course of the war, with increasing severity. In one bomb raid of 19 March 1945 witnessed by Lucas VanHilst "I was standing outside a zig-zag "Schutzgraben" looking up to 'my friends', the first wave of whom just passed by so to speak. Then suddenly a German soldier on leave grabbed me by the arm. "Mach' schnell, 'runter!!". The suction of an explosion threw me down the stairs. He may well have saved my life. In the center section several persons were killed or wounded. The last bombardment was the worst. The sight of carts loaded with dead bodies was shocking - as it would anywhere. That air attack did substantial damage to some Zeiss and also to Schott buildings (where one of my Dutch friends was killed). The rather small "Alte Stadt" was totaled. Visiting in 1994 it still was a sad sight." There is evidence that the disruptions of raw materials and transport were having some chain reaction effect at Jena and those who depended on products coming from Jena. In March the completion and delivery to the military of several new "Jagdtiger" (or "Hunting Tiger") tanks were being held up by the late delivery of the special shock resistant (the tank had a 128mm gun!), precision sight components from Carl Zeiss Jena. It appears that towards the end of the war in Europe one of the last decisions made in the selection of targets for the allied air forces was whether to bomb Schweinfurt (known for its ball bearing production, and a October 1943 bombing campaign that resulted in tragic losses for the U.S. Army Air Forces and the German Luftwaffe), or Jena with its Zeiss and Jena works. Schweinfurt was selected even though by then more than 35% of its production from the five factories had been dispersed. On April 6, 1945 90th Infantry forces of the U.S. Third Army came upon the Kaiseroda salt mine near Merkers (a few miles inside the border of Thuringia). The mine housed currency (including 98 million French francs, 2.7 billion Reichsmarks) and gold and coin including the entire gold reserves in 550 bags each of 55 to 81 lbs. totaling nearly 250 tons from the Reichsbank in Berlin (including 711 bags each filled with $25,000 in U.S. $20 gold coins), and silent testament to victims of the Nazi's: stacks of valuables taken from those at the death camps (jewelry - wedding rings, watch cases, gold filled glasses, teeth with gold and silver fillings, etc.), 400 tons of art from Germany and works plundered from conquered nations, dozens of complex microscopes and other optical instruments made by Zeiss and others. The entire 712th tank Battalion and the 357th Infantry regiment were also diverted to guard the mine in preparation for removal of the items to the Reichsbank building in Frankfurt. One humorous aside to this was that on the morning of April 12, Generals Eisenhower, Bradley, Patton and Maj. Gen. Manton Eddy took the 1,600 foot elevator ride down into the shaft. When the elevator doors opened at the bottom of the shaft, a Private on guard stumbled to salute, and in the tomblike stillness was heard to mutter "Jesus Christ!". Among the most disconcerting discoveries made by the unprepared allied soldiers were the concentration death and labor camps. On April 11 U.S. Third Army XX Corp forces overran Buchenwald (near Weimar and Jena) where some prisoners were employed as slave labor for the manufacture and assembly of components including military binoculars with Zeiss code marks; on April 11 prisoners were observed throwing binoculars over the fence to passing allied soldiers. The U.S. Third Army continued its advance, and on April 13 the regimental combat team 80th Division cleared Jena where they found the Carl Zeiss factory complex had sustained what they described as "surprisingly little effective bomb damage". By then the original large planetarium test dome was gone, even though nearby on another roof top a small telescope observatory dome remained. The Yalta agreement fashioned between the allies political leadership had determined that Germany would be partitioned into four areas, each under control of a major ally (England, France, Russia, U.S.A). All of the Zeiss facilities but the Contessa works in Stuttgart (occupied by the French but designated for U.S. control) were in what would become the Russian zone of occupation; and so at Jena over the course of several days the U.S. forces proceeded to evacuate manufacturing assets and documents. At least some foreign laborers went with the U.S. Third Army to act in capacities such as "member-translator" of outfits such as the "Civic Affairs Team TA-4" traveling as far east as Vimperk (Winterburg), Czechia. With the rapid advances into areas being newly occupied the letter of the law or procedure were not always adhered to; just imagine running into a person in U.S. army uniform carrying a carbine, with a Dutch passport! The members of the Carl Zeiss Jena board of management and the most vital staff including Professor Dr. Ing. Walther Bauersfeld (1879-1959) Scientific Head with the company since 1908, Dr. Ing. Heinz Kuppenbender, Professor Dr. Joos, Paul Henrichs, and about 130 engineers and technicians were evacuated to western Germany occupied by allied forces to what would become the Federal Republic of Germany. The evacuees were advised by the American officials (reportedly in an early version of "make them an offer they can not refuse") that they would be moved to the American Zone of occupation; there are accounts that some went voluntarily and others were given no choice. Army trucks were assigned to move the families who were afforded only enough time to pack a suitcase. The 65 year old Frau Bauersfeld was allowed to take (as a last minute concession) one armchair for the long ride in the back of the truck. Months later, with the help of a neighbor and some luck one of Prof. Bauersfelds daughters moved from Jena the family Steinway piano on a railway car to Heidenheim. Zeiss Administrator Joos went on to the United States. Within as little a few weeks after the fighting concluded, some Zeiss facilities were back at work. The Contessa works at Stuttgart resumed production of Ikonta and Nettar film cameras. German military and civilian optics of the period remain among the most sought after "war trophies" taken home by occupying forces; to this day many people represent undocumented binoculars as being the personal Zeiss of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel. Shortly afterwards, in compliance with the Yalta agreements the U.S.military forces departed. In June or early July the Russian military forces occupied Jena and the remainder of what became East Germany (German Democratic Republic). By one year later, the Russians had evacuated much of the remaining technical and management staff and about 92% of the Carl Zeiss Jena manufacturing facilities to the east. Other German manufacturing assets were also confiscated under the reparations provisions; these gutted many factories mostly in the Russian occupied zone. At Dresden, the Contax rangefinder camera dies and some staff were taken to Kiev. It is likely the Russians wanted to emasculate Germany and/or take whatever reparations they could against a Germany that had decimated Russia's population (less so than Stalin). Further, the Russian fear of possible further conflict with the western allies rendered moving any production capability into a more defensible Russian province a logical strategic step. After the war, the "Zeiss Stiftung von Jena" was established at Heidenheim with the "Opton-Optische Werstatte Oberkochen GmbH" factory at Oberkochen on the banks of the Kocher River near Stuttgart, with the Schott Glass Works subsidiary located at Mainz. -tom notes While this is "sort of Research" and does show that Zeiss Optics were used in the War effort, it does not give any actual indication as to how much better German Gunnery optics were. i'll keep looking. -tom w

Oh back to my favourite thread of all time. It opened with comments about German gunnery Optics and their added effectiveness. I would like to comment further..... I understand this point: "The problem is not, "Are German optics better?" but "How much better are German optics?". At least as far back as the last time they commented on this issue, they did not have good data that quantifies just how much of an improvement the German sights had on targeting. Did they help 5%, 10% or more?" And I understand the Chalres and Steve want some facts and figures from "reality" to base any attempt at modeling superior German optics on. Ok I understand that BUT.... How did the model the advantage some Allied tanks have with that Gyro Stabilizer. Most historic info on that seems to indicate it was often disengaged by the crew or it was poorly maintained. But that dubious or questionable advantage is modeled in the game? I do believe that those of us who care about this should find some relevant facts and historical data (if it exists) to make our case for the superior quality of the German Zeiss gunnery optics. I think this could be modeled and in CMBO but it really "should" be modeled in CM2 as the effects of this superior aiming and targeting ability at long ranges was historically a factor (as I understand it) in many large long range tank battles on the eastern front. I do believe that in CMBO German tanks should be modeled with better gunnery optics and appear more accurate. The question id of course, "How much better, and how much more accurate" Without any historical facts or any evidence what so ever I would like to propose that as the range increase the german gunnery optics should gradually get a percentage advantage of getting a hit over their Allied counter parts. I have no idea if this realistic but if the range is over 500 m German optics provide a 5% targeting bonus if the range is over 750 m German optics provide a 10% targeting bonus if the range is over 1000 m German optics provide a 15% targeting bonus This targeting bonus would go on top of the current chance to hit as it is now modeled and would only change the algorythym for the part of the calculation that determines "chance for round to hit target" nothing else. This proposal may seem overly simplisitc, but my question to BTS is how was the 'advantage" of the Allies' gyro stabilizer modeled? I would suggest some similiar abstraction was added to the alogorythm for those allied tanks with gyro stabilizers while they are on the move. I do not know at all if my 5% 10% 15% targeting bonus is realistic at all, but in some small way, especially for CM2 we (those devoted to modeling German Zeiss gunnery optics) should propose some hard historical facts and figures so that this German advantage can be accurately and realistically modeled in the future. I think most here would agree the Germans were known for having better tank gunnery optics, our challenge is to quantify that "betterness" into some actual numbers and percentages that Charles can add to the targeting algorythms, if he and Steve choose to model an advantage for German optics in CM2. Any comments, suggestions, or (preferably) historical documentation of how much superior German Optics were? thanks -tom w Jeff Replies in another thread... IP: Logged Jeff Heidman Member posted 08-23-2000 09:19 AM Tom, are you talking about ADDING 15% to the to hit chance, or increasing the to hit chance by 15%? In other words, would a 15% hit chance go up to .15+.15=30% or .15*1.15=17% If the first, that is WAY too much, and if the second, it is not worth the trouble... Jeff IP: Logged aka_tom_w Member posted 08-23-2000 10:13 AM quote: Originally posted by Jeff Heidman: Tom, are you talking about ADDING 15% to the to hit chance, or increasing the to hit chance by 15%? In other words, would a 15% hit chance go up to .15+.15=30% or .15*1.15=17% If the first, that is WAY too much, and if the second, it is not worth the trouble... Jeff Good Question Jeff. Thanks. Since I really don't know how much more effective those Zeiss optics were. I'm just trying to stimulate conversation and research to come up with some numbers that might accurately model the reality of the their improved German gunnery optics. I think I meant the later of your options: "In other words, would a 15% hit chance go up to .15+.15=30% or .15*1.15=17%" I think I was suggesting the 17% chance to hit instead of 15% now if that chance to hit was 80% an added 15% would be 80 * 1.15 = 92% and I'd say that would be worth it. I would really like to see some form of similar change to the German targeting algorythm that the Allied Gyro Stabilizers provide. I suspect this may require a new thread to bring it to the top but I'll leave the discussion here for now. Thanks for your comments Jeff. Math is not my strong suit so I appreciate your query regarding how the actual numbers and percentages and how they might effect the accuracy. I think the only think the German optics advance should increase is just the chance to hit. comments? -tom w ------------------ <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> "Remember that no dumb bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country." G. S. Patton <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Hi Spear Did we mention those patented BTS CM Mind Control Algorythms embedded in the code? You can now Kiss the rest of your life goodbye. If you are married find a good divorce lawyer now. But Have FUN! You will have to wait awhile for the CD to Arrive but thats' just part of the Patented Mind control assimaltion prodecure. When it finally arrives you WILL really Want it, You will PLAY it and you will NEVER Stop! Now get back to the Demo. -tom w (P.S. Welcome aboard) ------------------ <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> "Remember that no dumb bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country." G. S. Patton <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> [This message has been edited by aka_tom_w (edited 08-23-2000).] [This message has been edited by aka_tom_w (edited 08-23-2000).]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Jeff Heidman: Tom, are you talking about ADDING 15% to the to hit chance, or increasing the to hit chance by 15%? In other words, would a 15% hit chance go up to .15+.15=30% or .15*1.15=17% If the first, that is WAY too much, and if the second, it is not worth the trouble... Jeff<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Good Question Jeff. Thanks. Since I really don't know how much more effective those Zeiss optics were. I'm just trying to stimulate conversation and research to come up with some numbers that might accurately model the reality of the their improved German gunnery optics. I think I meant the later of your options: "In other words, would a 15% hit chance go up to .15+.15=30% or .15*1.15=17%" I think I was suggesting the 17% chance to hit instead of 15% now if that chance to hit was 80% an added 15% would be 80 * 1.15 = 92% and I'd say that would be worth it. I would really like to see some form of similar change to the German targeting algorythm that the Allied Gyro Stabilizers provide. I suspect this may require a new thread to bring it to the top but I'll leave the discussion here for now. Thanks for your comments Jeff. Math is not my strong suit so I appreciate your query regarding how the actual numbers and percentages and how they might effect the accuracy. I think the only thing the German Zeiss gunnery optics advantage should increase is just the chance to hit. comments? -tom w [This message has been edited by aka_tom_w (edited 08-23-2000).]

I would like to comment..... I understand this point: "The problem is not, "Are German optics better?" but "How much better are German optics?". At least as far back as the last time they commented on this issue, they did not have good data that quantifies just how much of an improvement the German sights had on targeting. Did they help 5%, 10% or more?" And I understand the Chalres and Steve want some facts and figures from "reality" to base any attempt at modeling superior German optics on. Ok I understand that BUT.... How did the model the advantage some Allied tanks have with that Gyro Stabilizer. Most historic info on that seems to indicate it was often disengaged by the crew or it was poorly maintained. But that dubious or questionable advantage is modeled in the game? I do believe that those of us who care about this should find some relevant facts and historical data (if it exists) to make our case for the superior quality of the German Zeiss gunnery optics. I think this could be modeled and in CMBO but it really "should" be modeled in CM2 as the effects of this superior aiming and targeting ability at long ranges was historically a factor (as I understand it) in many large long range tank battles on the eastern front. I do believe that in CMBO German tanks should be modeled with better gunnery optics and appear more accurate. The question id of course, "How much better, and how much more accurate" Without any historical facts or any evidence what so ever I would like to propose that as the range increase the german gunnery optics should gradually get a percentage advantage of getting a hit over their Allied counter parts. I have no idea if this realistic but if the range is over 500 m German optics provide a 5% targeting bonus if the range is over 750 m German optics provide a 10% targeting bonus if the range is over 1000 m German optics provide a 15% targeting bonus This targeting bonus would go on top of the current chance to hit as it is now modeled and would only change the algorythym for the part of the calculation that determines "chance for round to hit target" nothing else. This proposal may seem overly simplisitc, but my question to BTS is how was the 'advantage" of the Allies' gyro stabilizer modeled? I would suggest some similiar abstraction was added to the alogorythm for those allied tanks with gyro stabilizers while they are on the move. I do not know at all if my 5% 10% 15% targeting bonus is realistic at all, but in some small way, especially for CM2 we (those devoted to modeling German Zeiss gunnery optics) should propose some hard historical facts and figures so that this German advantage can be accurately and realistically modeled in the future. I think most here would agree the Germans were known for having better tank gunnery optics, our challenge is to quantify that "betterness" into some actual numbers and percentages that Charles can add to the targeting algorythms, if he and Steve choose to model an advantage for German optics in CM2. Any comments, suggestions, or (preferably) historical documentation of how much superior German Optics were? thanks -tom w ------------------ <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> "Remember that no dumb bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country." G. S. Patton <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> [This message has been edited by aka_tom_w (edited 08-23-2000).]

The only other "random" event it seems is tanks geting bogged in, or if fast moving through scattered trees they can throw a track and immbolize themselves. Other than that, reinforcments come in a random times depending on how they were set up in the Scenario designer and Air Strikes may or may not show up and may target your units or the enemy units. Anyone know what else is random in this game? -tom w

Hi I prefer the KT myself... oh well they are all very pretty -tom w

yup that Cool! see this how do I imbed this image: http://www.tamiya.com/english/products/king_tiger/king_tiger1.htm

OK This is an interesting and thought provoking thread. I have been of the opinion in the past that the game and the Hunt and Target tool and Hull Down Position"ness" of the game, the way it works now is just fine, and NO, it is not easy for Anyone even those who have played alot and practice, to position their tanks in the perfect Hull down position. But that's OK Should BTS make getting into a hull down position easier? Many here seem to think so. The concept of using the LOS and Target tool to determine Hull Downness to a certain distant terrain location is not really such a bad idea. I really like the idea of a camera view "exactly " from the gunner's sight in the Tank, except that such a view won't help you stop the tank in "just" the right spot as the tanks cannot be commanded to stop, once the orders were issued and the movie starts to play. Using the LOS tool to determine Hull Downness relative to a specific distant location may be a good compromise. Other wise I still like the way it works and I don't really mind how difficult it is to get a good hull down location, because the conditions and difficulty level to do this are still the same for both players. But this thread does seem more logical and mature and enlightened then "That Other Thread". -tom w

I find the CM Borg Wildly entertaining. Keep up the good work! Asslimilate 'em ALL and let God Sort 'em out. -tom w ------------------ <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> "Remember that no dumb bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country." G. S. Patton <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I would like to suggest that if you use the Target tool instead of the LOS tool (they really do EXACTLY the same thing IMHO) your Target tool will tell you if you have LOS or not AND when you select an enemy unit it will tell you if you or the target are hull down. Why not just ALWAYS check LOS with the Target tool and see where the line goes black and red and where it stays Blue? Isn't that the same thing you are asking for in the LOS tool? Why not just use the Target tool all the time when checking LOS? -tom w ------------------ <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> "Remember that no dumb bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country." G. S. Patton <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I guess I should really figure out how to do this by myself, these .bmp files don't "fit into " the way things work on the Mac version do they? Anyone else wnat to use these BEAUTIFUL textures on their Mac? I am using the Mad MAtt Mac Mods #1 and they are COOL for the mac (since they really WORK) but I think these one's have to be converted or something. any comments thanks -tom w ------------------ <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> "Remember that no dumb bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country." G. S. Patton <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

From the v1.04 Read me * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 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. * Large guns like the 88mm AT are allowed to use the rotation order (this was a bug). * 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.

This ROCKS! when was the last time any software designer or programer fixed SO many thing SO Fast. Never in the course of video game history has So much been Owed to So Few ("the Charles", the Creator all Hail!) BY so MANY! (to paraphrase Winston Churchill) Thanks Charles! Just look at all the things that have been tweaked since this game was realesed. Truly immpressive..... * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 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. * Large guns like the 88mm AT are allowed to use the rotation order (this was a bug). * 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. ------------------ <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> "Remember that no dumb bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country." G. S. Patton <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Now I know this is a long shot but I was sort of hoping that this thread would be a central place for people to stay in touch and post any news or comments made in other threads by Charles or Steve or otehr folks in the know (seems there are a few of them) about what had been pubically commented on regarding fixes and tweaks in the now upcoming v1.04 patch. That's all.. Just a thought... now back to the recce move ranting I guess -tom w ------------------ <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> "Remember that no dumb bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country." G. S. Patton <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Ok I patched it thanks for the spelling update notice. -tom w <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Maximus: Oh what the Hell? Since I haven't been on here being my ol' Maximus Butticus self lately. I don't know, I must have missed that day in school, but I don't recall the contraction "you'ld" ever being used in the textboooks.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> ------------------ <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> "Remember that no dumb bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country." G. S. Patton <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

again... Has this issue been looked at? -tom w ------------------ <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> "Remember that no dumb bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country." G. S. Patton <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Has this been addressed yet? Bunkers (though they can't move) default in exit point scenario's in the designer to be eligible for exit point if they get tot he exit zone. -tom w ------------------ <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> "Remember that no dumb bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country." G. S. Patton <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>