Madmatt

Cool, I was hoping someone would notice. I did that last night. Madmatt [ August 10, 2002, 12:45 PM: Message edited by: Madmatt ]

DOH! I am supposed to be in Germany on the 10th! Had I known I would have changed my travel plans and arrived earlier. Oh well...Take lots of video for me! Madmatt

I know I got what feels like a pulled groin muscle because of that damn M8. Next time I am wearing my combat boots and bringing my extra large MagLite when I go scurrying around on tanks! Yeah, I will get something setup on CMHQ over the weekend for anyone that needs it. Best thing to do is assemble all the pics, zip them up in packs of 5 megs or so and email them to me. Then I can create a gallery for all of them. Madmatt

Tankboy, Make sure and grab the version 1.12 patch as that copy of CMBO I gave you might not have been the latest version. When the game boots up look at the bottom right hand corner of the main menu screen. It should have the version number there. If its less than 1.12 than you need to install the patch. Madmatt

Yes positive, due to the angle, you are looking INTO the barrel and with the jpeg compression its blending the edge lines together so it all looks the same color at the muzzel. Madmatt

No its not, refresh, I fixed that a while ago. Madmatt

Its there, just hard to see from that angle. Madmatt

All different versions. But sometimes the differences are very subtle. Gee, what sort of halftrack is that in the background....Hmmm.... Madmatt

Okay, said I said the next bone throw would feature lots of minor nation vehicles and this one doesn't. Oh well, I lied. Click the Thumbnails for the full, beautiful, amazing, mouth watering versions. Madmatt ******* Madmatt- Who do you want to BAN today? [ August 31, 2002, 06:29 PM: Message edited by: Madmatt ]

CMBB has both the old style non-vehicular fords as in CMBO and new vehicle crossable fords. It is a new tile in the editor. Madmatt

There were no emails sent to indicate the exact time of shipping but all pre-orders shipped out last week. The APO address is probably cause for the slight delivery delay. Madmatt

It was indeed an awesome day, to say the very least. My deepest thanks and gratitude go out to Major Chris Carnes and all the servicemen that were in attendance and volunteered to take a bunch of out of shape civilians around and let us loose on their backlots literally briming with all manner of armored vehicles. Of course the M1A2 driving sim was also incredible to the extreme. 70 tons is a helluva lot of mass to move around let me tell you! The defining moment of the day was when Staff Sergeant Martinez got me all rigged up to the 9 million dollar full motion tank driving simulator after watching me demo CMBB for an hour. As we activated the system and he booted up the simulator control in the adjacent monitoring room he said to me over the com, "Well, this isnt quite as cool as your game." Now THAT'S an endorsement! Again, thanks to everyone that made it out, service personnel and game fans alike! It was a day I won't soon miss and I had a wonderful time. Everyones enthusiasm for the game is indeed contagious. Standing from L to R: (Iskander, jeffsmith, Laura Smith, DaveT, Blackhorse, Madmatt, Rune, wwb_99, kking199, Tanker74, Doug Frank) Kneeling from L to R: (Randl, USTanker, jgdpzr, Harv) Sitting from L to R: (Junior "evils" Chris Orosz, Nick Orosz) Madmatt [ August 07, 2002, 05:24 PM: Message edited by: Madmatt ]

Okay guys, I am heading out the door. I will be spending today in Louisville and expect to be at the museums main entrance (probably laying on the T-28 getting some sun) tomorrow morning. Hope to see you all there! Madmatt [ August 05, 2002, 03:19 PM: Message edited by: Madmatt ]

Okay, it looks like several different viewpoints have now been expressed so I am going to close this one up but before I do let me just give my viewpoints on this. To me it's all about obligations. If you agree to participate in something you should make a GOOD FAITH attempt to abide by that obligation. If the real world gets in the way then of course that has to take precidence and you shouldn't give a silly computer game a second thought. When the smoke clears and you can get back to more mundane things then all it should take a simple email to everyone else saying "Hey, sorry guys, had a real life issue, now where were we?". Much harder to do, but even more important is for everyone else not to get bent outa shape when suddenly the guy they were feverishly swapping PBEM files with suddenly doesn't return emails anymore. Just be patient and ASSUME that something more important came up and TRUST that the other party will let you know when they can resume. Extend a little faith in your opponent and expect the same from them if something in your life comes up. It is real life people, relatives get sick and die, jobs get lost, families pick up and move, internet service provides flake out, email addresses books get corrupt, computer systems go down, all of these can cause a prolonged outage and when they do we need to all be understanding that whatever did make the other guy dissapear was more than likely a hell of a lot more important than a game! I can't fathom how bent out of shape people can get on this issue or most issues brought up here. People have posted about how angry they get when their opponents won't send in a surrender file. So what?!? Its a game, and if its so obvious that you won just be satisfied that you smacked the other guy silly and find someone else to play. See that last word there? PLAY...Its a game, something to divert our attention from the real world for a while. It is supposed to be fun and hopefully entertaining and if we did our jobs right possibly even slightly enlightning. I am continually amazed at some of the personallities that post here in that they can be such fans of the game and yet get some angry about the most trivial things the next moment. Its like they get up and say "Oh god I LOVE this game, but everyone else around me can GO TO HELL if they don't see my viewpoint EXACTLY like I do!" Of course those that do share the same viewpoint are often called sychophants or zombies or whatever other slang word of the day they are using on uselessnet. But I digress. Interaction with fellow game players is meant to be a fun, if not rather silly way to spend some time blowing the hell outa one anothers simulated game pieces. Just try and keep that in perspective. Thanks, now go out and get some sun! Madmatt

Since this seems to be a hot topic at the moment let me give some more incite on this issue as well as some general comments about the forum itself. First off, no one was more surprised by Treebursts comments than Steve and I. I only became aware of this morning when a concerned forum member emailed me to say that he found what TB said rather offensive and uncalled for. I read the thread in question and was amazed at the roasting given to Fionn for, what as I saw, rather tame comments about the tourny. Tb's response was totally out of line and in direct violation of forum rules and just common sense. It was more in a sense of shock than anger that I posted my warning to him but when I locked up the thread he was NOT banned. Those of you that have been around long enough know that if you aint banned when I first step in than I am giving you a second chance. At this time I met with some guys on the CMHQ chat server that were mutual aquintances of TB's. I was asked if perhaps some further discussion could be had and possibly the ban removed if he were to retract his comments. Due to TB's long history with CM and the forums I told an intermideary to contact him on my behalf and say that I was willing to discuss this matter one on one. My offer was flatly refused it seems as he has not emailed me since but he did reply to the intermideary and basically restated what he said in his first flammatory post. Some time during this he posted his second post in which he said he wants to be a martyr. That sort of comment seems odd in the extreme and since he refused to abide by the forum rules and it seems he does not wish to take back what he said in public we had no choice but to issue the ban against him. If I seemed mad in my comments to him than it is an accurate appraisal. Even after admining this board for two years I can not understand what prompts people to sometimes behave in this way. This issue is not about Fionn, and its not about Treebursts long history on the forum. It is about one person crossing the line and posting rather slanderous material on another and then refusing to retract those same statements. I don't care if what he said about Fionn is true or not, thats not the point, the point is that to make comments like that is against the rules. Now, about this Aunty Jack and other related concerns. People must understand that the sheer size and volume of these forums makes it all but impossible to keep up with every thread and post. Usually we only come in to a "issue" once someone (and normally more) has emailed us to indicate that there is a problem brewing. Normally a simple padlock is enough for all parties to cool off a bit. This means that sometimes some threads, posts and posters DO slip under our radar. Now I can spend a few hours researching all the posts by one idiot and track his ip's and ban him and do all the admin stuff that is required or I can work on CMBB. Today I spent completely on this issue, I won't do so tomorrow. This issue is now closed. Any further comments I see on it will be locked up. If Mike see's this and still wants to talk he has until tomorrow afternoon to contact me and I will listen to what he has to say but a reinstatement at this point is not too likely after his behavior so far. Madmatt

If thats what you want, fine with me. Your are not being martyed, your being a fool and disobeying the rules that you agreed to when you joined the forums and as a result wasting my time and the time of others than mean only to come here and participate in threads in a decent and adult manner. Let this stand as a testament to anyone else that thinks they can get away with the same. If you slam someone with no provocation in a thread and think you are justified in doing so then I have no qualms about adding your name to the list of banned former members. This is to be a forum for discussion and debate on matters revolving around CM and some people seem to let things get way too serious and personal. In that case, I have only one thing to say to you: Get a life! Madmatt [ August 04, 2002, 04:50 PM: Message edited by: Madmatt ]

Treeburst, I don't give a rats ass how much you have done for CM and your tourny you absolutely DO NOT come in here and publicaly blast another member, regardless of what goes on behind closed doors. This is not your own private bitch session and your comments to Fionn are totally out of line. This thread is being locked up while I decide wheter or not you should be allowed to continue to participate on these forums. Dorosh, I would suggest you keep your smug comments about Fionn private as well. What you guys talk about in private means NOTHING to me. If you don't like him or others, thats is fine, its your right but you air your dirty laundry here you will get a banning boot up your butt faster than light. ARE WE CLEAR GENTLEMEN?!? Madmatt

Having infantry ambient and enviromental sounds (boots on various surfaces, sounds of grunts and heavy equipment) was all planned originally but limitations of code, time and space on CD resulted in them not being implemented. Where I was able to make a great deal of change is in the various unit scripts, or spoken sayings. They are roughly 12 times more varied than in CMBO. Madmatt [ August 04, 2002, 07:03 PM: Message edited by: Madmatt ]

Doubtful. What I may try and do is sneak in some updated replacements for some of the few remaining CMBO sounds that are carried over but you won't get any "added" sounds in a patch. One problem is of space, as in space on the CD. Right now we are at the max. We can't add anything more, literally. Now while we can "replace" any old stuff in patches you must remember that at some point those patches will be intergrated into new CD masters (so the game is current when purchased) and those too must not be over a specific size. Most of my sound ideas WERE implemented, the ones that didn't make it are not going to be noticed, since you never got to hear them in the first place. Once we begin the engine re-write Charles and I are going to have a nice long chat about sound, sound effects and things I would like to see added in this aureal arena. Madmatt

Yes, in the time between the game going gold and being sent off to the replicators and the game shipping, Hubert was able to add some stuff and fix a few last minute buggies. One big added feature is support for DirectX which should solve the refresh/desktop issue that was reported with the gold demo (which was also updated). Madmatt

Actually, if you dont get a order confirmation you can email me directly. You email sales@battlefront.com if there is a problem with the order itself (once you know the order was in fact placed). Your email confirmation (and you should see a webpage which says the order was complete as well) should arrive immeditately. If it doesn't then its possible that you entered a incorrect email address but more than often in peoples haste to order they miss the webpage that tells them there was actually a problem and close their browser. Madmatt [ August 02, 2002, 07:07 PM: Message edited by: Madmatt ]

The full version v1.02 patch is now available to download from the following link: ftp://ftp.battlefront.com/pub/patches/stratcom/SC_patch102.exe This patch is for the full release of Strategic Command European Theater only. It will not work with the demo. To install this self extracting patch just doubleclick the SC_patch102.exe file. The file defaults to install into C:\Program Files\Strategic Command. If that path is not correct you may browse to the current Strategic Command game directory. Click the Unzip button once you have the path correct. The patch will automatically extract and copy over the old files. NOTE: All previously saved games with version 1.0 will not be compatible with v1.02. It is recommended that you delete the contents of your 'Save' and 'PBEM' folders once you have applied this patch. Version History: Changes Made For v1.02 (August 1, 2002) - fixed DirectX detection bug in SC - added use of DirectX to 'Campaign Editor' - fixed save game crash bug, now recognizes illegal characters - added stalemate victory conditions when date reaches May 7th, 1946 now checks for possible winner if right conditions - fixed PBEM replay bug, now shows replay after passwords are entered - added PBEM 'reload' counter, will appear as descriptor when loading your turn - fixed 'Campaign Editor' bug where units could be added after a country has been set as surrendered - added version string to saved PBEM games to verify consistency between SC versions - protected original 6 'Campaign' names when using the 'Campaign Editor' - NOTE: Saved games including PBEM not compatible with previous versions Changes Made For v1.01a (July 25th 2002) - added use of DirectX 7.0 or higher to initiate resolution change to 1024x768, appears to have eliminated desktop problems including: refresh rate issues, icon rearrangement, and window resizing (backward compatibility still maintained for systems not running DirectX 7.0 or higher) - squashed rare research seed bug - reduced AI tendancy to attack from cities when it is surrounded - Soviet ports now included in 'Scorched Earth' - added disbanding of naval units (max return 10% of purchase value) - fixed minor FoW glitch during PBEM replay, showing of final destination of operated and rebased air units eliminated - eliminated anti-aircraft research bug, UK research values were included in Allied Minor defence calculations during combat, now only applies to home country and occupied territory - added text string "Facility" when describing Soviet destruction of "Oil" during 'Scorched Earth' - fixed gamey tactic for Sub raiding in the Med. Double raiding positions eliminated - fixed connected friendly resources bug, calculations now include all friendly hexes that can trace a line to a friendly capital city, not just of consistent color from capital to friendly resource (i.e. Italian Albania can now be fully supplied through a German occupied Yugoslavia) - fixed minor reorganizational issue with Allied AI once Germany surrenders Changes Made For v1.01 (July 12th 2002) - added security patch for Gold Demo - in the Fall Blau campaign there were two units named 4th Pz., one was renamed 5th Pz. - fixed small bug with HQ unit attachments when units were transported, disbanded or operated - fixed spotting bug for naval units when in port and trying to spot subs, had full range now properly reduced to spotting range - 1 - fixed rare crash bug for when carriers move and then attack at sea - fixed the German and French Mine resource bug, these two were linked in memory - changed luftlotte to luftflotte Changes Made For v1.0 (July 5th 2002) - added play-by-email replay - added a 'Disable Undo' option (this can be toggled at any time, but is locked in for Hotseat/PBEM) - added an 'SC.ini' file in the 'Strategic Command Demo' folder. This will allow gamers that were experienceing sound problems to adjust for sound interruption, should eliminate long waits during button clicks etc. - also in the 'SC.ini' file you will be able to set a high refresh rate if you know your system can support it - pop up text boxes that were showing blanks on some systems should now show their information - abandoning allied positions in the Med may peak Italian interest into joining the war if they have not already done so - early Axis invasion of Baltic States prior to Soviet annexation will be much riskier in terms of political fallout with Moscow. Initial political shock will be the same, but now there will be a continued increase in Soviet war readiness - USA and Italy will start with their full income if sneak attacked and units in the capital will have an entrenchment value = 3. This does not make this strategy impossible but simply much riskier - air attacks against rocket and naval units as well as against fortified units (i.e. Maginot) have been intellegently adjusted to limit AI baiting - added SU unit to Riga for the start of Barbarossa - added a few units to the 1940 SU setup - adjusted the SU transfer of Siberian Troops to an open period instead of only when SU existence is threatened during the winter months. (This one I really thought about, but I think it would be reasonable since I don't think the original transfer was made due to weather but rather because of the demands of the military situation at the time) - extended save game file names to 38 characters from 20 - fixed 'next unit' bug when France was targeting units on the Maginot - fixed dissapearing Allied units in Vichy when France surrenders, basically a message pops up and says they surrender - Axis units do now finally and properly move to nearest adjacent city when France surrenders, so if Italian unit was in Africa moving towards Algiers they will move back to Tripolitania if that city is still friendly etc. - renamed 'Strausbourg' to Strasbourg - renamed 'Massachusettes' to 'Massachusetts' - decreased damages during naval Surprised movements in FoW - decreased damages slightly for naval combat (a decrease by 1 point for all attack and defence table values) - added info for saved AI games, basically so you can tell what difficulty and computer bonuses these games were set at - increased max surface raiding in the Atlantic to 40 MPP to include the value of Liverpool - increased individual sub raiding amount slightly in North Atlantic - adjusted reduced spotting to now properly include Air Fleets, Bombers and Rocket Attachments when spotting subs, basically spotting value - 1 - reduced disbanding value to about 50% less - added an updated 'resource_strength_sprite' with an indicator for when strengths are < 5, this will help to realize that some actions may be limited wrt these resources, i.e. no transporting or operations etc. - added a 'ScoreCard' for when you either defeat or have been defeated, keeps track of total resources plunders, units destroyed as well as an early victory bonus or late victory penalty - jet sounds now kick in at level 4 or higher - added units to Turkey and Sweden and increased entrenchment for Swiss units - fixed disappearing ships when you declare war on a country and have blocked their typical start locations [ August 02, 2002, 08:01 PM: Message edited by: Madmatt ]

It will be ready in about 20 minutes. Working on the announcement now. Madmatt

Why would I mind? That's what it is there for. The longest running CM chat channel on the net! Madmatt

Bill rest assured that if I ever had a black list you would NEVER be on it my friend! Madmatt