Madmatt

Rad, The problem seems to be with the copy protection scheme that CDV have applied to the game after we sent them the code. It would appear that they are using a newer version of SafeDisc or have applied it in a new way and it is causing conflicts with the TCP protocol used by tbe game. What is most odd about this is that they used SafeDisc on both CMBO and CMBB in the past and it did not exhibit this same problem. CDV is a large publishing company and once we send them final code they handle all of their own testing internally. For whatever reason they did not spot this error before they shipped. We do NOT see their final version of a game before it ships but other than the application of copy protection or other support files on the disc (CDV demo's etc..) the game code itself is unchanged from the gold version we send. Since application of SafeDisc has, up until this point, never caused any direct conflict with a game before it is understandable how CDV could have missed the problem. We are working with CDV to rectify this issue but since most of their support staff is away for the holidays it is taking more time than we had expected. Both CDV and Battlefront understand that the customers of the European version want this issue fixed and fixed quickly and I assure you that we are working on getting that fix out to you as soon as we can. Thank you! Madmatt

Sero, either turn off AntiAliasing or use the Radeon Text fix file. That should fix the problem you saw. Madmatt

While we wanted the South Africans to have their own voice set, availability of qualified native voice actors and space on the CD forced us to drop that idea. Same thing with Canadians. Madmatt

Orders given after a unit bogs have no effect at all on the chances that it will unbog. You could have left him alone and he would have still unbogged. When a unit bogs the TacAI takes over and attempts to unbog itself. Madmatt

In the full game there are 43 seperate catagories of sound samples per nation. Each catagory covers a specific event or reaction from the unit and has anywhere between about 4-10 different sayings. For example, in the full version there are 309 unique British voice samples and 424 German voice samples. Even so, you more you play the game, the more you will hear certain phrases repeated. Thats simply the nature of static recorded dialouge in any game. I did what I could to keep the sayings as varied as I could but limitations of time code and physical space on the CD all took precedence. Madmatt

If you want to use the latest 3.10 Cataylst drivers AND run with any of the Anti-aliasing settings you will want to download the Radeon Text Fix file referenced in the troubleshooting guide. That will make all the text appear on a black background but at least its readable. The option is to set the AA setting to "application preference' (Effectively off) and the text will be fine. I have not tested with any drivers other than the 3.10's as of yet. Madmatt

The original script did not have any slang or bad language in it. The English actors that were used decided to "ad-lib" that stuff themseleves. I do think I retained a few of the "Cor' Blimey" phrases from CMBO though, at least I had meant to. As to the S.O.B. phrase it might have started in the US but these things have a way of spreading pretty quick. Besides, US troops were in England during WWI so it's possible that phrase could have gotten a foothold in common vernacular by WWII. All I know is my grandfather was a combat engineer in WWI and he had a mouth on him that would have made the devil blush! Such colorful slang takes on a life of its on I have found. Of course, editing or replacing any sound sample is pretty easy to do so you can always make any changes you wish. Madmatt

Oh no, whatever you guys do, DON'T tell Rune about this mod! He pushed hard for that song to be the default music in CMAK but we decided to go with something more dramatic. Madmatt

Oh no, whatever you guys do, DON'T tell Rune about this mod! He pushed hard for that song to be the default music in CMAK but we decided to go with something more dramatic. Madmatt

Pheasent Plucker, While I certainly understand your frustration with the CDV version I must correct you on your statements. First off, the game and code was thouroughly tested and the final code we sent to CDV worked in TCP/IP as intended. The Battlefront.com version does not have this issue, it occurs only on the CDV version. The problem seems to be with the copy protection scheme that CDV have applied to the game after we sent them the code. It would appear that they are using a newer version of SafeDisc or have applied it in a new way and it is causing conflicts with the TCP protocol used by tbe game. What is most odd about this is that they used SafeDisc on both CMBO and CMBB in the past and it did not exhibit this same problem. CDV is a large publishing company and once we send them final code they handle all of their own testing internally. For whatever reason they did not spot this error before they shipped. We do NOT see their final version of a game before it ships but other than the application of copy protection or other support files on the disc (CDV demo's etc..) the game code itself is unchanged from the gold version we send. Since application of SafeDisc has, up until this point, never caused any direct conflict with a game before it is understandable how CDV could have missed the problem. We are working with CDV to rectify this issue but since most of their support staff is away for the holidays it is taking more time than we had expected. Both CDV and Battlefront understand that the customers of the European version want this issue fixed and fixed quickly and I assure you that we are working on getting that fix out to you as soon as we can. Thank you! Madmatt [ December 30, 2003, 02:41 PM: Message edited by: Madmatt ]

Pheasent Plucker, While I certainly understand your frustration with the CDV version I must correct you on your statements. First off, the game and code was thouroughly tested and the final code we sent to CDV worked in TCP/IP as intended. The Battlefront.com version does not have this issue, it occurs only on the CDV version. The problem seems to be with the copy protection scheme that CDV have applied to the game after we sent them the code. It would appear that they are using a newer version of SafeDisc or have applied it in a new way and it is causing conflicts with the TCP protocol used by tbe game. What is most odd about this is that they used SafeDisc on both CMBO and CMBB in the past and it did not exhibit this same problem. CDV is a large publishing company and once we send them final code they handle all of their own testing internally. For whatever reason they did not spot this error before they shipped. We do NOT see their final version of a game before it ships but other than the application of copy protection or other support files on the disc (CDV demo's etc..) the game code itself is unchanged from the gold version we send. Since application of SafeDisc has, up until this point, never caused any direct conflict with a game before it is understandable how CDV could have missed the problem. We are working with CDV to rectify this issue but since most of their support staff is away for the holidays it is taking more time than we had expected. Both CDV and Battlefront understand that the customers of the European version want this issue fixed and fixed quickly and I assure you that we are working on getting that fix out to you as soon as we can. Thank you! Madmatt [ December 30, 2003, 02:41 PM: Message edited by: Madmatt ]

Pheasent Plucker, While I certainly understand your frustration with the CDV version I must correct you on your statements. First off, the game and code was thouroughly tested and the final code we sent to CDV worked in TCP/IP as intended. The Battlefront.com version does not have this issue, it occurs only on the CDV version. The problem seems to be with the copy protection scheme that CDV have applied to the game after we sent them the code. It would appear that they are using a newer version of SafeDisc or have applied it in a new way and it is causing conflicts with the TCP protocol used by tbe game. What is most odd about this is that they used SafeDisc on both CMBO and CMBB in the past and it did not exhibit this same problem. CDV is a large publishing company and once we send them final code they handle all of their own testing internally. For whatever reason they did not spot this error before they shipped. We do NOT see their final version of a game before it ships but other than the application of copy protection or other support files on the disc (CDV demo's etc..) the game code itself is unchanged from the gold version we send. Since application of SafeDisc has, up until this point, never caused any direct conflict with a game before it is understandable how CDV could have missed the problem. We are working with CDV to rectify this issue but since most of their support staff is away for the holidays it is taking more time than we had expected. Both CDV and Battlefront understand that the customers of the European version want this issue fixed and fixed quickly and I assure you that we are working on getting that fix out to you as soon as we can. Thank you! Madmatt [ December 30, 2003, 02:41 PM: Message edited by: Madmatt ]

That the Pacific offers limited tactical challenges is a common, yet very flawed opinion. Small unit actions, which have always been the focus of CM, occured just as often if not more so in the Pacific than in the other more accessable theaters. I would strongly recommend some of the books by Hoyt or Aster or my personal favorite, Jack Coggins awesome "The Campaign for Guadacanal" for some insight into some of the action that a Pacific themed CM game might offer. Do not think that we are against a Pacific game in the future. That is not true. What Steve might have said years ago does not reflect what we feel now. His comments seem to have been widely taken out of context. What was meant was that at the time, we had other games planed to release before a Pacific version would be considered. Now that CMBB and CMAK are out and focus on a future and more expandable friendly game engine is in development, our options are wide open. However, it is too early for us to make anouncements about any future CM titles, so this thread, like all the others that preceded it, will be closed. Madmatt

This is an old issue and one in which I don't feel like going over YET AGAIN, but I guess I have to. Other games use Vertex based fog which was not appropriate for a game with maps as large as CM. Remember, maps in CM are often several Square MILES in size and that would put too heavy a strain on most peoples systems. Mosat wargamers do NOT have FX 5950 or 9800 XT cards in their systems. ATI has said they have no intention of adding Fog Table emulation to their current Windows drivers. For whatever reason, their Mac drivers do support fog tables. In the future engine (CMX2) will be using various new technique for fog (and all the other graphics as well) so that this issue will finally be put to rest. As to the Nvidia vs. ATI debate. This year I recently built a new testing system and it has a 9800 card in it. While I don't get fog either, the pro's and power on this card simple crush what I used to get in my Nvidia cards. With the 3.10 drivers I have had zero stability issues with any of my games. If someone were to come up to me today and ask which card would I recommend, after having owned the top end cards from both companies I would have NO hesitation recommending the Radeon. And this is coming from someone that was a loyal Nvidia guy for years. The truth is, (and I never thought I would say it) the Radeon is simply a better card. As to the lack of displayed fog affecting the gameplay? Yeah right. Most people toggle off the fog anyway so they can see their units. It's no different than turning up the unit scale, the bases or tree density. Madmatt

As I just said in the last thread that was about this issue. We appreciate all the comments about a Pacific version and we will certainly consider it in the future but we are not yet ready to announce what when and where the next CM title will be set. Madmatt

We appreciate all the comments about a Pacific version and we will certainly consider it in the future but we are not yet ready to announce what when and where the next CM title will be set. Madmatt

Yes, it sounds like the SafeDisc copy protection that CDV uses is keeping the disc from being detected properly. You will need to contact CDV support directly to see if they can help you out though as there isn't anything I can do with that version. Madmatt

Hopefully by early next month we have some more info on this. We have forwarded all the comments and issues still present with these beta drivers to ATI but they seem off for the holidays so we are not sure what the current status is. They might go ahead and release the new extensions as is or they might encorporate even more fixes. As soon as we hear back, I will let you guys all know. If anyone wants to try out the current beta extensions (the same as were used in the pics above), let me know and I will send them to you. Madmatt

Which model of card and which drivers are you running specifically? What OS do you have installed? Madmatt

The default is as said above: C:\Program Files\BattleFront\Combat Mission Afrika Korps. You can of course change it to whatever you want. Why the change? We are now using a more configurable program installer and will be using the "Battlefront" program group name for now on to add a level of consistentcy to our future titles. Madmatt

Since we use USPS we can and do ship to APO addressess. Quite often in fact. Our version of CMAK allows you to install either the English, French or German versions but we will not offer any sort of language pack for download nor is it likely that CDV would ever do the same. Madmatt

Answered via email.

Sorry but its not likely that the patch will be out that soon. We are working with CDV to get the TCP fix implemented as soon as possible though. Madmatt

I think Charl might be the winner of the "Longest Sig line which isn't funny" award. Geezo man, might want to abridge that baby some! Madmatt

That would be because its not really running ANY anti-aliasing. There seems to be a bug in those drivers that when you select x8, it doesn't really do any at all, at least in CM. To compare, set it to no AA, then look at a cannon barrel from an angle. Exit the game and then reload it with x4 or x6 set and notice the lack of jaggies. Now set the AA to x8 and you will probably notice the jaggies return. I detailed all of this in this thread from a few weeks ago: http://www.battlefront.com/cgi-bin/bbs/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=8;t=004104#000000 Madmatt