Ben Galanti

TSword, I don't think that the 38mm is actually modeled as more accurate, since base accuracy is pretty much tied to muzzle velocity in CMBO. However, there are other issues involved in chances to hit. First, Tanks in CM 'bracket' targets. Now, you won't see this in the distrubution of the misses, but follow on shots are more likely to hit. The 38mm, with it's higher rate of fire 'ramps up' more quickly, since it gets more shots in. This high rate of fire also means that, even if the 38mm has a 33% chance of hitting per shot and the 75mm has a 50% chance, if the 38mm shoots twice for every one time the 75mm shoots, it's more likely to hit. Also, as others have mentioned, it has been theroized that tanks on the move are bit over accurate (though, I haven't seen that in text, as someone else said in this thread), so a moving Stuart is hard to hit, but can hit more often then maybe it should, also giving it an advantage. Finally, the optics issue which has been mentioned before, though as also has been mentioned, close ranges could cancel out the real differences there. So while, the 75mm is 'more accurate' other issues seem to negate that in CM games. Ben

This was with a Beta version I saw a week or two ago. I'm certain it still works. The easiest way is to copy the system folder so you don't have to mess with moving the OS X RAVE extension out everytime you boot into it. Ben

You can still boot into OS 9 with the new machines, using the Classic folder, or a copy of it. So CMBB will be totally playable on these machines. Ben

Just a slight correction to tom_w's post, it's not so much that they'll design the hardware not to work with OS 9, but that they won't update OS 9 to work with the new hardware. Almost every new machine requires an OS tweak to get it to recognize the hardware, and they are just going to stop doing those in OS 9. It's really just symantics though, since the end result is the same... Ben

Heh, yeah, I just bought a house so I'm spending a lot of time packing (and I'm sure just as much time unpacking on the other end) so my turns to Ari have been sporadic at best. We're around turn 12, as he said, but with the carnage occuring in the middle of our map, I'd be suprised if this one goes to 25... Ben

Ok, I'm just bitter due to a bad PBEM turn I just recieved, but I hadn't heard anything about this topic in reference to CMBB, so I thought I'd ask. Will the TacAI be more intelligent about seeking cover in CMBB? Currently in CMBO, it seems that a squad under TacAI control (due to incoming fire or what not) invariably heads for the closest square with a high 'cover' value. What the TacAI seems to completely ignore is the fact that sometimes there is a much better way to get completely out of LOS all together. Either hiding behind a building or terrain. The case that I'm griping about in particular is of a squad that was in a grass square when it came under fire. This squad had just crested a hill when it came under fire (and the previous turn ended) I had ordered it to move behind a building further down the hill (forward) to get it out of LOS of all the fire. The TacAI took over early in the turn (fine, completely understandable) but what it proceeded to do is what drives me nuts. It ran towards the nearest bunch of 'woods' which happened to be about 60 meters away AND tried to run through a 'slope' square to get there. So, it was slowed down and in LOS of the enemy even longer. It then breaks and runs towards a building on the top of the hill, keeping it in LOS longer still... Before all of this, my plotted path had the squad breaking all LOS with the enemy in about 5 meters. As I said, I understand I don't have full control and that 'stuff happens'. Thats part of the game that I really enjoy. My whine is that squads ALWAYS seem to head towards high cover terrain instead of looking for an option to break LOS. They always head for that not so nearby patch of woods or bocage or what ever instead of heading back over the hill they just crested or up behind a nearby building. It just seems to me that breaking LOS with the units firing on a TacAI controlled squad is not taken into consideration when looking for a place to take cover. The strange thing is, vehicles seem to do a much better job of this (usually). I assume it's since they can't enter those woods or bocage tiles. So, I would assume that there is code in there for 'break LOS', I just wish that the TacAI would give that a higher priority then looking for high cover terrain for infantry as well. I would think not being fired at at all would be better then being fired, but with a bit of cover... Thanks for listening to my rant. Ben

Except that he'd have to use Windows Ben

Well, I'm somewhat familiar with Mac programming, but not PC programming. I'll take a stab at answering your question though. Ypur explination is correct though. CM on the PC side does make DirectX calls. I assume it uses Direct3D (and perhaps DirectSound as well). Direct3D is similiar to RAVE and OpenGL, except it is written by MicroSoft. So, I suspect CM calls a function "DrawPolygon" which on the Mac side goes to "DrawPolygonWithRAVE" and on the PC side it goes to "DrawPolygonWithDirect3D". Now, with the engine rewrite, "DrawPolygon" function will call "DrawPolygonWithOpenGL" on the Mac side. What these libraries do, however is translate "DrawPolygonWithDirect3D" into "DrawPolygonWithOpenGL" automagicly (in theory). Of course, there would be some performace hit, because it has to go through an extra step, but CM isn't all about frame rate, so it might be ok. Most of the folks who port PC games to the Mac for a living already have written their own version of this, but if it is reasonably priced, it would be a way to get CMBB to run in some form on MacOS X. In theory BTS could use the exact same code for the renderer that they use for the PC version of CM. Again though who knows about the price, quality, and speed of these libraries... Ben

Well, it doesn't state it specifically, but I suspect it actually translates DirectX to OpenGL. I'd be highly suprised if it makes RAVE calls, especially since it claims to be OS X native, and OS X doesn't nativly have RAVE... So, this would circumvent RAVE all together. My understanding is that BTS used some of the newer RAVE calls (1.6) and that those calls weren't supported by Apple's RAVE shim. Now, if Apple would fix the shim, there wouldn't be an issue, but since they've shown no interest in doing so, I thought this might be a workaround. Of course, it depends on how much they're charging Though, if it works as advertised, Battlefront could perhaps ammortize the cost over some of their PC only projects by making Mac ports. Ben

I just wanted to bring this to BTS' (read: Charles) attention: DirectX for MacOS I have no idea how well it works, but could this be a solution to getting CMBB to run on MacOS X? If you could just use the PC renderer's DirectX calls instead of the RAVE render. I suspect a fully OS X native would be difficult (thinking about the Net and Sound Sprockets, though this says it can do DirectSound as well..) but it might allow CMBB to play in the Classic environment. It also might clear up some of the problems with the nVidia RAVE drivers, since I assume it makes OpenGL calls... Supposedly, it's as simple as dropping the libraries into your project, and all of your DirectX calls will go to that, no recoding necessary. Of course nothing in programming is ever that easy Though, if it was, it'd be easy to get CMBO playing in Classic as well Just thought I'd mention it. Ben

Remember, if a unit has been spotted at all, it always keeps that level of spotting. So, if you see a unit, then loose LOS, then hear it again, it will be like you can see it, because it won't drop back to 'sound contact' but will stay at it's current level of spotting. So, you can accuratly hear exactly where it is... An unfortunate side affect of absolute spotting. It mostly shows up in low LOS games, like fog and night... Ben

Ari and I are still poking along here.. We're still at the 'lobbing HE' phase of the battle, though now it's a bit more direct HE. Small arms fire might even commense shortly Ben

Ari and I are finally getting into our game. So far it's just been lobbing arty back and forth in the first couple of turns. Ben

I'm probably stating something that everyone knows already, but you can control click on any spot on the map and jump straight there. I use it all the time... Ben

And they might not show up at all... Ben

Well, if you don't port it over, I'm going to It's very much like that picture, but I always have the trees turned off, and I've simplified the buildings (or are these your buildings, Treeburst? I can't remember...) Anyway, here's how I see the world... Ben

John, I'm not Jarmo, but I think this is what he's suggesting... You should have a copy of a program "disk copy" floating around on your harddrive somewhere. It probably came with your machine and with an OS updates you've installed. Run it, and one of the menu options will be 'Make Image From Disk' (or something similar) Select that, then select the CM CD from the window that pops up. Then hit save in the next file dialog. This will create a file with a .img ending. It will be a fairly large file, 350 MB or so, so make sure you have lots of Harddrive space. After you have this file, you can just double click on it, and it will act like it is the CM CD (It will show up on your desktop and everything). You won't even need your CM CD anymore. That way if your CD-ROM ever goes on the fritz again, you can still play CM. Please let me know if you have any questions. Ben

Well, I obvously can't say anything about his other battles, but in our battle, Michael had some rotten luck to start out with. He lost one AFV to an arty round on turn two or three, and a second one from a first shot kill at 1 km plus when I hadn't even meant for my tank to get LOS. That quickly put him at a 4-1 AFV disadvantage on a fairly open map on which direct HE dominated. That, and one of the large flags (out of 4 total) that was on his side caught on fire early in the game too (they were all in large heavy buildings). A second large building that he was attacking from to try and take some ground back burst into flames as well. This made my defense of the village a lot easier... If this was any indication of the luck he's been having, I think he deserves something to for sticking with it Ben

I know, you give us these wonderful new features and great screenshots, and all we ask is for more, more, more. But.... I know VRAM is at an absolute premium, and this may not be a justifyable use of it, but would it be possible to have two ground rubble textures? Or at least, two different textures for the rubble doodads? I was just thinking it would look very cool to have heavy buildings collapse into a pile of grey stone/cement rubble, while light buildings collapse into the wood rubble as is shown. I know that this doubles the textures that are being used, but I would think it would look great... Not, that it doesn't already! Ben

Treeburst155, Since none of the rest of us are playing that map, could you put it up for a quick download somewhere? Just so the rest of us can see what the heck y'all are talking about Ben

Came through fine. Just a warning to you and Ari, I'm expecting a new baby any day now, so I may go mysteriously silent for a little while... Though, who knows, I may actually get more CM in since I'll be up all night anyway Ben

My fight with Jarmo went about as well as I could have hoped. If not for the best luck I've ever had with handheld AT, it would have been ugly. He had 6 Shermans to my 2 StuGs. I killed 4 of the Shermans with Panzershrikes (one of them was hit twice, but didn't die the first time. It also managed to kill both my StuGs after being hit the first time... I was pretty bitter). One other Sherman was taken out by a StuG before it got it. I had lots more infantry and arty though, which on this 'King of the Hill' battlefield was key. He pushed some scouts onto the pinnacle early, and I artied them off and took it. My guys then got routed off by his arty and Sherman HE. He retook it, but I finally won out with more arty and my reserves... My fight with Dorosh is about to get nasty, I think. We're both hunkering down in a small town with arty falling all around. now if he'd only send his next turn Ari and I just recieved our maps... I'm going to have to be very lucky if I'm going to have any chance to knock him out of first. Ben

Dang... I was hoping to be the old timer to bring up that thread The issue is discussed in depth in that one... Ben

Don't worry Michael,. I was pretty swamped last week, so I couldn't play much. I'll get your turn back to you here soon, and we can get going. Ben

I just wanted to post a quick apology to my opponents. It's turned into a crazy week and I have barely had time to check e-mail at all. Sorry about this Michael. I thought it was going to be a light week, so it would be a good time to start another game. T urned out I was wrong I'll try to get my purchases out today though. I'll probably be sporadic through this weekend, but after that it should calm back down and I can get to the business of getting slaughtered Ben