Bil Hardenberger

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>So while I would like to accept your challenge, I must decline. I owe too many people games already<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Hehe, yeah, like the entire BETA team, eh Steve?

Guys, Send in a bug report to Matt. Bil

Maybe you PTO fans could talk Steve and Charles into adding the Japanese to CM2 as a German Allie... they did have a battle or two against the Russians early in the war, right? Then, you scenario designers can go to town. Of course, you won't have the Brits or Americans... oh well... just a thought. Cheers, Bil [This message has been edited by Bil Hardenberger (edited 11-26-2000).]

Also, continued development of such vehicles such as Crusader (replacement for M109 )teamcrusader.com is indicative of a continued Heavy force structure... as has been stated, no replacement for the M1 has been identified for the CA Corp... so of course continued development of this vehicle makes perfect sense. Bil

Actually the makeup of the new Army is not yet firmed up... much relies on the Politicians involved, etc... the Army is planning on going through a total transition in the 21st Century... equipped with a family of vehicles that are all related... however, no one, the Army included, knows what this new vehicle will look like, it is currently called FCS (Future Combat System) and is expected to begin deployment in 2008 (a schedule which I highly doubt will happen).. Currently the plan is to create several Brigade Combat Teams (BCT's) that can be totally air deployable in 4 days time to any trouble spot in the world... the Army plans on keeping a Heavy Armoured Corp (called the Counter-Attack Corp)for heavy needs... the rest of the Army will transition to the lighter BCT TO&E... both the BCT's and the CA Corp are expected to gradually tranisition to the FCS over a 40 year period. Bil

Excellent points Wild Bill. However, I personally, love a scenario that is as historically accurate as possible, if that makes it impossible to win, to me, is irrelevant. I want to fight the battle with the exact (or as close as I can get) same conditions as the historical forces involved. You are indeed correct though, once you have the units setup as close as you can, given the research materials you have on hand, and hit GO, you cease being historically accurate, it is now something different all together. This does not IMO spoil the fact that you are playing a historic battle... in fact, I have made a few historic scenarios (The Sunken Lane, being one...) that recreates the battle as close as possible, then I played it, using the historic movement routes, etc. and the battles do indeed play historically, or close to it... to me, the fun part of recreating Villers-Bocage is taking Wittmann's historic route, and seeing how close you can come. I will post the finished scenario once it is ready, for all to download. Cheers, Bil

Freak, I have one, but am in the process of re-doing it... the map I made originally had some problems with accuracy, the one I have made now (finished last night) is as close as one can get with CM's map maker. I will let you know when it is completed and ready for testing. BTW, thanks to Moon for supplying a detailed map of Villers-Bocage for my use. Cheers, Bil

Nice idea... only one problem.. rarely was a tank abandoned where it could be fired up and driven into battle that quickly... if it could, the original owner would have driven it away instead of leaving it... No, often these captured vehicles were sent to the rear... where, if needed, they would be repaired and issued to a unit, or sent back further for tests... they would not be used by the tactical unit that captured them. It is true that both sides used captured equipment. These, I agree, should be represented... but, using captured equipment in an operation? I have to say I think not, outside the scope of CM. Bil

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Anyway, i was very impressed by the AI, and the care that obviously went into creating the the maps and forces.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Why thank you Terence... I created this scenario thinking that I had yet to see a battle that was dominated by long range firepower... of course this was very early in BETA testing stage... Glad you are enjoying it, Cheers, Bil [This message has been edited by Bil Hardenberger (edited 11-09-2000).]

What you see as a victory rating in game (your 75%) may not (and most times, is not), reality... chances are you were already much closer to the 33% that you ended up with than you think. Bil

Perhaps I am the only one with the guts to say it, but I am not that impressed so far... to tell you the truth, the smoke is bad, a step backwards, the fire is okay, but you can only do so much with that. What galls me, is the fact that Gunslinger claims the dispersing effect of the smoke as his own invention... it is in the code, put there by Charles, not Gunslinger, it is impossible for a new texture to effect the way something behaves. As for realism... I have seen as good and better screen captures by Madmatt... it IS dependant on how good your video card is. As a member of the MDMP and Beta teams I have to say that while I welcome all mods to CM, they can only make it better in the end, I have a problem with people making groundless claims. Rubs me the wrong way. Sorry if I insulted you Gunslinger but it had to be said. Bil [This message has been edited by Bil Hardenberger (edited 09-07-2000).]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>1) How best should I used the first 5 turns? Without the smoke from the artillery and very little covering terrain losses seem to be very heavy if I do anything more than recon. 2) Should I plan to bypass the first few victory flags and take out the guns first or should I take a first come, first serve approach?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Think of the flags as "Main Objectives"... with that in mind, I concentrate all my Infantry and tank power on one flank (usually the right side), then I slowly start to reduce the first objective... this one can be taken quite easily with little to no loss by terrain masking... I would use some smoke on the near hill, to block any view from the ridgeline... you as the Commander must KNOW that the enemy has AT guns, or something, on that hill. You have to get paranoid in CM.. constantly say to yourself, "I KNOW that there is a gun on that hill (or in that treeline, etc).... now, how can I advance, while staying out of view of it?" When I play (especially Fionn) I am constantly asking myself these questions, and I consistently uncover ambush after potential ambush... use of recon by fire is also effective at times to uncover a hidden unit. To answer your question, attack one objective at a time (I would leave the Left Flank Objective for after the ridgeline has been secured... of course, you have to be careful to mask your troops from it, you do not know what the enemy has there)... after you take the first objective and regroup for your next objective, start to ask yourself the questions again... "how can I get to that treeline, and is it covered from potential fire from the ridgeline?" Look for lanes in the terrain, that have some cover cover from the guns (i.e. dips, gullys, treelines, etc) If it is NOT covered, then you have to wait for your Arty to blanket the ridgeline with smoke, or you can have your tanks try to lay a smoke screen... I would wait for the Arty, which should arrive about the time you are taking posession of the first Objective. You have plenty of time in this scenario, use as much as you need... be methodical and careful... every squad, every tank, is precious to you, protect them and only attack when you have the advantage. Good luck... Bil

Don't know how I missed this one.... As the scenario designer of Fire & Maneuver I have an idea how to go about beating this scenario. First of all, the Germans have a distinct material advantage, but are at a disadvantage terrain wise. It is your job to use covered movement (to include strategically placed smoke screens and terrain masking) to advance on the enemy held ridgeline. When firing upon the AT guns, try to do so one at a time with as much fire as possible. This is why it is a training scenario... to teach you to use Fire, and Maneuver in your battles. If you can suceed here, you will be well placed in any future encounters, if you remember the lessons you learned. The key is to practice... and then practice some more. After a while it will become second nature, and then you will be ready to take on the Elite players. Good luck. Bil

Try www.3dcafe.com there are several nice FREE models of WW2 vehicles (in 3DS MAX format I believe). Of course many are of rather obscure subjects, but there is a pretty nice Panther there. Bil

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>but one of the "amateurs" that really impress me is the one who goes with the nick "Los"<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Los is no amatuer, let me assure you. He is a Beta Tester, and one of the historical consultants for CM. So if his scenarios and operations stand apart, it is due to the research and attention to detail he puts in them. Bil

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>A whole squad usually doesn't panic and route. Usually just a few memmbers do. While I am aware of the "contagious" effect of seeing your buddies run. I don't think that 1 man panicking in a squad should have a major effect.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> In the book "Roll Me Over" the author describes just such a situation, where one man panicked and it effected his entire squad... and then his whole Platoon... they all ran for the rear, recovered after a time, and went back into action. This cannot have been a local phenomenon, it must have occured every day in WW2, just like it occurs in practically every battle in CM. This was a true account that can be held up for comparison. Many times if you read a bit, you can find justification for almost everything that happens in CM. Bil

Well how many people in the world have a name as unique as mine?

Or just shout loud enough and I will appear! Bil My e-mail is: hardenberger@dmv.com

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Heh Bill you'd bever believe how I beat your scenerio . Wont say anymore as it would spoil it, lets just say I did something that the AI never expected<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Can you e-mail me an AAR John? I would appreciate it. Bil

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>1:You can't use AT guns if they can be seen by multiple units. They attract fire from all over the place! Every single unit will drop what they are doing to shoot at the guns. I'm not saying this is unrealistic but it's sure is damn annoying! You can't exactly put gun up on a hill (in some trees) and take out tanks from afar. They get knocked out instantly.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Oh? I would like you to try a little scenario I designed (on the CD - play as the Germans) called Fire & Maneuver, you will see how good AT guns can be. Bil

Personally I do not see it so much as gamey, as it is foolish. If I was playing you I would welcome you using your crews in this manner, more easy prey for my troops. Much rather face your crews than a real Infantry squad. It isn't like crews from a KOed tank or gun, were never commandered by an desperate commander, of course they were. The fact that a lost crew won't be there to man a replacement vehicle or gun, was irrelevant to the CO on the ground. His only worry was unit survival, and he would use ANY means necessary to accomplish that. As would I, as would any player who was worth a damn. The fact that they are not assault troops, doesn't matter, they are capable of a few tasks, and at times, deperate times require desperate measures. You are penalized (and rightly so) for using them like this though (reduced visibility, higher point loss for dead crews, etc.).. but I say, go for it, kill off more of your guys, and lose by an even higher margin Just my opinion. Bil

US Army 79-92, Military Intelligence - (Signals Intelligence Analyst) Did instructor duty in the late 80's... spent the Gulf War on the DMZ in Korea, keeping an eye on those little fellows up North Bil [This message has been edited by Bil Hardenberger (edited 08-04-2000).]

Wehrmacht = Armed Forces Heer = Army Bil

I for one am glad that feature is no longer available... DYO games are the best, and the only real way to PBEM where you KNOW that your opponent has no information on your force. Doing what you describe could be, and would be by me, thought of as a cheat. Bil

Kestrl, Although many of the third party textures that are available seem to be "uninspired", they are good enough to use until higher quality textures start to become available. It takes a long time to complete a well researched, high quality winter texture for CM vehicles. Keep an eye out for MDMP2 coming soon from CMHQ. I think you will see textures there that do not look the same as the rest (i.e. the winter Hetzer in MDMP1, I think which stands out from the crowd). Rest assured, your cries have been heard Bil