Brian Rock

I can't agree this is WWI. If it was the Germans wouldn't be able to beat the French as quickly as you can.

I wanted to write something like this, but Agua just said it so much better. I think you'd find CM is too slow for many (most?) RTS and FPS players - you have to plan, and your control is far more limited than in the typical RTS of FPS. There have been more than a few threads where someone comes in calling for CM to be made into a RTS, and the overwhelming response is a thundering "NO!". Me included. I also understand your RTS-slagging, given the amount of mediocre me-too-ness in so many of them. Even so, there are some surprising gems out there. If you like modern combat, there's a demo just out for ATF (Armored Task Force) over at shrapnel.com. This one's written by Capt Pat Proctor, and is a hard core military simulation real-time game. [Plugged because you can't have too many good wargames...]

Hubert left the Swedish Bikini team out?!?!? :eek: Bugger that. Cancel my order.

OK, you come on the board of the company who sells the game, log into a forum moderated by the designer/programmer, and start asking why someone hasn't placed a copy on Kazaa so you can pirate it. I'll leave it to you as an exercise to work out why people might think you're stupid.

Good points. So how do you think the research algorithm should be changed? The only idea I can think of is "don't research a higher level in any area until at least one unit has been built with that level of tech".

Only if the Spanish get the Inquisition. I bet that surprised you - but then, nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition.

Tom: absolutely. Players already have far more info than a real life CO. Adding intel only accentuates that.

Getting info of use for a 30 min CM battle: no way. Operations... maybe. Coding it would be hell - what algorithms would you use? Would the piddling little pfc you captured know anything of use? Would the infantry lt. know what was happening with the tanks on the other flank? Suppose the CO changes deployments in the meantime... you get the idea. The fact is the bulk of captured prisoners would know little or nothing of much use, and the few that did would tend to be interrogated well behind the lines.

Perhaps a better solution would be for it to hit the Allies hard politically, pushing non-aligned nations into the Nazi camp.

There are authors who argue that to some extent blitzkrieg was more PR than military doctrine. For example, Colonel Robert Doughty's article "The Myth of Blitzkrieg": http://web.mit.edu/ssp/fall98/doughty.htm and a more extensive working of this thesis at: http://carlisle-www.army.mil/usassi/ssipubs/pubs98/chalngng/chalngng.pdf Maybe SC is does the job better than some of the OTT panzers-on-heat games. Just some food for thought...

I actually like variable time turns, although I agree that it makes some aspects (such as research) look a bit odd.

Which version of Windows do you run it under? I've never been able to get it to run. Also I'd probably go for Space Marines ahead of WWII. Not that anyone cares.

Perhaps a bit harsh. Sometimes I'll set up a game or two just for a bit of light relief. Way back in the olden days when my state-of-the-art gaming machine was an Apple IIe I hacked into the code for "Hunt the Bismarck" (well, sort of hacked - the code on the floppy was simple BASIC!) and gave the Bismarck 60 inch guns and engines capable of 50 knots. I figured the skipper commanded on waterskies... It was amusing for a while to hunt down and sink as much of the British Navy as I could before game end, but in the end I reverted to the original form of the game.

Why not just consider the game as costing $35, with free shipping worldwide.... </font>

Oh, it's not that I don't want the game, QUite the contrary. It's just the maths at this point and time say "no": SC is $25, shipping to Australia is $10. So about 30% of the cost of the game is shipping! Savings, savings! Now add in another game still awaiting shipping, like TacOps 4 ($25 + $1 shipping) and the cost is $61, but only 18% of that is shipping... Add in another game awaiting shipping - something obscure like CMBB - and the % devoted to shipping drops further, threatening to fall into single digits!!! Of course this logic will only take me so far before I realise it's 2005 and I haven't ordered because I'm waiting for SC2, CM2, TacOps 5... but look at the SAVINGS The other downside is that if I wait too long I'm going to get a CARE package with about 18 really cool games in it. Ah, life and choices. (Actually I envy those of you with SC something chronic, and figure I can't hold out much longer. I figure once the Major sends the TacOps 4 gold disk in I'll probably order SC, TacOps 4 and Airborne Assault. That should keep me out of trouble till CMBB.)

This is likely to be the final bump. In about seven hours I'll send emails with venue details to everybody who expressed interest in this thread. So if you're interested and haven't posted here, do it now!

Bump. I'll be sending out emails tomorrow to everybody to confirm numbers. I'll need to close bookings off soon because if we are going to use Parramatta gibsonm is going to need to book the hall and make arrangements. With current numbers it's looking more like Crows Nest than Parramatta - fortunately it's just off the freeway so it's a reasonably fast run from Canberra. And I'll have some coldies to make it worth your while, jrcar.

I was wondering if you'd turn up. Good to see another TacOps list member. Crows Nest if the numbers are small, Parramatta if we get a huge crowd. The road from Canberra to Sydney flies since they opened up the expressway, and a breeze for a one-day beta-test. I know because I did it in the other direction when I had a go beta-testing Freedom Force at Irrational Games, Canberra. Bad Dog: time still TBA, but I expect it would be the better part of a day. I'll be interstate until Monday next week, but will try to check in and bump the post periodically. [ July 16, 2002, 09:36 AM: Message edited by: Brian Rock ]

Redwolf got in before me, so all I can do is reiterate what he said. If you want to fight an armored battle with a large number of players per side TacOps 4 you really should pick it up. Even if you don't know much about modern warfare, or even if you just plain prefer WWII, the multiplayer abilities alone should be reason to add it to your CMBB purchase. I say this as a long-time CM player and an even longer TacOps player. Both games are just too outstanding not to have the complete set.

Maybe you'll get lucky, break your leg, and come home early.

Mace, I'm going to be down in Melbourne later this week. Suppose we catch up and I challenge you in the nuts? :mad: Seriously, I'm down for a wedding, but we should try to catch up for lunch, and especially to gloat about how lucky Melbourne and Sydney wargamers are compared to their sand-groping cousins in Western Australia.

That's because there's nothing else to do in Perth. OK, it's probably cruel of me to pick on you in your time of distress, but when you lead with your chin like that...

OK, the Sydney demo is currently set for Sunday 28 July. Time to call for a show of interest in Sydney. Here's the drill: 1) If there are only a few people it will be at my home. 2) If there are more than a few people, gibsonm has kindly offered the use of a hall in Parramatta. 3) There is a chance I may need to work on the Sunday - probably only about 10%, but be warned there is a chance of a late cancellation. 4) We may need to cap numbers, so the earlier you post the better you're chance of checking it out. There are a few other bits and pieces we'll need to cover off closer to the day, but for now let's start with interested attendees posting to this thread.

Interesting that you had such success with subs. My meagre forays ended up with lots of expensive metal on the bottom of the North Sea - except for the Italians who terrorised British Mediterranean shipping.