Bullethead

Tiger said: <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>It's not oiley residue, I just reduced the tone too much and have since upped the color tone to where it's not so dark looking. More than anything it's supposed to represent long use in the field and lots of gunpowder/shot residue.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I know. But I like the dark version. It just has that familiar feel. The only things I've seen actually go through a war (as opposed to seeing them all cleaned up in museums) looked like this. They remind me of good, trusted friends I had to leave behind in the arsenal when I got discharged. Almost brings a tear to my eye ------------------ -Bullethead In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is strength, in water there is bacteria.

Splinty said: <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Bullethead,I was in the Gulf and your absolutly right about the oil scum,I remember writing nasty messages on the side of my Bradley in the layer of oil and dust caked over everything,it got so bad that we didn't see the sun in broad daylight for almost three days straight!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> It was like that most of the time where I was. And wasn't that a trip? At noon it was this strange gray twilight, and even when it wasn't raining you could barely see vague outlines 500m away and needed a flashlight to read a map. But at dawn and sunset, the sun would shine under the edge of the smoke at the far edge of the flat world. Then you'd have decent illumination, at least in your immediate area, but the sky would be utterly black--so black it was hard to tell the distance to it and you thought you could reach up and touch it. I have some very strange photos shot at sundown and you can see the people quite well against this totally black sky like it's really night. Of course, at night there was absolutely no light at all and you'd walk into the sides of vehicles or fall in people's holes.... But that scum got all over everything. We couldn't tell the light green from the dark green Marines . And for like 6 months after the war, I coughed up globs of black gunk every time I went jogging. ------------------ -Bullethead In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is strength, in water there is bacteria.

Meeks said: <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>I'm back, so you'd better shape up you sorry lot.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> As it will be in the future, it's been since the birth of Man, There are only four things certain since the Cesspool Schism began: That the dog returns to his vomit, and the sow returns to her mire, And the burnt fool's bandaged finger goes wobbling back to the fire, And after this is accomplished, and the Brave New 'Pool begins, When all scum are killed for existing, then brought back to life for their sins, As surely has shrapnel will shred us, as surely as flamethrowers burn, Meeks the Schismatic Hamster, with his hate-blasted soul, returns. (a blatantly kidnapped and villainously raped rendition of Kipling's "The Gods of the Copybook Headings") ------------------ -Bullethead In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is strength, in water there is bacteria.

Ianc croaked: <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>The first lesson will be on mountain climbing, what not to do with German tanks, What TO do with American tanks, and what to do when an enemy suddenly appears behind you.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> This wouldn't involve a volcano named Mount Geschosskopf in Valhalla, would it? ------------------ -Bullethead In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is strength, in water there is bacteria.

It grieves me to relate that, due to the non-cooperation of 3/4 of my current slate of victims, most of this news update will have to consist of various takes on SEND ME A DAMN FILE!! The sole exception to this sad parade is SheepNZbed, who did in fact send me the initial movie of our 1500m Dash scenario. Things are off to an exciting start with 2 dozen armored cars (12 Daimlers and 12 Pumas) roaring flat out side by side across several hundred meters of rolling grassland. Towards the end of the turn, their slow turrets were starting to point in the right directions, but several barrages of mortar smoke sprang up just before they could shoot. Still, it looks like some stragglers on both sides will kill each other early next turn. The leaders have entered the forest and are approaching the first minefields, snapping off shots at each other down the clear alleys between the roads. Meanwhile, far ahead, the pit crews of engineers are preparing for the arrival of the ACs by attempting to gain control of key routes through the town. A nasty infantry fight is shaping up. This brings us to Gerbiltoy, who failed to send me a turn. Yes, instead of continuing our game, which he initiated by challenging me, he's off playing London Stinky Finger with various other Cesspool degenerates. They're meeting in the squalid men's toilet of the tube station nearest the IWM (I know the place--I had to puke there once after breathing some of the London "fog"), where they have a contest to see who can jerk off the fastest (not so easy as you'd expect, due to the difficulty they have in finding enough to get a grip on). Then they go out onto the street and give unsolicited prostate exams to passers-by, using a different finger each time so they can easily keep score. Afterwards, the group collapses into an orgy of mutual finger sniffing and things get too disgusting to describe even here. SheepNZbed also attended this debauchery, but at least sent his turn beforehand (thank the Dark Gods, considering what his hand is like afterwards). Therefore, I can only assume Gerbiltoy was so over-awed by visions of 25 FOs and a mule that he's conceded before even giving his first set of orders. Then we have Geier, who is just incompetent. The file he sent me refuses to load, thanks to his ineptness with the barest rudiments of the CM interface. Finally, Speedy, who seemed so eager to race me. I lacked time last night to do a proper setup, so I just sent him the whole scenario with instructions to set it up and send me a turn. Today, I get nothing from him. Is he also suffering from Gerbiltoy Syndrome? ------------------ -Bullethead In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is strength, in water there is bacteria.

Tiger- These guns I think are some of your best work. Reason being, they look just like everything (and everybody) did in the Gulf War after being exposed to weeks of rain coming down through the smoke of 500+ burning oil wells. I don't know how appropriate this is for WW2, but I really like it because it looks like how I remember combat equipment looking while in use So even if WW2 equipment didn't get quite this shade of black scum on it, I'm using this mod. Just remember how you did this. If there's ever a Gulf War game, mod every single texture (including faces and the ground) the same way you did these guns. (At least for stuff in Kuwait. I understand people in Iraq actually saw the sky at times). ------------------ -Bullethead In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is strength, in water there is bacteria. [This message has been edited by Bullethead (edited 10-24-2000).]

Corroded hissed: <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>BEAVIS!!! oooops, I meant BUTTHEAD!!! Send us that rat race of a map, Here-I-Am and I would like to have a jaunt across your little field!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Well, I must say your herald was most impolite, but the color of his coin was satisfactory. Thus, I accept your entrance fee. And thanks to the generous bribe---er, donation to the CPHRA (Cesspool Hot Rod Association)--I didn't kill your herald. I just had him flogged severely and raped by porcupines, to teach him is proper place. I'm sure he'll now carry out his duties in the servile manner you appreciate. ------------------ -Bullethead In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is strength, in water there is bacteria.

One thing I'm surprised hasn't been brought up is that the AI is one of the worst offenders in the last-minute-VL-rushing category. Especially if you've thwarted its first attack and it doesn't think it has enough force left to hold the position for a long time. Of course, this tactic is perfectly logical to a computer, so this is not surprising. But regardless of whether you're fighting a human or the AI, having this tactic happen to you indicates a failure on your part to use good, realworld defensive tactics. If it happens to you, you haven't done your job right. A last-minute rush can only be launched if you allow the enemy uncontested possession of jump-off positions very close to the VL. These are the same positions an assault would come from at any other time in the game. As long as you don't control them, the VL (or any other thing you want to defend) is not secure, regardless of when in the game the attack comes. So, don't just sit there right around the VL. Push your perimeter forward to occupy the enemy's jump-off positions, such as patches of woods or buildings 100m or so out from the VL. With these in hand, you force the enemy either to mount a full-scale, earlier attack to take the jump-off positions, or make a longer run across open ground, which you should be able to cover from your forward positions. In either case, if he waits to the end of the game, he will not succeed. Besides, being right on the VL is a good way to get shelled. If you don't feel strong enough for this tactic, at least put an OP in the jump-off positions so you can see any enemy moves to them, and be ready to shell them. Of course, you can pretty much tell if the enemy is considering a last-minute rush anyway. You've blunted his initial thrust and things have quieted down. Guess what? Now you have the initiative. Seize it. Go forth and counterattack vigorously. Hunt down enemy survivors while they are still demoralized and scattered after their initial repulse. Spare none that you find. Keep the pressure on. The harder you hit now, the more likely the enemy will surrender early. ------------------ -Bullethead In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is strength, in water there is bacteria.

SheepNZbed baaa-ed: <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Bullethead. You are insane. That race map is crazy!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I'm not insane, just a sot. The inspiration came to me one night while engaged in the traditional redneck pastime of getting drunk and driving around at high speed while shooting at highway signs and deer caught in the headlights. This is a perfectly normal activity so I can't, be definition, be insane. In any case, the race is on. Eat my dust, plus whatever steel and high explosive I throw at you. ------------------ -Bullethead In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is strength, in water there is bacteria.

What I've found works good is to buy a sheet of foam rubber for the map board. Paint it using water-based paints (so you don't dissolve it), 1 side green and the other leave tan for desert or paint white. Paint some roads on it if you want. You can make sunken roads and streams by gouging out grooves in the foam and painting them brown or blue. To make hills, you have 2 options. For large-scale rolling terrain and slopes, put some books under the foam itself. For small-scale features, make them out of 1 or more layers of foam rubber, with the edges beveled. Then glue a couple toothpicks in the bottom. This enables you to stab the hill down anywhere on the main map, a different place and orientation each game. Best part about this type of map is you can just roll it up when you're done and stuff it in a closet or cabinet. For scenery, there are a number of options. N-guage model railroad buildings and trees are about the right scale, but they get expensive and break easy. So the best thing, IMHO, is to make your own buildings out of little blocks of wood--just paint (or use a marking pen) windows, doors, etc. The level of detail is entirely up to you. For trees, you can buy bulk model railroad green moss. With this, you can tear off small blobs, glue them to toothpicks, and make trees you can stick anywhere in the foam map. Or you can just use big blobs of the moss laid on the foam for forests--just pick the whole thing up to move units through it. Making this type of scenery IMHO is the most cost effective, the easiest to modify and store, and looks quite good enough. ------------------ -Bullethead In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is strength, in water there is bacteria.

Originally posted by the shaking, needle-tracked fingers of Speedfreak: <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>I must say that does sound interesting, I will give it a go.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Whoohoo, I can't pass this up. Somebody who thinks he can race just because of his name Check your mailbox. So that's 2 victims in this event: Speedfreak and SheeperNZ. The pace car has just come onto the track so we'll have all the gory details soon. In other AAR news... Gerbiltoy's Own Royal Hoseheads are just reaching their jump-off positions in a Hell of frozen, hilly forest for their futile attempt to oust my 4521st Penal Battalion from its position, eh? And yes, my 25 FOs and their mule lovetoy are ready and waiting. Meanwhile, Geier and I are engaged in what promises to be an epic slaughter over the wine cellars in a small village. The map is small, the only place really to go is into town, and artillery is much in evidence. Fortunately, the wine should survive the bombardment, but I doubt the remaining troops will have the strength to dig it out of the rubble. ------------------ -Bullethead In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is strength, in water there is bacteria.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by PeterNZer: Hey kids. what's up with the CMMC? Can we have a little progress update? I kinda feel like i've fallen off the edge of the CMMC news world.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Well, in the monstrosity of the original CMMC, we are in the process of conducting a CPX to test rules, organization, communications, etc. There have of course been many problems, but a fair number have been smoothed out. Still, quite a few remain, some of which are insoluable for the duration of this exercise, so we just have to deal with them and do something else next time. So far, turn 1 (0600-1200) on day 1 is complete and turn 2 (1200-1800) is just starting. In turn 1 there were several battles as the US launched its attack. In turn 2, there are shaping up to be more as both sides react to the intel generated in turn 1. Somewhere there's a CMMC Press Corps page with interesting articles but I can't find the URL. ------------------ -Bullethead In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is strength, in water there is bacteria.

PeterNZer baaa-ed: <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Sounds good Mr Head, I'll join your whacky zanny race<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> On the way. Tell me, what attracted you? The rodent bit or the chance to do gamey recon without fear of rebuke? ------------------ -Bullethead In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is strength, in water there is bacteria.

Sailor Malan said: <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Do you know what the development history was of the A-57? Because the Napier Sabre was a pig, and took a long time to mature (early Typhoons were famous for engine unreliability, and a tail that fell off!)<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Other than what I've posted above, I know very little about the A-57, except that at some point it was simplified to some extent. For example, each bank originally had its original water pump, but eventually these were replaced by 1 common pump. But I'd expect that the A-57 had a fairly smooth development process in general. After all, despite being a hasty lash-up, its main components were tried-and-true, so the main problems would have been involved with getting them to work together, instead of making each part function. The Sabre had a different sort of development stress, due to different circumstances. Its main problem was that its development (as that of the Typhoon) was given low priority in 1940 to concentrate on Hurricanes and Spitfires. Then once the Battle of Britain was over, it was ordered essentially off the drawing board and pressed into service before adequate testing. Hence it and its associated hardward (prop feathering device, for example) experienced serious problems early on. But these were eventually overcome and by 1944 or so it was about as reliable as other frontline engines. ------------------ -Bullethead In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is strength, in water there is bacteria.

OK, you gerbil-jamming, jeep-rushing afterbirths of tubercular swine, I have taken pity on you all. Yes, in my booze-soaked benevolence, I have fabricated a most nefarious scenario wherein you may practice your debaucheries without disturbing normal lowlifes. Rodent pederasts will love it for its Habitrail-like setting. Those given to gamey recon will thrill to the compulsory charging around with light vehicles. In short, I bring you: DEATHRACE Y2K: The Inaugural Running of the Cesspool 1500m Dash You have 12 armored cars starting side-by-side with your opponent, protected only by speed and some mortar smoke. Ahead lies a maze of mined roads, bridges, infantry ambushes, and shellfire, with the odd jabo showing up to make life even more interesting. Plus, of course, exciting car chase scenes as you and your opponent exchange fire. First armored car to the victory flag at the far end of the map wins. Game usually lasts 5-7 turns. So send your heralds crawling to my fortress with your entrance fees. I can immediately castrate any 2 of you non-driving speedbumps and will also distribute the scenario to all who beg. ------------------ -Bullethead In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is strength, in water there is bacteria. [This message has been edited by Bullethead (edited 10-22-2000).]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Wow. Cool tidbit Bullethead. A common crank huh? Was this an exception or did others use that design?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> The A-57 Multibank engine was kludged together early in WW2 when the US was gearing up for full-scale war production. At that time, the standard tank engine was an aircraft radial job but production priority for these suddenly had to switch to airplanes, so there was a big hunt for new tank engines. This is why there were so many M3Ax and M4Ax tanks. All the A designations except A1 meant a different engine than the original Mx. The A-57 was part of this, a hasty expedient based on a lot of off-the-shelf components. It was used in both the M3A4 and the M4A4, both of which had extended hulls. I don't know how many M3A4s were built, but there were 7499 M4A4s. Almost all of these went to the Brits, however. The A-57's design had 1 bank of 6 cylinders vertical on top. Below this were 2 more banks forming a 130^ vee, and below them were the other 2 banks forming a 167^ vee. Each bank had its own crank, but all 5 of these were geared to a common central shaft for power output. In effect, it was 5 complete Chrysler 6-banger truck engines geared together. It had a total of 1253 cubic inches, developed 425 horsepower, and weighed 5375 pounds. The only other engine I can think of with any similarity is the Napier Sabre, which powered the Hawker Typhoons and early Tempests. This thing had 24 cylinders arranged in an H pattern as seen from the front. 4 banks of 6 jugs each, 2 pointing up and 2 down. Each half of the engine had its own crank serving 12 jugs and these were geared to a central prop shaft. Oh yeah, it had sleeve valves, too, for extra style points. This engine could produce over 2000 hp and move planes at over 400 knots. However, it was designed this way from scratch instead of being a kludge like the A-57. ------------------ -Bullethead In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is strength, in water there is bacteria. [This message has been edited by Bullethead (edited 10-22-2000).]

Well, we can't do anything about this situation, so we have to figure out how to deal with it. As I see it, there are 2 methods of coping: 1. Blame the Mod Makers Obviously, they are slacking. If they were sending Madmatt anything, he'd sure be posting it. 2. Be Thankful We are now spared the daily wade through a page of self-aggrandizing "I'm so cool, look what I posted today" text to get to the stuff we want to download. I get enough of that in the Cesspool ------------------ -Bullethead In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is strength, in water there is bacteria. [This message has been edited by Bullethead (edited 10-21-2000).]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>What about V? I'm curious now.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> This was of course the M4A4, the coolest Sherman on style points, due to it having the Chrysler A-57 Multibank engine. 30 cylinders, made from 5 separate straight-6 truck blocks mounted on a common crankshaft. This model of Sherman was 11" longer than the others, to make room for this engine, and was the basis for most Fireflies. ------------------ -Bullethead In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is strength, in water there is bacteria.

As I understand it, each infantry squad on the map is an abstraction representing the "center of mass" of the squad. The actual soldiers are often spread out over a somewhat larger area, but CM doesn't track their positions individually--you always shoot the squad marker itself. So, in this type of case, squads have a "close combat radius" around the squad icon on the map. This radius represents the area in which individual soldiers can engage in close combat with enemy units, both infantry and tanks. This is shown graphically in the game by having the squad marker toss a grenade from a distance, but this in fact might represent somebody actually climbing onto the tank and dropping a frag down the hatch. ------------------ -Bullethead In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is strength, in water there is bacteria.

There is little point in using mortar vehicles as currently modeled in CM, except for scenarios involving convoys caught en route. In most battles, they would be like ground mortars--in the rear and represented by an FO unit. If you put them on the map, you face the following problems: 1. Being in a vehicle, they can't use any covered terrain, and can't move without generating at least a vehicle sound contact. 2. Being in a vehicle, they cannot be under the control of an HQ unit, and so cannot use on-map indirect fire. Combined with (1) above, this means that when they are in position to shoot, the enemy will always know where they are. So if there is any enemy anti-armor weapon with the range to reach them, they are toast. 3. CM doesn't model all the advantages of vehicular mortars over ground mounts, such as lack of digging themselves into the ground with the associated losses of accuracy, response time, and ROF. Because of this situation, the only advantage vehicular mortars have over leg mortars is mobility, but this is at the price of beaucoup disadvantages leg mortars don't have. So it's best to buy an 81mm FO. Failing that, it's usually better to buy a leg mortar and a separate halftrack. This gives the same mobility with less vulnerability, plus the ability to use an HQ unit for indirect fire. The only drawback is the time required to mount and dismount. But in most situations, I'd rather have the leg mortar for its other advantages than the vehicular mortar. ------------------ -Bullethead In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is strength, in water there is bacteria.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>You *are* able to adjust fire, but unfortunately CM doesn't give you that nice green line indicating that you can retarget without starting a whole new countdown. So it's somewhat difficult to move the target around without going outside the maximum 100m radius you're allowed to adjust with.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Well, for now you could use gridded terrain tiles . But I still think the best solution is to change the adjustment radius to be 100m MINIMUM as well as tweaking the impact pattern to better reflect the usual orientation of guns perpendicular to the line of fire. <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>BTW, after adjusting to another spot out of LOS, the countdown still takes twice as long as targets within LOS. And you can also adjust target from an area in LOS to one out of LOS and vice-versa. So you're actually able to target an area you can see, allow some shells to fall, and then adjust fire into an area you don't have LOS to. In some cases, this may be better than originally targeting the area out of LOS and then waiting the full time for the shells to begin to fall.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Yes, this is something I do a lot. Also, when shelling things like woods and villages, there are often places in the general target area to which the FO does in fact have an LOS. Remember, you don't have to aim right at a target unit because shells will be falling all over the area and have a blast radius. So what I do is use the LOS tool all over the area until I find a spot with an LOS that is also close enough to the enemy to cover them with the impact pattern. Then, while holding the LOS line on that point, I hit the T key to change the line into a targeting line, then click the mouse. Thus, I don't risk moving the cursor off that point. ------------------ -Bullethead In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is strength, in water there is bacteria.

Chupacabra whined: <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>this was hardly a proper taunt at all, I'm telling Mama<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> And what's that supposed to accomplish? Make me die of remorse? How can I, when it obviously incited you to rise from your wallow in the offal and complain? Go back to sucking on goats. ------------------ -Bullethead In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is strength, in water there is bacteria.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally burbled by Gerbiltoy: Roight, that does it! You mothballed radarfried tubehugging beekeeping brewbarrel. 1,500 points at 500 yards. Send me a setup once the excuses you are so fond of serving up have been removed. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I ask nothing better. Thank you for volunteering to be the next test bunghole in my experiments with the bayonet-mounted proctoscope. You shall have your set-up even if it takes getting a new ISP. Until then, continue dying of dropsy. ------------------ -Bullethead In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is strength, in water there is bacteria.

On the AAR front..... The spavined squirrel in the cage powering the decrepit Delphi STMP email server has apparently died of old age. Thus, I cannot send the odious Geier the latest movie of the flaying of his troops. The rest of you dingleberries can die of dropsey. ------------------ -Bullethead In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is strength, in water there is bacteria.

This topic has been discussed before, and there is also some info in the 1.05 or 1.04 readme file. But in summary, to the best of my knowledge and belief, the way infantry orders work now is like this: 1. Moving Used for changing position during a firefight. Unit will keep moving to its waypoint as long as its morale state lets it, although it will fire at enemy units while it does so. Unit is assumed to be moving fairly cautiously, like by fireteam rushes, so net speed of advance is about walking pace but effects of enemy fire are reduced somewhat. Also used for route marching in non-combat situations. 2. Sneaking This is the advance to contact order now. Unit moves very cautiously, like by individual rushes, taking max advantage of available cover. Net speed slower than walking pace and protection from fire during move is very good. When unit spots the enemy, it will stop moving and fire until the enemy unit is no longer a target, after which it will continue moving. Firepower is higher than with moving due to everybody stopping and shooting. 3. Running Balls-out, high speed dash to the ordered location, totally ignoring cover en route and not shooting except maybe with SMGs. Casualties to fire during running are higher than normal. 4. Crawling Very slow, staying low. Unit is least likely to be seen and successfully hit by fire during move, but also may not shoot at all. So basically, you now have a spectrum of orders with different emphasis on speed, firepower, and protection. ------------------ -Bullethead In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is strength, in water there is bacteria.