John Kelly

Will either of these patches fix the problem regarding planes not participating in operations?

Hmm,that is interesting. I have played that scenario, which I thoroughly enjoyed, but never saw or heard a single fighter bomber. The artillery was present, but no air power. I hope it can be fixed. John

I cannot seem to get planes to appear when running an operation. The scenario works fine and planes appear with devestating consequences right on cue. I believe it must be a coding issue. Has anyone been able to make it work? Help Big Time Software. John

This operation is a tankers delight. I played as the German and reminisced about the days when miniatures ruled the wargamer's heart and box wars were a common Saturday afternoon occurrence. As the German player, I was astounded with the number of tanks and half-tracks available. I just couldn't imagine how the British would be able to stop me with 7 Tigers and 7 PzIV's. Then I got reinforcements...more Tigers and MkIV's. Well, try 50 British tanks and air power to boot. This scenario was incredible. I squeaked by with a tactical victory and only one MkIV remaining out of my proud division, but from a pleasure perspective, it was a 10 on the richter scale. If you've played it, tell me what you think. Prohst, Herr John Kelly

This was a terrific operation made more entertaining by the fact that I finally beat the AI. However, I noticed a couple of things that may merit mention. The Germans shelled me continuously, but at a most inopportune time for them, the AI barraged me with smoke, not HE. My soldiers reacted as though high explosive was falling, and I even took casualties, but it was clearly smoke. I took advantage of the blunder and scampered across the bridge. Did I experience a bug? I also saw a Nashorn SP gun morph into a Stug III. Was that the "fog of war" thing or a bug? I noticed a particular house disintegrate following a direct hit, but I saved and exited the program only to return later and find the house reappear. The rubble had been moved to the other side of the street. Has anyone else experience these things?

Doug, you have made some very interesting points. Perhaps I'll try this one again with a bit more aggression. My concern would be the anti tank teams waiting to "t" off on my armor. I still believe that a defender has an inherent advantage, and my axiom since the days of Avalon Hill has always been, only attack with at least a 3 to 1 advantage. That's not to say you can't win with less, but that would be a better scenario for a meeting engagement. I do have some game play issues that I would like to discuss. First: I can't find a way to quit the game. Have I missed it? Second: I would like to have an interface that would enable me to quickly locate certain units and check their status. I searched for ten minutes and assumed my 105 observer had been killed. Finally, I stumbled upon him. I think it could be done better. It's one thing for your men on the field to suffer the fog of war, but not the gamer. Third: I would like to see a key to capitulate, cease fire or flee. Fourth: I would like to utilize points as in the old miniature days to determine force balance; furthermore, I would like to take those points and select my own units. As I noted before, the animations are weak even without a one to one ratio. What do you think? ------------------ John [This message has been edited by John Kelly (edited 01-02-100).]

In my opinion, the most interesting battle of the two is the first one "The last defense." The German is clearly at a disadvantage. He is outnumbered and the burden of attack is on him. After attempting a myriad of unsuccessful strategies such as shelling the Hellcats with my 105 battery (I was hoping the open top would make them vulnerable, but the fire was too inaccurate), I resorted to a trick I often employed when gaming with miniatures. Tractics rules considered added protection of angle and slope. I am pleased to say the game simulates that rather well. The powerful 76mm shells from the American tank destroyers broke up on my Tiger's thick hide thanks to careful positioning. I am cautious by nature; therefore, 30 turns was not enough for me to accomplish every objective. The game was deemed a draw by virtue of a casualty count. Three vehicles were lost on both sides, but I knocked out all three of the tank destroyers and lost two half tracks and one stug. Both sides lost about a platoons worth of men, but as an attacker, I consider that to be a victory. I had captured several key buildings and was pressing toward the bridge. Why does the game limit the number of turns, and how could it consider this battle anything but a decisive German victory? Any thoughts on the matter? Cheers, John ------------------ John [This message has been edited by John Kelly (edited 01-01-100).] [This message has been edited by John Kelly (edited 01-01-100).]

Mr. Capitalist in China, I too am a fan of Hidden & Dangerous and Rogue Spear. However, my roots are in the Avalon Hill board games and WWII miniatures. This game very much reminds me of the wonderful days at my local Hobby Shop where I would spend hours gaming with my friends on a home-made terrain table. I used platoon 20 miniatures from Ireland,ESCI model vehicles and Tractics rules. Ah, those were the good old days. Combat Mission is very interesting. It seems to have taken the best of the real time and turn based games. However, in this day and age of accelerated graphics, why was it not possible to attain an infantry ratio of one to one? I realize the polygon requirments would be high, but the infantry animation is very muchy inferior to the vehicle animation. Any thoughts? Does that bother anyone else? I must say it is nice to play against an AI that doesn't blindly charge no matter what the circumstances. Cheers ------------------ John