Mark IV

Wednesday the 27th in b24.

I have certainly had tanks, including those you mention, miss at ranges well under 500m and even under 100m. I had a Mk IV miss a Sherman under 200m in a tcp/ip game last week, and the M4 was broadside.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by TownsendVol: How many do I need to get off of this Jr. member status?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> You're halfway there and you still haven't even ordered the damned game, which would be an excellent use of the keyboard while preparing #17 for publication. Do it now! Operators are standing by!

Check out Germanboy's stats. A real contender, that one, even if lucidity is factored in.

Panzer inventory 1 May 40, according to Jentz: 1077 Pz I 1092 Pz II 143 Pz 35(t) 238 Pz 38(t) 381 Pz III 290 Pz IV 244 PzBefWg The three most prominent players, the I, II, and III, were all anachronistic by 1940, at least in the spec department. Radio articulation and superior spotting ability certainly helped to offset the thin German armor and dinky guns. Even German commanders conceded that had Somuas been used aggressively and en masse, they would have been in serious trouble.

This is partly what makes the Early War so interesting. The French tanks were arguably better in many ways, though really they were just "different". R-35 Light tank Weight: 10 tons Speed: 13 mph Frontal armor: 45mm Gun: 37mm H-35 Light Tank Weight: 11.5 tons Speed: 17 mph Frontal armor: 34mm Gun: 37mm Somua S-35 Weight: 20 tons Speed: 25 mph Frontal armor: 55mm Gun: 47mm Char B Weight: 32 tons Speed: 18 mph Frontal armor: 60mm Guns: 47mm (turret), short 75mm (hull) All had one-man turrets and slow rates of fire. But they did have better frontal armor than their adversaries (most of the German tanks had 30mm frontal armor) and as good or significantly better guns. These were good machines for their day, despite many design weaknesses (thin side armor, weak spots at ventilation grills), and had good suspensions. Some did indeed have radios, though not very good ones and not very many. Compare those specs to those of Pz II & III (of the period) and you could easily have bet that the Germans had no chance in a full-scale assault. Most CMers have learned by now that different tank types need to be used in different ways. It will be fun to use the froggy tanks to the best of their abilities, i.e., en masse, standing off wherever possible, and maneuvering to the extent their generally low speeds permit to put the Germans at a disadvantage with long shots over open country. The best way to offset the slow ROF is to use them in groups with hull down. Not only was the French doctrine of employment archaic, but the "invisible factor" in CM was another contributing factor to their defeat: logistics. They could not supply and refuel their armored forces anywhere near as well as the Germans, despite having shorter supply lines. They could not organize assaults quickly. They lacked the organizational mechanics to plan, equip, and launch a powerful armored counterstrike in haste. At Arras, the British showed that decent tanks with determined leadership could stop and destroy the "invincible" panzers, but it was too late for the French to adopt any new tactics.

Originally posted by TownsendVol: how good is the documentation that comes with the game? Good. Better than most games, better than virtually all war games. How long does it take to ship? I did see one post but they were not sure but said about 2 weeks. How long to ship, or how long to get there? You should have it in a week or so from receipt of order, if history is any indication. Now, go do three searches on random topics while you wait, for annoying Rob/1.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by joeski: A) Wait till they pass and shoot them in the ass. Let them go by unscathed. And move on them later. C) Open fire and hope I get one before they destroy the zook. I was thinking of setting an ambush for when they pass my zook <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> A very fortunate position to be in. The ambush will guarantee that the zook takes a shot at the first one, and the rest of the AFVs will waste him, unless you place the ambush marker down the road past his building. Put it well past the building but still crossing the road. Since he is Crack, he will probably maintain his Hide status until the first AFV has passed the building and is approaching the ambush marker. By then, however, he will have juicy targets right in front of him and his own AI may pick a better target. If the opponent stops just short of the building he will remain hidden, and you will have another decision to make next turn, but with better targeting possibilities. I would want to let the softer Puma pass and go for the point-blank on one of the harder-to-kill mediums. Hopefully you are not in a light building, where the backblast may ignite the building...

The scenario was "Bruyere", I was Axis. There may be spoilers ahead. It is a good little fracas. TCP/IP with 10-minute timer. Try it, it's a whole new game. It should have been worse, but: a) I was sober (the condition has since cleared up). Hiram decided that my having to attack across 300m of open ground was a real boon to the offence, and thus counter-attacked a German rifle company with a platoon... across 300m of open ground, c) in the course of which he nuked his own troops back into New Jersey. Thank god for Germanboy's genius tutelary, or I could have been looking at a minor. He also said "****fire" over the public airways. Spunky lad, what? While you drunken sloths were lollygagging on the sofa eating chocolate Santas, watching the over-caffeinated bitch-slap one another over Movements to Contact, and letting the One True Thread sink into oblivion, a few Real Men were fighting for their lives in semi-real time. No point in shaming this lot, but you get the drift. It wuz xclnt dewdz, as we say in semi-real time. Or somefink.

This is a difficult post for me to make. Let me be brief. In my first-ever tcp/ip game, with Hiram, I have achieved... a draw. With Hiram. Most of you would think, or at least try to, " A draw... that's not so bad". Even against Hiram. Sure, it was a stacked historical scenario, starting with my beaten greenies fleeing the Allied juggernaut, straight across open terrain into his Elite MG crews and a sky-full of HE. Yes, most of you would have collapsed helplessly by turn 3 and gone video snowboarding instead. But I have standards, dammit! I guess the rocky road to knighthood taught the lad something after all... [This message has been edited by Mark IV to more adequately reflect his profound sense of shame.] [This message has been edited by Mark IV (edited 12-27-2000).]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Marlow: There is no time to discuss the finer points of Calvin and other heretics, there is killin' to be done.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> With Hiram there is time to read the Manhattan telephone book out loud, cover to cover. What I mean by "blitz" is you sit there and wait for my bloody turns, plot and return within 10 minutes (for a scenario this size), and then you may go and crack another beer or pee (I recommend alternating between odd and even turns, to avoid unpleasnat mistakes). You may not engage in protracted bathroom visits, as you are expected to exercise the same control over your sphincter that we ask of family pets. You may not plead that you "have a life" because you were bemoaning the lack of same at the beginning of this little exchange, and besides, getting slaughtered by me IS a life. In short, you are now about 6 turns in arrears. And yes, Calvin was a heretic.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Hiram Sedai: Having roman numerals after your name doesn't scare me, Bucko. Pick a side, any side. Just don't be Swiss.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Side: Picked. Swiss: Not. Setup: Sent (it seems so long ago, now). Roman Numerals: VERY scary, because Hiram: holster filled with cotton candy, ran away, disappeared, no response, quivering under his covers like a snivelling little Calvinist with low self-esteem and a doggie johnnie-come-lately everybody-gets-lucky-sometime football team to boot. Neener, neener, neener. [This message has been edited by Mark IV (edited 12-27-2000).]

1. 6- Axis (Germans) or Allies (US, Canada, UK, French, or Poles). 2. Last released version = 1.05. Latest beta is 1.b24 which I think is pretty good, so far. There were reports of drop-outs to the desktop but I haven't seen that. You must have 1.05 before you can use the betas.

The .exe files for both 1.05 and the beta (shame on you, you should have the 1.b24 by now) need to be in the same directory as the Bitmaps directory, or they won't find the files. It almost sounds like you copied the mods into a different bitmap directory. I'll be back in my regular turret by Friday and we can upgrade our PBEM in progress to 1.b24 immediately, if you like. It seems to be working well, so far. Tell your troops to enjoy what remains of their little lives.

Right now, once an enemy unit is spotted, it is spotted by every unit. With relative spotting each of your units would need to establish its own LOS to the enemy, and presumably need to see it move or fire, before they could engage it.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Berlichtingen: BECAUSE THAT LITTLE GIRLY BOY IS TO BUSY PLAYING SOME SISSY SNOWBOARDING GAME ON PS2, THAT'S WHY!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Oh, SHAME. Perhaps we should consider the first Cesspool exile. Punitive measures are called for. Hiram has responded to the challenge. Let's see if there's anything besides cotton candy in his little holster.

Hiram: Here is your ass. Calvinism is one of the dumbest variations of the Judeo-christian brand of superstition, and giving it even a moment's credence, and I mean even trying it on in the dressing room when no one is looking, is ample reason to doubt one's self-worth with justification. You certainly took the long route to heathenism. I too had an interesting theological discussion last night by way of spoiling a Christmas party, at least for those within earshot, and I enjoyed it immensely. The subject was reconciling science with faith. After listening to all the smarmy mewling I could stand, I felt compelled to note that any attempt to do so was inherently bad science, and probably bad faith. It decayed from there, and there will probably be wicker effigies of me up and down the street this morning. I am very proud. If there was a little 15-turn something around with no weather effects I could probably get this etch-a-sketch 'puter of my parents to run it. Then I could use CM to demonstrate the error of your theology and affirm either a) apostasy or Catholicism, possibly thereby ameliorating the damnation you so richly deserve.

Highland Park! An 18-year-old gem from the Orkneys. Body of an Islay with the complexity and smoothness of the Highlands. Like a pat of butter floating on the surface, don't miss this one. I just used the bottle to bargain down my latest pile at the olde military bookstore down the street... the nice man is scottish, it seems. And I picked up FM 17-12 Tank Gunnery, 10 July '44 for my contribution (along with many others). 'Tis a fine holiday.

You should definitely add the IBM Thinkpads to your list. I've owned about 6 different laptops now, and the Thinkpads were the best (and most trouble-free) value for the money. The other really good ones are the Toshibas, but $$$. Pay attention to the video memory options! Most laptops have pretty pathetic video cards and drivers and they are expensive and sometimes difficult to upgrade. Get the best video output you can afford up front- this will make more difference to your CM experience than almost anything else.

Being temporarily in a real city, I'll be out scotch shopping later today, as a matter of fact. A sales manager just bought my undying loyalty for a 15-year-old Laphroiag which arrived just in time for the holiday. This will enable the astute to calculate precisely what my loyalty is worth...

It may be obvious, but US Army Field Manuals are written for more or less average folks who will need to visualize and internalize the lessons of mobile war, so they can apply them under intense pressure later on. I recommend them highly and they can be puchased all over the net. My copy of the Tank and Mechanized Infantry Task Force is neatly illustrated, with marked-up fold-out maps illustrating the principles as they might appear on actual topo maps. The more recent editions will have you dealing with attack helos and anti-tank guided missiles but the principles are the same. There are sections for Attack, Defense, Recon, etc. These can also be found at bargain prices in old book stores. I mean, that's what these guys do for a living.

CompUSA just had an HP package on a P4 rig for about $1700 less monitor (1.4GHz with CDRW, the whole bit). I'll probably pass but it's tempting to see them getting into range... Hey, thanks for the heads-up on the cadalyst reference. Among other things, it mentions: "the increasing viability of Athlon-based systems as a performance platform for CAD users. The Athlon Thunderbird processors are readily available, moderately priced, and as can be seen from the test scores here, able to hold their own quite well against Intel processors with higher clock rates." So it WAS BS. This article really praised the "somewhat pricey FGL Graphics FireGL 2 that accounts for approximately a third of the cost of the system." OK, graphics snobs... what's the deal with this one? [This message has been edited by Mark IV (edited 12-26-2000).]

I just had a salesperson tell me that Athlon would have major issues running AutoCAD 2000, and that I really need to get the P3 or 4 if I need both 3D gaming and CAD (which I do). This smells of BS and I'd welcome an informed opinion on Athlon & CAD. I'm looking for a whole new rig, so no motherboard constraints.

Really! I had to chat. I tried to run CM on the folks old abacus here, but it really can't handle it (loads, but no va, as GM would say), so it looks like some unfortunates will be waiting until Friday for their topplementations to continue. Too bad, you should have lost quicker. Good thing Santa brought lots of scotch.