Mark IV

There is definitely a difference between pulling a building down with a backhoe, and ramming it with a tracked vehicle. Even pushing one over with a blade is executed slowly and carefully. Before a battle, anything's possible (I've seen photos of tanks concealed in buildings, too). During one, it's an iffy proposition, because the odds of throwing a track or damaging something else are high. Not saying it couldn't happen, but maybe the crew would have to go through the kind of morale checks an infantry squad does before it lets loose a Panzerfaust. Even then, the odds of immobilization would be high, especially on the heavier buildings. Tanks are made to resist things, not really to smash them. Tanks with dozer blades, on the other hand, could push over light single-story buildings, but all this sounds like a lot of code for a marginal feature.

They're only saved on the clipboard until you paste them somewhere. If you don't have a real graphics app, open Start, Accessories, Paint, then use CTRL-V to paste it (or select Edit, Paste). It should appear. Then you can save it as a .bmp file (bitmap, which is very large). THEN, you should go to www.jasc.com and download the 60-day try-and-die demo of Paint Shop Pro (if they don't have it, it's at download.com). That will allow you to convert it to JPEG, which is much smaller (compressed). You can also change the size, tweak the color, paste or draw in hamsters, etc. [This message has been edited by Mark IV (edited 09-09-2000).]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Croda: can someone explain the cesspool to me? I'd go myself, but I may have another psychotic episode and beat the hell out of everyone in there too!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Needs work, that's entry-level 'tude, but no substance. Seek "Peng, I take Our Challenge Public". "He was our last hope." "No. There is another...".

Coffee. All day til 5. Johnnie Walker Black, and Molson or Heinie thereafter. Ciggies throughout (gotta go outside, though, SHREW). Moral: send those PBEMs late.

In defense of Meeks... no, let me start over. This is Officer IV, Cesspool Police (CPs), and we understand you've seen a fugitive here. Mr. Meeks was actually given a fairly benign mission (not by me) to recruit Mr. Croda, who's talent for creative invective was noticed by others, in an unrelated thread. That Mr. Meeks has exceeded his authority, slipped off his meds, and bungled the whole thing is obvious. Now he is yet again bothering normal people. He is only annoying, not dangerous. If you can just point me to him we'll be dragging him back, AGAIN, to the Dark Place. Thanks for your cooperation, netizens. And Master Bates, let's see some ID while we're here. Better have a look at those palms, as well.

One of the more comprehensive movie threads: http://www.battlefront.com/discuss/Forum1/HTML/008842.html The book-and-movie lists come up every 4-6 weeks, so there are many contributions.

I think those stones in the wall are more impressive than the sky- did you touch those up, or is this a resolution I don't have? [This message has been edited by Mark IV (edited 09-06-2000).]

I would prefer not to know so much. I should know only what I can see. That would include shot placement, but not internal effects. Explosions and turret tilting, hell yeah. Internal flaking (wouldn't that cause casualties sometimes?) and gun hit- nope. It doesn't take much deformation of the tube- try any- to render the gun useless, and you couldn't necessarily spot it from any distance in battle. Crew experience- definitely not. Track hits are a gray area- whether they are shown or not, how would I know that an enemy tank is Immobilized, except by observing that it hasn't moved? Gun and track damage can be highly visible, or virtually invisible, from a distance. If the gun was bent at 30 degrees, or I could see the track stretched out on the ground despite the ground cover, I guess I would know; but in a shooting war the subtler clues would go unnoticed, except for the beast's behavior. [This message has been edited by Mark IV (edited 09-05-2000).]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Be careful, however, that you don’t let it take over your life, because it will if you let it.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> The Borg needs to pay this site a visit. I think it's a live one. Great review.

I just requested an opponent to shoot the surviving crewmembers of an HT that apparently went berserk, and sacrificed itself in the most unintelligent maneuver a crew could conceive. Unfortunately he can't hit crews, only AFVs, and they are limping edgeward now. If they're smart they'll desert before I catch up with them.

Viewing the map after an experimental QB, I noticed the AI had placed a Hetzer in a boxed-in area near one corner of the map. It was a fairly good-sized area, maybe 60-80m square, but surrounded by trees on 3 sides, with the enemy map edge to its rear. The Hetzer never could have been committed to battle unless it's little square was attacked. Since the action was elsewhere, it never got used, even though it was desperately needed. That would be an example of what could happen with rivers, I suppose. AI would have to make sure you got assault boats, etc., if it didn't come with bridges, and would have to route the river realistically. And can you hear the crying from opponents who find the AI-placed river tactically advantageous to the other side! Would be nice someday....

LOL- that's pretty good.

Please let this be the last post to this thread... I think this was the message... done.

Note the modern use of fragless flash-bang "stun grenades" to paralyze and demoralize terrorists. People hate explosions in their faces. Since German tankers who found themselves in such predicaments are not likely to have left many written testimonials (by the time the OPFOR infantry is swarming over your tank, your life expectancy is seriously jeopardized no matter what short term countermeasures you come up with), I wonder if there are any recorded episodes of antitank parties being repelled by Nahverteidigungswaffen?

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Minnesota Joe: I suggest you read that entire post.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I did. And I was going to give you credit for the name, btw. But conciliation is out-of-character with my Cesspool persona, to which I must now return, that being the real me. I can not risk staying out for long, as the sun's rays may strike me... (sounds of dank splashing)

I wonder, would scenario type be relevant? Should it affect rankings? We have Attack, Assault, Probe and Meeting Engagement, any relevance? Is a Major victory in an Assault more/less impressive than one in a Probe? Pretty page, but a very slow loader with my 28.8 dial-up...

I like the backgammon analogy, though I think luck plays a bigger roll in it, than in CM. So much of backgammon is knowing the odds, and making the best of a bad thing. You can't really make luck, but you can make yourself easy for luck to find. Or be in a position to take advantage of luck that comes your way. I could use some double ones right now, in fact...

It started as a public challenge between 2 parties (one of whom is not human), and quickly became the haven for those who enjoy creative insults as a form of taunting, while soliciting battles. It is a firewall for the hyper-sensitive, who would certainly be offended, the uninitiated, who would not understand, and the Very Serious, who've no bloody business playing games anyway. The price of entry is well-written invective, or at least the willingness to try. Do not expect mercy. Hamsters are currently somewhat out of vogue, but remain an underlying theme. Bring plenty of salt for the wounded.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by EScurlock: If something genually offends you please take it up in private... This board has gotten over flame fests before, and will again.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> So very wise. Private email will tell you a lot. No email= Troll. No answer= Troll. Flamey response= Troll, or worse; avoid or attempt conversion (hey, it's your life). Reasonable response= possibly another point of view which was misunderstood or badly phrased. I see the chest-thumping continues elsewhere; the power of restraint is so underestimated. In a BBS, ignoring the Troll is the most effective response. After the first "normal" guy or two (simultaneousness happens) posts an appropriate response, like "we don't do that here", the successful tactic is to let it DROP INTO OBLIVION. All the piling-on IS the problem.

This looks like the right place for a long-simmering rant: The headers on a message board say a LOT about that BBS. Look at our headers now. Is that JP's fault? Only a little. It is in large part the result of the righteous majority, who cannot control the knee-jerk reaction to tell off a pimply 12-year-old skinhead dewd, otherwise known as FEEDING A TROLL, and pushing these stupid headers back to the top. The HIGHLY righteous even start new threads dedicated to extending and prolonging the pointless flamewars, and insuring that negative political headers stay at the top of the BBS. In most of the multi-page flamefests, there are about 4-5 posts from the witless troll, and 3 full pages of sanctimonious Troll Chow, from YOU, my friends, the CM and BBS faithful. Every time you feel compelled to post your brave stance against Nazism and your intolerance for all that is intolerant, you PUSH THE HATEFUL BILE RIGHT BACK TO THE TOP! How stupid is that? Can't spot a troll? First week on the internet? Out to save the world? Do you feel a warm, smug sense of pride after clicking Submit, the BBS equivalent of throwing your food wrappers out the car window? Do you think that ANY teenager (or Nazi) has been dissuaded from stupid ideas by a half-page counter-rant on the internet? And now, because of OUR OWN lack of restraint, and the unwillingness to pause and consider consequences 30 seconds into the future, we have calls for censorship and moderation. So to stamp out Nazis, we become...? By the way, some of the most interesting threads on this board were eventually closed, due to events which had nothing to do with 90% of their content. I am totally against the purges advocated here. I would support banning the word "Nazi" in the header of a message. Headers are more important than you think- they create an atmosphere. That's about it.

Those are impressive. One more nail in the coffin of my current rig. I think I can justify the 21" monitor, now. Sorry, Mr. Wallet.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Formerly Babra: No game is worth this...<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Yeah, it is. C'mon, you've been one of the good'uns for a long time now. It is inevitable that a game with this subject is going to drag in some puerile skinhead dewdz, now that it's public, but they won't be around long. We get the ones who are too lazy to write graffiti (no cap locks on the spray cans). Take a few hours off.