Preacher

And now, the rest of the story... Well, the brilliance of the now-famous reverse tank run through Reis... (will i ever learn the name of that town? ) showed itself in the next seveal turns. Poor Preacher was interdicted EVERYWHERE. My reserve platoon had no chance to get to the front. They remained alive and in good order, but couldn't move. The bugger pasted everything that moved. Heck, he had the high ground affording great LOS to most of my positions. When I finally got everyone hidden, he brought in the infantry asault (and, btw, another Sherm around my left flank!). I was toast. Fionn - regarding reverse movement: that Sherm didn't seem to be moving very fast. He was certainly buttoned, but not going real fast. Seemed credible to me.

I won't touch the graphics comments because folks hold widely diverse opinions about what they see, and i'm not interested in going there... I will comment on the 'lack of information' argument you make. Simply stated, in CM, as i see it, we as the player get the same information that a real field commander gets. He has to make decisions and plans based upon assumptions - things he has assumed because he witnessed them personally, or because someone else in his command witnessed them. I love CC1,2,3 and other games, but we players are given way more information in those games than we would have in a real battle. How do i know if my fire is suppressing the enemy? Watch him. Does he go to ground? Does he reduce his volume of fire? What about my armor that is spraying likely ambush points with fire - is it working? Who knows, but i'd keep it up until my units clear the (probable) danger area. How's the enemy morale? Again, watch them to see how they react - are they withdrawing? If so, does it seem to be in good order (i.e., are they taking up new fire positions? Or, do they seem to be milling about, looking for the best and fastest route to the rear? etc., etc. The point of CM is to simulate tactical warfare in as real a way as possible. No ifs, ands, or buts. I respect the fact that you are disappointed and in no way am i 'slamming' you for your just opinion. However, i do disagree. I believe that BTS may have just completely revolutionized PC (and MAC!) wargaming. Give it some more time and see if you change your mind. Good luck. Btw, i'm in no way affiliated with BF.C or BTS. I'm not a tester, either. To tell the truth, I'm a..... Preacher [This message has been edited by Preacher (edited 10-29-99).]

Wow. Fionn and Martin, et al were sooo right. I played the scenarios again and was handed my head on a platter! Particularly in the Resi... scen (Amis). I did not use the same setup and plan that i had used the first time. In fact, I felt that i maneuvered more effectively the second time around. But boy oh boy did the AI spank me. The two 88s showed up in completely different locations than in the first playing. I was more careful (i thought) about armor and inf in mutual support. However, one of his 88s had LOS to virtually all of the road. My BIG mistake. In the first playing, I had 2 Sherms in staggered formation on the road that were overwatching one another and obliterating everything that showed its face. I also had a 3rd Sherm on my right that patrolled the outskirts of Reis... and the german left flank. This time, however, I lost 3 tanks in 4 turns. 2 to 88s and one to a 'schreck. I called in a smoke mission on both 88s (too late) and was able to close assault one. The other one, seeing no LOS opportunities because of the smoke, manhandled that baby thru the haze and came out blazing. Geez, what a cool AI... I had to surrender. Nowhere to run to, nowhere to hide. Bold AI move of the day: I was playing the Germans in the same (Reis...) scen. After knocking out my 88s within 30 sec. of each other, the AI buttoned up a Sherm and drove it through the open lane a bit left (American left) of the road - straight into town. MGs were blazing. 'Schrecks missing all over the place. HE rounds flipping earth. When he passed the 1st objective building (on the church side of the road), he wheeled the tank around 180 deg to face his own lines (and keep his front armor pointed at the myriad of threats) AND DROVE THE TANK BACKWARDS ALL THE WAY INTO MY EXTREME REAR, firing as long as he could. When he reached the map edge (MY map edge), he disappeared into a little US symbol. Quite bold. Very cool. Also disturbing.... Preacher [This message has been edited by Preacher (edited 10-29-99).]

Exactly! Is this cool or what! Preacher

BTS, I can say for certain that the Hellcat is by no means a CS tank. Here's the response i emailed to CoolColJ earlier: Hellcats are tank destroyers. They are loaded out with only a handful of HE rounds. They carry a .50cal, too, but the commander must be unbuttoned to fire it (not exactly a comfortable situation in close support situations). I assume the AI was not willing to risk its TDs in an awkward, unfamiliar role. I played that scen as the Americans and after destroying all the German armor i moved the Hellcats in position to provide close support. I found that this was VERY difficult. Every turn i had to unbutton the commanders (who, in turn, wold close the hatch 5-10 seconds into the action phase every time!). With only 8-10 HE rounds per tank, that doesn't give you many shots. I was able to "influence" some enemy squads. However, in retrospect i should have stayed on the high ground and unbuttoned the cmdrs to provide long range suppression fire with the hmgs. I won nevertheless, but it could have been a disaster (i lost 1 hellcat to an elite troop who snuck into my blindspot and lobbed a grenade!. Disabled the main gun). CM is so cool. "Hey, wanna use a TD as a CS tank? Fine, but be prepare to learn why its called a tank destroyer and only a tank destroyer!" How many other games truly simulate the different roles and purposes for weaponry and equipment? None that I know of. Man, this is great stuff... Preacher

As for me, Peter, I was never able to take out the gun up on the hill (didn't even ID it as an 88 until the game was over). After losing a Sherm on turn 2, I avoided it whenever possible and pummeled it with mortar and long range hmg fire from the treeline about 20m left of the main road. Never killed it though, bu made sure to keep my armor out of LOS. The second gun was as big a surprise as th first. Assuming it was placed similarly in your game, you can get quite close to it by continuously keeping trees between you. I did this becuase i was afraid of what may lurk in the German rear on my right. When the 2nd 88 opened up at a mere 240m, i peed my pants. Luckily he missed. 3 squads pinned him and 2 HE rounds finished him. Whew! Preacher

What a great, great job y'all have done. I played the Reis... scen as the Amis (I won) and wow, was it incredible! On turn two i lost a Sherm to an AT gun (turned out to be an 88 - never did get that sucker). I literally JUMPED every time a round hit nearby. I've never had a wargame scare me Really awesome, guys. Thanks-a-million Preacher

Battle planners use phase lines in the planning process to help organize the attack/defense. They are drawn on the map and used for many different purposes. Usually in an operational area there will be several phase lines (along with lines of departure, assembly points, objectives, etc.). Phase lines can be used quite effectively to time multi-unit actions. For instance, you may say, "as soon as my rifle platoon reaches that tree line (we'll call it Phase Line Tree), i'm gonna send my M4s around the left to take and hold the ridge (we'll call it Phase Line Ridge). Generally, PLs are stepping stones to the objective (or, in the case of a defense, withdrawal points, "no retreat" points, etc.). Today, PLs can be very exact because of the wealth of high-tech navigational systems we have available. Guys can nail a PL in the middle of the desert (no landmarks) with GPS navigation. PLs in WWII were based purely on map coordinates and landmarks, IIRC. When the guys were discussing PLs in CM earlier, they were simply suggesting that we use mental phase lines to help coordinate our efforts. I don't think there will be any map-marking in CM I also am not sure if i made any sense here... Preacher [This message has been edited by Preacher (edited 10-28-99).]

Can someone explain to me the art of determining a skill level in a game not yet played? Oh, and i rate a 8.8 in Cricket (btw, how do you play?) Preacher [This message has been edited by Preacher (edited 10-28-99).]

I was just (re)reading the account of Singling in Small Unit Actions last night. My first thought was, "Wow. This would make a great scenario for CM!" I'll give it a shot, but I tend to really suck at anything even remotely artistic... Preacher

Actually, I was referring to myself. But its good to know i'm not the only one who can admit it Preacher

I think I'll find an opp right off and prove my tactical inadequacy. Preacher

regray@mindspring.com

Well, my watch is over for the night. Our friends across the pond(s) are waking up to take over the vigil. Be brave. Preacher [This message has been edited by Preacher (edited 10-26-99).] [This message has been edited by Preacher (edited 10-26-99).]

I have to hand it to you, BTS. I was just reading thru the AARs for the 47th time and noticed AGAIN that those vehicles (esp. the HTs, IMHO) look great! Are y'all going to release a demo? Preacher

Well...it WOULD give them something to do Preacher

...into a deranged band of silly people. The wait has finally taken its toll. Look at the top 5-6 topics, for instance. We have discussions of Dilbert, FPS-puking, y2k (relatively sensible), and a discussion of our parents/grandparents lack of color depth. SEE WHAT THIS WAIT IS DOING TO US!?!?!?! Ok. Deep breath... I feel better. Baby steps to the demo... :0 Preacher

It's http://www.hpssims.com Preacher

Isn't interesting that a discussion thread about "a certain person" has turned into a discussion of vomiting? Interesting... Preacher

He's definitely not kidding. I'm an FPS puker, too. I've experienced times where a long session at the 'puter playing an FPS has affected me for DAYS. It's no joke. Blech... Preacher

You mean some of you guys actually have lives? Preacher

test [This message has been edited by Preacher (edited 10-22-99).]

you have a point there. I'll post more [quietly] next time... (How do i code in those precious [g] smiley faces?) Preacher [This message has been edited by Preacher (edited 10-22-99).] [This message has been edited by Preacher (edited 10-22-99).]

Just thought i'd point that out... Preacher (aka Grover)

hmmm.....where might Steve be today....hmmm...hasn't been around in a while...hmmm....could he be...naw, you don't think?...could he?....hmmmm.... Lord help me. I think i've lost it.. Preacher