Reverendo

Speaking of the Pacific and extremely off-topic... I have always been greatly interested in land combat, and I have read almost everything that has been written about it. Naval warfare, though, eludes me. Actually, it eludes me to the point that I cannot tell a cruiser from a frigate, which is pretty sad. Do you know of any book or web site that will help me learn the basics? I do not know the kind of units involved in naval warfare, I do not know the tactics used, I do not know the technical terms and jargon, I do not know absolutely anything about the subject. Please, somebody help me get rid of my mighty ignorance.

I will help you *punt* this thread, because I am also greatly interested in the Cinema Display reply. Not that I will ever buy one myself, but if my friends and I finally buy a flat we might join forces and get one. Now, I am about to inherit an iBook SE, for my father is about to buy one of the new ones. What exactly is the display problem CM has when playing on iBook screens? Regards, Jack Doolan

In one of the very few games I have played with the Germans, I was rushing my HTs and a couple of StugIIIs towards the remains of the allied troops that were hiding in the opposite shore of the river in Son, after securing one of the bridge heads. After two or three turns of shootout -read 'carnage', two airborne squads started running from the woods and towards the bridge in a last attempt to capture one of my positions. I chose to keep pushing forward and ignore them, since my hull-down vehicles on my side of the river would wipe them out as soon as they stepped on the bridge. The funny thing is that they never even got to the bridge, as an American .50 cal I had not seen started firing like crazy and totally eliminated both squads. :confused: It was the first time I ever saw friendly fire happening in CM, apart from my astonishingly inaccurate artillery barrages. Since then, I always put special interest in keeping my lads tightly together and under command by experienced HQs when fighting at night. The best thing is that I got to learn from my enemy's error

By the way, congratulations. I did not remember you were the author of the Hamstertruppen portraits. They are simply terrific (The German hamster with the headphones takes after me quite a lot, even though he is way cuter than I will ever be). Is there already a face mod for this? I would love to have lots of British Wheelborne Hamsters fighting the SS Hamsterdivision all about. Reverendo, Ye Bloody Scotsman

You lads check the "Can soldiers hands be altered?" thread (recently spotted in the top of the list thanks to a totally absurd, nonsense message of mine). This is where Kitty was last seen as far as I know. Reverendo

In reply to Kitty's message... I think the lack of glasses is implemented in the game as an excuse. It mostly reflects the fact most sharpshooters, AT teams and mortars (mortars quite precisely) are "visually challenged". And if any of you liked Achtung!Spitfire, I am pretty sure you wondered why Stuka and Fairey Battle pilots did not wear glasses either (had they done so, those -insert nationality here- boats would be deep below the surface of the channel. Reverendo

I do like it a lot...

I have to agree with David to some point. It is true that a flexible game engine is always welcome. But BTS has worked very hard to implement a handful of historical details to make the game as accurate as possible. I am speaking about details as unit availability depending on the exact month of the war (even the availability of tungsten rounds regarding the historical supply of such material). Making a battle between Soviets and Soviets would not make much sense, since it would betray the feeling and intention of CM. It would be different, though, if it was a Total Conversion, as the War in the Desert TC that is being developed at the moment. So far, textures and sounds are the only things you can mod in CM, and a War in the Desert TC would not require much more than that (unless you wanted to recreate EXACTLY the desert uniforms, wich would be more a matter of eye candy than anything else). What I think we need is the ability to modify the 3D models as well, for those who know how to use 3D Studio Max or Lightwave 6 might want to make some changes to the current ones. This would allow CM players to make actual total conversions and, IMHO, would save BTS a lot of work, as well as increasing the replayability of the title. This would also require an editor for the unit specs, but I am pretty sure it can be done. If we get an editor for every aspect of CM, we get absolutely any war situation you can name: just make a TC, or look for somebody else to make it. Reverendo, Ye Bloody Scotsman

A mortar round landing right on its target? I'm not buying it.

Thank you Steve, glad to be back with you all. I had some problems with mi iMac's OS that called for the use of 'extreme methods' (dynamite might not be as popular as subtle coding for killing 'bugs', but it kills them nevertheless) This kept me away from my computer for some time. Even though the problems with the OS were solved, I was so tired from solving them that I plainly stopped using my iMac and went by with a note book and a pen instead. If you have tried to post messages on this BBS with just a notebook and a pen, you will know the exact reason of my absence. But it was not only that I missed CM. I actually missed you lads (do not tell others I said this, or my rugged, masculine Scotsman reputation will be ruined) It is true that you have developed the best wargame ever. It is true that your skill in gamecraft might even attract the envy of the Gods of Games. And it is true that your knowledge of WWII and all related subjects is so far unsurpassed. But what keeps me coming here and buying your games is... ...that you are all a nice lot of sound men! Steve, if you ever happen to visit Madrid, do not hesitate and make me buy you a Guiness for all the nonsense I have posted in your realm. By the way... does the previously discussed Pillbox issue affect my score? I took 30 casualties and left the jerries with 0 men OK, 0 vehicles OK and 0 pillboxes OK. Can I still boast of a total victory with my CM pal? (what's the point of winning if nobody knows about it? ) Regards Reverendo

After winning a total victory with the allies in the "Red Devils" operation, I was looking to the After Action Report (for the 63rd time) delighting in the number of Axis casualties when I noticed a weird statement: 7 pillboxes knocked out Though I do not doubt I, in my magnificence, might have destroyed 6 more pillboxes without even knowing it, I only remember having seen one. Not actually a pillbox, but a wooden bunker. But ok, I do not care about the name the computer wants to give it, it was only one. Is this a Heavy Fog of War case in which 6 of my blind artillery shells knocked out a pillbox each, and they were all too far away to be seen, or it is just a bug? The number of infantry casualties was totally ok, but the Vehicles Knocked Out one was weird indeed: 50. Ok, it might have been so, I did not count the Halftracks I brewed up. But 50 sounds a bit too high anyway. The pillbox part is certainly wrong: there was only one, I can swear it. Any ideas? Reverendo BTW, I'm using the last version of CM (which I used through the whole campaign)

I will try to steal my soul from Satan and see if I can resell it back to him (perhaps e-bay?) Yes, I do have a 4Mb graphics card. And I don't feel (too) ashamed about it. But I totally love my iMac, as I loved my PMac 6100 (I had that working for 5 years), so instead of saying "Hey, I need a better Mac to make this game work", I'm more the kind of lad who says "What the hell, it plays damn fine!" I have finished DeusEx even though I was far below the system requirements, and I plan to do so with future games until my iMac spontaneously blows up. That's why I love to have preference dialogs to customize at will. I think it is too much to ask for a patch, though. But if we could switch screen resolutions, texture resolutions, sound quality, etc, I would show the rest of the world my ATI RagePRO 4Mb is as good as their Vodoo5s, if not better... (I will try at least) Reverendo, not rich, but getting by.

Indeed you can. That is what mods are all about. If you are using a Macintosh, open the adequate Graphics file (in the Data folder) with a resource editor (ResEdit, Resorcerer) and look for the texture you want to edit. Once you find it, copy it and paste it in Photoshop or another image editing program. When you are done editing it, just copy it and paste it back into the Graphics file. I have never edited a texture in a PC, but as far as I know it is as simple as looking for the texture in the Data directory (should be a .bmp), open it with an image editing program, modify it and save the file. You can afterwards post your new textures in CMHQ so other users can download them. Hope I helped Reverendo

Well, you are right about the early model. But what strikes me as pretty weird is that the texture quality of the full version will be worse than the one I saw in the demo EVEN if I play the same scenario (say, chance encounter). I have, though, heard many references to a dialog for graphical settings when you first start CM. I have never seen it, and I have trashed my prefs file before trying again. ¿Do I need to press a special key while I launch CM? I have installed the full-blown version, so it is not a performance issue. And I admit my graphics card is totally useless, being the onboard ATI the iMac has. It would surprise me to find that tiny, humble card is able to display great textures. But if the Demo had proved me wrong in the first place, I would not be as puzzled as I am now. And hey, the new comp thing is by far the best idea I have read around here. When are you buying it for me?

Weird, but I own an iMac 233 and I have never experienced the problems you talk about. Explosions, smoke and fog displayed OK too. But I do have a different problem. I know it has already been discussed, but I can not find the thread. With the Beta and the Gold demo, the texture quality was simply amazing, as well as the FPS. The Gold demo allowed for great eye-candy with great speeds. Now, since I got the full version, textures are just crap. There is absolutely no way to read mine signs or unit insignias, and buildings are colour stains scattered around the landscape. And the speed is exactly the same as it was before. Nobody buys a game like this for the graphics, of course. We want the game, not the looks. But releasing a demo that shows high texture quality and having the release version show low-low-low-res no matter what does not seem correct to me... Is there a fix for this? Reverendo

Since this exciting, wonderful topic is being buried under pages and pages PBEM challenges, flame wars and threads about hamsters, it is my duty to post again and keep it up. So some of us iMac users still have problems with textures, don't we? Problems we didn't have with any of the demos... I love CM as is right now, and there are few things I dislike more than people saying 'CM's graphics should be better'. Am I a grognard? Well, kind of. Sue me. But this is not about horsepower... I have seen my Mac handle it. I played Chance Encounter with the demo (which was kind of a big battle) and there it was, showing lots of fancy high resolution textures with no slowdowns (apart from those I have even with low resolution textures, when some hundreds of smoke shells fall over one of my mighty Stuarts or Cromwells and the battlefield starts looking like an anti smoking ban riot in Scotland Yard). If there is no solution for the problem, then what the hell, I keep playing with low quality textures, I'm not going to die for it. But if I can do something to get the great looking ones I had in the demo, then I would like to know... Hey Steve, we're trying to draw some attention here... Malory, hand me one of those smoke grenades! No, I don't care about FPS slowdowns, I just want to draw Steve's attention! Ye Bloody Scotsman

Aye, and do not forget the excitement you would find in supporting one of the largest criminal operations in the world... By the way. Since both demos look alright (I remember being slack-jawed at the Beta demo's graphics) and there's absolutely no ATI control panel whatsoever (it will not open if it doesn't detect a card, and built-in cards are not software detectable) I am pretty sure the problem here is that Combat Mission, in some way, forces some graphical settings depending on your system's performance. Weird thing the smoke, fire and explosions, as well as 3D fog and heavy fog, look astonishing, while trees are blocky, signs are impossible to read, and the vehicles I thought to be weathered are actually normal vehicles with crappy texture resolution. I would only change my iMac for a G4. I'm seriously thinking of selling my soul to Satan (and my sister's, just to solve yet another problem) in order to get a fancy new Mac with an ATI Radeon. Ye Bloody Scotsman

Full install, a few times. It doesn't seem an install problem either, since mods seem to have the same problem. In most games there's a fancy "Preferences" screen to mess up with so you can make your iMac crash instantly. And that's something I miss in CM. I don't like games to handle video settings for me... The minefield sign thing is really annoying. You can only tell Daisy Chain mines from the rest, since they appear on the map without having to step on them and blow up (something not recommended) I hope Steve, Fionn, Matt or any of the "big guys" here makes a patch to force high-res texture loading. I don't care about FPS, I just want to be able to read signs and watch vehicle insignias... Ye Bloody Scotsman

I just launched Combat Mission (full) for the first time today. After a pair of turns playing I realized there was something odd about the graphics: the texture quality was EXTREMELY low! I thought 'hey, I have an iMac with one of those crappy ATI cards, I can't ask for more'. But then I remembered the textures in both Beta and Gold demos looked a lot better. The soldiers' faces are blurred, the tanks' camo's full of RAVE-blurred blocks and (by far the worst thing!) I can't tell the German cross in Sdkfz halftracks from a cream and coffee stain in the thing's armour. American stars are also far worse than in the demo. I have tried all colour depths and resolutions, and even doubled the amount of RAM allocated to CM, with no luck. What can I do? I have an iMac 233 with 160 Mb of RAM and the built-in ATI Rage PRO (which, I add, worked well with the demos) Ye Bloody Scotsman

In my humble opinion, the German army (specially the Waffen SS) had a better training and equipment than its opponents. At least, in general terms. Both world wars have ended up being Germany against everyone else (except for those of you who might think Italy actually did something relevant, which I doubt), so if you think about the fact Germany held its place for 6 years against the rest of the world, then it's easier to understand they were incredible soldiers. I come from a Scottish family, and it is my duty to say the British have also shown an amazing training and a great display of gallantry when their country was attacked, but their effort might not seem as remarkable as the German's because, even while geographically isolated, the British were not 'really' alone. The German army was well organized, well driven, well trained and well armed, always operating with great accuracy and efficiency. It is true that other armies (the Romans and so on) have also shown the upper hand, but we are now talking about 1939/1945, when the Germans were much like the Romans in their time. And yes, I do have to stress I think the difference between "German Army" and "Nazi" is not small. But sadly, the German Army of 1939/1945 was the army of Hitler, and the symbols of the army were the symbols of the Party, which might take to misunderstandings. I do not, though, support the German Soldier myth. German soldiers were certainly not supermen, and that is exactly what makes me praise them. They were killed by bullets, and feared getting killed. They felt cold in Russia and heat in Africa, they got tired, they thought, they cried... but they stood, knew what to do and did it as good as they could (which was greatly above the standards), and so my hat is off to them. Reverend Mr.Black P.S: I play CM with both sides.

Hey, I can draw and paint! (and I'm pretty good at it! ) Fionn, you have my e-mail, so write if you have something in mind... ------------------ Regards Reverendo

I have to say I love CM as it is right now. And since I have pre-ordered, smoke graphics aren't going to change my mind. But it is true that the current smoke graphics in CM are plainly ugly. Even drawing the 2D sprites again would improve the effect. But there's something I'm yet to understand about 'horsepower': Do you guys remember Chuck Yeager's air combat? Explosions in CYAC could be rendered in two ways. 3D (which took after CombatMission's) and 2D bitmap. You just had to choose. Every single 3D Action shooter can be set for different detail levels, and in most of them you can disable big things like 3D explosions, translucent smoke, particles, raytracing lighting, etc. If you disable all that, the game looks awful, but it can be played in slower machines. I saw no 'video' section in CM Demo's option menu... Why don't you just make it an option? This way, guys with super PCs or Macs can enjoy eye-candy graphics while other guys can play with the game as it is right now. Hey, you can even remove trees and AFVs... Why not smoke? Or perhaps three ways of drawing it (Translucent smoke/2D Bitmap smoke/No smoke)? Most of the demands for better graphics could be answered with 'detail levels'. ------------------ Regards Reverendo

Heh, I guess having Blackadder in is far better than having Baldrick around...

Why not pause the troops? Tell the tank to move to its destination. Fast move is good for this. Tell the embarked troops to pause, then disembark. They won't get off the tank while it's moving, and since they have receiver the 'pause' order, they won't start thinking about getting off the tank until the tank is rolling. This way, you get the troops to get off the tank when it stops. ------------------ Regards Reverendo

Sorry lad, I ken good old General Sherman but I had not heard about that bad habit of his... There are so many things we Scotsmen will never understand about America... If Panzerschrecks had been invented by the time General Sherman was wandering around, he would have been scared of them too, I'm positive. Churchill is the one I know best, but I can't either say we're old acquaintances. I'm mostly interested in Montgomery and Rommel (both sides of the strategy coin, not meaning two different styles but a bad general and a good general respectively) ------------------ Regards Reverendo