Rooster

I'm in for any burough or NJ, Conn, or LI... as long as public transportation can get me there...

I read just enough to make me dangerous But here's what I think. I also think it's hard to pin Monty as the worst, because he was not without merit as a commander. He inspired the 8th Army to achieve what they achieved in Africa -- his ego and eccentricities helping to counter the Dessert Fox persona that had shaken the British army. In Normandy his unflappable character allowed him to carry out multiple thrusts and keep a lot of German hardware tied down around Caen. That WAS his job. Ritchie, there's truly a bad British commander.

You'd also have to take into account that the Fallschirmjaeger jumped without anything but sidearms. Their rifles and machine guns were dropped seperately in weapons containers. This also lead to lots of casualties.

BruceR: The ReadMe file of your RealPara mod is, in itself, a great work, not to mention the actual Mod. You make some very compelling points above, too. I see it differently in two ways, though: A game that allows mods allows fans to create scenarios that would otherwise never merit publishing, let alone the man-hours of game development. Take, for example, the Winter War and Rumanian Mods for CC. These mods re-create, in game-fashion, lesser known engagements between lesser-known units that would otherwise never see the light of day. Don't the men who fought these battles deserve monument as well? Certainly it meets the desires of the people who have a keen interest in these engagements and who might have relatives that fought these battles. Additionally, I think there is a community facet to mod making that enhances the buzz surrounding the game and extends the game's presence long after it should have quietly died in the bargain bin. This is a double edged sword, however, as mods and mod making may fixate certain gamers on the old version, preventing them from adopting the new release -- affecting in a *small* way the sales of the new game. Kudos to BigTime Sofware for the way they went about using player feedback. Dan

Okay... shall we reschedule for next Saturday, or is there a better time for folks than Saturday at noon?

Cuchulainn it's Time to Meet! This Saturday in Manhattan at Hallo Berlin, at 402 W. 51st Street at Ninth Avenue. 12:00 noon. CM Talk, match planning & mebbe even a little Subway Series Talk!

All the News that is Fit to Assimilate

Hey - I'll meet in Manhattan any Saturday but this one. Good idea.

Thanks for the explanation. It could be the scaling thing and I'll check it out. The game really is spectacular in its replay capability -- nice work.

No kidding. I played it back from every angle and a Stug shot a round straight through another Stug that passed three feet in front of it . The round went on to take out a Sherman, but the stug that traversed the line of fire wasn't harmed whatsoever. Has anyone ever seen this?

Thanks Steve and gauchi for the UUB lesson And -- wrong thread but -- thanks for the addl. scenario, BTS. Big Time Fun Dan

Arrgh! Gosh darn UUB!

Fionn, You said this earlier and I didn't comment then, but perhaps you aren't aware of what improvements were "attempted" by Atomic in previous patches. I use the word attempted simply because as I read them again, I think some of the results were dubious. Nevertheless, very few of the fixes were aimed at CRASH BUG issues. Have a look... Dan www.microsoft.com/games/closecombat/update.htm www.microsoft.com/games/closecombat/cc2/downloads.htm [This message has been edited by Big Time Software (edited 11-20-99).]

Not out trying to disseminate "poor advice and false expectations," Fionn. Just think people could wait until they hear more about the game (than just about the demo). Dan

Ahem (zipping up Sparco racing suit in anticipation of a huge flame) The demo isn't much, agreed. But, wait till the verdict is out on the full version of cc4. It will eventually get a patch (according to a post by Atomic's Eric Young) and the strategic level could put a great new twist on the game. Thank You (Ducks behind asbestos sheild)

I say Yes. Having read the arguments, I'd like to say that I respect BTS for their views and that I've gone from being a doubter to being certain that I will buy the game. I must agree, however, with braxen and the others that allowing mods would be a boon to gamers nad BTS, given that the cheating issue can be surmounted. As many companies have found, one path to success is focusing on core competencies. For BTS, a core competency could be refining and improving the game engine of CM. No doubt, BTS brings mucho to the table in historical accuracy, but you guys don't have a monopoly in that arena. The grogs will sift any mod like wheat, and determine its value and playability. The rest of us will probably plug our noses when they plug theirs. Besides, making, sharing and playing mods is fun, which keeps people occupied with CM and not some other clone or game designed to pirate BTS's market/audience.

Question for BTS. How are the FJ squads organized for this timeframe? Are they still in 10-men sticks from the days when they jumped into battle, or had they changed their organizational structure some to adapt to their ground role?

FYI, closecombat.net is temporarily down. Close Combat discussions are happening at http://www.clubssi.com/closecombat/ until ccnet comes back online in about a week. Rooster