TommyD

OK maybe this is just me but isn't this just "real life" ie, "hey, isn't that a big dust cloud?? Must be armor behind that hill.." OK OK maybe that the other side shouldn't see the type, etc, but seeing a huge dust cloud shoud alert the other side to armor or am I missing something??? Tom

WAHOOOO! I'm posting here since I might as well be a Southern Californian! Las Vegas received it in today's mail. Got home late from work and there it was, ablaze in the true blue Red White and Blue of the USPS! Probably one of the few times I'll say this: THANKS MR MAILMAN!!!!!! Tom PS as a veteran of the CMBO delivery sweepstakes in June 2000, this one was a little less anticipated (second time is never quite as good ), but no less sweet!

*groan* I've been playing the CMBB demo since Sunday and I think the game is going to be great. There seem to be a lot of subtleties in the system that we're going to have to learn about through use... The main reason for this post, though, is to thank BFC for a real trip down memory lane for me. The first board wargame I ever played was Panzerblitz from Avalon Hill back around 1975. My friends and I spent hundreds of hours that summer re-fighting tactical battles on the Eastern Front. Playing the CMBB demo and reading through the posts here have me drooling to get the game and feeling nostalgic about that first wargame I ever played. Now, if the pre-order link would just appear! Tom PS-CMBO was the best entertainment investment I ever made. I pre-ordered in Oct 99, got it in June 2000 and the pennies per hour of time spent is waaaaay better than the cost of a movie...

D'oh! Ok, my wife's birthday is 31 August. Planning quite a night on the town. I'll be sipping hot coffee, drinking "hair of the dog", rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, generally feeling miserable, but also continually hitting the IE "refresh" button to download the demo that Sunday. I still remember the day the CMBO demo was released... I feel like an old fogie... Tom

Well, I can't say anything about anywhere else, but it arrived in today's mail in Las Vegas. Just installed it, must play....... Tom

Hmmmm Let's see, Las Vegas to Corona... :cool: I'd be heading in the opposite direction of traffic... Four hours, give or take an hour... Must... abandon... wife and daughters.... Good luck guys, as close as I am, we have family plans that weekend. Have fun...

The issue of 50 cal being banned as an anti-personnel weapon is a military urban legend. I am a military attorney (yes, a "JAG" and, believe me, it's just like the TV show... ) 50 cal weapons are perfectly legal to use against personnel.

This thread is one of the reasons it is such a pleasure to monitor these discussion groups. Great points on both sides. My own $.02 is that artillery is just about right in the game. I have read books about WWII that make the case that almost 75% of "combat" casualties (ie, non-disease) were caused by artillery. I'm not an artillery officer, but I have talked to many who state convincingly that their branch has (and had) the lion's share of firepower in the army. One last point, I think it's easy to forget the short time period modeled in CM. If an artillery barrage killed only 5 members of a platoon, but left the rest shell-shocked for an hour, the entire platoon is completely ineffective in CM game terms. If each turn is a minute, that would be 60 turns sitting around doing nothing (longer than most CM scenarios). If a unit is rendered ineffective for an hour, it is "lost" for CM game purposes (and with many scenarios, they're lost with an even shorter "ineffective" time). Tom

Well, pvt_ryan, one more vote for "you got a bad copy." Read your post before I got the game this afternoon and was a little worried, but every page in my manual is fine. Tom

Wahooooooo.... Well, it arrived today at 1230 PDT in San Pedro CA. Best news is that I just got back to LA from a 4 month deployment in Bosnia on the 9th and I don't have to report back to work until 5 July. YEAH!!! If I could weigh in on the "place in line/USPS" debate. I think Steve said the "biggest" variable was when you placed the order, he did not say it was the only variable. The fact is that the boxes go out in bunches, not one by one, and some post offices are better than others. I saw a report from Carson CA (about 10 miles from where I live) that he got his yesterday. I got mine today. No big deal (I know I know, easy for me to say now). Just be patient, the games are shipping! Tom [This message has been edited by TommyD (edited 06-20-2000).]

DARN DARN DARN Well, I live in the LA area and I was hoping today would be the day but no such luck. I ordered before the beta demo was out (October IIRC). Well, there's always tomorrow! Tom [This message has been edited by TommyD (edited 06-19-2000).]

Interesting reading about the other fans out there. 38, Major in the USAF, attorney (now, now, be nice, people). Married to the most beautiful woman I ever met. Have a 15 year old stepdaughter and we are planning to have another (keep your fingers crossed). Currently deployed to Sarajevo, Bosnia since 30 January. Will return home on 8 June (T-11 days, wahooooo!) Been a wargame fan for about 25 years. Computers make it so much easier. Tom

Proud resident of Southern California. I am in the Air Force. Interestingly enough, I deployed to Bosnia on 30 January for a 4 month tour. I am due back in California on 8 June. Aside from missing my wife and daughter tremendously, one sore point in my deployment was that I looked forward with dread to reading about the release of CM a month or so before I got back. I am one of the fans of the (slight) delay in release. Now it looks like I will be getting the game after I've been home for two or three days. Perfect timing, CM!! Regards from Sarajevo Tom

I suspected as much and I actually think this is realistic, but I was just curious about use of the LOS tool. Moon, you're right, I think, about using some common sense along with the "Mark I." Thanks. Tom ------------------ Tom D ____________ "When he asked me the question, I was gratified to be able to answer quickly, and I did. I said I didn't know." --Mark Twain, Life on the Mississippi

First, I just wanted to say that I am looking forward to this game like no other I can remember. Thanks to Charles, Steve, and everyone else who is working so hard to bring an enjoyable game to life. I had a question about LOS in the game. I vaguely recall a similar question asked some time ago but I tried searching every term I could think of and couldn't find it. My question is whether the LOS tool in the game can be used to check sightlines from an enemy unit or a point on the map. My concern (and this is actually pretty minor) is regarding "eyeballing" possible sight lines when using magnification/different display settings. For example, what if I set the forest display to minimum for game speed purposes and want to see if a particular spot on the map is within sight of a point where I suspect enemy units are located. It's true I can move the camera to that spot and use the "Mark I eyeball" to judge if I can see the spot, but with forest set to minimum, it may "look" like I can see the spot through the trees when in fact the forest is actually very thick. Again, this is not a major, major point but with the differing display settings and magnification levels I'm not sure that using your eye to check unit sightlines is completely realistic. You can use the LOS tool for your own units, it might be realistic to use it for enemy units and points on the map. I guess the response might be that it's not always easy to judge LOS from points where your units aren't located or from particular points on the map. I guess that response does make sense and I don't have any quarrel with that point. I just wanted to see if this was a concern with the game or whether this point had been considered. By the way, I am a fan of HPS products, but I believe CM will be the most realistic and fun game on WW2 combat out there. There is room on my hard drive for all these games and you don't have to knock down one in order to defend the other (are you listening OSCAR?). Thanks again Charles and Steve for all you're doing for our enjoyment. I hope CM makes you both rich. Tom