Wolfe

Are you sure your GPU isn't overheating? HW Monitor is a very nice proggie to check temps. - Chris

Neither was reloading. If I moved the schreck team away again, the numbers fixed themselves; with the previously empty team now correctly showing 1 in both locations (graphic and text) and the "generous" team with 2 rounds (graphic and text). I ran it a second time but left both where they were. The team that received a round spotted an enemy tank and fired at at. After that shot both teams properly showed 1 round. After a 2nd shot he was now empty and the "generous" team refused to share his last round. Maybe it's a way of showing what he currently has in his possession (central panel), as well as what might be available nearby? - Chris

I've noticed a Panther-D tank has a habit of turning its hull toward enemy infantry to hose them down with MG, even while also attempting to engage Sherm-75s on the other side with its main gun. I made a small test scenario and it seems to confirm this odd behavior. Anyone else seen similar? You may have to run it through a few times. One other minor thing I saw is incorrect Ammo counts when AT weapons are shared. The middle panel is correct; the number on the far right is not. This pictured Schreck team was empty; another nearby schreck team with 3 rounds shared only 1, yet the text shows two, while the graphic correctly shows 1. - Chris Tank Crew Test F.zip

My unit base mod makes the bases a bit more visible. Pinetree's CMSF base mod takes it a step further (works fine in CMBN). - Chris

Artillery Net (Alt-A) - One thing I'd love to see is a toggleable play-aid in CMBN which more readily indicates which spotters are able to direct on- and off-map fire. It'd be nice to be able to hit one key (such as Alt-A) and have all the spotters light up, as well as have lines drawn through the C2 indicating all the connections (in-tact and broken) to on-map assets. How about for any FO, HQ, and XO which has the potential to act as an FO, have the floating icon pulse a bright blue. This would not only show the obvious spotting units (FOs and HQs) but also the XOs which can bring down fire (the US XO in Last Defense can spot; while the Ger XO in Closing the Pocket, lacking binocs, cannot). XOs use the infantry floating icon rather than a HQ one, and so aren't obvious as potential FOs. Also, HQ tanks can call in fire, yet there's no obvious indicator which tank is an HQ without clicking on it (AFAIK). In addition, how about drawing lines CMx1-style between all HQ units and the on-map mortars? Bright blue lines would indicate a good C2 connection; bright red ones would show a break in C2. This would make things infinitely easier to sort out, since you would readily know there is a problem without endlessly clicking on different units. For HQ units which are currently spotting directly for a mortar team (indicating they're within 50m), a bright green line. And if toggleable, this option wouldn't take away from the excellent visuals, while providing a handy and quick play-aid. The above suggestions may or may not cover all the bases (C2 can get complicated), but I'd love to see something like it added to CMBN. - Chris

You can click on the line leading up to that waypoint too. - Chris

So I wasn't just imagining things! A few cool things I've seen so far: * Tank shells holing an enemy infantryman. Yes, holing him (not exploding on impact, but passing through him), killing him, then traveling on and exploding some distance away. Happened twice in Busting the Bocage. I don't recall seeing that in CMSF (though my tanks may not have been close enough to actually witness this bit of action). * Partially rubbled buildings. CMSF allows individual walls to be knocked down, but in CMBN the walls of stucco-ed structures will first acquire some visible damage from HE blasts (pock-marking and missing bits of stone), then the wall will collapse, then the whole building finally comes down. * Also seen roofs partially collapse, exposing the rafters. * The rubble has a much more realistic 3D look (with corners still somewhat standing after the building collapses) than was in CMSF. Very nice! Thanks to BTS and the beta testers for what looks like a truly great game! - Chris

You can use the decreased ambience and flame mod from CMSF. Just put the brz file into a Z directory in the Data folder. Sergei's Ambience Mod - Chris

I get the same (when it's late in the game and there's a lot to calculate), but I don't have to hit Ctrl-Alt-Del, just Alt seems bring up the window. BTW, using build 8806 (not the very latest) I noticed you can create some very improper stacks by mis-using groups. Normally you can't put aircraft carriers into Transport planes, but if you place a Paratroop unit into the Transport, then another Paratroop unit on top of the first (thus creating a Group), you can then move any unit, including a Carrier, into that Group. The Carrier becomes part of a group with the Paratroops inside the Transport! I used the same method of abusing Group to place nuclear bombers as well as tanks and artillery into the Carrier as well. By Grouping them, this also allows you to exceed the max units allowed inside. The Transport would fly to the destination, but it didn't seem like I could let off the Carrier unit (and its contents). But then I disbanded the Group still inside the Transport. I was able give the Transport a land destination and then select the Carrier and right-click on the yellow down arrow marker (hovering the mouse doesn't indicate this will work, but it does). When the turn was processed, the Transport flew, let off the Carrier on land and returned. I could then give land and air units contained within the Carrier normal orders to move and fight; the Carrier was stuck, however (obviously). - Chris

Added Italian 75mm L/13 Mountain Howitzer (available to Italian Mountain troops only; Jul42-Jan43) to CMBB Tanks and Guns charts. - Chris

Hmmm. It should work fine with the free Excel viewer; at least it does with the older 8.0 version of XLView. The "select all and choose a color" applies to the full version of Excel only, unfortunately. Maybe try to use a friend's computer that has Excel or MSWorks on it? - Chris

Fixed typo in CMBB Guns chart for tungsten availability on Captured Panther (starts in Jan44, not Jan42). - Chris

I learn something new every day. But wouldn't it have been easier to just always list the number at the top of each bar? * It'd be nice to be able to tell at a glance what type of unit is carried on each amphib/troop transport ship (tank vs. inf vs. HQ) without clicking on it. Atleast have LCT and LCI (tanks and infantry, and maybe even invent an LCH for headquarters) for the 2D sprites. Which brings me to ... * Separate counters for each main upgrade tech of every unit in the game. While some of the units do have multiple upgrades that increase their strength (like AT and Infantry weapons for Corps and Infantry), Tanks and Air only have one each. For Infantry units the Infantry Weapons could be the main upgrade tech. * More consistency between upgrades indicators. Currently (reading from top left (position 1) to bottom right (position 3) ), the upgrades are listed as: </font><blockquote>code:</font><hr /><pre style="font-size:x-small; font-family: monospace;"> AirB Inf AF Tank 1 AT Mot -- -- 2 IW AT LRA Mot 3 LRA IW Adv Hvy</pre>

A small update. I changed the abbreviations for the troop transport (TR to AP) and landing craft (AV to LC). And I slightly curved the top left corner to make it a bit more counter-like. http://users.erols.com/chare/cm/ - Chris

Playing 1939 campaign as Axis vs. AI. The AI (US) took Vichy Algiers by force a few turns ago. The turn before this saved game, a US bomber sitting on tile 67,31 attacked the capital of Algiers, which it owns, and apparently did damage. I saved the game right after, and it did it one more time on the next turn, but hasn't since for 5-6 subsequent turns. Unfortunately I can't reload the campaign and get it to do it again. The saved game is below, just in case. Playing as Axis under patch 1.02. http://users.erols.com/chare/cm/SC2_US_attacks_Vichy_Algiers.zip Also in the same game Sweden joined the Axis after much diplomatic pressure. The Swedish mines in the north (89,1 and 90,1) came along with it, of course, but they would not show me their info (MPP, etc) until I moved a unit on top of them. - Chris

Yep, it was conquered by Germany. Good to know it's just part of the game. And the game crash seems to have been fixed. Thanks! - Chris

Yep. Same thing. France surrenders, Pro-Axis coup in Iraq, sometimes a Pro-Allied coup in Yugo, then Bulgaria, Romania, or Hungary tries to join the Axis and the bug hits. I have a game saved exactly before it happens if you need it, Hubert. But switching to 3D units does seem to work. Going back to the 2D units after it has passed works, until another of the 3 of Hungary/Romania/Bulgaria goes to the Axis. BTW, Norway keeps up its shipments after it's been conquered in the 1939 campaign; not sure if that's intended. I'm using patch 1.01. Edit: Okay didn't realize there was a second patch already; thought you meant it was in the works. I'll give it a try. - Chris [ June 09, 2006, 04:41 PM: Message edited by: Wolfe ]

Yes! Major dittos on that. And kudos to Hubert for bringing us fantastically fun games for over 4 years. Yes, it really has been four years that we've been able to play some version of Strategic Command. The SC Beta Demo was released four years ago Saturday (May 20, 2002). - Chris [ May 22, 2006, 05:51 PM: Message edited by: Wolfe ]

Okay, thanks for the info. But I don't think the US/UK units are behaving the way you want. The US and UK units can get supplied from USSR cities, and can even Operate to any cities occupied by the USSR (outside Russia). But the opposite is not true. USSR can't Operate units to cities controlled by the US/UK (either in Italy or even in Hungary/Bulgaria/Yugoslavia), nor does it get supply from them. While it's unusual for either the US/UK to be taking any of those countries, if the Yugo capital is surrounded by Russian units (who then destroy the last remaining Axis unit in the city but fail to occupy Belgrade) a Partisan unit will appear on the Belgrade tile. If this Partisan unit isn't immediately moved off the city, Yugo will be owned by the UK and the Russian units will get no supply from it, nor be able to Operate to there. Finishing out the game, I found no German units remaining, only Spanish and Finnish (link to saved game is below). It took 3 turns to end (I took Benelux and surrounded Paris (without taking the city), but did little else). And you might want to sit down for this next one. Even though France does not exist outside Axis control, the game tried to give me a new French unit! But it said I couldn't place it on the map (there are no French tiles, of course). I was going to post previously that I thought I had moved a Soviet unit onto the French mine and that it had gotten kicked out of France when Germany capitulated (like the BEF). But I assumed I was wrong, and so didn't mention it. Given the above, I'm now not so sure I was mis-remembering. Here's the saved game after I captured Germany: http://users.erols.com/chare/cm/SC2_French_Unit_no_France.zip * It gives you the mysterious new French unit (XXII Corps), and you can take a look at the supply/operate status in Hungary/Bulgaria/Yugo. * The Brit BEF Army in Romania (99,21) gets supply level 7 from Bucharest. * The USSR 33rd Army in Hungary gets no supply from Budapest (it's coming from Bucharest, as far as I can tell). Hope that helps. Thanks for a great game, but could we please get the Pacific theater next? Thanks! - Chris

Both the US and UK HQs within conquered Germany are at supply level 8. Only the USSR HQs are at supply level 5. Other issues: It seems odd to me that all of Italy's resources remain at level 5 after Italy surrenders to the Allies. I can understand why Russian resources would remain at level 5 when taken by German forces, and vice-versa, but should Italy and other conquered Eastern European nations remain at such a low level? In the same game the UK took Hungary, Bulgaria, and freed Yugoslavia. Yet even friendly Yugoslavia's capital remained at level 5. Yet Romania's resources -- taken by the Russians -- went up to level 8. Seems a bit off to me. Maybe starting conquered minor resources off at level 5, then letting them climb to level 8 would be more appropriate? It isn't the lack of MPPs that bothers me; it's the abysmal supply situation. - Chris

http://users.erols.com/chare/cm/US_takes_Germany_USSR_no_supply2.jpg USSR had previously captured Warsaw, the US then took Italy. Eventually, after a Russian tank unit took Berlin, Germany transferred its capital to Munich, and I overran it with a US unit. This gave Germany to the US along with Prague and Poland! What's worse is the USSR HQs now act like they're in enemy territory without a port city (at supply level 5). Is this supposed to simulate the cold war? Also, the game didn't end when Germany fell. Apparently, Spain and Finland will fight on as the only Axis powers. Is that supposed to happen? - Chris

Thanks very much! Glad you like them. I initially wasn't sure I'd like the 3D ones, but they've grown on me, and I usually use those despite having made my own mod. - Chris

Fixed the US flag. It now has 48 instead of 50 stars. Oops! - Chris

I've just uploaded my units mod that changes the default graphics for the 2D units (NATO symbols in the game). They're based on the old mod I did for SC1, but this time I did not only the tanks, but all the units in the game. Whew! It was more work than I thought. It's not quite a pretty as the 3D units, but I think they turned out pretty good. The mod is best used at 1024x768 or 1280x1024 resolutions. They work fine at 1600x1200, but may be a bit small, depending on the size of your screen. You can get the mod at (bottom of the page): http://users.erols.com/chare/cm/ Enjoy! - Chris

* Playing the 1939 campaign as Axis, I noticed that the AI moved its units out of its capitals in Stockholm and Oslo once the countries joined the war on the Allied side (the Norwegians seemed to all be going around to attack my Finns). I could have amphib-landed one unit and taken each capital without a fight. And near the end of the game I destroyed the Corps sitting on London with air power. The AI had a full turn to move a unit into the city (and there were plenty available), but it took no action. So I took London without a fight by landing an army unit. * Is there a way to tell which units are eligible for Elite Reinforcement without clicking on them? * Is there a way to tell how long a fortification has to go until it's complete after the build has already begun? It gives me an estimate initially (80 days for the one-sided fort), but I have no idea how many turns are left once it's going. * Whenever an enemy unit is sitting on a city, the mouse-over no longer lets me know what city it is (I have to click on it). Any chance this could change? Thanks! - Chris