Zackary

Steve: I am not rankled and I do appreciate all the dialog that has occurred. My key point was that after many, many explanatory posts, people were STILL not understanding that Talenn was talking about "T" intersection fire with the targets moving from left to right in front of a machine gun. By the time I posted, the only way someone STILL could not have understood that is if they merely skimmed Talenn's posts and assumed what he meant, rather than read what he wrote. I truly do appreciate the civil tone that has marked the dialogue, I was simply frustrated with the apparent lack of understanding. Talenn: Please send your scenario to BTS and Fionn. It is best that we compare apples to apples. Sending them your scenario is the ONLY way to ensure that you have not missed something and that the scenario fairly tests your hypothesis. Thanks again to everyone. ------------------ Zackary

I post merely to state that I think Talenn has done a commendable and admirable job of illustrating and explaining his point. Many (not all) of his naysayers have been cursory in their review of Talenn's posts, and have therefore offered unsatisfactory responses. To date, NOT A SINGLE NAYSAYER has offered to receive Talenn's test scenarios to observe the situation first-hand. Talenn, you have done a much better job than I would have of remaining civil, and sticking with your point. Whether or not you turn out to be correct, you have my respect. ------------------ Zackary

For my 2 cents worth, see my post in the thread titled Puppchen and Panzerschreck. ------------------ Zackary

The manual does in fact say that Tall Pine tiles have thick undergrowth. I don't have the manual with me at the moment, but I recall reading it. ------------------ Zackary

If Combat Mission offered a limited strategic-level component, meaning the player controlled regional force allocations, theater deployments, and other campaign elements, in addition to its current tactical side, but with no decision-making on economic factors and production controls, I would say that in-game unit-pricing should be primarily reflective of historical and regional availability, with little or no regard to either combat effectiveness or the cost of production. If Combat Mission had a complete strategic-level side, meaning the player also directed economic factors and production controls, I would say that in-game unit-pricing should be primarily reflective of the actual cost of production, modified to reflect regional availability, and no consideration to combat effectiveness. As an example, if no Puppchen or Elefants had been allocated to a player's division, the player could not buy those items for a tactical mission at any price. If only 5 Puppchen or 1 Elefants had been allocated to the division, the in-game unit-price would be skewed higher to reflect the difficulty of obtaining the scarce asset. Alternatively, divisional scarcity could be reflected by a random chance that a scarce unit will or will not be available to the particular company or battalian. Given that Combat Mission is a small unit, tactical combat game only, in my view, pricing should be reflective of combat effectiveness only. The purpose of establishing Axis/Allied point-levels and unit-pricing is to allow for the players to match up on equal footing. If unit-pricing truly reflects combat effectiveness, the ahistorical availability of Puppchen, Elefanten, and Me-262's would be irrelevant to game play. Stiving to model historical availability by skewing unit-pricing is like using a sledgehammer to drive a push-pin in a cork board. The real question about the Puppchen is whether Combat Mission correctly models its combat effectiveness, and if so, appropriately prices it. In the real-world, the Germans apparently ditched production of the Puppchen in favor of the P'schreck following a cost-benefit analysis. Either the Germans, or BTS, missed the boat. Of course, it could be that because Combat Mission games are usually balanced, when historically, the Germans tended to be at a disadvantage (recognizing that Germans frequently achieved local superiorities at CM's scale), skews the effectiveness of weapons. I.e., weapons may not have been as effective in the real world because of the mismatch in men and material, whereas they are much more effective in a theoretical world of equally matched opponents. If this is the case, however, then I recommend BTS adjust the unit-price of Puppchen and other such units to reflect their theoretical effectiveness. This would better reflect the purpose of unit-pricing and the goal of balance in player to player games. If unit-pricing is approximately accurate, concerns about ahistorical use evaporate. You won't stock up on an historically unavailable piece of highly effective equipment, because its high effectiveness is reflected in its price. Your thoughts and criticisms are welcome. ------------------ Zackary

MantaRay, Rookie, and Thomasj, thank you for taking the time to respond. I really appreciate it. ------------------ Zackary

Good point. I'd seen previous posts like this on this forum, so I didn't think about the alternative. I'll post it there, too, but please don't let this stop any of you who read this thread from offering good advice. I could use it. ------------------ Zackary

Ironic: I just sent a personal thank you note to Fionn on this very issue not 15 minutes before you posted this thread. I concur in your sentiment and extend my appreciation to Steve and Charles as well. ------------------ Zackary

I have my CM CD and it works on my machine, but the graphics are crummy. I'd like someone's advice on what video card might help me out. (I did search old video card threads, but didn't see one applicable to my machine.) I have a PII 300MHz machine with AGP 1.0 capability. My current video card has only 4 meg of ram, which is probably the biggest problem. My concern with a new video card is getting the most VRAM, but on a card compatible with 1xAGP. I am not technologically savvy, but presume a card requiring 2x AGP or higher will not work on my machine. Any input would be welcome! Thank you all for taking the time to help me out. ------------------ Zackary

Arrived in Atlanta on the 19th. I preordered late last Summer or early last Fall. ------------------ Zackary

I wholeheartedly agree with Joe Shaw. A nod to the quote from Bullethead, as well.

If the fact that some people are receiving the game out of turn galls you, this should eat at you, too. I received the game in Monday's mail, but have not opened it yet. Looks like it will be Thursday before I actually install and play it. * * * * * * * * Before you throw stones, the fact is, I was out of town until 11 p.m. last night, and therefore didn't know I had it. Additionally, I have prior commitments that will keep me busy until midnight or so tonight, then work from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. tomorrow. One other note: I pre-ordered last summer, so the arrival of my game on Monday was not out of turn. ------------------ Zackary

Bill/Hunt: Great work. I like what I've been reading in this thread. I too agree that the more stats the better. Since the Beta Demo release and the daily volume of posts on this sight shot out of sight, I have not followed the forum nearly as closely as of old. So please forgive the impertinence: Is there a reason we (i.e., the CM community) are not running our ladder through, for instance, LeadEaters? - Zackary

Steve & Charles, This post is premature because we don't yet know if the file in question is a copy of a beta build, and if so, whose copy was copied, and whether that person knew or should have known that the unauthorized copy was made and distributed. If, however, you find that an unathorized copy was made and you cannot persuade the appropriate prosecuting attorneys to investigate the matter, I am willing to volunteer some time and energy to the cause. While I have no particular expertise in computer crimes and copyright infringement, I am a commercial and business law litigator. Anyway, please email me if I can be of any help, BTS. I would be happy to assist with contacting appropriate authorities, identifying the relevant laws, and preparing and filing legal documents. I draw the line, however, at shelling out cash for air fare and lodging to fly half way across the country for court hearings!

What we are using now is the Beta demo, Thomas. When the game goes gold, BTS will be releasing a Gold demo, so to speak. Thus, there is a chance that you will be able to test out the tcp/ip functionality prior to purchase. Even Gold demos are rarely fully functional (they have to give you a reason to buy the game, after all), though, so the real question is whether BTS will include the tcp/ip feature in the Gold demo. ------------------ Zackary