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-Kevin-

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Everything posted by -Kevin-

  1. Thanks for the tip Wild Bill. Money is the key (and root) of all evil. I might add that lavish credits should be given to the designers of ported (copied) scenarios. We should pledge not to make a thin dime off another's hard work. - Kevin
  2. Based on the above comments, we need to be somewhat careful. I think porting (note I avoid the word copying) the SL/ASL maps into 3D CM might spell trouble - I mean building for building and tree for tree. Right now, I do not think you can get them anywhere without buying the boardgames. Direct porting of OOBs (squad for squad) is another trouble area. History can't be copyrighted. But what about someone's interpretation of history? I think an exact "copy" of an SL/ASL scenario is getting close to infringement. How "different" the scenario must be in CM is a very grey area. Certainly, a lot depends on how wide the distribution becomes. Keep the ported scenario off the net and among a few friends = no problem. I made a direct port of Panzer Leader's "Encirclment of Nancy" into West Front (it worked well) but never posted it to the net for the reasons above. I read on some message board (was it email?) about a guy that was contacted by Avalon Hill and told to stop posting ported scenarios of some (dont remember the details) game. He stopped. Food for thought.
  3. I was thinking along the same lines. What are the copyright implications for distribution - if any? I hope there is not a problem exchanging converted scenarios as freeware.
  4. John Keagan said of WW2: To Paraphrase Artillery took care of the infantry, Tanks tried to take of Tanks and the infantry tried to take care of itself. So much for the queen of battle …. The effect of artillery on armor has been a theoretical issue in wargaming and continues to be. I think an artillery barrage Against a concentration of tanks is difficult to model. Since few shells hit or penetrate vehicles, designers are left to provide results based on “moral” not physical calculations. This is a good thread as the messages are all on target. How do designers model the effect of radio antennas blown off, noise, dirt, non-penetrating splinters, and fear (etc)? The physical can be calculated in theory. The moral … never. PS: Platoon scale wargames like EF/WF provide the hardest scale to model. But its still a challenge at all levels. - Kevin
  5. As hardware improves, folks look for software to keep pace. This is an issue in the computer industry – has been and will continue to be. Software is damn hard the get right. Each day a programmer codes targeting current hardware is a day closer to obsolescence in a technical sense. That’s why programmers often target their software in run on future platforms. MS Flight Sim 2000 is a prime example. It runs marginally on current (P3 500) systems and is aimed for new faster computers. I am sure BTS knows what they are doing and that time is not on the side of the software developer technically. I have already have had 100’s of dollars of entertainment from the demo – sure others have too. I can wait. I am concerned some knuckleheads will put out a cheap imitation of what we are waiting for and steal CM’s thunder. So many software titles are purchased based on graphics. I hope this is not holding up CM because wargamers in general do not place as high an importance on graphics. Also, graphics become obsolete faster than just about any other software related item. I mention this because I read some posts about tweeking textures. Having fun with the demo ... - Kevin
  6. Let's go the other way ... how about platoon scale? I quess not based on the above. Steel Panthers tried and it looked jury rigged.
  7. I heard there is a planned "expansion pack" to cover the EF. I hope it comes out sooner rather than later because I really like to game that theater. It should rock.
  8. Chess is not balanced. White has the advantage of the first move. Among experienced players this is critical. Most grandmaster chess ends in a draw. However the stats lean to white. With black you struggle harder to obtain a draw than with white. In general, one side has to make a mistake for the other to win. White needs to make a larger mistake for black to win. Chess ranking does not account for color since tournaments have player alternate colors from round to round. This is done in a way in wargame events. The practice is playing mirrored scenarios -opponents play boths sides and the results are combined. This helps to even out scenarios that are not balanced. An unbalanced scenario is one that favors a side in the outcome. This may be due to force balance or other reasons. Force imbalance provides some of the finest scenarios. However the lesser side has to have something (field fortifications, better equipment etc) to balance the battle between players or the larger force wins more often. The relative outcome of a battle needs to be incorporated into a wargame rating. A win is not a win. In chess, there is no objective way to determine the quality of a win. I could play a great game until move forty have my opponent lost, then drop a piece and lose. My opponent gets a win even though most of the game they played poorly. In a wargame, the quality of win is objectivly (or at least equally) determined by the program. If the information is available it should be used. In a post above, there seems to be a variable that can be used to factor in the quality of outcome. The program needs to take in kill ratios and all factors to determine quality of victory. That info can then be fed into a rating equation. There is a small downside to ratings. In pick-up matches, higher rated players will tend to avoid lower players as a loss will damage their ranking - they have more to lose. We see this in chess all the time. Some people play all comers, others guard they ratings like a hawk. Once ratings are established this makes it hard for lower players to advance. In tournaments, players are forced to play each other. I still support a correct rating system. This is something to look out for however.
  9. The following passage appears in Jentz’s Panzer Truppem Vol. 2 on page 184. “While there are reports the Sturmgeschuetz were having difficulties in engaging targets in the hedgerow country of the Bocage in Normandy, this was not true of the Panzers which Gen. Guderian again advocated in his memo for a report to Hitler on 29 June 1944 on the conversion of PzIV to Sturmgeschuetz with L/48 or L/70 guns: ‘At the average range in combat of 600-1200 meters, the 7.5 cm L/48 firing Panzergranate 39 is adequate for engaging all British, American and Russian tanks that have appeared to date. Experience reports from Sicily, Italy and Normandy comparing PzIV and Strumgeschuetz unanimously state the when employed on coastal roads, sunken lanes, and hedges in Normandy, the Strumgeschuetz is both tactically and technically considerably less favored than the PzIV. The terrain make impossible or at least severely limits aiming the Strumgeschuetz to the sides. Based on the latest observations by Gen. Thomale in Paris and reports from Panzer-Offizier West, employment of Strumgeschuetz in sunken lanes and in the hedges of Normandy is difficult because the gun is mounted too low, in contrast the Panzer can fire out the sunken lane and also over the hedges because of the height of the gun and traversable turret’ ” I have read this passage several times. But since playing CM realize that it might be possible to model the lower gun in a 3D LOS game like CM. Any thoughts. I could not find a thread on this. - Kevin
  10. Please dont get me wrong. I am not asking for a rushed CM. I am just interested in what goes into a deciding when the product is developed to a point when it can be shipped. Perhaps there is a check list they are working down - wish I knew how far along they were.
  11. Infinity? I dont want to see hard work and goodwill go down the drain. Wait too long and the "competition" flashes a cool demo. Is it time to lock and load? ... I do not know. Wargamers can be fickle too ... Loyal a waiting for my next email file. - Kevin
  12. And I paraphrase - a good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow. BTS - How are you balancing good and perfect in deciding when to release CM1? - Kevin
  13. We may just have to have those tank killing dogs included in CM-East. But then again, the animal rights folks might delay it's release - nevermind.
  14. All of a sudden, I can not open email files from fellow CM players. I reinstalled last night. Just now, I plotted my first turn in RB as the US and the game crashed after I hit GO. The progress bar went all the way to the right and halted. I have a main stream Micron P3 500 with 256 RAM and had no problem until about 1 week ago. I can get one email game to load after a few crashes and reboots. The others fail to load at all. It's crazy. I need this explained and/or help. Is this due to trying to make the file system for MACs and PCs? My system is running like a charm in all other aspects - I have the latest virus protection software. But email CM is deteriorating. HELP Guys! I know this is a Demo ... but I am concerned if this problem passes into the released product.
  15. Kevi returns as -Kevin- with same old poetic spacing.
  16. I am running into this problem starting a week ago or so. I have not determined any pattern. I was able to load one guy's file after a few crash re-boot cycles. However, a file from another guy refuses to load and we are well into the game. Should I re-install the demo? Thanks for any advice. - Kevin
  17. Thanks for the summary! The value of your article for me was the integration of time and physical factors. "3 min roadblock" is easy to remember. Three minutes/turns is a short time compared to say a 30 turn battle. Typically, do you think the Germans shot off all their ammo at once or held some in reserve? I have no clue. As scenarios get larger and longer this brings in the issue of re-supply. I will have to search for threads on this as it must have been discussed. Also, what are the best tactics for the use of teams with no ammo ... recon, head for the hills etc. - Kevin
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