Shooter

I agree they are expensive and a bit inaccurate. Given they were quite devastating in real life, do you think maybe this is the designer's way of keeping their use at a level that won't affect play balance?

I don't want to sound like I don't believe you....but are you sure you had your unit scale set to 'realistic'? I had the same thing happen to me and I thought it was some sort of bug till I was told this.

Absolutely right. I used the target wide command with hopes of keeping the advancing infantry's heads down. Incoming rounds fell short and kept mine down also. I suffered more casualties than the enemy! If you've got a lot of ammo, target wide will let you lay down enough hits to force green troops to move from foxholes, etc. Good way to recon those woods also!

>>Hey Shooter. I do check the info page, but that only shows definite kills. At long range, at least in my experience, the snipers are often picking off the enemy but not necessarily getting credit for definite kills. I check both ways.<< Buckeye, Have you noticed that the kill rating seems to be more accurate when the overall quality of your forces is higher? I noticed this and am not 100% sure it's true yet but it sure seems to be working out that way in the games I've played so far. The kill counts when I play the SS are usually on the mark when I check out the map at the end of the game. Gonna try a hotseat game against myself (my, that sounds pathetic)to see if this holds true. I'm sure the fog of war setting also affects things. At best, during the game, it's just a rough estimate. Thanks for starting this topic, it brings up a lot of interesting possibilities.

Chrisl: You're right about flamers attracting fire like magnets! Kinda reminds me of the 88mm gun in SP... John K.: I've tried using them in ambush and have found that, if conditions are right and they are stealthy enough, I can manage squirting off one shot before burning for it. When I do get the shot, I usually get a 50-50 chance at doing some major damage. I'll keep testing ideas and will let you know if I find a method better than the excellent ones given already. I have a feeling gammon bombs and molotovs will be better than flamers against tanks.

Same with reinforcement areas. I made the mistake of having my tanks enter as reinforcements in an area that was too muddy to accept their passage. This happened after I decided to make it rain -- changing the terrain. Imagine how silly I felt watching my TD platoon sit and spin in place!

I've been trying to figure out how to make my flamethrower unit more useful. Other than making himself a spectacular barbecue, he's not much good in any battles I've had so far. It seems like the AI will target him as soon as he's spotted. Killing is quick and fairly easy. Any tips to keep them alive long enough to become a nuisance?

Wild Bill brings up an interesting point and one I've been wondering about for some time now. How much historical accuracy is enough for the average gamer? I personally like realistic unit compositions and the use of unit names for the forces that were really there. I read way too much historical stuff and this sort of accuracy helps me 'get into' the game much quicker. But that's just me. My son's favorite scenarios are typical for a 12-year-old...deathmatches with the biggest tanks he can get his hands on. Thank God he doens't get tactical nukes! With the ease of design CM's scenario builder brings to the table, do you all think historical accuracy should play a major part in any scenario design? 50/50 with playability? Not at all? My scenario attempts with SP have always ended up too bogged down with minor details to be much fun to play. Wild Bill's manual(yep the one from Pegasus Enterprises)about scenario building was my bible but my scenarios were still pretty dry. The one thing that turned that around for me was having other players test my scenarios first. Now that scenario building has advanced with CM to the point of being brain-dead simple, I think it's more important than ever that I resist the temptation to post before testing. I just finished a battle set at the end of the Bulge. I think it's nicely balanced for both players and my son thinks it's a blast. I must be on the right track, for once. If anyone wants to give it a try, drop me a note and take it out for a spin. Bill, thanks for all the inspiration! If this one's a hit, I'll send it your way.

Glad to hear it Steve and Charles! Excellent products and exceptional manuals coupled with great support and delivery EARNED you all this success! Put me down for CM2,3 and 4!! Shooter

I'm willing to play you or anyone else committed to finishing the game. Write with the particulars, etc. No problem if you've never played PBEM before, I have for years and am willing to help rookie players learn the ropes. I just ask that we finish a game once started. Shooter

As a wargamer and an armor modeling buff, I've got quite an extensive and expensive collection of WWII books. My most memorable purchase was a book about Wittmann I purchased while on vacation in Hawaii. I spent $39 for it (quite a deal) and spent the trip back reading it. I have always had the habit of immersing myself in a subject and computer wargaming has helped perpetuate that habit. I just finished Stephen Ambrose's book on D-day.

I'd like to see an immediate stop order take hold after a gun hit is made. I think it would realistically recreate the jamming on the brakes that's sure to happen whenever a tank crew experiences a hit that causes the loss of a gun. The hit's bound to be loud and disruptive. Stopping would at least give the crew a chance to change their undies. Going from stop into a defensive posture seems very logical to me. Only a foolish tank commander would continue the fight.

Buckeye: Next time check the 'kills' section of the info page for the sniper unit. I was amazed to see how many kills a well-placed sniper could get! It's much easier than counting the number of advancing infantry that 'go missing'. Snipers can reduce the effectiveness of armor also...dead commanders can't command as well as live ones!

I wasn't to comfortable with the explanation of how to achieve hull-down in the manual. Trial and error was the ticket for me. Using the 'hunt' command seems to work quicker than plodding away using the line of sight command and inching forward. Let the AI crew do the heavy lifting here. I haven't been able to improve on the 'hunt' command method but would love to know a better/faster method.

Daisy chain mines, by their very nature, are used for hasty defense of an area. Their visibility often makes the computer AI take another route to avoid the area entirely (pretty smart, huh). Sometimes I take advantage of this and place a string of daisy chain mines on one road and plant the nastier AT mines in the next most likely path of advance.

I agree with the General. I had a bad situation turn into a decisive victory last night after my 'little friends' with the air corps dropped two 500 pounders in two separate runs across the enemy positions. The blast did as much damage as the shrapnel. I can see why lots prefer it.

I have fond memories of PanzerBlitz and Tactics II, but not Tac. Sounds interesting. Only two tanks? Should make for a quick game.

Got mine yesterday! Funny thing, it had two mailing labels. One stuck over the other, almost. I was able to peel back the corner and read a partial name. It reads....M-A-N...hmmm, can't quite read the rest. Wierd, huh?

I've been playing SP:WAW (mainly Wild Bill's scenarios) and dusted off my copy of Red Baron 3D in a vain attempt to get back some of the motor skills I've apparently lost. Yes, my 12-year-old kicked my ass at Unreal Tournament, again!

Here it is Thursday and I'm back at work after taking off two days in anticipation of getting to play CM for two solid days straight! Kinda hard to do since I HAVEN'T RECEIVED THE GAME YET! Virginia's only 600 miles away! Have there been any reports of mail trucks being hijacked? Any alien abductions of mailmen carrying packages? Inquiring minds want to know. WAH!

Well, I worked like a dog last week in order to be able to take two days off this week to enjoy CM. My credit card's been charged and I'm expecting a little bundle of joy in my mailbox tomorrow. Tuesday and Wednesday are MINE!

Well, mine was charged the 15th also. I figure, if the postal gods are smiling on me, I might, just might, see my copy Saturday. Having done an exhaustive study of the roads and terrain between my tidewater Virginia home and the beautiful state of Maine, I feel it is a possibility. If it doesn't snow. ------------------

Having also beta tested several games in the past, I'm impressed in the amount of listening going on by the folks at BTS. While they don't incorporate every little thing dredged up by the grognards out there, they are willing to talk about it. Too many times I've seen developers shut off the communication process after the first beta hit the testers. This results in gaming debris like Silent Thunder, Professional Bull-riding, etc. I'm hopeful they will continue this strategy and make every permutation of CM better than the last! Way to go BTS gang of many!

Ordered mine Feb. 20, 2000. The important thing here is that I ordered it!

I'll give you a go after the 'real' game arrives! No sense starting something serious on a 'demo' version, is there?