gaffertape

Good topic. Hard to pick a fave, although Private Ryan would probably be my #1. Then again, I still haven't seen Cross of Iron. Others I'd recommend: Das Boot Stalingrad The Beast A Bridge Too Far A Midnight Clear and Biloxi Blues, if a comedy counts. GAFF

From the German perspective I'll add to the many votes for the first assault rifle, the MP44. If I were US, I'd avoid the Reising like the plague... I'd probably opt for the Thompson. British or Commonwealth: The Bren for sure. Russia I'd go for the incredibly sturdy submachinegun of theirs. Was it the PPSH or something like that? GAFF

All pretty gamey, although how one defines the map edge is iffy: What distance defines 'hugging'? A perfect example of your #1 comment: In my current PBEM, CITIZEN has pretty much decimated my forces (this discloses nothing - its fairly obvious), but he kept his tanks out of LOS of the road where my Panther arrives. I'm sure it was very tempting to set up a killer ambush, but being a man of honour, he did not. In a case such as VoT or CE, we pretty much all know where things arrive, yet our troops should not act as if they have this information. In a random or double blind game however, if you happen to be at the right place at the right time - crush him. GAFF

Not much of a 'war' story, but nonetheless... My dad worked as a machinist in a factory in England during the war (it was considered necessary service - he tried to enlist several times but was rejected on these grounds). In his backyard he created an ad-hock bomb shelter that he was really proud of. It had little shelves and a portable heater inside. All of his neighbours jeered at him, as the bombs hadn't started falling yet. When the air raid sirens DID start wailing, dad never got to use his shelter as his neighbours were crammed inside it. GAFF

Same as Berlichtingen: I can't face the net at home after tasting this sweet T1 connection at work. And bless the people at Hewlett Packard who manufactured our work scanner: It won't work on NT so my computer is the only one in the office running Win98. Hence, CM demo. I don't think I'll be able to get away with the full game install here though... Poo. GAFF

Sherman Firefly. Sure, it has the same flaw as the basic Sherman (poor armour protection), and it doesn't carry much HE, but that 17pdr ROCKS. Plus, it was the best toy we Canadians got to use. (I think Babra will second this opinion) GAFF

rich: Got a Voodoo2? Do a search for more detail on this, but there's a Voodoo2 issue with the high detail smoke that can't be bypassed or patched. Go low detail, or accept the blocky smoke. GAFF

I'd be happy even if Combat Mission were the only game I could ever have on my PC. Its got terrific 'feel' and is simply the most replayable game I've ever played. I'd also like to add that this forum feels like my second family. It's a pretty cool community. I look forward to meeting some of you guys from the Toronto area in the future. GAFF

Mannheim Tanker: Say, you're Panther problems are in a game with CYBERFOX, aren't you? It was HIS Panther that has put my Shermans to shame. Perhaps we-of-little-tactical-ability should be facing of against each other before taking on veterans. GAFF [This message has been edited by gaffertape (edited 06-13-2000).]

WOW. Er... What would that look like if one were using 'fast and compatible' smoke? Would it still go boom? GAFF

I've been checking... Not just yet. GAFF

Based on the quality of the game alone, I'd buy something. How about a replica of one of my Shermans with flames billowing out of it? Stupid Panther... GAFF

GhostOne: Go to www.imdb.com From there, there's a spot to enter a film title. Press GO. The best site for movie information. GAFF

That should give Cyberfox plenty of time to finish me off. GAFF

Martyr: "A Bridge Too Far" did a fairly good job with the equipment, but it wasn't perfect: The 'Tiger' was (as mentioned earlier in this post) a German post war Leopard 1 tank. The XXX Corps armoured formation was composed of many Shermans, but several of them were types that the British never used. I'm not sure if the British ever used the US M3 halftrack as a supplement to the Bren carrier, but they are also in the film's armoured column. At one point, after a Sherman is taken out by a german AT gun, it is seen being pushed off the road. The wreck going off the road, though, is a badly damaged US Chaffee tank. All in all though, I think they did admirably. Certainly the majority of the movie going public would never notice. Now... Ponder this: If they can recreate dinosaurs in CG, a tank, or a formation of tanks, should be relatively easy. That way they could be correct down to the last detail. Maybe someday. GAFF

Thanks, tom w for the quick response. GAFF

Question: In the case of the PBEM I'm currently playing, I rolled my 76 Sherman up behind and to the right of a dead (but not burning) 75 Sherman for cover. What you all have described illustrates to me why my 76 Sherman now has a neat 75 hole in its mantlett courtesy of a Panther. Now, are you saying that if the tank I tried to use for cover had been fully 'brewed up', I would have gained some cover due to the smoke? GAFF

Zamo, I'm in your camp, sir. They put some real effort into the mock ups in Private Ryan, and they deserve credit for that. GAFF

Lillyman: The Gold Demo has translucent smoke (Ctrl-I to toggle), but NOT the cool reddish explosions we've seen lately at CMHQ. My understanding is that those explosions will be part of the 1.01 patch which will be available just after the game is released. This patch will not work on the demo. GAFF

Stuurm: Well, I think its a tad hasty to say that the Gold Demo has more problems than the beta. The Beta didn't actually GIVE an option for high quality smoke FX. To get the same smoke as the Beta, hit Ctrl-I to toggle the different levels of smoke quality. I have the same Voodoo 2 issues, and having to use the 'fast and compatible' smoke is a small price to pay for CM: The wargame of all wargames. GAFF

THumpre: "Possessive form of communion" Brilliant GAFF

I feel your pain Abrams. Unlike you, I've only played with FOW on, but I do like to give myself a decent advantage in troop numbers. It seems that I don't have the strategic sense to win with even 50 - 50 odds. Well, I'm learning. Besides, with all the troops I'm wasting it seems I would have made an ideal World War One general. GAFF [This message has been edited by gaffertape (edited 06-12-2000).]

Doubtful, but don't quote me on that.

My work server locks me out of most gaming sites, so I can't do any 'corporate' pledging. However, I have been spreading the word amongst my peers. Well, at least those peers who can still understand the concept of wargaming after several pints. GAFF

Hey, not even my best friend whom I've known since the age of two, and who introduced me to Squad Leader will be getting a copy of CM from me. Unless I buy it for him. Ah, heck, he makes tons more than me, he can buy his own copy. No copies here. GAFF