gaffertape

I heartily agree. We are all aware that CM stands as an excellent product on its own - BTS don't need (and certainly don't want) us to act as enforcers to trash other companies. GAFF

Big fan of GI Combat when I was younger (am currently 30). I still remember reading all of the letters that fans wrote in after Slim died. I agree that this Talonsoft game looks a lot like CM. And although I'll bet my eye teeth that it will pale beside our beloved CMBO, I'm happy its being made. Even if it isn't a great game, they may well include a useful feature or two that could be later borrowed and incorporated into CM2 or 3. Let's at least wait for the game to come out before trashing it. GAFF On second thought, after watching the trailer , I think its extremely unlikely that BTS will be incorporating anything from this game. It may yet inspire another company to 'push the envelope' though. [This message has been edited by gaffertape (edited 02-02-2001).]

And they say that nobody posts good threads anymore. This is great stuff. GAFF

What Madmatt said. GAFF

Check out the book, "Tank" by Ken Tout. Takes you through his day to day experiences in a Sherman through Normandy. A very good read. GAFF

Keep us posted, BLACKVOID. I very much enjoyed the old Seal Team game (which tried to simulate what you describe), despite its awkward interface and many bugs. I'd be very interested in your end product. GAFF

Nice excerpt there, HEAD MAHONE. GAFF

I feel like a newbie asking this, but what's the difference between CM2 and the aforementioned CMII? Does CMII refer to a newer code (from CM2) being retroactively applied to CMBO? Sorry, I've run out of anachronisms. GAFF

It strikes me that shards of hardened plastic would be just as dangerous to the crew as bits of metal, but I'm sure the experts have looked into that. Anything's better than the magnesium plates on the Bradley, right? GAFF

Found it through the library system here in Canada. Maybe it helped that my mom is a retired librarian. A truly fantastic book. Covers a great deal more than the movie will (as the film is just concerned with the sniper duel). Chances are very good that they will reprint the book when the film comes out. GAFF

The original post was funny, but your addition, KINGFISH, had me rolling. Mines VS a Pillbox. Nice work! GAFF

I wouldn't surrender, but I must admit that I take on a defeatist attitude after losing my armour. This indicates that I depend on my armour way too much - a fact that is evident by my PBEMS. Its a constant learning experience. GAFF

A number of us have made similar requests, but it seems like a no-go. Understandably, Steve and Charles want to move on to CM2. I don't think they've replied in the 100% negative, but definitely a good 85% negative. GAFF

ROBORAT: The Dodge with the AT gun (57mm?) was an early attempt at a light ant-tank vehicle. It wasn't very successful, and probably saw little to know use by 1944. They later mounted an AT gun on a halftrack which was a bit better. I know the Soviets got a number of these. GAFF

I'll be moving in with my fiancee in April, so I am trying to brace myself for the inevitable consequences. She already loves the Sims, and I think she may develop some interest in X-Wing Allinace, being a Star Wars nut. I just don't know about CM. I'll be thrilled if she takes to it like you, Kitty. GAFF

SCOOLEEN: Ooh yes! I've only used a Playstation twice, and in both cases it was to play Return Fire head-to-head. Man, were my eyes red after those sessions. Granted, the beer helped. GAFF

You got that, WESY. The original X-Com is still a game I play. Brilliant. I would give CMBO the edge though based on their continual contact with the players. It would have been so easy for BTS to just ship it and start work on the sequel. A company that truly cares. GAFF

My friend and I were only just discussing how lucky we are to be in a generation (and geographic location) that hasn't had to test itself on the field of battle (both of us are 30). I've always been fascinated by the tools and the psychology of war, but I can assure you that neither of us would be too keen on being an active participant. Would I like to try shooting a Bren or an MP44? Well sure. But at some beer bottles - not a human being. GAFF

I know some people who have created their own balanced maps which they e-mail prior to the game. Both sides can study the map, then one person opens it up in the editor, adds his units up to a negotiated point unit and resaves it. He sends this to his opponent who opens it in his editor and adds his units (without peeking at his opponents units). He resaves it, and starts it as an email game. So there are options. GAFF

PzKpfw 1: Oh, John, I am sorry to hear that you too were unfortunate enough to be burned by ACROSS THE RHINE. It really was a stinker. A game that I had such high hopes for too. At least we now have Combat Mission to fulfill our lost hopes. Along with ATR, I'd have to give INTERSTATE 82 a big honking finger. INTERSTATE 76 was a hell of a lot of fun, if somewhat physics challenged. The sequel managed to remove the style, the strategy and the fun of the original, while making the game look ten times worse than the original. Simply a horrible horrible coaster. GAFF

When the very first batch came up, there was a massive delay, but it was a customs issue, not a BTS one. I'm thinking yours should be coming soon. Nice to see yet another Canadian on the board. - GAFFERTAPE Toronto, ON

I'd be interested. (I'd be even more interested if you could redo Valley of Trouble) . Glad someone took the time to revisit the past like this. GAFF

Never seen the US version, but am a big fan of the UK one. Favorite episode had to be the 'amphibious vehicle' one. Those bikers and their landrover were just brilliant.

Correct. On Sherman IICs and Fireflies one often sees this done to give an impression of a shorter barrel. I've seen some Canadian fireflies with a large can of some sort mounted halfway down the barrel as well to simulate a muzzle brake. Camo netting was also used on the front portion of the 17 pounder to break up its shape.

GreasyPig: Just a thought: Maybe 'Hull Down' is a so called "detailed message" and you have that option turned off in the game? Check the hotkeys within the game and make sure they're turned on. I don't have my copy of CMBo here at work, so I can't test this out for you. GAFF