Miyamoto Musashi

I KNEW there had to be a catch!! Get me all excited then drop the "no Mac" clause on me... and on this very Mac-friendly board, too. --sigh-- still no respect from the wintel heads...

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Big Time Software: Plus, knowing some of the guys here... they would go out of their way to gun them down Steve<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> You better believe that I'm no liberator... just a war machine. I'd shell the houses and buildings with quality arty then have Shermans waiting outside as the terrified people run from their burning homes. hee hee... <BTW, it should not be inferred from this post that the author condones real life violence which is uncalled for. >

CM is really the game I've been searching for since I bought my first Tandy 1000 a long, long time ago... when I was in elementary school or jr. high. I've played a lot of games that keep my interest for a decent period of time. But anymore, most of the games that come out (Mac or PC) don't have enough depth to hold my interest for more than a couple of weeks at most. I played the CM demo every day or every couple of days from when I got it in December/January until the gold demo came out... and I've played the gold demo once a day (at least) since it appeared. I can't even begin to imagine how much CM I'll be playing once I get it for real... so in preparation, I've purchased a lot of canned goods, a generator, a Tivo system to tape all the sporting events I need to see over the next several years, and lots and lots of bottled water...

I found a neat little tidbit yesterday as I was perusing my WW2 hardware book. The Germans (in the later half of the war, when things were quickly spiraling downward) began to build the "supertanks," sacrificing mobility for armor and gun size. The Maus, of course, is one example which actually made it to production. But did you know that they actually made plans to construct a 1,500-ton tank with an 800mm gun, 2 150mm weapons and 250mm armor?? It was planned that this massive thing would be powered by 4 U-Boat engines! I wonder what they would have called it... if "Maus" is any indication, maybe it would have been the Shrew, or the Amoeba...

I think I ordered in January... either December or January, I can't remember for sure and I dont have my confirmation in front of me...

well, if the terrain is taken into consideration, then fewer can definitely beat the greater. In both CE and VoT, I've had isolated small groups face larger attackers and win, although the first attacking groups were taken by surprise and my groups had the advantage of being in place in trees, waiting for the enemy. So that isn't exactly what you're looking for, but under certain circumstances, it's definitely possible for a few to beat a bunch.

I can't remember how many kills I suffered (I know it was 10 or less), but one of my proudest moments on the gold demo came when I beat the Germans in VoT when they were pumped up 150%. Granted, I did still outnumber them with tanks and artillery, but they had quite a few mg's, several 75mm bunkers and 3 Panthers... I ended up with a 90 or 91 score with a total victory and lost only one Sherman. Of course, on the old beta demo, my proudest moment came in the Last Defense scenario, but the new members don't know anything about that one, so I'll leave it be

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Berlichtingen: Well, if you want to get really technical, go with cappuccino... no... make it a double

It's not like I have much of a choice on the Mac, but now that I've plaued CM, all other strategy games seem boring. (For example, I LOVED StarCraft, which was my first game purchased for my shiny iMac DV SE; but it's so pointless to me now... I just sold it on an auction .) Now Myth II, as tom w said, is a different story... if you're looking for a solid 3D RTS, pick up the Myth Total Codex for $20 and have at it. It's a lot of fun for the money, and the AI and graphics are very nice. But other than that, I haven't played much since the gold demo release... although I did break down and preorder Skyfighters 2000 a couple weeks ago and have been playing that when I'm not doing the CM thing Oh, and I built two models while waiting for the CM release... a Tamiya Hanomag 251/1 and a Panther A. Now I'm working on the Wirbelwind, hoping to finish it before I get CM (which seems pretty likely now )

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by guachi: I live an hour away from the Little Bighorn Battlefield. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Hey! Western Montana here, although I'm going to be moving back into Indiana this summer

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Vetch: In other words, can minefields "stack" to increase the mine density in a given piece of terrain? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> That would seem to make sense, but I've done it both ways and it doesn't seem to make much difference. I've come to the personal conclusion that your resources are better used by trying to cover a wider area with the minefields (and using them to either funnel or corral the enemy or by placing the fields in spots where you know the enemy wants to come through, such as the middle of the map near the road on VoT).

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Big Time Software: If you try to use your StuGs as if they were tanks (i.e. having turrets) you will lose them very quickly if the other side has a clue what to do. The StuG was a great vehicle in ambush or used at long ranges, but in the close quarters of CE it needs to be used very carefully.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Exactly... the easiest thing to do with the StuGs on CE is find firing positions on the plateaus behind the large hill on the Germans' right. There are a few such raised plains there, and you can sit the assault guns on these plains and point them in the direction of the old church. From there you can wait for the Shermans to get impatient and come looking for you. My personal favorite tactic against the AI is to keep the bulk of my squad on the wooded hill, sneak the schreck units and the FO up to firing positions on the Ami side and have at it, taking as many shots as possible with the schrecks and plastering either the wheat field or the Amis' wooded hill with arty fire. Eventually the AI will try to hit my left flank and when they do, the StuGs are waiting to do what they do best... hit armored targets at long range. The last five or six times I've played CE against the AI, I haven't lost a StuG (even with the Allies pumped up). Now against a human player, that's a whole other story And in the real game, with uncharted scenarios, it will be a different story as well, although the logic will be the same... find good ambush positions to take advantage of the StuGs strong points.

Man, I don't know what's the matter with you guys... I run that maneuver against the AI almost every time and it works like a charm... well, it works unless the FOs spot me and begin dropping arty on the hill. The last time I played VoT as the Germans, I took out 30-something casualties and 2 Shermans while losing only about half or less of my three squads.

While it isn't impossible by any means, I agree that playing as the Germans in VoT is harder, mainly because of the Allied artillery. I got a total victory over the Germans in VoT even though they were pumped up 150%. The artillery makes that much of a difference. Oh, and the 6 Shermans helped, even when going against 3 Panthers (although I'd normally be happy to take 3 Panther Gs against 6 Shermans any day of the week)

How about these? When taking a defensive role, try to keep some (or lots if you can spare them) of your forces safely hidden in wooded areas or buildings. They maintain their freshness that way (and they also conserve ammo and surprise enemy troops who happen to stumble across them). In some scenarios (and I stress SOME, not all by any means) it is advantageous to sneak in a few troops along the sides of the map into hiding positions to the enemy's flank(s). Depending on the enemy's movements, you can either ambush as soldiers walk by, or if you're the impatient type, you can slowly advance these troops through woods, etc, knocking off isolated enemy squads as you move forward. Mountain Dew helps you keep sharp and awake during those late night battles. If you know (or have a distinct feeling) that you're outnumbered, sometimes it is better to find good LOS positions for your tanks and let the enemy come to you. For example, on CE, if you don't want to move your StuG's forward right away, there are several small hills behind the large wooded hill where the assault guns can lie in ambush, waiting for the Shermans to peek into view. This tactic works fairly consistently with CE and could work with other scenarios (again, not ALL scenarios). Use mortar fire to flush out enemy troops. If you have an idea that enemy soldiers are hiding in a small area (but can only see the enemy symbol indicating a presence), use a mortar attack to force them out into the sight range of your tanks, machine guns, etc. Brownies or chocolate chip cookies make a great wartime snack. Sometimes it is advantageous to take out certain buildings early on in the battle if they obstruct LOS or if they would make potential hiding places for enemy troops. And use the sneak feature as much as possible in heavily wooded areas, but only order your troops to sneak a small distance at a time in case they happen upon the enemy. That's all I can think of off the top of my head...

Yeah yeah... just another cool game developed by people who still think an Apple is somethin' you put in a pie. Doesn't anyone but BTS think that maybe Mac users would like to play war too? Argh... it just burns me...

Ok, so which is it? Is the old info correct, or are the pre-gold demo preorderers (lol... try saying THAT 3 times fast) in on the print?!? I pre-ordered in January, I think, soon after I discovered the demo. I never even knew an "alpha" existed until I started hearing about it on this board

Well, I put my two cents in. Long live CM

CM runs fine on my iMac DV SE, but I have 192 mb of RAM, too

Well, it depends on who you're playing. Against the AI with the Axis up 150%, I got a total Allied victory on VoT. One of my 105 Sherms got the 2 Panthers and the artillery took care of most of the 8 pillboxes. I did end up losing one 75 Sherman to a schreck, but I managed to force a German surrender on turn 33. I tend to think that the basic, unweighted scenario tilts at least a little in the Allies' favor. Now against a human opponent, all bets are off.

Hey, what's the deal with the Fionn clone on the review board?!?

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Commissar: Actually, there is nothing funny about what Hasbro is and has been doing for several months now. Perhaps if they didn't do such a crapola job in the first place sales would have been better. Upfront and clear statements of supporting their products would have also helped. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Hasbro's just following the trend of most of the large corporate gaming conglomerates... more concerned with pushing out fast-selling product than making a worthwhile game that will keep your interest for more than a week. I have a Mac and my brother has a PC... he played this new Gunship a few weeks ago and we both had a good laugh over that. I played the old Gunship, when the name "Microprose" actually meant something, and it still remains one of my all-time favorites. Too often, these new games are developed strictly with the graphics in mind--as long as the graphics are on the cutting edge, the gameplay (or lack thereof) will be tolerated, or so they think. And it must work to some degree, because all the big companies continue to produce crap in bunches. I never thought much about this whole dynamic until I read BTS's manifesto several months ago... you truly can see how the bottom line is much more important than a finished product. With any game, there can be bugs that slip through, or some AI oddity that gets overlooked, but most of the games my brother buys are fairly atrocious where bugs and AI are concerned. Combat Mission is only the second game I've bought this year (the first was F/A-18 Korea for Mac, now that the OpenGL patch has come out), and I'll probably buy only one more max by December, but I can say with definite certainty that Combat Mission and its offspring will be enough for me for a very long time. There is a completeness and polish to this game that you don't find in the mainstream market... I just hope that the sales of CM make at least a few people in the gaming industry take notice, though I doubt that anything will dissuade them from doing what their doing until their profits begin to plummet. Thanks again Steve and Charles (and Fionn and Moon and Madmatt and all the others who had some hand in producing this most excellent of games)

WOOHOO!! I was the 100th voter and gave it a 100... what do I win?!?

Attn all Mac users... go to http://www.macgamefiles.com . They have the gold demo on their site and invite user reviews of the game. Just letting you all know

I've gotta bask in the glow for a sec... I just beat CE as the Allies with the Axis pumped up 150%. I know I read that someone else did it earlier this week, but I had to try it myself. I took out all their StuGs while losing only one Sherman, and had all my troops hiding on the two large wooded hills, picking off the Krauts as they happened upon my little ambush sites. It was beautiful. But in all fairness, I did play the same scenario earlier and suffered a minor defeat... but that made it even sweeter when I beat the pants off the gray boys while being pretty sizeably outnumbered... now I've gotta try tackling it as the Germans and the Amis pumped up 150%