David Aitken

Look at this! Aha hahahah hahha hhah ahahah!!! Eeh ehheh hhee ehehhehee!! I caught you out there! You looked at a grog diagram! Nanny nanny naa naa!! It'll take you all week to recover from that! You may even win a game or two, and you can't do a thing about it!!

To paraphrase someone's comment from the last time this subject was discussed, there's only one thing that happens to civilians on a battlefield: they get killed. CM is a combat simulator – civilians are outwith its scope.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Geier wrote: Aitken? I believe I should have killed you already.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Oh go on then. Most of my opponents seem to have disappeared for the weekend, or simply not got my files, or I haven't got theirs, but it's their own bloody fault for not letting me know. Send me something, preferably of the CM Map variety. A presdesigned scenario would be nice, if you have anything to hand – I've only played a few from CM, and one Rune job, and that's it.

What you are suggesting is easy for us to understand with human intuition, but a computer is effectively blind, because it doesn't have the ability to 'look' at the battlefield and 'decide' the best course of action. It can only function by a set of rules, and coordinating its forces on a large scale is no simple task. This thread says all you need to know about the merits of BTS spending time improving the AI: CRAP AI, Other BUGS ,Fix Or implement IPX/TCP!! [ 05-28-2001: Message edited by: David Aitken ]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>ParaBellum wrote: I really don't know how the Stuarts on open ground could hide their hull from the Pz IV on higher ground!!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I just tried this for myself. I don't see a problem: [ 05-27-2001: Message edited by: David Aitken ]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Pvt. Ryan wrote: If the PzIV is not hull down then the enemy can hit the hull, turret, tracks, etc. The turret is just as vulnerable whether hull down or not.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I think it's half and half, and whether the results are realistic depends on how the game is programmed. The only advantage of not being hull down is that it encourages enemy units just to aim at your tank in general – whereas if you are hull down, they can only aim at your turret. They do not have a greater chance of hitting it, it's just the only target they've got. If you're not hull down, they can still aim at your turret, so the only difference is in the psychology of the enemy gunner. An experienced gunner would presumably go for the turret whether your tank were hull down or not.

According to my dictionary, when President Kennedy said "Ich bin ein Berliner", he meant "I am a lightly fried yeast bun with jam filling and vanilla icing".

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>dalem wrote: Actually we have both "jams" and "jellies", and then we also have "preserves" too.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> But do you have chutney? A sandwich isn't a sandwich (and isn't edible, for that matter) without chutney. Damn I hate food.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Treeburst155 wrote: The packing up is one thing, but the guys in the back of the "square" should be shooting their own in the back of the head when the whole group tries to fire at a common enemy unit.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Try a rainy night – even people behind the firing unit aren't safe.

Friendly fire is a huge problem at night. I was playing Leeo on a rainy night and my men basically massacred each other.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>MrSpkr wrote: Funny how art imitates life, isn't it?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> That's what art is for, you spoon. The remarkable instances are where life imitates art. You're well on your way to that degree in Stating the Bloody Obvious, though. Keep at it.

It's the cleaning lady. I played her on TCP/IP while you were out, although she was pretending to be you for obvious reasons. You should be grateful, she's working wonders for your win/loss ratio.

Yup, BTS spare no effort for their customers. If previous instances are anything to go by, you can expect your new CD to be delivered by a large armoured vehicle. When you hear it coming, simply rush out into the street and wave. You will find the problem to be swiftly dealt with!

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>mensch wrote: everytime I play a PBEM half my guys die real fast.. its uncanny.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I seem to have a disc from the same batch as yours. I started a thread here to complain about a week ago, which was instantly locked by Madmatt and then, as we are all aware, he wiped the server just to make sure there was no trace of my revelation. Talk about a cover-up...

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Panzer Leader wrote: I will NEVER BE SILENCED!!!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Be quiet and eat your dinner.

Now look here mensch, you know that BTS is not going to model higher ratios of dead bodies in CM. Or maybe it's just a flashback to the time your wife trounced you. In that case, carry on.

The Challenger is similar to the Cromwell, maybe you're getting it confused with the Black Prince?

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Lordfluffers wrote: This why the Sherman Firefly was the only British tank to fit the gun.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> So what's that on the Challenger?

Oh, never mind, I get it. CM's engine doesn't work for commando-style combat.

I assume you're aware of Operations in CM?

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Michael Dorosh wrote: WHEN REPEAT WHEN IS SECOND WAVE DUE TO LAND?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> chrisl lied, the map is actually Dieppe. Have fun!

I just updated my profile...

Just to save on polygons. I think vehicles which can button up, show the crew to respresent this. Jeeps are exposed and unarmoured, so you don't need a visual reference. Also, MG jeeps used to be able to carry passengers. The Bren Carrier actually shows only the gunner and not the driver.

Trying to pull a backdoor maneuvre such as this with German armour is a very bad idea, because tanks have a habit of spotting something off in the distance, rotating the turret to 4 or 8 o'clock, and arriving behind the Allied tank which spins round and plugs it while the German crew desperately tries to bring their gun to bear. Unfortunately you can't tell crews in CM exactly what you want them to kill (ie. the Sherman behind the house I'm sending you up to), so they won't always be ready to pull such tricky maneuvres. On the face of it it seems gamey, but I think the 'gamey' spirit actually emerges from real warfare and a desire to tip the balance using initiative. Of course, if any of my opponents attempt this, they are not employing intiative, they are simply being foolhardy and jeapordising the lives of their troops in an ignorant and tactically inept fashion.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Cos wrote: I would hope being able to type is sort of important in a chat room too.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> That's the distinction I made. I interpret Lord Sean's comments as suggesting that making well thought-out and constructed posts to this forum is for "cavemen", whereas, as his grammatical abilities suggest, tossing soundbytes back and forth in a 'chat room' is more preferable.