David Aitken

The main reason BTS have chosen not to 'carry over' units from one battle to the next, is because it's unrealistic. There aren't many units who have fought in more than a couple of major campaigns during the war. Add to that the survival rate and the actual ease of keeping an eye on particular men, as mentioned above, and it's really all outside of CM's scope. CM is a tactical simulator. David ------------------ '...With mortar shells raining down everywhere, he said, "Come along, Padre".' When Egen showed reluctance, Tatham-Warter reassured him. 'Don't worry,' he said, 'I've got an umbrella.'

Jadayne wrote: > and you guys thought "The Onion" was tasteless. And war is in good taste, right? As long as everyone wears smart uniforms? ------------------ '...With mortar shells raining down everywhere, he said, "Come along, Padre".' When Egen showed reluctance, Tatham-Warter reassured him. 'Don't worry,' he said, 'I've got an umbrella.'

My vote comes from Spike Milligan's "'Rommel?' 'Gunner Who?'" (although I'm convinced it should be "Rommel: 'Gunner Who?'"). Eisenhower approached and spoke to, – I can't remember who, – but I recall him saying 'What kind of cannons are these?' (Cannons!? CANNONS!? That's like calling the H.M.S. Ark Royal a boat.) Eisenhower got back in the car, struck his head on the roof, said 'Oh F***' and left. – Spike Milligan In case you're wondering, I'm keeping the short, snappy quotes for myself. David ------------------ '...With mortar shells raining down everywhere, he said, "Come along, Padre".' When Egen showed reluctance, Tatham-Warter reassured him. 'Don't worry,' he said, 'I've got an umbrella.'

killmore wrote: > Please explain how female soviet troops would execute rape command! They use the regimental goat. ------------------ '...With mortar shells raining down everywhere, he said, "Come along, Padre".' When Egen showed reluctance, Tatham-Warter reassured him. 'Don't worry,' he said, 'I've got an umbrella.'

Mr. Clark wrote: > So theoretically, there could be female troops in CM. There certainly could in CM2, on the Russians' side. And if BTS were to go right up to the end of the war, and model the siege of Berlin, and if they chose to include civillians, there would be plenty more women there. I expect to see a 'Rape and Pillage' command (which, of course, would also apply to German SS units earlier on). David ------------------ '...With mortar shells raining down everywhere, he said, "Come along, Padre".' When Egen showed reluctance, Tatham-Warter reassured him. 'Don't worry,' he said, 'I've got an umbrella.'

It's too difficult to distinguish between the Forces Of The Light and the Minions Of The Dark. The Germans should have bright red uniforms and vehicles, and blue for the Allies. At least the skins can be fixed up – can someone do an 'undead' mod for the soldiers? I also think the weapons and ammo are pretty lame. 40 bursts per squad – what the hell? The enemy should drop ammo when they die. And where are the chainguns? Oh, and lastly, can someone tell me where the 'full gore' option is? I want to see guys blown apart in a shower of blood. It would be cool if BTS could take some inspiration from Unreal, so when the female characters die, we see naked body parts lying around. This would make Combat Mission a lot more popular among teenage boys. What do you mean, there aren't female characters? ------------------ '...With mortar shells raining down everywhere, he said, "Come along, Padre".' When Egen showed reluctance, Tatham-Warter reassured him. 'Don't worry,' he said, 'I've got an umbrella.'

I believe 'Kangaroo' refers to the conversion of a tank to an APC. Presumably we're talking about the Ram Kangaroo, ie. a converted Ram tank. David ------------------ '...With mortar shells raining down everywhere, he said, "Come along, Padre".' When Egen showed reluctance, Tatham-Warter reassured him. 'Don't worry,' he said, 'I've got an umbrella.'

The Commissar wrote: > Just out of curiosity, are you reffering to WW2 machine guns or does this happen to MG's today as well? Aircraft and such may be much more complex and sophisticated than they were sixty years ago, but simple slug-throwers remain the same. The German MG42 HMG is still in use as the MG3, the British Bren LMG was in use until recently (or may still be) as the L4A4, and the American .50 cal remains unchanged. A Second World War firearm is as good now as it always was. David ------------------ '...With mortar shells raining down everywhere, he said, "Come along, Padre".' When Egen showed reluctance, Tatham-Warter reassured him. 'Don't worry,' he said, 'I've got an umbrella.'

Chupacabra wrote: > I think CM should move towards being more realistic, not less so. Germanboy wrote: > I expect and hope that for CM2 buildings are one of the main areas of improvement. This about sums it up. No-one is claiming that buildings in CM are already perfect, and should not change for this reason. But there are limits to the level of realism which BTS have been able to incorporate at this stage, and we've got to accept that. There is no easy way to overcome the collapsing building issue, and making buildings less realistic (stronger or whatever) is not the solution. Yes, CM is not 100% realistic. But it is unrealistic only in what it lacks – as far as is feasible, all included features of the game are as realistic as possible. The issue will be resolved in CM2, when progressive building damage will hopefully be modelled. In the meantime, we'll just have to accept the abstraction of building damage. It is not as wrong as you think – it is simply abstracted. You can minimise tricky situations through proper tactics – and on the rare occasions that a tank suddenly materialises and starts shelling a building where your men are hiding, and on the rare instances of this that the building doesn't survive into the next orders phase – that's just bad luck, an inherent part of war. David ------------------ '...With mortar shells raining down everywhere, he said, "Come along, Padre".' When Egen showed reluctance, Tatham-Warter reassured him. 'Don't worry,' he said, 'I've got an umbrella.'

This is abstracted in CM. The squad leader is immortal, just like the Lieutenant or Captain in an HQ unit is the last one to go. David ------------------ '...With mortar shells raining down everywhere, he said, "Come along, Padre".' When Egen showed reluctance, Tatham-Warter reassured him. 'Don't worry,' he said, 'I've got an umbrella.'

First of all, this has been discussed in the past few days, in the thread Why DO houses blow up? Mother Theresa wrote: > Would just like to see the inf. do something more than sit there and die with no chance of survival. What do you expect them to do? Run outside? Abandon the only cover they have, and run straight out into the open to be cut down by enemy infantry? The AI doesn't know which side of the building is safe, if any, so it can't make the decision for you. Maybe they'd be better of staying put, but only you can make this decision. Colonel_Deadmarsh wrote: > I put those men into that house, the tank came into LOS, shelled the house, and I lost a couple of men but was given the chance to keep them in there next turn and try to kill the enemy platoon advancing towards the house or to get out of there now and preserve what I have left of my squad. This is another example of the prevailing misinterpretation. You want the choice of leaving your men where they are to defend the building, or withdrawing them. If your men try to make a stand under direct HE fire, the building will collapse on them, and they will take heavy casualties. This is unrealistic in that, in reality, it would be even more dangerous to make a stand from a building under direct HE fire. Rather than gradually losing integrity, as in CM, in reality the front of the building would collapse very quickly – the place where your men are fighting from. In other words, if you've got infantry and the enemy has tanks or heavy mortars, don't put your men in a building which is in view of these weapons, or is likely to become such. If they must be there, hide them. The enemy may shell the building anyway, but at least you won't provoke him. But you can't fight from that building under shellfire. The AI can't make decisions for you – it doesn't know whether it's safer staying put or getting out, or which exit route would be safest. It's up to you to ensure that your men don't find themselves in a bad situation. If you try your best, and something bad happens, that's war. Just think about it in reality – a tank and a platoon of men are advancing on a building. A squad opens up from the building. The tank shells it. What should the squad do? Stay put and be crushed by falling masonry, or run out and be mown down by the enemy infantry? It's a bad situation in reality too, and in CM, you've got to try and avoid it. David ------------------ '...With mortar shells raining down everywhere, he said, "Come along, Padre".' When Egen showed reluctance, Tatham-Warter reassured him. 'Don't worry,' he said, 'I've got an umbrella.'

Germanboy wrote: > Maybe he should try Prozac, that is supposed to block reality quite nicely. Who needs Prozac? You can block off reality quite effectively if you just believe tenaciously enough that it doesn't exist. Works for me. ------------------ '...With mortar shells raining down everywhere, he said, "Come along, Padre".' When Egen showed reluctance, Tatham-Warter reassured him. 'Don't worry,' he said, 'I've got an umbrella.'

Mother Theresa wrote: > It is not accurate, a large heavy building does not just collapse when that one extra shot hits it but is perfectly fine cover until then. This is what you're misinterpreting. As others have said, Combat Mission does not, as yet, simulate progressive building damage. As a building takes fire, it loses integrity, but this is not simulated graphically. In other words, it is NOT "perfectly fine cover" under HE fire – it just LOOKS this way. In reality, after a couple of shots the building would start to crumble. The front wall would collapse, exposing your units inside. In other words, CM currently gives you an ADVANTAGE – it allows your men to fight from a damaged building up until the moment it collapses. Don't be confused by this – you take a lot of casulaties when the building finally gives way, but this is a fair abstraction of the casualties which, in reality, you would have taken while the building gradually disintegrated. The way to avoid these casualties is to act realistically – as soon as a building starts taking HE fire, get your men OUT. It would be a very unhealthy place for them to be in reality, and although in CM it SEEMS safe until the last moment, as you well know it is NOT a good idea to leave your men inside. David ------------------ '...With mortar shells raining down everywhere, he said, "Come along, Padre".' When Egen showed reluctance, Tatham-Warter reassured him. 'Don't worry,' he said, 'I've got an umbrella.'

Red Devils wrote: > Uhh,huh-huh-huh...he said "testes." Oh no, what are we going to do now? – Shoot him? – Shoot yourself? – Shoot me? – Run around screaming "HE SAID TESTES!!"? – Take into account his first sentence, "1st of all sorry for the long post and the gramatical errors that you mey find."? – Complain to the Authorities? – Write a book about it? – Shut up and go to bed? (this is my first choice) Just ignore me. David ------------------ '...With mortar shells raining down everywhere, he said, "Come along, Padre".' When Egen showed reluctance, Tatham-Warter reassured him. 'Don't worry,' he said, 'I've got an umbrella.'

Darwin wrote: > "The Germans, allways shooting, they scare the whales away" Complained the Captain shaking a makeshift totem of hamster skulls and gerbils feet in their direction. Sir, Johnson's just come back from a recce around the perimeter! He says we're in trouble – we're holding off the fanatical SS Panzer Grenadiers up front no trouble, but someone spotted your harpoon and the hamster skulls, and now our flank is in danger of being overrun by Greenpeace activists! They've got flowers, sir – Richards thinks they're some type of Rhododendron! We've got to get out of here before they start singing! ------------------ '...With mortar shells raining down everywhere, he said, "Come along, Padre".' When Egen showed reluctance, Tatham-Warter reassured him. 'Don't worry,' he said, 'I've got an umbrella.'

The main thing that struck me is his comments about smoke. Considering 9 out of 10 shells Allied tanks in CM seem to fire when they're up against enemy armour are smoke shells, it's interesting that this fellow didn't use them for concealment at all. However, WP isn't modelled in CM, so maybe he would have used non-WP smoke if he had it. The CM battlefield fills up with smoke too quickly. =) David P.S. I assume your mouse was taken out by a flanking shot? Don't try and tell me it just broke down! ------------------ '...With mortar shells raining down everywhere, he said, "Come along, Padre".' When Egen showed reluctance, Tatham-Warter reassured him. 'Don't worry,' he said, 'I've got an umbrella.' [This message has been edited by David Aitken (edited 10-07-2000).]

The simple answer is – you are correct. Antitank guns are not the best way to kill soft-skin vehicles. The drivers usually run away if you so much as make derogatory accusations about their mothers, so there's no need for big guns. Machineguns or even rifles are ideal. David ------------------ '...With mortar shells raining down everywhere, he said, "Come along, Padre".' When Egen showed reluctance, Tatham-Warter reassured him. 'Don't worry,' he said, 'I've got an umbrella.'

It's not made by BTS, that's what! Put that man on a charge! ------------------ '...With mortar shells raining down everywhere, he said, "Come along, Padre".' When Egen showed reluctance, Tatham-Warter reassured him. 'Don't worry,' he said, 'I've got an umbrella.'

Assuming you have the next ten years free to play the scenario – surely the maximum would be more than enough? David ------------------ '...With mortar shells raining down everywhere, he said, "Come along, Padre".' When Egen showed reluctance, Tatham-Warter reassured him. 'Don't worry,' he said, 'I've got an umbrella.'

I thought they'd settled on "Fred"? ------------------ '...With mortar shells raining down everywhere, he said, "Come along, Padre".' When Egen showed reluctance, Tatham-Warter reassured him. 'Don't worry,' he said, 'I've got an umbrella.'

But now you're plainly visible to the enemy! Get down, God damnit!! ------------------ '...With mortar shells raining down everywhere, he said, "Come along, Padre".' When Egen showed reluctance, Tatham-Warter reassured him. 'Don't worry,' he said, 'I've got an umbrella.'

CM? Never heard of it. ------------------ '...With mortar shells raining down everywhere, he said, "Come along, Padre".' When Egen showed reluctance, Tatham-Warter reassured him. 'Don't worry,' he said, 'I've got an umbrella.'

Jeff Heidman wrote: > or any other number of variables. Whether or not they just got a Dear John letter? Oh hang on, that's Squad Leader. ::Ratatatatatatatatatatatat:: I can't believe she left me for a Polish airman! ::Ratatatatatatatat:: ::KABLAMM:: Frank! No!! What are you doing? A Pole?? What could she possibly see in him? ::Ratatatatatatatat:: Frank, for God's sake! Shoot at the GERMANS! The ones in GREY uniform! I wrote to her every week!! How could she do this to me?? ::Ratatatatat:: ::KABOOM:: ::Ratatatatatat:: Bloody hell Frank, that's OUR halftrack... ::BOOM:: WOMEN... I should have known better!! ::KABLAMM:: Quick, get that gun off Frank, before he wipes out the rest of our scouts!! ------------------ '...With mortar shells raining down everywhere, he said, "Come along, Padre".' When Egen showed reluctance, Tatham-Warter reassured him. 'Don't worry,' he said, 'I've got an umbrella.' [This message has been edited by David Aitken (edited 10-06-2000).]

PvK wrote: > I'll admit I've never seen any mention of buildings being a bad place for infantry to take cover against HE. I'd be fascinated to read any such references - can anyone provide some? A Bridge Too Far by Cornelius Ryan. After completely failing to prize the men of Colonel Frost's battalion from its positions at the end of Arnhem bridge, the SS Panzer division Frundsberg simply drove its tanks down the streets, levelling the British-held houses with HE. That was the turning point of the bridge defence – even low on ammo, the paras were holding tight – but in the face of direct fire from tanks, they were screwed. David ------------------ '...With mortar shells raining down everywhere, he said, "Come along, Padre".' When Egen showed reluctance, Tatham-Warter reassured him. 'Don't worry,' he said, 'I've got an umbrella.'

The more experienced the men, the more quickly and efficiently they will carry out your orders, the more experienced they will be in overcoming the enemy and preserving themselves, the less likely they'll be to chicken out, etcetera. They can't perform superhuman feats, or deflect bullets, but given a good plan, they'll be more likely to execute it successfully. David ------------------ ...the pilot was able to circle and make a safe belly landing. According to O'Neal, 'this guy jumped out and ran up to me, shouting, "Give me a gun, quick! I know right where that Kraut s.o.b. is and I'm gonna get him".'