Dan Weaver

Like kissing your sister. Dan

I play the Allies, and the Americans especially, to the point where it becomes a fault. Including the Beta and Gold Demos, I've played a total of three games of CM from the German side. It's not very grognardish of me, but I don't feel right leading them in battle. I feel like I'm fighting for the wrong side. I'd probably be a better player if I switched sides every once in a while. What do I like most about the Americans? Their resilience, their big squads, and their high explosive. And of course they're my home team. When I use them, I feel like I'm hanging out with old friends. Dan

Paul, having known you for several years, I can definitely say that this is your game. Dan

I appreciate the quick response, guys. After dinner and the baseball game, I ran a few more tests. These involved Easy Eights and Hellcats against King Tigers, Jagdtigers, Tigers, and Panther Gs. The Allied tanks had elite crews and either 6 or 8 tungsten rounds. When the Allied tanks engaged a King Tiger or a Jagdtiger, they fired tungsten rounds and kept firing them. When they engaged a Tiger or a Panther G, they fired AP rounds and kept firing them. In one case an Easy Eight fired 8 AP rounds at a Panther G for no penetrations, ignoring the 6 tungsten rounds it carried. I can understand selecting AP rounds for ranging shots, but this got a little ridiculous. In order to be assured of a penetration on a Panther G, a 76mm-armed tank needs a tungsten round, and it makes every bit of sense that the crews would know this and use them rather than futilely bouncing AP shell after AP shell off the big cat's glacis. Dan

Further testing has discovered that Allied TDs fire their tungsten ammo. This means that my own personal favorite AFV, the "Ferrari on tracks" AKA the M18 Hellcat, is the best tank ever made. Dan

While doing penetration tests, I discovered that Allied tanks don't fire their tungsten ammo. Tank destroyers do. I tested this with the M4A3(76)W+ HVSS Easy Eight Sherman, M26 Pershing, and M18 Hellcat. I'm using v1.03.

Amen to the whole units getting slaughtered in the open thing, Madbot! One squad in a heavy building can now make hamburger out of an entire company! Ain't it great? Learning tactics all over again, Dan

I'll try out the contrarian view... I say the M4A3(76)W+ HVSS Easy Eight Sherman is the equal of the Panther G (late). First, the Easy Eight's got a faster turret. The tactical advantages of that should be obvious. Second, the Easy Eight's got arguably better armor. While the turret armor is about 2 cm thinner, the upper hull armor is 3 cm thicker and the lower hull armor is 8 cm thicker. That means anti-tank infantry are going to have a tougher time with the Easy Eight. The Panther does have a big ol' slope on it's hull armor, though. Third, the Easy Eight carries a few tungsten rounds that slice through the Panther's armor like a hot knife through butter. Inside of 500 yards, both tanks have about an equal chance of knocking each other out. I think I'll do some in-game penetration tests. The results are in. I put an elite Easy Eight and an elite late Panther G up against each other at distances of 450, 250, and 80 meters, 10 engagements at each. It was just a simple frontal armor vs. gun test; no tactics here. 450 m: Easy Eight 2, Panther 8 250 m: Easy Eight 4, Panther 6 80 m: Easy Eight 7, Panther 3 As you can see, the Panther does better until the turret traverse starts to matter. At long range, the Easy Eight needs to get lucky to kill the Panther, but the Panther can kill the Sherman just by hitting it in the turret or in the lower hull. At short range, the Easy Eight can get an easy kill on the lower hull and turret shots are a gamble. (1) For now, conventional wisdom is correct. The Panther G (late) reigns supreme. 1. Something fishy happened. The Easy Eight was equipped with a few tungsten rounds, but never shot one in any of the 30 engagements! What exactly are the things there for if they're not going to be used against Panthers? Any comments, BTS?

I've gotten my butt kicked twice (Night at Cheneux and Grosshau Ridge) and had a draw once (Singling Shootout) since I installed 1.03. I think the AI has gotten better.

Choosing the best modern AFV is like trying to decide who's the best athlete in sports these days. Tiger Woods may be one hell of a golfer, but I doubt you want him to start defensive line. If you cut the question up a little bit: Tank: M1A2SEP IFV: CV9040 SP Artillery: PzH 2000 SP MLR: MLRS SP ADA: 2S6M Tunguska The tank may change when Germany fields the Leopard 2A6 KWS or when Russia fields the T-95. (Don't mark your calendars for that last one.) The IFV won't change for a while, because armies are generally rethinking the IFV concept. The SP artillery may change when the United States fields the Crusader; again I don't suggest staying up late checking CNN. MLRS gets the nod over Smerch because it can fire ATACMS. The 2S6M will be the best SP ADA piece until the Russians replace it. Dan

What's the best way to use MGs when you're attacking? I tend to let them trail behind until the riflemen make contact and then rush them up to the front line, but this approach doesn't seem all that great. Dan

My paratroops encounter a crack German squad ensconced in a house. It's at night so it's generally not a good idea to go sprinting off into the wild. I want them to stay where they are, lay down fire, and wait for an M8 to start hitting the house with high explosive. Naturally, they decide to charge the building, with predictable results. If I started attacking the building right away with the M8, would that keep them away from it? Is there any way to just get them to stay where the hell I put them for a few moments? Dan

What are reasonable point ratios for the attacker and a defender in a DYO game? 3:2? 2:1? Dan

That one last check before bed was worth it tonight! Thanks BTS! Dan

I need a court martial button for myself. Just lost 11 Shermans in a drawn Singling Shootout. Took the town but left knocked out tanks fairly ringing the entire southern end... Dan

I couldn't agree more, Fionn. Dan

I'd hoped that nobody would make the conclusion you just drew, Fionn. I'm not saying that US soldiers were more justified in their executions of prisoners than the SS were at Malmedy. I don't hold the Malmedy massacre against the SS. It's paltry fare compared to things like the Russian atrocities at Katyn Forest. I hate the SS for their egregious and unnecessary slaughters of civilians, and their role as the enforcers of the Nazi state. Dan [This message has been edited by Dan Weaver (edited 07-26-2000).]

I loathe the SS. I hate the false elitism and arrogance which they and their glamorous overequipped divisions symbolized. They were bloody-handed thugs designed for propaganda value, and they deserved what they got. Now onto the killing of prisoners. One of the horrors of war is that the military situation frequently denies the luxury of taking prisoners. Fionn mentioned the case in which Allied paratroopers participating in Overlord were ordered to leave no prisoners. Based on the conditions, that's a sensible request. The paratroopers were in such a precarious spot and in such need of haste that the acceptance of German surrenders would have resulted in unpardonable delays to their progress and the possible derailing of the invasion. He also mentions a case in which US soldiers massacred German POWs the day before the Malmedy massacre. That day was December 16th, the start of the Battle of the Bulge. If I was an American soldier with a hundred Germans sitting around all ready to form another infantry company, I'd start shooting them too. In the peacetime world, the order of no-prisoners sounds atrocious, but in time of war it occasionally becomes sane - even the best choice. Rather than condemn the killing of prisoners, we should condemn war itself. It is a brutal business. Dan

I don't think gamey tactics are that big a deal. If somebody starts throwing crews or the Golden Jeep Horde or whatever at you, mention your displeasure in the email accompanying your turn. If they keep doing it, tell them you don't want to play that style of game, and end the match. Dan

Crews will bail if they feel that they can have no effect on the battle. For instance, send some empty trucks up against a tank. As soon as the truckers see the tank, many of them will jump out of their vehicles and run for cover. Smart move. Dan

I've got a good idea. Crews should still be placed under user control, but their experience level once they bail should be two levels lower than their vehicle's experience level. Regular vehicles will have Conscript crews, Veteran vehicles will have Green crews, and so on. This will allow player positioning of crews but will preclude their use in heavy combat, since they'll go to pieces the first time shots come their way. It also realistically reflects tankers' inexperience with infantry tactics. Dan

My favorite is the King Tiger that catastrophically exploded after my Pershing smacked it with a 90mm shell. Invincible, eh? Nyuk nyuk nyuk... Dan

I'll play. Dan

-Spoilers!- I'm sorry, in a way, to see the Tigers leave their peculiar reinforcement hex, since they SCARED THE BEJEEZUS out of me over there. They popped up right in front of two infantry platoons. A bazooka popped one and ran away, then my unrouted platoon assaulted them with grim determination and knocked out two more before losing their nerve, then a Pershing got the last one. I lost all the armor that had started the game over on that side of the map and about 18 infantry casualties, but it was damn inspiring to see my boys charge those hulking Nazi monsters. http://www.rdwarf.com/kioh/tigaslt1.gif Dan [This message has been edited by Dan Weaver (edited 07-24-2000).]

Today Combat Mission outdid itself. This is the most amazing stuff I've seen in a computer game. (NOTE: This topic contains small spoilers for Elsdorf. If you're worried about them, don't read any further.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Tigers promised in the mission briefing arrived right next to two of my advancing rifle platoons. It was quite literally do or die for H and I Platoons. Up and at 'em! H Platoon charges the two remaining Tigers in the second turn of the firefight. (Overwhelmed by the battle, I forgot to take screen shots of the first turn. Duh.) Staring death in the face, the brave GIs assault the Tiger. One of their grenades can be seen just in front of the Tiger's left track. Success! H Platoon dashes for the meagre shelter of the trees as their shower of grenades wrecks this Tiger...but there's still one left! Not any more. A Pershing comes through in the nick of time. The thrill of victory. H Platoon takes a break amongst the carcasses of their prey. No rest for the wicked, though. The town still had to be taken, and more Kraut tanks had to be dealt with. Their situation started rough and got worse. First, two of their tank commanders were stricken with splitting headaches, courtesy of my sharpshooter "Sergeant Splatter". See the soon-to-be-scrambled TC noggins here and here. After that, there was nothing left but the coup de grace, which came in a particularly satisfying way. It's not too often that Allied players get to see something like this. Dan [This message has been edited by Dan Weaver (edited 07-09-2000).]