Artmann

Ok, if static defense is a term that could apply both to large scale front (WWI) and more tactical battle (siege castle), then Waterloo can be considered a static defense that worked. Wellington hold the line against the french assault, until reinforcement change the history. ARn

Ok, if in the future the smelling card is reaching the market, I suggest to sell every simulation with a gaz mask, and they will be a very hard lobbying against the WWI simulation. ARn

Ok, CM is a good game, a good wargame with a good viewing effect, at least for the beta demo. But ... : there is when playing German a near permanent swatiska, because the german flag uses is red with a swatiska. So I remove it by putting a dark filled rectangle in the two following files : 420.BMP and 440.BMP. I have seen past messages on that subject, they were mainly linked to the remote possibility of not being able to sell the game in germany. Don't you think that by just making such an alteration you can make your game better ? I don't really know how to handle this : I just can't supported to see this permanent red flag. ARn

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Big Time Software: Artman, However, I think you will find that the things you mentioned are going to be harder to do in the full version. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Ok, and that was exactly what I need to heard : you made such fool moves harder to made, and you teach poor little AI how to take care of such fool moves. Thanks ARn

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Schrullenhaft: As for the ex-SS unit; were these French nationals that were once SS or were they German SS (or other nationalities for that matter) ? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Engagement in Foreign Legion were made (and still are made) on an anonymous basis, that is history is forgotten for the new recruit, and this new recruit is only known and called with a new name. This lay a door open to many soldiers of any nationalities, which in the 50's often means german. ARn

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by tss: Also, I think that sacrificing tank crews gives the enemy a hefty victory point bonus. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Ok, so why should we have a total control on something which should be totally out of control in many case ! And yes I can sacrify a crew if the price to pay is to sacrify the crew, and I have nothing else to bargain, mostly in a stand alone scenario of course ! Just imagine that, you were in a tank, then Clank ! Boom ! Woorf ! and the crew just manage to get out. Do u really think that you will be OK and with the behaviour to obey order from an infanterie lieutnant ? I wander how fanatical I will be in such a case. ARn

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Fionn: This makes sense in CM since all you really want to do with crew is run them off the map and into a safe area so they can't get themselves all killed.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Ok, I'm sorry Fionn, but I have found some other uses for crew : 1) fire pistols to the nearest ennemy if in range, this is enough to catch attention of an ennemy bazooka team ; 2) run wild in the open to the objective, this magnet all mg in the world and allow u to make the real move with the real squad untouch 3) in general confused AI, what are u doing human, this is not programmed ! I try this in challenge#1, and for more than 10 turns I have hold a wood with 2 dismounted sherman crew. AI finally launch 2 MG and 3 squads at them, this allow me to pinned them with the real threat : a lone .50 MG ! One suggestion may be, such crews in CM should have their own status (like permanently broken) unless Japanese, or some very fanatical or desesperate unit (partisan or commando). ARn

Ok, for the A7V ok, and now the realistic question : - when such a large crew tank is destroyed but crew survive, do u have a bigger crew (three man squad) ? (remember these ASL rule about large crew, in these case u got 2 crews and not only one). ARn

Ok, <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Fionn: Hell, I think the minimum I've ever seen in a tank is 3 in an old captured French tank ( The R-39 IIRC) and the maximum is 7 ( in Priests and stuff like that<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I suggest you to have a look to a Russian Early War Ob (yes I know it will be a CM2 issue), and look at the T35 Tank, a very big one with multi-turreted feature. This can hold a crew of 10 or 12 if I remembered well . Regards ARn

Ok, <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by crossfire: CM is not really infantry game. Pacific war was mainly infantry. Rarely AFV were used.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Do you know when CM becomes an infantry game ? After all AFV are blowed up. ARn

Ok, I think that a pacific CM may also include some other events of interest like : - the war in China (Communist, Nationalist and Japanese) ; - the Birman (English vs Japanese) ; - Russian vs Japanese by late war. ARn

Ok, I have just seen that old "passive simulation" dating 1962 : "the longuest day" from Zanuck fame. And in this "passive simulation", there is the assault on the "Pointe du Hoc". The question is : do we have Climbing in CM ? So can we have the rangers starting from the beach, try to climb the heights and then take the bunker at the top ? Regards ARn

Ok, If that was the case, someone should tell the French that. God, I have never seen a language where the actual spelling of a word is just a "suggestion" rather than the rule on how it is prounounced. For example, Benoit? I'm not a dedicaced linguist but what I could say is that the so call "suggestion" may comes from these : - French have many voyels, you know a e i o u, but you also have an, en, on, etc ... They are called 'nasals' (from nose) if I remembered well ... - some voyels are composite (I think they are called diphtongue ) when you say them, oi is for something like "oo aa" ; - French use a lot of mute letters, for a lot of reason, some historical("étymologie"). So in Benoit you dont care to tell the final t (but also you care to write it, unless you are very very low in french grammar and spelling). - and also there is the accent (those little signs over some voyels, which made for brand new sounds from the original). So 'e' 'é' 'è' and 'ê' are not heard the same way. BTW, they were some tries to 'simplify' the spelling of french (accent removing, less mute letter and so on). It was a complete failure. On the contrary, they were law enforcement on the public use of french in commercial products, like software and game software. This was a success. And moreover, they are not so much english talker, and about german it's worse. Regards ARn

Ok, Thanks for the links, I know them, but thanks anyway. I appreciate your sense of humor, to call the first CM module "Beyond Overlord" and not "Beyond Valor" deserve a great LOL. ARn

Ok, there will be only two good reasons to buy CM, I had absolutely no time to play ASL the way it should (say face to face) in three years ; and worse my 9 months old son is very fond of wargaming pieces ! ARn

Ok, about ASL comparison, the focus I have in mind is the following : 1) CM is fairly newly design, no rules have been grabbed from an other old games, ok I've learned a lesson ; 2) but even with this in mind, CM is design to be realistic (the 3D effect), so the tactics you were used too might still be good, because they were used in an other game more or less realistic. So there is no hex count, bypass movement, 9-2 leader, 2 half-squad, a MMG and a HMG for the firebase (and that is good); but you can still make a SchwerPunkt and hope it will works if you hit the soft point of defense (and that is also good). ARn

Ok, of course 6 months is eternity in computerland, but the facts are that I can just play the demo for now ... BTW, it was not only criticism, it was objective criticism : AI play it well, even if it looses ! (Ah those games where you put AI to impossible level and then AI still loses, and those games where you put AI to easy level, and then AI never loose !) ARn <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Eridani: Welcome to combat mission Many of the issues you brought up (arty effectiveness and AI in paricular) have been long since perfected by BTS... Realize you're playing the beta of a six month old build... search, or check cmhq for more information... but the full game (from what we've all heard) puts the demo to shame -EridanMan<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Ok, I tried the demo, two scenario to get a feeling. And the feeling was Advanced Squad Leader, without the rulebook ! So I play CM like I use to play ASL in my third try : - find heights with cover, - put HMG there, - back HMG with 9-2 leader, sorry HQ, - make a 'SchwerPunkt' with armors, halt-tracks and grenadiers, - use a flank move, with a cover approch, - fire artillery when you find infanterie, - preserve tank for tank hunting, - open-top armor are vulnerable to mortar, - and put infanterie Upstair in building whenever you can. And the result was Axis Total Victory ( 46 cas. vs 126 ) in the 'Last Defense' scenario, using a left flank attack ! This demo is Ok, I'm now waiting for the game. Some remarks may be, and mainly for the AI stuff : - Artillery seems to be not very impressive, a suppressive weapon may be ; - Half-track where in full view of the AI, but it do not fire mortars at them, I have tried that, it works well (and kill 2 half-tracks) ; - AI made a good job in Tank to Tank combat, really, in Squad to Squad combat, it could be bettered may be ; - I have also seen AI trying to make a last-ditch attempt to destroy the last Stug, it do not works because of MG42 coverage, but it surprises me ; - AI was somehow static in defense, no retreat, no hide then back to the building and so on ; - AI play it bad on the right flank move along the wall, It could not understand that by closing the road from the bridge, the objectives will become Axis at one time or another ; - and finally when AI try to launch reinforcement, it was too little too late, the 2 Tank Destroyers where destroyed (at the price of 1 Tiger and one Stug) as soon as they appear, and the last one was catch coming down the hill, and the infantery was pinned down by artillery, MG42s and squads in buildings on the other bank of the river. This leaves me one Stug to reduce the strong point on the left flank, and win the game by turn 28 or so. But all in all, AI play it well, the one major flaw comes from the setup, where he do not put any squad or bazooka against the wall. Some strange things that happens, that is I still do not understand : - one building was rubble by close-combat fighting (may be a very powerfull hand-grenade) ... ; - I've got some video problems (Voodoo3 card ?) ; And finally, one or two ideas or suggestions may be - prisoners should be handled automatically (that is I think we shouldn't be able to give orders to POW, those POW should go to the rear their own way) ; - a fixed number of turn is always a problem (it was true in ASL), it allows you to try some last stand or last effort ; a fatigue/attrition system where the game decide to halt the scenario when on overall fatigue/attrition condition is meet could be a way to search. CM is a great thing, a very great thing. At last I have an AI opponent which is able to do something. Thanks, reader, for your time. Have mercy upon my english grammar, I'm French. ARn