chrisl

In a somewhat gamey tactic, FTs are great for scouting, because they draw fire like nothing else. Even the most disciplined troops will come out of hiding to shoot at them. (No, I don't do this with them-- I do the careful walk up and toast thing).

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by MantaRay: I actually saw her jaw drop when the screen shook and she saw the ground fly around. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> If you want really cool, watch an arty barrage from the receiving end while sitting in an airplane being buffeted by turbulence!

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by poorfish: Like the previous posts, cm now crashes on stratup, except it ran fine the fist time! Nothing was changed as far as extensions go. Crashes now alternate between Type 2 and Type 12. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I had the final running just fine, then I fixed some hard drive problems with Norton and now CM is a little weird, but works. I'm running a PB G3/300, OS 8.5. I had problems with the ATI driver update that put 1.4.8 on my machine, but 1.4.6 is ok. The weird thing is that sometimes CM crashes out when loading the 3D graphics, but then if I run it again immediately it works just fine. I don't quite understand it, but it's something weird with my machine. Both demos were fine, and 1.01 final never crashed until I fixed my HD (and yes I reinstalled). Typing all that suggests that I ought to reinstall my video drivers...

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Big Time Software: Are you sure the LOS is clear? You are allowed to target units out of LOS Sometimes it can be off by a bit, though the picture shown is the most extreme example I've seen. Charles<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I found a more extreme example last night playing a quick battle with town terrain-- there was a courtyard created by 3 big buildings corner to corner in a checkerboard pattern. Their corners touched visually, but there was (still is is-it's not over yet) an AFV parked inside the courtyard shooting out through the blocked corner.

sometimes I notice slowdowns in the progress of the bar-- I wonder if those are correlated to heavy exhanges of armor fire (where trajectory and pentration calcs have to be done) as opposed to small arms, which are more abstracted. There's certainly a correlation between movie file size and action, but I think a lot of smoke can increase the file size by itself.

My G3 works just fine with 1MB L2 cache. Sometimes it crashes in the final version if I don't set the res to 640x480 before I launch CM, but the odd thing is that sometimes it doesn't. I hate inconsistent errors.

Maybe BTS should start selling packages of CM plus various upgrades, given the number of people shelling out $$$ to get smoother movies.

Full FOW is part of what makes CM special, at least to someone who grew up on board wargames, where either you lived with partial or no FOW, or you had horrendous bookkeeping to do.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by TwoSheds: I'm trying to figure out how to use the Ambush command to simulate HIP.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Isn't CM automatically HIP? Then it's up to the player to keep them hidden (by setting up ambushes very close by).

You should be fine on a Bronze, as I play using a Wallstreet. (300 MHz, 192 MB) I managed to cause CM to hang up like that when I foolishly tried to update the video drivers. I installed the latest set off the Apple website (ATI drivers 1.4.8) and it broke. When I switched back to all the original video stuff (1.4.6) and it worked fine. I think I once tried 1.4.8 again and it worked, so I'm not sure exactly what it was, but the drivers can be suspect. Also, as I just discovered last night, Norton Disklight will cause you to crash out of CM. Check for extensions that install things down in the driver layer like that--Disklight is low enough so that even after BTS takes over the full screen it shows through. A guy at work has a Bronze that I think is pretty clean, so I think I might try installing on that some time next week to see if it works (and I want to see if the graphics are better--I'm stuck with 640x480). [This message has been edited by chrisl (edited 06-24-2000).]

Norton Disklight (for the mac) seems to cause CM to exit when "Loading 3D Graphics" with a Type 2 error. You may not even know that you have it, but it seems to have come as an undocumented feature of Norton Utilities. I installed NU yesterday to fix some hard drive errors, and CM stopped working reliable! I'd rather have the drive errors. Then I noticed the disklight icon blinking away next to the apple, even while CM has the whole screen, and I'd never seen that on this machine before. I discovered that NU had installed disklight, and that when I turn it off (Disklight) CM works fine.

You can also delay the barrage a few seconds by moving the target a small amount.

USPS isn't as bad as everyone is making them sound--I got my CM yesterday (the 22nd) and it was postmarked the 20th. I ordered something shipped via Airborne 2nd Day on Monday and I still don't have it (Friday am). The left a note on Wednesday, and then didn't come back on Thursday to pick up the signature/drop off the package. USPS just left CM in my mailbox!

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by TP_Bomber: I was playing VOT and had one of my Sherman 105s within 20 meters of the 75mm pillbox. The Sherman gets a hit on the pillbox only to have the backblast come back and hit him damaging the main gun. I should have known better, but really had not expected CM to take this into account. The details in this game never cease to amaze me. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Are you sure the PB didn't fire just as the Sherman did and the explosion from it firing was mixed with the backblast? I've seen a Sherman and Stug about 100 m apart fire almost simultaneously and knock each other out.

Arty rules! Even if it doesn't eliminate troops, it will keep their heads down. The first game I played of the gold demo was CE as the Germans against the AI. The amis were headed to my right across the wheat field and a spotting round landed right in front of them. 3-4 units spun around and ran! I also just played my first quick battle-- I had a company+some misc armor (2 priests, 2HTs, a T8 recon and a utility armored car) and an FO for some 81 mortars. The 81s have terrible firepower but great smoke. I started suppression fire on some germs that I was going to have to charge across a field to get, then turned it to smoke and charged. Worked great-- I managed to eliminate the platoon HQ for that sector and rout (then eliminate) the entire platoon. I also had an on-map 81 take out the lone Panzer IV with a shot through the deck. Without the mortars I would have been chewed up running across the field.

Got it today (got home late after a very succesful day in the lab). Played a quick dusk battle and spanked the AI. After losing a Priest and a Halftrack I stopped rushing it and went in carefully with proper covering fire. Tac AI was great-- my 81 mm mortar dropped a shell right through the deck of the one german tank (a Panzer IV). Awesome game. I just wish my laptop graphics could be upgraded.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Phoenix: Still nothin in Sacramento either. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Showed up today in Pasadena!!! Anybody want to PBEM?

You're cruel. Can't you play quietly against the AI for another few days while the rest of us suffer? I'm almost to the point of dressing up the trashcan in my office like a sherman and tossing empty soda bottles into it like artillery.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Blackhorse: Hey, isn't the second shot the hedgehog of Piepsk map? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Looks like it doesn't it. That was one of my favorite scenarios. Except the tank is out of place.

Wednesday and still no CM in Pasadena

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Manx: I think i can speak on behalf of my compatriots when i say that the British contingent on the CM board will remain calm, cool and collected whilst we wait for our packages to arrive. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> You should get someone with a bagpipe to march up and down the beach-- proper invasion music, and it makes you sound calmer with the non-stop music.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by TexasToast: Chalk up another Mac user - mobile CM on a new PowerBook G3 - can't wait for wireless TCP/IP play with my new AirPort either.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Another PB G3 user (but a slightly older one-- I don't get nearly the quality of graphics that you will). I originally downloaded the demo because I wanted a game to play when I had to travel for work, and was looking for something "kind of like squad leader". Now I'm addicted.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Screaming Demon: Can you scan your bin (trashcan) so i can get one just like it, then i can have as much fun as you do.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I'll check to see if I can find the model number when I get in to work. If I don't get CM today I might have to set it on top of a box (for a chassis), put a 75 mm barrel on it and dress it up like a tank. Then I could sit and toss things into it and pretend it's a sherman being hit. I think the safety people would have a major cow if I managed to brew it up though... We could have official CM Dying Tank Trashcans with penetrated turrets and a CM logo painted on them.

While I wait impatiently for CM, I'm cheered by a really odd thing at work: When I drop something (usually a 16 oz. paper coffee cup with a few drops left in it, or an empty plastic 0.5 L soda bottle) into the trash can in my office, it makes a sound just like when you score a penetration on a tank in CM. I threw away a few empties that had been sitting around for a while just for entertainment. The trash can is an old round metal can, coned out slightly as it rises, probably mil spec for offices, possibly older than me, and lined with a small plastic trash bag. It's usually empty enough (my paper recycling bin is always full) that anything I drop in hits the bottom. It makes me want to scroll around on my PC and look for the tank that got popped.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Major B: Ok, Sure, we lost our backsides in that fight. Call it a learning experience. That ambush was a sight to see, tho. Wonderful game. I am already happy I ordered it.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I haven't even got it yet, and I'm glad I ordered it! The two demos are great, and if there were more scenarios (even without all the tweaks, improved graphics, etc) it would be great. It sure beats pushing little 3/8" counters around and pretending you don't know what's under the question mark and trying to sort out LOS disputes.