OberGrupenStompinFeuhrer!

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Germanboy: Now that you say it, maybe an issue of night-time combat? Or maybe they are just a bunch of girly-bloused sissy-wusses? Anyone played the Waffel-SS during the day care to comment?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Should have been on the Waffen SS recruiting application form: Q4. Are you afraid of the dark? The first time my Waffle hamSSters got a drubbing in 8 moves was a daytime meeting engagement in a town. They would shout "Mein Bein!" "Mein Bein!" and then lay down on their backs, never to rise again. A right bunch of Big Girls Blouses. So much for being as hard as Krupp Steel. I will be sticking to Wermacht in future, unless there is some sort of spine stiffening moral tweak in 1.03/1.04. It got to the point I *wanted* the Allies to shoot the gutless weasel bladders to shut them up. OGSF I guess it *could* have been my awful gameplay. Perhaps I should have just avoided any contact with the enemy completely. That would have kept the panic-stricken routes to a dull roar. :^) [This message has been edited by OberGrupenStompinFeuhrer! (edited 07-15-2000).]

When *I* were a lad, there were sixteen of us livin' in a shoe box in the gutter, and every mornin' I'd have to get oop 'alf hour before I went to bed, and lick the road clean with me tongue. An' me Dad'd come 'ome each night drunk, hit me over the 'ead wi' a beer bottle, cut me legs off and call me "stumpy" behind me back. Aye, an ya tell that to the yung uns today, an they won't believe ya.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by OberGrupenStompinFeuhrer!: Maybe there is more going on than I can see because of the LOS (it's limited to about 27 meters due to a foggy night OGSF<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Oops! That is exactly what is going on. The visibility is so poor, there was another Amis infantry squad lurking nearby taking pot shots at the PSW234. STILL, it's just not good enough!!

Dabnabidation!! Same game, I just had a PSW234/3 fire on an Amis infantry squad. The infantry turned and ran away, as far away as tehy could get by the end of the turn. And what does the crew of the PSW234/3 do? They bail out and abandon the vehicle!! Maybe there is more going on than I can see because of the LOS (it's limited to about 27 meters due to a foggy night). You don't route an enemy squad, and *then* abandon your armoured vehicle!! Why would you do that??? Aaaarrggghhh!!! OGSF

I rarely use the keyboard buttons to move around the screen, except the SHIFT key. I scroll around by moving the mouse cursor to the edge of the screen corresponding to the direction I want to scroll. If I don't want to "pan", I hold down the SHIFT key at the same time.

I played a PBEM a few days ago where my SS troops panicked, broke, routed, died and generally behaved very badly against some British glider troops. A thirty turn PBEM was over in 8 moves. Well, I thought, it can happen. **Please note: The fact that it happened during a PBEM was no doubt due to the disparity between the skills of my opponent and myself. My troops were out-gunned, out-maneouvred, out-fought and I was obviously out-generaled. No hamsters were harmed in the editing of this post.** Now I play a game against the AI, a Quick Battle with very limited visibilty. My "more expensive than Wermacht" veteran SS troops are up against the Amis. First, a PSW234/3 armoured car stumbles across a lone Amis infantry squad. What do the "men of steel" do? Fire a burst at the Amis, who do not return fire, then *abandon* their armoured car!! The crew starts firing pistols at the Amis, who return fire from about 20 meters away. Three of my SS Hamster-men immediately become casualties, and the fourth falls down "shaken". Meanwhile, a veteran SS Panzershrek hamster-team hiding by a road, have a Sherman appear right in front of them, flank on. "Kamerad! Kamerad!" they cry, and run off in panic. No shooting exchanged, but the hand-picked, veteran Waffen SS lads fill their pants and bolt. I could go on with other examples but I won't, cos it upsets me. I could have press-ganged a bunch of Girl Scouts from a pyjama party and gotten a more aggressive showing. Oh, I did wonder if being under command made a difference to the performance of the glorious SS gerbil pups. A Platoon Leader team answered that when they lost command of their own bodily functions at the first sight of American troops and abandoned their men (sorry, hamsters). If I spend my points on Volkstrum conscripts I might expect this behaviour. But to pay premium points for a gaggle of trouser-wetting hamster rumps is rather galling. *whine mode off* OGSF [This message has been edited by OberGrupenStompinFeuhrer! (edited 07-17-2000).]

Ist done! Zur goot.

There seems to be a consensus forming about the Northamptonshire Yeomanry being responsible. However, the following is from "Six Armies in Normandy" by John Keegan, page 253, where he talks about the Canadians in Operation Totalize, the effort to close the Falaise Gap: "The most notable, if unperceived, success achieved by the Canadians was to bring to an end the career of Hauptsturmfuhrer Wittmann, whose Tiger fell to a co-ordinated salvo fired by five Shermans on which he was making a single-handed attack. It was a fitting end for the leading tank ace of the Second World War." Just adding grist to the mill. OGSF

I used to visit the Sudden Strike board, thinking that was a neat game and playing the demo. One of the posters there posted a snide comment about CM being a "Sudden Strike wannabe". I came to check it out, hooked (of course) and haven't looked back since.

Goodonya BorderBill! I enjoyed your anecdote - nothing like straight from the horses mouth! Man, that must have been some experience. OGSF

Well Germanboy, I'm not sure how much help this is, but if *I* were looking for an inroads into this topic I'd start browsing through some of John Keegan's work. I'm not aware of any title of his that deals exclusively with this, but I know I have seen him include the subject in a number of his books - Face of Battle, Six Armies in Normandy to name a couple. OGSF

I think this is a two sided-coin. On the one hand, you are "deprived" of the use of these units until they appear on the map. On the other hand, your opponenet is "deprived" of the opportunity to target and destroy those units until they arrive on the map. Being off-map is excellent protection for units which you might not want to risk early in the game. Maybe you should pay *more* points for that benefit!?! :^) OGSF

Well I had a go at this when I first got the game, but sort of wandered off after about four moves. I went back to it this afternoon, and had a great time. I took the default setup (as Amis) and moved my troops up their respective streets, with the armour hanging back and area firing into likely looking buildings down the road. The troops moved from house to house, making sure the way was clear for the armour to follow. Having a great time, then I noticed only three moves left! But I was close enough, and after the next move the Axis surrendered for a total allied victory. I remember the first time I tried this scenario - burning armour, screams of panicked troops - not a pretty picture!

G'day Pathfinder, If you are connecting via modem (instead of DSL or cable), about the only thing you can try is to log out of your ISP and dial back in again. Sometimes the server you are headed to is busy (like CM), but other times you may be getting a slow modem connection at the ISP cos the fast ones are used up. Just a thought. OGSF

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Lt. Kije: Anybody had any luck lighting up main battle tanks up close?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Well, I managed to set fire to an undefended house and a church, on my side of the map, before some long range MG fire (about 1 seconds worth) knocked out my little Flamenwagen. I'm going to attack a tank next.......

I like the little handle in the middle of the compartment divider on the back. I guess that's so they can pick it up and put it away in the toy box after each battle. OGSF

Bump!

Didn't maximus say the Stuart was just out of LOS? In which case the Panther would be doing what you told it too. It started hunting in the direction of the Stuart, but when it began it could only see the infantry. Once it had engaged the infantry, the "hunt" command will keep it engaged until the infantry was eliminated. So the Stuart was getting free shots at the Panther while the infantry was still kicking. At the start of the move, *you* could see a higher threat, but the Panther couldn't. Perhaps a "fast move" on the Panthers part, towards the Stuart, with targeting on the Stuart, would have worked better. Not guaranteed, but it might have seeen the Stuart before it got bored and looked for something else to target. The "hunt" command gave it no choice in that situation. I hope that makes sense? OGSF

Yo Turret! Put me down for a German commander if you like. Sounds like fun. OGSF

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by paullus: "There is nothing so terrible in war as a battle lost, as a battle won." Robert E. Lee<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Or was that Wellington, after Waterloo - "The only thing more melancholy than a battle lost, is a battle won".

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Michael emrys: "Shoot, shoot! For Chrissake, SHOOT!" Finally, about two seconds before the Pz. IV's cannon would have beared on target, the Sherman fired and killed<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> LOL! How many times have I sat here exhorting a Sherman, 'shreck team, 75mm AT gun etc et to do that! "Shoot! Shoot ya mongrel! Shoo...! Awww shoot! Why dinya shoot?" Ober ------------------ "Them Yankees couldn't hit the broa..." [This message has been edited by OberGrupenStompinFeuhrer! (edited 07-03-2000).]

I think I am getting the hang of planning and executing assaults.....I am at least beating the AI consistently.... However, I tend to get my butt kicked when on the receiving end of an attack, especially as the Germans. I think I understand about interlocking fire and such, but it seems that one or two of my AT guns get knocked out and it's all over bar the killing. This is particlarly so if I am defending a village or something. Any general principles on setting up an effective defence available? Are there any "How to"s out there based on what professional soldiers are trained to do? Thanks, Ober ------------------ "Them Yankees couldn't hit the broa..."

LOL! I admire your intiative! Perhaps if there was an artillery barrage working it's way towards you, the digging might go a bit faster. But I think it's a good point. There have been requests for "digging in" functionality in the game. Seems by the time the troops dug in, the battle would be over! Ober ------------------ "Them Yankees couldn't hit the broa..."

I searched, and I searched, but I couldn't find.... is there or will there be "funny" tanks (79th Armoured Division) in CM? The Churchills with the 290mm Petard, the flail tank, the Crocodile, or the one carrying a brushwood fascine? I "think" the Crocodiel flamethrowing tank is featured, but not sure about the others. The 290mm Petard would be neat for taking out pillboxes and blockhouses. I'm not sure what good the fascine carrier would be, as there are no "ditches" I have seen in CM which would require it. Flail tanks would be useful for clearing minefields. That Petard would be so useful in Aachen... Anyone know? Ober ------------------ "Them Yankees couldn't hit the broa..."

Some good points raised and I initially shared John's frustration. However, the more I thought about it the less clear it became (hazey?). Consider a river crossing. Before setting out in the rubber boats, the attacker lays a smoke screen on the far bank. Now will the defenders fire blindly into the smoke, hoping to hit something? A lot of ammo expended for little or no return. I wonder what really happened. Panicky bursts of automatic weapons, the Unteroffizier barking at his troops to hold their fire? However, often the smoke was not very effective - blown away or targeted incorrectly. Perhaps it would be easier and more effective from BTSs' code point of view, to introduce a random smoke variable to simulate wind effect. So the smoke may last the full minute or whatever it does now - but it may also only last for as little as 15 seconds, or 40 seconds or whatever. Point being that the Sherman that pops smoke may not have a chance to get completely out of LOS before it's smoke "disperses". Or it might. Would that help? Ober ------------------ "Them Yankees couldn't hit the broa..."