Degrees of Frost

Reposting this from Combat Mission board, thought it was relevant .... hope Joe and chrisl don't mind I am too tired to work out how to draw a link to the thread so here it is in all its glory .... it is titled "PBEM problems" Joe Shaw Member posted 08-24-2000 11:34 AM Now that we've had more extensive experience using PBEM, I thought I'd ask the group about problems I'm encountering with emailed turns. It's not something that can't be worked around but I'd like to reduce the problems if possible. I'm using a PC with Netscape as my email client since Outlooks scares me lately 1. With some opponents, my emails to or from them have the turn embedded within the body of the email. Sometimes we are able to salvage it by saving the entire email as the turn. Sometimes even that doesn't work. Sometimes they can cut and paste the relevant portion, sometimes not. 2. With some opponents, the email they send to me shows up without an attachment, but they tell me their "sent" copy shows the attachment. I'm thinking it could be one of a couple of things, or maybe even both. It may be a problem with Netscape vs. Outlook or the way my Netscape is configured. The second issue might have to do with my ISP. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Also have others seen the same things? Joe ------------------------------------------ chrisl Member posted 08-24-2000 11:44 AM I've had experience with problem one, and possible experience with problem two. 1) I did some experiements, since my opponent (using netscape) couldn't see the files getting embedded. As far as I can tell, Netscape does this and you have to live with it. The solution at the receiving end is to use a text editor (like BBEdit), not a word processor, to paste the files together. A text editor will show all characters, and not insert any that you don't type. A word processor does all sorts of secret things, especially it it was written in Redmond. I'm on my third game with this opponent, and never had a file not load, even after pasting together 2 MB files that were broken into 7 or 8 parts. You have to strip out the excess headers (from each email if it's split), and make sure you don't put in extra line feeds (or not enough). 2) Can't help with this one.

I have had the same problem - except that I couldn't load my opponents PBEM files. They came through as text as part of the e-mail, I cut and pasted them into Word saved them as ANSI and ASCII text files but it just wouldn't work. Both of us were v1.03. Should note that previous turns (15 or so) worked fine, but then failed. I don't know what kind of computer my opponent uses (but I would guess a PC) while I use a Mac. Still playing the guy, finished the battle (I lost - his Nashorn and Hummel scared the bejesus out of me - not to mention all those MP40s hiding in the woods ) because he sent the files to me as .zip files which I unzipped at my end and placed in the PBEM folder. Playing our second game now. Never did work out what went wrong - cut and pasting worked in other games where the attachments appeared in the main body of the e-mail. Still using .zips even though we have both patched to v1.04.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by dumbo: Actually I have seen the opposite to be true. Gallipoli is a good case in point, most Aussies to this day are convinced they took the worst casualties in this operation (they didnt the lancs did). There is also the theory that Aussie troops were "thrown away" wheras in fact the Brit high command sent the Australian Troops to Gallipoli to avoid the meat grinder of the Western Front.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I don't whether they were sent to Gallipoli to avoid the meatgrinder. But as an australian I continue to find it bizarre that Gallipoli is celebrated and revered to the degree it is given more Australians died or were maimed on the Western front - it is also where Australian troops won some of their most impressive victories by the standard of the first world war.

I think the Canadians were held in high regard by both their allies and their enemies throughout the war. Well trained and well led - by some of the youngest and most able officers on the allied side. And perhaps also more flexible, weren't they the first on the allied side to recognise the need for a good APC (Kangaroos and Buffaloes) and rocket artillery (the "Land Matress". But I understand that Canadian units ran into all sorts of problems replacing losses towards the end of 1944. Replacements were pressed into frontline duties without adequate time for basic training. [This message has been edited by Degrees of Frost (edited 08-22-2000).]

Though I believe in Crete the New Zealanders taught them the dangers of jumping without weapons stowed on themselves. Hitting the ground, getting untangled and then having to look for one's weapons - the whole time being chased around by angry New Zealanders with bloody great bayonets. ----WINCE----

I have found platoon HQ units suprisingly effective. Getting a platoon behind a bunker can be hard work but the HQ units seem to get through. One little grenade through the back door - no more pillbox. Have done it a couple of times now. On the other hand have had engineers throw demo charges all over the place and not got it. Bazookas ! Have had a bazooka team engage a pillbox and kill the crew one by one until they abandon the bastard thing.

Contributing to the "Pumas turned into colanders" problem perhaps is that Puma crews seem to believe that they are invulnerable to .50 cal fire. They rarely turn to present their front armour to incoming .50 cal fire and often ignore the machine gun crew and continue to engage other much less dangerous infantry targets. In the quick battles I have played I have never killed a puma with a single burst - but have eventually got the beast after a turn or two because the vehichles crew doesn't appear regard .50 a threat. If a 6-pounder or some other light gun engages a puma (have been playing Allies using regulars or less experienced troops so they tend to miss targets with the first couple of shots) - it heads for cover pronto - attempting to present frontal armour at the same time (admittedly usually to no great effect). As for jeeps being wonderful HT killers - well yes they appear to be just that - but if there is the lightest of light infantry screen in front of them - the jeep is toast.

.... or at the very least someone who can teach me that absolutely whipping the AI regularly does NOT, necessarily, a good player make. Some one send me set-up - prefer quick battle with me commanding an Allied force of some description. my e-mail adress is z2119265@student.unsw.edu.au Extra information:- given I have had bugger all sleep in the last couple of weeks as a result of doing a PhD project and recieving my copy of CM I believe I resemble in some ways (tired, grumpy, stressed with an increasingly tenous grip on reality) a WWII field commander (of extremely low standing !) - but then again tired, grumpy, stressed and a little spaced out could describe anybody.

Randwick, New South Wales, Australia

CARN' the PIES ummm ...... it was a wonderful start to the season ...... there's always next year ...... again collingwood oh collingwood

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Fionn: It wouldn't be all that unusual for me to have FOs within 50 metres of the enemy. 100 metres, often, within 50 metres, sometimes. If it isn't observed fire it isn't worth calling.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Played a couple of Quick Battles over the last couple of evenings (have recieved the game at last Yay !) and applied that kind rule to my 81mm mortar spotters - in two seperate engagments they called in fire on targets approximately 70-75m ahead of themselves - did manage to break up the attacking panzergrenadiers and in second engagment forced the crew of a supporting halftrack ... but the FOs in both battles also managed to get whacked (1 casualty on both occasions) by stray rounds that landed on themselves and their screening infantry platoon (2-5 casualties in largely intact platoon - had the effect of routing one squad) advanced in a line 10-15m ahead of them (the FO's). Should be noted that the spotters were regular and the battle was fought in fog - but the spotters had a green line to the target. I don't know - 50m seems awfully close.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Berlichtingen: Respectfully B - I think you have it back to front. The degree of disorganisation experienced by the German armed forces in the period covered in "Combat Mission" should not (and I hope - is not) modelled by the great number of unit types represented in the Axis order of battle. The squads modelled represent the "ideal" Axis order of battle - that is discrete squads have been modelled that represent "ideal" units representing the various outfits (Fall-scirmjager, Gebirgsjager etc. etc.) making up the German land forces in the West. I suspect these "ideal" squad formations were NOT stably maintained during the disorganisation experienced by the Axis forces in the West during the period modelled by "Combat Mission". But enough of that .... The result of providing this plethora of unit types to the Axis side does give any CM player playing as the germans far greater flexibility in the choice of their infantry arm that is DENIED to the player representing the Allies. While this difference in unit choice and flexibility is very probably realistic on the whole - at the level of play in CM it would be nice to imbue the Allied infantry arm with increased flexibility, such as providing Allied recon/light infantry as Simon suggests above.

Yet the game has kangaroos (or so I hear). Its a cruel, cruel world. Well Rob - alot of wading around in the mud for you son !

Regardless of the make-up of the GJ squads modelled in the game (fantasy or otherwise ) it still begs the question why they were modelled and included in the game ahead of the Royal Marines and other Allied formations given the limited "concentrations" of GJ formations in the west. The British army had trained mountaineering units equipped with collapsible field guns and the like - though I don't think they constituted anything approaching a division.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by KiwiJoe: If its a prepared defense Id remove all flammable stuff from the back blast area and perhaps even wet the carpet and such down with buckets of water.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> All flammable stuff ? What about the crew ? Bazooka teams did hide behind houses and fire from the corner of the house, not from windows etc..

quoting thomasj here: ---------------------------------------- I may be incorrect and am prepared to be educated, but most of the SS in the early stages of the war *During and Right after Operation Over Lord* were indeed veterans of one conflict/operation/invasion etc, or another. Which is the timeline we are to be playing in yes? In the BIG picture of the German Divisions only a small percentage had not seen combat by 1941. ------------------------------------------- Weren't experienced SS troops getting a little thin on the ground by late '44. Squads and vehicle crews were increasingly being made up of children - hardly veterans in any sense of the word. Sure all divisions may have seen combat but certainly not all the frontline troops !

Surely the manual that people have been raving on about should be useful in this regard ? Haven't got the full version yet, sent my cheque/money order off 2 weeks ago and no word - will be mailing the BTS sales people some time soon - Australia Post isn't that slow.

PIAT's don't produce much in the way of exhaust gas - people could fire them out of buildings and bunkers without frying themselves. But they were a little temperamental - they had a habit of going off accidently - I think no one in their right mind would get driven around in a vehicle with a loaded one.

Didn't you Americans call them snipers too ? I find it odd that German sharpshooters are only issued with 20 rounds. Do they carry a semi-auto whatever it is or a scoped mauser ? Don't have the game but have found the money to pay for it now - the money order is leaving to cross the Pacific today - so I will only have to wait 4+ weeks for the game to arrive ! Hooray !

Something of a spoiler - so if you don't want to know don't scroll down > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > when playing Axis group your stugs on your left during set up - embark support weapons - such as MG42s and Panzerschrecks on-board. Also move across to the left a couple of HQ units and SMG and HSMG squads. Run this lot up the left flank - crossing the road and heading up the rise to the woods - during this process hope like hell the Shermans are advancing more slowly than you and don't catch you with your pants down. Once you reach the woods get your troops in foward support positions (in the woods) and advance two of your stugs the the right - keeping a low profile - usually a Sherman or two will come over the ridge at you - knock em out - you should bag a couple more before your stugs get taken out. Get your schreks in good firing positions. Keep your third stug in reserve. you can beat the AI americans when they have a +75% or greater modifier.

Have some problems with all this "germans with all their superior equipment" stuff. They didn't have very much of it and most formations had very little in the way of transport (other the horses and by foot). I read peoples reports of battles involving heaps of german troops in heaps of sdkfz251 halftracks and so forth - it didn't happen, you could have only seen that in parades (early in the war). Hell - smaller anti-tank guns were dragged around by horses not dedicated trucks ! And these battles involving elite groups of german troops made up of, I presume, SMG and HSMG squads - looking at pictures and film from the 1944-1945 period (in the west) alot of german troops seem to armed with the rather (!) venerable KAR 98 and the normal length version.

Full fog-of-war yet in the demo (I ain't got the game) but no friendly fire. Do have to say I enjoy the richocets. Units moving in woods hundreds of metres of way - in close contact with the enemy never draw any fire from other units on the same side. It was a problem for the Poles especially - didn't British paras (so we are talking well trained troops here) shoot up Polish paras on several occasions during MarketGgarden. At least one group of Polish troops got shot at by both germans and brits (not just crossfire - both sides were aiming at the poor sods). It also seems you can have several units, including MGs, blazing away at a one storey building thats being entered by a friendly squad and all the entering troopers make it in with not a scratch.

from Sydney too ! have to scratch the dollars to order the thing first - bloody exchange rate ! Won't be seeing any of your Stuka brethren for a while stuks ! CM-2 one the Eastern front, those birds will be a sight to see. Fenris, mate, I don't think they are using eagles to deliver the goods - but it may be one way to explain the delays [sic] you have been experiencing (you don't have the game do you ?).