Boeman

Would it be fair to say that the current campaign is reminiscent of the South Vietnamese forces who were also equipped and trained by Americans? As I recall, in 1974, Communist forces made use of everything from captured South Vietnamese artillery to boots on their drive towards Saigon. Personal items such as fans, portable radios, magazines and other luxury goods were highly sought after prizes which individual NVA soldiers raced each other for.

The vehicles themselves mean nothing. But what of the communications equipment that were installed? Are they of similar gear deployed by the US military and if so, would it make it easier for the Russians to hack into/intercept small ground unit communications? There was a report dating back a year ago citing that some of the communications gear used in the Hummers/AFVs during (then named) Operation Crusade still had the same frequency channels used by troops from Desert Storm. The story was quietly buried but no indication was given as to whether or not this area of neglect was rectified.

With regards to war booty, recent reports cite the Russians appear to be making off with US military equipment that was destined to be shipped back to the United States. According to the video shown by CNN, Russian troops drove off with a number of Hummers, including the more recent versions that are currently used in Iraq. Various foodstuffs, small arms and other items of US origin were also taken. Somehow, I don't think they have any plans to return them.

This is something that the US government had already been bracing itself for. The question is, will those who will be assuming power being more amiable to the Americans or will they be more sympathetic to the Taliban?

Interestingly enough, the Georgian president is gave a live television interview to CNN as the news broke and indeed confirmed that two Russian aircraft were shot down by Georgian forces after a supposed bombing run on civilian targets.

An employee of BBC are we?

This dates back to July 25th I believe. American English Translation: UK: Using the Law to Blackmail users of the Internet The six biggest UK net providers have found a way to blackmail the users into either paying more for their services or stop downloading so many files which use up a lot of internet bandwidth. This deal negotiated by the government (which guarantees political kickback funds to the UK government) will see that hundreds of thousands of blackmail letters be sent to net users who use the net excessively which they can claim are suspects in illegal file sharing. Users could see their broadband connections reduced (while still having to pay full price for the connection), under these measures proposed by BT, Virgin, Orange, Tiscali, BSkyB and Carphone Warehouse (but will appear as the government proposed them, even if they have don't have a clue of how the internet works). Geoff Taylor, chief executive of the BPI (Blackmail People of the Internet), which represent the music industry (but never claimed to say which country of origin of the music his industry represents), said: “All of the major ISPs in the UK now recognize they have a responsibility to deal with illegal file-sharers on their networks.” (Translated: If any of the ISPs want a cut into this Blackmail plan, they better sign with us now.) The plan commits the firms to working towards a “significant reduction” in bandwidth and an increase in revenue by those users willing to upgrade to the higher commercial lines to avoid being monitored. In addition to this, parents whose children download music and films illegally (does not have to be proven) will be blackmailed first and have their internet access curbed under government reforms until they have either signed for a higher priced service (which can guarantee them immunity) or try to fight a slow and long drawn out court process. Households that ignore warnings will be subjected to online surveillance, late night phone calls of threats and their internet speeds will be reduced, making it very difficult for them to download large files (but still pay full price). This measure, which appeared quietly first in the U.S., will be announced today by Baroness Vadera, who brokered the deal (and was payed a handsome royalty I might say) between internet service providers and Ofcom, the telecoms body. About 6.5 million Britons are thought to have downloaded music illegally last year. It has been estimated that illegal downloads will cost a (fictitious) music industry alone £1 billion over the next five years, however the return from this scam will bring them all a windfall profit. Source: Times, BBC AKA: Times are a changin', it Better Be Cash

Americans usually have decent names for aircraft. Naval ships, on the other hand, are terrible. Interestingly enough though, and thanks in part to numerous Hollywood films, American efforts are seemingly more focused on utilizing disparaging labels for their enemies rather than cool designations for their gear - even if they weren't the origins of said labels. Injun, Krauts, Nips, Gooks, Dinks, Skinnies and Towelheads were terms used openly by many US Military personel out of earshot of the public press. In that respect, the Brits can't hold a candle to their West Atlantic cousins.

Prototype is definitely on my list. However, I still have an ardent wish to see a Hybrid Civilization game that utilizes the Panzer General combat system. Ideally, you would be allowed to setup army groups by stacking individual unit battalions. The army group could be moved about at will and when an attack is initiated by one army group against an opposing unit, a "zoomed in" map based upon the two terrain hexes both units are in is generated. The battle will now commence using the Panzer General ruleset (responding artillery, overrun, unit weakness/strengths etc). One can only dream I suppose.

At least for the Italians, the infantry model is inaccurate. As it is, they're just too ........... ..... competent! [ November 22, 2002, 05:25 PM: Message edited by: Boeman ]

As one designer who is concerned primarily with interactivity, I personally would vouch for scripting capabilities to be included within BTS’s plans following the release of CM:BB. Although the scenario editor in its current form provides superb tools with which editors can use to assemble various terrain, atmospheric conditions and force combinations; it lacks the ability to directly control both AI and event behavior; something that is sorely needed to create truly suspenseful battles. Which properties should or should not be scripted must, of course, be debated to minimize abuse. However, its utility should be extended no less than to assist the scenario designer in reinforcing his or her intent in how the scenario unfolds (circumstantially of course). For an example, when reinforcements arrive, it can often take several turns before the AI decides to move them towards the fighting front; even then, it may choose very odd routes that common sense would otherwise dictate against. To help alleviate this, commands can be issued during setup to the reinforcement column to move in a specific direction, thereby nudging them into place. For most players, ensuring that reinforcements physically travel from the edge of the map to the battlefield is preferable to simply plunking the reinforcement marker next to the battle zone. Forcing units to remain and protect secondary objectives (instead of every force element funneling towards a single area) is also another dilemma that scripting can remedy. Aside from AI behavior, event triggers should also be implemented via the use of "if" commands. These control how the game responds when presented with a specific situation. For instance, during a covert operation where an Allied company is ordered to sneak into an enemy complex to steal some documents, a paratrooper may accidentally cross a tripwire, which triggers an anti-personnel mine, causing an alarm to sound (through a specified external aiff/wav). Subsequently, this also activates a reinforcement marker located inside a nearby German barracks; awakening soldiers who were formerly asleep. Perhaps the most important contribution to scripting in Combat Mission would be the elimination of the old age problem of tedious flag placement just to ensure that a scenario flows smoothly. In tandem with the ability to manage the aforementioned factors, the potential for future scenario design in Combat Mission will be nothing short of revolutionary. Operation Taggart [ 01-03-2002: Message edited by: Boeman ]</p>

The American Airborne attempt to capture and hold a vital observation post in western Normandy. Operation Taggart

I have just replaced both files with working copies. Apparently, the Macintosh's prime compression engine, Stuffit, is the culprit. While encoding the file as a Zip archive, it also appended the .bin extension thus, corrupting the file. If you're still experiencing difficulties, let me know and I'll e-mail the scenarios to you directly. Thank you kindly for bringing this to my attention.

A fictional battle pitting the combined service elements of the German forces against a vast Allied assault. The scenario’s setting is centered on the Axis defense of the French town of Stovalle, which must be held for the duration of the battle. The scenario file can be downloaded directly with the following link: Stovalle.zip Or via the Scenario Depot if you prefer: Scenario Depot - Stovalle

What began as a cautious experiment in constructing my first scenario quickly evolved into a torrent of entertainment of which I was completely unprepared for. To put it simply, it is a classical engagement pitting superior Allied logistics against an under-supplied, but determined German resistance. While the premise is admittedly ubiquitous, the map itself does present a seemingly endless number of options for conducting both offensive and defensive warfare. Because I never originally intended to publicly distribute this scenario, it features a less-than-logical approach with regards to its design; that being a giant slugfest with no reference to the accuracy of accounts or unit availability. As such, those who are looking for a more historical approach will be sorely disappointed. A hastily devised plot (via the briefings) is also incorporated as well. It is regrettable however, that the battlefield map can not be transferred over to an operation based scenario as it has excellent potential. Perhaps this will be rectified in CM2. In any case, thanks for giving it a try. Battle For Einheist -Or- http//:www.warinspace.com/CM/Einheist.zip [ 06-22-2001: Message edited by: Boeman ]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Colonel_Deadmarsh: Off topic? Completely. Am I desperate for help? Yes. Does anybody have this installed on their machine? I need it and can't find it for free on the web.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Give www.da3.net a try. You may not find the original font itself, but possibly a close derivative.

I am not a war veteran, so I would hazard to guess that Combat Mission is largely a game of abstraction when compared to real combat engagements. Elements that traumatize a person; blood, dismembered limbs, the retched odor of burnt flesh, screams of the dying and the need for writing letters to family members who just lost their son simply does not exist in Combat Mission. I believe the selling line for Westwood’s Command and Conquer series sums it up best for the war game genre: "All of the power. None of the responsibility." <table> <tr> <td cellspacing="2"> War in Space</td> <td> </td> </tr> </table> [ 04-28-2001: Message edited by: Boeman ]

<table width="600"><tr><td> Combat Mission: Incursion at Dragon Land. The most insidious of all Combat Mission incarnations. Join Max and Emmy along with their dragon companions; Cassie, Ord and the two-headed Zack and Wheezie as they defend Dragon Land against invading elements from the world of Digimon. Given the nature of the setting, highly unique weapons including fire breath, claw swipes, biting and the use of other allied creatures such as the sea serpent are employed. Arial combat is also featured. In addition to their natural abilities, all dragonkind have an inexhaustible supply of materials residing in their belt pouches, making logistical concerns such as ammo consumption a non-issue. Lastly, artillery support is provided via catapults that launch oversized Dragon Berry pies, permitting entire chunks of land to be saturated with sticky residue which can severely hamper the movement of enemy forces. As for their Digimon opponents, they possess offensive capabilities that are specific only to the individual monster in question. Some are conventional while others are more bizzare. All Digimon require coordination from a human master; should he or she be killed, the disowned pet would become a dangerous liability. Alone, these pubescent anime leaders offer little value on the battlefield, but their incessant chatter combined with their horribly scripted dialogue can be very effective in demoralizing enemy units. The overall objective for the inhabitants of Dragon Land is to repulse the Digimon invasion and forever seal the portals between the two worlds. For the Digimon; nothing less than the complete assimilation of Dragon Land as an additional asset for producing future episodes of the popular Japanese cartoon. Some of the scenarios to be included consist of "Defense of the School in the Sky", "Ambush at Singing Springs", and "Battle of Turtle Rock". <div align="center"> </div></td></tr></table> [This message has been edited by Boeman (edited 03-16-2001).]

It looks as though a few of the developers were excessively inspired by Rat Patrol.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Wild Bill Wilder: Artillery was the number one killer of troops in WW2. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> While heavy artillery inflicted severe losses in human life during World War II; it was actually the infantry motar more than any other weapon (I.E. 60mm), that caused the greatest number of casualties. I wouldn't be surprised if the same were true for the Vietnam War as well.