phil stanbridge

As above really - but if playing as Blue, what I do is get a quality FO up to the front asap, get them in a good high spot, and set a barrage to use light/maximum and then whatever the type. Then you can reposition it to your hearts content with the minimum of delay. Don't forget too, TAC AIR is only really good for air support, and Mortar observer/FO etc etc are better at laying down artillery. You have to make sure they have good line of sight, are well rested, and have good green indicators to maxmise their potential! What I'm really trying to say, is use the proper asset for the best results. Don't go expecting a highly accurate barrage when using the wrong type of observer.

haha sorry - I'm not intentionally a bad man, I just thought the pre-order let me go further than before, and I'm not the only one to notice.

Probably just preparing the download link - cant be too long now!

Just downloading it guys!! Haha at least... I was hoping. I swear you could click further than before, and it even gave me the serial key and all that jazz! doh!

New sounds?? HD mod? I've missed the boat with this one. Best check it out!

Excellent stuff, thanks for sharing. Looks like utter carnage, and that was from the campaign!! One thing I've never been that keen on are the sound effects though. They seem a little weak. Just nit picking though!

haha Yes, get baby used to low noise background artillery shells and small arms fire early on. Good diareah!

This is somewhat of a concern. Obviously with the ETO you've said yourself you're looking at somewhere in the region of 16 modules - that sounds plain ridiculous from a marketing point of view. With the potential slippage you'll be looking at rolling out modules for this one engine over the next 4-5 years. By then the engine would be obsolete and things in CM land would have moved on considerably. Using some logic (even if it is slightly mis-guided) I can't really see how this will work, even though I really want it to

Thanks Scott. It's our first, and I'm bricking it obviously My time will already be limited with my open university degree (BA in History by the way, encompassing Empire, Heritage, Total War, lots of military angles) and everyday life. The modules aspect is a win win for BFC. I think they're reasonably good value as they stand, for what they offer in terms of gameplay and features. Can you imagine your' Combat Mission library in a few years to come, especially if you go for the hard copy. You'd have 20 or so jewel cases and half of WWII covered - that alone would be quite amazing to see! But picture this - the way SF has developed; every module has seen some new features implemented, and new animations, new missions, campaigns etc. Just think about the potential this has to offer, particularly with the Eastern Front. I'd be purchasing the lot - but I'd best save up first! How much are they likely to be? $25 per module x 16 obviously split over a considerable time. That's a lot of green and a lot of gameplay. You can see why it's a win win for BFC

Yes, I dread to think how many $$$ I've already put BFC's way, but I'm happy to do so because they provide me with a 'fix' that nobody else currently provides. I'm so looking forward to the release of Normandy and the modules, but I hope to god Normandy makes an appearance before the new year, otherwise my computer time may be severely limited with a baby on the way, and the fourth module of my degree starting in February - aaaaarrggghhh!!

Well each to their own Adam - you are right on one aspect - there definitely aren't enough single missions. The thing is, in my opinion anyway, this game plays so different to SF that I actually don't mind the fact it 'feels' smaller. It's much more 'niche' and the battles are very focussed. I'm sure in due course there will be more missions available, providing of course the game doesn't get lost inbetween the much larger NATO and Normandy. That's my concern anyway. I adore the campaigns and their semi dynamic nature. But I haven't even started the Afghanistan one yet. I'm still getting to grips with the different units. I disagree that the AI sucks - on more than one occasion I've been seriously owned by the AI in both campaign and single missions and I consider myself a veteran player of the series. There's a pretty large learning curve involved. I think there's a reasonable amount of replayability with the campaign as it doesn't follow the same plan every time - plus there is a certain amount of human input required. I can't think of any other game without the same problems.

SF is definitely running better than it used to on ATI - but it's still smoother with Nvidia. Enjoy!

Don't quote me on this but I'm pretty certain BFC have no real interest in the beach landings themselves. They've said many times before, even if I recall when they released CMBO way back, same argument then really. It would be pretty difficult to portray accurately using a 'land' simulator which sounds about right if you think about it. Far too much investment in all manner of units which would be used just a few times in certain missions. Besides, given the potential flexibility of the scenario editor maybe it will be possible to recreate some of these beach landings ourselves. I do remember playing one such mission in CMBO and it was a laugh although it was short-lived due to its very nature.

Eh? How you work that out? What about all the single missions, and all the new units, new features and everything else you get when you invest in a module. The campaigns are done in such a way that you can't 'exploit' them by cheating the system, by adding extra units, as fun as that would be to do on occasion. Besides, Afghanistan isn't a separate module, it's a completely separate game.

CM:WTO: Normandy 1944

I'd like to know why as well - I'm guessing it would be something to do with the new animations required to man the 60mm or 81mm mortars or whatever they used back then. They didn't have time to produce them? It's not an engine limitation because the British have on-map mortars in the British module of SF. I'd guess they have the animations for Normandy too, so it's a very strange omission. Either way it's too big to be an oversight so BFC/Snowball have a good reason. Maybe it will feature in a patch or something. Let's hope so!

I stand corrected. Yes, it's a small gun with a large warhead. Looks a bit odd doesn't it

I don't really understand what that vista upgrade is all about? I reinstalled CMAK earlier today on my laptop - admittedly it's Windows 7 now, but it worked flawlessly. Admittedly I haven't tried fog effects and the things that used to be a problem.

Interesting. I didn't know much about it so I've just had a quick browse. The US recoiless was produced in number in early 1945, but the development started in 1943. I'd say that's a relatively long time from development to production wouldn't you? Especially considering the German tech already existed. What made me think about it - I was watching an episode of Band of Brothers, and I remember seeing the German recoiless rifle used in a direct fire role.

Will the 25 pounder feature in the game or will it appear in the commonwealth module? Also, what about recoiless rifles? Didn't they make an appearance in Normandy?

I doubt cats work with that chipset! - it sounds like there are some files missing or its a corrupted installation? Have you had a look at the folder? I'd uninstall the cats and reinstall the manufacturer drivers. I've seen this once before. ATI mobility will let you install the cats, but they don't support the chipset properly.

What specification - what ATI card is it you are running? Presumably being a laptop it uses its own driver set. DirectX should have nothing to do with it as its an OpenGL game. Have you tried updating the video drivers because it suggests that it is a graphics problem.

What are the specs of your laptop? Presumably Windows 7 as well yeah? Did you try running as administrator? Runs here on ATI and Nvidia hardware (to varying degrees of course).

I concur that the modules really add another level of depth. These people still playing the original content - get out there and pick up the modules! You don't know what you're missing! (BFC marketing campaign mode OFF ) You simply have to buy the British module if you've got the Marines one just for comparisons sake. You'll be surprised but it feels like a completely different game. I have found the British module the most challenging personally. Plus being the latest module you get the best campaign (in my opinion), best single missions plus the latest features. I've played through the British campaign to completion three or four times now, and playing through once again, slightly differently this time. It's tough! Take into account as well Afghanistan has some added features and a few fixes that are missing from SF - these are bound to make an appearance in NATO thus extending the life of the game even further.

Aww that's harsh AKD. I know it isn't entirely relevant, but I'm quite enjoying the pics and his obvious knowledge of the subject.