McAuliffe

bah, disregard above posting, wrong topic!

Posting deleted because I am getting rusty [ October 04, 2005, 01:26 PM: Message edited by: McAuliffe ]

To be implemented: I.'Follow the leader'-group command, including: a)Advance sub-menu : column, line abreast or wedge b)Deployment sub-menu : formation upon arrival destination: column, line or wedge . i.o.w .: 1.select group of units, 2.designate leader, 3.plot wayponts of leader. 4. select submenu's Execution of command: All selected units will walk/drive to start-point of leader(see embark command) and follow the leader in his footsteps or as chosen under submenu 1. Of course, TacAI will handle obstacles in case they occure. Upon arrival of destination, the selected units will deploy as per sub-menu 2 II. Smaller tiles in order to reflect more diversied terrain + height difference adaptation in order to reflect hills or mountains upto several hundred meters. III. Instead of offering limited number of models of finished buildings, the editor will come with walls, textures, rooftops, etc.. in order to put together your own buildings. (Think LEGO and make a copy of your own house, the Notre Dame or 'Reichskanzlei') Such constructions can be saved and be imported into the scenario. IV. A way to import GPS or similar data into the relief editor or to use aerial pictures as background layer in order to 'paint' the landscape. (see Mapping Mission project) V. Programming / designing AI manoeuvers / Do not throw away: I.WEGO II.PBEM III.Importing of existing maps in QB's IV.All the rest.

You mean WWI trenches, mud, bombcraters full of water, barbed wire everywhere, mines etc... Naah, only if CMX2 allows me to dig a tunnel and blow the damn hill up. Of course, a gas attack with variable breeze settings would be interesting to simulate.

Sergei, I designed the map with CMBO options selected and use also the CM-elevations (0-19) When I export the map- CMBO editor is running - the map size in the CMBO editor is adjusted, but then only the first column of height values is imported and the system hangs. I tried various speeds and delays but no joy. If you want to have a look at it, I will send you the map.file. I have an ACER Travelmate 800 1300 mhz OS Windows XP ATI 9000 radeaon mobility

Sorry Tankersley, but version 1.10 seems not be able to open saved maps, while version 1.11 is not able to export maps to CM. Maybe, someone has still version 1.09 that should be able to do both

Wonderful tool, Thanks Tankersley! I am able also to re-open the files, I saved under 1.10. which I was unable to access again in the previous version. But, now I am facing some problems in order to export same maps to CMBO. I will check again with CMBB.

Magomar, I am running into the same problem. I am just starting to use Mapping Mission, since recently you can finally consult B/W, 1:10.000 scale, topomaps of the Ardennes at following site: Bienvenue sur le site de cartographie détaillée et interactive I save the selection as a bitmap, fill up the height-lines, and use it as underlay for mapping mission. So far so fine, but I cannot re-open saved maps...any advise welcome. I was thinking maybe it is due to fact, I saved the map with the underlaying bitmap-image still visible?

More interesting Normandy & BoB stuff at 30th Division Old Hickory with AAR's and pictures of the Stoumont area then and now. There is also photo collection of the 113th FA Battalion which has some amazing shots. a.o. a V1 crashing nearby.

You probably designed your map, with the intention that Axis attacks/defends from the East, like it was in NWE ToO the case most of the time. But... CMAK was designed for Med battles, where Axis came from the West. Therefore all QB's are generated with Axis set-up zone on the West side of your map and Axis troops facing East. When you import a self made map in a QB, the parameters of the QB will overrule, the parameters of your self-made map.(It's stated somewhere in the manual) Solution: Use Pyewacket's map converter to invert your map. As I experienced in the past, the same problem as you have, this feature was specifically added by Pyewacket to his program on my request. It's also a great tool to convert CMBO maps into CMAK maps, in order to use them for QB's.

Seems that finally Western Europe is catching up with putting at disposal orthophoto's and on-line topo maps. Here are some links for Belgium: The northern part (=Flanders) can be viewed from the sky and includes also low scale topomaps.You need Bill's browser though. Orthophotos of Flanders You can look up location by city, street and even housenumber (click ). A green dot will then appear on the general map. Click on magnifying icon and keep map centered around green dot until you're at...1/5.000 or so. Automatically orthophoto will appear. If you wish, you can switch topolayer on to see the topomap as a transparent over the picture. (click ) For the less developed part of Belgium, (yes, the Walloons )we do not have yet this toy, but there is another neat site, showing topomaps from back to 1879 and even some older ones . If you're lucky you can find some maps of 1924 on 1/20.000 scale, which should reflect pretty much the pre-war era. Again, MSIE gives most stable results. You need also to download a couple of plug-ins: MrSid and DjVu. The Cartographic Patrimonium of Wallonia Only French version is available, but site is pretty much self explanatory. Look up the location in the index. A scanned version of some vintage map will show. Maps of various dates are available for the same place, however no recent ones! Good you don't need them. You can open a separate frame to enlarge the display. Some of these maps are very interesting and due to the high resolution you can zoom in very close to study the details. Hope it is of any help for those that still design scenarios for WETO.

I wish I could read this as: "Plotting of waypoints stays. Not exactly...but we will implement some elaborated group commands in order to move your platoon – or bigger - sized units or vehicles around in various formations (diamond, wedge, line, echelon, column) by just plotting the waypoints of a designated "leader". The rest of the selected units will follow this "leader" in his footsteps or as per chosen pattern. This command will help you also to sort out the all jumbled up reinforcements with a couple of mouse clicks." Or am I wishful thinking again.

One more little tiny question, Sir: "How are we gonna command (read move) our pixeled heroes around in this vectorized world? " Please, please let me chew on that one and I will only come out my den again for further begging, when springs awakes in 2006 and brings us the finished version of CMX2

I remember a legendary CMBO tank slugfest. It was a thrilling PBEM experience. After the battle 50 burning wrecks or more were littering the battlefield. Cintheaux it was called and I believe the author made a remake for CMAK.

Sorry, but I am with Big Al on this one. I mean, when car designer brought out the Mk I, Mr. Grog was so happy, he didn't mind the odd way of shifting gears, the small reserve tyre, the missing cup holder and the fact, you could not open the trunk from the inside. He had finally the car, he was always dreaming of. Okay, there where some inconveniences, but those would be fixed with the next versions, he more or less hoped. When the Mk II came out the designer was bragging about, 3 cm more space for your legs, the nice leather seats in the car, the integrated stereo system, the light detectors etc...But, when Mr. Grog asked: Did you do something about the gear shifting -which became quite essential to Mr. Grog, he got the answer: "If you want to drive a car like this, you have to accept that inconvenience". "Okay, maybe next version", Mr. Grog thought, although he knew it would be the same engine and transmission. And indeed, when MkIII came out, the gear box, still showed the same disease. Now, when designer asked Mr. Grog, what would you like to change on the next model, Mr. grog responded immediately : "Please, c-h-a-n-g-e g-e-a-r - b-o-x" "Naaah" said the designer: "You have to think bigger, this gear box thing is a futility, it's not worth spending time and money on this". "The next model will be so powerful, so luxurious, so...well eh... so un-imaginable, you won't think anymore about that damn clutch." Every similarity is pure coinci..err coe... well nevermind

sorry, double post because I always mess up the quoting and editing icon

Oh no!...now we will have garden grogs jump in too On a more serious note, it sounds all very promising, for me especially, the attention that will be paid to the environment and map design possibilities. However, no word on more efficient game play. I hope they think about al those people that are suffering from wrist tendinitis as they have plotted complete armies from Normandy beaches to Moscow and from Tobruk to Monte Cassino...

I was always amazed about the way the AI made his attack in my CMBO-scenario GRAND HALLEUX. It was designed to play as a human player against attacking AI led forces. You can read for your self the AAR 's and comments of some very nice people -well some of them- at the Scenario Depot, look under CMBO-battles and select index "G" or search for "grand halleux" Or you can look at some previews and settings at my web-page, see link below. Download available at both sites. Play as US against AI.

I'd say it's downright impossible, given the huge range of player styles. For instance, I like to study my moves carefully and ruminate on what is going on on my screen. That's a big part of the fun for me. Consequently, it may well take me an hour just to do one move! And I find it hard to conceive of me playing a game that consists of just one move. Possible, but unlikely. Michael </font>

I designed a couple of CMAK maps - so far for personal use - where I tried to solve the problem of extended and complex plotting for vehicles. I made a 4.5 km x 2.8 km map of the Stoumont area and with one plotting step, I can make drive a jeep (or any other vehicule for that matter, but that was the test vehicle) from the west edge to the east edge, following the roads. The map was conceived in such way, that where the roads pass through dense forest, the tacAI keeps the vehicle automatically on the road. In open country, all the roads are lined with scattered trees, but the corners or turns are lined with wood-tiles. This avoids, that your vehicle looks for the scattered trees on the straight stretches. (IMHO, the AI hugging of the road edges is the most dumb new implemention in CM) Where I suspect, that the tacAI might take a shortcut through the fields, I have put some tiles with soft ground. This also discourages the tacAI to leave the road, but you can also use rough ground tiles or march fields. The advantage of such design is, that you're not penalised with delays for the number of plottings and you can easily group plot a column of vehicles. When vehicles are in column, I use also the method of pausing each following vehicle with 10 sec. When advancing in "unknown territory ", I use most of the time, the move to contact command anyway. In this mode - or the move command - all vehicles have the same speed. Watch out, when using the simple move command: When first vehicle gets blown up or hits a mine, all other following vehicles will bump into the wreckage and start the dance of death. However, when you need to move quick a task force from one flank to another, you will need to sort your vehicles first, depending on experience and top-speed of each vehicle. Just to point out, that with some clever map design, you can make the tasks for the players more enjoyable and let them concentrate on tactics instead of being occupied with boring repetitve plotting. (Why did they invent computers anyway?) And if you think, that this problem was not discussed earlier, my sig is approx. 4 years old BTW, I want to congratulate Samurai Man with his piece of art. See his operation Pied Peiper He not only made skillfully use of Pyewacket's sublime map converter to link some of my old CMBO maps, but also designed himself very accurately the Ardennes environment. Unfortunately, my poor ACER lap top choked on turn 3. No better example showing the need of a follow the leader group command! [ February 10, 2005, 11:44 AM: Message edited by: McAuliffe ]

The AI will never move unarmored vehicles to the frontline. Maybe you can try to inverse the friendly sides of the map in the parameters. The AI will consider it then as a retreat. But I am not sure what the trucks will do upon contact.

Okay Kingfish, your "solution" for the hostages has drawn my attention, send it over to xxxxxxxxxxxxx [ April 26, 2007, 08:36 PM: Message edited by: McAuliffe ]

Guess you're referring to the operations Red Dragon (Stanleyville) and Black Dragon (Paulis). You can find some interesting information here including battle command structure. Regarding equipment, I have not all information at hand, but one of my collegues served 30 years ago as a reserve officer with a paracommando unit. I wil check with him on monday. In the meantime, I found these pics on a museum site: Scroll down and look at "tenue" after 1960 (après 1960) Note the vigneron machine gun. I recall using it on a firing range. It uses 9mm ammo and has a tricky safety pal. I guess other standard equipment, was the national proud FN FAL and FALO. The staff cie. had a 60 mm mortar section. Although the humanitarian side of the operation (rescueing the Europeans) was quite a succes, the aftermath resulted in some questionable mopping up actions. The fact that a lot of mercenaries were taking part, didn't help to convince the world, that there were no other interests involved.

Since you're reading John Toland, you might be interested in some scenario's about the Bastogne perimeter like : The breakthough at Assenois, The Attack on Marvie at Christmas Eve or the Retreat of Team Desobry from Noville. Ahum...some shameless plugging for my homepage see link below for some CMBO-screenies Obviously, you didn't visit the political events forum yet or haven't read the Peng challenge.

I don't want to start an argument with a native german speaker, but according to this source www.uni-protokolle.de Sturzkampfflugzeuge kurz StuKa was the designation in German for dive bombers. Chaos is more fun.