deanco

Tiger, I think that's a good idea, it would ADD to the realism of the game (hopefully I don't need to explain why, right? I mean, y'all are grogs, even though you might not have first-hand information, I'm sure you have extensive second-hand information about what happens on a battlefield). Unfortunately, given the small size of the dev team , these kind of considerations pretty much come last when it comes to making a 'to do' list. And that's too bad for those of us (an ever growing number, much to the chagrin of certain people here) who feel that graphic ameliorations are AS IMPORTANT as gameplay elements when it comes to selling, marketing, and enjoying a video game. Too bad for us. I also feel that there are hidden agendas on both sides of this argument. As a long time board frequenter, I can smell a rat here. And this really makes me sick, y'know? It makes me feel like never coming back here, ever again. However, I know that if I did that, one of the 2 (teams' would say, 'rack up another one for the good guys, we got rid of him.' So no, I'm not leaving. I will continue to hang out and espouse my 'pro-graphics' views to anyone who will listen. Really... this place is turning into the Battlecruiser 3000 boards. But instead of one Supreme Commander, there are a bunch of self appointed 'mini-gods' running around, setting people straight as to the One True Teaching of the Two Holy Ones. Y'all are doing HARM to these boards, you are discouraging the free exchange of ideas here, and you are scaring away newbies and probably harming Combat Mission sales in general, by doing this. In my humble opinion, that is. Oh yes, I certainly hope that those of you who don't need extra eyecandy to enjoy CM aren't using any of my interfaces. You don't need to, right?

Oh ho ho ho ho....ha ha ha ha....I'm sorry... it's just too ridiculous, I can't help it.... oh ho ho ho ho.... Just another bit of info that disgusts me so much, I gotta laugh... otherwise, I'd cry, so I'll laugh instead. Manx, partner, I would guess that you have the total support of 99% of everyone who plays CM. Your site kicks major butt. Now, you do what you want. But please, don't let 1 or 2 bad apples spoil a perfectly delicious bushel of great CM mods and articles (Gremlin's Boot Camp, anyone?). Now if you'll excuse me... Oh ho ho ho ho.....

Well, let's just hope your arguments against gun control are deeper than, 'The First Amendmant says so'.

This interface kicks major, major butt. The map editor has been redone as well so you map designers haven't been left out either. The attention to detail is very high as well. I'm honored to be the "jumping-off point" for such a great looking mod. All I can say is, it looks tight, and stylish as hell. Bravo, Mark!

I'm interested also in why no-one seems very interested in the way the game system models human performance. -------------------- Ummm, probably everyone is in a mad dash to access the search function so they can show you the previous 150 threads on this subject. Or maybe it's because there have been NO previous threads on this topic and, as a result, a certain percentage of the board regulars are unsure as to what to do next. I asked for BTS to release some of the "numbers" (statistics) used in this game a while ago, but I believe they prefer to keep the whole thing under wraps. Hey, it's their game. I too would be interested in seeing the difference in speed between running uphill and downhill, and through varying terrains. Knowing that a unit runs 30% slower (or whatever) through dense woods than across open terrain would definately help those folks that like to spend a long time on their turns. I personally don't like playing like that but I think some of the more serious players would find these figures interesting. Or, one would hope so...

Spook said: ------------------- Yes, Michael, continuous-time in CM would ultimately cause for a gamer to lose control of most of his troops, on the likelihood couldn't keep up. But assuming, for a moment, that a C&C orders-delay structure wasn't still in place, then what would prevent a gamer from "jumping" to a critical action point and controlling a unit directly? That is the continuous-time premise for a game like WNLB or Close Combat. And that MIGHT be the premise some RTS fans may argue for application in CM; let the clock run, but allow direct control of specific units on the fly. And then it reduces to arcade-level mousesport. ---------------------- Not necessesarily. It really depends how it's implemented in the game. In the Baldur's Gate series, extensive use of the spacebar to pause the game gives players the time they need to carry out complex coordinated attacks or make decisions. The thing is, it's made very clear at the start of the game that the spacebar is critical to full enjoyment of the game. So the player knows to use it. Games like Total Annihilation that are meant to be played real time by the developer put the pause button off to the side somewhere and don't make a big deal out of mentioning it, or disable entirely the ability to give orders while paused. Another approach which uses real time concepts while avoiding "arcade-level mouse sport" was used in Jagged Alliance 2. Here, the game moves in real time until a unit sees an enemy, after which the game becomes turn based. A third alternative could be taken from the upcoming game Max Payne. The player is allowed to place the game in 'slo-mo' mode to give him time to make decisions. I am talking about the underlying design principles here, not the games themselves. All make an attempt to avoid the click fest style of play, yet retain real time features. Whether they could be adapted to CM is another story, and their relative merits SHOULD have been the (original) topic of discussion, not a successful defense in depth with added offboard battleship guns(complete with victory party) of the Official BTS Party Line. Shame.

Slapdragon said, "If you want 2 minute turns, why not plan out and mark down extended commands and then not touch your settings except every other turn." This gave me a good laugh. It reminded me of the guy who told me if I wanted to give my men medals for heroic duty, then I should keep track of their stats in a little book and stick little colored badges in it. There is a basic lack of comprehension about gaming between wargamers and.... well, pretty much everybody else who is a gamer. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to alt.catholic.discussion... (edited for dyslexia) [ 07-09-2001: Message edited by: deanco ]

Cheese Burn is right. However, it's a lost cause, you guys. Talking about RTS here is like going to alt.catholic.discussion and talking about atheism. I understand what you're talking about, though. Dean 'twitch click Quake crowd' Co

Not a command, but what the hell : Zoom level 1-8 controlled by the mouse wheel. So there.

The 'auto-deploy' is a GREAT idea. Not only is it for the chronically lazy (I count myself in their not-so-hallowed ranks), but it would be a great newbie learning tool as well. I REALLY like that idea.

Paris, Ile de France, France. By way of Noblesville, Indiana, and Austin, Texas. And, yes, it's been one hell of a ride so far...

Looks artistic, but you can still see the elevations clearly. I'll DL it when it comes out.

Wolfe said : Have you considered making which Sqd/Plt/Co the unit belongs to different colors than the rest of the text? "1Sqd,3Plt,E Co" is a bit much to read to figure out which company the unit is from. Using a different brighter color for the numbers (like bright white) would allow you to more easily glance down and pick out "1 3 E". ---------------- Hi there, As far as I can tell, this is a grog thing, the 1-3-E bit. I'm not qualified to hold forth on this subject. I rarely looked at the old 'B-2' version, except when I needed to find a specific guy, since the red line on the map told me pretty much all I needed to know. Anyway, I think it might be a little early to asses how readily available that info is, and whether the color needs to be changed to make it stand out more. The proof is in the playing, and I'll leave that insight to whoever is testing the finished product. Your idea sounds good on paper though.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by PipBoy: My interface comment: I'd really like to see the morale indicator done in a way similar to the ammo indicator. The terms "cautious", "alert", etc. really have no meaning until you've been playing the game long enough to know which is worse. A full green bar (could be superimposed with "OK") indicates full morale. A full red bar means routed. Half green/half red = shaken or pinned. As the bar gets progressively redder, the appropriate text could be overlaid. Much easier to understand the morale level of your troops if there is a comparative indicator.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Hi Pipboy, That is indeed a very good idea. If you prefer to have an interface like that, the HEALTHBAR mod I did for CM1 should fit the bill nicely. Re your idea : I can promise you that the idea was discussed at some point, and rejected, I forget for what reason. I will say that despite the move to 800x600 for the interface, and lots more room, it was really down to the pixel to squeeze everything in. I remember sending an email to Steve, telling him about a 2 pixel wide space that could be used for something else, and not to waste it. It really got down to the pixel. One of my favorite ideas is probably not gonna make it into the game because of this space problem. Don't worry, once CM2 comes out I will probably do a healthbar mod for it as well. Hope this helps.

Re the GO button : It has been completely redone and rethought, specifically to address this issue of clicking on it by mistake. I think you'll be pleased with what we've come up with. DeanCo--

From download figures, and other information I was able to glean on the web, I estimate that the Gunmetal mod is on about 10-15% of the total number of computers running CM. Not only "Not everyone is a modslut" but, "Hardly anyone is a modslut". So I agree that everything needs to be the best it can be (given time restraints) right out of the box. For a majority of people, that is all they will ever know. And the corralary : The BTS board is not the entire world as we know it. I would guess that sales of CM to the 'Silent Majority' far outweigh the number of people who frequent this board. Voilà.

I love 'em. This is one of the few units I've played a lot, thanks to a series of 900 pt. armor ME's I played with my buddy where the comp picked the forces. Time and time again they've been the heroes of my battles. I love the MG's, I love the big ammo loadout, I love the HT-killing ability, but most of all I love the mobility. I've had 'em win the game for me almost singlehandedly, and one time a Stuart of mine took out a King Tiger from 500+ meters, front armor. True story. It was weird because the Stuart was in a position where the KT couldn't see it, because it didn't seem to realize that someone was shooting at it. The Stuart fired continuously for at least 4 turns before the KT went down, and it was funny to see all those shells bouncing off. Anyway, I'm totally sold on 'em.

You da man, Arzenal! Check out my site, the link is below. The 'Unit Guide' and 'Basic Principles of Warfare' articles were written for YOU, my friend. Enjoy.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by deanco: Nah, I ain't surprised...I was waiting for someone to say, 'do a search' or put links to the 73 previous threads dealing with the subject. Still waiting on Kannonier Reichmann to reply...<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Ooops, KR, now I see your edit...did you think I was coding CM2??

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Pak40: You shouldn't be surprised because I think everyone has already thought of it. Actually, when I first got the game last summer and was getting used to the controls, I tried selecting several squads and pressing CRTL-1 but was disapointed when it didn't work. I thought for sure this would have been coded since it was such a common feature of games where you need to control multiple units.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Nah, I ain't surprised...I was waiting for someone to say, 'do a search' or put links to the 73 previous threads dealing with the subject. Still waiting on Kannonier Reichmann to reply...

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Kanonier Reichmann: Greta idea Deanco. The only problem is, are you prepared to code it? Regards Jim R.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Well... I was gonna say, if I knew how to code, I certainly would. But if I knew how to code, I would probably make my own game. BTW, since when is intimate knowledge of the workings of something the prerequisite for making a simple suggestion? Sir?

I'm surprised no one has thought of this. Why not use the RTS convention of being able to give a group of units a Control + #, and reselecting them by hitting the number. That wasn't very clear, I'd better use an example. Say like I wanna keep track of my mortar teams (which I am ALWAYS forgetting about). During setup (it's easiest then, because alike units are usually together on the board) I bandbox all my mortar guys and hit Ctrl + F1. Now, in the future, when I hit F1, this reselects all my mortar guys. Ahhhh, there they are! Of course, the player will be able to organize his army the way he wants to like this, this is just an example. I'd like to make 'battle groups' myself, each group being platoon + MG team + mortar + zook + ... Even one unit could be a 'group'. Great for keeping track of your artillery way behind the front lines. Whaddya think? (takes shelter in fireproof bunker) [ 06-08-2001: Message edited by: deanco ]

You've sold me, SenorBeef. I support your idea, and hope that BTS will meet you halfway on this.

quote from article: "Customer, technical, and gaming community support will initially be offered in French, with English and additional languages added in the coming months." Hey, this is a job I could do very well. I'm bilingual, know CM, and interested. Who do I contact? Or does Appui-Feu have it wrapped up already?

The interface is an early build. There have been additional modifications since that photo was taken, particularly to the nav buttons and GO button. But yes, en gros, that's my baby.