Calvin

Thanks! Calvin

OK, pre-ordered the standard version. One question, what kind of shipping is used for the US? (Seattle to be exact). Great that we have a digital download to hold us over, just curious as to when the manual and such will arrive. Thanks!

Thank you sir!

Just downloaded the nifty mod but... I can't see any scenarios... Anybody know where these might be found? And where do the Italian troops show up? Thanks! Calvin

"Your stereotyping of people with Nazi usernames and your ardent defense of your position are for more like the conduct of those you are bashing, unlike the thoughtful and open minded responses of the people trying to tackle such a complex issue...." What's so complex about the issue of people using Nazi usernames? Ask yourself, is it good taste or not? Obviously it isn't. This thread has made for an interesting read. It reminds me of the comments at an SS historical research website. Although the site claims to be purely for historical study, you get the same kind of users and the same kind of posts. Let's see.... The US wiped out its native Americans, engaged in lynching, committed war crimes which makes us the moral equals of the Nazis.... You can't generalize about the German people/nation.... People shouldn't be so critical of others and quick to judge..... Well fellahs, the Holocaust requires judgement. It requires innate and total condemnation. All the above lukewarm arguments are fine for us armchair generals, but let's not forget a lot of young Americans died to end the terror. Let's not forget that the six million killed were not an abstraction. Let's not forget that Jochem Pieper massacred innocents on both the Western and Eastern fronts. History was once real. Once we lose sense of history as having once been reality, it becomes easy to make the above statements. There are times in life when making judgements does not make one judgemental. Obviouslyl, this is one of them.

Why would anyone post CM on a warez site? I suppose it's the general ethic of the pirate types but... You do hear some of them claim they're only fighting the big software companies and their over-priced games. Whether there is any truth to this argument, you would think a small developer like BTS would be exempt. Not to mention one that supports its users. My .02 cents. And in the case of BTS fighting pirates helps all of us. This is after all the great experiment to see if realistic niche market wargames are profitable. My .03 cents. Calvin

Thanks fellahs! I initially directed the unzip to my Cmbo folder in program files, that should do it, eh? C.

There it is gents, should I do a clean install to get the most out of the patch? And... although I certainly appreciate BTS efforts to update their software, a README sure would be nice!!!! C.

In Tucson AZ, born in Lawrence, KS, moving to Seattle WA. AS FOR ITALY: Go to Bologna. A best kept secret with beautiful girls and cheap food. C.

Thanks fellahs! Mace, as to <<What were you doing? Open fire with rifle fire at 200 metres or something?>> Nah, what I was doing was sending my poor AT teams up with "sneak" or "crawl" orders. Neither worked. They always tend to get spotted. Granted this may be infantry informing the tanks but... has anyone experimented with this? I generally try to spray tanks with small arms until they button up, but this doesn't always seem to reduce their spotting power. Hi ho. Calvin

Must say again... It's nice how helpful everyone on these boards has been. There aren't as many weenies as one finds on other BBS. I'm even beginning to feel a certain affection for the CM Borg. C.

'lo all, Any general tips on taking out tanks with infantry? How about using bazookas? I'm beginning to think the only way is to "hide" your infantry and hope the tank comes your way! Calvin PS>> Bonus question: does CM model different types of tacair?

Interesting posts... I agree that it's important to remember that CM doesn't model everything graphically. A couple of questions... 1) Since panzerfausts where so numerous among german infantry, are these considered inherent to most squads? 2) Are buttoned tanks really less aware? They always seem to zone in on my bazookas! Calvin

Don't mean to hog the boards but... How is air support depicted in the game? Is there an actual, visible aircraft? I was supposed to get air support in the "First Clash at Caen" scenario, but as far as I could tell it never showed up (I realize this is perfectly realistic!) Could someone clarify? Thanks! Calvin

Gents, Just finished the "First Clash at Caen Scenario," playing as the British. I won, but I wasn't too proud of myself. I lost all my armor (after knocking out two of theirs) and took horrific casualties. Then the 8 inch gun spotter found a good observation point and destroyed what was left of enemy infantry. The two remaining Panzers were destroyed by infantry close assualt after they decided to drive closer into the town. (This was realistic considering that the German forces had been reduced significantly--- desperation time.) What I'm wondering is, has anyone actually lost against the AI? Don't get me wrong, I'm impressed but I'd actually like to lose one. I've only played a smattering of scenarios. Any suggestions for more challenging games? Which scenarios are the most difficult? Please advise! Calvin

I think David makes some good points here. It is worthwhile to take a step back sometimes and remember what is being simulated and what it must have been like. But the more faithfully a game simulates "real" war, the better educated we become as to what those men went through. I I feel the same way about war movies. I can't watch Rambo type films or even those rah rah 50's movies. They are offensive, the vets used to shudder or laugh at them. That's what made "Saving Private Ryan" such an important film. It killed any latent desire in the viewer to play GI Joe. It made you realize what war is. [A quick aside on "Ryan." When that ramp fell onto Omaha beach and the men in the first few rows shuddered and dropped as the machine gun rounds went through them... It brought home the point you hear veterans make again and again. That is, death in war is random, soldiers often feel like cattle ("what bells for those who die as cattle"] and the difference between life and death is often a few yards. "They never had a chance..." You hear quotes like that consistently. ] Anyway, it IS possible to have a solid knowledge of history and tactics, and it IS important to know the soldier's war in the trenches along with the General's war in the staff room. One thing that is encouraging is the fact that most of the Wargamers posting here have both a strong interest in WWII history and a realistic idea as to what war is. Sure, you get the occasional Waffen SS groupie and whatnot, but anyone who is truly learned knows the difference between computer games and reality. One good rant deserves another, eh David! Calvin

Knustler, Hmmm... As obvious as it should have seemed, I wonder why Sadaam didn't fortify the cities with troops and tanks. I think the post above rings true, which states that he initially thought himself capable of fending off the allied attack. Two precedents apply here. One, Vietnam, two, the Iran-Iraq war. Sadaam made allusions several times to Vietnam. He thought he would be able to cause enough casualties to win a political victory. Remember, the Pentagons early estimates of expected casualties were 8-10,000 KIA. That's not including wounded. General Mcaffrey, our controversial drug Czar, referred to these basic causalties as the "cost of doing business." Even allowing for the terrain and superior firepower, these figures were the lowest that Vietnam era commanders would allow themselves to imagine. As for the Iran-Iraq war, as we all know this was a quagmire of the WWI variety. Many parrallels are drawn to the Great War. Neither side was able to sustain an advantage. Infantry was cut down in waves by machine guns; tanks knocked out at a distance. The susequent counterattack would be thrown back to begin the cycle anew. Sadaam assumed he would merely need to sit in defense this time to break the American publics stomach for war. No one was more shocked than the Iranians who watched the coalition army do in a matter of days what they had failed to accomplish in years of bloodshed. But again, God help us if Saadaam had fortified Kuwait instead of attempting to defend his borders. This was a political war, and there is no way that airpower could ignore civilian casualties. So it would have been house to house fighting of the worst sort and many more innocent killed. Interesting comments above. I'm always impressed with the knowledge of the vistors to these boards. Calvin

Hmmm... interesting posts. I for one am alarmed at the lack of campaigns/personal involvement in both the flight sim world (Flanker 2.0 for example) and in wargaming. Sure, campaigns and advancing units are kind of "gamey." But they are often the only way to create a rationale for force conservation. Otherwise, it's all too easy to just go for the throat regardless of casualties. And the affection one develops for certain units is also in a sense realistic. Many a company commander had a specific platoon--- even a squad--- he would call upon to get the job done. Hope someone takes this up. c.

Thanks all! Cool screenshot!

Sorry if this has been discussed before! Calvin

Hello fellahs, I know this one has likely been asked before, but how to change the resolution? Also, how do you add transform & lighting, 32 bit color and EAX sound support? I'm having a little trouble getting my force feedback to work, but I think I did feel a little bump last night when the 155 barrage kicked in. Serious about the first bit. Calvin

Attention Mr. John Kettler: Sorry if I seemed a little righteously indignant in the post above. I just checked my other post, a question regarding AFV's and artillery. There I discoverd that you have written a very detailed and helpful response to my question. Much appreciated! I hope you'll forgive my jumping to conclusions. Sincere thanks again for your suggestions. Calvin

Hmmm... This CM Borg guy is getting a little frightening--- I suppose that's his intent. Well then, since we're all assimilated, let me say thanks to everyone for the valuable information above. Calvin

Mr. Kettler, First of all, do you work for BTS? Second of all, thank you for such a wonderfully curt response. And finally, far be it from me to steal into the BTS compound in order to divulge such closely guarded trade secrets as how many copies have yet been sold. I suppose that information goes out in diplomatic pouches to and from the shareholder's meetings. Look, I'm not a pirate. I pay for the games I play, and I spent $53 bones on CM. I am sincerely hoping that CM does well and BTS turns a large profit. I am not an agent of your competition, I merely hope that sales figures are high, which would bode well for future releases. And I certainly don't mean to make a big deal out of this exchange, but rather to clarify my intentions. Calvin

Hey GI Tom, Well I can't say that I'll dump all my other wargames but... I know what you mean! This game isn't just brilliant it has created a whole new genre. Think about that. This game is to wargames and computer games in general what Wolfenstein 3d was to the FPS. Great stuff! Calvin