Disaster@work

I have a swell girlfriend who plays games. I lent her my N64 and now she's as good a player at Mario Kart and Goldeneye as me. Well, as soon as I think we're stable, I'll get her a computer and then we'll see about PBEM CM!

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Wittmann: I want to know, why there's a world series in baseball and no-one other than Americans play...In England there is a similar game called rounders.....played by girls!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Well, we Canadians can field two teams in the World Series but they're all Dominicans and Americans. Well, Larry Walker is from Maple Ridge, B.C. ------------------ ---- To download my scenarios: go to http://www3.telus.net/pop_n_fresh/combatmiss/index.htm

Seeing DD's upcoming winter graphics http://www.geocities.com/bigddca/temporarypreviewfile.html?974490254980 gave me a really dumb idea. Let's marry Deer Hunter with Combat Mission to make "Combat Hunter". "Sir, we have visual on what looks like one ungulate.. that's right sir. One confirmed ungulate. What was that? Fire mission? Yahssir. Call in those 4-inchers!" Poor deer won't stand a chance. ------------------ ---- To download my scenarios: go to http://www3.telus.net/pop_n_fresh/combatmiss/index.htm

Looks good. Nice and clean. I like your colour choices, as well.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by von Lucke: Scott has done some fine work: the Duelists, Alien, Blade Runner, Thelma & Louise. And he's done some crap: 1492, Black Rain, Monkey Trouble, G.I. Jane. He's also been associated with a couple of big-money pictures lately that went nowhere (Superman, Hannibal). <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Never even heard of "Monkey Trouble". Anyway, I believe that "Hannibal" has already begun principal photography so that is going ahead. "Superman" seems to have been everyone's baby at one point. <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> Another good point is that the Bruckheimer/Scott team would mean a big budget for equipment and locations, and some decent acting talent.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Yes, there certainly would be a big budget. Also, both Bruckheimer and Scott probably have decent cred with the military which, as another poster pointed out, is totally necessary to pull this picture off. Not everyone can do as Stanley Kubrick did and film on a set and London neighbourhood with imported palm trees as he did in "Full Metal Jacket" and still have some believability. <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>On the other hand, Scott is a very cinematic director (he's a classicaly trained painter), and I dunno if his overtly grand-master influenced style of filming will work on what I see more as a gritty, semi-documentary. Somebody mentioned Three Kings: That's the sort of style I see "Blackhawk Down" needing --- not long, sumptiously lit shots of noble American fighting men struggling on in adversity. I was in the Army back then, and I know people who went to Mog --- there was nothing noble about it.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I do agree with you on this point. Scott likes full glossy productions. Even his action sequences are bit too staged, in my opinion (though the opening battle in "Gladiator" was the best part). In "Three Kings" David O. Russel had some excellent frenetic and inventive direction, especially in that first firefight between the adventurers and the Republican Guard that had the camera following the bullet paths from shooter to victim and back and forth. Yet, the action could be followed easily unlike some of the sequences in "Gladiator". That was wild. Ridley Scott does seem to be experimenting with video camera work so he might use this as a point of departure. ------------------ ---- To download my scenarios: go to http://www3.telus.net/pop_n_fresh/combatmiss/index.htm [This message has been edited by Disaster@work (edited 11-16-2000).]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Slapdragon: ...+snip+...the Bruckhiemer / Scott combination is magic not because they will come up with a great movie, but because a lot of people will go to their movies -- which often share a lowest common denominator big effects on small budgets / no character dialogue if possible effect. Scott hates actors and prefers them big, dumb and silent, while Bruckhiemer probably was chosen exactly because he wont mess with Scott. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> That's a good observation about Scott. His best work is intensely visual with actors as pieces in a set piece. I can't remember a Scott film where it was primarily actor driven. Even "The Duellists" which today might be done as a icon vs icon battle, was very subdued with Keith Carradine and Harvey Keitel being part of a structure rather than the leads. In "Blackhawk Down" the movie it will be more of an ensemble with a lot of faces. <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> So your chance of having Bruckheimer mess with the thing is low to non existence. "Gone in 60 Seconds", "Armageddon", "Con Air", and "The Rock"were all shake and bake thrillers targeted at the male summer audience and kids. They are also totally outside of Scott's experience. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> "Gladiator" and his accepting to do "Hannibal" could signal a change for him. Also "White Squall" and "Black Rain" I would consider in the Bruckheimer mode. I am curious to see "GI Jane" though now that Scott is attached to "Blackhawk Down". I gave it a pass because I really can't take Demi Moore seriously as an actress. Anyone give us a capsule review? You show a great knowledge of Ridley Scott, by the way. Thanks! Now that I think of Bruckheimer I think that it's more that he picks certain directors who agree with his artistic and production strategy rather than influencing them. Simon West, Michael Bay and Tony Scott as far as I'm concerned are advertising flacks who have never made a meaningful work between them. I find their work indistinguishable from one another. ------------------ ---- To download my scenarios: go to http://www3.telus.net/pop_n_fresh/combatmiss/index.htm

oh yeah, here is the Bowden interview link: http://www.penguinputnam.com/blackhawkdown/author-interview.htm Official book site: http://www.penguinputnam.com/blackhawkdown/ ------------------ ---- To download my scenarios: go to http://www3.telus.net/pop_n_fresh/combatmiss/index.htm

There's a good interview with Mark Bowden in the official book site. Here's a good observation he makes that is directly relevant to the potential to Hollywoodize the true events: Q: There seems a sad and poignant irony between the cockiness of the soldiers at the beginning of the day and the later horror (which God knows they faced with exceptional bravery). Early in the book there is this description: "They held themselves to a higher standard than normal soldiers. With their buff bodies, distinct crewcuts . . . and their grunted 'hoo-ah' greeting, they saw themselves as the army at its gung-ho best." And then what follows is increasing confusion and terror. Was this an intended incongruity and do you see the book as moving from a fantasy of good intentions through hell into a new reality? Bowden: "Absolutely. That's just simply the truth.That's what happened to these guys and what happened to America. Clausewitz writes about how easy it is to get a group of men to charge an enemy, but after they've been shot at it becomes very very hard to motivate them. The reality of war is its terrible randomness. The reality of war is its terrible randomness. Unlike in Hollywood, the bravest and smartest and most decent get killed right alongside the cowardly and inept. There's nothing fair about it. Those who survive come through feeling lucky and guilty." In the book there were a lot of 'heroes' and a lot of guys who freaked out. The captain of the Rangers who was stuck there (forgot what his name was) was at times indecisive, and definitely overwhelmed by events. The chain of command broke down in many places. Will the film show this? I suppose the temptation for any screenwriter would be to pick villains, scapegoats. But as the quote above presents, real life isn't like that. [This message has been edited by Disaster@work (edited 11-15-2000).]

Ever since I saw that 20mm take off the poor fellow's head in Saving Private Ryan I've tried to maneuver my AAs (Whirlewhatevers) into a position to gun down charging infantry whenever I can. Nothing is more fun actually. ------------------ ---- To download my scenarios: go to http://www3.telus.net/pop_n_fresh/combatmiss/index.htm

heh, ok. Let's not fight old wars here about "The Patriot". Honestly, I think that audiences aren't as dumb or easily manipulated as Hollywood thinks. Today's audiences are fairly educated about media behaviour, bias and full of healthy cyncism. Douglas Rushkoff wrote a good book about the three audiences facing marketers today: traditional (people who would like to believe and trust), cynical (don't trust anything), and a third group who look at advertising messaging with a wry smile, know when they are manipulated, and choose to accept or reject. More and more are joining the third group. One of the finer movies about warfare last year was "Three Kings", which I thought really addressed the weird, post-modern atmosphere of the Gulf War (or at least our hip redrawing of our understanding of that conflict). ------------------ ---- To download my scenarios: go to http://www3.telus.net/pop_n_fresh/combatmiss/index.htm

ha ha. The last safe villains in Hollywood: the English. Seriously, it makes me wonder about another aspect: creating a villain. Hollywood certainly has a problem with villains who can't be personified. In "Blackhawk Down", it's the soldiers vs the situation. Maybe Hollywood will make Farrah Aidid take more of a role than he did. Will he personally dash over the rooftops with an RPG launcher? A slow motion showdown with the Ranger commander (played by Tommy Lee Jones / Bruce Willis / Kurt Russell)? ------------------ ---- To download my scenarios: go to http://www3.telus.net/pop_n_fresh/combatmiss/index.htm

The women will probably have roles as the caring wives at home. There's an interesting story of one wife who evidently really didn't know that her hubby was in Delta. She thought he was in telecommunications which explained why he travelled so much and why he didn't have a shaved head like the other army guys. Another way they might change it around is to have more black soldiers. In the book, Bowden said that out of the whole expedition, there were only two black rangers. To Hollywood, this might be a touchy issue as they might get criticism for showing a conflict where largely white soldiers are gunning down hundreds of Africans. They'll probably get it both ways if they then insert more black characters. ------------------ ---- To download my scenarios: go to http://www3.telus.net/pop_n_fresh/combatmiss/index.htm

see, I don't mind "Top Gun" all that much because it's not really based on any kind of reality. I much rather prefer what Quentin Tarantino said about the film: "One man's struggle to deal with his homosexuality". I peed my pants when I heard that quote. Mind you, some of the fellows described in the novel "Blackhawk Down" seemed pretty close to the gung ho body builder types in "Top Gun". I kept on thinking of the Val Kilmer character (Iceman) when Bowden described some of the Rangers. ------------------ ---- To download my scenarios: go to http://www3.telus.net/pop_n_fresh/combatmiss/index.htm

By the way, the Philadelphia Enquirer still has the Blackhawk Down excerpts on its website here: http://www.philly.com/packages/somalia/nov16/default16.asp ------------------ ---- To download my scenarios: go to http://www3.telus.net/pop_n_fresh/combatmiss/index.htm

I was reading Aint it Cool News and I found a disturbing tidbit. The film version of Mark Bowden's excellent book on the ill-fated SEAL - Ranger - Delta mission to arrest Somali warlords in Mogadishu will be produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. Ugh. Ok, the news is not all bad because it will be directed by Ridley Scott. Well, I didn't see "GI Jane" so I'm not exactly sure how I feel about Scott's involvement. "Gladiator" was good, but schmaltzy near the end. "Blade Runner" is one of my all-time favs. Still, to think that a film version of "Blackhawk Down" might be sullied by Jerry ("Gone in 60 Seconds", "Armageddon", "Con Air", "The Rock") Bruckheimer really makes me hurl. Why, you may ask? Because every Bruckheimer movie is a rah rah jingoistic, golden sunset, slow-motion shot, MTV video that puts a gloss on events that might be taken seriously in the hands of a less hackneyed producer. Remember how cloying the down on earth scenes were in "Armageddon" (U.S. flag flying, children playing in the streets)? I shudder to think how "Blackhawk Down" might be filtered through that decrepit style. For those of you who haven't read "Blackhawk Down", it's a real fine piece of war reporting and gripping reading. Basically, a group of some of America's elite combat troops (a joint effort involving SEALs, Rangers and Delta) helicopter into the heart of Mogadishu to arrest some of Mohammad Farah Aidid's lieutenants. They arrest them, but as they are pulling out, they come under close assault by seemingly hundreds of irregulars, civilians, anyone who can pick up an AK47. What's worse is that eventually two helicopters are shot down and their crews must be rescued. This happens in the heart of a teeming, angry city where the roads are barely wide enough to fit a Humvee and it seems that no one knows which way to go. Now, I'm pretty sure Ridley Scott can handle the action elements. What I'm worried about, besides the MTV style that Bruckheimer loves, is their treatment of the ... "grey" ... events that happen during the battle. That is, U.S. troops saying "screw it" and gradually leaving behind their rules of combat and targetting crowds of civilians. Now, before you get antsy, this is explained in the book as situational. According to the book, seemingly the entire city wanted to get a piece of the Americans who they regarded as arrogant interlopers. The only way the Yanks could distinguish between civilian and militiaman was that one was armed and the other one didn't seem to be. But as the battle wore on, they saw more and more civilians pick up weapons, point out American positions or fearlessly shield militiamen as they advanced on the Americans. Soon the Americans were mowing down crowds of Somalis with their small arms and also with fire support from helicopter gunships. This included women and children. Yes, very ugly. My question then, is how will they treat this in the movie? According to IMDB, Mark Bowden has a writing credit so maybe it won't ALL go to pot. Anyway, enough vitriol. Here are some links you can chew over: IMDB link: http://us.imdb.com/Title?0265086 Book link on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0871137380/o/qid=974249987 /sr=8-1/ref=aps_sr_b_1_3/104-0645848-9456713 ------------------ ---- To download my scenarios: go to http://www3.telus.net/pop_n_fresh/combatmiss/index.htm [This message has been edited by Disaster@work (edited 11-14-2000).]

"Infantry Attacks" by Erwin Rommel "A Bridge Too Far" by Cornelius Ryan "The Longest Day" by Cornelius Ryan

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by groundpounder: Disaster, What do you do at night during COMDEX? Party on Garth!!!! How many COMDEXs have you been to? Yes, My team will work the booth.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Heh, well that's good. Let them work your booth and you can play CM in the back. To answer your question, I've only been to one but quite a few other shows. I think the only place your CM playing wouldn't be out of place would be at E3 ------------------ ---- To download my scenarios: go to http://www3.telus.net/pop_n_fresh/combatmiss/index.htm

huh.. you have time during Comdex to play Combat Mission? Is your booth planning to be unpopular (if you're presenting, that is). ------------------ ---- To download my scenarios: go to http://www3.telus.net/pop_n_fresh/combatmiss/index.htm

A good rating system has a way to 'reward' someone for being a good citizen. I like how Amazon strokes a visitor's ego by allowing them to post their mini reviews and, for a moment, act like their own Siskel and Ebert. Anyway, don't knock Charlies Angels if you haven't seen it. It was a lot of fun.

I must agree with the previous two posters about 'surprise' elements. Of course from the standpoint of the infantry commander they want the best intel possible. However, from a gaming standpoint, I want to be surprised and challenged. In the same way that I don't want a complete summary of a book or movie before I see it, I don't want every element spoiled in a scenario before I play it. I do think that the briefings should be informative about the general layout of the play area but not specific about defenses or possible enemy troop locations. I don't want the 'satellite view'; I want the 'patrol running up breathless report'. I don't think the defender has the total advantage in this, either. If the map is designed well, the attack could come from one or more directions utilizing the attacker's imagination. This debate is similar to one we were having in the Scenario forum about historical vs fictional scenarios. I squarely fall on the side of the 'fun' and 'gamey' scenarios. ------------------ ---- To download my scenarios: go to http://www3.telus.net/pop_n_fresh/combatmiss/index.htm

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Warren Peace: Election thoughts. 3) Its kind of interesting that with a few exceptions the election broke down almost totally along Civil War lines. Kind of makes you wonder.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Except your black people got to vote this time. Did they all flee to the north or what? ------------------ ---- To download my scenarios: go to http://www3.telus.net/pop_n_fresh/combatmiss/index.htm

Oh cool. Thompson tommy gun airsoft http://www.redwolfairsoft.com/tm-m1a1.htm Slide action colt http://home.netvigator.com/~dtrinity/2nd.htm Walther PPK http://www.redwolfairsoft.com/ppk.htm ------------------ ---- To download my scenarios: go to http://www3.telus.net/pop_n_fresh/combatmiss/index.htm

I seem to recall seeing an Airsoft (shoots small pink plastic BBs) version of the MP40. That would be a good compromise. I did a little searching and found this catalog page that has Lugers: http://airsoftguns.com/catalogs/tm99lnup/page03.htm ------------------ ---- To download my scenarios: go to http://www3.telus.net/pop_n_fresh/combatmiss/index.htm

Panzer accidentally knocks over the church. Suddenly, the previously sunny day becomes overcast. Then rainy. Then a hitherto unknown weather condition that is dark and stormy. A lightning bolt shoots out of the angry clouds above and pulverizes the panzer, its crew, and any unlucky individuals in a ten tile radius with the force equal to 10x a battleship cannon bombardment. The skies clear rapidly and the allies and any other survivors stand up and survey the scorched earth in amazement. A booming voice sounds out and the birds chirping fall silent. "That's MY HOUSE!" ------------------ ---- To download my scenarios: go to http://www3.telus.net/pop_n_fresh/combatmiss/index.htm

I would have thought that using the floating-point control register to explicitly set the rounding mode would have been able to solve those problems. I'm disturbed that it doesn't work as I was hopeing to use a simular method in a program that i'm working on. ------------------ ---- To download my scenarios: go to http://www3.telus.net/pop_n_fresh/combatmiss/index.htm [This message has been edited by Disaster@work (edited 11-06-2000).]