Elmo

http://www.wargamer.com/articles/cmbb_aar_ciril_pvk/

It was worth $15 to me. It provides a basic overview of tactics for infantry, armor, and arty with suggestions on combining arms. The tables are useful although I'm not a number cruncher. The scenario walkthroughs are good at showing how to put the tactics to use in a game. Interesting interviews and a very good appendix of recommended reading. I picked up Biderman's In Deadly Combat after reading about it in the appendix and it was an excellent read. So I'd give it a 7 of 10, taking a point off for no index, a point off for poor quality screen shots, and a point off because I wanted more, more, more...

Thanks for the update!

The Scenario Depot has maps: http://ns9.super-hosts.com/~dragonlair.net/combatmission/ Thanks to PB and MG for a great AAR, and to Teddy for hosting it! [ June 06, 2003, 06:23 AM: Message edited by: Elmo ]

In case you forgot to read the CMAK webpage before posting: "Combat Mission: Afrika Korps is a 1-2 player, hybrid turn-based/realtime 3D simulation of WWII tactical warfare in parts of the Mediterranean Theater including North Africa, Italy, Sicily and Crete from 1940 to 1945. ...Watch the famous Deutsches Afrika Korps storm the fortress of Tobruk, or help the US and british forces defend against powerful German counterstrikes at Anzio. Fight with the elite German Fallschirmjäger units in Crete, or follow General Patton's sweep across the island of Sicily."

Here is a cut and paste of Bruno Weiss' instructions for correcting the mod: {The old vet looked down at the replacement with understanding as he remembered back to the first time he was startled to see prophylactics being used to protect rifle barrels from moisture}. Okay, listen up! First, unzip the file (Gautrek_dirty_Rus_Truck_CMMOS4.zip) located in the CMMOS Mods directory to a temporary directory. (Or, if you have not loaded it into CMMOS as yet, then unzip the original file same as above). Now, look for a zip file named Rule001-590.ZIP that is contained within the zip file Gautrek_dirty_Rus_Truck_CMMOS4.zip, and unzip that file within the same temporary directory. You should now have a file named "Rule001-590.txt". Open that file, (double-click on it, or better use Wordpad and open it). In the "Rule001-590.txt" file, you will see the following: ----------------------------------------------- #! Version 1.0 #! Name Gautrek's Russian truck #! Files Vehicle_Truck_(Deuce).txt #! Icon Truck_filthy.bmp #! Key 13040_dirt.bmp #! Options 2 ## Tactical Marking with optional slogan #@ Unmarked sides _dirt #@ Russian star on sides plus dirty windows _dirt_glass _dirt ------------------------------------------------ Alright, you there in the back of the room. Pay attention! This is where we learn about conventions. No, not the Moose convention, naming conventions! Okay, as you observe the contents of the file above, notice the word "dirt" is placed throughout the CMMOS instructions. This is a name convention (file name). It is the name that the author gave to the mod bmp file names. It tells CMMOS what to look for in the bmp files. Therefore, this set of instructions tells CMMOS to look for bmp files that match the number set listed, AND the prefix or convention word dirt. This is where the problem resides. For those interested, note that the bmp files for the Gautrek Dirty Russian Truck are actually named with a convention of diirt. There is a conflict in naming conventions in this rule file. Meaning, CMMOS cannot locate any files named dirt, because in actuality they are named diirt. Let's see, nearly time for a break. We can probably finish this first. Now, in all instances above within the file Rule001-590.txt, where you see the word dirt, rename that word to diirt. There should be four instances in the above where you will rename the word dirt to diirt. Close and save your changes. Go into your CMMOS directory, and look for the CMMOS subdirectory named RuleSet001. Open that, and now look for file "Rule001-590.txt". Replace this file with the one you just fixed above. Poof! The Gautrek Dirty Russian Truck will now work within CMMOS. If you want to go one step further and ensure that the actual Gautrek Dirty Russian Truck mod will always work, then re-zip the contents of the Gautrek_dirty_Rus_Truck_CMMOS4.zip file switching the newly created Rule001-590.txt file with the original one, and if using Winzip, leaving the name of the original file as it. You have now replaced the offending file within the original mod zip so that you won't have to fix it again. Either way, the object is to rename the incorrect conventions (file name), in the "Rule001-590.txt" file from dirt to diirt, and then place that new file into the RuleSet001 directory of the CMMOS application. You can also then replace that file in the original mod if you want to permanently fix the problem. Alright recruits! Smoke em if you got em. Ten minutes! We'll begin the class on rifle barrel protection at 10am exactly.

No it's not new. Check the manual. A cease fire can be imposed depending on ammo levels and the type of sceanrio being played.

Thanks. Just downloaded it last weekend so it's not fixed as of then. Edit - Found Bruno's fix from January so I'll just do it myself. Proves there is really nothing new under the CM sun. [ May 09, 2003, 12:47 PM: Message edited by: Elmo ]

Gautrek Thanks for some great mods. The only mod file I had a problem with in CMMOS was your dirty Russian truck. I downloaded it and added it but when I open the Svinarnik rule set the picture has the red circle with the slash through it so I couldn't apply it. All other mods in that set were fine. Any thoughts? Thanks. Elmo [ May 09, 2003, 10:53 AM: Message edited by: Elmo ]

MikeT I sent you a private email about a possible problem with one of the CMBB CMMOS mod files. Did you get it? Thanks. Elmo

If you order them to attack the vehicle then having the command line intact will speed up execution of the orders. The HQ does not need a LOS to the vehicle.

The short answer is... Yes. Units can fire even if the HQ is running for the hills. Think about it, if somebody was assaulting you would you wait for your HQ to tell you to fire? You can increase the chances by giving your units covered arcs. They will be even more likely, although not guaranteed, to fire at anything that moves within that arc.

If you want to improve your tactics then I'd highly recommend the Strategy Guide. It's mostly about tactics, both on attack and defense. At least one scenario that comes with CMBB, A Battle of Minors, is discussed in detail from the defenders side. If you get the Guide, set up and play the scenario as the defender, then read the recommendations. You'll learn more that way IMO.

I don't think winter camo files are used unless there is snow on the ground.

Units labeled cautious aren't going to take risks. At least not according to pg 142 in the manual. Sounds like they have decided it's better to keep their heads down for now.

Did you put the mods in the same folder with the rule sets? If so make sure you're clicking on a rule set. Also, what is the rest of the error message?

I'm not in the publishing business, nor am I as good a speller as most peeple (sic) so the few minor typos don't bother me a bit. Already corrected the lightning bolt/star thing with... a pen. :eek: I've read the guide cover to cover once so far and found it to be worth every penny. There are many insightful tips and new tactical ideas for me to try. I haven't scanned the charts looking for mistakes and won't. They will come in handy when playing a game if I run across a weapons system never encountered before in my limited experience. The charts will give me an idea what I'm up against. If the numbers are a bit off, no big deal. If they're way off then I'll chalk it up to my troops seeing a Tiger when it was really a PzII. Bottom line for me is that the guide is well worth it and I applaud Battlefront for making good on the mistakes with the first edition.

Just getting back into CMBB after too long a hiatus. Wanted to zoom in, and automatically started spinning the wheel until I remembered I couldn't get there from here. Too bad.

A Yank just got his in two days. Looks great. Very good quality printing and binding with easy to read text and charts. The screen shots are too small for my old eyes but that is a minor complaint and others probably can see them fine. I only skimmed the content but many of the Notes look spot on. This guide looks just like what I'd expect from Battlefront. My first impression is "thumbs up".

So, let's have a report. You've had three minutes since posting! Not that it really matters, since mine is already on the way, but it will give me something to read while I'm waiting to start reading. [ May 01, 2003, 02:41 PM: Message edited by: Elmo ]

Thanks for these charts. Great job. [ February 14, 2003, 02:14 PM: Message edited by: Elmo ]

I've seen this with my GeForce 2 card and the 30.82 drivers too, but it was there with 1.0 so it is not a patch problem.

Great support guys. Thanks.

It's obvious, the AI cheats! Uh, oh...incoming! Seriously though, did you let your T-34's get shot at from the side as a test? If so, one example does not a problem make. You could run it a few dozen times to get a better idea of what the AI did right. What happened when you fired at the enemy T-34's, did your guns miss, or hit without effect? As someone said there are multiple factors that could affect the results. The rule of thumb with an attack in CMBB is "go slow". Use area fire on likely places for the enemy to hide. Use smoke to cover an advance in the open. Always have some units watching as others advance so if you take fire somebody has a good chance to fire back. This will hopefully suppress the firer and make your life easier. You can search this forum and the tips forum for lots of good advice on how to run a successful attack.