The Commissar

Dont forget the CPU strain! Anything over 60 seconds (according to BTS) would cause problems for the computer to process effectively. Too much calculations. Result? Very slow battle resolution time and possible freeze ups for mid range machines. I like it the way it is. I always picture 60 seconds as the time it takes for a few radio messages to get back and forth between the commander(s) and their subordinates. As far as randomizing the delays...well, I can agree with that to a point. I mean, a 1-2 sec difference. However, whats the point of coding then? If youre talking more then 2 secs, I have to oppose that quite strongly. If I have an Elite platoon which I plan to send into an assault, and I planned my mortar barrage to end when the assaulters reach the target (so the enemy is suppressed) I dont want them to delay for 6 seconds and walk into a wall of fire. Thats why we have different classes. So we can come to expect certain things out of them. I for one, expect my better troops to act and respond that way, not randomly sit on their asses for longer then they should be.

It can be entertaining zooming in close while in the heat of combat. Try it sometime. You are missing out on a lot of graphical splendor floating up there with the bird's eye view.

Howdy. I did not have this problem before, so Im asking here to see if Im doing something wrong this time. I just got my computer out of the shop, and reinstalled CM on maximum installation. When I first opened it, the game asked for the regular resolution test. I selected 800 x 600. After the window dissapeared, the CM options window came up. Except it only showed the buttons and not the background picture. Once I clicked on any of the buttons, the background picture came back up. This was not all, however. When I ran a test game, the real graphic glitches made themselves apparent. The screen was mostly black, my mouse cursor was replaced by a square of CM grass texture, and textures shifted across the screen when I moved the mouse in squares that changed colors. I reinstalled the game, this time on minimum. I opened another test scenario, and this time the actual CM battlefield appeared. However, the screen was shaking, and looked like a bad reception on the TV. I was able to move around, and give out orders (although this was very difficult, because the screen was shaking and textures were changing colors slightly). Then I minimized the game to see what would happen. When I opened it up again, there was the black screen that came up on my first attempt, along with the screwed up squares of color. I never had this problem before on my computer, and as far as Im aware, my video card was not tampered with in any way whatsoever. My video card is: NVIDIA RIVA TNT2/TNT2 PRO Acceleration is set on full My computer is set for 32bit color. My computer specs: 1Ghz Athalon Thunderbird 256Mgb RAM 27Gb HD My computer was being repared for some HD damage. I was told that approximately 15% of the harddrive was physically damaged, and that I should replace it as soon as I can. I still dont see how this would affect any graphic performance, so I am not sure how to fix this. All advice is highly appreciated. Cheers! [ 08-17-2001: Message edited by: The Commissar ]

Hey Monty, nice pics. Do you really have a grandfather who fought in Normandy? Does your grandfather know about the game? If so, does he play? What are his thoughts? I have a grandfather myself who fought on the Eastern front. I dont get to talk to him much since he lives in another country. Im just asking because unfortunately, not much of that generation is left.

Username, Funny thing is, that article was written during the war. The Soviet Union hasn't propoganda of that sort for at least 2 decades. Americans are still doing this sort of thing to this very day! Can you say SPR's take on the exploits of the heroic paratroopers in the town of "Rommel"? I knew you could.

Yes! Excellent idea! Die, gameyness, die!

I agree with Spkr. Give the man some room and listen up instead of spewing hateful comments.

Yippie! I can rest easy now! Well, Ill bring this up in a month or two, see how things shaped up. Until we meet again, BTS! *cue maniacal laugh*

*sniff* All I ever wanted is a wee little reply from BTS *sniff* Till then. Bump!

Tommi, Excellent story, nice job digging this up. I think its almost a given that the figures for the attackers were exaggerated. The casualties they suffered, although quite possibly extensive, were also exagerated. The Germans coming on in waves only to be cut down seems like something Holywood could cough up and make into a motion picture with a $60 mill budget. However, when we take into account the time of year this story took place (November), and the general lack of vegetation in that part of the USSR, its not too bizare that the Germans didn't get much cover in advance. What I really like about this story though is the fact that it brings to light the exploits of the Soviet Union's south western populance. While they are mostly the butt of anecdotes in Russian culture, its nice to see them get the recognition they deserve.

It's a morale booster. BTS hopes to makes us think the game is close to being completed, while in reality they are still struggling with proper Dobermine implementation.

BTS, oh BTS...

Not a bad idea at all, Username, I like it and it seems to make sence. SO a BUMP to get us back to the top! Up, up and awaaay!

Bump

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Cauldron: Hy, The non ability to have some form of fire disipline on units even so much as :_ fire only on a vehicle, fire only on infantry unless attacked by either. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Wild Bill pretty much answered all the other points nicely, but I would just like to elaborate on this one: In a recent topic, Kwazy Dawg (I think it was him) confirmed that this would be in CM2. ie: You could make the distinction for ambushing units on what they attack, from only AT to only Inf.

Those buildings burning in the background look really good, russellmz! Can you post a larger pic showing how it looks along a broad horizon? Also, a small suggestion: When a lot of buildings/trees/whatnot burn, the smoke collects together into a dark cloud, the size of which depends on the ammount of stuff burning. As it goes higher and higer into the sky, the smoke dissipates slowly, but its almost always thick close to the earth. Just a suggestion. Im still waiting for the psychodelic skies

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Moon: Even nowadays, coordination of troop/unit movements is not and cannot be coordinated down to a mere second. Even not if YOU are sitting in the tank yourself. A lowski-tophat, as you call it, is a leapfrogging tactic timed to several minutes per cycle, for vehicles and for infantry alike. You'll have a hard time trying to explain why you should be able to do it within 15 second timeframes in the game...<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> This is true. However, I have no desire to coordinate movement to precise delays. What I wanted is an ability to issue a delay as an order, between movements. This isn't so I can pull off some super micro-managing trick out of my arse. It's so I can execute the sort of maneuvers I described previously. Also, I completely missed what you were trying to say about lowski-tophat. Were you saying its unrealistic to apoint precise pause times between advancing and retreating for my forces? If so, see above. If not, Im sorry, I didn't understand. Wilhammer, Thanks for the tip. I use it sometimes myself. However, Im hoping BTS will implement pauses to eliminate this sort of thing. I mean, how annoying and time consuming is it to issue movement orders back and forth a meter at a time?

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by gatpr: A couple of points people have used dogs in warfare about as long as the dog has been domesticated. I believe the general German response at first was to simply shoot dogs that presented themselves. Second I want cavalry too. You cannot do justice to many facets of the Ostfront without cavalry, and much of the artillery on both sides was horse-drawn. I like horseys and doggies!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Germans used to take their dogs to battle with them in the Middle Ages. They even had special armor for the dogs (basically a coat of chain mail that fit the dog). I read this (and saw the illustration) in a book of armor the name of which I can't place right now. Oh, and we had several horse discussions now. Steve said they would have included it had it not been such a hassle to code horses.

Bump

I like the middle picture. How about you make some with funkadelic skies? You dig that, baby? Yeeeah... [ 08-14-2001: Message edited by: The Commissar ]

There needs to be no changes in the code. We can already issue a pause order. If we can issue it before a move, how hard can it be to issue it after one or in between one? Its not about making things happen quickly, its about making more complicated maneuvers possible, without wasting time.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Richard Morgan: Doug, I have exactly the same limitations as you with regard to playing time, however I must state that large map does not necessarily mean large battle, it just gives you far more choice with regard to achieving the mission and to selecting the best route in/out. Finally, I do like Mikey D's suggestion for an extra large steppe map option: BTS, please take note again Some very interesting comments - so far: thank you one and all. Richard.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I understand what you mean fully, Richard. With super large maps, it almost seems sometimes that CM moves from tactical to a strategic wargame! The sheer scale and ammount of troops involved initially gives people (speaking for myself and others) a rush. However, if you've played a few super-large maps in CM, you'll know the reality of the situation, things you dont see in strategic wargames. When we think of a large offensive, we think masses of men and machines clashing in a hurricane of steel and action. However, what CM portrays very well, is that the majority of such offensives involve the troops and armor slowly moving into position, forming up, and slowly advancing. Slowly is the key word here, because during many of my battles, Ive had half the alloted time gone by the time I moved into position and a few skirmishes break out. The only way to play super large battles is to increase the time limit. However, this results in extreme boredom for both players, especially in attack defense. Unless the attacker wants to get massively ambushed, he has to move slowly and scout over several kilometres of ground. The defender has to sit quietly. Very boring, let me tell you, since Ive played a few of these sort of battles. So be forewarned, although at first bigger seems better, it can be nauseating. More then once, Ive lost interest in the battle by the time I made contact with the enemy, resulting in not-so-fun gameplay.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Doug Beman: Think about the act of giving orders for one minute's worth of action to a tank crew in real life. Would you REALLY be able to say "move to that tree, then pause for 15 seconds, then move behind that house, then pause for 15 seconds, then creep forward and shoot at any enemy tanks you see" <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> No. What I would really be able to say if the AI was intelligent enough to recieve precise orders and then execute them, would be something like "Move to the tree, look around for targets. Don't hang around longer then is necessary for you to get off a shot or two. Speed behind that house and repeat. Then I wamnt you to advance slowly, take your time, and get the jump on any enemy armor. Move out!" <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Doug Beman: I think not. If we're looking at the realism aspect, the process of giving orders would be more, IMHO, like "Okay, hook around behind that tree, move to that house and take up a fire position facing thataway." Even the act of dictating exact spots for turns/end points can be construed, from an extreme PoV, as unrealistic. BTS set a line between realism and abstraction, and decided that to deny players the ability to set exact move points was too far into realism, but that dictating multiple timed pauses is too far into abstraction. DjB<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> That's bull. So I guess you would call Lowski-Tophat unrealistic also. I mean, that basically revolves around 2 or more tanks cresting a hill, pausing to get off a shot and speed back down while the other tank(s) crest the hill from another direction and do the same thing. Although the tactic is possible in CM now, it is not there to full potential, because it takes several seconds for a tank cresting the hill to see the enemy and fire off a shot. With a pause order, for tanks with slower turrets/less experience would make this tactic viable. Oh, and I suppose my previous example is also unrealistic. Not realistic at all for a commander to tell his men to provide cover fire for the advance of another group, and then advance themselves when that group is in position to provide cover fire. The AI at the momeent cannot handle such complex assignments. I can't tell my TacAI to "perform Lowski-Tophat" or "Provide fire and advance in leaps and bounds". So we have to settle for the next best thing. It's no more "micromanagement" then plotting waypoints, splitting squads, and pointing out precise targets. For you see, in CM, we are not just playing the part of Regiment/Battalion commander. We are directing the acction of every lowly Sargeant. As such, I think directing pausing in between turns seems pretty realistic.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by KiwiJoe: Same for afvs too.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Good point, second that.

Bump