The Commissar

Thanks again, Grobdeutschland! Sounds like a real challenge, this unit. May I ask where you would go to apply for this after you served in the regular armed forces for a certain amount of time? Is there a test you must pass just to get in to the course itself? What sort of standards does one have to meet? Thanks for your great responces! ------------------ "...Every position, every meter of Soviet soil must be defended to the last drop of blood..." - Segment from Order 227 "Not a step back"

I, too, consider myself a member of the "fire at no farther then 40m" camp. Through numerous PBEM's and reading the AAR's of other folk (Fionn included), I have established that for the defender to open up at far range is an invitation for the defender to expose his positions and have heavy artillery and mass concentrated fire to be dumped in his direction, resulting in heavy losses. Much better to hide a squad 10 metres or so into a wood, and eliminate the enemy squad which comes running in. Then, when done cleaning up, back your men out of the impending enemy concentration to avenge their comrades. Proceed until you run out of new hiding spaces, by which time your enemy will have a large disadvantage of wasted arty, massacred infantry, and (if you're lucky), brewed up AFV's. I also feel it is important to keep a large caliber FO around for when your opponent gathers up his last fresh troops for a large concentration. Well, at least the good opponents do this. Cheers, and best of luck! ------------------ "...Every position, every meter of Soviet soil must be defended to the last drop of blood..." - Segment from Order 227 "Not a step back"

People forgot to mention lag, the bane of all MMO games. Am I the only one who still has a 56k modem? Probobly...most of the people on this forum have well-paying jobs unlike the 'sweat-shop" pay I get of $5.15 an hour. Why, WHY do T1's have to be so expensive?! ------------------ "...Every position, every meter of Soviet soil must be defended to the last drop of blood..." - Segment from Order 227 "Not a step back" [This message has been edited by The Commissar (edited 12-22-2000).]

Thanks Joe Private, I will check out that book if I can find it. Grobdeutschland, Forgive my military-terms ignorance, but what exactly is Hellgate 3? Thanks again! ------------------ "...Every position, every meter of Soviet soil must be defended to the last drop of blood..." - Segment from Order 227 "Not a step back"

I've read the thread you mentioned, and although I have not mentioned anything at the time, I'm beginning to be interested in the "Legion". Since I am planning to make the military my career, I am looking for a unit or branch of the military to join. I am Russian by origin, and currently reside in the U.S.A. I've thought about the Marines or the Army, but I'm looking for a little more, well, action. Call me crazy, stupid or even suicidal, but I wish to join the armed forces to do what armed forces were originally created for - to fight, not to sit around as the U.S.A.F pounds some backwards country with countless billions of $$$ worth of bombs. I know it is considered of the most crucial importance to save lives in this modern age, unlike only decades back. I've heard the Legion is a very hard unit to get into, and thus compromised of the Elite which see lots of action and danger. I would like to know of any websites or literature where I can obtain more information on this unit. Can I join? Do I need experience in other branches of the military before I can apply? Etc. I would appreciate any replies, and thanks in advance! ------------------ "...Every position, every meter of Soviet soil must be defended to the last drop of blood..." - Segment from Order 227 "Not a step back"

I believe games being hosted at sites like the "Zone" must pay some sort of fee, but I may be misinformed. If you want to find opponents, your best bet is join a ladder or a gaming club. www.thegrognards.com is a good choice, IMHO. Cheers! ------------------ "...Every position, every meter of Soviet soil must be defended to the last drop of blood..." - Segment from Order 227 "Not a step back"

Hmm, thanks for the info Casca. Do you think my current motherboard will support the large jump in processor speed?

The whole reason I am asking is because I cannot afford both! It's a tough choice, but I must choose which will benefit me more.

I have about $650 to spend on hardware upgrades saved up. My current specs are a measely AMD Athalon 650Mhz 64 RAM 32 MEG TNT2 9 Gig HD I plan to buy 256 Megs of RAM, a 20 Gig HD, and with about $450 remaining, Im thinking if I should purchase a brand new GeForce 2 with 64 MEGS (somehwere around $300), or a Processor-motherboard combo of an AMD Thunderbird with 1.1 Ghz ($315) Im skeptical about the current speed and performace of my Video Card, but I am also none too pleased with the processor speed (games including CM slow down and run choppy very often). Which would give me the most bang for my buck? Ge Force2, or Processor? Thanks in advance! ------------------ "...Every position, every meter of Soviet soil must be defended to the last drop of blood..." - Segment from Order 227 "Not a step back"

Personally, I would like to see the first three points taking place. Then again, I realise that a new 3D engine is time consuming and the "special effects" such as sun flares, sparky flashy explosions, etc. just do not have a place in CM. Then again, technologies like bump mapping and smoother animation along with more motion in the units would be very, very cool. I'd like to adress one point, that point being advertising. Seeing as how large of a success CM:BO became and how much it appealed to almost all of the gaming magazines out there, the marketing for CM2 will most likely be provided by the fans, and these fans will include magazine editors who will no doubt devote a section to the upcoming game. PC Gamer, for example, runs a "Peviews" section where they show off upcoming games. If fans send off a few e-mails to William R. Trotter, the wargamer at the publication, I am sure he would be delighted to pursaude the editors to devote a preview to CM2. In the worst possible case scenario, he will at the very least mention it in his collumn. I'm sure online websites, store-bought publications, and word of mouth will make people aware of the second coming of Jes - Uhh, I mean CM2. ------------------ "...Every position, every meter of Soviet soil must be defended to the last drop of blood..." - Segment from Order 227 "Not a step back"

You are correct, Pillar. It all depends on your opponent, however. Artillery can indeed have a large part in halting an infantry attack in its steps. The trick is to present an artillery target and have him expend his ammunition on it. For example, in my current game, my opponent is wasting valuable mortar rounds on an empty space, because I made him think I moved several open-top tanks and vehicles into the area. In reality, I moved the open topped AFV's to another direction once out of his LOS. Also, if he does recognize your assault, keep moving and make your lines of advance flexible. Seek out the best hiding spots for artillery. Remember - He will more likely then not have no more then 2-3 spotters of medium arty. 88Mmm and 105mm mortars can be safely waited out in heavy buldings. Spread out your men to avoid the fire, but not too much to present a chance for his infantry. Make him always want to shift his arty to adjust to ther situation - this wastest valuable time as his spotters adjust the fire. Cheers!

In one of my all armor games, I was in the middle of a heated town battle. My tanks who were sitting on a hill crest were dominating the German tanks in the town. Suddenly, behind a building from my flank out rolls a King Tiger! I though my flank was about to br curshed as the KT would turn about and nothing could penetrate its frontal armor. However, there was a sharpshooter about 150 metres from the KT. The sharpshooter took aim and killed off the TC, shocking the KT. Because of this, the tank did not fire or move into position for several seconds as all my tanks let loose on its exposed flank and destroyed it. If my sharpshooter did not kill off the TC, the KT would turn its frontal armor to face me before my tanks would have been able to destroy it, and my game would more then likely be lost. A machine gun cannot do this - their fire just isn't as accurate!

In addition to previous post... Watch out for obvious terrain. In one of my games where I was a defender, I placed AT guns on a reverse slope of a large hill. As the opponent rolled his tank collumns over the crest, my guns destroyed every single one of his AFV's without suffering a single casualty. Thus, avoid such obvious terrain advantages with your tanks when in advance.

Pillar, I have played several battles the likes you describe, and actually in the middle of one as we speak by PBEM. What I do is select an unlucky (and low quality - I buy it just for this purpose) platoon and have most if not all of its squads divide into half teams. Sometimes, when the map is large, you will need to devote more then one platoon to this suicidal task. After this, you need to quite literlaly creep along. Remember to explore every patch of forest, every nook and cranny of the map which you might suspect holds that deadly AT Gun emplacement. The half squads should be in view of your infantry, but NOT your tanks! If your tanks can see the Half squad's enemy, the enemy can see the tank. In the case of dug in guns, this is not a good thing. Thus, I keep my armor behind the lines, and advance with infantry. As you have said, a good opponent will keep a screen of infantry in front of his guns to prevent a "grunt rush". This leaves the infantry exposed, since terrain usually blocks the sigh of guns and you need to be very lucky with your terrain allocation to get the guns to cover your infantry shield. In most cases, the guns can only see behind the infantry shield, and the defender must fall back into his guns for them to be effective. In my current game, this holds true. It is a "Probe" game, and so far I am encountering mild resistance from his infantry screen. After a platoon full of half squad scouts (all conscripts) discovered the enemy the hard way, my main fighting platoons have moved into action. Most of the half teams survived, although a few were not so lucky. Now, with his forward elements exposed, I busily destroyed one of his heavy machine guns by moving several platoons into a town, and a nearby forest. He is now attempting to fall back so my tanks would be exposed. I plan to do what I always do - pursue with infantry until he is forced to expose his guns to aid his outnumbered and outgunned infantry. Once exposed, a gun must be ganged up on by as many thing as you have in an area, be it mortars, tanks of all forms shapes and sizes, and infantry. Take the bastards out one at a time and keep them suppressed so they can't get in a shot at your tanks. Thats all the advice I can give you, really. Arty is key, and best used when concentrated on a single gun, as previously mentioned. Kill 'em good! Cheers! ------------------ "...Every position, every meter of Soviet soil must be defended to the last drop of blood..." - Segment from Order 227 "Not a step back" [This message has been edited by The Commissar (edited 12-17-2000).]

From the brief explanation below the screenshots in the previous link... "In World War II: Europe in Gunfire players can choose from three of the most powerful military nations of that era: England, Germany, and the US." That's right kids, those were the THREE most powerful nations of WW2! What's that? The USSR?! Those guys had an army back then? ------------------ "...Every position, every meter of Soviet soil must be defended to the last drop of blood..." - Segment from Order 227 "Not a step back"

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Maximus: Hey look! It's "Achtung Spitfire" or is it "Over the Reich"? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Neither! It's the game where airplanes fly at precisely the same altitudes!

It's no small wonder the U.S. lost so many men on D-day...those 5 Pillbox are each the size of a battleship!

That's not scale differences, Aussie, it's just that those Battleships are radio-controlled models. Eisenhover is sitting in a row boat 'bout a mile off shore with the controls.

Whoa..."ULTRA REALISM!!!"tm Those health bars are the next step in virtual warfare, Im sure. Steve, Charles, you guys should take a lesson from this game - what with your "one shot can kill" structure! Where the heck did you dig up crap like that?! The MOVIES?! Bah! And observe those planes flying what appears to be 4 feet above the tanks! We don't get none of that for CM, thats for sure. And look! Their doing desert warfare 3 years ahead of BTS - and we have to sit here and wait while that boring ol' CM2 gets finished up, starring those drunks from Norhtern Asia... ------------------ "...Every position, every meter of Soviet soil must be defended to the last drop of blood..." - Segment from Order 227 "Not a step back" [This message has been edited by The Commissar (edited 12-17-2000).]

In relation to my previous post: I read through some more arguments against "realistic" values and experience, and I have read that in real life, experience would actually go down as the members of a unit got killed off and replaced by greens. Well, I think that this would not happen all at once, and there would be a good number of vets left in a unit even after it suffered heavy casualties. So when it is replaced by greens, they would learn a good bit from their veteran comrades that they did not teach them in training. Thereby, the greens would improve a lot more quickly in units who had veterans then in "regular" units who did not. Also, it is generally safe to say that "elite" units like Guards had more vets because with their "high-quality" weapons they did not die at a rate as high as the regular units. Thus, more vets remaining alive, thus greens learning faster. Cheers! ------------------ "...Every position, every meter of Soviet soil must be defended to the last drop of blood..." - Segment from Order 227 "Not a step back"

I think an option in CM2 would be nice, although it is obvious that any major changes to CM1 are out of the question at this point. I would like an option in QB's to have "realistic" values and, well, the ones we have now. Massed T-34's the likes of which were seen on the Eastern front cannot be achieved if the T-34 in question costs about the same as a PZ4. Of course, the experience rates should also be tallied into this "realistic option". I know Im going to come up against strong disagrement here, but I think that because of the massed assaults the Soviets used to such success in the later days of the war (well, success to the high command, that is) most of the combatants should be in the lower experience levels. I believe that in the "realistic option", experience level should not be allowed to be chosen at all. In real war, the commander doesn't go through his ranks and pick out his "best", because that is hard to do. A tanker could have spent 2 years in the war, but his "just conscripted" buddy may still have better aim through pure skill. So the skill level of your men should be pretty random as far as tanks go, and should generally improve the later you set the date of the QB. Also, "elite" units should lower the chance of you getting low-quality men when you purchase them. So, a regular tank platoon might have quite a bit of "greens" and "conscripts", while a "Guards" tank platoon would have a bit more hard-core vets. If any of you managed to understand the point I was trying to get across, I'd appreciate your comments and thoughts. Cheers! ------------------ "...Every position, every meter of Soviet soil must be defended to the last drop of blood..." - Segment from Order 227 "Not a step back"

Damn it! Now Im going to have to flip through the next 8 issues of PC Gamer while they hail this game ( along with Red Alert 2 ::shudder:: ) as the best games of 2000-2010 I pity William R. Trotter for being in a mag that is now completely over run by imbecilic (sorry for the spelling there) lowlives, with the only space wargames get is his own tiny one page collumn, while the latest "C&C" or "Starcrap" clone gets untold of (and undeserved) praise. I only really buy the mag now-a-daysto see what Trotter has to say. ------------------ "...Every position, every meter of Soviet soil must be defended to the last drop of blood..." - Segment from Order 227 "Not a step back" [This message has been edited by The Commissar (edited 12-16-2000).]

Tovarish, I dont think you will have much luck finiding very detailed information on Soviet tactics or armor, especially from the source itself. Soviets were very secretive, and modern-day Russians continue this practice. There is some good info in several good books I've seen about the place. Most of these are from Western historians, however. ------------------ "...Every position, every meter of Soviet soil must be defended to the last drop of blood..." - Segment from Order 227 "Not a step back"

Pedro, "A less offensive AFV"? Um, that was an actual AFV, and offensive as it was, it has every right to be included. You put the best of everything on a banner, which means your best tanks, soldiers, and air craft. Putting a wimpy tank on the banner, coupled with a 60 year old from the Volksturm wouldn't be much of a poster. Although I do think that some people would be offended by the SS character. Change him to a battle-heartened soldier, add a disclaimer, and you'll do fine. [This message has been edited by The Commissar (edited 12-13-2000).]

jshandorf, Ah, but tis a joke! I mean no harm to our unfortunate friend. In fact, I have the "Our Boys in France" movie he was referring to, until my HD crashed and I had to reinstall everything, that is. I had the page book marked, so I would have known if it was down, but alas, the HD crashed. So I've nothing to contribute but "witticism"...I like that word, BTW!