Col Deadmarsh

Ah...I forgot about that. Still, it would be nice to have some sort of idea how fast each vehicle or weapon fires, even if it's a vague one like the turret speed (i.e.--fast, medium, slow).

One thing I'd like to add to the CMBB long list of wish items is for BTS to put the firing rate of vehicles and guns on the unit screen during the move phase. It seems to be one of the only important items left out.

When I click on the link to the site from the program, I get a 404 error. No page up or anything. Did they move it?

I'm confused as to what you guys are talking about. A mortar has indirect fire on a target by a HQ unit that DOES have LOS. Now...what's all this business about moving after firing? Are you saying the mortar can fire, move away, and fire from a different position without having the HQ spot for them again?

I think I solved the problem with the freezing. A new sound card seems to have done the trick. No lock-ups in CM or Windows Media Player so far. I tried to find a Turtle Beach Santa Cruz card but no major stores carry them...even here in Los Angeles. I went with the Sound Blaster Live instead since it's supposed to be better for games--better quality of sound they say. Thanks for the help.

Well, this is interesting... I decided to try Madmatt's sound card test before I did anything rash like screw with the BIOS and I might've found what was wrong...maybe. I loaded up the game, turned off the sound, and I'm not getting any lock-ups. In addition to that, I've also gone into my Device Manager to look at the IRQ settings and I apparently have a whole crapload of stuff on the same IRQ channel, #9. Here is what I found: IRQ 0 System timer OK IRQ 1 Standard 101/102-Key or Microsoft Natural PS/2 Keyboard OK IRQ 3 Communications Port (COM2) OK IRQ 4 Communications Port (COM1) OK IRQ 6 Standard floppy disk controller OK IRQ 8 System CMOS/real time clock OK IRQ 9 Microsoft ACPI-Compliant System OK IRQ 9 NVIDIA GeForce2 MX/MX 400 OK IRQ 9 VIA Rev 5 or later USB Universal Host Controller OK IRQ 9 VIA Rev 5 or later USB Universal Host Controller OK IRQ 9 3Com 3C900B-TPO Ethernet Adapter (Generic) OK IRQ 9 Vortex Multifunction PCI Parent OK IRQ 9 Aureal Vortex 8820 Audio (WDM) OK IRQ 9 Promise Technology Inc. Ultra IDE Controller OK IRQ 12 PS/2 Compatible Mouse OK IRQ 13 Numeric data processor OK IRQ 14 Primary IDE Channel OK IRQ 15 Secondary IDE Channel OK What do you guys think? Would it say if there was a conflict or might my computer not be able to detect it? Should I try moving some of this stuff to another channel and if so, can you tell me how to do it? I really appreciate the help Schrull. It's been very informative to say the least.

A couple of questions... Do I need to uninstall Win XP and go back to 98SE to make my boot disk for this flasher or is there an easier way? What is the difference between the 4 in 1 drivers and the BIOS update in which I have to Flash my BIOS? Madmatt, how does one check to see if you have more than 1 piece of hardware sharing an IRQ slot? I can check to see which one my sound card is on but is there a way to get a list of what's on each IRQ?

Schrull, I downloaded the BIOS drivers from ASUS (1008a) but I don't see any instructions anywhere on how to update the BIOS. Plus, when I unpacked the folder and tried to run it, Windows didn't know how to open the file which is an AWD file...whatever the hell that is. Can you or someone else help me out here? I have no idea about what to do next. P.S.--Just today after changing around my memory cards making sure that wasn't the problem, I got a screen upon boot-up telling me my BIOS wasn't ACPI compliant...the first note of this I had seen. Does this mean for sure that my problem lies in the BIOS and not with something else?

Okay, I'm really confused and frustrated here... Rus, I already installed the via 4 in 1 drivers that Schrull recommended. I'm not sure if they installed since some of the driver dates I've been looking at say 2001 but I'm going to assume they did. Now...what am I supposed to download from ASUS and install over that? They don't have any directions for people who don't know what they're doing. Are there more drivers than just the via 4 in 1? Remember, my motherboard is VIA chipset like Schrull said. I need to know exactly what to download at ASUS site cause it's very confusing to me.

Okay Schrullencraft, I just updated the drivers for the BIOS but Windows is still locking up, this time when CM was minimized. I'm not sure if the BIOS was updated or not, even after I restarted my computer. I was looking at the driver details in System Devices and under for instance, VIA CPU to AGP Controller, the driver date is 10/6/2001. That can't be right, can it? Is there a way to check and see for sure if this thing has updated the BIOS or not so I know where to go from here? Thanks. [ March 29, 2002, 10:14 PM: Message edited by: Colonel_Deadmarsh ]

Actually, it said WinXP isn't compatible with my scanner drivers although I haven't uninstalled the software yet or upgraded. Would this really cause my system to freeze, even when I'm not trying to use the scanner? I'll update those drivers right now and see if that works. In the mean time, I've also taken off Rambooster and other start up programs to see if that helps.

I just upgraded to XP from Win98 SE and I'm experiencing lock-ups within minutes of going into the map screen. At first when I upgraded, I was getting the transparent white type problem. Then I went to guru3d.com and got the 28.32 driver and installed it. That took care of the transparency problem but now it's locking up the game. My system is: AMD 1.33, 384 MB RAM, Hercules 3-D Prophet II MX, Asus MB A7V133. Anyone got any ideas on what to do now? Could it be a problem with the BIOS? Update: Windows is locking up in other programs too like Excel. [ March 29, 2002, 12:49 AM: Message edited by: Colonel_Deadmarsh ]

I saw the troubleshooting that said there were some graphical issues with these OS's but that the patch for the vid drivers seemed to clear it up. Any other problems updating to one of these systems before I do so?

Good point.

I second that post. The modders have done an outstanding job sprucing up the aesthetics of this game. I'm looking forward to trying out the new Field and Stream mods in CMMOS myself.

You people that have played countless battles of CM, what have you noticed in the ways of vehicles bogging? Do they bog more easily going up hills or just as easily on flat terrain? More so in scattered trees or more so in open ground?

I agree. I think the lists are mutually exclusive. Trying to meld them together for ladder play will probably end up hurting you.

Does anybody still play on the CAL ladder or am I the only one left? Someone said that gamey force selections like taking 10 guns a game have been eliminated. Is this true? Has that ladder become what the CAL was set up to do? If no one is using the CAL ladder anymore, I suggest it be turned into a ladder for PBEM games only--hopefully using the honor system. That way, those of us over there who only get to play a few games a month can be recognized too for our skills. It doesn't do a PBEM player any good to rank himself with TCP players when he can't compete with them in games played.

I don't have a problem discussing unit selection as long as the tactics involved are discussed too. After all, the two go hand in hand. Going back to these "everyone takes these units because they're the best" theory...I believe that there is a solution to every problem. Therefore, if you notice that all players playing British are taking the same units and invariably using the same tactics which bring out the strengths in these units, then that can be countered by taking a certain unit selection and employing a certain tactic yourself. Knowing what your enemy is taking and having a rough idea of what he's capable with using these units can give you an advantage. For instance, let's say you are the Germans, your opponent is the British and you are playing in heavy woods. If you are seeing a lot of Wasps in these scenarios, then your counter to that might be to buy 20mm halftracks which are cheap and will get rid of the Wasps at the lowest cost to you. If you are the British and you know that your opponent will need to flank you on one side to get to your Wasps who are sitting in front of the one major flag on the board, then you can set a trap on that flank which will take advantage of this. In short, knowing what to look for from your enemy should bring you an advantage when you choose your own units. Although some units are of more value than others, I don't believe there is any force selection in CM which is "foolproof."

There's 2 ladders at Tournament House. Some of us, like myself, play on the CAL ladder there. It's a more realistic unit selection that prevents "working the system." The ladder Swamp is on is the reguar ladder over there where anything goes.

SWOTL, yeah baby! That game kicked! And for some reason, no one remembers it.

What are you doing napping at work? Is that what we pay you for?

That can be answered together with how he manages to escape bad luck. His play and unit selection style changed noticable over the last year, so take everything said as independent of one person. He does not rely on vehicles or other units that are costly but can be taken out with single shots. He may have some HE support tanks or some tank hunters, but they are kept at a minimum, he does not rely on them. So, if your dice rools 5 times in a game and everytime you get the bad number, and you have vehicles, you lose 5 vehicles, which will doom you. For an infantry force, the dice has to roll -say- 20 times bad in a row to damage your force into defeat, which will happen much less often. So he has a constant base to play on, his games are as far as his forces are concerned constant, and that allows him to gain experience. And means experience with very high reuse value. And *many* games. On top of that, this force can play in most conditions but extremly open terrain (in that case towed guns will play their role). Bad visibility, mud, no problem. Not only is it not a problem, he can reuse and further finetune the handling of this force. So is imitating him a good idea if you want to be on the top of that ladder? I'd say no, since there is no way to offset his experience. It also makes few sense, since to get to the top, you need high probability of win, and overwhelming wins. Getting the points to raise from the middle field to the top 10 is probably better done by taking some risks. Better some losses taken if they enable many high-score victories. Only when you are on top, you should consider changing to a no-loss policy. Of course, you will screw up when you change tactics, but only temporarily. Compare him with Ghost358th, the second on the ladder. He always takes fancy stuff and blows people to hell with lots of towed guns (and can lose by getting a bad map) or enjoys the hell out of the barbequeue that a platoon of Wasps makes reinforced by airborne Churchill VIII (and can lose to 20mm halftracks and a Schreck). Ghost loses against rather average players from time to time, and he won't have such a win streak as Swamp. But on the whole he collects an awful lot of points from players who are completely caught off balance. Overall, playing CMBO like this is somewhat like bow-shooting: first you need to stabilize everything related to your performance, don't care about what you hit, as long as you always hit the same point. Only then, try to improve it, while keeping it stable.</font>

Stop, you're getting me hot and bothered. Damn, I wish my girlfriend was here...

52 consecutive wins. I have to say, I'm impressed. So what's his secret to winning? Has anyone here broken down his strategy and figured out how one man can win 52 straight games in CM? I can't for the life of me figure out how someone can do this in this particular game given the amount of luck that's involved. Surely, luck has swung in his oppositions' favor a number of times during his battles and yet he has still managed to win. Does anyone have any theories on how this can be? I keep hearing about great infantry and arty tactics. Can anyone confirm this? Anyway, my hat's off to this guy. I'm dying to play him just to see these legendary tactics.