Holien

FYI - Just finishing off Le Desert and I would recommend it as a pretty good H2H game. Very intense action and could have swung either way. I think it could be tweaked to allow the US player the choice at set up to place key defences as this will allow for re playability. Not sure why Jon locked those choices down? The only slight complaint (and it is a small murmur) is the amount of arty but both sides benefit from this and arty in CMBN really hurts when it hits home...

OK so Panther can be killed easily with Turret shots but hull shots they should be OK. Good to know, I am sure I perhaps once knew this but I am a bit older since CM1. Thanks

What about the Turret? I have skimmed the test reports and can find no conclusion on the ability to penetrate turrets front on of the Panther?

Well a second Panther (in Battle) has just died front on from a M10. 1st shot I saw missed (could have been others I did not see) 2nd Shot partial penetration. 3rd Shot kill I think via a Turret hit? So I guess Turret is the weak spot... Mind you I am hoping I have whacked the killer with a side turret shot from Mr Lucky the other Panther... but video stopped before results could be seen.....

Here is the video I had thought the M10 could take out a Panther front on? I did some reading of other threads earlier in the game and I thought I read the Panther could be taken? Anyway glad it did not die, and surprised it took three attempts to hit the M10 at such short range...

Just getting video on to You Tube. I saw the thread about your losses and just watched the video that is a serious dent in your plan. It did happen and I can remember reading about officers planning an attack getting wiped by mortar round. Wiped out a lot of senior men in one go. Not nice...

I knew this post was coming... I just knew it... Video to follow shortly. And yes Jon this is still all your fault!!!

Are you losing? Post me some screen shots so I can see better?

Well if designers don't make big enough maps what do you expect!!! All I was doing is trying to dodge minefields.. (Which BTW I failed!!!)

FYI I did not get the Panther through the gap and there were certainly delay issues. But without testing I can not say this would be case all the time. IMO IRL the Panther would have nudged the half track aside as it was not 90% to gap and a little sideways shove would have been possible. In the Game the Panther rotated 360% and ended with it's rear facing the gap. Which if there had been someone behind it would have been terminal!! As it was the so**ing Zooka Teams were dead or running for their lives. BTW this is all your fault Jon! Your scenario!!! I won't reveal name to avoid spoilers for people.

The AT mines in themselves would do that?

Thanks Phil for helping to explain the coding issues behind this thread. To people not versed in the arts of coding it all seems so simple. If it was then it would be in there already. Anyway good to get a response from someone who knows what they are talking about. All too often (and I put myself in this category) these discussions are based on very little knowledge of how difficult it is to make things happen in the game like the real world. We keep forgetting that real life is incredibly complex and while computers and programming have come along a fair way since the ZX Spectrum we are still a far distance from getting it "perfect" with the pixels. Perhaps if we were able to get it "Perfect" we would be in the Matrix and not playing CMBN?

FYI the Panther has given up trying to get through the gap. The Half Track behind it got through OK but the Panther wasted several turns trying and failing so I gave up as it is time critical and I need the Panther on the other side. So in a way I should be jumping up and down saying the Panther should have pushed it's way through by nudging the half track aside.... I can live with it and explain it away as some crews did insane things. I think I read a quote from Otto Carius on German Tank crews towards the end of the war that did not keep the front of the tank to the enemy and turned side on getting knocked out. It happens and while we are gods of the battlefield real men in stress make poor choices time and time again. The game does a good job of recreating the WW2 battlefield and if it can be tweaked further that would be good. By people raising these points these things get on the radar of the Dev team and they can make the choice as to if it is a bug or as designed.

It would be good if it can be sorted especially if a tank gets knocked out as in effect it should block the path. Smaller vehicles could be pushed away and as long as the code allowed for that it would be good. As a player it would be annoying that a gap got blocked when something larger and heavier would in real life push it aside.... The game is getting better and better and the HMG improvements are something where a bit of feeback from the players has influenced some changes. Maybe something will be possible for the future, but either way will not stop me from playing the game.

Yes at edge of map... I hug edges... It could be the AI does not deal well with edges? The Engineer Half Track is floating off edge and the AI drove it there, not me in attempt to flee Dead Eye John the now dead Bazooka man who will no doubt get a Medal of Honour for all the hits he got on my Half Tracks!!!

FYI this has not broken Jims chances of winning and if anything has helped him, but I won't go into too much details as the game is still in progress... I can see people getting vexed but there is a gap and IRL the Panther would push it's way through. In the game it has just danced all over the gap and not gone through. So in this situation IMO it really has had no negative effect for Jim. Of course he is very welcome to claim otherwise. Especially if he loses. (Which I doubt at the moment based upon what I know. But of course I will be doing my hardest to win despite a whole bunch of set backs like the AI running a Squad not into a building but next to the building where upon they got shot to bits.... But hey that is war and not a game breaker for me, I just grin (or scream) and bear it...)

Yes agree I do not view it as game breaker, a slight annoyance but not a game breaker or even close. Jim does get quite passionate and comes at it with a different perspective.

Here are some shots to help explain. The gap IMO is not totally blocked but it is causing graphically glitches as shown by these shots. Panther in Half Track1 by msj_1, on Flickr Panther in Half Track2 by msj_1, on Flickr Panther in Half Track3 by msj_1, on Flickr I do not think it is a show stopper as it is just a game and nothing can ever be perfect. The gap being blocked has delayed me and caused me problems so by "blocking it" it has given Jim a good advantage. For me this game has been a Zooka fest and I only wish they worked as well for me as they have done in this game... Obviously it would be good if it could be improved but I guess we are limited by Technology and if it could be sorted it would be... Anyway hope these images help explain.. H

From my memory they were pretty close. Barrel through the windows at one stage... Earlier on they were at a distance and I think less effective. The Stuart HE rounds did more damage at a distance against my troops in buildings. Which I guess is a fair cop... I will watch out for it when I play CMFI next...

Thanks, just found it once I got my mind around FGM For others the linky poo is here:- http://www.thefewgoodmen.com/home/?page_id=262 They also have the Sie Kommen II Battle Packs (43.9 MiB) Which I can not recommend highly enough. I will have a crack at Vire once the blood bath that is "Le Desert" is finished. So far 15 minutes into "Le Desert" and it has been violent action right from the start and too early to comment on balance. Mind you I have made some awful mistakes which I have yet to see if I can recover from...

And show it was in the end. German 20mm is no use against the Stuart!! The Stuarts could win the scenario by themselves... Canister against my troops in the houses was very effective and they ended up like Swiss Cheese...

Thanks Nelson. I will dig it out.

Yes a good challenge and lots to think about as attacker and defender, so plenty of choices to make and a nice map to fight over...

The whole question of H2H and balance is a minefield and ultimately I guess the only way is through these sort of stats. BTW I am going to give Le Desert a go with Jim with me as Germans. Will be interesting to see how I get on with it. Bois was a great map and the memories of the game are still imprinted on me... So excellent work...

Hi Jon, Yes I think you are right with the middle number. I have usually expanded the details to exact number of wins / draws. I played Bois De Baugin and lost as the Germans. The Americans are just way too powerful and I was rolled. I did my best and fought a desperate rear guard action but my TD's were just hit by too many American shells and the guns put out of action, despite my armour bouncing the shells coming at me... I enjoyed the challenge but it was a hopeless fight. Maybe the new HMG model would help the Germans and I would certainly think about different ways to win by using the woods to better effect. If you add my result that would be 6 losses to the Germans and I am a reasonable player and my oppo was Sublime if I remember correctly. He had just started to play and used his armour well.