M. Bates

NOOOOOO!!!! This rarity system will just add complications and shut down choices.

Don't you people have any taste at all? Those soldiers originally in the photo have quite probably been killed while on foreign soil, and all you can do is vandalise their image by carving away their faces and substituting them for hamsters. ------------------ "War is like the cinema. The best seats are at the back... the front is all flicker." - Monte Cassino by Sven Hassel

I will prefer PBEM to TCP/IP, but TCP/IP will be a nice option. But PBEM is fun because you can plan out the moves and let them run through your head (cue deveilish laughter). ------------------ "War is like the cinema. The best seats are at the back... the front is all flicker." - Monte Cassino by Sven Hassel

Try searching under "screen grab" in the forum search. ------------------ "War is like the cinema. The best seats are at the back... the front is all flicker." - Monte Cassino by Sven Hassel

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>That's why we Americans fought on Omaha and Utah...to make the world safe for Democracy and the American way of life...<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Can other nations join in too? We'll even let you build a MacDonalds at the end of every road and allow you to write all the history books, excerpts of which are printed on the side of Happy Meal boxes to coincide with the release of Saving Private Ryan 2. ------------------ "War is like the cinema. The best seats are at the back... the front is all flicker." - Monte Cassino by Sven Hassel [This message has been edited by M. Bates (edited 09-28-2000).]

Sorry about this, but I could hardly email him

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Pretend that 3 of the 5 beaches didn't exist? For all the opposition that was there, they might as well have not existed. Gold, Juno, and Sword were like assaulting Atlantic City, Ocean City, and Fort Lauderdale. (oh boy I can feel the flames on my back as I'm typing).<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> How pathetic. ------------------ "War is like the cinema. The best seats are at the back... the front is all flicker." - Monte Cassino by Sven Hassel

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Would you like to add anything?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I just did, for the second time. ------------------ "War is like the cinema. The best seats are at the back... the front is all flicker." - Monte Cassino by Sven Hassel

Why not try mentioning the Americans even more - you could then pretend that 3 of the 5 D-Day beaches never existed!!

Cut out all the unnecessary brick graphics, only use what you need.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Actually, the best way to beat the Tigers was displayed by the US Army in WW2. What you do is, you get a bunch of heavy bombers and bomb the crap out of the oil production centers. Then, you get a bunch of medium bombers and bomb the crap out of the the transport network. Then, you get a bunch of tactical fighter-bombers and blow away all the trucks and ammo carriers that supply the Tigers with fuel, food, ammunition, etc. Some think you should attack the Tigers themselves, but this is generally ineffective, despite the reports of the USAAF detroying every Tiger ever produced during WW2 6 times in the three months surrounding D-Day.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> USA! USA! It's official, no other air force EXISTED!

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>By "out in the field", do you mean sitting on thier asses in front of a computer screen?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> That made me chuckle! ------------------ "War is like the cinema. The best seats are at the back... the front is all flicker." - Monte Cassino by Sven Hassel

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Block test of the sort used by CM is resistant to stuffing, maybe a 10% gain in Zip format (give it a wirl). I think one of the reasons a text file is used is that every server knows how to handle that MIME type. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Hmmm. the upshot of all of this is that CM2 will be more complex, the PBEM files will be bigger, and yet most people will still be using 56k modems. ------------------ "War is like the cinema. The best seats are at the back... the front is all flicker." - Monte Cassino by Sven Hassel

Maybe you guys are straying from the point a bit. [This message has been edited by M. Bates (edited 09-26-2000).]

Okay, I have just cleared a "batch" of PBEMs, and I have come up with an idea as a result of these experiences. How about, when Combat Mission asks you to save the PBEM file, that it compresses the resulting file, perhaps cutting the size to two thirds or a half. This special file is then mailed to your opponent, who then opens it in Combat Mission, which then "expands" the game file. This would reduce the huge amount of time involved in swapping files. BTS must have some insight into how these PBEM files are created by CM, so perhaps they would be best placed to optimise these files, whereas if you do it with a Zip stuffer, the PBEM file is treated like any other computer file. Any mileage in this idea? ------------------ "War is like the cinema. The best seats are at the back... the front is all flicker." - Monte Cassino by Sven Hassel

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>So how will the same game model battles like Katutov's exploits and the combat-inept units in the 1941 disintegrating front lines with the same units? IOt will be interesting to see...<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> That's a good point. Maybe CM2 could have scenarios which swing one way then the other, or micro missions within a scenario, depending on the state of the game half way through. ------------------ "War is like the cinema. The best seats are at the back... the front is all flicker." - Monte Cassino by Sven Hassel

BT Internet is the best. They have had toll-free access since early this year, it's something like £14.99 for 24 hour free access.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Once the attacker (after July, 1943, inevitably the Soviets) had amassed sufficient supplies near the front, the offensive would resume. The trenchlines would be broached quickly and mobile warfare would ensue.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Nevertheless, trenches or entrenched positions existed, often for a long time. If you look at the Eastern front, it wasn't until quite a bit later that the Russians really could roll back the Germans. I just have the gut feeling, that something will have to change, because in CM1 land can be gained cheaply and quickly. The controls over your forces will have to be improved. We already have fox holes, so trenches are not too much of a stretch, perhaps the work on trenches could go further, and be made proper 3D aspects of the landscape. My fear is that CM2 will be a simulation only of the attacks and counter attacks. the style is fine for CM1, but having two opposing forces at each end of map and then "ready, set, go claim the middle ground!" won't cut it for CM2. The potential is there for a good Eastern Front simulation, but changes are needed. [This message has been edited by M. Bates (edited 09-25-2000).]

I don't get it either. It really gets tiresome unless you know what the reason is. ------------------ "War is like the cinema. The best seats are at the back... the front is all flicker." - Monte Cassino by Sven Hassel

Just asking this, because the aspects of CM1 are quite a bit different to CM2. In this first game, the Allies are advancing and pushing back the Germans, it is a very mobile, "fluid" kind of game, which is fine. But in CM2 the two sides were digging in a lot, partly because of their conditions, and also because of the way the war was going. So will CM2 be simulating this type of trench warfare? [This message has been edited by M. Bates (edited 09-24-2000).]

Good work. [This message has been edited by M. Bates (edited 09-24-2000).]

What is a Hetzer? ------------------ "War is like the cinema. The best seats are at the back... the front is all flicker." - Monte Cassino by Sven Hassel

I agree with you! ------------------ "War is like the cinema. The best seats are at the back... the front is all flicker." - Monte Cassino by Sven Hassel

Sorry about that, everything should be okay now. Thanks for informing me about that! ------------------ "War is like the cinema. The best seats are at the back... the front is all flicker." - Monte Cassino by Sven Hassel

There really isn't any way around this, you'll have to put up with copying and pasting It must be said though, that if you have a good system (folders, etc), this process ain't quite so bad. ------------------ "War is like the cinema. The best seats are at the back... the front is all flicker." - Monte Cassino by Sven Hassel