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Diceman

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Posts posted by Diceman

  1. In this particular case, the carrier popped up on the map as a reinforcement the turn before this one, and I was pretty much stuck between a rock and a hard place. I'm a big fan of CMBO, and under most circumstances, I avoid this problem; however it's a real frustration when it happens.

    I was wishing for the covered arc command real bad when I plotted that turn, and I don't much care for wishin' when I can have the real thing. It's kind of like wishin' for a glass of cold water on a hot summer's day, when the fridgerator is just inside the door. We'll just have to see how hot it gets before BFC revisits the western front.

    CMBO is IMHO the best Western Front tactical wargame out there, but I see so much potential with the improvements in CMBB, I'm just flabergasted.

  2. Originally posted by MikeyD:

    [QB]Hey, looks like bad generalship on your part to get flanked by an anti-tank weapon! Wha'ts that old saying "A bad craftsman blames his tools." ;)

    Point well taken, ;) however, that's the problem. I'm not outflanked. The carrier and passenger won't survive the next two minutes, Panther or no Panther. They'll go the way of the squad of engineers just outside the screenshots.

    CMBB's covered arc commands will allow for a much more organized, disciplined, and intelligent defense.

  3. Why I will not be playing CMBO once I get CMBB. A pictorial.

    Shot one: A Panther targets a Chirchill Crocodile, while a Sherman hides behind a building having been spooked by the Panther. Meanwhile, a bren carrier races across a field to the Panthers left:

    Panthera.jpg

    18 Seconds latter: dead Churchill:

    Pantherb.jpg

    Now, in spite of the fact a known threat is just out of targeting reach, the Panther starts trying to collect tin cans even as the Sherman starts moving into view:

    Pantherc.jpg

    The Panther fixates on the carrier, even as the Sherman comes into view and targets the Sherman:

    Pantherd.jpg

    Result: One dead Panther

    Panthere.jpg

    Normaly I play quick battles and don't have this problem very much, but in scenarios where force composition, placements, and reinforcements can be dictated by the designer such situations can be impossible to avoid.

    The new covered arc comand in CMBB is a godsend, and it alone makes playing CMBB over CMBO a no-brainer for me.

    P.S. Does anyone know a program to get GOOD quality screenshots? In spite of my best efforts, these are sub par.

  4. I can't find the reference but I've read that the rear machinegun on the KV an IS series was virtually worthless in combat. With the KV series this is especially true, because without a cupola, the gun was completely blind. I think the way things are now is the most realistic. If I find the reference I'll let you know.

  5. The two demos do a very good job of showing off the new game features, but a good Wild Bill Wilder suspense thriller would do more to capture the imaginations of first time players. Unfortunately, to add one to the demo, you'd either need to add some 1941 era armor to the Germans, or 1943 era infantry to both sides.

    The two scenarios do a good job of giving players a taste of '41, and '43, but just a taste. Not enough TO&E to get real fancy. Of course, making a complex scenario would have made the download that much larger.

  6. Originally posted by jhdeerslayer:

    I got boats a few turns latter. I suggest having Americans enter much closer to river so you sepend less time moving them to the river and all. So far, a fun and interesting scenario. Many turns to go for me and my old pal Stoffel.

    Sorry I hadn't gotten with you all earlier. I've been busy with other things. I changed the boat appearance time and set the likelihood of arrival at 100%. Duly noted on the reinforcement locations, makes for unnecessary logistics. I can't remember, how many turns does it take to get to the river? This scenario is all about timing, and I'll have to adjust their appearance accordingly. Any other feedback on reinforcement timing and location will be much appreciated.
  7. I ran a test using the Citadel Schwerpunkt scenario to evaluate the modeling of higher caliber weapon penetrations. I selected +200% for Allied forces in order to have 6 KV1-S tanks to play with.

    The engagement starts at a range of approximately 360 yards, with the KV-1s hull down.

    By vehicle here’s the blow by blow of what happened to the KVs:

    KV1-S HQ 1 Plt

    Turn 6:

    Second 6: Penetrated and knocked out, 3 casualties, crew bailing. Tank NOT ID’d as KO’d.

    Second 15: Penetrated twice within a fraction of a second. Turret knocked off its ring, one additional casualty caused, tank ID’d as KO’d.

    KV1-S vehicle 2 1Plt

    Turn 6:

    Second 59 Penetrated and knocked out, 3 casualties, crew bailing. Tank NOT ID’d as KO’d.

    Turn 7:

    Second 5: Tank untargeted while crew still bailing. Tank ID’d as abandoned when bailout complete a few seconds latter.

    KV1-S vehicle 1 IND

    Turn 6:

    Second 49: Penetrated and knocked out, 2 casualties, crew bailing. Tank NOT ID’d as KO’d.

    Second 59: Penetrated, 1 additional casualty. Tank NOT ID’d as KO’d.

    Turn 7:

    Second 9: Penetrated twice within a fraction of a second, 1 additional casualty. Tank NOT ID’d as KO’d.

    Second 18: Penetrated, bailout complete, Vehicle ID’d as KO’d.

    KV1-S vehicle 2 IND

    Turn 7:

    Second 49: Partial penetration, no serious damage, crew shaken.

    Second 56: Gun hit, no serious damage.

    Turn 8:

    Second 10: Catastrophic hit: really nice three dimensional explosion. Smoke even comes out of the bottom escape hatch. Tank ID’d as KO’d immediately. No survivors.

    KV1-S vehicle 3 IND

    turn 6:

    Second 25: Penetrated and knocked out, 2 casualties, crew bailing. Tank NOT ID’d as KO’d.

    Second 33: Penetrated, no additional casualties. Tank NOT ID’d as KO’d.

    Second 36: Penetrated, 1 additional casualty. Tank NOT ID’d as KO’d.

    Second 44: Partial penetration, no additional casualties. Tank NOT ID’d as KO’d.

    Second 46: Bailout complete, Vehicle ID’d as KO’d.

    KV1-S vehicle 4 IND

    Turn 6:

    Second 22: Partial penetration, 1 casualty, crew bailing out. Tank NOT ID’d as KO’d.

    Second 32: Penetrated, 2 additional casualties. Tank NOT ID’d as KO’d.

    Second 33: Bailout complete, Vehicle ID’d as KO’d.

    Draw your own conclusions, but I was impressed by the execution of the new KO modeling features as demonstrated in this test. Clearly a great deal of research, thought, coding, testing, and refining went into this. I say well done BFC!

  8. You may also consider emptying your temporary internet files cache or expanding the amount of disk space your internet cache can use. I've had download accelerators treat a download as finished when in fact my cache was full and the download terminated prematurely. You may also check your download settings. Perhaps your accelerator is sectioning the download into bits and not reconstructing it properly. Deselect that download feature if that's what you are doing and try it again.

  9. Originally posted by Chad Harrison:

    The reason I asked, was because I was wondering if we should expect to see any changes to CMBB from what we see in the demo? Im not talking about sounds and stuff, I mean CHANGES. Perhaps teh T-34's turret armor being a little more realistic? (Dont ask me if it was that easy to penetrate! All the grogs seem to be up in arms about it)

    Chad Harrison[/QB]

    Although I don't qualify as a grog, I think it's fair to say this is another missconception being shattered. The model is consistant with the best available data on the subject.

    In tests I've run at ranges in excess of 500 meters you can expect to expend your entire inventory of AP ammo to get a kill, and at 600 meters, you can forget about taking a T-34 out at all. Seems consistant with its reputation to me. Yes, you'll get penetrations at 500+ meters, but the remaining energy is so low that it's the stuff that stories of crew members finding shells in their laps are made of. It took me several shots before I could get effective penetrations at 500+ yards, 600+ yards was clearly a waste of ammo.

  10. Originally posted by Michael Dorosh:

    There are a lot of mods out there that personally I don't think should have seen the light of day, but I wouldn't be so crass, unthinking and unfeeling as to say it to anyone.

    Very well put.

    As far as shockwaves go: having spent more time on Ft Sill than I care to think about, I can tell you the new artillery representation is much more realistic. This isn't the Somme in April over land that’s been shelled periodically for years. Besides that, I think the biggest piece in the demo is what 75mm? That's puny stuff. I think the graphical representation does a fine job of communicating what's going on while not exaggerating things too much - and yes they are a huge exaggeration of the real thing. Watching heavy artillery for the first time was a big letdown. It's really unspectacular and boring, except at night, that is TOO COOL! But during daylight it's not much of a pyrotechnics display. The shockwaves had a nice cool factor to them, but they were completely unrealistic. I've seen artillery up to 8", and there is no visible shockwave. Overall, I really like the feel of the new artillery.

    I think the game gives a much better representation of combat than CMBO. I think the graphic changes give the game a much more immersive quality. There is more to make it feel real, and the cool but illusion shattering shockwaves are out, as well as overly brave troops, and eagle eye tankers.

    There isn't a thing I've seen that caused me to think "Oh man I wish they had done this instead."

    I applaud those who are making comments with the intent of making the game even better. BFC went through more than one paradigm shift because of feedback given on this board; however, I don't see an issue raised that goes beyond different into the realm of improvement. No disrespect intended. Just my 2 cents.

  11. Originally posted by YankeeDog:

    [MINOR SPOILERS CONTAINED - REVEALS SOME INFO ABOUT ENEMY FORCE DISPOSITION IN DEMO SCENARIOS]

    I think the jury is still very much out on this. Of the two demo scenarios I have played (I have not played Citadel Schwerpunkt yet as I am saving it for double-blind PBEM), I have seen a several T-34s KOed by the 37mm.

    However, this has only happened at very close range (under 200m), and the penetrations have all been to the turret. It has also usually taken several penetrations to KO the tank, which seems to happen usually due to crew casualty or break.

    It's also worth noting that the 37mm PAKs in Yelnia Stare have a fair number of tungsten rounds, which further improves their chances.

    I don't think of this as a good basis to evaluate the T-34 vs. 37mm issue - sub-200m ranges is really not how you want to be engaging small ATGs with a tank, and while I don't have the expertise of a Rexford in these matters, it doesn't really surprise me that the Pak 36 could penetrate an early war T-34 at these ranges in the turret, especially if Tungsten ammo is involved.

    When the full version comes out, if I start losing T34s to 37mms at 500m + ranges, then I will complain.

    Remember the US 37mm from CMBO? It's basically the same gun as the Pak 36 (the US mostly copied the German design). Think about all of the PzIVs you've lost to the 37mm at close range in CMBO. . .

    Cheers,

    YD

    I don't see any tungsten listed, but at 500 meters the sweet spot for a turret penetration should be a very narrow portion of the turret front. Having said that, the turret front of the 1940 model looks poorly designed with a shot trap from hell. Has anyone playing as the Russians had a weak spot, or shot trap penetration?

    Also, just because it's physically possible to get a penetration doesn't mean that the troops using the gun had confidence in it. Everything I've seen so far is consistent with histories I've read on the 3.7cm PaK35/36 L/45.

  12. Oh let me take a wag or two having not played the game at all:

    The curvature of the Panther Front Turret is under modeled.

    The curvature of the Panther Turret is over modeled.

    MGs are too wimpy.

    MGs are over rated. Actually I plan on looking very closely at the accuracy of MGs that fire practically blind such as hull mount and rear turret mount MGs but mostly I expect a lot of whining about MGs in general.

    My KV-1 won't get out of first gear.

    Why are KV-1s allowed their full rate of speed when EVERYONE knows in '41 they couldn't get out of first gear.

    I just read an account of a Marder's steering system crapping out just as it was about to get into firing position, why aren't field breakdowns modeled?

    Oh come on, a Tiger should be able to run 150 KM on its own tracks before a breakdown; mine broke down in 150 meters! BTS fix or do somefink!

    Why can't we select visibility setting to simulate dust?

    The dust simulating setting are too high, it aint fog you know!

    The Russians are too stubborn and fanatical. How could they have lost so many troops if they were this good?

    The Russians are not stubborn and fanatical enough. Sure they sucked operationally and strategically in '41, but the grunts in the ditches were feared and respected by the Germans!

    That's all I can think of on the top of my head.

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