Snake Eyes

How about 'Combat Mission: Booboorosa'?

The PIAT was described as 'violent to fire'. In an action in Italy Fusilier Jefferson ran into the open and fired his PIAT from the hip; stopping two Tigers at close range. He was awarded the Victoria Cross. The general opinion in the ranks was that he deserved it for firing the thing from the hip. ------------------ It is easy to be brave from a safe distance. -Aesop

I would venture to say that the less experience a crew has, the more likely they would be to use T. ------------------ It is easy to be brave from a safe distance. -Aesop

Claymore - Great narration! Keep it coming! ------------------ It is easy to be brave from a safe distance. -Aesop

Ah! Two gentlemen resolving their differences on the field of battle. This is better than sabers at dawn. It brings a tear to my eye. ------------------ It is easy to be brave from a safe distance. -Aesop

I've heard of reports of rounds passing completely through turrets, causing no damage except for the crew's soiled underwear. IMHO, BTS should tweak up a crew's willingness to use T and reduce its prevalence. I think there's too much of it anyway. ------------------ It is easy to be brave from a safe distance. -Aesop

Tiger - Just stunning! Absolutely fabulous work!!

'Up Front' is a very abstract wargame. It has the flavor of ASL, but without the rules disputes. What makes it so appealing, IMHO, is the FOW. You never know what the next card will reveal. CM has that same quality, only less abstract. ------------------ It is easy to be brave from a safe distance. -Aesop

I must admit that I quit following the "Superior German Optics" thread when folks started pulling out their flamethrowers. I hope this thread doesn't turn into a 'Five Alarmer' like that one did. CM is a great game. The best wargame around. The watchword here is GAME. It would not be nearly as much fun if it parodied reality too closely. As a consequence many compromises and abstractions must be included to make it fun. The question is, has BTS tweaked the range issue a little too much? My thinking is, they have. However, I think a small adjustment would suffice. ------------------ It is easy to be brave from a safe distance. -Aesop

-Jochen- This is a very interesting test. I would like to see a BTS response to this report. Also, you stated, "This was not a suprise since BTS has stated that they have intentionally weakened hit propability of all guns at longer ranges from hit propabilities which were achieved in combat." Did BTS give a rational for this? If this is indeed the case, it seems to me that one of the historic advantages of German weaponry has been compromised. ------------------ It is easy to be brave from a safe distance. -Aesop

deanco - I really like the unit interface displays. That's very good work! However, I'm not a fan of your Main Screen buttons. I think they should look like buttons. The rest of the Main Screen is just fine. ------------------ It is easy to be brave from a safe distance. -Aesop

Did AH ever produce a computer game that wasn't crap? ------------------ It is easy to be brave from a safe distance. -Aesop

Michael - Kampgruppe was a Panzerblitz-like computer game for the 8-bit systems. It was the first real computer wargame. IIRC it was published by SSI around 1984-85. The monster games were a big hit in their day, but I always considered them to be the natural extension of the hex based game. Now that I think of it, D-Day should be on the list, too. It was Avalon Hill's first hex based game. That was a BIG step forward. ------------------ It is easy to be brave from a safe distance. -Aesop

SSS - I find it very difficult to get into a hull down postion. I HUNT my way up a slope and let the TacAI do its work. But it's a crap shoot. Keep in mind that if you fail in your hull down attempt, you're a sitting duck. It's probably not worth the risk. The best thing to do is scout out the enemy before committing. Patience is the keyword here. Generally there is plenty of time alloted in a scenario, so use it. The Allies want to get in close with their 76's and 75's. At <500 meters they're pretty effective, and the Firefly's gun is as good as a Panther's. The Allies' turret speed and ROF are their strongest assets. The Germans want to keep their distance and take advantage of their better guns and armor. If you find an enemy AFV lurking in a good position, don't let it get the first shot. Use OBA or an Anti-Tank Team to force it to leave its position, then try to trap it. Don't forget about smoke. If he can't see you, he can't hit you. But neither can you. So use it wisely. ------------------ It is easy to be brave from a safe distance. -Aesop

I've found that when going back into the game after using ESC or ALT-TAB the graphics are messed up. However, if I do a second ALT-TAB and re-enter, everything is fine. ------------------ It is easy to be brave from a safe distance. -Aesop

SSS - It's experience and practice. You can't use your 'tools' the same way for all situations. Sometimes infantry supports tanks and sometimes tanks support infantry. Tanks support assault guns and tank destroyers support tanks. Keep your armor at arms length from infantry and never put them in a position to be surprised by the grunts. It's not a bad idea to assign an infantry squad to protect a precious armored asset. But in all cases it's the situation that dictates the tactics. Good hunting! ------------------ It is easy to be brave from a safe distance. -Aesop

Sturmmorser!! I've always wanted to see what one of these babies could do with its 380mm rocket. It is reported that a single shot fired by a Sturmmorser completly destroyed three M4 Shermans. ------------------ It is easy to be brave from a safe distance. -Aesop

I can't see a big advantage over PBEM for two players. However, I see a big plus for CM by allowing multi-player team play. Does BTS have a target for the number of players allowed in a TCP/IP game? ------------------ It is easy to be brave from a safe distance. -Aesop

More praise for the best war game on the planet!! Bring on CM2! ------------------ It is easy to be brave from a safe distance. -Aesop

Daveman - Sorry if I misunderstood the thread, but there are several references to SC weapon attacks here. I must admit that I have not had the opportunity to try a close assault on an AFV with bare knuckles yet. ------------------ It is easy to be brave from a safe distance. -Aesop

Are there any specific advantages in moving to DirectX8 this early? ------------------ It is easy to be brave from a safe distance. -Aesop

I've had pretty good luck stalking the iron monsters. In a recent PBEM game one of my Bazooka Teams took out two Tiger I's. I also had a Hellcat creamed by a Panzerfaust as it sped past a hidden squad. The trick is to either manuever within range without being detected by the target or to lay in wait and trigger an ambush. The TacAI takes it from there. A successful kill is one of the great CM delights! ------------------ It is easy to be brave from a safe distance. -Aesop

Having been a Wireman and a Lineman in the US Army, I can tell you that running a commo line really doesn't take all that much time. A new run of a few hundred meters would take only a few action phases. Unless the Engineers, with their heavy equipment, are about. ------------------ It is easy to be brave from a safe distance. -Aesop

Thanks, Madmatt, for another great post. And thanks to all the contributors. I need my Mod fix! ------------------ It is easy to be brave from a safe distance. -Aesop

As soon as I downloaded the CM Demo and played my first PBEM with my long-time ASL partner, I knew I was hooked. I haven't looked at ASL/VASL since. We dropped an ASL game in mid stride. CM is the best wargame since Tactics II first hit the shelves in 1958! You can count the ones which changed the hobby on one hand; Tactics II Panzerblitz SL/ASL Kampfgruppe ...and now Combat Mission. My hat's off to BTS. You have created a great simulation and playable game. What fun, too! And yet there is so much that can yet be done. We only want everything, right now. Who can wait? I hope you don't become discouraged by some of the posts. You can satisfy some of the players all of the time and all of the players some of the time, but you can never satisfy all of the players all of the time.