Gpig

Yeah, that's the point. I was able to identify it as a mortar merely by seeing it "jump," even though I never saw a mortar (and still don't see one, even up close). Never heard one fire. Never even identified what kind of infantry unit it was. Not sure if it should be that way, but I don't mind it. It's kind of fun, really. Gpig

Had something different happen in my PBEM game last night. Got my turn back, and hit GO. My 75mm armed halftrack on the right comes under what looks like Mortar fire. I start freaking out, anticipating the top hit. Losing one of only three armored units in this small battle. Then, my gunner spots an "infantry?" marker at the opposite edge of the map. Lucky LOS through a village/trees/outhouses . . .. He starts lobbing in 75mm HE, and after the 2nd shell lands, I see the "Infantry?" soldier "Jump" to the left, about 3 m. So it's suddenly obvious to me that that was the mortar crew abandoning their mortar. Just like when a gun crew abandons it's gun. And their "crew" status materializes slightly away from their "manned" positions. I never saw the mortar. I never even got a positive I.D. on the unit. But there is no doubt about it, is there. It may not have even been the mortar that was shelling me. (But since no more rounds fell that turn . . .) Kind of funky? Kind of neat. Gpig

Great! I went to the Scenario Depot and I found the page for Little City, but there was NO 0ption for download. Could you email it to me? Thanks, Gpig

BeeeeYOUteeeeFULL!!! Thanks!!! Actually, I noticed the turret ring thing, also (on the T-34/85). It looks like they just have not finished modelling the bottom of the turret. I'm sure it will be finished before the release. (Madmatt even states that this is all a "work in progress.") If you check the profiles of the T-34/85 that Mark IV posted (from the Russian Battlefield), you'll see the difference. Very nice stuff. I can NOT wait. But I will, I guess. Gpig

Just won a battle against my pal playing Wiltz (off the CD). Axis surrender. The pivitol point in the battle came after I had already taken out most of his armored assets with long range M-10 fire from the Right most hill. (Nice spot, that.) He was advancing infantry up both my flanks. I had a platoon of G.I.'s at each of the VL's. They were spread pretty wide, as the flags were also on a wide front. My most important placement was my sniper. I had ran him up to a great LOS position by turn 2 and he could see the approaches very well. He spotted 4 infantry? markers making double time towards some woods. Their approach was deep to my right. There was lots of cover from that point to my Right VL. So I surmised he had at least a platoon coming that way, through the woods. It was this intel gathering that allowed me to set up a devestating ambush. There was a great place for an ambush at the foot of my Right side hill. A little clearing about 30m wide between the approach woods, and the hills bottom. I set up my platoon of G.I.'s and one 1917MG team in the woods, facing this clearing. As it seemed to me to be the place where his infantry would come out. Sure enough, after 7-8 minutes of waiting, his troops began materializing through the woods. I had set my ambush marker right in front of my Platoon leader, amongst my own men. This forced my guys to wait even longer than normal. They all watched what looked like two platoons of FJ's approach the clearing and start to run accross. The next turn's order phase, I just unhid my men, and did not target anything. With such a wealth of targets, I thought I'd let the TacA.I. do the targetting for them. Two minutes later, my opponent had lost two whole platoons of men, while I had suffered only 6 casualties. He surrendered right after that. AMBUSH's require patience, and advance planning. And especially good intel. But MAN when they work . . . they can change the whole battle. Gpig.

I've seen a lot of things in my life, but . . . that . . . was . . . AWSOME!!! "Tommy Boy" Gpig

Uhhh . . . Hi (echo echo echo). First time here in the PENG THREAD. Someone said I should ask here for copies of CRODABURG, and JABO (as UNbalanced scenarios). I've got a pal who I want to keep as a friend. But he needs to be able to beat me, sometimes. So apparently these scenarios should give him a chance. Anyone? Thanks, Gpig (Spidey sense tingling)

Well, after watching the excellent Band of Brothers episode "Day of Days," I'm going to try and make one. Unfortunately, it's tough to do correctly due to a lack of trenches in the scenario editor. It could be done with slight elevations and scattered trees/woods I suppose. But trenches would really be the best. Someone has been making Band of Brother scenarios, but I've only been able to find one. "A Hell of a Licking." Pretty good one. I wonder what happened to the rest of that authors BoB scenarios. Gpig

Hey there . . . Please send me a copy if you would . . . jon@pixar.com Thanks, Gpig

SPOILERS!!! +2 bonus for the A.I. That means their HQ would have been Elite (being Veteran) And the G.I.'s would have been Crack (since they are Regs). I guess that makes is a bit less interesting, since those fellas could pretty much handle themselves anyways. Gpig

Last night I was lookin' for a quick scrap before pillow planting . . . I found St. Anne Chapelle. Off of the CD. Quick little SS attack on G.I. held roadblock. Fun! I allowed the A.I. to play the G.I.'s and set up freely. I split my attacking force into two and hit GO! SPOILERS!!!! On my left, at about turn 3, I had moved up a squad of SS troopers, their HQ and two LMG's all in 251/1's. Seconds after the LMGs disembark, they are all cut to pieces. 4 dead men in 2 seconds!! A moment later, my HQ and squad (also disembarking) come under MASSIVE fire. By the end of the 60 seconds turn, I've lost all 18 men! (Including one gunner on a halftrack). What an ambush! I replayed the movie in disbelief. I've never been so ably ambushed by the A.I.. It was AWESOME!! The first 4 seconds of the ambush, there are STILL no sightings of the Americans. Just the sounds of their guns blazing. (And my guys screaming out in horror.) The thing that I find really neat was that the A.I. held it's fire till my men disembarked. There was no shooting at the halftracks until then. Nice little scrap. Gpig P.S. Oh, I did win, eventually. Because as good as the ambush was, the A.I. had put his Excellent Veteran HQ right on the front lines. I killed him off next turn with my 20mm mounted halftrack. The rest of the battle was a bit of a cake-walk since I had a platoon of Veteran SS sneaking up the other flank. Sprung a bit of a surprise of my own.

Hey Canadian forces now use the C7. It's basically the American M-16 but this version is apparently built and liscenced in Canuck-ville. It's still 5.56mm and is capable of semi-auto and three round bursts. (I'm not sure, but I don't think you can go full-auto with 'em.) They also fiddled with the actual round it fires. Can't remember for sure, but it's supposed to have better accuracy and penetration at long range. It's a step down in punch, from the 7.62mm FN-FAL that was the mainstay for many a year. But the advantages to the C7 were explained to me by my C7 Introduction course teacher like so . . . "If you blow your enemy apart with the 7.62mm, his buddies just move on. Maybe with revenge in their hearts. But if you put a nice neat hole through him that doesn't kill him . . . he starts screaming bloody murder. His buddies want to help him. His buddies crawl over to him to help him out. Then the enemy-side needs a medic. Then they need two guys to carry this poor sap out of danger. Then they need an ambulance with another couple of guys. Maybe a helicopter. Then they need doctors and nurses. etc. etc.. Blah blah blah. Then OUR side wins the war." Ok?

Just played this one, also. Allied (me) versus Axis (computer, with +2 experience) Allied tactical Victory. Axis: 143 Casualties (31 kia) 2 mortars dstyd 1 gun dstyd 8 vehicles KO'd men OK 85 score 34 Allies; 137 casualties (42 kia) 1 mortar dstyd men OK 96 score 66 Really nice battle. TOUGH! Nice map. Nice use of reinforcements. (dropping from the sky and all) This would be tough on the americans, playing TCP/IP or PBEM. Germans seem to hold all the cards. Gpig

Will the Russian T-44 be included? I just saw a picture of one at THE RUSSIAN BATTLEFIELD website under Medium Tanks, and it looks real cool. Sort of ahead of it's time, cool. (Even looks like an American M-60 tank.) Says it came out in '44. What was this tank all about? Did it have limited production? Was it a failure of a tank? It looks like it has a low shilouette, plus sloped turret. Should be a hard piece to hit . . . Curious as all heck. Thanks, Gpig

A bump . . . but also, a question. Will the Russian T-44 be included? I just saw a picture of one at THE RUSSIAN BATTLEFIELD website under Medium Tanks, and it looks real cool. Sort of ahead of it's time, cool. (Even even looks like an American M-60, from the 60's.) Says it came out in '44. What was this tank all about? Did it have limited production? Was it a failure of a tank? It looks like it has a low shilouette, plus sloped turret. Should be a hard piece to hit . . . Any info would be appreciated. Thanks, Gpig

This game. Combat Mission. ALL of my PBEM, TCP/IP, single player games (and even my own HOT SEAT NON-FOG OF WAR) are a bloody stream of CRISIS RESPONSE OPERATIONS (or attempts to respond to a crisis). This probably isn't what you're looking for, though. So I apologize for wasting your time. Gpig

Hi Maximus, I've seen this situation reported before on the board. Apparently it's considered an abstraction of a sniper attack. So you COULD lose more than one casualty to a single "sniper attack." Just like when a squad fires at a target, it's an abstraction of all individuals firepower. Personally, I'd love to see this happen more often as I think sharpshooters are the cats meow. Gpig.

If the foxholes were spotted in the first battle, they will remain spotted in the second battle. I've played operations where my defending force could dig NEW foxholes in subsequent battles. THAT was pretty cool. (And my new foxholes would not be spotted until I let him see them. BLAM!) Gpig

Where the hell is the "Combat Mission Resource area?" Please tell me soon. Gpig

Uhhh . . . If you are looking at the map you are making in the scenario editor, and all your units you've picked in the units selector are scattered all along one edge of the map . . . that is where they are supposed to be. Until you put them where you want them. They may even be in a opposite/non-friendly set-up zone. The computer just puts them there as a starting point (because it has no idea where you might want to place them). Just click on each unit and position it on the map where you want it to be. In whichever zone you'd like it to be (and is appropriate for the unit). Then, when you are finished with the scenario/operation you can save it in the scenario folder and play it to your hearts content. When you play your battle, choose "default set-up," and the units will start where you placed them. Alternatly, you can allow the computer to pick new set-up zones for itself by choosing "computer free to place units." (Or somthing like that.) If you want the computer to pick it's own set-up areas and zones in a battle, then you have to do a QUICK BATTLE. This way the computer chooses forces (based on your QUICK BATTLE parameters) and sets them up on it's own. This is different from the scenario editor, where you (as the designer) are doing all the work. Hope this helps. Gpig.

MrSpkr wrote: Either (1) extend the scenario to twenty turns (which gives the British a bit of time to neutralize the tank defenses); or (2) change the exit point by extending the road straight off the map edge from the bridge (with no turns) -- this would shorten the drive time required by about 2 turns. (3) break up that wall around the church so that halftrack/carriers can get through. Howdy I could agree with extending the length a tad, and with changing the exit zone location. But as to changing the wall, I think would be better to keep it. There should remain some terrain difficulties to deal with. I DO think it's winnable as the Brits, but you've got to go just a tad more careful. )f course, I was playing the A.I. . . . Maybe if you hucked in a Wasp and an understrength British engineer platoon? We could be making suggs all day long, too. I still liked it very much. I'm now looking for someone to play me TCP/IP. I'll be the Brits. Gpig

SPOILERS!!! Hey David. The HE load for the Challengers could be a "bit" higher. Maybe at least 5 more rounds or somthing. But I can imagine it remaining low if we think about the overall mission. (Those Challengers, and thier AT ability, are desperately needed across the river!) The Churchills alone, can be relied apon for infantry support (as mine did an admirable job). I would be careful about changing it too much. Against the A.I. it's winnable. Against a human opponent, it would be VERY tough, but it is still winnable. I think that you're right, that adding a Croc/AVRE type tank would shift the balance be a bit too much in favor of the Brits. That being said . . . playing against a competent human Axis opponent, I'd surely give my left nut for one of those Crocs. Gpig

SPOILERS!!! Ok! Lacking a human opponent, I grabbed this scenario (as soon as I read the AAR, avove) and commenced to battle it out with the A.I.. I let the computer set itself up, and I chose the Brits. Normal force balance, and unadjusted experience. I considered myself to have a slight advantage however, having read the AAR above. This was still a tough fight. My previous knowledge gleaned from the AAR helped only with having forknowledge of the PzIVs. I moved out with infantry dismounted, right through the center of town. (One platoon left of the church, and one platoon to the right, through the graveyard). I had the church covered by massed tank LOS, so I was not too worried about it. Then I proceeded to advance, halftracks and infantry and armor all leapfrogging one another. Time was definitly a factor. Often making me feel like I was dogging it. First thing, I lose a Vet Cromwell to AT mines while rolling through someones back yard. Then, I flush a FJ squad out of a nearby building and my second Cromwell gives it to 'em hard. Next turn, the battle blows sky high! Suddenly, the tracks get blown off another Cromwell on the center road. Seconds later, one of my lead churchills gets penetrated, but NO EFFECT! My infantry are engaged with FJ squads on the left side of the map. No contact on the right flank yet. Halftracks are adding GREAT suppresive support for my leapfrogging infantry. Next turn, I lose two tanks to AT rounds. Coming from where, I don't know. Tank contact across the river. My Vet Cromwell has a nice tank duel with one PzIV, taking him out with his thrid shot. Another PzIV (just a sound contact) takes him out, a second later. Next turn, my challenger and Churchill on the far right flank (behind the graveyard wall) spot the second PxIV and take him out in a tag team effort. By know my infantry is past the church and we've identified some Gun? positions. I lose a couple of halftracks, and one of my churchills throws a track going through some trees. One of the enemy gun positions goes down! Didn't see who got him. The gun positions are very hard to hit. Reverse slope on the near river bank. (the computer set them well.) The second RCL takes out another of my tanks! ARRRGH! I've got about 8 lines of incoming fire aimed at him, but the FJ gun keeps a popping! (At the end of the battle, I count 12 HE shell craters in the opposite river bank. Near misses, all of them whistling over the FJ crew's heads.) The last of the FJ infantry falls under massed fire. It had become apparent that the A.I. had set up entirely on the my left. So I swung my right platoon over, with all their supporting tracks and tanks (2), and gave them a right hook to the jaw. The last house goes up in flames, FJ squad runs out and is cut to pieces. Turn 8 and the enemy RCL surrenders. Lucky me. Feeling cocky, I try to charge an FJ HQ (in a foxhole at roadside) with a squad of brits. The HQ cuts down my entire squad!. OUCH!. The HQ is cut down seconds later by a halftrack gunner. Now the way is clear. I start to race my infantry for the bridgehead. Halftracks start moving fast to provide transport to the exit zones. I've only got 2 challengers left fully operational. One churchill and one commet, both immobile. The rest of my armor, KAPUT! (I noticed that the challengers had a VERY SMALL HE load out, if ANY. I could have used some more 75mm HE.) Turn 11. The Germans surrender. Axis surrender, Draw Allied attacker: 33 casualties (8 KIA) 6 veh. KO'd Men OK: 107 Score 51 Axis Defender 68 Casualties (21 KIA) 18 captured 2 guns destroyed 2 vehicles KO'd Men OK, 0 Score 49 Despite the draw, I considered this a win for the Brits. I would have been able to get 2 tanks across the river, plus two understrength platoons (and support). The churchill and Commet with the thrown tracks would soon be on their way again, also. I also still had 5 minutes to reach the exit zones. The remaining FJ infantry (one and a half squads), were hiding on the near river bank and posed no serious threat. Good battle! It was intense. Does the briefing say anything about mines? Those FJ are a tough bunch. Crack is a good level for them. It was not easy, but I went at a MOVE with my armor, and leapfrogged with my infantry and it resulted in constant armored support for my boys. Plenty of targets to shoot at. Even across town, what with the crisscrossing LOS. Good one, David. Gpig.

Do you mean like "grapeshot?" Or "buckshot" type rounds? Fired into enemy held woods by a 75mm Sherman. That could be really effective. Ouch. But I wonder if it would be any more effective than HE? Gpig

I've guess I've just about had it with my STOCK CM look. Time to finally get some mods. (I know, what took so long.) Is there a helpful tutorial article written for modding on Macs? I noted the one at COMBAT MISSIONS, but it seems to be for PC/WINDOWS users only. Anyone? Thanks, Gpig