Samhain

Here's a related question for any hardware gurus, since I'm going to be upgrading my proc and mobo relatively soon. I have PC100 memory right now. If the new mobo supports PC133, does that mean I needPC133, or can I still use the PC100 I have? TIA ------------------ I rode a tank, held a general's rank When the blitzkrieg raged, and the bodies stank. --Rolling Stones

Tiger, I hope you have a restful holiday and can keep contributing to the mod scene. Your work is highly appreciated. ------------------ I rode a tank, held a general's rank When the blitzkrieg raged, and the bodies stank. --Rolling Stones

Actually, Mr. Trotter did more than just mention CM: he gave it a glowing review, one of the reviews that helped lead me and likely others to CM. I think you misunderstood the point of the column, which I took to be very respectful of the veteran's position and self-effacing on Trotter's part. Still, PC Gamer's silly cult of personality with "The Colonel"/"world's best wargamer" and "The Vede" (their hardware guy) is immature and embarrassing, and most likely an editorial decision, not Trotter's. (At least I hope he wouldn't encourage that.) Given the tone the magazine has taken on of late, I'm surprised they still have their best writers, Trotter and Mahood. (I.e., the older, experienced writers who don't feel the need to say "sucks ass" or "smack down" every other review.) /rant off That column does raise interesting questions, though. I know I don't in any way confuse CM with reality, and would never second guess a real commander about an historical situation based on my playing a wargame. I wasn't there, I didn't have to juggle men's lives for strategic gain, I'm not in the military, I'm not a professional military historian, etc. A related question that interests me, at least on an abstract or philosophical level, is how people feel about the moral implications of finding entertainment in games that simulate, to greater or lesser degrees, historical mass killing and destruction. I don't mean video game violence in general, but specifically wargames that seek to recreate for fun the actions in which thousands upon thousands of men were killed, maimed, blinded, burnt alive, and so on. (Disclaimer: CM is one of my all-time favorite games. I still find the question interesting, though.) ------------------ I rode a tank, held a general's rank When the blitzkrieg raged, and the bodies stank. --Rolling Stones [This message has been edited by Samhain (edited 12-24-2000).]

Munitions carriers/trailers for SP guns--I'm tired of running out of ammo, and I have a feeling I'll need more of it in CM2 ------------------ I rode a tank, held a general's rank When the blitzkrieg raged, and the bodies stank. --Rolling Stones

I know what you meant by "highly mobile," but was just making a point (albeit obliquely ) about relative efficacy (not cost) of mobile unit types (an HT vs. an open truck for troop transport, for instance). I tend to view armor as the best anti-armor units in fluid situations, while on more fixed defenses, I'd be a bit more ready to use AT guns, Schrecks, mines, etc. I too like to use speed and initiative to seize defensible ground somewhere near the VL's first, particularly if a town is at stake. Along the lines of what you're saying here, I think you--correct me if I'm wrong--suggested in a post a while back that it could conceivably be more valuable to let the enemy establish positions first, since what you lose in defensive positioning, you gain in knowledge of enemy positions and fluidity of attack. Plus, in an ME, the defender wouldn't generally have nearly the subtlety of defensive positioning you get in a true defensive scenario and would be subject to encirclement and wide flanking maneuvers. ------------------ I rode a tank, held a general's rank When the blitzkrieg raged, and the bodies stank. --Rolling Stones [This message has been edited by Samhain (edited 12-24-2000).]

When you say "highly mobile AT assets," that to me means armor, but then again, I always focus a lot on armor, to my benefit and detriment both. Benefit, because of armor's versatility, strength, and impact at decisive points in battles, detriment because it's easy to loose focus on intelligent combined arms tactical execution. Armor is generally more expensive than towed AT guns, of course, but it tends to be so much more versatile. If a unit can only do one thing well and/or can't move while under fire, I tend to hold it suspect, rightly or wrongly. I still need to work out a general strategic philosophy for meeting engagements, since they can readily resemble defense or attack scenarios, depending on how fast you and the opponent are and who tries to occupy a town, for instance, first. Would you want to focus on establishing firebases near the flags and defending them, assaulting hasty defenses the enemy has erected there first, focusing solely on attriting the enemy and then moving to the flags during the end-game, etc.? ------------------ I rode a tank, held a general's rank When the blitzkrieg raged, and the bodies stank. --Rolling Stones

I would think that this tactic is very much dependent on the size of the map and terrain, though. (What isn't?) Smaller maps wouldn't as readily allow the luxury of that sort of setup, since you're both in each other's face right away. As you say, speed is of the essence as well, and depending on your opponent's speed and aggression, things could get dicey. An interesting idea I'm going to experiment with, nonetheless Where are you suggesting the initial line and then MLR, if you could call it that in this case, be established in relation to the VL's? I would think you'd want multiple AT guns on both flanks with overlapping LOS, since AT guns don't seem to last too long usually on CM's relatively small battlefields. I'd think more armored and arty assets would be more useful on an offensive, though as you say, AT guns might have the virtue of surprise here. ------------------ I rode a tank, held a general's rank When the blitzkrieg raged, and the bodies stank. --Rolling Stones [This message has been edited by Samhain (edited 12-23-2000).]

In addition to The Art of War, try the Tao Teh Ching, which comes from the same cultural milieu and is one of the most profound books you're likely to come across. It has many lessons that apply to military strategy, though it's about broader issues, generally. Also, read the AAR's on various sites, like CMHQ. They're illustrated examples right out of CM that can feature some really useful ideas. ------------------ I rode a tank, held a general's rank When the blitzkrieg raged, and the bodies stank. --Rolling Stones

The 37's are even better (e.g., Ostwind). Mobile, especially armored, AA guns seem to be one of the most versatile and useful units in the game. ------------------ I rode a tank, held a general's rank When the blitzkrieg raged, and the bodies stank. --Rolling Stones

Sometimes I think Horribly Bad Luck is mathematically modelled according to strict formulas in CM ------------------ I rode a tank, held a general's rank When the blitzkrieg raged, and the bodies stank. --Rolling Stones

In my painful experience, I know mortars seem to almost magically home in directly on German armored cars and especially HT's with their convenient open tops, particularly the mortar carriers. I assume these must be high on the list of target priorities for the AI. ------------------ I rode a tank, held a general's rank When the blitzkrieg raged, and the bodies stank. --Rolling Stones

Thanks, Matt for the goodies, and Fernando Buil for another awesome mod. Keep 'em coming! ------------------ I rode a tank, held a general's rank When the blitzkrieg raged, and the bodies stank. --Rolling Stones

Steve, I figured that quote might be a little too optimistic For what it's worth, in playing Steel Beasts (an excellent modern MBT sim), it's very easy to place rounds on target in one attempt during the training missions, but under live fire when the tanks are roaring across country is another matter entirely, even with the modern ballistics/targeting computers. ------------------ I rode a tank, held a general's rank When the blitzkrieg raged, and the bodies stank. --Rolling Stones

I'm embarrassingly far from an expert and normally play as the Germans, but I wouldn't recommend AT guns for an ME, as you have to haul them into position with trucks and then unlimber them, usually under fire. Since they weren't set up defensively, they won't be placed in foxholes, either. They derive a lot of their strength from suprise, and you won't surpise anyone with them under those circumstances. For spotters, I'm starting to realize that smaller caliber is better, since it can be called in very quickly for supression at vital moments (I'm thinking of 81mm mortars, in particular). Then roll up armor to put the hurt on the supressed enemy pockets of resistance. Where the enemy is advancing, it can quickly be used to break up formations. Purchases will depend a lot on the terrain too. Heavily wooded areas usually dictate fewer tanks, I've found, or at the very least different tactics. There are just too many ambush sites for AT threats. Better to scout each stand of trees and small building with half squads before bringing tanks through, at least. ------------------ I rode a tank, held a general's rank When the blitzkrieg raged, and the bodies stank. --Rolling Stones [This message has been edited by Samhain (edited 12-23-2000).]

For the many of us who love AFV's and/or hypothetical engagements in CM and would like to see those areas expanded in CM2: Please include as many AFV base types and variants as humanly possibly, including those that were in service at the time and could potentially have served in the campaigns regardless of whether they historically did. Some specifics: bridgelayers, tow vehicles for disabled tanks (at least in large-scale battles or operations), remote German mini-tanks, German Maultier, more Sd Kfz 251 HT variants (especially those with front and rear mounted MG's and the Wurfrahmen 40), Kommando/Befehlswagen models of tanks and other AFV's for large-scale C&C (nice targets to seek out, too, of course). Captured AFV's put into enemy service, so players could duel against each other with the same tanks, for instance. The list merrily goes on.... ------------------ I rode a tank, held a general's rank When the blitzkrieg raged, and the bodies stank. --Rolling Stones [This message has been edited by Samhain (edited 12-23-2000).]