Samhain

Chupacabra, there are proven techniques to render vast numbers of units/creatures/men/whatever on the screen at once using variable level of detail that reduces rendered poly counts and/or texture detail as an object recedes in the distance. I'm sure support for on-board T&L would make a big difference too, as the games I've played that support it run substantially faster with extremely high detail. Check the Jan '01 issue of Maximum PC, for instance, for an idea of what 3D engines (current or to be released in 2001) can do. Remember too, that entry-level bargain OEM computers now feature 800 MHz procs, with higher-end systems featuring up to 1.4 GHz procs. By the time the next iterations of CM come out, those figures will be higher, and of course video cards will be even more outrageously powerful than today's inexpensive and widely owned GeForce2 chipsets. ------------------ 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 12-21-2000).]

I have to say, I love the manual for being both highly readable and highly informative. The tone is superb, communicating with the layperson readily without ever condescending. It's really appreciated. I've read the manual three or four times now, which is really unusual compared to my experiences with most games' disposable, hack-written manuals. And with CM, the manual only covers the basics--that's not a complaint or insult, but rather a testament to CM's wonderful depth. ------------------ 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).]

The stuff I wrote here: http://www.battlefront.com/discuss/Forum1/HTML/013888.html Also, full movie playback and the advanced QB features mentioned by others, particularly the ability to play them on designed maps (either ones that ship with the game or third-party). Plus, graphics that are competitive with the best of the best of today's 3D games, be they shooters, flight sims, or RTS's. E.g., depicting all soldiers in a squad, dynamic lighting, deformable terrain, vastly higher poly counts on troop models, lens flares--the usual that we've come to expect. Since I hear the 3D engine won't be revised (substantially) for CM2, I guess this applies to CM 3 and 4. ------------------ 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 12-21-2000).]

Here's another one: Don't allow the TacAI to override a manual targeting decision unless a direct threat to the targeting unit appears (or perhaps also a unit that's a threat to a friendly unit of greater point value that the targeter). When I decide to manually target something, it's (usually ) for a good reason, and I don't want the targeting unit constantly and ineffectively switching between targets the way the enemy AI often will. If I should make a poor decision, I can live with it. I had a field howitzer between two widely separated flanks of advancing enemy infantry, for instance, and it kept slowly rotating back and forth to fire at weapons teams on either flank (including a totally inconsequential and easily killed flamethrower team hundreds of meters away). In the process of sluggishly swiveling and then losing LOS by the time the gun was turned, it didn't get a shot off for a number of turns, whereas if it followed my orders, it could have done some good. None of the targets was an immediate threat to the howitzer, only to my infantry. The howitzer could have protected them better if it followed my orders. I realize the TacAI generally makes excellent decisions when left to its own devices, but there are definitely times like the above instance, where it's not doing me any good and needs to be overridden. ------------------ 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 12-21-2000).]

Done. Thanks for the heads-up. ------------------ I rode a tank, held a general's rank When the blitzkrieg raged, and the bodies stank. --Rolling Stones

Here's another suggestion: In a QB where you have pure infantry force, alter the TacAI targeting prioritization so AT squads are near the bottom of the list instead of the top, since they're not a significant threat in such a situation. It's very frustrating to order, for instance, a mortar team to area fire at a group of conveniently bunched up squads, only to have it shift to a schreck, zook, or PIAT team. The same holds for flamethrower teams in general. ------------------ I rode a tank, held a general's rank When the blitzkrieg raged, and the bodies stank. --Rolling Stones

As always, thanks for the quick patches. Thanks especially for the AFV fixes. ------------------ I rode a tank, held a general's rank When the blitzkrieg raged, and the bodies stank. --Rolling Stones

Thanks for the tip on #2! I never use the top-down views for anything, staying at level four much of the time. I'll try that out now. ------------------ I rode a tank, held a general's rank When the blitzkrieg raged, and the bodies stank. --Rolling Stones

Thanks for the info: I imagined the basic idea had some foundation in fact, but didn't guess that flame vehicles were typically used to those ends (I imagine a Zippo would do the trick much easier ) They are certainly easy prey for AT assets, as you say, but when I use them in the way I suggested, it's early in the battle while defending, partcularly when there's lots of wooded terrain nearby. Then they'll often have time to drive around and selectively set things on fire before the enemy arrives or can get LOS. ------------------ I rode a tank, held a general's rank When the blitzkrieg raged, and the bodies stank. --Rolling Stones

BTS, I imagine these have all been mentioned in some fashion before, but I'd like to add my vote in support of these suggestions and requests for a future patch or for CM2, particularly to the first one, which would be an easy but wonderful addition: 1) Add a hotkey that calls up the detailed unit info screen on the QB unit purchase screen. For battalions, companies, and platoons, the info could refer to just one of the included squads for say, a simple rifle battalion. For more complex ones, like heavy weapons companies, perhaps you could right-click on each type of unit included in the existing short listing down at the bottom of the screen. (This would require a single click to select the unit from the top listing in order to keep the info down at the bottom, and a double-click to purchase it, unlike the current system.) This would make informed unit purchasing far easier, particularly for the German forces with their vast number of unit types. (Yes, I know there's a third-party Excel spreadsheet with this info but I don't have Excel, it doesn't work properly/fully with the free viewer, and it would be much easier to have the info directly in the game.) 2) Eliminate the dancing waypoints. Often when you try to adjust a preexisting waypoint in or near the edge of a building, it will rapidly jump in and out of the building, forcing you to reset it. Also, near flags (unless you want to turn them off, which isn't a great solution), you often have to rotate the camera around substantially to select a unit that's in plain sight, and trying to set/alter waypoints near a flag will often cause them to jump to unexpected locations. 3) Allow weapons teams to abandon their weapons and ammo and run under very specific circumstances: they are out of or "LOW" on ammo and/or they are panicked/broken/routed. These situations usually occur, in my experience, when they're about to be overrun by the enemy. Perhaps also add the proviso that there be X enemy units/soldiers/purchase points worth of units within X meters. I know the Germans went out of their way to scuttle, so to speak, immobilized tanks that couldn't be towed away before the enemy arrived, but surely they'd be willing to loose an HMG or mortar to preserve five or six troops. I'm definitely not proposing that these teams be able to run any old time, and I know BTS has repeatedly said that won't happen anyway. Too many times, though, I've had these teams massacred when logic and self-preservation would dictate dropping the gun and heading for the hills ------------------ 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 12-21-2000).]

Another neat but likely unrealistic tactic with flamethrower vehicles is to intentionally set woods or buildings on fire (use area target) to deny passage to the enemy and/or block LOS with the smoke. ------------------ I rode a tank, held a general's rank When the blitzkrieg raged, and the bodies stank. --Rolling Stones

I don't have as much experience taking out pillboxes as I'd like, but I believe it's mainly a matter of getting infantry (particularly engineers with satchel charges) in close behind the bunker where the door is. It's worked for me. The manual says that troops can also chuck grenades in the firing slit and flamethrowers can be used to the same effect, but who wants to put infantry close in front of a pillbox, except maybe an 88 that can't swivel quickly? ------------------ I rode a tank, held a general's rank When the blitzkrieg raged, and the bodies stank. --Rolling Stones

The one time I used off-map rockets, I experienced the same dangerous inaccuracy (i.e., some landed quite close to my troops despite calling in the strike at a distance that would be safe with regular arty). ------------------ I rode a tank, held a general's rank When the blitzkrieg raged, and the bodies stank. --Rolling Stones

I've seen pictures of cannibalized outdated tanks (basically just the turrets sticking out of the ground) used as part of the Normandy coastal defences. ------------------ I rode a tank, held a general's rank When the blitzkrieg raged, and the bodies stank. --Rolling Stones

Thanks, I'll test it out. I just seems odd that you can't move two split squads into the same foxhole to rejoin there, since they'll end up in there as a complete squad eventually. ------------------ I rode a tank, held a general's rank When the blitzkrieg raged, and the bodies stank. --Rolling Stones

Hallo Leute, In Quick Battles, the number of points is for the defender, though you can handicap the force sizes either way. I forget the ratios (and they've changed with the various patches, iirc), but an attack will give the attacker a force of about 1.5 more points than the defender, while an assault will give the attacker a force of around twice as many points as the defender. ------------------ I rode a tank, held a general's rank When the blitzkrieg raged, and the bodies stank. --Rolling Stones

If you want a close look at them all, just set up a Quick Battle using the different squad types, then click on them in the game and hit "enter" for detailed stats: gun types, firepower at different ranges, etc. Someone also did a cool Excel spreadsheet for all the different units. Try a search of the main CM forum. ------------------ I rode a tank, held a general's rank When the blitzkrieg raged, and the bodies stank. --Rolling Stones

I've been playing computer games for twenty years, and I can say with considered judgement after playing it for a couple months that CM is one of the greatest games I've ever played in any genre, on any platform. Innovative design + extreme depth and variety=immensely addictive fun. Buy it--you won't be sorry. ------------------ I rode a tank, held a general's rank When the blitzkrieg raged, and the bodies stank. --Rolling Stones

It seems that AT teams are most effective in dug-in positions on defense, particularly along the edges of wooded areas. If the tanks can be lured into areas with lots of forested areas (foolish on the face of it), they'll be so close that they'll stand little chance against multiple AT teams. Buttoned tanks will never spot them. Don't put them in buildings though: I saw an American bazooka team set the building they were in on fire when they tried to shoot one of my armored cars. Poetic justice ------------------ 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 12-18-2000).]

Points taken about the AA guns. I've also taken out Shermans with them on one or two occasions. And they're certainly effective against HT's, armored cars, and light tanks. But, you have to admit that againt medium/heavy tanks facing head on, AA guns don't generally do much if anything, barring a lucky gun-disabling shot ------------------ I rode a tank, held a general's rank When the blitzkrieg raged, and the bodies stank. --Rolling Stones

Thanks for the offer (I unwisely saved over mine too). So far I haven't noticed anything odd other than the bogging and the crash to the desktop, but point taken about looking further. Since one of my biggest interests in the game is the AFV's, I've just been less inclined to play since the patch. Can't wait for the next one with the improved German tank AI, 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 12-18-2000).]

As a side note, why on earth does the TacAI insist on firing light AA guns and such at medium or heavy tanks without cease? You'd think they'd know that they have a minimal chance if any at penetrating the tanks' armor and are just drawing undue attention to themselves. ------------------ Hope you got your things together, Hope you are quite prepared to die. --CCR

The proprietary API used by 3dfx, "Glide," has been on the way out for some time. AFAIK, no new or recent game require it exclusively. Most allow D3D or OpenGL. I don't imagine any new vid cards will feature Glide support. ------------------ Hope you got your things together, Hope you are quite prepared to die. --CCR

Thanks BTS for the quick fixes. It's refreshing to see a developer that serves its customer base so well. Where can we dl the previous patch/version until the new fixes--it's just too unstable right now. I searched the forum archives for the announcement of the last patch, but the link downloaded the new one, since the files have the same name. Thanks. ------------------ Hope you got your things together, Hope you are quite prepared to die. --CCR [This message has been edited by Samhain (edited 12-18-2000).]

With the new patch I tried setting up double rows of defensive foxholes (to fall back on if need be) by splitting squads during setup. When I tried to move the rear squads up to rejoin with the front squads in their forward foxholes during the first turn, the rear squads began to move forward, then turned, and "sneaked" back to their former positions. Apparently, CM considers a foxhole full with a split squad in it? Or is this a new bug? I had to move both split squads out of their foxholes, rejoin them, and then move the full squads to the proper position. ------------------ Hope you got your things together, Hope you are quite prepared to die. --CCR [This message has been edited by Samhain (edited 12-18-2000).]