StellarRat

I always thought it was interesting that they looked so much a like. My understanding was that they didn't care for each other too much either.

You can kill a Hetzer with a .50 cal...doesn't seem over-priced to me.

I like the modern age. There are more weapons and more diverse tactics to choose from.

Wow, that's a weak round.

Exactly what I was going to say. The movies all make it seem like these things make a little bit of noise. HA! You better cover your ears!

I'm not asking for different behavior, I just wanted to able to tie a program into the orders, map, unit info, and spotting array so that it can issue orders like a human, based on what IT thinks is reasonable. The API wouldn't allow the computer to do anything a human couldn't. If you are worried about cheating because the computer can think faster than BFC could code the API routines to send a "API in use" message to your opponents whenever something came in on the API interface.

I had an idea a long time ago about adding an orders and map viewing API to CM. Once that was in place then us players could code our own AI's for the game, but no one even replied to my post. Of course, BFC would have to actually make the API and related docs, but I think it's one way to get better AI for less money. [ July 25, 2002, 12:35 PM: Message edited by: StellarRat ]

Hull down is best. As far as the range determination being critical it really depends on whether you are far enough away for the drop of the round to make a difference. At close range it is far more important to get your gun pointed at the target and fire with a boresight elevation and get the first shot off. If I remember right, from my ROTC days, the tank that gets the first shot off is far more likely to win a gun duel, of course they were talking about modern tanks, however, I have a feeling that the same is true for WW II tanks.

Jason, Thanks for your excellent report and information. :cool: [ July 15, 2002, 08:10 PM: Message edited by: StellarRat ]

Jason, Hopefully you won't mind answering three more questions about MG's in CMBB. 1. Does the covered arc have any other effect than to restrict the area in which the MG will engage targets (such as a better chance to hit or higher firing rate)? 2. You said the MG's fire more often. Does the firing rate change depending on the circumstances (like when the enemy about to overrun or when the target is far away?) 3. What about the vaunted "grazing fire" that many people seem to be concerned about about? Thanks. [ July 15, 2002, 04:01 PM: Message edited by: StellarRat ]

Jason, Can you make a guess as to what will happen if the enemy attacker manages to hit your MG's from an unexpected direction (outside the pre-planned covered arcs)? How much of a difference does the covered arc make vs. a non-covered area? If the situation were reversed would the Germans fair as poorly as the Russians on the attack? [ July 15, 2002, 12:25 AM: Message edited by: StellarRat ]

I don't know if any statistics are available to prove either point. However, given the range advantage (I didn't mention this before) and the fact that .50 cal has a much better chance of penetrating any hard cover I think it is more deadly.

I don't know if either the MG-34 or 42 is the deadliest MG in WW II. I think the .50 cal probably is. Even brick walls won't protect you from a .50 cal.

Being able to look outward from inside buildings is going to be really handy. I love it!

Based on what I read on this page it seems that only delay fuses will work for ricochet fire. http://www.poeland.com/tanks/artillery/fuzes.html I think the shell wouldn't explode near the gun in your example, however somewhere down range I imagine the nose will hit something solid and it would explode. It did say that you could observe shells ricocheting, so I assume this means that they are not detonating as soon as they impact in all cases. And it said that the ground had to be hard and the angle low for ricochets to work. I know that bombs can have concussion fuses in the back to make sure they detonate if they stop suddenly, but I don't think shells are as fancy. [ June 18, 2002, 09:48 PM: Message edited by: StellarRat ]

You guys have been waiting for a year and you can't wait an extra week or two huh? Impatient lot aren't you.

Hey Matt, minor problem with the bookshelf. On the PURCHASE screen, when I click on the title it doesn't go anywhere (looks like the redirect javascript is missing), but when I click on the books picture it works. Just thought I'd let you know. I'm running IE 5.5 with service pack 2.

Can we draw some vague conclusion about the importance of tank ROF in the fact that the US has never used a mechanical loader in it's tanks? It seems to me an autoloader would be able to sustain a very high rate of fire (provided it didn't jam.) My bet is that aquiring the target takes more time than anything else.

You might also conclude a crew under fire is peaking on Adrenaline and they may not aim well but I'll bet the loader is loading as fast as he can because if the crew is being fired at upon their lives depend on it. My limited readings of Allied tank battles in WWII give me the impression that when the TC says "we've got a HIT "pour it on" the ROF roughly doubles as the gunner and loader go into burst mode to destroy the target before it fires back and gets a hit. Same for HE only its easier because as Andreas pointed out, you don't have to be so accurate. I have read accounts of 75 mm Shermans knocking down small wooden houses (reduced to rubble) in under a minute while firing 7 HE rounds one after another rapidly. Thats why there is a READY rack with HE and AP available so the loader can switch into "burst mode" when they need a minute or so of sustained rapid ROF IMHO. -tom w</font>

Don't forget that a crew under fire will probably have problems maintaining a high rate of fire and probably won't be aiming as carefully either. There are so many variables!

I think Darryl is right. [ June 07, 2002, 08:28 PM: Message edited by: StellarRat ]

I had lots of experience with miniatures before I played CM, so it wasn't too hard. Took about five games.

No, but it will be good training for Fear Factor or Survivor....

They were very rare. Mostly used for very special missions like an beach invasion or when there were known fortifications to be remove as part of a large operation. I think these will be very hard to get when the rarity rules are in place in CMBB. [ June 02, 2002, 04:47 PM: Message edited by: StellarRat ]

Well, I liked the first scheme just as much as this one, but if the black makes more people happy I certainly don't have a problem with it.