CMplayer

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Scipio: Excuse, I'm German What means 'Bump'???<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Just a little nudge to push the post back to the top of the page. --Rett

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Joe Shaw: There's a good chap. Now go find a decent handle that doesn't apply to everyone here. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> We're all just plain Joes here aren't we Joe? (except maybe Sancho, who's a Sheila, but that's another story) But seriously...I can't think of a good handle...i try and try...and ask my wife but she just rolls her eys...i'm not creative or witty thats the problem... that's why i had to use the insult generator program...otherwise it just comes out liek: hey JOWSHAW you NEENER, see if you dare send me some GAMEY SETUP with 14" spotters or 1 billion gadfly flaktruckjs cause I got just the medicine to put a little NEEDED HUMILITY into yer screen persona! whew, that feels better. --Rett

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Berlichtingen: To reduce it to its basic elements: If you can't taunt on your own, and need software assistance, post elsewhere<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> You mean you are _actually_ making your stuff up yourself? It's so...never mind, but I thought most of you were using software assistance already! My mistake, my mistake. (and there goes my thesis on discussion board pecking orders) --Rett

[edit: pls forgiv my lack of creativity in posting a computer-assisted taunt. All I wanted was to be funy, but how? ] [ 08-16-2001: Message edited by: CMplayer ]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Scipio: I made some test to learn more about the victory calculation. a) If I destroy an enemy vehicel, I get the pp that it has cost. If the crew was completly killed together with the vehicel, I get the same points. c) If the crew survives, I get additional points if the crew is 'killed' later. I think that's not right, the crew should always be included in the purchase points, so a surviving crew should mean that I get only the points for a vehicel minus crew. We should keep in mind - a tank is a tank, it's the crew that makes it 'Regular' or 'Elite'. In case of a King Tiger for example, this means a difference of ~250 points between Conscript and Elite!!! [ 08-16-2001: Message edited by: Scipio ]<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Good observations. Bump. --Rett

***Spoilers*** <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Holien: In my second game against Rett he realised that I had gone for a flank attack with a single Sherman on the other flank to act as decoy. So he swamped that Sherman with his defenders there and turned my flank. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> It's interesting to read an opponent's description of your movements after a game. My unorthox action there wasn't a result of outguessing Holien's strategy, but was a plan of my own that got lucky. As the FJ's, knowing that I had a potent advantage in SMGs and troop quality, I decided to splurge and dedicated two squads, an HQ and a vet schreck team as a forward 'mobile' team. Turn 1 they advanced on my right flank into and eventually through the wheat field. Under cover of the fog, I was sure that whatever scouts I ran into I could dispatch of quickly. They received a long string of very short waypoints to maximize flexibility after contact was made, and assist in a pullout if the enemy's main force turned out to be on that flank. As it turned out they captured the mmg and KO'd a Sherman tank, before swinging left and digging into the main Allied attack from behind. There they mostly had to face routed infantry and crews. They might just as well have met a force they couldn't handle, in which case they could stay put to stall the enemy, or withdraw back to their foxholes under cover of the fog. In any event they could help to disrupt the methodical advance of the Yanks and win time, which is extra precious in a quick scenario. --Rett [ 08-16-2001: Message edited by: CMplayer ]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Fieldmarshall: I just used my screen name as the password...not hard...<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Serves ya right, in that case! --Rett

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Fieldmarshall: NO peeking at the Autosave to scout my troops thats cheating...and a certain David Aitken did that to me once...I hate that. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Did you tell him your password or what? How could that be possible? Just curious... --Rett

If the roadblock gives you any trouble at all, bypass it and take up direct fire positions along the wooded ridge to help Baker Co out of their tight spot, and cover our advance later. You should come across friendly footsloggers south of the road. Pick up any of the Regiment's doughs you meet on the way so they can clean out snipers or booby traps that may be left in the village. Reinforcements: We'll be passing through your positions to start the counterattack as soon as we've opened the main road. Now get up there fast! [ 08-15-2001: Message edited by: CMplayer ]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Maj. Battaglia: One enhancement to fog of war I would like to see eventually is for "eliminated" enemy units. I think there is too much certainty about whether a unit has been destroyed or not. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> One funny thing is that if you KO a vehicle with artillery, it will sometimes suddenly appear as spotted and destroyed on the map, even if it was only a 'last seen' icon before. A great pleasure of another sort, though is dropping heavy arty over a low rise, and seeing plumes of smoke come up from the other side. --Rett

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by mensch: I found at least the FJ AT guns quite easy to take out with the use of infantry to advance and keep those shermans out of the visuals of those AT assets, thus drawing out the FJ to shoot the infantry.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Playing double blind is completely diff because you have no indication of what to expect. I agree completely with the tactics you describe, but a good defender will find ways to foul up the smooth machinery of a methodical plan like that. Just an observation... --Rett

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by The_Capt: Anybody else got some "way out there" suggestions?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Vehicles blocking LOS and LOF is what I'm waiting for. Might be waiting a long time, of course. --Rett

***Spoilers*** The important thing is that this little scenario has provided sustained _fun_ for my opponent and myself. We are into our third playing of it, and are having a good time. That said, I hope the following comments are of some use. Playing the Allies h2h double-blind I felt extremely rushed by the time limit. This led to very hasty scouting with my infantry, and they naturally ran into FJ's with smgs at close range. End of scouting allied infantry. The map was such that the FJ's could withdraw to positions outside of my tank overwatch fire, and for my tanks to reach new positions, they had to move into the kill zones of the guns. This is, of course a very interesting defence, but taking it on requires some time and thought. This tough nut would require some support in the form of _mortars_ to be properly crackable. I might suggest giving the Allies a double command bonus HQ with some 60mm mortars, and 5 more turns. At least for head-to-head play. But that might not work because of the mortars' minimum range. Something of that sort, though not a spotter of course, would be the thing. I tried using the Yank bazookas in this role, wedging them into position to fire on the AT guns, to give the Allied tanks an opportunity to move into firing positions against the FJ's. Perhaps it would have been doable with a bit more skill and luck. But this feels like abuse of my zook teams. As for the point balance...favourable defensive terrain and short time limit both augment the FJ's value, and this augmentation is naturally all the greater for a human. A tactic I have used with success in bocage battles is having a couple of Shermans simply bust into a field and take on enemy infantry for a turn or two until supporting infantry arrive. This is, of course, a bit desperate and is an attempt to break a deadlock, or stop a counterattack which will be devestating if I remain where I am. But in this game it didn't work...dead tanks. This is not to fault the scenario, of course, since the above tactic works best against enemy infantry which is out maneuvring in the fields, not dug-in infantry protected by interlocked fire. It was probably an error, as the Allies, to divide the tanks into two sections (with a single tank in reserve), and let each section accompany a platoon on either side of the road respectively. Again, though this is generally a sound way to play, the short time demanded more concentrated firepower. To this end, the third time through I massed everything together and advanced slowly up the main road (what Holien called a mad rush). I simply wanted every gun available to hit his units piecemeal. This is gamey since I know he won't have artillery to counter my over-concentration, and because one really ought to sweep the sides of the road with infantry before advancing vehicles. But, it seems that this strategy is working, though at a high cost. thx for an exciting micro-game O Kessel Denizens! --Rett [ 08-15-2001: Message edited by: CMplayer ]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by CombinedArms: What do you guys think?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> A very interesting observation. I'm definitely going to be watching it in my next games. and thx to everyone else that answered the original question. --Rett

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Blackthorne: I'm throwing myself upon the mercy of the community here. I'm perplexed and befuddled, (which may very well be causing this problem in the first place). I've had a handful of battles begin with my morale already sliced to 96% and the opponent being awarded 4% victory pts before a turn is even begun. Yes that's right. After my initial setup my first morale posting is 96%. What gives? Did I place a platoon in a patch of quicksand and not hear their pleas for help. Do I have troops offing their CO's before the battle begins? :confused: :confused: :confused:<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I've been wondering about that myself...I've started battles with morale as low as the 70's. --Rett

I'd be much more scared of some vicious little lap-dog catapulted in through an open hatch somewhere.

Assaulting SANCHO, my Yanks can already smell his filthy Cherman zigaretten and hear the gutteral orc-like grunts that are supposed to pass for human speech. Sounds and smells carry far over these bald hills. I hope the civilians are evacuated, but expect to find them chained in front of his gun emplacements. Time will tell. In other recent news, I played the rematch against the peerless F-S Trenchknife, and eked out a minor victory defending against his swarms of crack/vet Red Devils, with a numerically inferior force of mostly reg Gebirgsjägers. So the battledagger trophy remains firmly in the grip of yers truly. Anyone who would like to take a waltz in the Alpine Heights, and suck on 120mm mortar rounds is welcome to challenge, not that I expect the regulars here to care. I'm addressing the lurkers, a more worthy lot. Finally, there's the matter of the Goanna- Elvis challenge bridge map which I'm playing against Stixx, an Australian chap who wandered in here by mistake a while back. It would appear his Krauts are advancing cautiously, so we're making tea. Now before you tell me to sod off, sod off yourselves. with warm greetings, and kind wishes, --rett [ 08-13-2001: Message edited by: CMplayer ]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Chupacabra: One of the most important things about PBEMing, I think, is to agree to the parameters of the match before you start. That way, you won't get bogged down with frantic 'you gamey bastard' emails halfway through. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I'm starting to agree with this more and more. For instance I'm just starting an assault pbem, and it's a bit strange to not have even the _slightest idea_ what I'm up against. I mean is it the Siegfried line? Or armor or infantry heavy? Is the Luftwaffe active in my sector these days??? Of course, my opponent had to set up his defence under the same uncertainties. One way, perhaps, to come to agreement with an opponent is perhaps to have a common 'story' of what sort of battle it is you want to play. This can be better than trying to specify a million rules for what you can and can't buy. If you say...hey this is German FJ's supported by SS armor attacking American Paras in wooded country...with British armor, then you buy the stuff and try to play 'in character'. Or whatever the type of game is. This could also be a way of resolving disputes about towed guns in ME's and the like. Instead of deciding a million rules...just agree with yer opp. on the 'story' of the ME, and try to follow that idea. just my 2¢ --Rett

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Dogface21: OOps, I meant TCP\IP, not ICQ.....DUH :eek: null<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> TCP/IP: If you want to host a quick battle, just start the game as usual, but instead of choosing 1-player, choose tcp/ip. You then can choose a time limit for turns. Start out with no time limit. A window comes up which tells you your IP number. You can then post this number in the opponent finder section with a little description, like 'help newbie play first tcp/ip game, 20 turn ME 500 pts' or something like that. Then wait for someone to connect. That might take a while, depending on the time of day. Or you can mail the ip to an opponent if you've arranged to have a game at a certain time. If your opponent is hosting a game, and you know his IP, then you choose, from the main menu, 'head to head' or whatever it's called, and you then input the IP of your opponent. Once you've done this, play proceeds as normal. You can open an input window for chat by pressing the '0' (zero/nought) key. For pbem, well, have you read the manual? It's pretty intricate, though not complicated once you have gotten the hang of it. regards, --Rett [ 08-12-2001: Message edited by: CMplayer ]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Cauldron: How do you get reinforcements to enter the maprather than be available for set up. Also, to be placed in "other " areas of the map such as a map edge. If three set up zones exist at the scenario start I would really like it if reinforcements set up in particular zones and not be available for placement anywhere on the bl**dy map.. !! <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> The only way that I know of to steer where reinforcements arrive in a scenario is to take the little 'reinforce x' flag marker, which you can see when you preview the map after putting units in a reinforcement slot, and place it where you want them to arrive. I learned this by just playing around with the editor, though I later confirmed it by reading the manual which accompanied the game. To have them 'enter' the map, just put it close to an edge. Pls. note that they won't become 'available for setup'. They arrive already set up, close to the marker which the scenario designer (you in this case) has placed in the place where you want them to arrive, on the turn that you have chosen for them to arrive, acc. to the probabilities stipulated in the units section of the scenario editor, so to speak, but never 'all over the bl**dy map' AFAIK. regards, --Rett

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Dogface21: I was wondering if someone could tell me the online ettiquitte, rules, courtesy, and protocol of getting a game started online. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I think if you just say you're new and would like to be led through the pbem or tcp/ip process there are plenty of people who would be glad to play. I for one, though I'm in an obscure time zone... If you would like to play the tutorial scenario (the 15 turn meeting engagement) by pbem or tcp/ip just drop me a line. regards, --Rett

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Sancho Panza: Would anyone care to partake in a slice of battle with me.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> waiting for godot can't have taken longer than waiting for sancho while hustling new games he forgets the gentle swedes who pant after files --Rett

refreshing all day not a message, not a turn my heart's in limbo picked up an IP depped enough to bag a hag treeburst one-five-fives what's the point of play ing five games at a time if no one sends a file outerboard exile as I pine in the tall pines my canucks weeping SOMEONE PLEASE SEND A TURN!!!!!! [ 08-12-2001: Message edited by: CMplayer ]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Schrullenhaft: Ooopps... I had forgot about PBEM completion of TCP/IP games (which usually works). I had assumed for some reason (though you didn't explicitly mention it) that you had already tried that route. I'm not sure what it is - data-wise - that prevents a game from being completed solely by TCP/IP, but still enable it to be finished as a PBEM. As far as I can guess the computer performing the turn processing would be the most likely culprit for corrupting the TCP/IP session. You should still be able to 'host' a TCP/IP session without worrying about corrupting the games on a consistent basis, but I would recommend assigning a lot of memory to CM's memory partition and minimizing the number of extensions/CPs that get loaded up when you play CM. I'm curious was your opponent on a Mac or PC ? That shouldn't matter as players have had TCP/IP problems regardless of the hardware differences between the opponents.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Thanks again for your continued assistance. I have done several things to try to fix this. I've increased CM's memory allocation to 50megs. Does that sound like enough? I've also turned off a bunch of control panels and extensions that appear unnecessary at present, and have ditched microsoft mail and browser programs (at least in the same session as I wish to host a TCP/IP game) in favor of Netscape and Eudora. I don't know what sort of computer my opp. was using, but I'll ask. best regards, --Rett

Thanks for your advice! You mentioned hosting and the like, and the fact that the autosaved file seemed corrupted somehow. Basically, I was the IP host for the game, and my oppnent's computer was processing the turns. I assume CM lets the faster CPU handle the turns, but does that mean I shouldn't be hosting? Anyhow, it looks as thought the game can be completed by e-mail...so the corruption only comes into play in TCP/IP. I don't know if any of this information sheds useful light on the problem but I thought I'd toss it out in case you our anyone else might suddenly go aha! thx again, --Rett