sfhand

We don't know if the delay is due to Steam's QA process or Slitherene's (or some other internal issue/policy with either or both companies). We do know when BF released the patch. We do know the BF patching process: 1) check to see if there is a patch - done automatically by Steam 2) download patch - done automatically by steam 3) extract patch - done automatically by Steam (if they receive compressed patches from their vendors) 4) pause anti-virus protection - not done by Steam 5) run patch as administrator - not done by Steam (afaik) Side note: Steam's patching process is not error free, yesterday one of my Steam games wouldn't start after a recent patch. As a long time Steam user, I knew to check the integrity of the game files which solved the problem. I knew to do this because it has happened before with various Steam games. I have never had any issues with BF patches by following the simple steps above. My earlier post was about keeping the BF patch releases without artificial delays, it was not intended as a slam on Steam or its functionality.

Nooooooo.... Full disclosure: I noticed Steam downloading a patch for CMBS so I came here and downloaded the patch for my BF version. So in this instance Steam helped me. However, the idea of having to wait an extra month for a patch to BF versions of the games due to Slitherene or Steam's QA process seems like it erases one of the perks of buying direct from BF (I only have Steam versions because of the free license for BF customers). I'm thinking of the times most of us (the silent majority) have patiently waited for a patch to fix something without complaining about it. I think this episode clearly illustrates that while Steam may provide CM wider exposure it does not improve the patching process, at least not in my view.

BFCElvis, you are the best.

I haven't been playing much CM these days but that hasn't stopped me from thinking CM is one of the best game series ever or from pre-ordering everything I can. To everyone, from BF to the beta's and anyone else who has contributed in any way, thank you very much for your love of CM and the time and effort you put into making it what it is and yet will be. You are the best. Cheers!

I looked at the CMBS page yesterday and saw the same Intel warning. I had the same smeared text results as you, which is how I discovered the need to switch from Intel integrated graphics to the dedicated graphics card. That CM doesn't take full advantage of modern hardware is one of my laments. One of the things that would improve CMx2 performance, in my opinion, would be to implement x64 support for Windows and optimize code for multicore processors. Many times I have read that CM is CPU intensive and I believe it. Another thing I wonder about is the possibility of using the processing power of modern video cards (along the lines of Nvidia physx) to improve performance. One of the questions for me is does BF invest in further upgrades to modernize the engine or do they move to a different engine? For a small company the massive amount of development time required to create a new engine is not a small investment. I am pretty sure, looking at the development history of the games, modifying the current engine is no small task either. Of course they can stay the course, which won't surprise me. Most if not all of us on this forum love the game warts and all.

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gpu-hierarchy,4388.html You're gonna have to scroll all the way to the bottom of the list, what kind of performance do you expect from this card?

Personally, as one who is a gamer first and war gamer second, I have a hard time taking seriously any complaint about a game's graphics performance on a laptop that doesn't have a dedicated graphics card. There is a reason some laptops are categorized and marketed as gaming laptops. The only issue I've ever had with CM graphics on any of the gaming laptops I've owned (aside from universal framerate issues) is my not making sure the laptop was using the dedicated graphics card rather than the integrated Intel graphics solution and that oversight only happened once ;). Edit: Seeing how this thread has gone I want to make sure you know I wasn't trying to be abrasive. I am jealous of Mac's making use of 64 bit architecture... I have long thought BF should modernize the Windows version to x64.

double post... sigh

The_Capt, sir! Thanks so much for the AAR. Your wit and wisdom are top notch. I'm surprised you aren't The_Col or The_Gen.

It's really too bad there is no tongue in cheek emoji... or even a slightly tongue in cheek emoji. It's all good with me, I really wasn't challenging the validity of anyone's human experience, in fact I honor it (the validity).

As a long time observer of BF forums this thread's topic seems very familiar. I do not write this to denigrate anyone, I am and have always been someone who is deeply fascinated by human behavior and psychology. I am all too human myself. I have enjoyed the perks and suffered the follies and heartbreaks that go along with that. From my first days here I, as a gamer not a grognard, have taken note of my fellows' interests, partially to enrich my own experience of CM and to enhance my abilities in game in an effort to be a worthy opponent. As a result, I have read many people expressing desires for many things. In terms of "what games they would like to see next" the Eastern Front of WW2 and a fictional Fulda Gap scenario have been very popular ideas dating back to CMBO. As a result I can only view this as a win/win with no losers from either camp. For me, if I were to look for one of my "CM desires" to be frustrated by this announcement it would be my desire for a modular CM3 that could take full advantage of modern computer architecture (another very common theme around these parts). I write this as one who can not know if the development of a fully modernized CM3 is likely, or even possible, for a small company like BF. So, in reality, I am not frustrated by the announcement but rather very happy for more content, engine upgrades of current content, as well as more user made scenarios and mods that will invariably follow. Two birds in the hand... what?

Official word that it is in development.

A question for Steve, a bit off topic but still upgrade related. At this point in time is CM2 Windows going to remain a 32-bit program? I made a really large map/scenario with the idea of mimicking old CM campaigns over the length of a 4 hour battle. Everything was testing well until our Win32 versions started getting oom errors as reinforcement forces were added to the survivors of the previous skirmish. My theory is 64-bit would solve the oom issue and allow for larger battles. This doesn't mean I am not still in awe of what CM accomplishes. After all these years that's a pretty good endorsement, IMHO. Thanks for the countless hours of enjoyment.

I had similar experiences on my laptop. Once I set up the laptop to use it's dedicated video card instead of the integrated one the problem went away. I did this in the Nvidia control panel.

What about the other items on the list and the outfit?