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sfhand

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Posts posted by sfhand

  1. The problem was big enough for the Germans to take note and fix it.

    Well, according to wikipedia...

    "From September 1944, a slightly redesigned mantlet with a flattened and much thicker lower "chin" design started to be fitted to Panther Ausf G models, the chin being intended to prevent such deflections. Conversion to the "chin" design was gradual, and Panthers continued to be produced to the end of the war with the rounded gun mantlet."

    the problem wasn't severe enough to warrant an immediate change or even cease production of the "flawed" model. Since there is no evidence this was a glaring weakness in the panther, I'd much rather see BF continue to put effort into developing new features for v3.0 than trying to make something more "realistic" when nobody can document what was "real".

  2. Mord, no knock on your work, and kudos for the effort and results, but this is the mod I'm talking about (it uses a different approach):

    http://www.battlefront.com/community/showthread.php?t=102878&highlight=flags

    Again, many thanks for the hours and hours of time you've spent making mods and making them available to the rest of us.

  3. In addition to Rank, please add a mouse-over tool tip for Nationality in the UI.

    There is a nationality flag mod for CMBN + CW, apologies to the modder for forgetting his name, that is very good. I would like to see something of that nature added permanently to the game, thus eliminating the need for the mouse-over.

    In general I am in the "I'd rather see improved features over improved UI" camp...

  4. ...

    And I'm still for the release of the Big Bundle (CMBN+CW+2.0+MG+all current patches) for $80(ish).

    To me, that seems like a large discount for a niche title...

    I, admittedly, don't know much about marketing, sales, or software development, so, my opinions in this arena could be wildly off target, which is why I tried to stick to BF's current pricing/bundle structure in my post.

  5. I'm going to chime in on this discussion. The following is my opinion based on my experience as a computer gamer/consumer from the early pc (8088) days until now.

    Recently I purchased several games I had interest in on Steam (some for myself and some for a friend). I paid ~$5 for each title. These titles usually sell for $35-$45 dollars on Steam. Since I know Steam has sales with drastically reduced prices I rarely pay the full retail price for games available there.

    I held off on buying Battlefield 3 for over a year for 2 reasons; to get a lower price, and to wait for the release bugs to be squashed. The recently released BF4 just released their first DLC and people are furious they are publishing DLC rather than fixing release bugs.

    I bought Crysis on release several years ago and they didn't attempt to fix the online issues, they released Crysis Warhead instead, their reason for this choice, per them, was piracy made it impossible for them to put any more resources into the title. That means people like me who bought the game were out of luck - lesson learned for me (and no more Crysis titles for me either).

    This brings me to CM and BF. I have bought every CM game with the exception of Afghanistan (I still haven't played most of the CMSF module scenarios and CMBN was on the horizon so I took a pass). I fully understand that BF is a small company developing and publishing their games in a niche market. I also acknowledge and respect BF for the way they stand behind their titles.

    So, as one who bargain shops for games, I've got to say I have never bought a CM bundle. I throw that strategy out the window when it comes to CM.

    All that said, if I were BF and I wanted to use pricing to give people an incentive to buy I would do the following.

    I would stop selling v1 CMBN - I think the demos are a very nice way to get into the game and they off a terrific bang for the buck... :)

    I would discount all modules purchased with a game, e.g., $5 off for one module $10 off for 2. This would serve as an enticement for someone who has played the demo to buy more than the base game when they make a purchase. If cost is an issue it may mean one has to wait to buy, but it lets one buy in for less in the long run. This also allows bargain hunters who are willing to wait to save a little cash.

    As one with a track record of being a bargain hunter for most games after having payed full price on release only to be burned, I have always pre-ordered and paid full price for CM games (with the exception of CMBO which I learned about after release), primarily due to BF's track record and my amazement with CM. I have always viewed CM as a unique experience and as such I have been willing to put up with circumstances I wouldn't otherwise put up with (yes... I'm talking about the DRM).

  6. It is interesting that this ricochet would, in fact, be blocked by the mantlet "chin". The statement about hitting below the transverse centerline notwithstanding, I wonder if the shot trap only works if the shell hits the bottom 4" or so of the mantlet.

    Edit: it also took out a chunk of the turret on its way through the hull roof.

    These were my thoughts as well when I saw the picture.

  7. I took a few years to buy CM2 after playing CM1 to death. I downloaded the demo when CMBN came out but didn't buy as it was quite 'hard' to win and also I wanted British and Commonwealth forces. I found the video tutorials mentioned earlier in this thread and real help. Started using those tactics and suddenly the game changed completely.

    I also found starting with small battles easier but I'm now about 7 battles into the Nijmegen campaign. Its brilliant because it starts with smaller battles and even the bigger ones aren't uncontrollable. Fortunately my wife has just discovered Breaking Bad and has 6 series to catch up. "Do you mind if I watch Breaking bad again tonight darling?", "Oh ok - suppose I'll just fire up the old computer then...";)

    No game will ever be perfect and having been involved in making games I can only marvel how well this one plays out. If I ever spot anything that is 'unrealistic' (virtually nothing so far) I put it down to the chaos of battle.

    As much as I love CMx2, IMHO, you are making a huge mistake... Breaking Bad is amazing. I'm not saying it's better than CM - it's apples and oranges, but for me there was plenty of time for both.

  8. I know moving from CMx1 to CMx2 can be a challenging experience, but trust me, it was a lot more challenging to go from CMx1 to CMSF, at least for me. CMBN has a lot more features and is a much smoother experience than CMSF was at launch. The scenario authors have become much more adept at using the CMx2 editor (which has had its own upgrade path) which has lead to mastery of their craft. All that being what it is, the earlier advice to start small is a good one as was the suggestion to check out Bil's tactical tutorials. CMx2 demands a lot more attention to detail than CMx1 did (at least in my experience) and there are times I will play other less demanding games to relax my brain, but CMx1 is not one of them - I can't go back to that.

  9. My flickr account was shut down due to inactivity... If you've got a dropbox I can send you a similar yet different screenie, i.e., mg team deployed with covered arc NOT packing up, or you can just take my word for it. So, I guess it is interesting that you are experiencing this aspect of the covered arc/deploy bug while I am not. I am currently running vanilla CMBN (no mods) with CW and MG - v2.11.

  10. Good catch and I hope it gets fixed soon. But while it is around, how much is it going to effect gameplay? I mean, how hard is it to avoid giving a directional CA before deploying? I ask because it would never have occurred to me to give a unit a CA before deploying.

    Michael

    Michael, you might wish to re-read the 3rd sentence of the OP...

    "And deployed units with a directional covered arc will pack-up."

    just sayin...

    After posting this I started wondering about the quote above, so I tested it in MG Green Hell. I only tested one mg (m1917) but it did not pack up when a directional covered arc was applied, both in its default startup location and once it had established itself at a new location. It did ignore the deploy order upon arrival at a new location with a covered arc order until the covered arc order was removed, at which point it deployed and stayed deployed after receiving a new covered arc order.

  11. I used to feel the same way about night battles. On my machines they always seemed too dark to play in a lit room because I could barely make out where my soldiers were - the added eye strain was not very enjoyable. At the time I felt the environment should affect the game pieces and not the player and I still pretty much think that should be the status quo. This is why I am happy with fog effects the way they are now while others want "thicker" graphical representation of fog. So, I can definitely understand why I might want a snow toggle at some point (I say might because I haven't played in the snow yet).

    As one who has a computer capable of playing the game on higher resolutions I seldom take into consideration what people playing on lesser machines face. I've seen one of my friends play on his laptop and I am trying to convince him to find a way to upgrade because I know he will discover a whole new game if he does.

  12. After a long break (caused by the birth of my daughter :) ) I could return to my CM activities yesterday and have almost finished the mini-campaign. Before uploading it, I would be pleased to find some volunteer for the final playtesting. May be, during the long period without working on it, I have forgotten some things, which should be improved for the final version.

    Regards

    Frank

    I don't really play single player, so I wouldn't be a suitable candidate for playtesting the campaign. But I am one who has enjoyed the birth of a daughter. Congratulations! I hope all is well with her.

    And thanks for the time and effort creating content for this great game.

  13. Game of Thrones is good. Pretty bloodthirsty though. The downside of that book is that the following volumes get worse and worse as they progress. Read it. hopefully you will enjoy it, but know that continuing to follow the story will inevitably start to disappoint.

    For me, callow and stunted as I am, the worst part of the A Song of Ice and Fire series is waiting for the next book... and yes, I liked Jackson's take on Tolkien's books even though they weren't "faithful" reproductions.

  14. Ha my wife is Japanese. What makes me like Tolkien also has led me to follow Japanese history particularly the Sengoku period. There are many similarities in term of tragedy, rivalries that span generations etc. So she doesn't mind. Lucky me that she didn't just look at me askance and politely decline my invitation for a date. :D

    Or that she didn't run from the room screaming? (I guess I, too, am often callow and stunted)

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