Patrocles
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Posts posted by Patrocles
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interesting review on the IMDB website
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1483831/
I really cannot understand all the positive reviews on this movie. To start with, everything is unrealistic/not believable, but not to the point of being metaphorical or theatrical, no! just to the point that it becomes very irritating. I will not go into the details, but to quote a few problems: the bunch of soldiers are not trained at all (is this the efficient Israeli army or what?), they all show very human feelings and cannot obey to their orders (how many times we've seen this already? who performs all the terrible deeds that happened in that war??)... the zoom lenses from the tank can do miracles and every target looks pitifully straight into the lenses/camera (unbearable)... the idea that they (the Israeli Army represented by the silly bunch) do not understand what their allied falangists say and ingenuously support them is quite outrageous and possibly, a way to call itself out from any responsibility of the Sabra and Shatila massacre... unacceptable! Finally everyone access the tank as if it was an hotel. Nothing really noticeable about the score, camera work or screenplay. Another very overrated movie. Avoid it.
Sounds like a lot of crappy war movies I've seen. Still, gotta see it myself to truly judge it.
Gpig
thanks for the link! I will have to look at more reviewer comments.
I wonder if the bloke is a military grog? He seems to know a little bit about the military.
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apologies if this is old news.
I heard bits of a review on the BBC. It sounds like it is worth my time to watch this film.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebanon_%28film%29
The film, shot inside a tank, follows the story of an attempt to rescue a group of paratroopers under siege in an urban setting from Syrian troops.[3] It is directed by Samuel Maoz, who based it on his adventures as a young Israeli conscript during the war with Lebanon in 1982.[4] It has been described as an anti-war movie by British newspaper The Guardian.[2]
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How do I get this feeling that he got the prize just for not being GWB? I just find it a little bit premature to assess his work as a president.
Of course dropping the "we don't talk to Sauron" policy of his predecessor is an improvement, as is the detente with Russia on the missile shield, as is stopping to run United Nations down. But all of that is just returning to normal, rational politics. He hasn't brought an end to the conflict in Afghanistan, neither has he solved the crises with Iran, nor brought peace to Darfur or Palestine. Neither would I expect that, given how short time he's been in office. But shouldn't the prize money have gone to someone who's actually shown some merit? Like myself. I have restrained myself from destroying that which is called as human 'civilization', despite the temptation everytime I read newspaper or watch reality tv.
I agree! ....
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Patrocles,
No joke
There was a thread recently where quite a number of people said that they bought the bargain bin games for whatever reason (some just because they had never heard of Combat Mission at all) and then wound up purchasing Modules. Although it is never our intent, or our desire, to have our games selling for less than the cost of manufacturing, we were aware that was going to happen when we signed the retail contracts. To expect otherwise would have been very naive. We're not naive 
Right, so I'm not sure why you made that statement about CM:SF being cheaper than old CMx1 games. It all depends on where you look. Which is part of the problem. The stuff that was shoveled into retail, so someone could clean out their warehouse, takes a long, long, long time to work through the system completely. But the vast bulk of it is gone within a couple of years. Either because the retailer has sold it or they've chucked it into a dumpster to make room for something with a higher margin.
The retail model sucks for developers/publishers.
Steve
When I looked around I did not find CMBB and CMAK very cheap only CMBO. Do you have any linkys?
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Patrocles,
Simple... the bulk of the $3 bargain bin versions of CMx1 games have long since been sold or put into landfills
A good online hunter can find CMx1 games for a couple of bucks as well (I just found CMBO for $2). Anything over a few months old tends to wind up in a bargain bin. But in this horrible, and I mean HORRIBLE, retail environment the normally terrible short lifespan has been shortened even further. It also has a lot to do with the retail publishers and/or distributors.Price and quality don't have much in common as far as games go. Which is why we niche market gaming companies hate the retail model. And that's why Battlefront.com was formed almost 10 years ago. Just look at our Manifesto that we wrote originally back in 1998 and then updated 2008. What's happened to our products since then has been no surprise to us.
Steve
Ha! If you look in the CMBO forum you will see old posts where I found CMBO on sale for $1USD!
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Patrocles:
Try to be nice please. I think it is very bad form to post links to places where people can buy a company's product at discounted rates on the company's own boards.
I am being nice. Steve said it was OK to make such posts for all CM games.
In fact, that reminds me, I did not know if Steve was joking or not when he made the comment about having CMSF at a very low cost in order to get people into the system. Then BF can make money off the modules (which are not sold retail, right?)?
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Or you can buy it from Battlefront directly and support the development of this series. I'm all about a bargain, but I'm all about supporting those that give me endless hours of fun.
better yet, if he doesn't have it already he should buy CMBO, CMBB, and CMAK! It is amazing how these three games still cost more or as much as CMSF in many places. Why is that?
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I have never been a big fan of modern day war games, but having played the latest Demo I am impressed!
The vehicle models and movements are beautiful, the lighting is well done (although shadows need a bit of work)...
Damage models for both vehicles and building and definitely walls could be alot better - but other than that the game is great fun to play.
I was so impressed I am considering buying the game + modules this weekend.
Cant wait for Normandy!
Cool! I don't care for the game too much, but I am glad others like it since that means BF can get back to CM WWII games/modules.
Here are some good places to pick up the CMSF game (but if you want CMSF + Marines you won't save too much - $45.00USD here at BF or an example from other companies starting at $3USD + $25USD + shipping):
New for $3USD (that is not a typo! toss in a few more USD for shipping
)Gamersgate direct download of CMSF for $10USD
http://www.gamersgate.com/DD-CMSF/combat-mission-shock-force
enjoy!
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Well, hardly two ACTIVE accounts: apparently an account last used in 2007 was still 'active' in "here". Who knew? Not me. That was 2 PCs and a couple of brain-farts ago .... It's not as if I made a secret of having 're-registered' here in a post above ... I can't remember much of last week, let alone 2-odd years ago.
copy that! In that case I, too, have/had two accounts. I had a memory lapse and lost my info for one account and created another - then I found my info for the first account and stuck with this it. I have not touched my other "active" account in >5-6 years!
Hey, didn't BF say that they deleted the inactive accounts? I remember some posts where folks were asking if the member#s for these inactive accounts would be available. Some of us wanted to try and get a much coveted 2-digit or 3-digit member#.
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So, WHEN can we splash our moolah on it?
As for release we've decided we're not going to rush things to get it out by Christmas [2009] as originally planned. We would rather enjoy the Holidays. Our goal, however, is to have it mostly done before taking some time off at the end of the year.
Awesome!
take your time please!! We don't want to see another CMSF-type release from BF! -
*I* am being ggressive and uncalled for? But the ad hominem attack was on me! I believe I have focussed cogently on the differences between CMx1 and x2 as experienced by the game player.
My rational argument (in the sense of "discussion" and not as some will interpret it: "quarrel") did not deserve some scurrilous attempt to attack my integrity, and for that attack to go unmarked or unrebuked by 'admin' .
Well, that's fine - you have to protect your own, and I suppose I shouldn't expect anything else.
I agree! Mr. Egamarl posts have been interesting and though-provoking....certainly not aggressive and uncalled for. maybe BF is focusing too much on his having two active accounts?
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Who definitely stop playing Combat Mission AK-BB-BO?
I stopped playing these games for several months ago and the only motivation I had, was the mods! I expect a lot (perhaps too) the new game engine, hoping that the gameplay is better than what I saw on the demos of shock force!
I still play all three classic, excellent CMX1 games (cmbb the most of all BF games...unless you can also count Dangerous Waters)! CMSF is a big pile of steaming bytes imho, ymmv and I rarely touch it anymore.
I can't wait for CMN!! bring it on!!
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As promised, after some thinking I decided this would be a good bone for the moment...
http://www.battlefront.com/index.php?option=com_myblog&show=Normandy-abridged.html&Itemid=213
As a reminder to you guys, a dedicated WW2 Forum will be set up when we are ready to focus attention on Normandy. Until then this Forum will serve double duty for both Modern and WW2.
Enjoy!
Steve
The vehicles look very nice!
Is this game still set for 2009 release? I am guessing that that date has slipped to Q3 or Q4 2010?
thanks!
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I played a few games of Memoir44. it is a fun and light battle game - a good introduction game for those interested in board wargaming (imho, ymmv).
I still want to try out Conflict of Heroes (eastern front tactical game). From what I have read at BGG this game is easy to learn and fun. I believe someone there also stated they are coming out with a Western Europe version of COH.
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I was really surprised to learn that it took this long to apologize for something as unfair as this. I mean, not only was he persecuted for simply being what he was (his only real crime being born at a time when you couldn't), but he had also served his government like only a few did, ironically in a war against a government that murdered homosexuals.
You can read the official apology here.
(I would have loved to read Fred Phelps' comments on this, but unfortunately his sites (Godhatesfags and Godhatesamerica) were down...
)Wow! such a sad ending for this man!
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this is probably gonna be an unpopular topic on the eve of the release of les grognards but here goes: what was your biggest let down in terms of games you anticipated and bought?
for me it is easy, Myth III: The Wolf Age. it was highly anticipated sequal to myth 2: soulblighter and myth: the fallen lords (both by bungie) but wolf age was made by a newly formed group of developers and published by take2 interactive. the game was a total bomb failure, and many hardcore myth players never considered the 3rd installment to be canonical
the 2nd biggest letdown i've ever had with a videogame was ETW.
CMSF by far after the brilliance of CMBO, CMBB, and CMAK! What a piece of junk on release (dangers of signing release contracts and "getting caught with your pants down")! The patches have helped but still don't like the game.
:mad:
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That's just it. Lustig talks about the 'perfect storm' that brought about the popularity of HFCS in processed foods ('it all started with Nixon'). The perfect storm is actually this:
1.) We consume more calories than ever before. Lustig demonstrates this clearly with his Coca-Cola example - people don't think of a 20 oz bottle of Coke as 2.5 servings; most people will drink it in one go.
2.) We get far less exercise than ever before. You've said this as well.
3.) We eat less fibre than ever before. Processed foods are mainstream. They're loaded with salt, sugar and fat, but low in nutrients and fibre.
That is the perfect storm that's led to the obesity problem. And knowing that HFCS has basically the exact same composition as table sugar - something that's been around forever - tells me it's not the type of sugar that's the culprit. It's that we're eating too much sugar, along with too many other empty calories, for what we burn off.
Sure, Lustig has some charts to back up his theory, but he shows them at the exclusion of comparing diabetes rates to the decreased rates of exercise and fibre consumption over the past 30-odd years. Makes me question why.
good point.
As many articles have recently stated there are more people exercising now more than 30 years ago yet we are seeing more obese people. I have seen some reports on how people today may be getting more "intense exercise" (as in going to a gym to workout) but these is being offset by lack of daily "everyday exercise" (walking up stairs to work instead of elevator, hiring professional dogwalkers instead of taking Fido out every evening, driving 2 miles to the store for a quart of milk instead of walking, etc.). I have seen some reports where if people who increase their "everyday exercise" and reduce their caloric intake to an appropriate amount do lose and maintain a healthy weight.
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Does it mean thousands of players online at the same time? While its a pretty game, is it just me or is that a bit optimistic? I think i will have a look-see tho. Looks interesting.
yeah, the company states thousands can play in one game. maybe the scale is so big and the "turns" (can't recall what word they coined for their system) are slow enough that lag may not be issue?
Q5: What do we mean with massively multiplayer (MMO), how many players exactly? We are not able to give any definite answer yet. We anticipate that the biggest campaigns will be around 2500 people playing together in a single game, on two sides (e.g. Allies and Axis).
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This game sounds interesting.
Yeah, a monthly fee can deter some folks. I'm looking at signing up for iRacing sim this winter. They charge sumfink like $15/month (iibc, it cost a bit less if you purchase 3month pass, 6month pass, 1 year pass, etc.).
How does one go about obtaining ranks in the game?
"At lowest level, players command companies (when playing Battalion commanders, typically commanding e.g. 3 companies), and at the highest level at High Command. Every player is a part of the Army hierarchy, and may have superiors (other players) and subordinates (other players as well)."
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I'd buy Vietnam before I'd buy Brits or UN modules.....
+1
I like this idea for a Vietnam CM module.
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Let's put this into a little bit of perspective:
You've got EA who publishes the Madden 20xx NFL Football games. This, with minor alterations is the same game year after year (albeit with roster changes) and costs $60 US for the typical newer console. And it isn't even a relatively good football simulation, in my opinion. Yet the drones line up year after year to buy the same game over again.
Then you've got BFC who have implemented a module system to sell add-ons for one of several Base Game systems. The difference here is these games are their REAL product. They sell these games to a much smaller niche while still trying to garner some reasonable level of profit. Madden is a cash cow for EA that basically guarantees them massive profit from spewing the same crap out every year. Why? Because they have the EXCLUSIVE license to produce NFL video games. This was very critical for them around 2005 to ensure competitors like the 2K video games did not erode their market and their cash cow.
You want to talk about complacency? You think BFC has taken their customers for granted and abused their pocketbooks? Look at the giant hypocrisy example I just described above.
I was never under the impression that BFC really thought the typical customer would purchase more than one add-on per base game, anyway. But some are arguing that "we must have all the extras" but then want to negotiate that cost based on their own expectations, which are sometimes just not realistic.
I fully understand that some rely on hardgoods because of lack of broadband or simply prefer the "I can hold it in my hands" type of product. I have full 20 Mbit service, but trust me, I pay for it. And on more than a few occasions, it saves me either time or money, like when I need to download game files from Battlefront vs. postage.
And about postage...if it seems high now, just wait, I can almost guarantee it's going to get worse.
well said! AIIHC, the price of many AAA-title games are going to be creeping up towards winter (look for $65-$70 EA games this Xmass! haha)
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Okay, I can udnerstand the info floating around here can sometimes be a bit misleading, but we all should view as a long-term investment: the more money we give BFC, the more (and better!) games they can continue to give us. What's the use of our favorite games developer dlivering a The-whole-shebang-with-eveything-you-can-think-of-plus-a-free-ticket-to-Hawaii game realease and stating afterwards they're going out of business because the last two releases simply were too expensive?
It's not working like that in the games industry and never has - and a lot of companies have gone out of business exactly because of that: trying to deliver more than they were able to cope with or to pay for in production costs.
good point. I would have no problem with this if so stated by BFC up front.
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Admittedly a heavy off topic and at 90 minutes rather a long University lecture. However as it deals with health and gives the science behind sugar/obesity/diabetes and heart disease it is well worth watching. I cannot recommend it enough as it uses meta-analysis to provide verifiable proof of its theme that fructose etc. creates the bad fat and more.
A brief overview would be that the obesity epidemic of the last 30 years in countries adopting the American diet is remarkably consistent with cheap sugar being used in processed foods and the removal of fibre to prolong foods storage life.
Over the last 100 years sugar intake has increased tenfold - and most of the increase is post-war. The liver can only process so much per day and when there is a glut excess sugar causes problems for the body. A large 44 fl oz. size soda daily is worth 123lbs in a year on your weight. However that is to suggest that weight is the problem - however it is only a visible sign and the real damage is actually internal.
Being for science grads they tend to use graphs, proofs, and supporting evidence. All in all a very very persuasive piece - with not an alien or foil hat in sight.
Please do take the time to read.
thanks for the link!
very cool! I will have to pass this on to my labmates. I work in a diabetes research lab - my boss studies Beta-cell (insulin producing cells) replication/survival at the molecular level so we rarely look at the "big picture" as it relates to human health issues.
There was a thread recently where quite a number of people said that they bought the bargain bin games for whatever reason (some just because they had never heard of Combat Mission at all) and then wound up purchasing Modules. Although it is never our intent, or our desire, to have our games selling for less than the cost of manufacturing, we were aware that was going to happen when we signed the retail contracts. To expect otherwise would have been very naive. We're not naive 
Super Realistic New Modern Warfare Game
in Combat Mission Shock Force 1
Posted
LMAO! thanks for sharing!