c3k

Actually, I had my US squad moving across a wheatfield. The men were talking. Brooklyn was telling the fng about how to spot German mines. Suddenly, a shot rang out and Sgt. Johnson, the squad leader since Sicily, collapsed. Ziggy ran over with Mitch to give buddy aid. Brooklyn swung his BAR towards the suspected sniper hide and ripped off a quick couple of mags. Fng kept his head down like he'd been told. O'Hara, Kansas, Gus, and Lady's Man spread out and tried to spot the Kraut. Johnson didn't make it. Ziggy looked at Mitch and said, "I'm gonna grab the Tommie gun. I think it's better than my Garand. See if you can find some magazines." Mitch shook his head and replied, "It's disrespectful to loot the dead." Then he walked over to the others. Ziggy joined them a minute later, Thompson held casually in his hands. Brooklyn took it in, especially the not quite dry blood on the barrel. The vein in his forehead started to pulse. Kansas sidled up to Fng, grabbed his sleeve, and pulled him out of the way. The squad silently stared at Ziggy. "What? C'mon guys! This is a better weapon!" Ziggy proclaimed. "But it ain't yours," Brooklyn gritted out from between clenched teeth. Ziggy's eyes widened. Brooklyn brought the BAR up and, in a flash, emptied 20 rounds of .30 '06 M2 ball into Ziggy. Turning, he asked, "Anyone got a problem?" They all mutely shook their heads. I've never had any other of my men try to filch someone else's personal firearm. Is that how it happened with your guys?

LOL. Timing, lad, timing! AMD has just released the new architecture R9 285 within the last day or two. (Specs are boring. $250, replaces/improves upon the R9 280 which can be had for sub $200 now.) It hints that the 285x/295/295x cards will be along shortly. At the same time, Nvidia is almost ready to release their next generation. (Skipping the 8xx series for desktops since mobile gpu's have those numbers.) It'll be the 9xx series. This pending release is causing the 780ti prices plummet. Timing! Regardless, you'll see a bit of an improvement.

Agree with the desirability of platoon actions. There's plenty of material out there to create decently realistic, yet playable, battles. More is better. Although, I don't agree that it cannot be played at higher levels. A multi-battalion attack opens up a whole new challenge. The maneuvering, support, and reserves are important, as are resupplying and moving beyond the range of your artillery support. I would enjoy seeing small campaigns. Linked battles with no more than a single company as the focus. As for the OP: agree with all.

^^^ The stunning reality, coupled with the detail and side-stories, bound with a wrapping which allows camera control and rewinding, gives this series incredible entertainment value. The combination of control and chaos, with lifelike decisions, makes this a world given to immersion.

LOL! Just to reinforce the point, the UI shows the current weapon. So, if this guy, with his satchel full of grenades, decided to use the 'faust he had, his slung firearm would not show up until the 'faust was fired or re-stowed. Why 19 grenades? Obvisouly, he has the best arm in the platoon.

^^^ ian.leslie has laid out the various game chronologies quite well. All I will add is the following key: CW: CMBN Commonwealth module MG: CMBN Market Garden module GL: CMFI Gustav Line module So, you may see CMBN+CW+MG. That refers to the entire 3 game family concerning Normandy through Market Garden. Or the Northwestern European theater from June through September. Cost? Well, you can piece your collection together one at a time or you can grab a whole bunch with a discount. As always, the demo is free. Find the theater you enjoy and start there. (One last word: the "game engine" has evolved. As mentioned, it is now at v3. Whichever game family you start with, I strongly recommend that you use the v3 engine. It's not absolutely necessary, but it may increase your ability to find opponents and it will allow for better gameplay.)

It is my understanding that the "upgraded 3.0 upgrade" is a replacement for the "stodgy original 3.0 upgrade". As such, it is taking its place and uses the SAME version number as ol' stodgy: v2.20. Yes, the naming convention is...non-traditional.

Perversity is under-rated. Did you really never wonder if this entire game series was created by a brain in a jar merely so it could give them different v numbers so it could be amused by our discomfiture?

My understanding is that the "3" is silent, like the "e" in "scheme". Okay, the second "e" in "scheme". So, writing 733t means "leet", a shorthand for "elite". Following through, if something is silent, it is often unnoticed. Being unnoticed, it is often unseen. Since "3" in "leetspeak" is the substitute for "e", then "3" is often invisible. This is why computer programmers use binary systems, not trinary systems. The silently invisible 3 would make a hash of their work. So...that's my best guess. K3N.

And the Tank Destroyer branch had the anti-tank role. Sherman was able to be upgunned to meet changing doctrine and threats. From short 75 to 76 to 17 pounder to Israeli 105. Great design with great longevity based on a sound chassis.

Flares! (giggle, smiff, giggle). FLARES!!! If only someone would mention FLARES!

You need to realign your gyros. It's okay to steal if you can't afford what you want? But it's only a little evil? I hope, for your sake, that no one ever looks at your possessions and decides that they want them, even though they can't afford them. I sincerely hope that you only spouted your examples in your "OK" post because you're a witless victim of propaganda and programming.

It looks like Lacroix has gone off the rails. Situational specific ethics? Check. Moral equivalency? Check. Ironic forum tag, that.

"Torrents can lead to more sales. Look at me." Bull. If I've paid $60 for a game, I'm gonna put some time into it. Hell, I'm gonna put time into reading reviews BEFORE I buy it. After I buy, you can be damn sure I'm going to play it. If I get frustrated, I'll find a way around it: is it the control scheme, or a "puzzle" challenge? I'll look up solutions online. If I have a free game, I'm not going to try very hard to "get into it". To Pelican Pal: You are fixated on the physical media. An apple can be stolen ONLY because the original owner is missing it? But a digital copy, illicitly made, is a victimless act? Bull. How much is my labor worth? If I work on making something, even if it is only to find the perfect apple, then I have labored. It is for me to decide who gets the fruit of my labor. Intellectual labor is no less labor than physical labor. The effort which has gone into making a game is "owned" by those who put in that effort. It is up to them to choose who gets the fruit of their labor. If you take their labor from them, then you have stolen from them. They had to work for your pleasure with no recompense or choice. There is a word for that. Who are you to determine the value, or lack thereof, that the apple owner attaches to the image of the apple? Did you go out to the orchard? Did you seek out the "right" apple? Did you climb the tree? Hell, did you plant, water, prune, and nurture that tree? Did you return with the apple? The foundation of free society is based upon the precept that each individual is free to choose how to labor and that the individual, and only the individual, gets the fruit of that labor.

My bold. So.. If I take a picture of the Mona Lisa, and distribute it, then all is okay? I mean, the artist is long dead. The picture is still sitting on display in the Louvre. I've "freed" it so that others can enjoy it? What if the artist is still alive? What if he has his painting up for sale? I mean, c'mon, he still HAS it after I took a picture and distributed it. I've "taken" nothing? Note that the flaw in your assumption does not hinge upon whether or not I charge for the distribution of the image. It is MY apple. Not yours. If I don't want the image of it distributed, then that's my choice, not yours. You don't like DRM? Hmm, I wonder why we are saddled with DRM? Oh, wait! I know! It's because people are trying to PROTECT their property rights. So, you think piracy is okay and then say DRM is a problem? Get a clue.

Hmmm.... I read Steve's post. My take away? Steve is going to start CM concerts with a world-wide tour. T-shirts will soon be for sale...

If torrents INCREASE sales because they allow free tryouts, then what are the free demos? There is no way to be intellectually honest and conclude that pirated software is good for the producer or the consumer (honest or dishonest). It provides a short-term benefit for a small subset of (dishonest) consumers. The parallel would be somehow concluding that squatters are good for home buyers and builders. I pay to reward producers. I just walked to a bagel shop and paid more than I would've liked, but I bought 'em anyway. Because I want to keep that bagel shop in town. I'd hate to have to buy mass-produced, bagged, bagels in the grocery store because the local bagel bakery lost too much business. If you don't respect intellectual property rights, do you also not respect personal property rights? What's the difference? And, why should anyone respect your property rights according to that logic? Just my .02... Ken

Yes, MarkEzra has done an incredible amount of work on the QB maps. His work with the maps, the setup zones, and, most importantly, the AI plans, is mind-boggling. In the vein of AI, upstream it was written, "I've designed, but not released, quite a few scenarios right now. I'm familiar with the stratAI. Which, as you said, is a scenario designer thing. It isn't independently intelligent. Which is more of my point." (My bold, for emphasis.) Show me a SINGLE "independently intelligent" AI. Anywhere. For any purpose. IT DOESN'T EXIST. All that exists are BEHAVIORS based on INPUT. They can be complex, but are not intelligent. They can be trained, but are not intelligent. Holding BFC to a standard that NO ONE has met is ludicrous. The strat AI does a very good job. It needs skilled designers to maximize its benefits. With triggers, it has reached a nice level of performance. Expanding on triggers would, I think, help improve it. The TacAI is outstanding. Seriously, and literally. It stands out from all others in this genre. Hell, when I'd play ASL solo, I wouldn't do as good a job with the enemy as the TacAI does. Sure, it fails on occasion. However, that can add to the simulation. The tank that stops...just short of cover...and then reverses and dies, can make the omniscient player groan in frustration. How many real-life tank drivers, choking on dust, gun fumes, bullets rattling off the hull, semi-blind due to periscopes and undulating terrain, hearing and seeing other tanks explode, would sometimes stop and reverse just short of cover? Yeah. Chaos and unpredictability. Sweet. Can it be better? Sure. Everything can be improved. Is it bad, poor, or otherwise falling short? Not really. StratAI? Again, that's for the designer. That's YOU! I've got shelves full of games. Not as many as some (you know who ). There are NONE which allow me to design a battle with the ease of CM. If I don't like what MarkEzra did with the defending AI in Deep_Woods_Lrg_376b, well, I can pop it into the editor and adjust it. Presto magicko, the StratAI just improved. "independently intelligent" is a flawed basis upon which to measure CM's AI. The trigger tools are a very recent innovation. I'm sure the skills of those who use them will improve. I'm sure the tools will also improve. Ken

Don't listen to him! He will use it AGAINST you! Ken

Gah! No feedback from me: I've yet to play this one. I feel an attack coming on...

Touché! Non, mon ami, il est moi. (And that high-pitched sound you hear is my high school French teacher screaming.) I cannot let either misperception gain credence. First, I was in command at that point. Second, I believe you relieved me of the burden of that tank platoon in just a single turn! Ken

WeGo: 1 minute of no control, endless review of the action.

Well, "realism" and "enjoyable" are often at opposite ends of the gaming spectrum as far as I'm concerned. I do know that changing the previous cmbn/cmfi air support behavior to cmrt style was not a stated objective. I thought Steve mentioned that it will revert to the previous style. My previous was just a satirical attempt to show what air support in 1944 would devolve into and why no one on tje ground wanted air support to be close. Ken

Well, I'll say that what's happening in the game will get fixed. Meaning, it's broken. That's regarding gameplay. Your statement that "wouldn't the FO team" call off the air made me laugh. What FO team? You mean the guy with the radio which may or may not be able to raise battalion HQ? You know, the 5 guys crowded around some plank of wood in a rubbled house. And that one of them can somehow get on the radio net for THAT fighter unit? Let's replay what happened in your example. Cast of Characters Column Commander: Pounder Column FO: Redleg Battalion Commander: Six Fighter Pilots: Ace, Bastard, Clueless, Dago Various extras, filling the role of the advancing troops It starts before the sun rises... A clean briefing room, bright lights, white-jacketed orderlies with pots of coffee and large metal trays of eggs and sausage fill the plates and mugs of the zip-suited fighter pilots. The squadron commander is about to speak. "Ahem. Alright. First, let's talk about the mayhem last night. Are we clear that this base will not be hosting any more nurse-pilot parties? Ace? I'm speaking to you." Ace, getting high fives from Bastard and Dago, "Yes, sir. Very sorry about that. I can promise you that it won't happen again." Then, sotto voce, "At least not with those 2 nurses." Glaring, the commander continued, "Right. Glad that's sorted. Now, onto today's list. You'll lead your flight up here," and he slapped his swagger stick on the hanging map, "where some of our boys are trying to drive Jerry out of a village. Our boys are driving up the road. They kickoff at 0800. Any questions? Okay, out you go... Good hunting." Ace, Bastard, Clueless and Dago walk out to their planes, with Ace pulling out a pair of nurse's knickers from his pocket and tossing it to Dago who laughs and mops his brow with it. Ace turns to Clueless and says, "You're leading second element. Monitor the airfield frequency once we're airborne. We'll use standard interplane for our formation." 15 minutes later, they're airborne, rocking their wings as they soar over the nurses' barracks. Back at Battalion HQ, a cluster of dirty, unshaven men are standing in a rubbled house. The commander, Six, is about to speak… “Men, Regiment has laid another one on. Pounder, you’ll be leading it.” Pounder looks up from picking lice off his torn cuff. “Again? My troops are dead on their feet. I’ve had 4 men with trench foot just this morning. We’ve eaten the last of our K-rats and you told us that we could have hot chow tonight. The men were looking forward to a break.” Six gives a look of apology, “Pounder, you’ve got to get this done. You’ll proceed up the road at 0800. We all know Jerry is waiting for us, but that’s the way it’s gotta be. You’ll have air support.” Pounder lets out a groan. Six continues, “This time it’s coordinated. Really. Corps even sent us a Forward Controller. That’s him, over there,” he says as he points at a man in the corner. All eyes stare at the new man. Clean fatigues, fresh looking eyes. Oddly, his cheek bones aren’t sunken in. Seeing everyone staring, he stands clear of the wall and says, “I’m ‘Redleg’. Just down from Corps. Don’t worry. I’ll get air when and where you want it. Or artillery. I can do it all.” Pounder stares, locking eyes. Redleg breaks off first. Pounder says, “If you can’t do your job, men will die.” With that, Pounder gets up and shuffles off in the gait which marks a veteran. Six looks at Redleg and says, “You heard the man. Now get going, and good luck.” Later, Pounder and Redleg join the column, already formed up on the road. Confusion reigns. Jerry has tossed some harassment fire and caused delays. They get going 20 minutes late. Pounder has Redleg next to him, and they stay just behind the lead platoon. Meanwhile, 4,000 feet up and 100 miles behind them, Ace and Clueless are talking. Ace is saying, “Clueless, we keep getting chatter on standard. Let’s go to channel 2. Fang 1 flight, push channel 2.” They answer with staccato replies….”Two”, “Three”, “Four”. Then, seconds later on channel 2, “Two’s up”, “Three’s up”, “Dago’s here to save the day!” Ace restores discipline with a quick rebuke, “Dago. Save the chatter for the nurse when you give her back her knickers.” He continues, “The clouds are making it tough to see. I’ve counted 4 rivers. Clueless, how many have you counted?” Clueless replies, “I’ve counted five.” Bastard chimes in, “I’m up to six.” Ace realizes they’re close, but the constant panoply of fields, roads, streams, rivulets and small villages and towns which are running past his canopy are only visible between scattered clouds and bear little resemblance to the lines and whirls on the map folded on his thigh. “Okay,” he says, “let’s get lower.” He leads them down to the deck. THERE! A force moving on a road! In a flash, they’ve past them. Ace pulls up in a hard turn to get a better look. The others follow. On the road just below, Pounder and Redleg hear the roar of planes a fraction before the swift craft flit over the top of the road. Engines straining, the planes pull up and around. Redleg gives a smug smile and says, “See? I told you I’d get them here.” The men start to clear the road. Pounder bellows, “Stay on the road! Those are ours!” Ace, pulling 5 gees, straining his head around, sees a rich target. With a whoop and a holler, he keys the mike, “Follow me!” He lines up…a touch of rudder, eases the stick, presses the red button and eight fifty caliber machine guns rip loose with their lead slugs, chewing up the road the Germans down below. As he pulls clear, there’s only a scattering of small arms fire coming up at him. Bastard, Clueless, and Dago follow his example… Pounder watches in horror as his men are blasted apart by the repeated impacts. Redleg gets on the radio, “Calling HQ, calling HQ, this is redleg, over!” Nothing. Frantically, he switches to air interplane standard, known as channel one: “Knock it off! Knock it off!” A thin voice, static in the background, replies. “Authenticate yourself!” Redleg, seeing the planes come around for another pass, screams, “I don’t have time for the codebook! Knock it off! You’re killing us!” The thin voice comes back, “Nice try, Jerry”. Redleg doesn’t know that the voice belongs to the lead of a fighter wing 20 miles away. Since Ace switched to channel 2, no one in his formation can hear Redleg. Ace and his flight come around and make another pass. Their training has paid off. A little rudder waggle gets the .50 cal slugs to spread across both sides of the road, hitting the men cowering in the ditches. Redleg only has 3 radio crystals. He can’t even imagine something like a digital tuner. His last available frequency it the airfield. He calls them, “Airfield, airfield, this is Redleg, over!” “This is airfield. Go ahead Redleg.” Redleg nearly swoons in relief. “We’re getting strafed! Call Fang 1 Flight and tell them to knock it off!!!” “Roger” Meanwhile, in the air, Ace looks down at a dust filled road. Nothing is visible. He keys the mike, “Alright chaps, let’s see what else we can find”, and leads the formation further along the road. A few minutes later Clueless calls him. “Airfield is telling us to knock it off.” Ace replies, “Knock it off? We’re not attacking anyone. We’ve got ammo and fuel. Let’s see what else is out there before we head back. Happy hour starts in a little while.” Back on the road, Redleg looks at the carnage. Guilty, he knows he needs to apologize. He turns to Pounder and recoils in shock. Pounder’s head has been blown apart by a .50 caliber slug. This one turned out as badly as the last one…

^^^ Hah! Crossposted with sburke.