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The meta-issue with nerfing auto bullets is that it goes against the very underlying precept of the CM universe: realistic modeling. Once something gets nerfed or buffed, then other things need to be modified to maintain their interrelationship. Action spot bunching was about the only "fudge" I can think of in the design. There are/were VERY good reasons for that decision. That led to HE nerfing. Now we want bullet nerfing. And so it goes. The slippery slope... We are a far way from assigning combat values to squads (4-6-7 anyone?), but we are already on that continuum. There will be secondary issues that autofire nerfing will cause. Vehicle passengers was a quick example. Ken

Holy Antediluvian price quote, Batman! For the record, my addiction started with PanzerBlitz, purchased circa '75 for $10. I bought The Devil's Cauldron and its sister game Where Eagles Dare for about $125 ($175?) each within the last few years. And those were discounted pre-order prices. As much as those last two are phenomenal games and FULLY worth their price, CM gives me far more. Your $5-10 quote is so far out of date, you may as well bring up your personal early gaming experience; the one using lava rocks and palm fronds to simulate your clan's struggle against saber toothed tigers and wooly mammoths.

^^^ Symptomatic of bad install. You may want to try the new all-in-one v2.12 install download announced recently. http://www.battlefront.com/community/announcement.php?f=124&a=708 It'll fix what ails you...

I like the idea behind the proposal. However, are auto bursts really too effective/accurate? The solution proposed nerfs follow on shots to account for unnatural AS bunching. Counter: 1. Green troops bunch more than veterans. How will that be modelled? 2. In a vehicle, the troops are realistically spaced, e.g. a truck cab. If we nerf auto bursts, action spots may feel right, but passengers in jeeps and trucks will gain immunity. Those are 2 quick examples of unintended consequences. Ken

When you are captured, relativity effects change time...etc. Being inside the event horizon is different than being incMcorporated into the null mass. Edited to add: this is not a theory I came up with. It has gained credence in the world of astrophysics due to the rigorous math which supports it. Or the univerae is expanding. The equations allow for either solution.

You want grim? Every observation of the universe is consistent with the earth being INSIDE the event horizon of a black hole. Yeah, you know what that means. It explains the seeming expansion: it's just the horizon receding. Every other physics observation is consistent with this theory. Just sayin'...

Back on topic. John Kettler: great link on Krasnopol. Thanks. Ken

Bah. Lasers can be deflected by gravity. FTL? Sure, just drop into a different brane then pop back in. Better yet, go to a previous branch and step on your enemy when they are a pile of primordial goo.

Hi res: all day, every day! Tech advances: 1 Gb Vram cards used to be "extreme". Now, consensus seems to think 2 Gb is minimum, 3 Gb is better, and 4 Gb cards are going to be good for a couple years. (Single screen gaming, non-4k.) Make 'em big, make 'em beautiful. Let the player upgrade to keep up. This game shines with hi res mods. Ken

In a serious vein, (really, I'll try), an eye for terrain takes a bit of experience and some time. Bil (among others) is a master at examining a map and finding its nooks and crannies. You need to find KEY terrain. The KEY terrain will UNLOCK the GATE on the path to victory. Really. Work backwards: what terrain do I need to control/capture? Great. What location will enable me to leverage the enemy out of it? (All this assumes attack: do it from the reverse perspective for defense.) Okay, if that copse of trees allows me to put fire on the rear of the defender, how do I get there? Okay, I need this piece first. That kind of analysis should guide you. However, you also need to think about escape routes, how easy it is for the enemy to trap you/put you in a kill-sack, or the ability to switch your attack to a different axis. Also, is that how the enemy expects you to come? Getting down low with the camera helps. Nooks and crannies are important. Cover is very important. Time limits play into it. Do you have TIME to use that route? If all else fails, send in scouts. Ken

These ideas are all...indicative of moral degeneracy and show why so many players lose. Evaluate terrain and movement? Simple. Order several squads to advance at the double. The ones that get shot show you BAD areas. The ones that make it show you GOOD areas. It is simple and foolproof. If you want to know how BAD a BAD area is, send a lot of men there. I use a quantitative analysis comparison methodology. For example, a "27 dead men" area is BETTER than a "34 dead men" area. An added benefit of this method is that it clears your OOB of the men who were doomed to die. Now you can focus on the survivors. Win, win, win.

Couple of random thoughts: Peng-like thread disintegration: I feel your pain. But, as a beta, I see so much more than you. If you only know how close TheReal(space)Lobster was to the next release, you'd cut him some slack. Posters and emoticons: There are a lot of internet warriors who are a bit more milquetoast in real life. Walter Mitty has nothing on these guys. The liberal use of emoticons can help ensure clarity. But not in JonS' case. Game content: I'd love to see more. Really. Having attempted my own campaign (never released) for CMSF (it was a bitchin' fun idea with insane branching and multiple command decisions leading to real battlefield results...I may get back to it w/CMSF2) I am only too cognizant of how much work and skill it takes for a QUALITY battle/campaign. Anything released by BFC MUST be playable by different sides/approaches. (Wego, vs. AI, HtH, etc.) As well, the quality must be top-notch. That means time. Which on-going development project should be delayed? Yeah. Finally, the open nature of the CM engine allows ANYONE to create/edit ANY battle. So, if we get a bunch together to create a $20 battle pack, how long till every battle is freely available to everyone? There is no money in the battle pack model due to the power of the editor. (Again, any battle file can be sent to anyone else.) But I'd still like more... Ken

Don't worry. He'll try to claw his way back. Sometimes it can seem like a tough roe to hoe, but he'll do swimmingly in the end.

I deleted the parts I was going to post. Toughen up your shell! Thicken that carapace! There was nothing wrong with your first post. JonS did make a churlish response, but your second post was a classic! Really. Obviously you could not know JonS' reputation. That made it better! Don't go getting red over this. Baste yourself in the attention. Think of it as a warm butter bath. Boiling yourself into a frenzy is totally unnecessary. Join the banter: don't hide under a rock. Ken

Great shots! Oh, good pictures, too.

A well earned rebuke!

Each individual saw it, but pretended they didn't. See, they know that if they see the panzer, then they'll be expected to SHOOT at the panzer. And then bad things will happen to them. So, the gunner kept his head down and fiddled with knobs. The loader found something interesting on his shoe. The layer was rooting about in his rucksack. The ammo carriers were intent on their hand of whist. No one wanted to be the one to point out the panzer to the others. Bad form, old chap.

Welcome! It would be a nice gesture if you put your post to JonS as your signature. Really. It would be a badge of honor and a token of humility, all at once. You'll find that JonS is one of the games top scenario designers and also that he has a very dry sense of humor. Ascerbically so. (New word?) Also, this forum has a higher level of decorum than most: read a bunch of older threads to get a sense of how it works. Again, welcome.

Make believe that it is YOU advancing on that map: how fast would you go? How far in the open would you move? Would you fire your rifle at that tank commander 500m away, or would you hide and call in anti-tank assets? Mind you, my men refuse to act that way. They vie with one another in performing reckless feats of bravery to gain a modicum of respect from me. They value my respect moreso than their own sad, pitiful, short lives. But that is my burden as a commander, not yours. Carry on. Ken

You are seeing more terrain. If you're playing someone without a widescreen monitor, you have an advantage with your expanded peripheral vision. To stay fair, you should cover the sides of your monitor with tape. Ken

^^^ That kind of functionality would be great. It would, however, obviously require the two game systems to communicate with one another PRIOR to the QB being started. (Not that that's an insurmountable issue, just the obvious first step.) Ken

It will be interesting to see if they are as good at attracting customers!

I'll echo Womble's well-made comments. He's pretty much spot-on. I'm playing some of the CW battles for the first time. The battles are brutal. The AI defender is chewing me up. I have a bit of experience with the game. This does not mean that the game is broken (<- that's my shorthand for your long list of shortcomings). All that means is that this particular battle is VERY hard, and that I have made some mistakes. Frustrating? Very. There are many weapons in your arsenal. If you have had success with mortars, and think machineguns aren't good, then you need to change how you use machineguns. (MG's are good at suppression: use them to area fire on suspected enemy positions for several minutes, for example.) Perhaps your tactics are flawed. Do you spread your men? Do you rush everyone at once? Do you ever use HUNT or SLOW? In sum, many others have played and not found the problems you've listed. There are many different approaches to how to play. Some approaches are less successful than others. Look at some AAR's and videos and see if your approach is similar to the successful approaches. Good luck. Ken

I've highlighted that last part. I understand, but the NDA has me gagged, so I won't say anything. However, rest assured that whenever a member has an issue which is replicated and the member is able to show the root of the problem, great strides can swiftly be made to eradicate the issue. Now, I did say "can", not "are" or "were". Having this issue obviously creates severe problems with gameplay. It is (and has been) a priority to resolve. Your contribution has been important. Ken

"News"? What is this "news" of which you speak?