c3k

Easy solution: Does your Mom like Italians? Get CMFI and have her learn how to play! Hotseating brings families closer together! Does you Mom like the Dutch? Well, wait till Market Garden and break out the Orange! If she likes BOTH Dutch and Italians, well, you buy one and have her buy the other.

Crap! With that one announcement, BFC will've stopped about 1/3 of the "BFC's business model sucks" threads. What will I read for amusement? Nicely done! Ken

Of course you should by it! How much fish does $75 buy in Sweden? What, one day's supply? A sip of vodka? You'll only extend your existance for a day, but it would be a dreary, boring existance. Buy the game and live it up, even if it'll be for one day less! Seriously? This is an economic decision that none of can make, or appropriately advise, for you. Best wishes. Ken

Yeah, something's off. I'd bet on the previously diagnosed saved game corruption due to overlaying GL on top of a previous save. When you restart "Beyond the Belice", let us know if you see this error. (Meaning, a totally new restart. Not that you HAVE to, but the current one will have errors. Your call.) Ken Edited to add a link: http://www.battlefront.com/community/showthread.php?t=107758

I think the game should be priced based on how well you do when you play the demo.

Taking yours and modifying... Combat Mission: Lootin' Putin Combat Mission: Obama Drama or, new... Combat Mission: Black Sea, Red Blood (That sets up the Middle East sequel, Combat Mission: Red Sea, Black Oil) Combat Mission: Turkey Shoots Ken

Their lack of fairness may have helped them achieve victory, but not faring well in battle could lead to a sad farewell afterwards. Spellcheck: It lies.

Combat Mission: Yeravan Caravan Combat Mission: Ossetian Assault Combat Mission: Caspian Ghost Combat Mission: Azov to Tblisi Combat Mission: Moldova Environs I've got more like this... Ken

You fled??? How can your men respect you if you flee? How can you expect them to charge into the teeth of a machinegun if you run? Oh. Then you advanced. Well done. Ken

I'm enjoying this, a lot: thanks! Ken

Nice touch on the blood board: "CW Armour". It's all in your details...

Lack of spalling behind Panther mantlet, a conjecture: The Panther mantlet has a LOT of metal behind it. There is all the turret structure, the gun mount, the gun, various other desiderata. All of this could prevent any spalling from having any internal effect. No internal effect, no game result. So, although a bit of metal may flake off the inner face of the mantled, it gets ignored. Such is a thought. It has all the logical consistency and strength of a summer's eve musing. Ken

Welcome aboard. Now get back to it and make more videos. Ken

^^^ and this is part of the reason why BFC's design choices resonate with so many players. ss11955's preferred method of play is supported by the CM games. Is it my style? Well, that doesn't matter a whit, does it? More power to you, ss11955.

Black Sea Obviously a "flag of convenience" for a new game, in a new direction. "Black Sea"? Hmm, obviously a nautical flavor. And what, or who, was a "black plague" upon those who sailed the bonny blue? Well, PIRATES, of course! And, just to drive the nail into the coffin (or spike the windlass, or whatnot) we have the famous BLACKbeard the Pirate. Ipso facto, BFC has now branched out into a Golden Age of Sail Pirate Game. Woot! 3d wenches and billowy jibs? Shiver me timbers and brace the mizzen', there's a stiff wind afoot. Am I close? Ken

A good idea.

Your choices: = reinstall (overwriting) as suggested, above. = open a ticket with the help desk (read the "Known Issues": this is one of them). = do nothing and hope that you get modern weapons in your next battle with which you can rule the battlefield! <- THAT is just a joke.

Re: on-map 81mm. The TRP's are far more effective in closed-in LOS's than an on-map asset. Taking away TRP's and off-map arty in exchange for an on-map 81mm would, in my opinion, merely weaken the German defense. It would be immobilized and more ammo limited (and subject to incoming fire). Between StuG's or Marders, Marders would be "more" historical. (IMO.) However, any vehicle is easily sound spotted then immobilized/killed. ATG's hide better. My .02. Ken

Hah! The blood of my men creates my luck. Like a thick stew, it must be stirred before it is done. (wanders off muttering...)

Re: White Manor. I'd saved B2 because I thought that White Manor would be a festung. I was surprised by the lack of resistance once I'd killed off the antitank gun and a few teams back by the German truck (located near the furthest wheatfield on my right front).

Crap. Now I feel like I should've dragged this out for another 2-3 weeks and filled in the blanks! Thanks for the kind words. FWIW, there were some good 'schreck shots. My single M5 on my left had a full loadout fired at him. One hit. He survived. Red 'X' for optics, et al. My HQ M5 took a hit. One casualty, they bailed. I took them aside, chatted to them about their family honor and how anyone can be afraid, it's what you do after you run that's important. They remanned the M5. I holstered my sidearm. Both these hits were on the front. A lot of other rockets missed. (In a previous game against sfhand I advanced tanks with no screening infantry. His schrecks shredded my tanks. I did not advance without infantry screens in this game.) Each of sfhand's defensive positions had antitank defense with schrecks. (Or so it seemed.) I stood off, pinned, and flanked. Yes, we celebrated our fallen foes' martial prowess, but we continued to advance. I caught sfhand's antitank gun on the move. It didn't work out very well for him. Was I a bit ruthless in this particular attack? No more so than I felt necessary. There were some great little kill-sacks set up. I avoided some and got tagged by others. The artillery was great. If sfhand had positioned his ATG up front the game would've had a different flavor. My "success" may be an outlier, based on the other games shown. I would not buff up the Germans too much based on this one event. At most, I'd add another light ATG so he has flexibility in positioning, rather than all eggs in one basket. As well, whereas the US gains points for deeper penetrations, maybe make the German objective points all equal, rather than weighting front line positions higher than rear positions. That would remove the German bias to protect the front at the risk of the rear. A single ATG would be enough, IMO. However, I'm willing to take either side, as is.

S-mine listed as using 360 ball bearings (some substituted short metal rods). That must've been the reason for the Schweinfurt raids! Less ball bearings for the verdammt s-minen! Ken

Gents, Real life is slapping me around. As you've noticed, my rate of posting this AAR dropped off. So, I will summarize and end it. B3 in the tall grass was pounded in the next few turns by what seemed like 2 dozen or more 150mm rounds. They were grateful to me to've been part of such a wonderfully effective artillery strike. You're welcome. The C3/B1 push up the middle (just right of the road) was held up by what seemed to be a half platoon. I killed them all. (The Germans, I mean. ) B1 then pushed past the "cut" field. There were some Germans there, but they were eliminated with a combination of tank machinegun fire and close assault infanty. B2 pushed up, as planned. There was just one "bump" of resistance, then there was nothing left. Here's the map: And then, the end screen: sfhand played well. His artillery use was very good! Each of his 4 concentrations inflicted casualties, confusion, morale hits, and caused delays. I exploited a weakness in his defense. That led to my eventual success. One mistake can be deadly... This was a great map and a fun battle. (Hey, I won. Of course I think it was fun!) Sorry for the suddden wrap up, but time presses... Ken

... and now we should ALSO include the "shoe" mine. Small, wooden box, enough to blow the front of a foot off. How does that affect the rest of the squad? What mix of "s" and "shoe" mines? What of the US/Brit types?

Some filler: S-mine (schrappnel (sp?) Mine): Characteristics[edit] S-mine in a museum The German S-mine was a steel cylinder less than 13 centimetres (5.1 in) tall without its sensor and only 10 centimetres (3.9 in) in diameter. A steel rod protruding from the mine's top held the main fuse, where its trigger or sensor was attached. The SMi-35 had a central fuse, while the SMi-44 had an offset fuse. It weighed approximately 4 kilograms (8.8 lb), with the weight depending on whether it was loaded with the lighter powdered or the heavier poured TNT.[1] The main charge of the mine used TNT as its explosive; the propelling charge was black powder. The standard pressure sensor used a percussion cap to ignite it.[12] The main fuse was designed to delay the firing of the propelling charge for approximately four seconds after the mine was triggered. The explosion of the propelling charge sent the mine upwards into the air and activated three short-delay pellets between the propellant charge and the three detonators. These short-delay pellets delayed the mine's detonation long enough for it to reach an appropriate height before exploding. The standard pressure sensor was designed to activate if depressed by a weight of roughly 7 kilograms (15 lb) or greater. This ensured the mine was not detonated by wildlife or natural impact of blowing leaves, branches, or other normally occurring phenomena.[1] Usage[edit] Diagram of S-mine detonation The S-mine was normally triggered by a three-pronged pressure fuse. It could also be modified to be triggered by a tripwire. A special tripwire adapter was provided by the German army. The steel tube that held the fuse was threaded to accept any standard German ignition or trigger, allowing the sensor to be removed and the mine to be deliberately triggered by a human operator.[1] When triggered, the mine functioned in two stages (see diagram). First, the mine was fired .9 to 1.5 meters (2 ft 10 in to 4 ft 10 in) up into the air by a small propellant charge. Approximately a half-second later, the main charge detonated at the optimum height to kill or severely injure anyone in the immediate area. The main charge of the mine was surrounded by roughly 360 steel balls, short steel rods, or scrap metal pieces. These became metal shrapnel that sprayed horizontally from the mine at high velocity.The time between triggering and ignition of the propelling charge varied between 3.9 and 4.5 seconds, depending on the age and condition of the mine. According to German documentation, the S-mine was lethal within 20 meters (66 ft) and could inflict casualties within 100 meters (330 ft).[1] American training manuals warned of casualties at up to 140 meters (460 ft).[12] A common misconception prevailed that the S-mine would not detonate until its victim stepped off the trigger. This fallacy was propagated by incorrect United States propaganda during World War II. The mine would detonate whether the trigger was released or not. Standing still or attempting to run from the S-mine would be equally dangerous. The most effective way to survive the mine's detonation would not be to flee but to fall to the ground lying face down as quickly as possible. S-mine dischargers, in the form of angled tubes attached via brackets to the hull, were also used for anti-infantry defense by Wehrmacht armored vehicles. Early versions of the Tiger I were equipped with five such devices. ======================================================== US "Pineapple" Grenades: Mk II and Mk IIA1[edit] More commonly known as the Pineapple, the Mk II series (also written Mk 2) was the most common US fragmentation grenade of the Second World War. The Mk II had a grooved exterior originally intended to aid fragmentation of the grenade. However, later studies showed that this design has no effect on fragmentation, though it does provide a non-slip surface that improves grip. The filling is either TNT (approx. 2 oz or 57 g), or EC blank fire powder (approx. 0.75 oz or 21 g smokeless small arms powder).[1][2] The Mk II was also available in a little-known HE-Blast (better known as concussion) variant and a combined effect HE-Frag variant.[2] This was largely superseded by the Mk III series. The Mk IIA1 (also written Mk 2A1) used the M10A2 or M10A3 fuzes, upgrades to the previous M10A1 fuze used in the Mk II.[3] Later reissued Mk II variants featured the modern M204 series fuze.[4] Mk III, Mk IIIA1, and Mk IIIA2[edit] Unlike the Mk II, the Mk III (also written Mk 3) was a cylindrical grenade designed to be used as an offensive weapon for clearing rooms, trenches, and other enclosed spaces (i.e., at close range). A concussion grenade, the Mk III series was designed to incapacitate through the pressure and impulse produced by the explosion. The MkIII had a far larger TNT filling than the Mk II series; up to 8 oz (230 g) of TNT, in comparison to 1.8 oz (51 g). Although a minimum-fragmentation grenade, large fragments (most likely the fuze assembly, or surrounding material) could be projected as far as 200 m (660 ft) from the detonation point. The differences between the Mk III, the Mk IIIA1 (also written Mk 3A1) and the Mk IIIA2 (also written Mk 3A2) were improved versions of the M6 fuze: the Mk III featured the M6/A1, the Mk IIIA1 the M6A2, and the Mk IIIA2, the M6A3.[3] Later reissued Mk III variants featured the modern M206 series fuze.[2][4] ====================================================== German "stick" grenade: ONE: STICK HAND GRENADE, MODEL 24 (STIELHANDGRANATE 24) A. How to Identify The stick hand grenade, Model 24, may be identified by: (1) Metal casing or body screwed onto a wooden handle with a metal cap. (2) Model marking on the casing or body of the grenade. (3) Porcelain ball attached to a cord in the exposed cavity after the metal cap is unscrewed. B. Characteristics General. This grenade consists of a thin iron or steel casing, or head, containing the explosive filler and screwed onto a hollow wooden handle, through the center of which runs a double length of cord. This cord is attached at one end to a lead ball which is part of the 'friction-igniter-detonator system, and at the other end of a porcelain ball. The cavity in which the porcelain ball rests is closed by a metal cap that screws on. Inside the cap is a spring-actuated metal disk that prevents movement of the porcelain ball. Figure 25. Sketch of Stielhandgranate 24 (stick hand grenade, model 24) showing outside and cross section of grenade and fuse. (The cross section of the grenade is drawn to a larger scale than the scale of the sketch of the outside view.) Table of characteristics. Over-all length 1 foot 2 inches. Weight 1 pound 5 ounces. Weight of explosive filler 6 ounces. Time of delay fuse 4 to 5 seconds. Effective blast radius 12 to 14 yards. ================================================= Ken again (the above was all cut and paste). Explosive filler: s-mine: 6 oz. (TNT) US: 1.8 oz. (TNT) Stick: 6 oz. (TNT) Casing is the key: a thin casing with large filler produces tiny fragments which slow down rapidly. A thick casing with small filler produces big chunks of fragments which go further. One is offensive (so you don't hurt your own troops) the other is defensive, and assumes you have cover behind which you can shelter. The s-mine is IDENTICAL (essentially ) to the "offensive" stick grenade which has long been noted for its wounding ability, not its lethality. Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-mine http://efour4ever.com/grenade_german.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_hand_grenades