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JasonC, Thanks for relaying the information from FM 6-30. When was that manual published? (Pre-WWII, during WWII, post-WWII) And, from where did you acquire it? Thanks, Ken

Deleted. Why? Because I tested it and I was wrong. Ken (Hmm, the test did not support my contention. Oops.)

C2: look at your unit's user interface. (Sorry, no time for pretty screenshots.) On the lower left side of the interface, the game shows the chain of command. If there are any red 'x's there, then that 's where the chain is broken. Under the suppression meter is the unit's immediate chain of command. For a squad, it's the platoon HQ. They need something there. A mouth, an eye, a small figure, a radio. Something. That shows HOW they're in command. An eye and mouth are best. Use the manual to see what I mean. If it's in command, then other units can gain info from it. If it's out of command, then only you, the player, gain info from it. XO? Well, that's a big forum topic. They seem to do best as medics. Do a search. Experiment with them. They may have some sort of command and control function. I haven't found it, yet, if they do. Hope this helps. Ken

Real life training vs. reality. They can be very different. I've posted this a long time ago, my hands are tired, so forgive me for perhaps too much brevity. Creighton Abrams was the tank battalion commander who led Patton's charge up to Bastogne. He had a bunch of tanks shot out from under him. Eventually he became Chief of Staff of the Army. Chairman of the Joints? I forget. Whatever, he went to the top. The Abrams is named after him. Anyhow, as a bigwig, he visited one of the US armored units in Germany. They wanted to impress him, so they had him ride along in the tank (M60?) with the best crew in the corps. (VII?) Now, how did they know they were the best? Simple, the got the best score on the test range. So, there they are, 4 guys and the top dog. Bang! Hit, vrooom, stop, Bang, hit, vroom, etc., through the whole course. Abrams went ape. See, the course, and rankings, were based on long range gunnery and time to finish. So the crews would race from one firing position to the next and fire at the distant silhouettes. Abrams told them to go back to the start line. He had them drive slowly along the course and imagine a Soviet anti-tank team was behind every bush, tree, shrub or ravine they approached. He had them hose EVERYTHING down with machinegun fire. That's the difference between combat experience and training. Just because you've been trained does NOT mean you've been trained correctly, or been trained to conduct the correct action. My .02. Ken

In my dream world, contacts are made either visually or aurally. Either way, there is a difference between man and machines. A "people" contact should show a person. A "vehicle" contact could show one of several icons, depending on how it is spotted and what clues are available. Vehicles: - Idling, not moving, and heard: generic engine icon - Moving and heard: Wheels or tracks (linked tracks are distinctive sounding. Halftracks would be interesting. Tracks for them?) - Seen: generic icons of, as appropriate, truck, armored car, half-track, tank - Seen with more detail: turret vs. non-turreted (or other distinguishing characteristic) - Next step up in detail: actual model of vehicle, but the UI won't display anything. Panther D, A, or G? You don't know, it just looks like a Panther. (Maybe it isn't?) - More detail: the UI identifies it. Now there is no doubt. It was a PzIVH. Personnel: Heard: rough number based on sound? Seen: just personnel Seen w/more: actual guys, but no UI Next: Type of unit, e.g., .50 cal machinegun, but UI does not identify it by name. Final: when friendlies are amongst enemy dead, wounded or POW, then full UI id. Thoughts?

All of the above are good points. I usually play WeGo, Elite, to put what follows into perspective. You need EYES up front. That means splitting off scout teams. (Admin, Scout) They will spot based on experience, equipment, and time. The higher their experience, the better they'll spot. By equipment, I mean binoculars. Time: the longer they scan the terrain, the more they'll spot. Only move a small fraction of your men at a time. Ooze, don't charge. As a former tanker (you, not me), think about ambush points. Get eyes on them from cover/concealment. Sometimes you'll have no choice but to put men out as bait. (Oops, I hope my men didn't hear that.) Make sure you've got overwatch set up before the bait leaves cover. If you have artillery, depending on the amount, etc., perhaps pre-planned fire on likely defensive points would help. Or use smoke instead. And sometimes, none of this works. You may not have the time or the forces to do this. In that case, the advance will cause casualties. Keep playing, you'll do better and better as you learn these lessons. Ken

New trend: new games will only be released on Leap Day. Aaaagggghhh, four years between modules! Nooooo.....

These are all good ideas. I'm sure they've been mentioned before. Better FOW would be great, with regards to unit information. The difficulty with "unknown" vehicles would be more complex to deal with.

JC-CM, well spoken.

Re: artillery potency. My understanding of the system is as follows: infantry are too bunched up in the game. This has a little to do with the 8m action spot system, as well as just plain old playability. If you have a 12 man US squad, and each man is 5 meters from his nearest mate, you'd have a squad snaking over 50m of terrain. Toss a few companies down on the map and playability goes out the window. This un-natural bunching up is a problem when it comes to HE lethality (primarily). Therefore, most HE has been "nerfed" to a degree. So, you may think artillery is too accurate. That is subject to (lively) debate. It may be too responsive. However, when it hits, it is being modeled to take into account the bunching up of the infantry. Now, all the above is purely how I understand it to work. Feel free to disabuse me of errors. Buildings: just like flamingknives just said. How about some tests? Put equal units at the windows and hiding under the windows. Spray 'em down with MG fire and let us know if there is any difference in casualty rates. Ken

^^^ +1 ^^^

I'm about to start this as German. Tell me one unit, specifically, by title/chain that will not relocate instantly during setup. I'll let you know what I come up with. Ken

Scenario designers go through learning curves. Newer battles incorporate more breaks in the bocage. Some add dirt to show a worn path by these bocage gaps to make it easier to find them. There is a player learning curve as well. It is difficult to tell hedges (passable) from low bocage (impassable). With experience, it gets easier. As for green/yellow color blindness (of whatever degree), I'm sure you're far more of an expert than I on what that means. However, there is an outstanding mod community. I would think that the colors could be "swapped" for one which is easier for your vision. Ken

Known issue: I don't know what the status is on this one. My only advice is to be SURE that you don't have a vehicle selected when you type the letter "k". Grrr.

First, YES, the AT teams using small arms is a PITA. If the tank is unbuttoned, they will try to shoot the TC. Grrrr. However, "how to use the panzerfaust against tanks" was the question. I consider them the anti-tank version of hand-grenades. Meaning, if you had nothing but hand grenades, how would you defend against enemy infantry? Well, apply similar logic with the panzerfaust vs. tanks. (Likewise, anti-tank grenades are the equivalent of bayonets.) They are ambush weapons, to be used at very close range. Expect casualties. Hunting with panzerfaust(en?) is a difficult task. That's why guys who did it got medals. Without a Cover Armor Arc, the use of tight Cover Arcs is your only choice. Ken

Yes, I vote for all of them.

+1 to the comments about hedge ridiculouslnessosity. +1 to difficulty of spotting hedge vs. low bocage without scaled reference object nearby to help with height difference. +1 to HOPING that future releases will change hedges to something more manly. Or, at least, something like the hedges I've grown up around. Waist to head high, able to push through with some effort, able to see through if you're adjacent. Ken

"Bronze asses"? I have an image...

A concise list.

That's okay, we can get back at him later. When he purchases his download, we'll just say that BF.C has just "run out" of DL copies due to volume.

Taxation without representation? Sounds like grounds for a Revolution! Oh, wait; never mind.

This is a great thread. The screenshots are great. I know part of this has been addressed by BF.C (vague, I know, but that's how it is). I'll use my super-beta powers and raise this, as shown. Kudos to Yankee Dog. (Keep the savegames: I'll post again if the saves are needed.) Thanks, Ken

Do you have a savegame?

Holien, if this is happening to you, please start a thread (or direct me to an existing one) which has examples of this occurring. If it is still a problem, perhaps it can get looked at and fixed. (Screenshots and savegames are worth their weight in gold. Seriously. Send me the electrons. Thanks, Ken

Gameplay reasons.