c3k

Ahhh... My lack of a new paragraph perhaps led to confusion. I agree that a farm roof would be of no use as protection against any type of strafing cannon fire. ( Assuming tile, thatch, or slate as a roof covering laid over a wood frame.

The Normandy farmhouses were built of thick stone walls. (Obviously, there were various construction techniques, especially in towns.) The farmhouses were famously regarded as hardened targets, akin to bunkers. A bit of internet browsing shows that 3 1/2 inches of 3,500psi (the most common type) concrete can stop most rounds. (Not sure about 20mm.) 8 inches, of 5,000psi concrete (just a minor cost increase), is "proof" against all tested rounds with repeat hits. I lost my reference to stone equivalence to concrete. (On the road right now...) Suffice it to say that were I to be strafed by a 20mm aircraft cannon (depending on version, muzzle velocity anywhere from 550m/s to 800m/s or so), a Norman farmhouse would be a nice place to be. (Okay, a Norman farmhouse far away from the strafe pattern would be even better! ) Roof penetration is obviously a different ball of wax. HE rounds would not penetrate, so this should only concern AP and AP-I (and the tracer variant of each). Roof penetrations should strike internal stone walls and ricochet around a bit. That would show the utility of dirt/wood floors: stone floors would be...bad. Houses in towns were not quite as robust, but neither were they as flimsy as modern structures. Solid brick (not the modern veneers (full bricks or just fake brick veneers) which have no structural role are not comparable) was often thick and well built to resist impacts. (They degrade rapidly with multiple hits and when over-matched.) Similarly, the modern 25/30mm autocannon youtube footage showing effects against Syrian/Iraqi/Afghani structures is not comparable. I'm not saying there ISN'T a problem, only that there is far more to it than just saying "an airplane strafed a target and the enemy survived". (Not putting words in your mouth, just using an example.) More testing is needed and some correlating data from real world tests or experiences. Ken

^^^ Something to look for would be suppression levels. I don't know how many rounds actually hit the house in your example. Nor do we know if the rounds were HE or AP (usually, without digging into WWII aircraft loadout tables, I'd think AP-I would be standard). House construction would matter, too. Barn walls should act like paper: heavy stone houses should bounce a lot (all?) of the impacts which don't find an opening. Running a series of tests in wego/hotseat would tell a lot. Ken

Gah! Thanks for the reports. I'll verify and pass them on. (Is a dual bipod a quapod?) Ken

It's there. Ready ammo is white in the UI. Stowed ammo is grey. (Or, that's how it is in one of the CM games, lol...)

Ditto on the applause! Well said, sir.

And you'll soon learn why gunshields are important. (Funny: The U.S. military keeps taking gunshields off...then finding out that they need them. Kind of like phones on tanks...and separate generators.)

How did I miss this??? Downloading right now! Thank you. My men will be happy to die to achieve the victory conditions you have set. Edited to add: OMG, I just looked at the package you've created!! Way to set the bar! I see I'm going to be using my time in a manner I hadn't expected. Thanks.

Lol...I can see the sales brochures bragging about sharp metal "anti-raptor" prop blades!

Great examples!

Huh. All this time, I've been docking her pay, meager as it is, for all my missing beer. I shan't tell her.

C'mon. THAT was funny!

Huh. Funny. I delete 90% of what you post, as well.

Add me to the list of those who never knew about it!

Nice analysis.

Yes.

Briefings and pre-planned battle "flow": Sometimes the briefings are too long and just present as a wall of text. Others pull you in. Don't ever count on a player READING your masterpiece. I would suggest a "designer's intent" statement as a bit of a spoiler at the end. Let some players who want a hint get a hint. You may plan a retreat, but is that what the player wants to...play? Just a thought.

See how well it works when it gets into a window in a crowded floor.

I'll second (third, fourth?) slysniper's comment. This has been a very good game as the US vs the AI. The scale is good for multiple plays. Tricky LOS, great map, great enemy force balance and setup. Nicely done. Okay...REALLY nicely done. Ken

Great stuff! I'd love to see a Weapons Pack based on the same concept as the Vehicle Pack.

Nice catch. Looks like an LOD issue. I'll pass it on... Ken

The fortification FOW issue is one that BFC is very aware of and has devoted a lot of intellectual energy towards solving. That it has not been solved, should mean something. In the meantime, I tend to buy extra "soak off" fortifications, or use the ones I have as bait. Keep the enemy honest: never let them know when a spotted fortification is manned or not.

Nitouche, Great OP! I loved the cartoon commentary. Good discovery and well documented. Let's see if this can be fixed as soon as we'd all like. Ken

Ditto on all the above. Nice job.

You, sir, are the thumb-typing speed champ of the forums. I happily accept your gracious characterization of my motivation.