Peter Panzer

Okay folks - it's the weekend (still) and now that all the drama is over we can get back to driving tanks through hedges ... and of course today remembering the guys that did it for real.
Go here to get the read me pdf file (please) 
Then here and here for the two zip archives. (Hint - if you just want to get started without any faff then download the read me, grab the first zip file and you'll be playing in no time.)
Once it's been out for a few days and nobody has complained that it's broken their rig I'll get in touch with @Bootie to upload it to the warehouse, 'cos he probably hasn't got anywhere near enough to do ...

Now try to play this at iron, at ground level, with no spotting icons ... everything will soon suck!

@JoMc67 - interesting, I've never heard of that line.  Advanced Squad Leader is as far back as I go - the notion of tiny cardboard StuG III's still brings joy to my soul.  As I see it, ASL lives on as Combat Mission - how fortunate we are!

Thanks to everyone for resurrecting this topic, as well as to @Elvis for being present and hopefully bumping it closer to the top of the internal Please Fix or Do Sumfink List.  I know the R2V module took on a developmental life of it's own over the last months!
CMBN is my favorite title and I too have held off starting any new games due to the counter logical infantry/bocage behavior.

@Battlefront.com
Hey Steve:
Good to see you on the forums - can I take advantage of your inquisitive bug hunting mood from earlier in the thread?
Here's an unintended consequence of the 4.01/4.02 patch that puts a real kink in the bocage terrain and presumably related infantry TacAI behavior (i.e. displacing into enemy fire) in CMBN.  Some players like @PIATPunk called attention to this a few months ago and @BFCElvis has been helpful in logging it with a viable test scenario.
You can view page six of the most recent conversation about this, which contains two files uploaded by PIATPunk reproducing the issue.
In a game where the bocage is often as much a role player as the combatants, perhaps you'll agree this one constitutes more than a nag by a few Normandy buffs.  Maybe a ready fix can be pushed now that the Rome to Victory dust has settled?
As always, thanks for the countless hours of great wargaming over the last 20 years - you guys really are appreciated!  I'm definitely looking forward to the Black Sea module and a fix for the CMBN bocage/infantry bug!

@Battlefront.com
Hey Steve:
Good to see you on the forums - can I take advantage of your inquisitive bug hunting mood from earlier in the thread?
Here's an unintended consequence of the 4.01/4.02 patch that puts a real kink in the bocage terrain and presumably related infantry TacAI behavior (i.e. displacing into enemy fire) in CMBN.  Some players like @PIATPunk called attention to this a few months ago and @BFCElvis has been helpful in logging it with a viable test scenario.
You can view page six of the most recent conversation about this, which contains two files uploaded by PIATPunk reproducing the issue.
In a game where the bocage is often as much a role player as the combatants, perhaps you'll agree this one constitutes more than a nag by a few Normandy buffs.  Maybe a ready fix can be pushed now that the Rome to Victory dust has settled?
As always, thanks for the countless hours of great wargaming over the last 20 years - you guys really are appreciated!  I'm definitely looking forward to the Black Sea module and a fix for the CMBN bocage/infantry bug!

@Battlefront.com
Hey Steve:
Good to see you on the forums - can I take advantage of your inquisitive bug hunting mood from earlier in the thread?
Here's an unintended consequence of the 4.01/4.02 patch that puts a real kink in the bocage terrain and presumably related infantry TacAI behavior (i.e. displacing into enemy fire) in CMBN.  Some players like @PIATPunk called attention to this a few months ago and @BFCElvis has been helpful in logging it with a viable test scenario.
You can view page six of the most recent conversation about this, which contains two files uploaded by PIATPunk reproducing the issue.
In a game where the bocage is often as much a role player as the combatants, perhaps you'll agree this one constitutes more than a nag by a few Normandy buffs.  Maybe a ready fix can be pushed now that the Rome to Victory dust has settled?
As always, thanks for the countless hours of great wargaming over the last 20 years - you guys really are appreciated!  I'm definitely looking forward to the Black Sea module and a fix for the CMBN bocage/infantry bug!

@Battlefront.com
Hey Steve:
Good to see you on the forums - can I take advantage of your inquisitive bug hunting mood from earlier in the thread?
Here's an unintended consequence of the 4.01/4.02 patch that puts a real kink in the bocage terrain and presumably related infantry TacAI behavior (i.e. displacing into enemy fire) in CMBN.  Some players like @PIATPunk called attention to this a few months ago and @BFCElvis has been helpful in logging it with a viable test scenario.
You can view page six of the most recent conversation about this, which contains two files uploaded by PIATPunk reproducing the issue.
In a game where the bocage is often as much a role player as the combatants, perhaps you'll agree this one constitutes more than a nag by a few Normandy buffs.  Maybe a ready fix can be pushed now that the Rome to Victory dust has settled?
As always, thanks for the countless hours of great wargaming over the last 20 years - you guys really are appreciated!  I'm definitely looking forward to the Black Sea module and a fix for the CMBN bocage/infantry bug!

@Battlefront.com
Hey Steve:
Good to see you on the forums - can I take advantage of your inquisitive bug hunting mood from earlier in the thread?
Here's an unintended consequence of the 4.01/4.02 patch that puts a real kink in the bocage terrain and presumably related infantry TacAI behavior (i.e. displacing into enemy fire) in CMBN.  Some players like @PIATPunk called attention to this a few months ago and @BFCElvis has been helpful in logging it with a viable test scenario.
You can view page six of the most recent conversation about this, which contains two files uploaded by PIATPunk reproducing the issue.
In a game where the bocage is often as much a role player as the combatants, perhaps you'll agree this one constitutes more than a nag by a few Normandy buffs.  Maybe a ready fix can be pushed now that the Rome to Victory dust has settled?
As always, thanks for the countless hours of great wargaming over the last 20 years - you guys really are appreciated!  I'm definitely looking forward to the Black Sea module and a fix for the CMBN bocage/infantry bug!

Thanks to everyone for resurrecting this topic, as well as to @Elvis for being present and hopefully bumping it closer to the top of the internal Please Fix or Do Sumfink List.  I know the R2V module took on a developmental life of it's own over the last months!
CMBN is my favorite title and I too have held off starting any new games due to the counter logical infantry/bocage behavior.

thanks @Battlefront.com for the update!   Steve, could I ask please if there would be any chance of fixing the CMBN hedgerow tac ia behaviour in the near future? 

Thanks to everyone for resurrecting this topic, as well as to @Elvis for being present and hopefully bumping it closer to the top of the internal Please Fix or Do Sumfink List.  I know the R2V module took on a developmental life of it's own over the last months!
CMBN is my favorite title and I too have held off starting any new games due to the counter logical infantry/bocage behavior.

Thanks to everyone for resurrecting this topic, as well as to @Elvis for being present and hopefully bumping it closer to the top of the internal Please Fix or Do Sumfink List.  I know the R2V module took on a developmental life of it's own over the last months!
CMBN is my favorite title and I too have held off starting any new games due to the counter logical infantry/bocage behavior.

@JoMc67 - interesting, I've never heard of that line.  Advanced Squad Leader is as far back as I go - the notion of tiny cardboard StuG III's still brings joy to my soul.  As I see it, ASL lives on as Combat Mission - how fortunate we are!

Thanks to everyone for resurrecting this topic, as well as to @Elvis for being present and hopefully bumping it closer to the top of the internal Please Fix or Do Sumfink List.  I know the R2V module took on a developmental life of it's own over the last months!
CMBN is my favorite title and I too have held off starting any new games due to the counter logical infantry/bocage behavior.

Thanks to everyone for resurrecting this topic, as well as to @Elvis for being present and hopefully bumping it closer to the top of the internal Please Fix or Do Sumfink List.  I know the R2V module took on a developmental life of it's own over the last months!
CMBN is my favorite title and I too have held off starting any new games due to the counter logical infantry/bocage behavior.

Thanks to everyone for resurrecting this topic, as well as to @Elvis for being present and hopefully bumping it closer to the top of the internal Please Fix or Do Sumfink List.  I know the R2V module took on a developmental life of it's own over the last months!
CMBN is my favorite title and I too have held off starting any new games due to the counter logical infantry/bocage behavior.

Can I please enquire @BFCElvis - now that the R2V tome has been released, will we see some attention directed into squashing the bocage infantry TacAI bug in CMBN at some point in the near future?  cheers!

Echoing Howler's post above, is there information I can be pointed toward that mentions when BFC will re-direct their attention to correcting the lingering triggers of the "hedgerow gap charge?"  Following the responsive, June release of 4.02, I haven't discovered much about any planned follow up.  After the CMFI Rome module perhaps?
If I have my facts straight, 4.02 reduced the incidents of infantry unduly breaking cover, but did not eliminate the issue as it relates to hedgerow features.  I seem to have experienced it a handful of times in 4.02 while playing CMBN when infantry takes small arms fire.  Given that hedgerow fighting characterized much of the action in this theater, this nagging issue personally strikes me as something of a "big, little thing."
Thanks for getting me up to speed.

Echoing Howler's post above, is there information I can be pointed toward that mentions when BFC will re-direct their attention to correcting the lingering triggers of the "hedgerow gap charge?"  Following the responsive, June release of 4.02, I haven't discovered much about any planned follow up.  After the CMFI Rome module perhaps?
If I have my facts straight, 4.02 reduced the incidents of infantry unduly breaking cover, but did not eliminate the issue as it relates to hedgerow features.  I seem to have experienced it a handful of times in 4.02 while playing CMBN when infantry takes small arms fire.  Given that hedgerow fighting characterized much of the action in this theater, this nagging issue personally strikes me as something of a "big, little thing."
Thanks for getting me up to speed.

Echoing Howler's post above, is there information I can be pointed toward that mentions when BFC will re-direct their attention to correcting the lingering triggers of the "hedgerow gap charge?"  Following the responsive, June release of 4.02, I haven't discovered much about any planned follow up.  After the CMFI Rome module perhaps?
If I have my facts straight, 4.02 reduced the incidents of infantry unduly breaking cover, but did not eliminate the issue as it relates to hedgerow features.  I seem to have experienced it a handful of times in 4.02 while playing CMBN when infantry takes small arms fire.  Given that hedgerow fighting characterized much of the action in this theater, this nagging issue personally strikes me as something of a "big, little thing."
Thanks for getting me up to speed.

BFCElvis:
First, thank you for keeping us so well informed - you are doing a great job!
Can you remind me how we install the patch to a game in progress to see the fixes take effect? It must be done while the game is saved in the "command" phase and then you can resume regular play, right?

Below Top:
Attempting to disrupt the Germans ability to coordinate a sustained defense of the crossroads, Baker Company's mortar teams continue dropping their 60mm rounds at the direction of 2nd Platoon's lieutenant. In these two images, a Fallschirmjager assistant machinegunner catches several fragments from a detonating round and drops to the ground.

Below Bottom:
While the bocage dissecting the battlearea frustrates the ability to observe the fall of shot, the US firemission nevertheless achieves marginal effect on target by temporarily interdicting the defenders movement, lightly wounding several paratroopers and forcing the German motor transport units to withdraw further to the rear.




Below Top:
In an audacious bid to roll up the German positions within the farmstead and mitigate the need to cross open ground in the face of automatic weapons fire, the veteran sargeant of 2nd Platoon's 3rd Squad leads his experienced GIs in a wide flanking action with the support of the attached M4A1.

Below Middle:
3rd Squad's view of the farmstead prior to their lefthook. The Fallschirmjager MLR lies behind the far hedgeline extending behind the structures while 1st and 2nd squads' ordeal continues to unfold beyond the trees on the extreme right.

Below Bottom:
Using the hedgelines to conceal their movement, 3rd Squad pushes wide of the suspected German positions and crosses the paved lane leading to the Platoon's crossroads objective. Assuming they are under observation, the seasoned squad executes a hard right turn and begins aggressively bounding toward the farmstead with the M4A1 on overwatch.




Below Top:
The German paratroopers continue to leverage their short lines of communication and well sited OPs to anticipate the Americans actions and reposition their reduced squads and support teams for maximum affect. In these images, a Fallschirmjager squad displaces to consolidate their platoon's line and bring their GPMGs to bear on the unit's exposed flank.

Below Bottom:
Reacting to the imminent pressure of the US combined arms assault, the Panzerjager Abteilung detaches a pair of tank destroyers into the Fallschirmjagers' platoon area. Having received only a cursory OPORD and a scant ammunition loadout, the Marder IIIMs take up hasty positions in order to establish communications with the paratrooper platoon and appraise potential fields of fire.

Ah, the The Dark One sleeps no more.
Well Mord, it looks like the latest round of spike tongued invocations you have offered up to whatever pantheon of Lovecraftian horrors loaning you talent has paid off - again.
What a debut - The SS Panzer and British Para are absolutely cracking.  I am excited to see your treatment of the US and remainder of the Commonwealth forces.
Well done on recognizing the point of diminishing returns on your previous work and mapping a new path of creative growth - that's artistic wisdom.  For those who haven't tuned into the whispers in the darkness yet, Mord's a mighty gifted dude - just wait and see.

Kieme:

Allow me to add my personal thanks and congratulations on modding every vehicle in the game, not to mention so much more!  As you must know by now, your talent, drive and generosity are greatly appreciated and have added an invaluable amount of increased enjoyment to the experiences of your fellow Black Sea players.

Do you have any interest in modding the small arms and crew served weapons?  I think you could do a great job!

Kieme CMBS BTR-80 1v152
 
Special thanks to BTR for providing the ideal green base textures.
 
Download: https://app.box.com/s/jqihlkiqzlb4zuvktipj8i7xie403ttn
 
Preview: