Erwin

Not sure whether playing a game can be equated to eating sushi. Many of us just like larger engagements that require some logistical issues, resupply, reserves, and most importantly, room for maneuver. The large majority of CMBN and CMFI are straight ahead frontal assaults, and that is like eating sushi ALL the time lol. I like red meat too! My ideal would be to have CM similar to CLOSE COMBAT or ROME - TOTAL WAR where you can play on an operational map, allocating divisional formations etc. and then drill down to play tactical on what we now have in CM.

A number of us do still play CMSF for a change of pace from WW2. But, if all the mods are at Repository then maybe that's enuff.

It's all to do with size... as always. In this case it's that CM1 was almost operational in scale with a Regiment plus on each side on 4Kx8K maps. I expect that CM2 will get there eventually. However, the complexity of CM2 mitigates it being as much fun and playable as CM1 is at that scale.

You do very nice work, and many people prefer the cleaner look.

Do you regularly dismount your armored recon vehicles and use em as foot recon? I am playing Khabour Trail campaign and the Canadian Coyotes seem to be always present at setup, with the main force coming later. In some cases it seems safe to move em as vehicles, but in others, enemy ATGM's are a threat as soon as one moves out of the set-up zones. In these cases I wonder what is the purpose of the recon units in the game since they don't appear to have any extra capabilities than regular troops. I know most of the answers to my questions are pretty common sense. I simply wondered if there was some RL doctrine that would help. It would be great if recon and snipers (and other specialized troops like engineers) had enhanced abilities to account for their extra training so one could use em in specialized roles rather than as "light inf cannon fodder".

I understand what you're saying Luke. But, the mods really do improve the game experience (for me at least) so much.

Just curious... have you guys played all the scenarios currently available in CMFI, or do people take a quick look at the graphics and then wait for the next module? (I feel I have barely played more than a few of the campaigns and only a couple scenarios so far, and that's while I was injured and had all the time in the world. I can't figure out how folks can play em all so quickly.)

Just curious if you compared em with Drakenlordes, Veins, Scipios and proeffects...? (So many choices now...)

Looks very interesting, Egger. I presume you have left it pretty clean deliberately. However, have you considered adding shadows/darker shades to the sides where they are shielded from the sun. Right now it looks like it's in a showroom with light sources shining on the vehicle from all angles (except the rear).

What SS and Streety are alluding to is that some of us prefer playing vs the AI. Ironically, it's been a very long time since I have played CM1 vs the AI and I enjoy playing huge CM1 battles vs a human because it's technically and practically quite easy. However, due to the increased detail and "finickyness" of CM2 I find playing the AI considerably more challenging (assuming a primary goal is keeping casualties low). It is also a question of time. Plotting a CM2 turn takes a LOT longer due to aforesaid detail and finickyness (especially if you play WEGO). Finally, it's great to play when I want to play, and not have to wait for an oppo sending me turns.

Thanks for the useful feedback. It's interesting to see how others approach the use of recon units when every scenario effectively starts after the recon has told you there is enemy about. I suppose what we are really doing in any of the CM games is more accurately called "scouting" after recon (the briefing) has told us that enemy is present.

The main thing I enjoy about CMSF (and theoretically CMA altho' I haven't ever seen any large CMA maps) is the much larger maps on average than CMBN and CMFI. However, I am never sure what to do in the first turns of a scenario on a large map when one starts with recon units (incl vehicles) and the main force "will arrive over the next 30+ minutes" as reinforcements. In RL, would one drive the recon vehicles down the road or across terrain until shot at? (In the game of course this is usually suicide. But, I suppose you get to draw fire and maybe figure out what it out there quickly.) Or, should one assume contact in imminent, thus dismount the recon vehicles and move cautiously forward on foot even though one could have a looong way to walk to contact. If contact is imminent, (and since one is the player of a scenario one knows this of course), then what is the purpose of the recon units? Would it not make more sense to wait 10-30mins for the main forces to arrive and keep the recon units someplace safe? However, if the sensible tactic is to wait for the main force, then why start with any recon units on the map at all? Why force players to sit repeatedly clicking GO, (if in WEGO), or letting the clock run out (if in RT)? Am curious as to how other players, esp those with RL experience would proceed in these situations.

I was able to edit the names so the M's are m's. Will that solve it?

"I gave up playing wargames forty years ago because all I saw was old men arguing about what was or was not fair or realistic." Not at all like what it's like now on these forums natch hehe.

That is xnt news.

At the risk of you punching me out, Aris... I wonder if these uniforms can be adapted back to CMBN as they are so superior to CMBN stock (or even the CMBN uniform mods I have seen). (Also, is there any chance you might complete the vehicle and gun mods for CMBN?)

Received it fine, thank you, Michael And it looked perfectly normal. But, I tried playing it RT since that was your mode, and got massacred. I don't know how people play in RT unless you're pausing every few seconds. Hope my file arrived at your location ok. Am really curious as to how it looks to you.

I think your file is too large for my e-mail to receive... (I know my own file is 22MB!) My OUTLOOK gives me an error message.

I saved and kept most of the Dinas scenarios as I played through em. I checked the previous scenario and all graphics and weapons were just fine. So, something weird happened when I started the new scenario a couple of years ago(!) Then forgot about it as CMBN and CMFI came out. But, I have a real hankering for CMSF these days, so have been going back to it to complete half finished campaigns. I wonder if a CMSF patch changed the version half way through and that caused anomalies. Anyhow, I sent you my e-mail via "private messages." Actually I can send you my file from the previous scenario (which I think I won). Maybe you can load it up and get to the Where Farmers Dare set-up turn and see if it looks ok to you(?) Thanks mate...

Not sure about a $1000, but I'd be happy to pay several hundred $ to get a final version game with all families eg: all of East Front. Currently, there's a danger that we'll get bored with each incrementally improved module/family, so the next one just seems like more of the same and not nearly enough novelty to re-excite interest. And trying to mod several different games is a nuisance compared to CM1 when you used a preferred mod once and that was it... after that you could focus on playing.

Just got from CMMODS. What more can one say about these amazing mods?

If some of the Italian footage of very close explosions were real (vs demo explosions just to make a lot of smoke) the cameraman would amost certainly be hit. In addition, there is an autonomic/physiological reaction that causes flinch and it's uncontrollable. All you have to do is look at modern combat video from more modern conflicts to see what combat photography looks like. Re-enacting beach landings was de rigeur. But it all cuts nicely together with RL footage.

I like the (first image) saturated look.

I am glad to hear it. The previous scenario worked fine for me. Something seems to have happened between the end of that and the start of "Where Farmers Dare." Since so many of their weapons are missing, I don't think I can continue and just don't know what to do. Any chance you could send me your set-up file? Maybe mine has gotten corrupted

Getting close to RL photographs!