Erwin

I thought units could acquire binoculars from fallen comrades in CMBN. Was I hallucinating (again)? What about radios?

I didn't realize that about Smash's mod. (Altho' I like it and have been using it.) I look forward to yours. Just having new icons for specialized units will make a big difference and make play more efficient in CMFI.

My apologies, Bill. They look really good.

Yes, it's a new "Mord" app I just got for my iPad. PS: If my 3 or 4 posts about Aris is "going on and on" what do you say to the folks who have been having the same heated discussions making what must be literally hundreds of posts revisiting over and over again the same sodding CM2 features/issues arguments since CMBN was released lol?

They look like LT SMASH's WW2 icons that he did for CMBN.

Getting pretty scary when a nation starts eviscerating its training and education programs - esp in the military... presumably to "get more troops in the field". I always think of Germany in 44 till the end. http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/08/16/cutting_school

I've experienced this most often with gun crews. I have interpreted it as a feature modeling crews caught short looking for a safe bathroom location.

If you enjoy war movies check out MY WAY. Has more huge battle scenes than anything I have ever seen. More intense than the Normandy landing in "Saving Private Ryan" and just plain bigger than "Longest Day", "Bridge Too Far" etc etc. It starts with the Japanese war in China, goes through Russia vs the Nazis in a Stalingrad-like sequence, and ends with the Normandy invasion, but from the German POV! Why you ask have we never heard of it? It was produced a couple years ago by Koreans!! (Yes, I was amazed too.) Google it and check out the amazing trailers. I rented it the other week and was "blown away" (metaphorically natch).

alles klar... finally.

"...you were ready to abandon his mods the second that one guy posted something you liked better." Huh, Mord? Aside from the fact that I use all Aris' mods, all I was trying to do is say "thanks". I have always made an effort to say "thanks" and express enthusiasm to any modder or scenario designer who takes the time and trouble to do free work for our pleasure - especially since it is much harder to do em in CM2 than it was for CM1. And yes, I do think these days that people forget favors and good deeds done by others very quickly, and most people don't bother to say thanks - in our current world too many folks seem to feel "entitled" to "get stuff for free" - and yes, I do think that is a shame. I surely hope that Aris comes back or at least makes one post to say he's ok. The fact he vanished from sight just as CMFI was announced made me concerned that he'd blown a fuse thinking that his CMBN work was suddenly obsolete. But, I hope it's just a coincidence.

Well then you are definitely a candidate. I'll check at WeBoB as they have a neat Poll Forum than might be usable as a voting method. If people want to nominate candidates I'll be happy to start making a list. Since volunteers have always done so much to improve the CM games, it seems like an appropriate way to say "thanks".

However, no binoculars??

I realized it was fake when it cut directly from the German attack to the Sherman. Newsreel cameramen were never that quick to cross lines to get reverse angle shots heh! (looked great tho'.)

Re Indirect Fire: Is parking a supply truck with ammo (smoke or HE) next to a mortar or gun (that is out of its inherent ammo) a method to get them to slow down their rate of fire (to the 2 or so rounds per minute mentioned earlier)? I know we now have the very useful "Target Briefly" command. But, that's not the same as ordering one or two rounds per minute.

sburke: Did not mean to steal any of your thunder. But, I have assumed that you get paid and get mentioned in the credits. I'm thinking of the unpaid volunteers like Aris, who put in (how many?) man-months into improving nearly every vehicle and the terrain.

"CMx1 and CMx2 are different games." That says it all. The fact is that for all CM2's sophistication it's more of a simulation which is a lot more like hard work than the easier but more elegant (in terms of its level of abstraction) CM1 which is more of a fun/casual game (by comparison). It's baffling why CM2 fans can't understand that other players actually enjoy having an easier game that's fun to play and that "realism" usually takes the fun out of things. Again, as sburke succinctly noted "CMx1 and CMx2 are different games." One can enjoy either or both for different reasons. So, play whichever you want, when you want.

One of the best aspects of playing CM2, is that vastly improves one's CM1 game, as the more lethal CM2 environment teaches one to be a lot more careful and detail-oriented.

And I would like to think that the majority of your fans/customers appreciate that, Steve. Others may simply not have the life experience to be aware of how hard it is to run a small company, to program AI, or program a game period with limited resources (and limited customer base). There's a reason that so many new RTS and multiplayer games exist - and that is because they don't have to develop a sophisticated AI - which has always been the #1 programming challenge for games that need to work vs the AI. What BF has accomplished in the last decade(!) of CM series is astonishing when you consider how many other small talented wargame developers have gone out of business. On a different note - on the heels of the Olympics - I would like to throw out a suggestion to officially recognize some of the talented modders and scenario designers who have helped make the CM series so vibrant and long-lived. I am thinking of an annual vote by members for the top modder and top scenario designer for the year per CM title. They would be recognized in a sticky forum with a list or category of mod types (or scenarios) they created. Clearly they are not motivated by money, and they already have the game, so BF wouldn't even need to give away copies... Maybe simply a certificate signed by you, Charles and the BF crew mailed to them. This would be cheap, simple and not time consuming. But, it would serve as an official "attaboy" to recognize, congratulate and applaud their volunteer efforts. To avoid perhaps a situation where the same person wins every year, in addition, we should also vote for other categories so that others may at least get their names on the "sticky" list. Hope someone can improve on this idea...

Your post made it sound he'd been gone for many months or longer with the implication that "he's ancient history, let's move on" in the same tone, as "What has he done for us recently?". Aris is/was probably THE most important modder the CM2 series has had. And it troubles me at least that he's disappeared.

Does it work in CMFI?

"Use tiny arcs..." Haven't we been told many times that in CM2, the arc is not about improving spotting but for limiting fire. (I still use arcs like you, but thought it just a CM1 habit I can't break.)

+1 to that. Just received my package. Xnt work! All you have to do now BF is make the manual actually useful and informative (like the old CM1 manuals) regarding how to play the game, and you'll really be on to something!

"but (Aris) hasn't been around for quite sometime now" What? A few weeks is such a long time that we can forget about some one who has performed a great service for you after that??? How old are you?

Oooooh... thank you!

In the meanwhile, there is a large text mod for CMSF. If it was adapted for CMBN and CMFI...