Ryan Crierie

I recently set up a quickbattle with the parameters set up for Kursk: July 43, flat terrain, and farmland, as well as clear skies. Does anyone have any particular set of quickbattle parameters they use to simulate a battle in a particular area at a particular time? (like January 43, heavily rubbled city, 50% casualties, low supplies, and heavily unfit troops to simulate the Kessel in Stalingrad?) [ March 28, 2003, 12:21 AM: Message edited by: Ryan Crierie ]

BTS/BFC might want to take a look at how the Australian Software company, Auran, is handling add-ons for their train simulator, Trainz. What they do is provide you with a plug-in for the free 3D modelling software, GMax and they allow you to import your own 3D models into the game. This format could be adopted for the next CM game, allowing us modders to pack much more detail into Combat Mission than the time-constrained 3D modellers at BTS/BFC could (hey, when you have several HUNDRED vehicles to model...) You might ask, how can BTS/BFC retain control of their intellectual copyrights (the 3D models) if the end-users can add models to the game? Simple. You do it like Auran, and make the 3D models that come with the game encrypted six ways to sunday so no one could steal your hard work. A simple Models.ini file could control the process of picking models for the game, such as: ******** M4A3: Default M4A2: M4A2.gmx ***** Whereas "default" tells the game to load the encrypted 3d model that came with the game, and M4A2.gmx tells the game to load the user-created GMax model... Your comments?

You can go ahead and use my GD Mods if you want.... http://members.shaw.ca/grossdeutschland/gdinfantry.zip

I'd like to know how you managed to get them to save your day. Commo ranges are too short, meaning your mortars have to be virtually on the front line. Better to just buy a 75mm Infantry gun, than a 81mm mortar. You get over twice the blast effect of an 81mm, for a few more points, and in quickbattles, an Infantry gun has the same indirect fire capability that a mortar has - none. I'd love to see how you can get mortars to fire on a target some 1.5 km away and under cover in 1/2 of the quickbattles generated randomly. Oh that's right. You can't. So why have mortars in the game if you can't make full use of their indirect fire capabilities? [ February 11, 2003, 09:01 AM: Message edited by: Ryan Crierie ]

Then please explain to me why so many german halftracks have incorrect 3D models? It was a big annoyance to see that the Sd.Kfz.251/22 is represented as having a measly popgun instead of the big 75mm PaK it has..

Uhm, Battlefront, has it ever occured to you NOT to include textures? I'd be more than happy to see a correct 3d model for something in the game, in flat shaded polygons....because our modders can always put in new textures for the game! I think from now on, you should stop including detailed textures with the new models added in each patch, since you have a rabid fanbase that is more than willing to do all the hard work to texture those models......

Perhaps someone could explain to me the logic of stripping mortars of their indirect fire capability unless a HQ unit is nearby, and that HQ has to have LOS to the target? Did the mortarmen and artillerymen somehow lose their pre-printed sheets telling them the elevation necessary to get x range? [ February 06, 2003, 11:10 PM: Message edited by: Ryan Crierie ]

Mortars are WORTHLESS in CMBO and CMBB, especially mortar HTs, since you have to have them next to a command unit that has LOS to the target....

They've already done most of the RESEARCH on the West Front and East Front. IIRC, isn't that the big time/money killer?

I have to agree. Combine both CMBO and CMBB for the next game, and add North Africa, or perhaps even 1939/1940! It would be excellent. VERY excellent.

LOL LOL LOL! I use my real life name on this forum, but on most internet forums, I go by the name MKSheppard (often shortened to Shep). It's also my AIM screen name: MKSheppard if any of you want to give me a ring.. [ January 01, 2003, 11:29 PM: Message edited by: Ryan Crierie ]

Builds on Juju's definitive swastika pack and adds that distinctive rippling style to the other flags in the game, and also includes a flag ripple template so you can do it yourself! Now available from the typical place: www.cmmods.com [ January 01, 2003, 10:54 PM: Message edited by: Ryan Crierie ]

Make the ruleset EXTERNAL of the engine, rather than part of the engine. It would allow a lot more flexibility to modmakers, as all they would have to do to make their stuff CMMOS compatible would be to add a text file to their mod's ZIP and they're done! The current CMMOS setup is a bit kludgy for adding all those new mods coming down the pike... [ December 31, 2002, 08:15 PM: Message edited by: Ryan Crierie ]

I've wondered why BTS artificially limited themselves to a single CD for CMBB. CDs are dirt cheap these days. Does anyone have a cost breakdown ratio of the cost difference between the additional bandwidth that will be needed (and paid for by BFC) to deliver all the 3D models and their attendant textures through patches versus just going to a 2-CD setup? [ November 22, 2002, 02:16 AM: Message edited by: Ryan Crierie ]

Bumpage for a great find!

That's alright. I've been waiting for CMMOS 4.0 to come out, so I can make my GD Mods easier to use...

Then what abotu the patches? They're incompatible aren't they?

Yeah, I hope BFC can find some way to accomodate us all...I'd be willing to pay $25+ for a CMBB addon with dozens of new vehicles, more terrain types, and unique buildings like the Reichstag, etc etc

7.5cm PaK 40/4 auf Raupenschlepper Ost (Selbstfahrlafette) This was the tracked tractor developed at the same time as the Radschlepper Ost for service in snow and mud conditions of the Eastern Front during the war. It was developed by Steyr during 1942 and used the transmission of the standard 1 ½ - tonne Truck. The suspension was entirely tracked, though of crude design, which gave rise to excessive vibration in service. The suspension wheels were of steel, without rubber tyres, and springing was by quarter-elliptic leaf springs. Ground clearance was 55cm (21 ½-in), which allowed the vehicle to keep moving in the worst conditions. Steering was by simply braking each track, without the use of any form of controlled differential, so that fine control of steering was almost impossible. Nevertheless, with a payload of 1 ½ tones and a towed rating of two tonnes, it was produced in between October 1943 and May 1944 and proved extremely useful in its designed role. They were built by Steyr, Auto-Union, Graf & Stift and KHD/Magirus. 83 RSOs were built with 60 mounting the 75mm PaK 40. The RSO began production in Oct of 43 and it seems production ended at the end of May 44. A production plan was formulated for 1944; March-60, April-100, May-150, June-200 and from July-400 per month. The RSO with 7.5cm PaK40/4 vehicles were put on field trials with Army Group South. Of the 60 RSO/4 with PAK 40 14 each were given to Army Panzer Jager Abteilungen 743 and 744, 14 were issued to 18th Panzergrenadier Division and 7 were given to 1st Ski-Jager Brigade. They were not considered satisfactory on account of their low speed and noisy engine. There were also at least three other tank destroyers which were planned to be built on modified RSOs. PzJag K43/1, PzJag K43/2 and the PzJag K43/3 all mounting 88s. Specifications Weight: 5200kg Crew: 4 men Engine: Steyr V8 3.5l / 8-cylinder / 85hp Speed: Road: 17.2km/h Cross-Country: --km/h Range: Road: 250km Cross-Country: ---km Fuel Capacity: --- litres Lenght: 4.57m Width: 1.99m Height: 2.60m Armament: 75mm Pak 40/4 L/46 Ammo: 75mm - 25 rounds Armor: 5-10mm

I've been trying to make them CMMOS 4.0 compatible...just wait a bit longer... I need to go call Gordon and get the text files so I know how to make them CMMOS 4.0 compliant... (runs off)

Well, yes, there is that. My quick battles tend to be of a smaller scale... about a company of infantry supported by 1-2 platoons of tanks. But the aftermath of a failed attack on a larger map can affect larger battles, as the loss of an entire platoon of tanks can really screw up your overall battle plans...

Over several years of both CMBO and now CMBB, I've noticed that usually, battles are decided in a space of time usually a few turns long. For example, one of your tank platoons stumbles into a well laid AT gun kill sack and is decimated in a few turns of frenzied combat. Another example is as you are moving your platoons up to assault a town, when your enemy starts dropping artillery right on top of them as they're moving out in the open. . .OUCH I managed to rally my conscript infantry and get them to take most of the town, but it was a pyrric victory due to that brief two turns of artillery bombardment. Does anyone have any other war stories about how they lost a battle in just 2 turns?

As you all know, I have an exclusive contract with DOROSH to put out a series of mods portraying the Grossdeutschland, but what do you want me to work on after that? SS-Divisionen Das Reich is another idea...

Seems the Mountain Troops and SS troops get split L/R arm BMPs due to their unique uniforms, but I can't properly model Grossdeutschland due to the fact that the regular heer model only uses 1 BMP for both left and right arms...so no cuff titles!

Can you change it so that the german infantry 3d Models now are like the Mountain troops, IE, with separate BMPs for the left and right arms? I really want to mod Grossdeutschland arm cuffs