Chops

Really? Does this apply to vehicles as well? I can recall at least two occasions where wall rubble blocked vehicle movement.

Wow, Steve has resurfaced! I guess he is back from his fieldtrip to Normandy where he was recording native birds for the CM:N background sounds. Welcome back and thanks for the latest information on your projected plans for software development.

Yeah, it would be really helpful to get some clarification on this from Paper Tiger, GeorgeMC, Normal Dude, or some of the other great Scenario Designers/Beta Testers working on the Nato module. Also I would like to hear how the Scenario Designers working on CM:N are setting casualty and condition parameters.

What sort of Condition parameters are you setting for your Scenario's?

He will get the download version of CM:SF with one user license as a consolation prize, and he damn well will like that too. In regard to flares, all for it. This will increase development time by two months so that means we are looking at an early winter release, around February 2011.

Thanks Jonny. Do any of you other Scenario Designers have some input on my post?

Here is some information on the AT-14. It addresses the use against troops and discusses the simultaneous use of two rockets for vehicle mounted AT-14's. From wikipedia - The guidance system ensures protection against electronic countermeasures and operation in all climatic conditions, day or night. Each missile carries a tandem HEAT with a reported penetration of 1000-1200 mm RHA behind explosive reactive armour (ERA)[5], alternatively a thermobaric warhead can be carried to engage soft-skinned targets, fortifications and manpower[3]. From CMSF Manual pg. 201 The Kornet-E is the most current and capable ATGM threat faced by Western forces......The tandem HEAT warhead has nearly three times the penetration power of the early AT-3 systems, AT-4, and AT-5 systems and 50% more punch than the AT-13. It can also fire a powerful thermobaric missile against soft targets. From army-technology.com The Kornet anti-tank guided weapon system is mounted on a cross-country, armoured chassis based on the BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicle which entered production in the late 1980s and is in service with the Russian Army. BMP-3 is a tracked, armoured, amphibious vehicle. It has a 500hp diesel engine, weighs 18.7t and is capable of a maximum speed of 70km/hr and range of 600km. The vehicle is equipped with night vision devices. The self-propelled Kornet missile system has the capability for automatic loading and the simultaneous launching of two missiles at a single target. 16 missiles can be carried. It has a crew of two.

Yeah, and what I have heard about the Russian developer, there isn't a Snowball's chance in hell that we will see CM:A anytime soon.

I agree Mikey, the interview is short on new information also. The author could have at least included some new screenshots, and a discussion about new features. Isn't water supposed to make a debut in this game?

Thanks Sarge, very interesting information.

A new interview with Steve at Armchair General- http://www.armchairgeneral.com/combat-mission-shock-force-afghanistan-interview.htm

Is the casualty rate for both Allied and German forces? Does it include bombs, or just mortar/artillery? I just read a book called the Germans in Normandy (Stackpole by Hargreaves) in which he describes the overwhelming Allied superiority in artillery and air power which caused massive German casualties. If the statistic includes both Allied and German forces then the results will be skewed toward the Germans.

In the modern war setting keeping Blue casualties to a minimum is a priority for political reasons, etc… So CM:SF settings for casualties/condition are usually low to keep things realistic. Point 1 In scenarios that I have designed I typically set the Blue victory parameters as follows: Friendly Casualties < 20% (Less than 20% of Blue troops killed or seriously wounded) From the Manual - Casualties is casualties suffered, e.g. 100% means the whole force was wiped out. Both soldiers and vehicles are factored into this and you get partial credit for immobilizing a vehicle. The Condition parameter is confusing. The Manual states that Condition is the number of units allowed to be panicked, routed, tired, or wounded. It also says that - Condition is a combination of (from most important to least) morale, fatigue, suppression, and light wounds. Within the Scenario Editor the Condition Parameter is listed as – Friendly Condition > X% Shouldn’t his be set as Friendly Condition (less than) X% in the Scenario Editor rather than (greater than)? For example, Friendly Condition < 30%, meaning less than 30% of Blue units are panicked, routed, tired, or wounded. I have been typically setting Friendly Condition > 75%, with the assumption that it means at least 75% of Blue units are in good shape, and not panicked, routed, tired, or wounded. However, after re-reading the Manual, I am not at all clear on this. Can someone please clarify how the Friendly Condition parameter should typically be set in CM:SF for the Blue force? Point 2 Scenario Designers, how will you typically set your Blue - Casualty and Condition victory parameters in CM:N? Obviously much higher casualties were accepted in WWII than is the case today.

Have any of you WWII grogs thought about how you will deal with attacking in Bocage once the illusive CM:N is released? I was just reading an article about it, and the author mentioned the following: "The tactics developed involved teaming a single rifle squad with a single tank and coordinating their actions with an engineer team to assist in obstacle clearance, a 60mm mortar team to drop rounds behind the German positions and so isolate them, and an additional BAR for automatic fire. (They originally used a .30 cal. light machine gun but the June 24th demonstration showed it was not sufficiently mobile.) To insure cooperation between the tank and infantry the squad leader used tracer rounds to designate targets, as well as more conventional smoke grenades. Most importantly, ordnance corps mechanics improvised field telephone mounts on the rear decks of the Shermans, using empty .50 caliber machine gun ammunition boxes as covers and tying the phone jack into the tank’s intercom system. Platoon and company command tanks were given SCR 300 backpack radios, the type used by rifle company commanders, and kept the turret hatch open to accommodate the radio’s whip antenna. The innovation was so successful that most Shermans in Normandy were so modified within a month and it became a standard feature on newly-manufactured tanks from that autumn on." It will be interesting going from tactics used in CM:SF to a WWII setting in a temperate climate.

Tool Tips - With the addition of three more countries coming up in the Nato Module, it would be very helpful to have some additional tool-tips on the Unit Info Panel for Rank and Branch of Service (including Nationality).

Is there a workaround for the Radeon "No Text" issue?

This is also available when using Elite level.

Looks like Snowball still has the same lame website that they have had since CM:A was first announced. Nothing to see here folks...move along.

ND, Thanks for the great AAR. On Battlefront's CM:A website it states "CM Afghanistan is currently in development and is expected to be ready for release in Q2 this year, 2010. It will be available in retail throughout Eastern Europe directly from Snowball, and in an english version worldwide only from www.battlefront.com/afghanistan!" Since there are only a few weeks left in Q2 I assume that the quote above is not accurate. Will you be posting another AAR in the meantime? Does the Russian developer have a website with updated screenshots and information?

Thanks for checking it out Meach. I guess that means no changes will be made to the sound file?

Hey Meach, any input on this one as well?

Thanks for checking into this Meach. I have saved games for this scenario if it will help in troubleshooting.

Will one of the Beta testers or someone from Battlefront please acknowledge that they are aware of this issue, or if not, will it be looked into? Since the Nato release will be the end of the CM:SF family, I hope that this sound issue is corrected in the next release.

Will one of the Beta testers or someone from Battlefront please acknowledge that they are aware of this bug, or if not, will it be looked into?

Well, since it is almost summer (in the Northern Hemisphere) that of course means that we are getting close to Christmas..so why don't we go ahead and start the annual "Christmas Release" thread, or better yet, the narcissistic "Birthday Release" thread, as in "hey, my birthday is coming up on Date X and I am hoping they release CM: Normandy then!"