Danny Chung

I know, there should be umlauts. Dunno if anybody's seen it or mentioned it before a new German telly drama series on WW2, Unsere Mutter, unsere Vater. I only got to hear of it when I read about it in The Economist website about an hour ago. You can watch it on Youtube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qpcn3pFc7So Some great action scenes. Dan

The very first CW battle I played was 18 Platoon which had a 2 inch mortar in it. I was surprised to be given a 2" mortar which I can't remember using in CMBO. Lovely piece of kit to carry around and have it follow the platoon around for immediate support. One question: I know the manual says you can't have artillery spotters getting access to the 2 inch mortar, but is it possible for the platoon HQ to have the 2" mortar perform indirect fire if the platoon HQ is close enough to shout instructions? Thanks Dan

Thanks brothers Ordered CW right after reading the replies. Download took about 19 minutes, mercifully shorter than the download for the base game. Installation was also a breeze on my Mac. Unfortunately couldn't even start a game because the old lady insisted I go to bed right after installation. The upshot is I've got several days free at least until my new part-time job starts next week. Firing up CW now! I presume some spouses are now considering filing divorce papers... Best Dan

Hi guys Seems my request for AARs from testers in my last post was overtaken by events! Just like to hear if any of the Mac guys have had any problems with downloading and running CW on their Macs. I haven't ordered yet but will get round to it soon. The problems I had last year with the downloaded version, although only a small issue easily handled, was enough to put me off downloads for the time being. So is everything running alright for CW? Best Dan

Just wondering if this is the right time to ask BFC (nicely) if they can get some of the testers to compile some AARs of the Commonwealth module. It happened for the base game last year which I enjoyed reading about. It helps pass the time too. Doesn't have to be a long game. All the best Dan

Since I started this thread, I suppose I should finish it. Yes, I bought a new 17 inch MacBook Pro last month. Went into reseller store, tried it out briefly, put down HK$19288 and took it home. Absolutely bog standard. Nothing added and nothing taken away. All specs as per the current Apple website. CMBN installed OK after I finally got the hotfix to work and the game works fine so far. I'm also one of those non-technical types when it comes to computers. If you get the MacBook Pros, well, the 17 incher at any rate, then the game should work fine. Dan

Although I have full game, I've been playing the Busting the Bocage game on the demo repeatedly now. I've read up on the paper regarding the 29th Infantry's tactics. I've tried them out and by and large, the tactics work. Still the infantry gets depleted quickly sometimes. To me, the bocage tactics seem another variation of deploying overwhelming firepower onto the far side bocage hedge where the Germans are lurking. Blast it enough with direct fire from the Rhinos and mortars, and with covering small arms fire, it should be relatively easy to get over to the far side without suffering too much casualties. Getting the Shermans knocked out by Panzershrecks and Panzerfausts can be frustrating at times though. Not to mention immobilsation on the bocage hedge. One small problem now. The missus has confiscated my new MacBook Pro 17" so no more playing for some time. Dan

Hey Stalintc Thanks, man. How could I have missed something so simple? I wish they could have written a short sentence on it in the manual. Couldn't have been too much of a hassle. Dan

Hi guys I've started playing Fauville in the Campaigns. I'm faced with the setup zones and I have no idea how to place units. The manual doesn't seem to say how to do it. I remember in CMBO, before doing the first turn, I could place a unit from one position within a set up zone to another position. For example, I don't want the machine gun in this house, I want the machine gun at the crossroads. So I how do I place units within a setup zone? Many thanks Dan

Hi guys Can anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong with the hotfix? I've done steps 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. I come unstuck at step 7 - "Move the installed application out of your CM folder.... OK, sounds simple enough. So I've got the CM Battle for Normandy folder installed on my desktop. It looks like a small white icon and looks like a small floppy drive for want of a better description. On opening this folder, I see the following items - Application, CM Battle for Normandy [folder], CMBN Game Manual, CMBN Read Me, Mac Performance Guide. I proceed to open the CM Battle for Normandy [folder]. In this folder, I see the following: Battle for Normandy icon (looks like the US star marking) with a file size of 3.08GB which is the installed application and then there is a Documents [folder]. Well, step 7 says move the installed application (the US star marking) out of the CM folder. I proceed to use the cursor and move the US star marking out of the folder and onto the desktop. As soon as I do it, a window comes appears saying it is copying the contents of this application onto the desktop. Meanwhile the US star marking that was in the CM folder simply stays put. Is this supposed to happen? I was under the impression the US star marking will simply be removed from the CM folder. Even if I move the US star marking into the trash folder, I still get a window appearing saying it can't be moved to trash. I look at the other guys on this thread saying they've done the hotfix and started playing and I'm just confused why I haven't been able to do this hotfix. Help! Thanks Dan

One question. If you install by the traditional DVD-Rom method, would you still need the Hotfix download? Dan

I'm just green with envy at all you guys playing the demo. I was going to get a new MacBook Pro just to play the demo and the full release when it is released but my daughter had to go to hospital suddenly so I had to put the plan on hold. The girl's Ok for now but I'll just have to kick my heels for the time being. In the meantime, carry on playing and I hope to join in soon. Dan

I was reminded of a tune by bluesman Albert King Born under a Bad Sign when someone emailed me the link to this obituary. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/music-obituaries/8498824/Sir-Lattimore-Brown.html This fellow must surely deserve an honourable mention in the Guinness World Records for having bad luck. With the quality of luck at his disposal, even offing himself would have been problematic. Dan

Thanks a lot guys. Appreciate the comments. Well, then it looks like the green light for some major capital expenditure. I used to have the old 17 inch iMac but that croaked in 2008. The current iMacs are way too big for the space allocated for computers in my house. So it has to be the MacBooks for me. Dan

Hi everybody I've just ordered the Mac version and now I've got to get a new Mac just to play it cos my 2008 era 13 inch MacBook won't be able to hack it. About time too because I expect the existing Mac to croak sometime after 2012. I was just reading the suggested system requirements for the Mac version and then looking at the tech specs for MacBook Pros at the Apple website and then started panicking. Will the current MacBook Pros on sale be able to run the Mac version? The MacBook Pro specs go on about having quad-core Intel Core i7 processors (for the 15 inch and 17 inch versions) and I'm just lost on it. As for RAM, it looks like 4GB is standard issue according to the Apple website so I don't need to add RAM. If someone can put my mind at ease over the MacBook Pros and the processors, that will be great. Assuming the MacBooks are fine, I then have to decide whether to get the 15 inch or 17 inch version. I know the bigger the better, but the 17 inch one is really a bit pricey. Many thanks in advance. Dan

Life isn't fair and so it should be with playing CMBN. You have to go with what you're got. So it's historical engagements for me, especially small battles. Like somebody said when comparing about women's skirts and making speeches, keep it short enough to keep someone's attention and have just enough detail to get a particular point across. I'm a WEGO man so playing small battles keeps the time spent on CMBN manageable otherwise the missus will go ballistic. Question for the BETA testers: Now that testing is pretty much over, just how much time are you spending per day just playing CMBN for fun? In fact, just how are you managing to allocate your time between work, dealing with the missus and kids if you've got them, other tiring chores such as DIY, other hobbies and interests, surfing the Internet and playing CMBN? At my present allocation of time, I reckon the only time I've got free to play CMBN is about 15 minutes to half an hour before bedtime at around midnight. Dan

Thank Christ for that! I've been waiting to play CM again properly on the Mac since late 2004. Next thing I need to do now is buy a new MacBook just to play it. Convincing the old lady that there is some unexpected capital expenditure is another matter however. Assuming my head is still on my shoulders next month, I'll be toasting Steve and the others at BFC when the order arrives. Just like to wish all the Mac users here a good time when they finally start playing. Dan

Now that BFC have had almost of month to mull over the exact date for official release of CMBN since the announcement for pre-orders on 10 March, is there now a definite date for release? End of April is a little over three weeks from now. Finally, announcing the pre-orders for the Mac version wouldn't go amiss either. Dan

It (the demo for CMBO) came as part of a disk of free games that came with a Mac magazine in the UK in year 2000. I thought it was great. Endlessly replayable. After getting through the demo, bought the full game, then CMBB. Played it until my early period Mac bought the farm in late 2004.

Judging from the responses so far, it's bogging then. How about disabled due to a fluke shot that knocked out the drive wheel on a tank or simply the tank happened to be in the middle of a heavy artillery barrage? How often did this happen in real life?

Can't seem to remember any mention of bogging and mechanical failures in the recent AARs. Bogging was certainly an item we had to live with in the original CM. It just made life more interesting. Is bogging still modelled in CMBN? And while we're on bogging, how about mechanical failure? Was mechanical failure a common risk immediately prior to and during action in WW2? I can imagine the drivers of tanks keeping up a zealous maintenance regime on their tanks because their lives depend on it but there must be sometimes where parts just fail. Dan

I was just wondering if BFC expect future families of games (ie the Eastern Front, etc) will be required to run on even higher hardware specifications than the current specs for CMSF and CMBN. I'm looking to buy a new Mac now just to play CMBN and I hope that future CMx2 games will still be able to run on it. You can't stop progress but it is a financial strain to be having to replace a perfectly good computer. Dan

Since the good folks at BFC has come out front and centre with the release of the game, will BFC do some Youtube videos of CMBN so that we, the unfortunate souls who couldn't go to the previews, can at least watch the actual game instead of reading about it? I'm absolutely sure they've done it but they're keeping mum about it. Thanks Dan

When the Mac version gets released, will there be the same discounts as available for the Windows version? In fact, will it be priced at the same level as for Windows? I'm not too optimistic about this. Dan

Now that CMBN is finally going to come out, with scheduled release for end of April, when will BFC issue Shock Force, Marines, British Forces and Nato in Mac versions? This was mentioned promised earlier. If these Mac versions released later this month, I can at least get them to try out the new CM2 game engine on a new Mac which I will have to buy just to play the game. Thanks Danny