RockinHarry
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Posts posted by RockinHarry
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2 hours ago, Paper Tiger said:
All true. I really don't like being misled by briefings except when it was the historical norm to do so - i.e. every German tank was reported as a Tiger. The mission itself is all that really matters and no briefing or artwork is going to make the experience of playing a stinker any better. But a bad briefing or artwork can diminish the experience of playing a winner. The briefing and the artwork helps build up a sense of anticipation in some readers and helps them to immerse in the scenario while others just want to get into the action NOW!
Edit to add:
I also don't like the lack of control I have over what the Early Intel parameter reveals to the player - even on 10%, it sometimes shows too much. Using that setting also 'fixes' the AI plan before the player hits 'Start' whereas it is randomised without any Intel setting. The briefing and artwork can do the intel reveal for me rather than the game settings most of the time.
Yeah, there´s various styles for sure to choose from. Which to choose is rather matter of (own) taste, as one can´t please all potential players anyway. CM briefing and maps layout is fairly **** IMHO. Otherwise one could help and communicate to a player much better. I also wonder the editors terrain overlay layer can´t be toggled during game play. You can add any sort of map on top of the play area and avoid the hardly readable and ugly map text stuff, if toggled on. I tend to avoid it entirely if not necessary for a particular reason. But oh well. BFC stopped inventing usefull things long time ago and so be it. The caravan keeps moving.
Here´s example briefing map for how simple I go with basics. There´s bits of additional detail info in briefing (own forces composition, reinforcements, but not points given for doing/taking this or that) and designer notes (special things like mods to use and such), but that´s optional and just for those who really want reading. I also "hide" small things in short text lines. I.e if the player should preserve (or not) own forces. This as indicator that it migth yield "points" if not taking too many losses. But bothering a player with "math"... no way. He/she who likes it can play Paradox games. lol
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9 hours ago, Paper Tiger said:
This is the last substantial barrier to reworking my old CMSF campaigns - the artwork was terrible (done with MS Paint and Picture Manager) and has to be redone and I have to learn how to use GIMP to make new artwork for the missions.
Of course, it also allows me to make all new campaigns as well.
I'm going all in with getting 'Gung Ho' ready for next month. This is my entire focus just now.
GIMP is great for doing all sort of things. Using it for years now and it´s getting better and better. No need for PS and other paid stuff. I do my own CM tac and and strat maps with it, but add only that info that would be available to a real commander. No fancy sh*t and info for what the player gets for doing this or that, victory points wise. Overview map in sketch format just showing things of importance. The less colors and useless terrain info, the better for a player. The more experienced at least. (avoiding info overload with unnecessary stuff)
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On 3/11/2023 at 1:24 PM, Thomm said:
My gut feeling is: No.
Didn´t get any answers yet, but figured something out myself. The AI "cheat" behavior seems just happening if single enemy armor and PC (player character) is involved. You can hide and move normally (keep hiding and moving out of LOS) if dealing with enemy AI infantry. They focus on objective zones and engage PC only if he (me) comes into LOS and gets spotted. They don´t "hunt" (like single tanks do in cheating way). If PC vanishes out of LOS (i.e hiding at the bottom of a trench) they might throw some nades toward your direction (though not very acurately), then go their own business again (objectives). As said this all in a test situation where PC is the only survivor and further spawns (tickets) aren´t triggered or spent.
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4 hours ago, Aragorn2002 said:
I vaguely remember the discussion, but can't remember if I installed this mod. Don't seem to have it in my mod folders. Can anyone post a link please? @RockinHarry?
Related posts (with dropbox links) start here: https://community.battlefront.com/topic/120405-question-about-infantry-animation-files/?do=findComment&comment=1963489 When anybody wants trying it I recommend reading through follow up posts, which aren´t that many. Latest fileset link should be near end of the thread. I couldn´t continue for RL matters and lack of community interest wasn´t encouraging as well. Thanks and cheers!
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1 hour ago, Vacillator said:
Not sure there are many such players here, not me for sure. I was watching what you said about it first
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I´d guess too but it was this thread that made me aware of the game in the first place. So possibly someone here knows more than I do ATM. Seems it´s not so.
Hm.... I got to play some full mission set and check again. The end condition im my little test mission was that my PC was the last one alive, together with an enemy tank (at the objective area). Maybe that´s the case then, when the enemy tank got full intel ony my PC, wherever I hid him. No wonder maybe that none else but me noticed, the editor freak.
However, all the discussed games here (ER2, SF, LnL, Tank-HEAT..) get at least 1 - 3 updates each month, ER2 even double that amount. So it keeps exciting.
Also now have more playing experience both in LnL and SF. Unfortunately have no time left for Gunner - Heat, as real life keeps me busy as well. Wished these times would come back for CM too. But everybody seems having the head deep in the Ukraine thread these days and the forum lost its actual purpose. Steam is much more interesting ATM and guess what.... the developers are actually communicating with their customers and fanbase frequently. -
Any Easy Red 2 players know if the enemy AI is always aware of the player characters whereabouts? Currently playing the public beta. Asked in steam forum but didn´t get any answer for 2 weeks. Seems they start the same habits like in BFC forum (developers give a sh*it on customer questions).
Anyway, if that´s part of ER2 game mechanics, I uninstall it again. Better focus on Second Front and that tank sim (Gunner, Heat...) then. A pity. -
8 hours ago, Brille said:
What do you need the "withdraw" order for if I may ask?
I might be proven wrong but as far as I understood it the "withdraw" button is just a shortcut - like button (mostly) for people playing in real time, so they don't have to fiddle in the menu if they simply want to place a squad fast further back.
As far as I know you don't get any advantages from that, nor is it a special move order that overwrites the moral situation of a unit.
Why not use the "fast" command from the get go?
In the older games you had a dedicated withdraw button that came with its advantages and disadvantages.
The advantages were that you had no or only a short delay till the execution of that order and that they would perform it even if they were in a moral situation (pinned, shaken). The disadvantage however is that these troops would have a big impact on their morale, even leading to them getting panicked for some time... So it only should be used wisely.
In Cmx2 however it is just an automatically placed "fast" command, if I got that one right.
Not addressing the problem itself here I know....
Exactly. Basically it´s "fast" +"face" combined with a short cut. Whether there´s any further attribute applied to "withdraw", IDK. (scripted withdraw adds a throw smoke and a certain order for single ptroopers moving off to associated waypoint). From my experience if units get heavy suppression they´d go to basement, but very rarely "rout" out of the building entirely (anymore). If these units (no matter current morale state unless shaken/panicked) reached the basement I try giving them a hide + very short 360° target arc order, so they could bits of calm down if enemy fires allow. If already very bad morale state (shaken, panicked) I try move a HQ to influence/rally range. Key in these situations IMO is not letting it come that far. Better move an unreliable unit (soft factors) off to a switch position, before it gets into a ****ty situation. Anyway, buildings are crap cover in CM and are only of some use if there´s additional cover from the ground terrain mesh. (a berm or rubble piles created in map editor). Or a wall immediately in front of it so a unit in the buildings basement can benefit from it. (breaks LOS/LOF when it was previously in 2nd floor or higher).
If a unit has fairly good soft factors (like ChiBot´s Volkssturm, regular, +1 morale) then it can be counterproductive for a unit to attempt moving away from a potential untenable position. They expose themselves longer and get shot to pieces when heavy SMG wielding russians get close enough. In case of Volkssturm it would also be more realistic to set them to low morale and green/conscript experience. I´d handle their staying power by giving a good leader (+1 or +2) or at least having one in Plt HQ which then should be in C2.
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Sounds like the half measure BFC made to "fix" the "retreat" to odd places crap in previous game version. Pity they didn´t "fix" anything, but just added new issues to game play. If it´s your own scenario creation, I´d try lowering some the Volkssturm´s soft factors, like experience and leader rating. I see it´s "regular" and a +1 leader for squad in question. Maybe green or conscript with -1 leader would react the way you want, but IDK ATM. Where´s this squad´s Plt HQ btw?
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On 2/25/2023 at 7:28 PM, kohlenklau said:
slowly getting there...
yeah, nothing goes without the right footwear in 1940!
Look a little tight, but good enough (for me). -
Here´s some Easy Red 2 example pics of me playing around in map editor. Applied bits of Reshade magic as well but nothing too fancy. Map is just for placing stuff and experiment with it and editor features generally.
As can be seen quite a lot can be sculpted into and out of the 1m resolution terrain mesh (similar to CM). With multi layer (out of 8 ) ground textures nicely blended together freely, it all can look fairly realistic IMO. I also get my realistic size and depth trenches out of all that. lol
And even better.... the AI bots recognize them as cover and use them! Great.
Overally the map editor is easy to use, though has its rough edges and lack certain features (yet). The game (and editors) is in constant development, so I expect more goodies to come later. Easy Red 2 example pics and map editor capabilities
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13 minutes ago, Battlefront.com said:
If LOS was blocked by the object it would be at the location of the object, not beyond it.
Steve
To me it means you can´t target an enemy unit (of action spot) beyond a haystack and shack/privy. It´s the only flavor objects (in CMRT) providing that LOS blockage. And if there´s no LOS with target command, then there´s no shooting (LOF), right?
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23 minutes ago, Erwin said:
For open country that is the best tactic, agreed. My suggested tactic above was for scouting down a long road on a huge map and one wants to locate enemy ambush positions quickly and relatively safely. The tactic works best vs WW2 Russian who have few if any personal AT weapons. They have little to hurt a buttoned up AFV.
The danger is that the AFV will come into the LOS of an enemy ATG or ATGM. But, my experience is that ATG's and even ATGM's take sufficient time to spot and aim, that a scout AFV moving in reverse can usually get out of their LOS and the enemy asset will miss, but still expose itself to other units (usually inf with binocs) that are doing the actual spotting.
I emphasize that this is all for optimizing one's play in the CM2 game rather than RL.
yep. Very much depends on map size, available cover, communication networks and recon target. Normally scout/armored cars were used in pairs, so that there´s always one who can overwatch the lead vehicle. In case the lead vehicle gets f*cked up, there´s one left who can radio back what happened, where and when. Beside helping any surviving crew members. Of course not of much concern in CM god´s eye mode.
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This is what I´s talking about re Haystack and shack class FO
Why the f*ck can´t I embed Imgur pics anymore?
Well then: -
18 hours ago, Erwin said:
The important concept is that the scout vehicle is not supposed to be the spotter. It's purpose is to draw fire... and survive.
Also: When on a road, we may be talking 75-150 meter FAST scouting moves followed by an immediate REVERSE to a safe location.
The purpose is to be able to scout quickly long expanses of road. Normally I would send multiple 2-man inf scouts. But, on some of the large/huge maps, that is just way too slow and take way too much time. (Only a few designers allow sufficient time for "careful" scouting.)
1) If one sends an unbuttoned vehicle to scout into possibly hostile territory the chances are xnt that a crew member will be shot. The spotter(s) are the inf and crews in the vehicle(s) who are sitting back watching what happens to the scout vehicle.
2) Am assuming that one starts in a safe location. So when the scout reverses back to that location, the unit should be safe. Once one has scouted ahead to a new location without any enemy contact, that next location becomes the new "safe" location and everyone can move to that location. Then the scout vehicle moves FAST ahead to the next possible danger location and reverses back to the new safe location.
3) It's harder to hit a moving vehicle even in reverse. If the scout was unbuttoned inf small arms fire could probably kill a crew-member. That's why the scout should be buttoned. However, it takes time for the enemy Tactical AI to aim and fire a large weapon capable of hurting the vehicle.
I have spend over a decade trying to figure out how to scout distance quickly with vehicles (in CM2) while giving the scouting unit the best chance to survive. The above tactic has worked best for scouting down a long road. If off-road, one usually can move a scout vehicle FAST from one covered location to another.
However, as mentioned, if time allows I always prefer to send many 2-man scouts ahead to quickly locate enemy assets and positions. However, I still find it very hard to keep them alive. Once an inf unit has gotten close enuff to be fired on by an enemy, the inf scout cannot move away to safety quickly enough.
Hope the above helps...
BTW: It's great to have threads on CM2 tactics again. We used to have many of these "hint" threads in the early CM1 and CM2 days. But in recent years discussions seem to have become dominated by discussions on the various weapons systems simulated.
another scouting (with vehicles) tactic I´m using is fast move between observation points, preferably from then hull down position. If possible furtherly refining to turret down so that just the commander peeks over the crest. For more "secrecy" one can also fast move from point to point in full cover, then disembark. The crew then does the recon similar to infantry at very short distance. It´s not without risks, but if you just want to observe, not draw fire, it´s very effective. Another RL tactics as taught for german WW2 motor recon troops (and tank units in same role).
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2 hours ago, PEB14 said:
I understand exactly the opposite from Steve's most interesting post: Haystacks and carts have absolutely no effect on LOS but do have on LOF:
Interesting. If you don´t confuse terms (LOS - Line of Sight, LOF - Line of Fire), that shouldn´t be the case. I´d also recommend checking my flavor object test map (and bits of read info in that thread), then make your own test. It´s CMRT, but you can make a similar one for other games easily. ---> https://community.battlefront.com/topic/139520-berlin-cmrt-map/page/21/#comment-1958146
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Thanks Steve!
Fairly well all coincides with my own observations and making my mind on what´s actually happening in the game. 
So the lil bit of cover given my small flavor objects (while hardly to be noticed at all) benefits infantry vs. small arms fire the most I guess. So for vehicle type FO addition, monuments (large FO, hard material) should still be the "best" choice IMO. Haystacks and carts are good for blocking LOS (large FO) but do lil to nothing for LOF.
For my "8x8m node grid and infantry path finding, though not actively seeking "cover" behind FO´s - conclusion", things remain undisputed I guess. Nice. No two things on the same 1m node can exist the same time. Also reason for frequent "floating" rubble FO´s in (damaged) buildings at game start. While not quite a bug, it´s surely a game engine glitch.So far, so good.
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10 hours ago, JM Stuff said:
Ohhh This is an interresting thing, I have to test it myself.
Never have this idea to created a map to test, I take always the first map and rename it for differents use.
I hope your drink is a Paulaner or Spaten?
Hehe... I rarely drink, but if... it´s usually much harder, better tasting things.
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Good luck, Phil! Looking good so far and I´m convinced that anything following will do to!
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8 minutes ago, JM Stuff said:
Yes Harry it was the thread that you, Lucky and NPye we're talking and created news things without stop, I wasn't awake because I was busy, so apologize about, I had to take infos before...
Hehe... yeah that was fairly crazy, but much fun as well.
Think for your mod collections you just got to rename stuff, if that really becomes necessary. But I´d recommend using my RT flavor object test map, check some things out and make your own clonclusions. Or you make your own test map for any the other games. -
17 minutes ago, JM Stuff said:
When I know all that I would choose another kind of FO for the wrecks, don't understand why nobody tell me nothing...
you might just have forgotten my friend!
https://community.battlefront.com/topic/139520-berlin-cmrt-map/page/21/#comment-1958146 More info is spread all over that particular thread.
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Latest Second Front patches includes free map rotation ability by means of middle mouse button click & move. There´s also considerable speed up of turn/phase execution times now.
For ER2 they prepare addition of binoculars (were missing yet). Beside other things.
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6 minutes ago, kohlenklau said:
Aye sah. From the mouth of Steve.
Concealment means the enemy has a lower chance of spotting. So Haybail (haystack) and all other FO do not lower chance of spotting. They are transparent!
Cover means the enemy has a lower chance of hitting. So Haybail (haystack) and all other FO have some variably coded by Charles influence to lower chance of hitting. They are paper thin to concrete/steel.
thanks. That integrates very well with my own observations and conclusions derived from that.
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2 hours ago, Artkin said:
flavor objects provide cover and infantry interact with them. Depends on what type they are. Infantry will crouch behind stone fountains and shoot from there
yup, but it´s only few hardcoded types that apply for actual cover (mentioned fountains and few others). But I doubt pixeltroopers actively seeking cover behind them. Not from my own experience. And "cover value" even for fountains is very doubtable IMO. Pixeltroopers move along (path find) 1m grid nodes of which are 8x8 = 64 within an action spot. So I think it´s rather random occurance that a ptrooper ends "behind" a flavor object. True game cover is the known stuff like walls i.e but ptroopers also actively seek cover in/behind the terrain mesh, like craters, berms and depressions/trenches. That´s the very best in game cover vs direct fire small arms at least. There must be a test map (dl link) of mine, with all flavor objects placed, somewhere in Nigel´s Berlin thread IIRC. Beside other game play I base my own conclusions mainly on test playing that particular map.
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On 2/18/2023 at 10:49 PM, Erwin said:
Love it. You get to repair your damaged tank, repaint it, replace crew... Shame it's so FPS. But the graphics are xnt and the movements of the soldiers are very realistic.
not sure if their style of FPS is that bad. ER2 is halfway between FPS and sim and easily accessible IMO. Also seems all based on their same game engine (Unity) so I would expect it´ll be more sim than shooter and maybe progressing more towards sim after initial release. ATM I see tendencies for that in ER2 already and Tank Squad might see similar developments.
Experimenting
in CM Shock Force 2 Maps and Mods
Posted
So a RL commander goes into every battle completely blind or what? I even give the AIP some intel which helps it in various circumstances. I see we prefer playing two different games (or styles of playing them). Good that BFC at least enables us approaching the game in different ways, although they could do much more IMO.