Desert Dave

But Bill, I didn't get enny of my degrees from West Point. :confused: Ah, correct me, please, I see, YOU did. Jump school besides! :cool: Just like Jimi Hendrix, God rest his great & half-crazy 60's soul. Which might explain? WHY you are the best SC player in the World, bar none. **(... for all them young guns, bar none = BETTER than Yodle or the lost ghost of Model or rambo junior or first trumpeter in the Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club - Band! LOLOLOL!) [ January 30, 2006, 09:53 AM: Message edited by: Desert Dave ]

I have a separate artillery unit in a '39 Campaign mod, and it works out fine. I pretend that it is attached to the unit in front of it (... IE, you would not leave it unprotected) and that it is firing at the enemy from a "realistic" distance. If the unit in front is destroyed, I pretend that there remains a brigade or battalion of regular infantry, which is why I gave it a particular defensive value. Thing is, you can PRETEND anything you like, so long as you are having FUN and enjoying the game, true?

Yes, Edwin P, there exists A... chance. Like the long untangling tresses of your Much beloved, As she hovers in the sight Of a twi-light Destiny, It depends on... how things Shake out. We'll see.

Belmondo was last seen, JJ, Riding the Route 66 road, Listening to Bo Diddley On the push-button radio, In this here zone busting auto mobile: The red color on there ain't paint. It's due to the speed immediately reached.

Ya know, Mr.Dozer, Ya oughta go into every forum, Around 'em War-game towns, And sign on up, and Start a thread entitled" "What a crappy game!" I'm sure Vic would appreciate it. (... and all 'em SC Cats who love that game oughta go on over and sign in there and offer advice and maybe even get a free game for beta testing? Once Vic commences charging real monies? ) First a true life tale, then Some advice, which you ain't gotta Even listen to, nope, You never ever do. It's like when I went out to Big LA After the Army let me loose And I turned in that plastic Mattel toy, In the late 60's it was, see, uh huh, I wuz gonna be the liveliest Jive Cat To hit them star scarred boulevards, oh, Since James Dean roared into La-La Land From outta back-roads Indiana, In 'is chopped down, back-firing jalopy, LOL! And so, I wandered 'round ogling The palm trees and all them California Girls the Beach Boys had moaned Over, and finally... auditioned for a part As a Hell's Angel, Side saddle Pal Of grungy 'ol Dennis Hopper, yea verily, only Trouble being, They finally had them a huddle Of befuddled dipsy doodle Hippies, and Cut out that bit part Altogether! LOLOLOL! Anyway, my high-rent Agent - such as 'e was, With his bifocals and crooked hairpiece and This striped AND checkered vest what Had cigarette burns all down the front, 1, 2, 3, anna 4 - I counted 'em all While standin' and a'starin' at 'im, hell It's all I could do, I couldn't git no word In edgewise, and so, tra la, finally He'd said to me (... kinda outta side of 'is mouth): "Kid! Git yer name OUT there, however It is that you haffta do it." "Rent a billboard On corner of Sunset and Western Ave, And stick yer ugly mug up there, or Pick a fight with sotted Jim Morrison Out in parking lot of Whiskey A'Go'Go, Anything!" "'Cept, maybe, don't murder nobody." "... Hmmmm, wait a minute, on the other hand... " LOLOLOLOLOL. And so, Vic got his name Up in 'em bright BF spot lights, Hooray for Hollywood, how nice. I'll bet you a crisp new five spot That NOBODY ELSE will be so Gracious and helpful As Hubert has been? Wanna bet on it, Kid? LOLOL! ________________________________ BTW: You don't wanna be seen hanging around me So much. You won't be popular 'mongst The various cliques and tree house gangs What hang around these here parts. LOLOLOLOL, Ah, well, what the hell, ALWAYS stand up For yerself. Always always always, always. Say what YOU think, And NEVER... just go along... to get along. EVEN IF the rest of Crowd Smacks you, ignores you, or Climbs on 'at 'er sway-back Hoss what brung 'em on in, Don't be a'ridin' after no Bad Cat phantoms, yes? :cool:

BL, That is a screen-shot of a smaller-scaled scenario concerning the battle in & around Kursk. I have used the same sprite, very sparingly, in the scenario that I created... 1941-42 North Afrika. The default '39 campaign does NOT have artillery in it, though, you could substitute an artillery piece, say, in the "rockets" category if you REALLY wanted it included. My feeling is this: WHATEVER it is that you LIKE, and is FUN to play, and adds mystery or romance or excitement to the game... well, go for it! Life is short, be a Happy Cat. Needn't be PERFECTLY aligned with every other item or pixel in the game, oh, nix nix. For instance, let's say you'd like to have your Behemoths of the Deep, those almost obsolete battleships, have a strike range of TWO. Then... just... do it. :cool:

In MY opinion, it sux. In MY opinion, it sux. ______________________________ First comment: I was referring to the worst war game ever made, by anyone, since 1674 C.E. Hearts of Iron ... any version, now or in future. (... it wasn't free, but, it should have been) Second comment: I was referring to the second worst war game ever made, by anyone, since 1746 C.E. Grigsby's World at War ... any version, any patch, any time. (... neither was this free, but here, I would think they'd have to PAY you to try it?) _________________________________ See guys, that's ALL I need to tell you. It is MY personal opinion. I do NOT have to offer ANY reason why these two games suck. I CAN explain in some detail if I WANT to. Just now, for reasons of my own, I choose not to. So? If yer gonna roll something out in front of the public, whether a new game or, let's say a new excuse for an old, old, trumped up War, well, You better be able to stand up and take it, eh? _______________________ [ January 28, 2006, 04:26 AM: Message edited by: Desert Dave ]

Boris Becker, Best tennis player I ever saw (... haven't watched a jot of it since he retired - why settle for all them... mediocre rest?) This guy was like a young jungle cat Almost stilled For the fierce finishing pounce: And, Max Wertheimer, Founder of "Gestalt Psychology" (... our perceptions are naturally and necessarily DIFFERENT from the SENSATIONS that comprise them) _______________ Ottosmops Popper was hip to that failed super Ego trip, ah, that quasi religion known as Science, as well. :cool:

Thanks for the link Mr.Dozer. Have already down-loaded and taken 'er out for a spin and... well, it's a bit... incomplete. Here's hoping the developer can fine tune that thing... maybe one day when I get some free time I'll sign in on the forum and offer up some ideas. Avalon Hill's board game of same name was a lot of fun to play, and didn't take very long to set 'er on up and complete a full campaign... recommended. :cool:

BL, No problemo, Senor Luck. Another thing you can do now... let's say you REALLY want that category of "infantry weapons" to be more specific, IE, You prefer to imagine (... and ALL good games, then, now or in future, will allow plenty of room for... "romantic fantasies") that the category MERELY is for... Artillery Brigades, as attached to the Army or Corps, Well, all ya gotta do is go into the campaign's "localization file" and change the name to "artillery brigade." Cool, eh? :cool: Thing is, these numbers are liable to change depending on further testing, and balancing, so it's usually best not to give out specifics. Here's something that is great gaming, and VASTLY different than SC-1: Other than the basic starting OOB for Russia, you get to make Her exactly what you want! (... kinda like in that movie "Stepford Wives," LOLOLOL!) Meaning, what do you suppose is MOST important to research? And do you prefer more tanks or air fleets or HQ's or more Corps, or should you try to set up for initial delay of blitz, or fall further back and defend the cities? It's like building a sand castle out on Newport Beach ... how large, should you carve out a moat, and might there be a princess hailing the Knight Errant from one of the tallest towers? 'Course, you probably should consult your SoCal Moon Book, so's you can anticipate when might arrive.. the highest tide, LOL!

No need to apologize, Mr.Dozer. If you don't think it's worth a tinker's damn (... as I surely didn't with that much bally-hoo'd piece of junk... GG's WaW), then it's perfectly alright to say so. You'll discover that just about EVERYBODY on this board has strong opinions, and ain't so shy about making them very well known, IE, LOTS of testosterone circulating, 'round & 'round it flows, with no particular place to go... LOLOLOLOL! I've been playing these WW-2 GS games for a long, long time, and I tell you now: SC-2 has got them ALL beat. Bad. It's a bad, bad game, Mr.Dozer. :cool: ________________________________________ Poster's NOTE: In the event some of them young guns don't get the righteous drift, see, back in the day, back in them 60s' days... "bad" meant "cool, impossibly so almost," like it's... so awful good that it's... bad. See what I mean? Just so there's no mis-understanding here, though, there rarely is, eh? [ January 26, 2006, 11:56 AM: Message edited by: Desert Dave ]

You DO have artillery in SC-2. As JJ has reminded, this is a large scale game (... each tile being ~ 60 miles) and having that particular unit on board would do little more than clutter up the simply elegant chess-board. Artillery is contained within the category of... Infantry Weapons. Which you can research to Level 3 (... of 5 possible) in the Grand Campaign default game. Some Nations begin with Level 1, others have to invest monies to equalize. Naturally, should you want increased fire-power, say, for a more modern scenario, you can use the Editor to change that limitation. "I/W" would include ALL other infantry support sorts of equipment, such as armored cars and mortars and that Bowie knife you might like to clench between yer teeth. Having played many games by now, trust me, if YOU have L-1 I/W and yer opponent does NOT, well, then, absolutely, you'll have a definite advantage, whether attacking garrisoned cities or a unit entrenched in the forest. However, (... and no doubt it WILL happen) you can always "paint" your own artillery piece, and substitute it in one another category, say, engineers or rockets. Not a problem. Like a selfless and doting Grand Mother (... and you the kid on the floor rolling out the combat results dice... asking for yet another! big bowl of ice cream) SC-2's Editor allows you to do damn near ANYTHING.

LOLOLOL! When? Are you going to desist with this blatant Appeal to jingoistic and chauvanistic Fellow citizens? NO ONE that I have thus far encountered On these SC boards Even REMOTELY strikes me as A... "GErman worshiper." Many who accord the average Everyday GErman survivor... the respect That they deserve, As once, and now valuable contributors To the World's knowledge, Whether that be in Science, Music, Literature or visual arts. I presume your remarks are merely IRONIC. IE, one might worship the best qualities Of ANY Nation's peoples. And, I do not know of ANYONE who is involved In the making of SC-2, Who FAVORS the GErmans. I am guessing... hmmmm, YOU are Sub-consciously concerned, As well you should be, About - oh no, NOT enny old Fascists, But, instead, the ones might be found TODAY, Even, might I suggest, in your own Beloved city, In yer beloved State, And, in the recently begrimed And befouled corridors Of Washington DC?

I have noticed, over these Lengthy lived years, that most Nations prefer not to remember their own, Yet are quite liable to mention those committed By others. America in 1900's, French in Algeria, Japan in China, Spanish in South America, ah, The list could go on and on. :eek: The "indifferent Nazi," And accomplished architect, Albert Speer, Personally counter-manded most of Hitler's Self-immolation inspired (... may as well burn down MY State since I started the unholy conflagration to begin with) "Scorched earth" orders, In hopes of preserving some semblance Of post-war GErman society & culture. Default game does NOT have scorched earth Enabled, but, You may have it should you feel It is appropriate, Using the Editor That not-Kafka's K Admires so much.

I guess, As can happen, 'Ol white rabbit got the best, yet again, Of our hapless SC Stage Magician, Concerning what is in-the-hat fact, And what's mesmerizing... suggestion? _________________________________________ **[... with deep apologies to all who don't like ANY off topic bleeping around... :eek: ]

Yep Not Kafka's K, I do agree With your assessment. 'Ol Monty was, IMO, something of a stuffed shirt And incapable of much original daring do. He usually refused to move unless He had massive air & artillery superiority, and, Like some other over-rated generals, Didn't mind basking in the limey-light. That foolish race to Messina VS Patton Probably wasted men and materiel Unnecessarily. Therefore, Montgomery= 6. BUT, game wise, Rommel is going to be so strong Down in North Afrika, given His rating AND experienced units, I would suppose You would need an "8 counter-weight" (... allowing him his due of organizing logistics and, somehow "rallying the troops") In order to fend off FM Rommel. That's WHY I gave him an 8. Grudgingly.

Forget the chaff - you want whole wheat! Eh, JdF2! As I said, you simply cannot guage such things Playing only hot-seat. Since you CANNOT replicate the "cat & mouse" Convoy game when 1/2 of you - the cat, KNOWS what the other half - the mouse, Is already thinking of doing! **As this IS one of my two favorite theatres, Along with North Afrika, I sure will let you know how the TCP games go. Cost-benefit ratio wise, I mean.

Well, they won't have very many theatres To ply their combat-trade IN, will they EP? What? One - Patton, needed for North Afrika and then perhaps joined by Bradley in Italy? And, for D-Day, how many HQ's do you need for that small area? Given the limited number of troops that can even FIT IN that French and eventually West GErman theatre, two (... or 3 if you move Bradley up there) should do it, shouldn't it? Well, in any event, you can add WHOMEVER you choose, and give them WHATEVER rating you deem appropriate. I've already added Guderian (8) to my own (... assembling in spare-time) Mod. :cool:

Nope, beginer's luck, That most amazing! And - heretofore NEVER even witnessed! Editor for SC-2, Won't allow you to set specific ratings, IE, as per offensive, defensive, Air, Naval, armor or logistics. Now, That's interesting to wonder over, BUT IMHO, purely subjective opinions As to who was actually best at certain aspects Of combat. One Historian says such & such. Another says - no! The Man Excelled in the opposite ability! Who to believe? As per usual, subjective CHOICES Made by each person based on Other subjective opinions. I would like to see Hurryin' Heinz Guderian in game, even though, At full tilt boogie, wasn't any FM. Without him, There might not have been any early blitzing, As how he defied Hitler's "Wishy-washy hand-wringing" And wheeled up North to cut-off the slow Retreating French, UK and Belgium forces. The man had... a marauder's elan! USA/UK ratings? Montgomery= 8 (... due to morale boosting and immense amounts of patience, so to assemble a truly devastating air, artillery and land assualt upon the VERY dwindled, and defiant, but meagre Afrika Korps. Auchinleck= 7 Alexander= 6 Wavell= 6 O'Connor= 5 Ritchie= 4 "Mad Bomber" Harris= -2 Patton= 8 (... this intelligent and Myth-cognizant former SoCal Polo Player was truly "good-way crazy" when it came time to do what you HAVE to do, IE, destroy the enemies armed forces, FIRST) Eisenhower= 7 (... would be lower, except he did have that low-key ability to stabilise and cause cohesive... often warring Allied Ego's, as with his manipulation of Free VS Vichy leaders preceding and following Torch) Bradley= 7 (... just, somehow, "got things done," in orderly fashion) Clark= 6 [stillwell, assuming PTO, would surely warrant a "9."] :cool:

I am personally convinced, after all these years that you and I have discussed somewhat different world views... that you, and Jimmy Swaggert, and Jerry Lee and some of them others who were actual and TRUE music poets... KNOW this to be true. :cool: Would have, fer sure! Whenever I played Third Reich the board-game, I often finagled it where I obtained that "Hitler Assassinated" variant event. 'Course, then my troops were frozen for a turn, but, hell, Sunshine always returns and thaws them out after awhile. Though, the sun will be cinder one of these fine Spring mornings... ah, that's for another day! OK, with Manstein, or Raeder in charge, sanity might have prevailed? I'd guess... yep, it would have; however, by then the Allies were so "caught up in the vengeance maelstrom" they might not have even listened? :eek:

I don't think it much matters How you look at it, High or low, Without hex, hoo-doo, superstitious sense, Or... "in the know," Just so long as you can figuratively Manipulate them chess-pieces To get where at - you need to go! :cool: The world is hardly "technical" merely, Rather, as I see it, An ever-changing Gestalt, And yep, We here on the board do indeed, Ah, and perhaps, a'times, to a fault, Truly ENJOY having FUN With a-topical subject matter, And not merely assembling and RE-assembling Them "nuts & bolts." :eek: I have heard tell of... one Keegan. :cool: Hurled & twirled the stitched leather For them White Sox, Outta C Sandberg's big-shoulder Chicago, Circa, 1953 to 1958. His very best year was 1954, The same year my beloved Indians Tore! the American League All apart. Then he won 16 games, with only 9 losses, AND! Had a sparkling E.R.A. of 3.09! Trouble was, he usually walked as many Or even more! than he struck out, Which is ALWAYS a pre-cursor For final failure in the Big Show, In general, Since that oft indicates One is not... in control. Well, NO-ONE is ever in control, even when They imagine - that they might be!

jjr, About every 2 or 3 months you re-visit this "bomb 'em into Stone Ages" non sense. Hmmmm... something it must be inside of YOU that builds and builds until it boils over. Do you really suppose that incinerating innocent civilians is a good, and honorable way to win any war? Hell, some sub-humans in caves (... already there, or soon enough to take refuge therein) may one day mimic this wonderful tactic, eh?

EP, It's kinda hard to tell just yet. So far we've only been playing hot-seat games, but the TCP has NOW been implemented and so, we are only just beginning to play some of those sorts of games. :cool: Certainly, the framework has been established which WILL allow a better, more historical approach to that VERY critical contest between GErmany's U-boots and the Allied sub-hunters. For instance (... and much of this everyone already knows, so consider this a review, mostly): 1) Ocean is much larger... this alone makes for a more realistic contest. 2) Spotting by all units, sea and air, is less; therefore, better chance of sub secrecy, and survival. Recall also that you can "run silent" so you'll be able to disguise your intentions. 3) Subs cost less and have a higher dive percentage, per improvement (... which can be countered, equally, by research gains in ASW). 4) All convoys are appropriately valued. Especially valuable are the USA->UK, and UK->USSR routes. These "Lend Lease and Arctic (Murmansk)" convoys can indeed be quite a high profile target. And since the max MPP transfer allowed depends on the size of each Nation's economy, the value might increase as the game progesses. The Allies can "risk" as much as they choose, at any given season. 5) Storms at sea are especially bothersome to the larger sized vessels, and might prevent merely "flooding of the zones." The longer you remain in foul weather conditions, the more likely you are to suffer some damage (... as well as reduced supply and readiness). Thus, you probably shouldn't simply establish picket lines and simply sit around waiting for a sub to run into you. Give us a week or two and we'll let you know how this aspect of the game works out in head to head competition, which is the truest test yet, yes? _____________________ Have not ANY doubt, though... once the results of testing can be reviewed, Hubert will make the necessary adjustments so to INSURE that "The Battle of the Atlantic" WILL be an important aspect of the over-all GS game. [ January 09, 2006, 05:08 AM: Message edited by: Desert Dave ]

I will later, in more and better elaborated detail. For now, and based on playing many of these WW-2 GS games, I very much prefer it where there is approximately a 50 - 50 chance of the aggrieved and ill-led GErman troops actually pulling off... one of the most daring, gargantuan feats in all of recorded military history. [... realize that the whole Nation of GErmany at that "proud Warrior ascendent" time... was, is barely larger than the ONE-of-50 USA states that I now reside in, square-mile wise; this still astonishes me no end, whenever I drive around my state and see how small it actually is] I would say... it should well and finally depend on those tremendously fierce tank battles around Kursk which commenced July 5th, 1943. Whether the GErmans can ride the crest of that "high-water mark" you've referred to. IF the GErmans can deliver that FIRST harsh blow, as you have also deemed so very critical, AND survive in good cohesive tact, those first and second winter offensives by the gradually amassing Soviet armies (... STALIN: "Quantity IS Quality"), THEN it depends, much, on whether their temporarily higher tech wrecking crew CAN overcome the numerical superiority (... and ever increasing factory output east of the Urals). My own feeling is that the GErmans could have succeeded IF they had merely concentrated on 3 essential things: 1) Making the Panther - which I personally consider THE best tank of WW-2 bar none, and even, a decade or so beyond that... more dependable and durable, and just forgot about the 2 Tiger models altogether. 2) Earlier, building U-boots and NOT wasting materiel and resources on Tirpitz and half hearted carrier, Graf Zeppelin. 3) Taken Malta, and subsequently, all of North Afrika right up to the back-door steppes of the Caucusus region. What a folly it was bothering, and wasting tough and elite soldiers, on the air-assault on Crete. :eek: So. For this game, I would... agree with many, or so I gather, that the IMMENSE supply problems inherent in any deep, long lasting blitz into VAST expanses of Russia should be one of the MAJOR obstacles to overcome. I think Hubert has modeled that really well, and as futher testing proceeds, we shall see IF such things will supersede the "usual modus operandi" of SC-1, IE, too much accretion of MPP's and, heavy experience of GErman units. This seems to be the case thus far.

EP, you CAN re-arrange and re-adust the "activation scripts" so that USA would not join, given the cirumstances you've alluded to. IE, should the GErman player opt to invade Russia immediately! following conquest of Poland, for instance, and allow the Western Allies to do what they will... with the WILL that they've got, militarily, economically or diplomatically, well, That is an interesting "what-if" scenario that you might fee-fie fiddle around with. Thing is... you CAN do just about ANYTHING with this Editor. NOT everything, but quite a LOT. Some of my best friends are gaily happy! Some times. Others, they are melancholic romantic, say, in the way that Caspar David Freidrich paints those old... Monastery beneath denuded tree-branches still like skeleton limbs half-way exposed to a cold grey sky, sure, them kinds of re-presentations, yes? I don't mind, so long as they appreciate that I myself prefer... Naomi Watts! My Lord, what a slimly long-limb be-lovely, that Aussie lass IS! Ah, IF I might only meet her some day, say, at a Siren assembled sort of soiree over to Julia Roberts adobe hide-away oh, up the hot-rod road, in old, old Santa Fe (... THE oldest Capital city in the USA, did you know? Older even than Wash DC). As for Immer, I see him every week, at visiting hours out there at Desert Loon Bin, on outskirts of Desert City, so should enny of them "officially declared daft & delinquent" inmates escape, they should have a VERY difficult time eluding-eliding on in to traipse those civilised main streets and consequently, upsetting the nice, normalised folks. He cannot talk, or, rather, won't... much like Bartleby the Scrivener in that H Melville short story, where Bart simple says: "I refuse to participate." Every time some body wishes him to "perform" like some face-painted Circus Clown. Either way, no matter, I can occasionally "read behind the unspoken lines" and gather this much: He is... biding his time, Waiting for the day. Then he can make apt play. WHEN it makes a difference In what goes down in the troubled town, And what sick chicken non-sense Might be otherwise actively Acted - against. As, for one thing... spit on ALL them spy-cam lenses, ah, them leering, thoroughly un-American, AND Constitutionally corrupt-corrosive (... and, truly, mad-gay) shenanigans... of NSA, And etc.