laxx

heh, the less-teutonic screen is the best, imho. Am already using it. COngrats on creating such a beautiful makeover.

Interesing, but I would suppose it would be Iraq's best interest to lure the US into the cities and fight a protracted unpopular war, supposing they have enough resources to hold out for 3 months, 6 months ? Oil fields are long term objectives which I believe Iraq will rather destroy than let it fall into the enemy hands (of coss they can always blame the US for it). Well, Iraq is not WWII Russia, it is unclear how tightly the internal security has a grip on the masses. One thing is for sure, Russia in WWII did not engage in biological / chemical warfare.

Hi, asking a purely academic question here on Russian tactics: Is it possible for Iraq to adopt some of the Russian defensive strategies (Such as Defense in Depth and FIBUA (fighting in built-up areas))against the US ? Since the outdated Iraq T-72/80 tanks are outgunned, and troops are poorly trained (mostly), what are the options available to Iraq against the impending US attack ? hope this is not too off-topic.

http://www.gamerankings.com/itemrankings/launchreview.asp?reviewid=125901 Date of Review: 10th December 2002 Score: 69 out of 100 Quoted ad verbatim: "COMBAT MISSION 2: BARBAROSSA TO BERLIN Battlefront CDV 1 Sim / Strategy Fix bayonets... Charge! Daniel Emery romps into the USSR with Combat Mission 2 10 Dec 02 Here's some useless trivia for you. If we gave you 'a penny for your thoughts', then in one day the average person would earn 40. We kid you not. Which means in 40 minutes you'd make 1.11 - and by a freak coincidence Combat Mission 2 takes 40 minutes to install. Forty long, slow and painful minutes as all 8,249 files, using an installer from the Dark Ages, are slowly dumped on your PC. Good start... We are are a little confused, however. A quick glance at the US developer's website (www.battlefront.com) has the game listed as Combat Mission: Barbarossa To Berlin. The website even describes it as 'successor to the award-winning game system pioneered in Combat Mission: Beyond Overlord.' But in the UK it is being touted as Combat Mission 2 - and it's somewhat unclear as to which one is right. The game has certainly had a serious make-over graphically and sound effects are much improved. But the game is still essentially Combat Mission 1, albeit much prettier. To us, a sequel should be radically improved from its predecessor (just look at the difference between Panzer General II and Panzer General 3D). Combat Mission 2 still has many of the same problems that dogged Combat Mission 1 - installer from hell, slow AI and so on. QUICK STEPPE But enough of the bitching, what's the game actually like? Simple, it's the same as Combat Mission - except this time it's Nazis versus Russkies. After Hitler decided to 'make Poland a little bit smaller' he started eyeing up Russia, and in August 1941, 3,000 tanks, three million troops and industrial quantities of sausage in sour cabbage sauce rolled across the border - Operation Barbarossa had begun. Combat Mission 2 has you slogging it out on the Russian Steppes, these missions proving to be an extremely well-balanced affair. The Soviet tanks could go toe to toe with almost all the German armour (later in the war). However, it wasn't until the battle at Kursk in 1942 (Operation Citadel) that things started to go Russia's way. And you'll find playing Citadel in Combat Mission 2 challenging. Graphically the game has been tidied up since its original incarnation. Rather than weird bubbles, you now get proper explosions and smoke. Machine-gun fire no longer resembles a scene from Star Wars and AI is fairly competent although it does take a rather long time to 'think'. FOXTROT OSCAR But, while the game is more polished, there are still chunks missing. There is no campaign mode, where you take a band of raw recruits and turn them into veritable killing machines. There are no upgrades or weapon selection: you take what you're given. Sure you can generate your own battle, but that requires a great deal of effort - some flexibility in the pre-made battles would have been a welcome addition. Gripes aside, Combat Mission 2 is a fun follow-up to Combat Mission - although it's more of an update than a sequel. As a turn-based game, it ain't half bad, but to be honest, calling it Combat Mission 1.5 would have been nearer the mark. Daniel Emery "

bump...i like it !

Lifted Verbatim from Patton Strikes Back Game : "Thirty pairs of eyes peered out from the darkness of the copse towards the lonely farmhouse. Thirty shivering soldiers exchanged determined glances. They were tired of freezing in the open. The ground was frozen so hard, they couldn't dig a proper hole. On nights like this, they couldn't sleep, and shivered miserably all night long. They saw that farmhouse and imagined the warmth and coziness inside, the protection from the biting wind. They were going to take that farmhouse. Silently they slithered across the snow. Spreading out, they inched their way forward, slowly, patiently searching for the pickets. When all were in position they rose and threw themselves on the guards, bayonetting them before more than a grunt could escape their lips. Simultaneously, the others rushed the farmhouse, bursting in and slaying all inside with bayonet and pistol. Only a few stray shots, only a few screams broke the silence. Now the prize was theirs. Even with no fire, the warmth of the tiny room was a thing of joy. But first there were spoils to distribute: the fabulous clothes that their dead American victims would no longer need. Boots made of real leather, not cardboard. Overcoats that didn't fall apart. Real wool blankets, and mittens, and scarves. Each man got his fair share. Then pickets were posted, and the victors lay down for a night of genuine sleep. Twenty men curled up in a tiny room, laying one on another like kittens in a litter. In three minutes all were fast asleep as their comrades stood guard outside. Outside, all was peaceful and quiet on this Christmas night."

Name: AI variation tactic Setting: Against AI. How to use it : The AI has about 3 or 4 variations in tactics each time you re-run a saved game. So if you do not like the outcome of a particular turn, reload the earlier turn and run it again. It will repeat after several reruns. Eg. If your Panzer II gets killed by the T-26 in turn 2, and you really need your Panzer II in the large scheme of things then Reload the End Turn 1 saved game and run again, your Panzer II may not be killed this time round, instead the T-26 could be the victim this time. Assumption : I assume you save your games regularly. [ December 23, 2002, 09:59 AM: Message edited by: laxx ]

MG-42: Now Now, no moralizing. And no, there is no "god" mode in CMBB, just gamey tactics. I use the "Know Thy Enemy" tactic to Learn, but hey, This is supposed to be a fun thread. [ December 23, 2002, 09:50 AM: Message edited by: laxx ]

Name: Kill the Tankette Tactic Setting: German (you) against Russian. Your opponent has T-60 or T-70 or Ba-64 Armored cars How to use the tactic : Buy veteran sharpshooters. Position as near to the enemy as possible. Snipe the AFVs when unhatched, once the TC is shot, the AFV will stop moving. The T-60/T-70 and BA-64 each has only 1 driver and 1 Tank Commander. Without the TC, the tank is basically disabled. *note: sharpshooters doan come cheap. They are twice the price of a Anti-tank rifle, but they are worth it as a really good sharpshooter will kill off the tc with only one shot.

Name: Know thy Enemy Gamey Tactic Setting: Against AI. How to use it : Save every turn in your game. And press the Surrender Icon after saving, at the After Action Report screen, there is "Look at Map" button. Click on it to see where you enemy is, how big the force etc. Go to main menu, load the saved game and continue. Conclusion : you get to know where your enemy is and plan accordingly. [ December 23, 2002, 09:25 AM: Message edited by: laxx ]

Name: Fool the Turn One Off-Board-Artillery Gamey Tactic Setting: Some of the scenarios eg. Totenkopf. You against the AI which has a Turn One off-board artillery. How to Use it: In turn zero, after positioning all your units, Hide all of them except one which will act as a decoy. This unit should be an armour unit. Position this decoy somewhere away from your other units but viewable from the AI. What happens is that the AI will spot this unit and rain in the turn one artillery (which cannot be repositioned later). Of coss during turn one, you should order your unit to move as far away from the incoming artillery. Conclusion: Save your units, waste the AI's ammo.

Hi, thought i'd start a gamey thread. gamey tactics that works in a game that probably won't be implemented in real life because it is not practical, suicidal, or simply can't be done. This thread is especially useful to those who are newbies, non-grog and love spoilers, like me . All you grognards can stop reading now No hard and fast rules, just Fun. If it aint Fun, it aint Gamey. ------- [ December 23, 2002, 09:13 AM: Message edited by: laxx ]

Rostik: btw, is that a PSX or PS2 game ? just curious. cheers!

good news: CMBB in mass retail stores bad news: cmbb illegally in mass retail stores worse news: another wave of young newbie whiners gonna flood this forum soon. "Where's the Power Upgrade ?" "What do mean, my troops has only one life ?" "Where's the Horse Mod ?"

More Quotes: On Casualties Wartime casualties are broken down into three categories: battle casualties, non-battle injuries, and sickness. This last category accounted for ten times as many casualties as battle casualties. Trenchfoot, pneumonia, malaria, venereal disease, and other ailments took their toll. Few soldiers died of their illnesses, but a great many were put out of action for up to six weeks at a time, and trenchfoot sent many home minus toes and feet. Non-battle injuries resulted from accidents, and these also outnumbered battle injuries. About 40% of such injuries arose from traffic accidents. If you recall that the average American infantry division stocked nearly 2,000 vehicles, all of which were driven by 18-22 year olds, you get the picture. Accidental fires, unintended discharge of weapons and premature detonation of explosives accounted for the other accidental injuries. Artillery inflicted about half of all battle casualties. The machine gun came second, making about 20% of all battle casualties. Next came rifle fire at 10%, and mines also at 10%. The remaining 10% covers a hodgepodge of factors: crushing, asphyxiation, drowning during combat, phosphorus burns, etc. While artillery wounded a lot of people, it killed only 19% of its victims. Machine gun fire killed 42% of its victims, largely because machine guns tend to inflict multiple wounds. Not surprisingly, wounds were distributed randomly over the body surface. The arms and legs received 47% of wounds; the head and neck, 18%; the trunk 12%; and the genitalia, 0.6%./

hi Mom, i been lounging around the house, munching on popcorn and sipping coke. Hope all is well at the eastern front. laxx

you know BFC has Made it when pirated versions are being sold in ebay...

Hi, the full text from Chris Crawford's most excellent game (IMHO, and flopped in the market place), Patton Strikes Back: ---start----- In a cellar in the village of Stoumont, Major Hal McCown of the 30th Infantry Division was deep in conversation with Colonel Jochen Peiper, the commander of the lead element of the 1st SS Panzer Division. McCown had been captured the previous afternoon while reconnoitering an attack against Peiper's surrounded forces. As a battalion commander, McCown was a minor prize. Around midnight that night, Peiper, fluent in English, had questioned McCown himself, but the interrogation evolved into a conversation between professional adversaries. Peiper and McCown spoke of war and peace, of politics, of their different views of the world. Peiper, an ardent Nazi, tried to communicate to McCown his image of Nazism as a purifying and unifying force in a corrupt and decadent Europe. McCown, keeping in mind the possibility of escape, encouraged Peiper and tried to prolong the conversation, hoping to learn something of military value. Peiper, with nothing better to do until sunrise, stayed up all night talking with the American. A wary rapport developed between the two officers. McCown asked for and got Peiper's word of honor that his American prisoners would not be harmed. The next day, Peiper had to abandon his fuelless tanks and break out of the American ring on foot. True to his word, he released the American prisoners unharmed, but he took Major McCown with him. The day after that, a confused firefight erupted between the retreating Germans and an American force. McCown, seeing his opportunity, slipped away in the chaos. McCown and Peiper were destined to meet once more. McCown came to the Malmedy Trial to testify about Peiper's honorable treatment of the American prisoners in Stoumont. /Jochen Peiper Obersturmbannfuehrer (SS Lieutenant Colonel) Jochen Peiper was one of the most sensational figures of the Battle of the Bulge. He was handsome, daring, intelligent -- and only 28 years old. He had risen to his command through a combination of talent, drive, and political reliability. He had been an adjutant to Heinrich Himmler, the head of the Gestapo. Later, on the Eastern Front, he had pioneered daring armored tactics. At the head of a small group of tanks, he would raid deep into the Russian rear, shooting up supply columns and wreaking havoc. He always managed to extricate himself from apparently hopeless situations. His legendary exploits had made him a hero in the German army and gained him rapid promotions. But Peiper was ruthless. He would put two or three halftracks at the head of his columns and then charge deep into enemy territory. The halftracks would be sacrificed but the tanks behind them would then take out whatever defenses had been flushed by the halftracks. There is also no doubt that Peiper's men committed war crimes. Although he released the American prisoners at Stoumont unharmed, a total of 300 American POWs and perhaps 100 Belgian civilians were murdered by Peiper's men in the Battle of the Bulge. For these crimes Peiper was sentenced to death, but the sentence was commuted because of procedural irregularities and Peiper was released in 1957. He concealed his identity, moved to France and settled down to a quiet life translating German books into English. In the late 1970s a French magazine published his identity and address. Two nights later, somebody set fire to his house; Peiper died in the fire. -------- I think not only is he gamey but quite creative himself, gotta try the half-track as bait tactic. [ December 21, 2002, 08:13 PM: Message edited by: laxx ]

interesting quote on Jochen Peiper and his tank tactics: "Obersturmbannfuehrer (SS Lieutenant Colonel) Jochen Peiper was one of the most sensational figures of the Battle of the Bulge. He was handsome, daring, intelligent -- and only 28 years old. He had risen to his command through a combination of talent, drive, and political reliability. He had been an adjutant to Heinrich Himmler, the head of the Gestapo. Later, on the Eastern Front, he had pioneered daring armored tactics. At the head of a small group of tanks, he would raid deep into the Russian rear, shooting up supply columns and wreaking havoc. He always managed to extricate himself from apparently hopeless situations. His legendary exploits had made him a hero in the German army and gained him rapid promotions. But Peiper was ruthless. He would put two or three halftracks at the head of his columns and then charge deep into enemy territory. The halftracks would be sacrificed but the tanks behind them would then take out whatever defenses had been flushed by the halftracks." lifted from a text file of the game patton strikes back. [ December 21, 2002, 02:15 PM: Message edited by: laxx ]

actually, i use the office hours to do the prep work: - printing scenario maps - printing tips and tricks - scanning the forums etc when i get home, i try out some of the scenrios.. .... good thing being a salesman, no one cares what you do as long as you bring in the dough...

actually you doan have to wait till the patch comes up, just buy a half-track or a jeep, get it stuffed with a pioneer with some satchel charge. go to objective, blow the jeep up, jihad style.

ha.... i knew that squint was too good to be rommel...thanks.

is that a bug on the box art of Second Front ? i didn't know Rommel was involved in the second front .....

All this talk about old war games made me search on the net for old Eastern Front Games. Enjoy. The sw is available for dl as well under the banner of Abandonware. BTW, the box covers look much better than the gameplay screens. ------------------- Fire Brigade: The Battle for Kiev 1943 "One of the most overlooked wargames of all time, Fire Brigade is an exceptional game by Panther Games that simulates the 1943 battles around Kiev on the Eastern Front. Released only in Australia, Fire Brigade quickly gained a small following among die-hard wargamers for its tough AI, clean user interface, and realistic game engine. As M. E. Brooks points out in his synopsis: ?...good documentation and excellent packaging have yielded a game that has withstood the test of time, although the learning curve was somewhat long. One of the few games from the early years of computer wargaming that remains playable, although the game often seems to play itself.? If you are a fan of ?hardcore? wargames that boast a challenging AI and high replayability, Fire Brigade is a must have - a game that deserves at least as much recognition as classics from fellow Australian company, SSG. Two thumbs up! And big thanks to our resident cracker Mok for patching this oldie to run on new graphics cards published: 1989 http://www.the-underdogs.org/game.php?id=2480 ---------------- Gary Grigsby's War in Russia "An operational/strategic simulation of the entire Eastern Front (1941-1945), this game was easily learned and played; sheer size and certain defects in the artificial intelligence presented the difficulty." Despite AI quirks, however, the game is undoubtedly Gary Grigsby's masterpiece, and in many ways the culmination of his dedication on perfecting the game engine for this World War 2 theatre that started with War in Russia for the Apple II in 1984 and the subsequent Second Front." published: 1993 http://www.the-underdogs.org/game.php?id=445 ---------------- Kampfgruppe "A tactical simulation of warfare on the Eastern Front, this game was CGW's Game of the Year in 1985. Multiple options, but marred by a lack of joystick input and amorphous stacking (virtually an entire army could be crammed into a smallgeographic location). A classic that has been redone many times;the latest reincarnation will be Gary Grigsby's own STEEL PANTHERS III." [excerpt from M. Evan Brooks' Homepage] It was also one of the first wargames to offer line-of-sight options.Highly Recommended! published: 1987 http://www.the-underdogs.org/game.php?id=582 ---------------' Panzer Battles Panzer Battles is a great World War II wargame that is up to the normal high standards of wargaming legends Roger Keating and Ian Trout. It originally included 6 scenarios from the Eastern Front: Minsk, Moscow, Kharkov, Prokhorovka, Kanev, and Korsun, although the version here includes many more user-created scenarios. The game is based on the revolutionary game engine first used in Battlefront (which was released on Apple II and Commodore 64 only): it introduced corps-level combat and proper use of the chain of command to PC wargaming. The AI, however, is disappointingly weak, especially considering that it is usually SSG's hallmark in their games. Regardless, the game's intuitive interface, flexible gameplay, and excellent scenario editor help make it much better than an average wargame. Not SSG's finest hour, but still very good. published: 1990 http://www.the-underdogs.org/game.php?id=808 ---------------- World at War Series (a.k.a. Stalingrad etc) "Atomic Games, best known for the V for Victory games published by Three-Sixty, has revamped their already highly evolved engine for these "World At War" games that capture bocage battles and several interesting stalemate situations in WWII. At a scale of one-hex-equals- one-kilometer, the map design vividly recreates the restricted, even claustrophobic, nature of the terrain. Excellent AI, campaigns, and intuitive interface make the series some of the best wargames ever made. Highly recommended! Note: This download includes all three World at War games, with special thanks to ML and Nick P " Published: 1993 http://www.the-underdogs.org/game.php?id=1284 ---------------- Second Front "The Eastern Front of World War II, covered from start to finish. Different levels allowed one to see losses taken down to squad level. One could replace commanders, build armies, seize objectives -- it was all here, but it was soon replaced by [Grigby's own] War in Russia." [excerpt from M. Evan Brooks' Homepage]" Published: 1990 http://www.the-underdogs.org/game.php?id=951 ---------------- Tiger in The Snow "SSI's first game for the PC was "... an operational simulation of the Battle of the Bulge, its most serious problem was a user interface which refused to allow the player to access his units. Instead, the order of battle was cycled through three times, and pity the gamer who did not input his orders by the third time -- primitive graphics, primitive play mechanics and a poor user interface." [excerpt from M. Evan Brooks' Homepage]" Published: 1981 http://www.the-underdogs.org/game.php?id=1158 ------------ Mac ------------- Stalingrad Published: 1994 http://mac.the-underdogs.org/?show=game&id=271 ----------------- Panzer Battles http://mac.the-underdogs.org/?show=game&id=222 Published: 1990 ------------ [ December 19, 2002, 02:57 AM: Message edited by: laxx ]

here's a finnish joke: 2 finns go to a bar first guy goes "nice day isn't it" after half an hour, 2nd finns sez to the first "Did we come here to drink or to bull****"