SaTyR

Just wanted to clear a few things for those new to the uber-finns: Lend lease Stugs were used as thrown AT weapons, just like pinecones. The great size of a Stug abled the finns to destroy even the heaviest of russian tanks with ease, compared to the quite low (in finnish standards) armor penetration of the pinecone. A normal finnish panzerjäger platoon carried a couple of Stugs, and a pocketfull of pinecones and a combat toothpick, with a spare tip, per man. Sumoi (as noted by Nippy), are female sumo wrestlers. Veteran Sissi squads could carry 3 Sumoi´s. Lighter than the thrown Stug but heavier than pinecones, and more lethal against soviet infantry, they were an ideal weapon for behind the lines combat. A pack of Sumoi's could be released upon a soviet column and only muffled screams could be heard as the troops disappeared in a wobble of flesh. During R&R the finns used Sumoi as "selänpesijät" when in sauna. [ June 26, 2003, 06:19 AM: Message edited by: SaTyR ]

I would just settle for longer turn limit, over 60 turns (hour). Then everybody who wanted to could just hit GO every other turn, but as an added plus we could have even 2 hour monster battles. I was tought in the Finnish army that a single platoon might have to spend an hour assaulting enemy positions, if artillery support was scarce. To my eyes, a whole lot of things happen (too) fast in CM and I seem to always be in a hurry. The turn limit could be raised, not the time per turn. Just food for thought [ June 26, 2003, 06:25 AM: Message edited by: SaTyR ]

I see the bundle lobbing animation as an abstraction of a couple of guys creeping close to the tank and placing the charges where they would do the most damage, while the others cover from a distance with small arms. Ie. the others may be 30m away (the distance most infantry AT weapons usually "kick in" in CMBB), but the "lobbers" (this is a lobbely !) are close to the tank, maybe even on it. As for the other infantry AT questions, I´ll let the grogs step in

After patching the game (can´t remember which, 1.01 or 1.02), you can have snow on the ground without snowfall during winter months in Finland and North sector of Russia. Location location location

I would love a campaign engine for CM also, but there will be none for the existing games, nor will there be one for CMAK. We could hope for one in the first game powered by the new engine, but I doubt that´ll happen. In the meantime, try this: BCR makes you look CM in a completely new perspective. Have fun

Posted by the Bald One at the original 1.03 Beta thread. So this thread seems to be a waste of space. Let it drift down to the void, into the nothingness of cyberspace nonsense, into "the topic that should never have been raised" area of the BBS world. The Mad One has spoken, check the original 1.03b thread for more info.

Variety in the vehicles of same type would be great too. I see no point in using mods with (for example) battle damage, as every tank in (for example) a platoon of battle damaged pzIIIj´s would look identical and that just looks silly. The game could ship with a stock set of bmp´s for each vehicle, just one ofcourse, but modders could make sets with extensions in the bmp names (example: stock bmp 13001-XXXXX, modder makes a set with the letter "a" as the last character in the name, 13001a-XXXXXa, the game checks if further sets are available and then randomly decides between the available sets to bring variety). I´m no programmer, so I don´t really know how hard programming this could be, but it wouldn´t put extra strain on the graphic artist(s). This would be a gift of gawd for (us) modsluts Now we have to decide between our favorite mods, with this variety thingy we could see ALL our favorite mods at the same time (with a bit of luck ofcourse). One could always use mods the old way, replacing the stock graphics (a solution for those with small hard drives). Just one little thing from the "eyecandy" side of the game, I´ll leave the real issues to those with better knowledge of the war and of programming a game .

Seconded ! And don´t forget about the bunkers and such. They suffer from the same problem. For both vehicles and fortifications, the option to HIDE is useless the way it works now.

AFAIK no-cd cracks are not illeagal. And in your case you have BOUGHT the original, it´s just waiting to be exchanged for a working one, without a huge gaping crack, so go ahead. I use a no-cd crack on my CMBB and it ain´t even broken I´ve only opened the DVD case once to install the game and to copy the finnish manual (pdf) to my computer. I know cds last long and are quite hard to damage without intention, but I´m not going to take even that remote chance of my baby braking down. Judging your case, I´m on the right track hope you receive "replacements" ASAP

I too will keep my wishes feasible: More different kinds of fortifications ! IMHO the fortification types available in previous CM games are lacking and (again, IMHO) make certain historic scenarios very hard to portrait correctly. (dragons tooth, antitank ditches, different types of fortified shelters from rifle pits to , as we now have multiturreted vehicles also, full blown AT pillboxes with MGs etc.) The bunkers we have in CM now are spotted too easily at ridiculous ranges, so camoed versions would be great. I´m not 100% certain, but I have the impression, that soldiers around the world tried their best to camo fortified sites and these sites were not spotted from 750m by the first light tank and destroyed before even firing back by a burst from a wimpy pop gun. And my last request, the infamous "Iiik, a monster tank ! I can´t shoot him in the side/rear after carefully manouvering 20 minutes for the shot but must back away as I´m petrified with terror !" feature IMHO needs a bit fixing. Just wishes and requests, can live without `em.

And I thought my day was ruined after I woke up so early and just couldn´t go back to sleep. Now I know that my waking up had a purpose. Great to hear about a new CM game, patch for CMBB and a teeny weeny bit about the engine rewrite. And with THREE CM games I can surely wait for the rewrite, playing with a smile on my face. Thanks guys, you´ve done it again !

Just what I wanted but didn´t dare to ask. Great stuff, I liked the first version, but (for me) it lacked... dirt Russian dirt and MUD... and SLUSH... and more MUD but now it´s perfect, thanks !

http://www.cmmods.com/ Use the bar on the left to navigate ("D/L Mods Here" --> "By Type" --> then on the main screen "Infantry")... Uniforms galore !

Vader´s Jester: I´ve downloaded your ambient sound mod(s) and have a few observations: Has anybody done research on WHEN do the different ambient sounds actually play ? There seems to be a difference in what .wav plays based on month AND wind. Summer months (June, July) I can hear the crickets during the night and still wind (stock BFC 00005005), but when I crank the wind options to "Windy", a different sound is played (IMHO stock BFC 00005002 or 00005003). "Strong winds" at night also seem to cause a different sound to be played (now that I have your mods, I think it´s the 00005000). Night, still winds and month other than the summer months cause your "CRICKETSNCOMBAT" (00005006) to be played. Upping the wind speed to "Windy", stock BFC 00005002/3 can be heard. "Strong wind" equals your 00005000 amb. Winter months, still and night produce 0005002/3, "Windy" again your 00005000 (the great "COLDTACTICS"... I like this one, but see above, it can be heard a bit "out of place"), "Strong wind" results in the same (00005000). 00005000 is really easy to recognise from the long, though quite silent (from somewhere far away ) MG staccato at the beginning, so it sticks out. My tests aren´t very scientific and I haven´t studied the chance of temperature or region affecting which sound is played, I´m not that much of a HIFI sound man myself. I´ve also only studied night conditions, ´though both winter and summer (but not closely the differences in fall and spring). And really, I PRESUME the ambient sound clips always START AT THE BEGINNING when a new battle "pops up" (moves from "Loading 3-D objects" to Setup and the complete 3-D terrain). I like your Ambient sounds and the observations above are only for someone who really wants to dig in and produce a chart (or sumfink) of the ambient sounds, months and wind state (and possibly region, temperature etc.). I would like to point out though, that there still remains 3 ambient sounds you haven´t modded (00005002/3/5) and that kinda breaks the pattern (your sounds are heavy on the distant battle sounds, the stock BFC ones aren´t... I like your´s better btw.). Only food for thought [ April 03, 2003, 03:28 AM: Message edited by: SaTyR ]

Use veteran platoons, leaders with moral bonus and FLAMETHROWERS. Think Strongpoint rather than Line of battle. That way a few well placed FTs can turn the tide and in built up areas light the enemy occupied buildings, great in other low vis situations also. Protect the Strongpoint with AP mines and barbwire. Use barbwire to force the enemy choose an attackroute YOU want him to. In built up areas pioneers are great. Have a slight russkie problem in the neighborhood ? Area target a pioneer squad to lob some demo charges and the building next door comes tumbling down. Place fallback foxholes behind the buildings you´re in to ensure fast getaway, cover AND a new ambush position. Use covered arcs with Hide to pop up just at the right moment. Just a few ideas, use at your own risk [ March 28, 2003, 05:03 PM: Message edited by: SaTyR ]

Thanks, I was going crazy over this. Got to inform my opponents that I´m moving on to 1.02 and suggest they do too. Still can´t believe how, as a faithful reader of this forum, could I miss the "ammo bug"... Maybe I´ve been playing too much ? Tonight I´ll start a new BCR campaign with 1.02, cheers !

Hi ! First of all, I´ve been watching the development of BCR for a time now, but only recently got myself around to try it. I had some difficulties at first, but after reading the rules a couple of times, I soon got the hang of it. Then I got to thinking: everybodys been reporting huge successes early in the campaign, but I´ve had a world of trouble. I´ve been getting nowhere to say it bluntly. And don´t get me wrong, although I´ve played against the AI and human opponents plenty of times, I do not consider myself to be a great player, but still, I was baffled by my lack of progress. One thing sprang to mind from my last defeat: I had set the enemy ammo at 10%, as the die roll told me to, but I still received A LOT of fire from units that I´ve been pouring fire on for turns. I got to testing and found out something strange: although I´d set the ammo at 10%, the russkies still had 100% ammo (clearly seen inspecting spotters and support weapons). Tested a bit more and saw no change in ammo for either side eventhough the preference had been set at the beginning (toyed with years, force mix, battle type etc. no change). Now to my question(s): have I done something wrong ? Is there some other setting that needs to be changed in order to alter the ammo amounts (don´t think so, been playing since the launch) ? Does it simply not work in QBs (according to the manual it does) ? (For clarification: I have the US version of the game, with US 1.01 patch [pbem games in progress, and yes, I know the files work on 1.02, but for fairness I use the same version as my opponents when we started the battle], my pre-battle prefs here , anything wrong with them ?) Have I broken my CMBB ? Should I re-install/patch (1.02)/pray ? Anybody else stumbled on to something like this ?

What, no "Dear Pauli, how have you been ?" at the beginning ?!?! Rest of the letter is so filled with heartwarming love and emotion that I almost weep. Much better than the ones I've been sending around for my sweethearts.

Read the FAQ thread for explanation of the differences in the two versios. Go to http://www.cmmods.com/ for an "anti censorship loader" by Schoerner.

See the hotkeys, it can be set. Unlimited (or sumfink) is also an option. [edited to see how st00pid I am] [ February 18, 2003, 09:11 PM: Message edited by: SaTyR ]

ARGH ! You tease us with such pictures and then forbid us to hold our breaths, for the mod will not be ready for a great while ? You, sir, are EVIL ! I will, in a protest, hold my breath until the mod arrives or I'll... need to take a breath really bad. That'll show ya...

1. Use shift-C to set the unit scale to realistic, can help to target area fire a bit closer. 2. Use covered arcs with hide (I usually use 180 degree arcs) 3. Great idea, but we're stuck with the one we have. 4. See leader bonuses and if the unit is in command. And fanaticism might take part in some cases. 5. If I were an ATG gunner, I'd fire at the Tiger hoping for a miracle (or then I'd run away) more readily than at some escaping HTs. Remember, while they are only virtual soldiers, they've been coded to have some sense of self preservation. 6. I've seen grenades and molotovs thrown up to 45m, the heavier ones max. 30m. 10. Known casualties on both sides and the known state of the VLs. Or so it seems. 11. FOW on you cannot be sure where the enemy units that just dropped out of LOS are for 100%. The state of the VLs change according to this information. You might have had a platoon hidden spot on a VL, but the VL seemed to be in enemy control, when there was an enemy tank 50m away (even to you). In multiplay, both players are affected by the information they get from the battlefield. You know where your troops are, but you only guess where his are. The game will calculate the VL "ownage" the right way even if you'd never reveal the hidden platoon and the game ends (the VL would be contested or yours). 13. IIRC JasonC addressed something like this in a thread a while ago. Something about trenches and exposure percentages, going on to details about terrain and cover they provide. 14. IIRC and very much IMHO, the only bonus for digging foxholes in forests comes from how hard they are to spot. Foxholes in forests are harder to spot from a distance than the ones in the open. The cons are obvious, treebursts. 15. Yes, and the armor units are considered to be hull down. 16. Spotter units don't provide LOS for on board mortars, the commanding HQ does. Spotters are just for firing off board artillery. Use company (and higher) HQs for spotting for the on board mortars. 17. Were they moving ? What was the crews experience rating ? Was it night or day ? A bit too vague of a question. They will hit eventually, and they do hit from longer distances as well. Check the hit % and ponder on the possibilities. Also remember that the germans had different optics than the ruskies (like the stug, long range optics made short range spotting hard, again IIRC). 18. Well the game ain't fully automated. The AI just follows orders that you give. Use shorter move orders or move to contact. 19. That is a bit silly yes. I've seen them running from a perfectly good flank position only firing smoke. 20. Explained to have something to do with the calculations needed to track every shells flight path to be really hard for the computer. Also check the shift-C for realistic scale and see if the units are really shooting through something or was it just the scale +X that makes one believe so. 21. Well that just ain't true. Have a platoon sneak up a wheat field and it'll never be seen by the defender until right at the edge of the field. 22. Death clock. WW2 tankers didn't stop firing at the enemy if the enemy wasn't on fire or seen to be abandoned. OTOH I've seen my ATG shift fire to a bigger threat on their own. The tank they were previously shooting wasn't abandoned yet, but was "dead" (not moving, firing, rotating turret etc) 23. Explained many times. Poor communications from the battlefield to the firing units, more so in the soviet side. Use them for pre planned barrages and the lighter ones for battlefield support. 24. Depends on the gun doing the firing and the type of building. Small wooden ones can be destroyed by two shots from an 75mm IG. Test by yourself, as the effect varies from gun to gun (or building to building) 25. Nope. They do hit the enemy more often that your own troops. Try flying 400kph and identifying which of the land crawling tiny targets are your own and which the enemy (IL-2 springs to mind). Hard isn't it ? Both the Axis and the Allied tried very hard to lessen the possibility of their own air cover to fire on friendlies, use the search function and dig up a thread about it (germans pinning nazi flags on their vehicles, russians using painted figures for aerial recognition) Check the FAQ thread, use the search and play the game a lot to get answers for future questions. Most answers for most of your questions a) have been answered in previous threads are answered in the FAQ thread or c) can be answered when playing the game and experimenting. And when everything else fails, ask. There's always somebody with time and will to answer. Cheers and keep on playing the game [edited for spelling or sumfink] [ February 18, 2003, 07:25 PM: Message edited by: SaTyR ]

I've tried it many times and it works (for me that is; windows 2000 and the american version of CMBB). Waiting for your opponent to setup when attacking/assaulting (usually I take more time setting up as the defender) and taking a peek at something like the BFC forums for example.

Preview of the forthcoming Rocky mod by SaTyR Have fun !

Use covered arcs for flamers and they'll start WHOOSHing when in range (and they'll prolly do that even w/o the arc, if not suppressed)