Eden Smallwood

YES YES YES YES!!!! It was not uncommon for me when playing Citadel to have an AT gun come out of hiding to plaster one specific tank and get literally a half dozen KOs on that tank, while a half dozen other live tanks are right next to it... If it looks like a nice hit... better move on, because those other turrets are turning. Maybe sometimes you would want the behaviour it has now, if... if the other targets would require a big change in targetting? But when there's a big group right in one spot, it just seems like your only chance is going to be to spread that love around on everyone. Eden

I saw a big brouhaha about Hill 312. I went to the coffee shop. I got a large light coffee, added enough milk to cool it down, and fired up the iBook. I had been trying to avoid actually *reading* the spoilers, and I then realized I had completely succeeded, because I wasn't sure which side I was supposed to play. So I reasoned that it takes more brains to attack than defend, so it looks like I got it right this time. ( In Cemetery Hill, I played defenders, but I should have played attackers? ) I also thought the mortars and MGs looked really good, and I *almost* sent the whole army up the forest side, but that was too... it was bad Feng Shui. So I split the force equally, one up the forest, the other spread through nearest bits of wood on the right. Additionally, I stole one HQ and mortar for the right, in the same type of setup. The guys playing Robin Hood I advance really slowly- kinda silly, and really burned me later, but I was trying to play Reality instead of Cmbb, and also I was sick of carrying flamethrowers all over Asia just to have them die at the dawn's first light. Sure, I was surprised by Soviets way down in the corner of Sherwood, but with the proper leap-frogging or caterpilling or whatever it was not a big deal. And nicely the Lost Patrol showed up just in time to surprise their backsides pretty hard. But two or three minutes had been used up with those shenanigans, and I'll just *bet* that was the point. Darn. I showed some weakness there too- I couldn't resist using the flames, (it was cold!), and I thought it wouldn't hurt for the anti-tank team to throw their weight into the melee too. So, AT team gone, flames are down two shots. But so what about flames? I'm heading ALL the way around the back, so what are those pillboxes going to do, turn around? Time for a refill on the coffee- ahhh, that's good. Meanwhile, my big MGs are playing games with the Amazing Disappearing Pillboxes, and the Magical Teleporting Infantry Sounds. Even in wide open looking ground in plain sight these Bolsheviks can just bounce around like some sadistic kind of shooting gallery. It's just not going well for the A Team over on the right. On the first turn, one squad will take TWO casualties JUST CROSSING THE ROAD. Men, your job is now to merely keep those Soviets *entertained* while B-Team goes around to knock on the back door. A-Team would finally get to the bottom of the hill, but all the MG and mortar fire at ghosts is just not enough to hold down those teleporting Soviets. Back in the forest, I've dropped off an HQ and a mortar along the way, just across from the hill, and I've moved almost the whole platoon plus the Lost Patrol around the back to the very very edge of the back of the hill. The mortar and HQ can see the trench, and they're dropping hard rain on it. We've got a bazillion German UberVets within meters of the flag, staring straight down that trench the long way, so next turn it's Rushin' Russians. Good grief, I've even got my FlaminSpittinTroopen over there intact! This is going to be *good*. Game Over- Tactical Defeat. Eden

I played a QB where I ended up with a (squad? platoon?) a gaggle of anti tank rifle guys, but the enemy had no tanks. Ah well. I *begged* those turkeys to shoot at the enemy infantry regardless, but they just wouldn't do it. Even if it only gave the enemy a bruised knee it would be better than hanging onto that stupid ammo, but they all ended the game with 75T, dead or alive, mostly dead. So. BTS please let me use that ammo in the rewrite. But I checked their "kills" just to see what might be there, and I'll be dogged- one of them had 7 Inf kills, a couple had 2, a couple had 1... There's no other weapon shown for those crews, however- not even a handgun, so... how'd they do that? "B" word? Eden

Then that's not your particular flair. Why not recognize that and start a new trend? Post it here, with a subject like: "Sinario Breifing Ruff Draft, Plez ProofReed", and all of us over-inflated English buffs will jump at the opportunity to help. The non-English speaker Trojan horse camouflage in subject line is optional. Esprit de Corps, n'est-ce pas? Eden

Yes, they are!! No, don't "add more"- the tracks are perfect- they "fit" the rest of the tank. ( All this is IMHO, of course, right? ) But, (er), I think you overdid the wheels/gears whatever they're called. It kinda looks like it's been sitting in Pearl Harbor for twenty years, and it's a bit too *bright*...? Hey, I wouldn't bug you if it didn't look almost perfect!! One more thing I'll add. That stripe... if you sit back a ways, it kinda jumps off the tank, no? I think if you added to it some of the same exact color scheme which is on the armor "underneath" the stripe, it should help it "stick on" better, ya know? Notice the difference between the red star and the white stripe- the red star definitely appears to be part of the armor; the stripe is still a little bit floating... Ok, I'm done. But you're tantalizing us. Eden [ October 14, 2002, 08:43 PM: Message edited by: Eden Smallwood ]

And have you, as yet, played :mad: Directive Number 3, as Allies :mad: ? If so, I'd love to know how it's done!! Eden

I think you *are* done with the armor- it looks perfect to me, FWIW. But what about the tracks? They're sticking out- can you throw some dust on there? Eden

I had to use a newer browser than the older one I prefer- all that encryption for credit cards stuff... Try a newer browser first, Eden

I retract my suggestion to use the scenario forum then, as that is touchenverbotten. Tips and Tricks it is! But... do people here really *want* a mod forum...? Eden

OK OK OK OK!!! You're talking to me! This is the fifth time I've seen someone lament the lack of reviews, so I guess I should speak up. I've downloaded two scenarios, and I haven't reviewed either, but BEFORE I get all your fury karma let me tell you a couple things; it might help. The other day I downloaded and played something like "SLb Hill 261" or some ridiculous name like that; you might recognize it. It was late at night, I shouldn't have started a game, but I was curious to try a scenario designed by someone. ANY scenario, you know. I saw a thread where this one was mentioned, and it was not too big looking, so... OK. So I played. I died. Oops. It was fun, but I could have done better- a screw up here, a goof up there... OH Yeah- and a halftrack with a towed gun on it, that really threw me for a loop. I didn't know HOW to deliver that thing to an already ensuing battle; what, backup all the way there??? I think I might even have had some Arty which I completely failed to drop. Anywhow. So afterwards I didn't review it, and y'all think it's because nobody loves you. But in my case, at least, neither laziness nor ingratitude is among the reasons I did not jot down a few sentences about this scenario. Rather: #1) As a newbie, I don't really feel *qualified* to review this scenario. Half of these units... ISBXS-2 (late), PanzerChickenWaffleWagen... I don't know what in the God's Earth these things *are*, do you know what I'm saying!?!? So I got my buttocks kicked in this scenario- what does THAT prove? Not much really. That said, how could you expect me to comment on the "balance" of the scenario? Extrapolate what I'm saying here, ok? Sure, I had fun, and I even liked the scenario *as such*, but a "review" is implicitly a critique which presents how one feels about that scenario when *compared* to others... At a minimum, my point #1 is that newbies will rightfully consider themselves handicapped in having something meaningful to say... #2) Spoiling Among the few things I *could* say about this scenario, (maybe most others), about which I might have some confidence that others would find my opinion interesting, I think most if not all of them would be spoiling to the scenario. Well... The expression, "What can I say?" comes to mind. So far, putting #1 and #2 together, that leaves me with a review which could be summed up "It was fun". Seriously now, it would take a brave man or a dumbass to post a review which says only "It was fun". Let's move on to the next one. I downloaded something called "Haunted Hill", I think. Big ol' cemetery held by Soviet Inf. Ah yes, now that was a really tasty little snack. If I may say so, (try and stop me), I executed the most deliciously sweet and sour textbook example of, well, of how to take a cemetery held by Soviet Inf. In the other forum, we have the topic about CMBB Inf being too Pinnable or Routable... Well, for the majority of the battle, I was duly quite cautious and advanced with heavy cover and very slowly. Right towards the end though, when a human opponent would probably accuse me of flag-rushing, I decided some rushing was in order. But instead of being blown to bits, as I almost expected, it really *was* the right time to rush, and the enemy was crumbling. So, if you follow me, it was a very satisfying victory- the kind where you fight fight fight and it's not clear how it's going to turn out, then just barely you manage to snatch victory from the gaping maw of defeat. Anyhow. CMBB, as usual, decided the battle was over when I needed almost exactly 90 more seconds to completely sanitize the entire flag region. But because CMBB is perverse that way, I know that I timed myself exactly correctly. So. Finally, point being that I could certainly say, well, what I just said above, mostly. And certainly that I found it exquisitely balanced, yadda yadda. But I didn't review this one either: #3) Wherever the heck I got this one from... #4) ...it didn't seem to want a review, at least nowhere that I noticed. As to #3, I don't have my newly acquired CMBB http bookmarks organized yet, but I know they represent a good half dozen or more of CM sites, CMBB sites, just wargame in general sites which have *some* CMBB scenarios tucked deep in a hierarchy... I can honestly tell you I haven't the SLIGHTEST d*mn clue where I got this particular scenario. It might even be from one of the plethora of links on the CMBB forum for which I don't *have* a bookmark. Who knows?!? As to #4, well I guess that's self-explanatory, n'est-ce pas? For 1 and 2, I'm not sure what I can tell ya. For 3 and 4, maybe I can help... in just a second. Even just from the perspective of game theory, (no pun), that is an absolutely dreadful idea. Now you're *really* asking for it!! These might be tough to implement, but maybe they would help. The bomb is in your court. For #3 and #4, maybe you guys could all get together and make one official central link website database thingie for all these scenarios. Even if they're hosted in a bazillion different places, at least have one d*mn site which points to them all, is well organized, has a nice little review thingie, let's the user view them in different arrangements, (by newest, by medium, by Allied vs AI, you know). Well dang that would help I think. The way it is now... Yuk. One more toughie: pressure BTS to provide programmer "hooks" in the scenarios. The one relevant for this topic would be the "review link"- if some particular string is present as a resource in the file, (sorry, I'm sorta speaking from a Macintosh standpoint now), then the "Review This Scenario" button appears and is active in the briefing window. User clicks button, user goes to review form based on whatever link was stored as a resource string. That really would require very very little in the way of coding, but, you know, BTS might have other things they want to do... Hth, Eden [ October 14, 2002, 04:00 AM: Message edited by: Eden Smallwood ]

Is that cross on top historical? German pilots must have *loved* it!! Eden

Yes++, I had that originally (without braces for a single expression!) but didn't want to get a Huh? response. Now why won't this forum ware respect my indentations? Indenting a paragraph has worked for the known history of English, no? Ah well. Eden [ October 14, 2002, 01:38 AM: Message edited by: Eden Smallwood ]

Oh really? Well that *is* an excellent precedent. I promise patience. Buckaroo Banzai? Attribution, please. Eden

Ooops. What is that, a breaking heart? Ok, I see the liability here; just a sec, Eden

OK, correct me if this is out there, but I *think* I've looked everywhere for the one single mod which I'd like to have. Modders don't get me wrong, what you're doing is tres chic, but when I look at my battlefield I don't see anything which looks shabby to me, it all looks pretty cool already, with this one single exception- the generic unit icons. I mean when that enemy unit "disappears". The Soviet one... WHA...?!? What's wrong with a nice Red, clean edged Hammer 'n' Sickle?!? The Hungarians have something which looks like a psychedelic Rorschach(sp?) blot, and the Germans... well, I'm sorry but political correctness can move to Berkeley, I want a nice authentic swastika there. It seems like most of the opinions I express on this forum are mine and mine alone, though maybe that's just internet stage fright, but I'll be really surprised if you guys don't also think that these generic unit icons kind of "break" the graphic aura of CM. They stick out like a sore thumb, as the expression goes; they just don't seem to belong there. Is it just me? If nobody wants to tackle it, I'll do it myself if someone tells me which BMPs they are? I'm not really an artiste, though... Eden [ October 13, 2002, 09:11 PM: Message edited by: Eden Smallwood ]

Wha? Sorry- forum leader kill this echo, if you care to... Eden [ October 13, 2002, 09:13 PM: Message edited by: Eden Smallwood ]

If that's true, that the computer always plays with EFOW, even when the User is Partial, then my reasonable seeming hypothesis is Routed, and I would only be able to plead Bad Science. It goes without saying, I think, that I am merely reporting what I've experienced- I haven't poked through the code with a hex editor... Yes, that's what I'm saying. If the AI is always in EFOW, then perhaps there's some other thing which affects it's game, or perhaps it's an inadequately controlled experiment. One thing which strikes me- if the AI is always in EFOW, it doesn't seem even remotely possibly that it could put up a fight when the User is on Partial!! I never tried None, but Partial can't be much different- I seemed to find out just about everything I could possibly want to know about the enemy, right down to how much ammo he has!! Anyway, the manual says that EFOW is the most realistic, and I'll never use anything else again anyhow. And YOU have never used anything else, right?!? Instead of None and Partial and all that, maybe we would get more mileage out of different shades of EFOW...? Eden [ October 13, 2002, 08:18 PM: Message edited by: Eden Smallwood ]

Ah that's very good. As a programmer myself, I have a very jaded view of most websites... flashy graphics, silly shockwave, bad organization, et cetera. It seems to me that most websites are designed for the webmaster's ego, not for the user. Very good site- well organized, easy to see what's what, easy to understand what's what... Looks great, I hope the modders insist on using it. Now where was that guy who did the better looking tombstones...? Eden

Perhaps you missed the recent and good thread started by Winterhawk: http://www.battlefront.com/cgi-bin/bbs/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=23;t=001875 Eden

Ah yes, but it would not be at all "easy" for you to see this! I'm basing this suspicion on playing Yelnia and Citadel many many times with those two different settings. I find a slight but noticeable difference. I'm not supposing that this is *directly* coded... if (EfowIsOn()) then Easiness = Easiness + 1; ...rather, like I said, I'm supposing that the AI plays a "fair" game, and with EFOW on, it is simply too difficult for the AI to make the really good decisions. The *benefit* that you get is only that there are limits to what the AI can do, and EFOW pushes on those limits more than Partial. Well it seems reasonable anyhow; maybe BFC will volunteer some inside dope, but it hardly matters much- does anyone not play with EFOW?? Eden

So, er, did we determine that sharing the Autosave file doesn't work, or...? Eden

Ok, but still my Platoon HQ should be able to "help rally" an Arty Spotter? I'm looking at the manual, but I'm still a bit fuzzy on this, or I'm unclear on "rally". My Spotter got Routed; luckily he moved to a nice safe spot. My Platoon HQ was nearby and just making espresso, so I sent him over as close to the Spotter as computer pixels would allow, hoping that HQ would help Spotter hump up his courage, at least enough to get on his feet... It didn't work, Spotter was out for duration. So... do I have the concept right anyway? I thought maybe HQ would "rally" the Spotter... Tia, Eden

I played Citadel a hundred times with Partial. Then when I saw everyone in this forum ranting about EFOW, I changed to EFOW. I'll tell you something nobody else seems to have noticed- it's EASIER to beat the AI with EFOW than with Partial. Notice that part of what this implies is the the AI plays a "fair" game- it's EFOW for you, it's EFOW for AI. I think that fogginess makes it more difficult for the AI to "guess" the right thing... I guess. Eden

Hot steamy poop on all Axis victories in JagStairMaster- how could you lose with Tankus Invincibilus?!? I played it as Allies, cuz *The Book* told me to. I don't have a nifty pic, but I kinda consider myself lucky & clever- a maximum of about three routed Germans left on the board, and two intact guns. The guns were no threat, so I was advancing on them from behind with infantry. Despite all that, I think it was a Tactical or something, because I lost 7 or 8 of my tanks. Sheesh!! I really thought I was kicking buttocks!! Haven't tried it again, but if you can completely sanitize the Axis force while losing fewer than seven tanks, comrade, I will share with you my wodka. Eden

I don't know all over the place. In MOP, (My Operating Procedures), and in MOPAOTP, (My Operating Procedures All Over The Place), they are placed where they are expected do the most damage. Well in the QB I mentioned, it seemed to me that the best place for these fields was *not* too far from my front- better to put them where I can *force* the NME to seek that "cover" than it is to put it off yonder where they will merely skirt it thenceforward. Now when the time to counterattack came, why... there I am, on both sides of them and, yes, All Over The Place. Also, I had some quasi-intentions for *luring* the enemy into some of those fields... that might have kinda sorta worked, but I was a bit outnumbered to notice. Anyway! I don't see the argument against knowing where the pete your minefield is, now come on!! Eden