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jbertles

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Posts posted by jbertles

  1. Sidi Bou Zid - Tunisia 2/43

    Or something similar representing the difficulties of the mesa/plains terrain of central Tunisia.

    Sidi Bou Zid is a good example of a German counterattack in Tunisia. It has a lot of what should make a scenario exciting: sudden attack, slowly stiffening defense, isolated units slowing the tide, long desert-type flanking hook, some of the first Tiger I deployment in the West, Stuka attacks, etc.

  2. Get it at The Scenario Depot

    German panzergruppe attacks a small city and the passes beyond in difficult terrain. And to make things worse, the higher-ups on both sides have caused all kinds of troubles to the local commanders...

    Thanks to CombinedArms for invaluable playtesting help, to BigMik1 for map suggestions, and of course to Admiral Keth for hosting the scenario.

    Enjoy!

    [ September 30, 2003, 01:03 PM: Message edited by: jbertles ]

  3. Nice. I especially appreciate the 3D attempts on the bogie and return wheels - one of the things that drove me crazy about the original renderings is the 2D look on those. This goes a long way to correcting it. I imagine you had to cheat on wheel diameter slightly to get enough room for the shadow. Also, there is something slightly disorienting about the way you fudged the shadow so that it would look good from any direction, but if I squint a bit....

    Now comes the Hobson's choice - which one?

    Stug haiku:

    3D renderings on Stugs

    Camo or Khaki?

    Like choosing summer or fall...

  4. Here's another (though work-intensive) possibility. Print out the QB map from a top view scren-shot-by-screen-shot (possibly in quarters?).

    Assemble the map and then check the most extreme elevations and mark them on the map - get the elevation of each hill and depression.

    The gradations of color on the screen shot map should enable you to get an approximate idea of how to shape the elevations. The terrain features are easy.

    The question is, will you run out of ink before you run out of patience??

  5. Lately I've been playing with 3000 pt MEs vs the AI in which I pick both sides but play the Soviets - basically trying to see how the Soviets can beat the Germans at the time (pre T34/85).

    The Germans get a Tiger, a couple of Panthers, a Pzgrenadier company, an atg and the rest in Stugs and MkIVs (mostly IVs).

    The Sovs get 3 platoons of SU85s, a mech inf rifle company (+ sometimes a pioneer company), several atgs (45s and 76.2s) and the rest in T34/76s.

    Medium woods, large hills, 40+ turns, dry

    Since the German optics just crush the Soviets in hilly terrain at distance, the only strategy that I can make work is the "Fortified Goose Egg", a term I shamelessly lifted from the Battle of the Bulge.

    Mount as much infantry as possible on most of the T34s (keeping a platoon or two of T34s and the SU85s for left and right flanking forces - like the horns of a Zulu impi) and race those tank/inf forces into a depression area someplace around the center of the map, preferably with objective flags in or nearby. Take advantage of any road plus the T34's speed.

    The depression itself should be large enough to emcompass your force without turning it into a mortar trap. Some kind of cover near the rim is preferable.

    Dismount the infantry and post them below the rim of the depression and sprinkle the tanks around the perimeter - don't forget to have some facing ACROSS the depression, not just outward.

    Then, while waiting for the Germans to grind forward, use masking terrain to try to get your flanking tank and td forces into good enfilading positions. When the inevitable (but slow) axis assault begins on your FGE, use your flanking forces to get side and butt shots on the assaulting tanks (shoot and scoot works great here, especially with the SUs).

    The key is that the German tanks have to come within close range - the rim of the depression - if they want to collapse the goose egg. At that range even the Soviet optics can work.

    Now, is it gamey? I dunno; you're given a mission - take the objective; and if your only tactical advantage is in speed... Well you go with your strength.

    Anyone else find any particularly useful strategies for that time? Or wish to weigh in on the gamey issue? Play a PBEM to test it out?

  6. Lately I've been playing with 3000 pt MEs vs the AI in which I pick both sides but play the Soviets - basically trying to see how the Soviets can beat the Germans at the time (pre T34/85).

    The Germans get a Tiger, a couple of Panthers, a Pzgrenadier company, an atg and the rest in Stugs and MkIVs (mostly IVs).

    The Sovs get 3 platoons of SU85s, a mech inf rifle company (+ sometimes a pioneer company), several atgs (45s and 76.2s) and the rest in T34/76s.

    Medium woods, large hills, 40+ turns, dry

    Since the German optics just crush the Soviets in hilly terrain at distance, the only strategy that I can make work is the "Fortified Goose Egg", a term I shamelessly lifted from the Battle of the Bulge.

    Mount as much infantry as possible on most of the T34s (keeping a platoon or two of T34s and the SU85s for left and right flanking forces - like the horns of a Zulu impi) and race those tank/inf forces into a depression area someplace around the center of the map, preferably with objective flags in or nearby. Take advantage of any road plus the T34's speed.

    The depression itself should be large enough to emcompass your force without turning it into a mortar trap. Some kind of cover near the rim is preferable.

    Dismount the infantry and post them below the rim of the depression and sprinkle the tanks around the perimeter - don't forget to have some facing ACROSS the depression, not just outward.

    Then, while waiting for the Germans to grind forward, use masking terrain to try to get your flanking tank and td forces into good enfilading positions. When the inevitable (but slow) axis assault begins on your FGE, use your flanking forces to get side and butt shots on the assaulting tanks (shoot and scoot works great here, especially with the SUs).

    The key is that the German tanks have to come within close range - the rim of the depression - if they want to collapse the goose egg. At that range even the Soviet optics can work.

    Now, is it gamey? I dunno; you're given a mission - take the objective; and if your only tactical advantage is in speed... Well you go with your strength.

    Anyone else find any particularly useful strategies for that time? Or wish to weigh in on the gamey issue? Play a PBEM to test it out?

  7. Okay, this has happened twice to me using 1.03b2, and never in 1.02 and earlier.

    Playing a QB against the computer, I save the game by altering the type of battle listed as the save game default (ie, "Meeting Engagement" to "Meeting Engage" which is the standard file name that I use for a game in progress).

    The "File exists. Overwrite?" window pops up.

    I click "Yes" (or whatever) and the Combat Mission menu bar interface stays up, but the view window turns black and the game crashes.

    The supposedly overwritten file is not saved, although the Autosave is intact.

    The funny thing is that it only seems to do it now and then, and not consistently. I'll try to find a pattern.

    I'm running a Mac 1gig dual chip tower with OS9.

  8. Great! The western desert was my first introduction to WWII, although I'm sure that playing as the British will be challanging - Crusaders vs MkIIIs....yikes...

    But it is all worth it to have M3s.

    SO, and this is the biq question for me: CDLs?!!? Please?!!? How cool would that be - to have those turret searchlight thingies in night battles would be way beyond cool (and probably way beyond the current engine!).

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