General Jack Ripper

Well, your results are in line with what I expected from the test before scrolling down. The Tank Commander's head is too small a target to hit, and will simply button up if rounds get too close. It would take luck, a scoped rifle, or a stabilized gun tripod to hit him easily. All of my rifle or smg kills against TC's have come at 100m or less. The jeep driver is sitting behind an engine block and a windshield, and anyone who has ever tried to shoot through a pane of glass will tell you it's hard to hit a target behind it, even with a high powered rifle. I've seen enough police sniper footage to be convinced. Of course, once the jeep bails out in panic, the driver will cower and be an even harder target. The FO team is three infantry jogging while standing upright in a straight line, technically they are by far the easiest target to hit. However, as soon as a couple bullets go by, they will stop, drop, and cower, making them a very hard target to hit. The Half-Track gunner is partially protected by thin armor plate, but does not have a gun shield (unless the late-war HT's have them?). Technically vehicle gunners are a high-priority target, because they're holding a lot of firepower, yet are still relatively easy to hit. He is incapable of cowering, and short of buttoning up, is exposed to enemy fire. Even buttoned up, bullet spall can still produce a casualty, especially in the American halftracks. Well, that's my thought process at any rate.

If you watch closely, you can see a 120mm APFSDS take the head off an SPG-9 gunner.

No worries, that was a very concise answer. I had spent some time looking at both games, and was leaning towards FB. I guess this seals it.

Still too hot outside to turn off the A/C. Mid to upper 80's all week, with huge amounts of humidity.

Pushing our Recon up Route Lightning.

I never really could play when I smoke, I usually stick to easier games like Total War.

Yes, CMx2 engine is still running on a 32bit profile, so there are hardcoded RAM limitations, etc.

Whenever possible, I take all the LAWs and AT4s available. Having additional disposable HE launchers is never a bad thing. Same for REDFOR, grab extra ammo for the RPGs whenever possible.

It plays fine for me still, and no indications on the video manager, check your volume levels.

Alright, I find myself with a small amount of extra funds in my wallet for the first time in quite a while, so that means it's time to buy a new CM game. I already own the complete collections of both Shock Force and Normandy, so I'm thinking of getting Red Thunder to play in an entirely new arena, or getting Final Blitzkrieg to play with my beloved US Army's late-war goodies. Now I've already experienced all of the theatres and equipment via my complete CMx1 collection, so I guess the debate would come down to the relative merits of each game. My question to you, dear forum-goers, is which would you pick, and why? (There can be only one!)

How big is big? Personally I find anything above a reinforced Battalion gets too low a framerate. It also depends on how large the map is. I get about 6 FPS on OP Linnet II if I zoom all the way out. But that map is measured in miles, not meters.

For what it's worth, I agree. A last second sneaky ninja move cut off, a massive coordinated attack that never launches, or simply the fact that your artillery hadn't knocked down that office building yet, are all reasons I dislike the AI's auto-surrender. However, for the sake of "not wasting my time" it's an excellent feature. Putting a toggle switch to turn it on and off is a perfectly good request. +1

Watch it quick before YouTube Content ID murders this because of the Johnny Cash song. Route Lightning is next.

AT-4's for everyone! Hooray! I've downloaded this, but I don't know when I'll get around to playing it.

Until I can actually turn off the darn air conditioner to record some voice-overs, you'll have to content yourselves with more of my silent movies. The Barracks are cleared out.

Most often played mode for me, yes, either that or "Iron Intoxicated".

300 meters up the street there is a pile of rubble. We know there's hostiles there, we've spotted several combatants, and have taken sporadic fire. Over the course of 14 minutes, we call 81mm airburst mortars on the position four times, establish sniper overwatch, hit the position with Mk-19's, .50cal, small arms, and M203 grenades. 14 minutes later, after all of that fire, I figure it's now safe to cross the street. The moment 2nd Squad steps out, the ONE SINGLE enemy soldier (miraculously still alive) guns down four guys while they run across the street. Needless to say, I damn near smashed my keyboard in frustration. Sometimes, no matter what you do, or how hard you work at it, the enemy will not just lay down and die. I need some sleep, I've been up all night.

Okay, the moment it stops being 90 freaking degrees outside, and I can record voice without the air conditioner drowning it out, I'll be recording more video.

I just wanted to let everyone know, I'm finally back in town. Road to Montebourg will be started up first, then I'll finish part 5 here, and re-produce the first 4 parts. Stay Frosty.

In the meantime, here's your homework assignment: Beaten Zone The beaten zone is the elliptical pattern formed when the rounds strike the ground or target. The size and shape of the beaten zone change as a function of the range to and slope of the target, but is normally oval or cigar shaped and the density of the rounds decreases toward the edges. As the range to the target increases, the beaten zone becomes shorter and wider. Conversely, as the range to the target decreases, the beaten zone becomes longer and narrower. Danger Space This is the space between the muzzle of the weapon and the target where the trajectory does not rise above 1.8 meters (the average height of a standing Soldier) that includes the beaten zone. Gunners should consider the danger space of their weapons when planning overhead fires. Dead Space Any fold or depression in the ground that prevents a target from being engaged from a fixed position is termed dead space. Grazing Fire Automatic weapons achieve grazing fire when the center of the cone of fire does not rise more than 1 meter above the ground. Grazing fire is employed in the final protective line (FPL) in defense and is only possible when the terrain is level or uniformly sloping. Any dead space encountered along the FPL must be covered by indirect fire. Plunging Fire Plunging fire occurs when there is little or no danger space from the muzzle of the weapon to the beaten zone. It occurs when weapons fire at long range, when firing from high ground to low ground, when firing into abruptly rising ground, or when firing across uneven terrain, resulting in a loss of grazing fire at any point along the trajectory. Enfilade Fire Enfilade fire occurs when the long axis of the beaten zone coincides or nearly coincides with the long axis of the target. It can be frontal fire on an enemy column formation or flanking fire on an enemy line formation. This is the most desirable class of fire with respect to the target because it makes maximum use of the beaten zone. Leaders and gunners should always strive to position the guns to the extent possible that they can engage enemy targets with enfilade fire. Frontal Fire Frontal fire occurs when the long axis of the beaten zone is at a right angle to the front of the target. This type of fire is highly desirable when engaging a column formation. It then becomes enfilade fire as the beaten zone coincides with the long axis of the target. Frontal fire is not as desirable when engaging a line formation because the majority of the beaten zone normally falls below or after the enemy target.

I'm going to be gone for a while, sorry I didn't get the next part posted. I gotta go where the work is. I'll see y'all when I get back.

That's a good idea. I'll see if I can make something out of it. Part 5b is still on the chopping block.

I would play that campaign.

Will any of these fixes be applied (where applicable) to other titles?