Andrew Kulin

Looking at the 2023 Update List provided by BFC in January: Steam Keys - they have met their schedule for the first three games listed, and CMFB is supposed to be ready Dec or January. So I should think soon for CMFB. New Content for CM Games - crickets Upgrade 5 - crickets (and their comment was really vague - did not seem to promise anything) CM Professional pause - who knows? Not really our business Patches - yes we've seen patches released through the year with PBEM+ added in

Maybe your CMBN turns back to him never got to him? I presume you have no way to contact him to ask?

Upgraded to new PC over the summer and now thinking about adding mods back to the games. Wondering if there are any consolidated mod packages that contain mods from a lot of creators and for everything (or a lot) that can be modded in CM (e.g., vehicle and troop skins, terrain, trees, buildings, walls, sound, flames and smoke, etc.). Wanting to start adding back mods into the games but also feeling lazy and not wanting to download tons of different mod packages. Even if it is something like the Aris vehicles mods all in a single package that is better than downloading them all individually. I have all CM games except CMA. If nothing like that exists then I will eventually download them individually. Thanks

Do these fixes result in Round 1 score readjustments?

Might be good to add say 2 weeks to the third round as it looks like the round with a 30 day time limit would be ending on Christmas Eve. A lot of players might be busy with all that seasonal stuff which coincides with Round 3 timing.

Yes, they should. That was one of the upselling points of the Steam system

When I finally went with Steam, I had to do pretty much every license activation (modules + base game + packs) as I recall. Fortunately for me I had saved my activation codes for each game, upgrade, etc. in a text file as I added things over the years so all that stuff was in one place. But the nice thing is you only do this once, and then thereafter loading the games onto other PCs or laptops or whatever is really simple. Just log into steam and install and play.

MHerm: What version of the game are you running? Is it the Steam version (bought or downloaded/installed via Steam) or the BFC version with files downloaded/installed from BFC website. And has this only happened with Red Thunder or other CM games too? Have you or your opponent recently updated version of CMRT while playing your games? As I recall, you can do this, as long as when you do, your save game file is in the Orders mode, not replay action mode. Are both you and your opponent running the same version of the game? Can you provide information about your computer - e.g., Win 11 Pro, Intel i7-13700K (not overclocked) on Z790 mobo, 64 GB Ram, RTX4070 GPU (12GB), ... Here are some other suggestions: Have you turned off the game and then restarted it? I leave games running for days in the background and over time they can become unstable. Can you install the game on a different computer and try loading the defective turns on that PC? Uninstall and then re-install CMRT on your affected computer. Try loading the game files again and see if crashes continue. Maybe there is corruption in some Windows files. Here is a web-link to a discussion on ucrtbase.dll which I see listed in your error output. It might be helpful: https://www.partitionwizard.com/disk-recovery/ucrtbase-dll.html I will say that I have had similar issues crop up with CM PBEM games in the past for me (pre-PBEM++) with files not loading up, or me not being able to complete a game save and the game hangs up (I need to shut down in task manager) or just shuts down on its own (no windows error messages or BSODs). In those cases if this happens after 3 tries or so I would contact my oppo and ask him to resend the turn, and that has always solved the problem (so far...). But, I will add, that since I have loaded the Steam versions of the game (with PBEM++) on my new computer (since the summer) I have noticed some odd little bugs, the most rememberable being that at random times (and after game has been running a long time (days)) the keyboard commands don't work (like pressing "T" for targeting). So I have to shut the game down and restart it and then things are fine again.

I hope he did not place these up directly behind your reinforcement zone because that would not be cool. And did you actually get King Tigers? I got Tiger 1's (I figure we are all far enough into this that this is not a spoiler)

I am getting this too. This morning. I am pretty sure it means the Matrix/Slitherine server is down. This has happened before. Just give them a few hours

Sorry I messed up. You are right PBEM++ removes the incoming game file from your opponent's view (which I would say is a bit of a flaw in the way it works, in instances like this). If it is regular PBEM, he should still have the game file. Probably no chance of this -->, but maybe he has a save file elsewhere (as in his saved game folder) that he could play over again. And then maybe he can replay it and send as an old fashioned PBEM file (by e-mail or using one of the user generated PBEM Helper tools like Whose Turn is It (by IanL) or Head to Head Helper (H2HH - by greenasjade - no longer seems active on forums)). But that is a real long-shot. Looks like you may need to wait for Slitherine.

These are probably not helpful suggestions but ... Have you tried rebooting your computer? Are you running different versions of the game on your computer (e.g., both 1.06 and 1.07) and then accidentally trying to load a game where the versions don't match? (I have done that myself) How large are the game files? Do you have a lot of other stuff running on your computer as well when trying to load these turns Have you asked your opponent to replay their turn(s)? I have had the same issue in the past with large files that won't load and after a few failed attempts have asked my opponent to replay his turn and the revised turn that was sent back then loads up.

Scoring System Update: One of my games I was up 7-5 one turn, and on the next turn it was 9-7. That does not fit the 3-1 scoring system. When I played the turn, I saw that we each scored a single infantry casualty against each other. So it was a tie, and it would seem a tie scores 2-2, Both units were equal in value (soldier) and so I still don't know if one soldier was a major and the other was a private if that would result in a 3-1 score.

Yeah. I left my initial forces only in Mittelsbach and most of my reinforcements I set up on the ridgelines further back. Sent a couple of tanks into the H-town to get views on the Russian approaches and that was all. Saw at the end that my opponent had a lot of forces in Mittelsbach (including lots of dragon teams) and thought to myself that was smart. No way I was taking that town with the meager forces that got close. Which was pretty much only tanks so even if his armor way back was not picking them off with impunity, his Dragons would have chewed me up.

Stupid me, I forgot to pre-plan arty as well. (and I wish pre-planned artillery could be set for times greater than +15 minutes - Game 5 suggestion). But I also used smoke missions to cover my advance across open areas and that was useless. American vehicles apparently could see through it as if clear as day so I got decimated. But the smoke worked great to prevent my tanks from seeing the US forces and firing back at them on my advance. My opponent was able to do that on his advance while getting beaten down on his and he was able to score 2 or 3 kills on US tanks and TOWs

I am curious. Did anyone as the Soviet player get into Mittelsbach? And if so, how? I did not think the scenario was in any way winnable by the Russian player given the spread out timing his forces arrived. Both Probus and I sent our forces towards Mittelsbach on different sides of that wooded hill and we were both decimated on the approach. Russian tanks and AFVs were picked off with ease by the US side. By end of game we each had a fraction of our attacking forces sitting just east of the "suburbs" of Mittelsbach with no time left and frankly not enough strength to do anything in any event had there been time So did anyone capture the town?

Was his formal name "Richard"?

Looking forward to an explanation from Elvis as to how the first round scores were calculated. Some big shakeups in the scoring I see this morning on the Matrix Tournament sites.

Don't surrender. You just give your opponent maximum (100%) points. Do ceasefires. At least you have a chance for some points (maybe not the case as Russians the way the first two scenarios were designed but in other yes) and your opponent will get points they earned.

Ian, I was referring to Slitherine. So there is messaging on Slitherine web-site to which I cannot initiate any messages. I think that account is only used to tell me that I have incoming turns and general messages from Slitherine. And then there is a separate messaging function in the Slitherine forum which I can initiate and receive messages (glitchy though in my experience). But Matrix site looks same as Slitherine (blue colour scheme instead of green though). So when I log in to Matrix, the messaging is same thing like Slitherine - can only receive messages about incoming turn and the like. I have never checked Matrix forum to see if I have a separate account (frankly I don't remember if I set one up or not for their forums) nor have I checked it has a separate messaging system like Slitherine forums (I suspect it does since they seem to be pretty much identically set up). Plus then there is something with Slitherine/Matrix that lets you do a single or combined login to all their accounts (or something like that). If this all sounds confusing to someone w/o a Matrix or Slitherine account set up, yes it is. Basically four separate logins, or is it maybe one if you say yes to the unified login system (or whatever they call it). It's really too confusing to me. To the point that I really don't care to try to figure it out. Bottom line in my opinion is that player to player communication does not work with the current implementation of Combat Mission and PBEM++ in tournaments. Oh, and kind of a related question. What does the check box for making your e-mail visible to your opponent in PBEM++ games actually do? (the one you need to remember to check on as you are first logging into the PBEM++ system). I have never received or seen anything about my opponents' e-mails in playing PBEM++ games so far (that I can tell).

Yes. I did not realize that until someone told me specifically. There is a messaging account under your Slitherine account. And there is a separate messaging system under the Slitherine forums which is the one to use. You have to go into the Slitherine forums and log in from the forums for messaging. I still find that glitchy though.

And there's the rub. No way to contact your opponent. BFC Elvis has made it clear they will not provide e-mails for opponents in these tournaments (due to privacy concerns/laws I imagine). We either have to get lucky and be up against someone who has a BFC Forum Account that we can message, or one in Slitherine that: a) - they check for messages b) - you can actually get your message to even send to them in the first place (I had some early success sending messages via Slitherine forum messaging to my CMRT opponent - but messages after we started never left the out-box, so he never received them to even reply back). So the Slitherine messaging system is glitchy from my experience. I wonder if in subsequent tournaments that BFC makes a statement that anyone signing up for the tournament automatically consents to having their e-mail shared with their opponent. That it is a condition of participation.

I looked at that yesterday and on average 30% of the participants are at 0 points (25-37% in the three tournaments). But that does not mean that 30% are no shows. I know for certain two of the players that show at points in some of the three tournaments I have played against in one of these tournaments (BFC Elvis and gkersh) are very good at returning turns and so in those other tourneys, they are not the ones at fault. My recommendation to those who are frustrated by their opponents having ghosted them is to let BFC Elvis know this. I totally agree. I don't see how anyone could even hope to meet Soviet objectives in the 40 minutes given the schedule the forces arrive at during the scenario and the distances involved. I have just begun a charge towards the first objective with about 12-14 minutes game time remaining as it took that long to get my forces "organized" and in "position". And already getting pasted by the US side as soon as I get out in the open.

I understand that the CM games have no means to provide accurate interim scoring (such as final game scoring type scores) to the Matrix server. so as a workaround they award scores of 3-1 when there are casualties in a turn, with the person whose side gets "more" casualties against their opponent getting a 3, and the opponent gets a 1. If no casualties at all in a turn then it is 0-0. No idea what happens if a tie (e.g., 1 soldier per side is a casualty). If it scores 1-1 or 0-0 or if infantry units also can score higher than one another (e.g., Regular BTN CO is KIA, vs green private KIA so BTN HQ is worth more points internally, therefore the other side wins that round 3-1). If you look at the tournament scoring you will see all the low scoring game scores between opponents can be calculated by various combos of 3-1 and 1-3. So for example in my CMCW match with gkersh I am currently down 10-14 in one game and up 22-10 in the other. Meaning in first game I won two turns and lost four with all others being ties. So scoring is 2 x (3-1) = (6-2) + 4 x (1-3) = (4-12) with overall total = (10-14). In the other game I won seven turns and lost one. This "3-1" scoring system does not factor into the final score (which is the BFC final scores you see on end game screen). It is just for fun during the tournament as BFC Elvis told me. You are therefore better to ceasefire as you will get whatever type of BFC score would show up on their final game screen when you ceasefire in game considering total points in most these matches are on order of 2,000 or so per scenario. So maybe you get 334 points. That would be better than 78 points that might be showing on screen with the 3-1 system. And if you (both) don't ceasefire then the game never ends, and Matrix's server has no way of knowing what the "real" score is, so you are stuck with whatever just for fun (3-1 system) points that Matrix has on their system. But if you cannot communicate with your oppo, and he is not returning turns or is not aware of this then I am afraid you are pooched.

I do wish that in the set-up phase there was an option to turn the set-up zone shading on and off (like objectives shading in-game). I find it makes it much harder to assess terrain for setting forces up. I have not noticed a performance hit though I may check on that next time I set up a game. And I do hope that with Engine 5 that BFC spends the majority of effort in optimizing game for newer hardware (e.g., make use of multiple CPU threads). I hate the draw distance limitations on trees for example on the larger maps as an example. Have an option to specify draw distances for users to accommodate all types of computer capabilities.