DEY

I never read through the whole story from the OP, but the only reference I could find was this in what I did read. I don't see anything regarding long barrel guns in the above quote. A not so good book I have states that the M4A2 was equipped with all three gun versions, but I doubt if the M1 gun was fitted until the latter part of it's manufacture run. Also in regards to Shermans sent to Russian there was apparently a short manufacture run made of a odd engine equipped M4A6, about 100 made with a 500hp caterpillar diesel engine, mostly all of these where sent to the Soviet Union. http://afvdb.50megs.com/usa/m4sherman.html

I guess those are pretty good odds, eh!. Actually I just finished up one this morning. It's made mostly from a converted cmak gelb model-D and some parts from the original bb artwork. I'll try to package it up and post it later today.

I just thought I'd mention that I posted an updated version of my Hungarian Tiger based on Andrew Foxes modder version. I had a try this time at adding several options such as a towing cable on the side and a section of track on the turret side, plus the options included from Andrews tank this time also. I also scuffed up the tank a little more. Also I converted MikeyD's stugIII-G early to the Hungarian StugIII-G and I made a Hungarian PzIII-M from a couple of different MikeyD PzIII's.

The marderIIIM doesn't appear in cmak until July/43 two months after the African conflict is over. So there is only one BMP set which is done quite appropriately in a non desert scheme. The same as David stated for the Lynx, actually the Lynx dosen't show up until Sept/43. You can bring back this stuff into that time period but as you've seen it only has the one (non desert) BMP set.

Here is a first try with the Romanian TA assault gun, done on MikeyD's gelb stugIII-G early model. I expect this is the version I'll likely post for the time being.

Here are a couple of pics that inspired me to do this, keep in mind that I found an artist painting of a skirtless T4 that was very simaliar to this TA pic with the base color and the silver markings as I did them, but I can't find it now. The below pic is where the turret marking idea came from. I trying at the moment to do a simliar version of the TA on MikeyD's early gelb stugIII.

Hello.. Hello is anyone there. This is another pathetic attempt by me at modding, I've picked on the Romanians again. I got my inspiration from a colored drawing I found once on the net, but can't find again now. There will be an option to use skirts or not. [ July 09, 2005, 12:56 PM: Message edited by: DEY ]

I'm the one who has to apologize Earl, thanks for the prompt notice of my royal screw-up. I just reuploaded the package, which I hope is complete this time.

I had a try at making a grau colored version for cmbb, it was done on Andrew's modder version. For anyone interested it's at the usual place.

Hi Andrew, thanks for the updated Tiger artwork, job well done. I don't know if you was planing a grau version for cmbb, I had a try at one on your modder version, the cross is off your green version. I'd be willing to post this if you have no problems with it.

I appreciate your comments guys, I may reconsider posting scenarios. I see some scenarios seem to have fair downloads but I've hardly ever heard or seen anything about them from the community, so I took that as them not being all that well recieved. I've been wanting at first to try and refine my existing scenarios, by trying to fix a few minor things, especially the briefings, they are a little on the vague side. I hope that king has arrived plays out well for ya Peregrine. Frankly Vixen I find I see things on map better with snow on ground and I also find that armor looks better in most cases, the brightened up of the artwork shows the detail better.

Those 251's are looking real good Pat, you do an excellent dirt affect, any chance you could convert that 250 for the summer versions also, with that great weathered and dirt effect, of course. Ah.., I don't think I said I was out right leaving the game Pat, not unless you want me too. I'm just thinking of slowing down a little, of course that's not likely going to happen, I've just about finished a grau based version of Andrew's Tiger for cmbb.

Well I don't believe it there was a download of this battle, the first in months. Thats fine at least I won't have to bother with all the BS of tweaking and polishing a scenario to post somewhere anymore. Anyway I've been getting an urge to go back to myth and dungeon keeper2, etc. One things for sure I'm never posting another CM game battle.

I had a try at winterizing these AFV's, tried a different look this time depicting supply problems and lack of whitewash in the first winter on the eastern front. For anyone interested I'll try to post these in the next day or two. These are very likely the last mods from me for a while, maybe a long while.

I just reposted this scenario at the Scenario Depot with updated briefings, this I hope would help the player understand more of whats going on in this battle, I did do a couple of very minor changes to the map also. It is a huge battle on a fairly small map, I don't think you could say there are very many dull moments in this scrap. It was designed as a human Axis playing against a computer controlled Allied player, though I think it could be very playable in a two player contest, it's just that the Allied player wouldn't have much to do, through the first half of the battle anyway. Here is a screenie of most of the map. I must say it's doing very badly in the download context, is it really that bad. Larry Thorne playtested this for me at the provings grounds and seemed to enjoy it very much, though he did seem to understand what was going on, right off the mark.

Thanks for your feedback guys I hope they help some, until updated artwork shows up at least. I never thought of flags, I guess that would've been a good option for the model-C and grau D.

You shouldn't ever extract the contents of a packaged mod directly into your games BMP folder, there is the problem as you stated about alternated options included, also the included .txt files plus screencaps and in some cases addition pics. Your BMP folder will be a hell of mess after doing this several hundred times. You should always make a temporary working folder to extract the mod package too, then look things over in that folder to decide whether you want to use this or that option included or just the default number set, then copy over the number set only into your CM game BMP folder, IE: 12200.bmp to 12250.bmp. Doing the above will help keep your games BMP folder clean of all that addition junk included in the mod package, if the mod checks out okay in the game then you can delete the temp folder you made to do the above. The game engine only recognizes numbers so dropping something like alt12200.bmp or 12200_sno.bmp into your BMP folder will be ignored by the game engine.

Here is the model-C which is pretty much done as the grau D-model. For anyone interested, I hope to have them packaged up and uploaded later today or sometime tomorrow. Thanks for the kind words Pat, they are always appreciated. I want to thank you also for all the work and effort you've done in ths past.

I thought I'd try to perk up the visuals on the model-D until MikeyD gets a chance to do his redrawn versions. The grey version is BFC's original base artwork and the yellow is BFC's orginal desert coloured version I tried to recolor to a gelb shade. There are many higher detail artwork parts taken off MikeyD's PzIV's to enhance these two versions. Some of MikeyD's parts include the the road gear, rear and lower front end, the turret front vision port covers, the driver and radio operator hatches, all the track piece sections, the side railing, jack, that square box on the driver side, headlights and that odd raised bump just outside the drivers side headlight, the front fender hinges, the whole muffler, the German cross. I may have missed a part but that should be darn near all of them. The above pics where taken with the Tanks just about finished, just a few minor changes since then. [ June 19, 2005, 08:01 AM: Message edited by: DEY ]

Figures I have give the 17-pounder L/55 able to penetrate 130mm at 1000 meters, with the shorter L49 gun able to penetrate 102mm at that same range, ammo types unkown. Also the comet wasn't a speed winner, but was likely the best cross-country, able cat killer tank the Brits had at the wars end. The comet also fought in Korea and stayed in British army service until 1958, with many sold to other users in service decades later.

Hi Vixen, ya I've tried a somewhat different method in that newer Goulash battle, I tried to picture myself playing this battle totally blind and what I could do too help with the players battle plan without giving to many specfics, though I think a lot more then I likely should have. Maybe when you get a chance to look at the newer Goulash briefings sometime you could post some comments about them.

Hi Vixen, I've actually updated that Hungary Pains battle but never got around to posting the newer version. I had that scenario amongst others over to the proving grounds but there was next to no interest in them, so could get little to no playtesting done. Thats one quandary I've had to deal with in regard to briefings, a lot of complaints that I don't state everything one and all in them. Frankly I've got quite discouraged with this scenario making stuff. I'm glad that older version was fun for ya. Thanks for the playtest Larry, I'm going over to check out your comments now.

I know of no K.Tigers or Jagdpanthers equipped with the 88mm L/56 gun. As I said I was talking of under utilized L/56 88mm guns not the L/71 88mm, also even this gun though was starting to lose some of it's edge towards the end of the war. The L/56 88mm gun had far better HE ability then the 75mm and the L/56 gun had much better armor penetration ability then the L/48 75mm and just a little less ability in long range then the L/70 75mm, but as stated the HE ability was far superior. HE ability does seem to be something very much under appreciated. I just feel that this gun would have been a good match up for say the Stug assualt guns, the Jagdpanzer IV TD's and frankly even the Panthers.

I don't necessary disagree with the idea the germans had to build heavy armor in limited numbers for tactical use. There is no doubt that starting in the later part of 1944 the Germans had real armor opponents to counter, along the lines of the Soviet JSIII, US super Pershing and the Brits had prototypes of their Centurion tanks running in the spring of 1945. So the Germans needed heavy armor to counter these beasts. There is no doubt that the panther should of been massed produced with the 88mm gun but this should of been classed as a medium tank at best. What astounds me is why the Germans where so stubborn to use underpowered engines in the heavy AFV's when they had better, stronger and more powerful engines. Also I don't for the life of me understand why the Germans ignored the 105mm gun in the anit-tank role can you imagine a King Tiger with say the 800hp maybach HL 234 or even better the 1050hp daimler-benz MB509 engine and say an either L/55 or L/60 105mm gun. I also will never understand how the Germans seemed to refuse to fully utilize what I feel was their best all around AFV gun of most of WWII, and that was the 88mm L/56 gun. I'll never understand why they didn't fit this gun in the stugs and jagpanzers and even a few panthers with this gun. Can you imagine a PzIV maybe with the L/56 88mm gun.

I don't know why but I always thought these mega mortars where fixed on rail cars. http://www.one35th.com/morser/karl_hist.htm http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Lab/1167/ekarl.html