xian

This might be of interest to those who are finding the number of mods overwhelming. It's a list (part 1 or 2) of my installed mods. These are the ones that I have decided to settle upon after a few months of play. I've also added a quick description and given them a score according to my personal view. I'm now writing up my Sound, Terrain and Unit mods.

I've been playing CMBN since its release and I have to say that I find it to be a truly magnificent game. I've been enjoying it even more than the CM1 series. I'm now used to most of its idiosyncrasies, and things that I found awkward at first have become second nature. And yet... there are just a few small elements that I feel are actually missing rather than just being the result of CMBN's design ethos. They are all to do with player feedback and I don't think that they are too outlandish to include within a future patch. 1) A Floating 'Unit Status' toggle (Perhaps including:Morale/Suppression/Active Soldiers). I feel its absence painfully - especially during RT missions. Currently it is very difficult to grab a mental snapshot of what is happening without being forced to continually pause the game and investigate each unit individually. This quickly becomes tiresome and takes some of the fun away. I realise that experienced players may feel that the confusion adds to the spirit of the game, but it was during teaching a novice how to play CMBN that I discovered how the lack of 'globally accessible' information quickly demoralised him. I could detect the frustration it was causing him (I still hope to be able to convince him to persevere). 2) A 'Show all Targets' hotkey. In the same way as when a player selects a unit he gets to see the movement paths of all his other units, it would also be very useful to see all the (direct and indirect) targets currently chosen by the player. 3) A Floating 'Team Affiliation' hotkey Once a player has split up a few squads it can become cumbersome and time consuming to work out which team belongs to which squad. It would be really helpful if this information could be included in the floating icon. I think that these small changes would really enhance the fluidity of gameplay and help new players get the most of of CMBN.

Very well expressed. That's exactly what they look like - or maybe even a cross between Quasimodo ("The Bells!, The Bells!") and a weird 'Hammer Horror' Homunculus. Nice to know I'm not alone with the bat boys and their bat flaps.

Phil, It does indeed occur without any mods but only seems to happen with some maps and not others. It is more likely when zoomed out and if the model detail is set to low. I agree, though, that my graphics card isn't really up to the job. From many of the screenshots posted here by members I can see that my card is somewhat below par. Other than that I think that my iMac is fine and is not the issue. From 'Silence the Guns' no Mods: P.S. Good to hear about rez tools for the Mac at some future date.

It might be interesting to open the map in the editor and check to see if it is a legitimate gap in the boccage or merely a graphical aberration. (Need Campaign Organiser Mod to access the sub missions)

Which Mod are you using for the Bocage? Is is the Aris terrain mod?

It's certainly a possibility but I still need to buy the correct version of windows to be compatible with the Mac Boot system. My version of XP didn't have the service packs needed.

Hi Mike, Will do- and thanks. I'd also like to start another battle against you soon, but I think we should wait until CW module is released in case we can't finish the mission with the CW update. Up for another in 1-2 weeks (hopefully)? <<Thanks for exploding the mod for me>>

Hi, As I own the Mac version of CMBN I don't have any of the modding tools associated with the PC version. I really like Vein's Sounds Mod but would like to be able to get at the individual files. Is there a PC user that is willing to 'explode' it for me? Perhaps putting the result in a dropbox? Note to BFC: are you ever going to produce the rez tools for Mac?

I've started getting this very odd 'flaps of skin' effect with my troops. Does anyone know which options setting might be responsible for this? It's odd, because I have been playing the game since it was released and this has only just started happening. The only new mods I've included are 'terrain' mods. Mac Os 10.6.8 Intel Core Duo 2.8Ghz 4GB RAM 256MB Graphics ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro

The question is - which way?

You know what... I'm rather tempted to change a few of the upcoming audio files for the British troops to quotes from 'Dad's Army' and 'It ain't half hot mum!' and possibly 'Allo Allo!'. It would be great to see a platoon charge into enemy positions, shouting 'They don't like it up 'em!' ... or maybe it's just a weird fancy of mine.

I think that there is more to it than that - it also means that your HMG team are not able to receive information about spotted targets from higher up the command chain.

Hopefully no customs issues this time as the discs are being sent from warehouse in Germany.

Not sure what you mean by selecting 'area fire'. Apart from artillery fire missions, there isn't actually a command with that name. Players are simply using the 'Target' or 'Target Light' command on an area of the map near the enemy unit(s).

This is exactly what it is.

Okay - thanks for that. Not sure that this system will always result in the most realistic outcome for campaigns.

I have noticed that any holes in the bocage are repaired between campaign missions. Is this standard for CMBN or is it the choice of the scenario designer?

It certainly can be when you drop a whole bunch of 105mm on your own troops or suffer from a poorly aimed .50cal. Haven't had as much problem with smaller caliber weaponry though.

A funny thing happened on the way to the battle: My Platoon HQ lost their Radio Operator to a rogue bullet. The other two HQ members left the poor chap (along with his radio) behind. The whole platoon is now out of contact with Company HQ (as is expected). Shortly afterwards Squad 1 tend to the poor radio operator and collect his radio. They then return to within a few feet of the platoon HQ, yet the entire platoon is still out of contact with company HQ. Now, maybe the radio is broken? But if not, shouldn't there be a way to regain communications with Company HQ in this situation?

As I understand it the P&P costs are higher than normal because of the cost of maintaining a warehouse facility in Europe. I agree that it is expensive but I think it is fair enough.

For Realtime play: 1. The ability to toggle additional floating information such as Morale and Status. 2. A small clickable window that focuses on action hotspots. ...been said before, but seems the right thread to repeat it.

This can't be good for the gunner's health! Not the first time I've seen an AT team member sit in front of his gun.

Is it not possible to display a generic model of a vehicle but base the 'hit' calculations on the dimensions of the actual vehicle?

Is there anything that will blow through bocage apart from demo charges?