rocketman

I usually try to do the "right thing", especially when playing the AI (buddy aid as well), but if my oppo in PBEM uses them aggressively I tend to do the same if it will give me an advantage. But I hate myself for doing it. I like the idea of a house rule, but how/where do you draw the line of how to use them? But is a "brittle" status too much to ask for a crew that has been through something as traumatic as being in a knocked-out tank?

I was thinking along the lines of some kind of threshold for when a tank is combat-worthy and the crew can't do a sufficient job without very high risk for the tank or themselves. But for bailed crews, perhaps it is more fitting to have them instantly turn "brittle". That way you can command them but as soon as they come under fire they are likely to run away. You can use them for long range spotting, but not as a front line unit.

FI has the least community content of all the WWII titles and uniform mods are not plentiful. I usually always take a look at new mods and decide if I think they are an improvement or not. Sure, there are some really good ones, like Aris' Germans and a couple of HG and FJ mods. But my point was (and I love to be proven wrong by some talented modders) that if the base texture provided by BFC is not of the same quality as for the most recent titles, then the mod can only improve so much. No one has done mods completely from scratch, right? And if BFC would produce enhanced uniform base textures then mods can improve even more. But the lack of mods for FB is a testament to the higher quality of the base textures. Not the same need for mods I think.

Now that FI is up to 4.0 engine I have started playing it again after a long period of mostly FB. It struck me how much more detailed the stock uniforms are in FB when I saw the FI ones again. I guess (no expert) that uniform mods can only be so good as the base textures are. So my idea is what if BFC created a uniform pack for FI to make the game look even better. I would sure pay for one. Any interest out there? What would a fair price be? 10 bucks would definitely be in my price range.

In the spirit of realism I think there are some things that the game should keep out of the player's control, such as crews from knocked out tanks IMO should be in a constant state of panic so you can't use them as combat/scout units. And in the case of this thread, retreat and/or bail.

The loss of a loader would cause the remaining two crewmen to shift positions all the time to get shots off and drive the tank, right? Even though anecdotal evidence, when this has happened to me before there has been no way to target the main gun manually (target line). I lean towards the option suggested above, save the tank and bail.

Just had an instance in FI that I don't believe I've had before. A mid Sherman got hit and it killed three crewmen but by some miracle no subsystems, MGs or main gun was damaged. So my question is; was the Sherman really fully operational with only two crewmen? In the game it can still drive around and fire the main gun at what seems a reasonable ROF. I checked Tank Encyclopedia but found nothing about it.

Ok, after too long a wait (damn RL issues...) this scenario has been put up on TPG under the new name "Rittersprung (H2H)". I have had it playtested once (thanks a lot to @Bob Willett and @LiveNoMore ) and made what I think are good changes but would want some more feedback before the full release. Any tests are as usual most appreciated. Enjoy! http://www.thefewgoodmen.com/tpg2/cm-final-blitzkrieg/rittersprung-h2h-only/

Get it here: http://cmmodsiii.greenasjade.net/?p=5100

It might differ what graphics card you have and if it is on laptop or stationary.

That happens with big system updates and each time I patch/upgrade the games. It might even have happened with some driver updates. I can always tell though as I play on a laptop with integrated graphics card (apart from the nviidia one) and CM always defaults to it causing the game to become a blurry mess.

You know me better than I know myself Just to prove your point I'm going to do a full version sometime soon. Also, I'm on the lookout for a great photo for FI so if anyone has suggestions there might be a menu screen for that as well.

Like this perhaps? Mock up, not the finished product. Yet...

It's in the base FB game.

I was the oppo in the two games mentioned above and we were both surprised in a negative way with how units behaved. Out of the two descriptions the one involving tanks was perhaps even more surprising and it made me think and understand why it happened. Never seen before 4.0. Like many instances described in this thread, infantry break away too soon from fortified positions when coming under fire, but that tanks would do the same, even while not getting hit was odd. I wonder if the game treats the tank and crew like one or two entities? We know that crews sometimes bail out when stressed even when the tank is still functioning so perhaps it treats it like two entities. So my thinking here is that what if the crew in a tank is like an infantry team in a trench/foxhole/house and that they too might take unnecessary evasive action if this "bug/unintended behaviour" affects tanks as well? Has anyone else encountered strange tank behaviour post 4.0?

I already had the 4.0 bundle, installed new FI (default folder not correctly selected) and it refused the 4.0 license key. However, first the 3.0 engine key and then GL key and I'm good to go.

I was under the impression that QBs always have the set number of turns and never go into extra time - right? I have one now going into extra time (PBEM) in 4.0. If they do go into extra time it would be nice if that is added to the briefing information.

That's cool - I'll imagine what they would look like instead. Ferocious little buggers.

Oh, finally MP-40 toting Hampstertruppen will see combat @Cobetco , you know you want to make a cartoon of that one - please

+1, wanted this a long time for "after battle forensics".

This might be anecdotal, but for the sake of the argument I'll post it. In a QB PBEM I'm playing my opponent has a Panther and a Tiger with Veteran, Leadership+1, Normal/High motivation that act in a cowardly way we haven't seen before. Their biggest threat are regular Shermans. Despite this, as soon as they are shot at by a tank that might miss or hit but no penetration/armor spalling/subsystem damage/injured crew they immediately and repetedly pop smoke and retreat. Even with front facing the threat. It has now in total happened some 5-6 times in short succession every time there is an engagement. Since @tankgeezer mentioned a brief "pop smoke" indication before his crew bailed maybe there is something post 4.0 that triggers the pop smoke/retreat algorithm too soon. We have saves from both sides of our QB.

Curious, what kind of improvements did you achieve that can't be done in the control panel? The Profile Inspector looks a bit too complicated for me but if the improvements are great then it might be worth investing time to learn it.

OK then, not a bug at least. But how about a red line to HQ/FO when in "preparation"? IMO it won't affect realism or gameplay, but rather speed up gameplay to cut out clicks/checks to make sure which mortar is about to be occupied or not. I know I should remember what missions I have called in, but in the heat of battle...

By the look of the Gold Beach map I think I'm going to love playing it. There is something about the psychology of a beach landing with forward advance the only option that intrigues me. Survival against the odds. Chaos while advancing through a hail of bullets. And the unlikely heroism of the individual that takes out a pillbox and secures a breakthrough. Great! One small thing: it looks a bit odd with the roads with craters that the road tile is missing where there are craters which looks a bit "stumped". But perhaps that is to make the crater tile harder to pass and with higher risk of bogging down.

I recently played the Gold beach scenario for Panzer Battles Normandy and thought about making one for BN, but I guess you beat me to it Will download and play soon. Thanks a lot for making it.