H.W. Guderian

How bout this equally (in)valid, selfish, and flippant suggestion? Forget RT and concentrate on WEGO and everything else that made the CMX1 series such a joy and success? Just a suggestion. </font>

How bout this equally (in)valid, selfish, and flippant suggestion? Forget RT and concentrate on WEGO and everything else that made the CMX1 series such a joy and success? Just a suggestion.

Romeo that Major, Simply where Berto chose to post it, for some reason? . . . and I suppose Mac OS X grogs are so hungry for news that any thread with such a label is like a supercooled magnet, sucking us in? Do appreciate all the OS X intel. HWG out from Tasmania

Yes, agreed that it will be a while . . . But given the hoped for future of CMX2 the commitment to Mac OS X "some time" is still great news. Sick of booting back-and-forth and wasting 10GB on Windoze partition. The real question is - when will we see CMSF - the iPhone version?

. . . go to sleep Steve! You deserve it mate! I'll hassle you about these issues again in the morning Luckily you created such great games in the CMX1 series we can wait for CMX2 1."whatever it takes - whenever it's out"

Thanks to the BFC crew for the work on 1.05. I: -Downloaded 1.05 -Updated my install (on XP running on bootcamped 10.5 MacBook Pro) -I noted that new scenario's appear to be "recommended" for WEGO? A message to some, perhaps? -Tried a QB: playing Syrian RG Armor vs Strykers on a Village map (at night of course to check out the new fireworks) -First try I got the T-72's I asked for and 3 batteries of 130mm! Never seen that before trying this in QB! Usually I get a pile of jeeps when I ask for Armor and I've never had this much Syrian off-board arty before?! -Nice village map I'd never seen before with 3 clear "attacker" setup zones and clear "green zones" in the village. -BUT Hit annoying problem #1 straight off the bat. For some reason the Yanks had some boots setup in my zone (??!!) . . . behind my troops . . . and they promptly hosed some of my precious observers! Sorted them out later after turning some tanks around. Also the icon for the wayward yanks was also missing? -The new fireworks are an awesome touch that make playing night games much more immersive IMHO. -Possible problem #2 - I thought the changelog said that "Fixed various problems with 3D objects not reverting to their original states when replaying a turn-based turn's resolution." - BUT craters and the like DON'T appear to revert in playback, but maybe that is not what this is referenced to? -Possible problem #3 - ammo count in playback was doing VERY whacky things as far as I could tell - some tanks seemed to "properly count" ammo in playback- yet some didn't? I was trying to check why the T-72's seemed to be preferentially firing what I understand are their canon launched ATGM's at single infantrymen and I just couldn't make sense of the ammo numbers as they changed (or didn't change) in playback -Problem #4 - there was a "very low wall" (looks like brick or stones, not concrete to me). I moved one of my Obs across a rise and up to this wall - but the men couldn't see over it from 5-7m away? When I tried to move them right up to the wall they wouldn't go near it? Just stood there? I tried for many turns (cancel - re-order) but gave up and tried to move them back down slope and around the other end of the wall - with 3 defined waypoints ending in a trench for cover. BUT, (1) they stood there for an entire turn "planning" THEN (2) They didn't go all the way down slope and around the wall, instead they ignored the waypoints and went half way along the wall and jumped over it in view of the Yanks AND then stood in open ground, in plain view, for the rest of the turn, again "planning" according to their "action list" - with a perfectly good trench just metres away? IT GETS WORSE (3) next turn they did a 180degree about face, jumped BACK over the low wall again (to the "wrong" side) but then turned around and AGAIN jumped over it in the same way? All the time their waypoints would have lead them along the wall across clear terrain, around the end, and then into a perfectly good trench? This was basically open ground with a low wall and a few trees - NOT MOUT complexity. The unit was Ready and had never been engaged by the enemy. Very strange. I gave up on trying to enjoy the game at that point. With half my observers killed by "lost" Yanks on setup and unable to get the others into LOS of the target, my ARTY way late and had to keep my tanks waiting around. -Possible problem #5 - that low wall again, a T-72 pulled right up to it (graphically all of the Turret is above this wall - the one the boots just jumped over) but the T-72 couldn't get LOS /LOF over it? -Problem #6 - Strykers still appear to have no idea how to deal with Armor. They just charge forward like lambs to the slaughter - one after the other - and the infantry never pull out their Javs. One very brave (stupid) Stryker - after watching 3 T-72's shred 6 of his mates - pulled OUT OF COVER to engage the T-72's with a 40mm grenade launcher at maximum range? Seems that it is still impossible to play Syrian Armor against Blue AI Strykers? Sincere thanks to BF.C for all your efforts on 1.05 - I'm sure it is getting better. I'll likely wait to see if 1.06 sorts things out before I put what little time I have for gaming into something other than CMAK. When is the next patch out again . . . . . .?

Thanks for the efforts on 1.05 Charles, Steve, Matt, et. al. Once my sorry arse ADSL line finishes the job I'll give it a burl. Thanks for earlier comments / commitments that 1.05 will be followed by 1.06. Cheers from OZ

Cpl, Thanks! Lt. Stahler (9-2) would be proud! Funny, I don't remember those mosques in SL? =)

Thanks for the Mac OS X update Steve - I'm just selfishly hoping something OS X native is out before the next module to save us mac-heads from paying twice more than we have to. BTW - for any wondering about my manners - I first saw Steve, and said my Hoi's, over 'er: WEGO / RT thread Simple minds like mine are still wondering if we'll see Blue AI's picking up Javs in 1.05? BTW - laboratory tests show that houses rot just as fast while playing CMSF as developing it.

Hmmm . . . I'd ignorantly guess this is the "new" Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 complier? If I knew anything about C++ compliers (only simple ex-Fortran 77 jockey) I suppose I'd know if this comment means that Charles has given up on moving to an OS X box for development . . . and thus hopes (as I understood them from previous BFC comments) of native OS X CMX2 are DASHED??

OMG! :eek: Steve, how's the sun and Mai Tai's? I didn't know they had pool-side wireless in Acapulco? Seriously, all the best with efforts on v1.05. [. . . and, ehem . . . do you think the Blue AI facing a solo-human Red player will be able to use Javs in 1.05? . . . while playing natively on an OS X box??? OK now I'm really pushing it, I know . . .] Enjoy the sun.

I have spares. Plus others. -dale </font>

Thanks for your personal POV James . . . I must just be a control freak . . . the inability to "command in detail" a large force (like I feel you can with WEGO and in the past with board and table-top) and the inability to review in detail what happened to each unit (with Replay) is just not cricket for me . . . Then again someone will surely point out that with WEGO we loose total control of all our units for 60 seconds at a time. However, to me, this felt "real" and yielded that nail-biting tension every turn. "What the hell is happening out there? Get Lt. Stahler on the horn - if he's still alive!" Possibly a poorly though-out impression that may or may not support my case for WEGO.

Thank you for stating the obvious (REPLAYS) before I did. Also, thanks for the SA clarification . . . I was wondering what you were on about. Back to your "us and them / love and hate" ponderings above - I've had the same thoughts . . . and wonder further about the role age / a past history of playing board games like Squad Leader (OR also maybe miniatures?) has in the RT / WEGO demographics? Can someone who waited weeks next to the mailbox for their miniature Tiger tanks to show up ever really be satisfied without WEGO? Can someone who was born with a DSL cable plugged into their heads downloading information and entertainment at the speed of light ever be satisfied without real-time action? Possibly misguided questions? [Hmmmm . . . what DID I ever do with those little Tigers?]

Oi! Watch it bub! =) I do share your pain (not at your level of passion however). Did I hear someone else above say something like: "Toss out RT - get 1:1 LOS / LOF calculations?" I'd pay double for a game WITHOUT RT and WITHOUT much of the LOS / LOF abstractions.

Roger that Major. Previous engagements would suggest that *IF* a Mac OS X native CMX2 did exist and *IF* it was seeded for testing that it would likely be on your MacBook? Of course any NDA would demand total radio silence so no confirmation is expected . . . But I wonder . . . how long has it been since you booted into Windows? Frankly I'm weary of booting into / out of Windows and loath sacrificing 10GB of a laptop drive to the partition. Then again I'm not playing CM:SF at the moment, I'm back to the enjoyment and immersion of CMAK - which will always demand Windows (Con-tarnit!). But a future of quality OS X native CMX2 titles (WW2 etc) could mean eventual freedom from Windows! Cheers from the other side of Bass Strait.

a humble FYI mac-peoples. I have been running XP on BootCamp "beta" under 10.4 (Tiger). [MacBook Pro 2.0GHz w/ 2GB RAM] Recently upgraded to 10.5 (Leopard) and it's given me no problems with my Windows partition. All seems fine. Given the current state of play with CM:SF and the improvements / patches that still need to follow I suppose one would be mad to expect BFC to follow through on their previous commitments to produce an OS X native version any time in the near future?

I have no idea if this is a true statement, or true paraphrase of what Steve has said re:CMSF / the future. I recognize that BFC is a small, talented, dedicated team - committed to making a very specific product that I enjoy. I'd like to state personally that I would happily spend up to 2 (maybe even 3) times more for *EACH* CMX2 game/game module if it was a product that met what "I / we" are expecting from a circa 2007, 1:1, version of Combat Mission. Exactly what those "expectations" are is - and of course has been recently - open to much detailed discussion.

Michael, thanks for this post and the time it took to write it. Thanks alot. Lt. Stahler (9-2) would have been proud.

Yes, agreed, this is not a minor, uncommon issue. I've had this bug many times under 1.04, e.g: - Half a team, unordered, charge across open ground, in front of Red HMG's, for a number of turns (despite subsequent WEGO orders to stop, hide, etc). They end up dead, of course. (Maybe this is Squad Leader-like "Berzerk Russians" behavior? - WTH is up with that?) - Given a total of roughly 9 squads in a scenario (without tanks and facing Red armor) it's a REAL frustration when 3 decide to "split" this way, icon in the middle, leaving half-squads stuck in the open with deadly results next WEGO turn. It is frustrating, really ruins play / enjoyment, and certainly should be on the list of fixes to get CMSF out of BETA-mode. Also: Will an updated, non-obsolete mousepad be shipped out with the release of 1.05?

Yo AB, Frustrated? I just had an ambushing T-72 engage an M1 (the M1 was unaware of the T-72 and presenting it's side-armor, facing another direction) with **MG fire** - alerting the M1 while the T-72 was busy loading a canon round (after engaging a single man crew with HE because I don't have the ability to tell a tank to "engage armor only"). Needless to say the T-72 - even hull down (if that even matters in CMSF) and front-on - was immediately smoked. Yes, frustrated, from a gaming POV. I don't play Muli-Player at the moment - and I'm a WEGO man - but it is concerning to hear your claims above. I had no idea 1.04 was a step backward for this area of play?! At the moment does CM:SF = Combat Mission: Sheer Frustration? Floating infantry, you say? Maybe the DropTeam devs are getting involved? =) Given the recent BFC "radio silence" lets hope the action of the 1.05 release speaks louder than the lack of recent BFC words about how confident we all should be that CMSF will eventually be a completely functioning product. Here's hoping.

Ditto!

Hey Peter, Speaking from my POV, and given the full range of issues, I'm not expecting all these core problems to be solved in 1.05 (one can hope, though) . . . but as a customer I certainly want it on the record that issues like playing Red armor vs the Blue AI is seriously broken. Do I wish BFC had put out a mature "non-beta" product, of course, but it is only realistic to accept that this small, dedicated, "boutique product" team is doing it's best. Hopefully their best will be good enough in the end (1.whatever) and they will make good on the product as advertised. (. . . now the instantly out of date mouse-pads, that is another story [=(]). As far as "patience" goes, and what to do when one sometimes looses patience with CMSF, as I often do - I can recommend playing CMX1 series games - solid wargaming fun.

I care mate. As do lots of other people who paid for the game "as advertised". The quoted comments above are very small-minded and ignore a large section of the community. Not everybody has the time to invest in multi-player play.

Are you telling me that when the word "tanks" comes across the radio or PDA or all the rest of those C2 gizmos and the lead Stryker goes up in smoke that the rest of the Stryker platoon / company still simply bumbles forward oblivious and piecemeal? . . . without stopping behind cover and deploying boots and javs to check out and sort out a threat they can't beat mounted up? The "bumbling toward oblivion" doctrine appears to be standard CMSF practice at the moment for Strykers facing armor - and it's beyond frustrating. From the point of view of what buyers expect from CM and BFC, that is a broken game (as of 1.04) IMHO. Further - say the AFV does smoke a Stryker. Part of the time lucky survivors pile out. Has anyone ever seen what is left of the squad exit with the only weapon that could counter the threat - a jav? Ever? I've never seen it happen - not once. Isn't there ever a chance they could grab a jav on the way out - or is that a silly notion given the obvious desire for "get the hell out"? While my last point is a bit less well founded than the main point I certainly think 1.05 or 1.12 or 1.whatever needs to fix the hopeless Blue AI Stryker behavior in the face of an armored threat.