[Mission types?]

I think back with great fondness of CC2:A Bridge Too Far, where many a battle ended because I ran into stiff opposition and decided advancing further wasn't worth it. Or those battles where after bloodying an opponent I retreated before my troops were overrun.

I second that.

[Mission types?]

I agree with that. Something like the "truce" option in Close Combat, or at least the possibility to withdraw and abandon the ground to the ennemy is really lacking.

So that was never implemented in TOW? I thought it had long been added in a patch, that "fight to the last man" philosophy was obviously ridiculous. If it's still not in TOW2 I really wonder who is the target audience of this game.

[Map size?]

Exactly my point, it's casual gamers that like the 2km x 2km, and pathfinding is just a minor issue.

[Map size?]

If you stumble across the simulation of everything on a 40km2 virtual battlefield you're describing, please let us know.

I already named 2, at least OFP has such large battlefields.

I really hope ToW will not look like 2nd Manassas since graphics are obviously not the one of the strong points of this game

You should play 2nd Manassas again, it could teach you a thing or two how battlefields can be simulated, and that graphics isn't everything.

[Map size?]

Sorry but you don't have an idea how i'm tired of another know-all with 7 total posts telling everybody how Simulations with capital 'S' should be made.

Well at which post count would it be permissible to say 2kmx2km games are too small?

And by the way I know how pathfinding algorithms work and they are not restricted to tiny maps with 30-40 units.

[Map size?]

Sorry but I'm tired of hearing this. If you stick to your philosophy not to make a simulation then it's your decision, but don't try to feed me that it's impossible. Operation Flashpoint had maps up to 40km and that was in 2002. Or have a look at Take Command 2nd Manassas (coded by two guys in their spare time) to see what a tactical battle simulator should look like with todays technology, compared to this action game with sim flavor we know as TOW.

The hardware is mightily capable today, a lot of people run dual core CPU's with 2-GB RAM, and the major reason for TOW sluggishness was graphics, it did not even scratch the surface in regard to computing a virtual battlefield.

[Dynamic Force pool in Campaigns]

I think you did not answer the question, gundolf wanted to know about TOW2.

A lot of people were dissappointed in TOWs lack of any meaningful persistent campaign structure, including the disregard for force pools carried over between battles, and it's a crucial question if you are going to repeat the same mistakes.

Or in other words, if the TOW campaign structure is kept, it will only please the action crowd.

[TOW needs a "Closecombat " style of "Grand Campaign"]

Hello. First let me say that I have written similar programs for other sims (Silent Hunter III).

I agree the DCG approach can revolutionize a game if the developer only "forgot" to add a campaign system. And without doubt TOW is a candidate for the DCG approach.

In order for this to work however there are a few conditions that TOW does not fulfill:

- the engine must export detailed and correct battle result after every engagement, in a readable format

- the game must allow retreats and undecided engagements (no fights to the last man)

- the AI must be willing to conserve forces (did I say no fights to the last man?)

- the AI must not have to rely on extremely numerical advantage in every battle (competent enought to fight with equal forces)

- the publisher must agree to the development of such an external campaign application (otherwise there is a risk they will legally shut down my mod)

So far I see that these are the major obstacles in creating an external campaign engine for TOW. Please let me know if there have been changes to the games in that respect (I do not own a copy).

And finally, yes, CC2 was the best tactical campaign in every way. It was also one of the most finely balanced games of this kind. These are probably the two reasons TOW is not very well received by CC vets. Even after following this game with growing frustration since 2003, I sincerely hope that there will be a happy end. I hope the developer will realize what they have to do in order to make this the spiritual successor of CC2.

[Liking This Forum]

I am also new to SC2 and I think this has potential (both). I am sure the community is growing, since SC2 is much more attractive visually (I think it is up to PG2 now in most respects, which I liked very much).

[Music while playing]

It fits the game perfectly and it brings back the fond memories of PG

Do you have a Panzer General 2 CD? If yes, it's quite easy to extract the music with goldwave, which is freeware. Here you find the explanation how to do it:

link

[Music while playing]

One thing I didn't like about SC2 initially is that except the intro there is no music. I know this can be done by myself, so I got to work.

What I've done so far is rip the soundtrack of Panzer General 2 into wav format. For me this still stand out by far as the best music for any WWII game I have ever played, and of course fits the mood of SC2 perfectly.

Now my question is, what is the best way to use wav/mp3 files as background music in SC2?

I can multitask and play in the background, but with this I had bad experiences with other games. It works fine however, and SC2 still plays its own sound files correctly.

I would however, prefer if sound playback could be initiated / configured from inside SC2.

I have thought about replacing the capital*xy.wavs, so the music would play whenever I click one of the capitals.

Question: Has anybody found other / better ways for this?

Question: Does anybody know a playe where I can download the national anthems of major countries? i like the way its done know, but the samples are too short!

Haven't looked into scripting / editor, so: Can I trigger additional sound files from clicking capital cities?

P.S If someone is interested in ripping the PG 2 music, it can be done with Goldwave, and its well worth it.

[Questions about German version at amazon.de]

I see amazon.de has the german version ready for shipping. As I am in Germany, and I cannot easily download the game yet, I would like to order from amazon.de, but:

- I like to play my games in english, can the game be "unlocalized" by localization.txt alone?

- are there any differences between the versions except the file localization.txt?

- will the german version be compatible with future patches / scenarios?

- which built is shipped with the german version and (as it's been available for a while) is it a lower version than the one from battlefront?