ToadMan

Actually those cracks are for the Paradox version of the game and aren't cracks to the BFC licensing so I guess you're pwned back.... BFCs licensing system is in fact nice and easy to use and much better than having some Disc checking tool. Anyway, come version 1.03 those cracks will stop working and by then the crackers will have moved on to Bioshock or something. TM

SecurROM eh.... Well the Sony stuff is probably right, but it could be something else - maybe there is something installed on the machine that SecurROM doesn't like. Things like CD/DVD drive emulators or even DVD burning/copying software can cause problems. As I see it there are 2 possible solutions : 1) Easiest. Return Paradox version, buy DL version direct from Battlefront (I assume the BFC Disc version would be OK too, but not certain). 2) Boot your machine and make sure there are no DVD utils loaded/running - try again. If no joy, then a bit of digging in the internet underworld will throw up some tools that can spoof the SecurRom protection. I should point out that these utils generally won't let you copy DVDs or run without the disc in the drive, but they might let SecurROM identify the disc successfully by masking any software that is potentially conflicting with it. If you're going to wait for Sony to do something, you may as well return the game to the store, since by the time that happens, it'll be cheaper to buy! TM.

Like everyone else has said, nice mission overall. My comments would be to reduce the US forces a bit just to make it a bit harder - as it was, I didn't need to dismount the mounted units and the already dismounted platoons weren't really used. In my play through (using Elite/RT) I got a US Total Victory (Syrian surrender), but I took a lot of casualties - unfortunately I can't remember the exact number - but I think I had something around 23 Casualties and ~7 Killed but those numbers may be wrong. Either way my two dismounted platoons got worked over during the initial advance which I thought would mean a loss, but it didn't. So may be the loss rate can be given a greater status - even if the other side surrenders. Good Work though! TM

I did smoething that (I think) Jaguar suggested just after release. That was to adjust the AI plan to Advance instead of Assault which has the AI moving more quickly to the objective. That made the AI a bit quicker and aggressive. However, this looks like another nice update to it so I'll give it a whirl - thanks. TM.

Giving up a bit easily there.... If it's not working for a few but working for the majority, then it's more than likely the few have a problem specific to their machines... At a guess, I'd say this is something to do with whatever sceurity system Paradox have used. I'd suggest you boot windows with no additional drivers or tools loaded (this is not the same as closing them once windows has already booted) and see if that makes any difference. Which reminds me XP or Vista? TM [ August 15, 2007, 10:36 AM: Message edited by: ToadMan ]

Well you left out some details e.g. WeGo or RT and is it cancel on a waypoint vs on a currently hiding unit. However, playing 1.02 earlier, I was able to unhide my inf. squad who were already hiding in Ambush just by hitting the hide button a second time. TM

This statement concerns me. If I'm reading you correctly, the people who programmed the game don't know what the symbols mean? That just seems weird, and I want to believe I misunderstood, otherwise there's a SERIOUS problem... </font>

But did you search the forum? Well it would have only partially helped anyway... To sum up, BFC were not sure exactly what that icon meant....However they deduced that it was there to show how well the spotting unit can communicate with the support unit. Although this wasn't stated I take it that a unit that is good at spotting and in good comms with the support unit can call the strike more accurately and more quickly. However, try testing that in the game and something weird is evident... If you choose a few different spotters for a particular support unit, you'll see that the cross changes colour, orientation and size. Sometimes it is a big green cross, sometimes it is smaller green cross, sometimes it's a red 'X' etc You'd expect that if the cross is Green, then that would indicate better comms than if the cross is Red. However, in my simple tests it seems this is backwards - if you check how long from calling the strike to rounds landing, it is quicker if the cross is red than green with the best spotter units showing a red 'X' and the "worst" units showing a green cross. TM.

There you go with that "let's look in the manual" crap Why can't you just do what everyone else here does and simply guess, lie or moan about how it's broken! TM

Steelbeasts - it is the best of it's kind because it is the only one of it's kind to be released in the last few years. That's not to say it isn't good - it is, but it is certainly not a mass market product. As for whiners - a game without whiners is a game that isn't being played by anyone... Patches - if you're boycotting patches then you're basically saying you no longer wish to play computer games. CMx1 had lots of patches and SteelBeasts has had its share. Patching is a fact of life - even for consoles. Since patches not only fix problems but also bring new content to games (see SteelBeasts) it is your loss, not just on CMSF but on every game. TM.

CM : SF is not only a wargame :- "At it's core, Combat Mission: Shock Force is a military simulation" From the CMSF Overview. As a simulation, they wanted to abstract as few things as practically possible. Personally I think this is a good thing. TM.

Looks like the TacAI is going to get yet another torrent of abuse TM.

I played this scenario last weekend so I don't remember the detail, but is it supposed to be played from the US side? I thought the mission brief was focused on the use of the ATGM to attack the US as they approach which I think should explain why the Syrian side seems dormant when played as US. As for routing and morale, I think that the Syrians become suppressed a bit too easily and/or the US not easily enough. I would say that after one or two casualties in a US squad, they should hit the ground, and one or two squads so affected in a Platoon, should equal a rout for the US platoon. For vehicles, I'd say for the US one vehicle lost would be a rout for that unit and probably carry over to any associated dismounts. What I'm getting at is that when the US takes casualties it should rout earlier, rather than getting to the point where one squad is left hiding in a ditch - it's too late to rout at that point. Of course, routing units have to have the ability to be rallied again giving greater importance to good order HQ units. The Syrians, well they're fighting "at home" and while they're less coherent, I think they're probably also a bit more likely to die for their cause and so not break quite so easily. As it is, when I've played as the Syrians they're usually pinned quickly and basically become uncontrollable while the US units in the same situation are still under control. Seems a bit back to front to me. TM.

I think the problem is that BFC have tried to make a simulation, while some people here wanted a wargame. Simulations are normally realtime - or to put it another way, non RT simulations of RT processes are usually impractical (see Acthung Spitfire or ASL for an example). Anyway getting back to the point, there is a LOS tool for units which can have a LOF and I suspect due to the moaning we'll get a LOS tool despite the lack of requirement for it and the time it will take that could have been spent on something more valuable. As for "fast paced RTS clicking" well personally I dislike RTSs just as much as anyone else, and CMSF doesn't strike me as similar to those games. If you play it that way though, I guess that's up to you in much the same way as you could play CC as a "fast clicking" RTS. TM.

Before the mission I decided to put pretty much all my guys through the front gate and roll to the barracks from there. Having made that decision, I looked at where the enemy would be holed up - the bunkers and building around the entrance were obvious places. So, I dismounted a Javelin equipped squad or two, levelled the bunkers and a couple of the buildings just inside the gate pretty much from the set up area, and drove in with strykers (carefully - using overwatch and smoke). Once there, I could get some guys into the buildings that were still standing with the strykers and MGSs suppressing the HQ building. We took some small arms fire but nothing major. I may have lost one (empty) stryker near the gate and a few casualties but had anough to move on the barracks. After that, the meat grinder just rolls down the road... I think waiting to spot the enemy in that particular mission is a bit too late - if there are obvious defensive positions then I'll hit them before I've seen anything - at worst this means progress will be quicker and at best, I'll have killed a few enemy and pinned some others. TM.

You could split the squad and then you can have two firing arcs at least. It's an extra step admittedly, but then again, it does mean that no additional commands (or modifiers to commands) are required. TM

I just tested this again and you are right. When I'd used the Arcs before the units seemed to fire at things outside of them anyway, but in the heat of the (RT) battle, it may be that the units had broken and shot whatever they saw. Anyway, one workaround is to move the unit away from the corner, draw the arc the size you want it and then move the unit back to the corner so the arc covers it. TM

That can be a problem for ambushers. There is a partial solution for the US side only, and that is to split the team - this works for Snipers and AT teams. At least then there are fewer guys to start firing, and greater odds the important one will fire first, but you still cannot get it down to one. It's a shame that the Red forces have no split team equivalent since the Red AT team is only two guys meaning you'd have control over just the AT guy. I don't know if the lack of a Red force split team is deliberate or not. I guess the ratioanle is that they have less cohesion and cannot be split so easily, but the RPG-ers are more or less on their own anyway... TM

I keep hearing about this corner problem with Arcs. The Arc in my experience only tells the unit where to look, not how far to fire. So as long as some kind of arc is pointing towards the corner of the map, it is covered - the yellow bit doesn't have to be covering it. That's what I've found so far with arcs, anyway, but I don't normally have battles in the corners... TM

See here for some information on "Blasting" as well as other stuff.... http://www.battlefront.com/discuss/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=52;t=002080;p=1#000000 TM

I think there was the suggestion of a bug in the Tech Support forum with disappearing units. To check, you'd need to try it in something other than Elite mode and see if they still disappear. However, given the way spotting works, this may well not be a bug. One way around it is to make sure you select the rearmost unit of the group first and work your way forward - then the group select units are visible all the time. I do this by shift and left clicking units individually rather than lasso-ing. Alternatively you can double-click the HQ(s) as appropriate which selects all subordinate units too. TM

Well I tried this after my own reply and I cannot get that to work, I am afraid. </font>

If you click the unit itself, then yes, you have to wait until they stop moving before you can order them to hide. But, if you click the waypoint they're going to, then you can select hide, and when they get there they will hide. There is one exception to the above, a mounted squad cannot have a hide applied to their movement waypoint while they're mounted. Don't know why, but you can't at the moment. So you'd ahve to wait for them to dismount and be moving on foot, and then apply the hide to the waypoint. TM

Becket : If a specific target is chosen your units may not employ a Javelin. For example, if you target some troops who are in a bunker, then your troops will use appropriate force for the target - in this case small arms. If you want to destroy the bunker altogether, then area targetting is the way to get them to use the Javelin. thewood : As far as I can tell, while you can have your men cover an Arc and be hidden simultaneously, when an enemy unit enters the arc, your men will not open fire. They have to be manually unhidden first. I guess this means that ambushing in this way is not possible in WEGO as it stands. In RT, you just unhide your guys at the appropriate moment. While that sounds bad for WEGO, just unhiding at the first unit of any type to enter the arc is probably not ideal either (MGs vs Armour, or exposing your AT crew to hit a half squad for example). So RT is really the only way to have proper control without making the various commands more complex. Stirling : I have queued Pop-Smoke on waypoints. However, it takes them quite a few seconds to get around to it, so make sure you give them time (and that they have smoke).... Would be better if the smoke out animation was a bit faster and as it is, all the guys have to arrive at the waypoint and get set up before the smoke throwing is commenced. OK some more things to note. As mentioned above, a hidden unit will not automatically unhide when an enemy unit enters a covered arc - simplisitcally this means an automated ambush (for WEGO mainly) is not available as far as I can tell. Also, having looked at the medic function, it appears that when you've sustained a casualty, another man will become a medic (if there's anyone still alive!) and tend to the wounded. It takes a long time but eventually the wounded man will be removed from the battle and presumably becomes a WIA instead of a KIA. Either way, you cannot get those men back into the battle which seems reasonable. TM

Well, as is traditional for almost every game, an FAQ is a good way to catch all the useful information that isn't captured in the manual and isn't immediately obvious.... I've written a few things down that I've found out and/or seen discussed here - so far only about gameplay really since there are so many people unsure of how to operate certain features of the game. Perhaps this thread can be kept free of chit chat, praise, gripes, bug reports etc and just have useful info added. Eventually I'm sure it'll all find its way to a semi-official source Gameplay Q) How can I quickly select units/multiple units? A) The options include i) Left click on a single unit ii) Shift Left-Click to drag a box around multiple units iii) Shift Left-Click on each individual unit in turn iv) Double left click on a HQ unit (this will select all units subordinate to the HQ) v) In the HQ unit Information box, you can click to select a subordinate unit (this will jump the camera to that unit) vi) Use the '+' and '-' keys to cycle through units Q) How can I quickly select the relevant order tab? A) You can cycle through the selected orders tab (Movement, Combat, Special and Admin) with the 'T' and 'Y' keys. Q) How can I make my units move somewhere and hide, or change facing etc? A) Place a movement command as normal. Once it is placed, left click on the waypoint of interest. Now, with the waypoint selected, choose the relevant command (hide, adjust facing, pop smoke etc) and the unit will execute that command on arrival. Q) How can I make an APC move somewhere and then have the squad dismount (and move on foot) A) Give the APC an appropriate move order. Then either select the APC waypoint and choose the dismount command (will have the squad dismount and take up defensive positions around the APC), or choose the squad that is riding in the APC and give them a move order (e.g. QUICK to a buidling). Once the APC reaches the waypoint, the troops will dismount (and move) as ordered. Q) Can I edit a path and or waypoint? A) You can select an existing movement waypoint and change it's type. For example, if you have a QUICK move specified, you can select the QUICK waypoint and then click a different movement type (e.g. "NORMAL") and the movement type will change. If you wish to change the waypoint position, then the waypoints will need to be deleted and recreated. Q) How is the Blast Function used? A) Firstly, there appear to be some bugs with the Blast function which limits its usefulness at the moment. However, this is how you can try it out now even though it is of limited practical use : i) Make sure your selected unit has more than 4 satchel/explosive charges (see the manual for the icon and see below for why 4 are needed as a minimum) ii) Move them close to the wall you wish to blast (not all walls can be blasted) iii) Place a Blast movement order in to the building you wish to blast and choose a floor as per the usual building entry procedure. iv) Your units will go prone, wait a few seconds and the wall will be blasted. Having made a hole (or possibly not, see below) your units will stand up and move to the blast waypoint (inside the building). Bugs : i) Having blasted a wall, it is seemingly impossible to get your units to move through the hole. Instead, the will walk around to the doorway (or where the dorrway was if that wall was blasted) to enter the building. ii) If your units are too far away from the wall when you choose the blast movement type, they will go prone and use a satchel charge (i.e. it will disappear from their inventory) as if they're blasting the wall. However, there is no blast explosion depicted, and the wall remains intact. There is apparently no indication that your unit is too far away for the blast function. iii) If a unit gets down to 4 stachel charges (by default they start with 6) then they will no longer blast walls. Q) My units won't fire Javelins at bunkers or other targets? A) For an infantry unit to fire it's Javelins a few steps are required : i) While they are inside an APC, go to the Special Orders Tab and choose the Acquire function. ii) A pop-up list appears, from this list choose the Javelin Launcher Unit iii) Now YOU MUST aquire again just as for step (i) iv) From the pop-up window choose the Javelin Ordnance (Javelin T-HEAT rounds in 1, 2 or possibly 3 missile quantities). v) Deploy your troops and consider giving them a Hide command to stop them firing their Javelins before you're ready/have selected a target. vi) Give the Javelin Unit an Area fire command on the appropriate target and wait. Notes : The infantry and Javelins are not always 100% accurate. Javelins may miss short or long (possibly even flying off the battlefield map). It's possible, particularly in RT gameplay mode, to miss the Javelin flight path and assume it has not been fired. Q) Why won't my tanks and/or IFV/MGS etc fire their last few explosive rounds at my designated target? A) It appears that the AI makes a judgement call when they get to a low ammo state and will not use heavy ordanance on targets they feel are not sufficiently threatening. For example, an M1A1 will not fire it's final few rounds into an area targetted building. That is the rationalisation of it, it could be a bug... Q) I have some wounded soldiers - can I heal them? A) This is done automatically by the game, but the squad must be in good order and remain near the casualty. You'll see that one of the infantry will attend to the casualty. More testing is needed to determine if this will return the casualty to fit status or in any other way affects the battle outcome. Q) How can I set up an ambush? A) Move your squads into suitable ambush positions and have them Hide. Once the enemy is in the "killzone" unhide your troops and if appropriate provide suitable targetting commands. NOTE : If you provide a combat order to a unit that is currently Hiding, it will stop hiding and open fire.I have not tested enough to determine how to set up an ambush in WEGO mode - it may not be possible at this stage. Well that's my lot for now. TM