Reaver

No worries sir. If you ever fancy a PBEM battle to get back into things then please feel free to PM me.

Yes sir. You would unzip them into your quick battles folder and they would appear on the list of QB maps within the game. I believe the maps would be selected as part of the 'Random' selection of maps should you wish to use this function. Or you could select them individually as normal. I believe, if we are talking about the same map pack, that they start with a set of 3 letters anyway (sorry, but I cannot recall which at the moment) that distinguishes them from the maps that came with the game. I do remember that they were not hard to find within the list when I looked for them. I hope this is of some help.

These look excellent. I will be downloading them later. Good work!

I'm sure there's a Brecourt Manor scenario with the game. That was Easy Co. It's called 'Silence the Guns' or something of the like. I'm at work currently so can't check.

Yes, that is what a meant. A PBEM game where a shared folder was used, over a LAN, to transfer the files instead of an e-mail client. I apologise for my lack of clarity earlier, I had assumed that by refering to a transfer of files from one maching to another that I had made myself clear, but I appear not to have. Thank you for pointing this out.

I don't see why it wouldn't be possible to play it via LAN. All that matters is that the file gets to the other computer, doesn't matter how that happens. E-mail, dropbox, LAN...you could even stick in on a memory stick and walk it to the other computer if you so wished.

This looks excellent. Good work Normal Dude. I can't wait to get my hands on this new scenario!

When bought as an on map asset you can use them, but in direct fire mode only, as far as I am aware. In this role they are effective when they basically used as a (very vulnerable but very effective) method of obliterating enemy positions with close range artillery fire. You will read accounts of self-propelled artillery being brought up to supress various enemy strongpoints, especially in urban areas where 105mm and 155mm rounds were used against buildings (with an effect on the defenders that I'm sure you can imagine.) If you wish to use them as a support asset then you would need to purchase them as an off map choice. I think this would have to do with the range of the weapons themselves and the fact that it would be a challenge to elevate the tubes to such a degree that they would be able to provide on map support within the ranges that maps are designed to encompass. With mortars and IG this is less of an issue as they are designed for shorter engagement ranges. I can also see them being very useful in defence where a single gun would be effectively able to deny areas of the map to enemy advance. No one would wish to advance across an open field covered by a well defended SPA emplacement.

LemoN, have you tried a bit of real life advanced driving technique to your plotting? By this I mean positioning your vehicle to maintain momentum and vision through a corner? By way of example, in the Road To Berlin scenario where your M4 tanks start at the small cluster of buildings I would firstly position my tank over to the left hand side of the road and then plot a smooth series of waypoints through the corner with only small changes in direction so that I end up on the left hand side of the road again when I come out. This means that the vehicle does not have to stop, turn in place and then move off again which can lead to it missing a waypoint and then having to perform an additional turn to reach it. I also do this with the command of "Slow" due to the nature of tanks being unwieldy beasts at the best of times. I use this technique to both enhance my spotting of targets through a corner, as it opens up the view beyond the corner and to ensure that the AI (as impressive as it is, and it IS impressive) goes where I want it to go. It also helps with keeping your frotal armour towards any AT threats which lay along the road ahead due to you driving THROUGH the corner and not turning within the corner where your flanks are exposed. Further, I seem to have noted that when I give a vehicle a "slow" command (or any movement command for that matter) at any angle over about 10-20 degrees from the axis of the vehicle's movement, it will move forwards slowly and turn. Whereas, if I give a "face" command, it will move on the spot. This may also help in your manoeuvres. I am not trying to patronise, you may have tried this already. I am just trying to help. I am at work and so cannot post screen shots of what I mean but PM me if you wish for a more detailed explanation.

Thank you Mord, I shall try this when I get home!

On a related note, would anyone be able to tell me the file name for the bullet zip sounds? The ones you will hear downrange of the weapon as the bullets zip past your head? I have some nice ones from CMSF which give a good supersonic crack which I would like to include. Thank you in advance.

Regarding the first question, as I understand it, the difference lays with the number of tubes used. So if you call for a heavy, long barrage with 1 tube you will get 28(ish) rounds at sustained ROF into the target. So one round hitting every 5 or so seconds (I do not have figures to hand on ROF). If you choose heavy, long with 4 tubes you will get 28 rounds PER TUBE into the target at sustained ROF. So 4 rounds every 5 or so seconds for a total of 112 rounds. This can be useful when calling harassing fire (or saving ammo) where you would chose a light rate of fire, for a long or maximum duration with a single, or two tubes. Whereas if you wish to reduce the target area to a smoking pile of debris then go for heavy, long on 3 or 4 tubes. Also, you must consider your firing platform, as a single tube of 240mm or 155mm may be as effective as 4 tubes of 81mm or 60mm mortars over the same duration and ROF. Consider also the purpose of your fire mission. I will also use more tubes and a higher rate if I believe there to be grouped targets in an area (when calling down area fire), as I want to inflict maximum damage in as short a space of time as possible to prevent whatever I am shooting at (and his colleagues) from retreating and posing a threat to me in the future. If I am trying to supress a single squad then less tubes and rate may be appropriate. Etc etc... I may be wrong, but this is as I understand and utilise it in game.

LemoN, I can understand your frustration with what you regard as unhelpful responses earlier in the thread, but Sitting Duck has just made an offer to see if he can assist you in your enjoyment of the game. Perhaps it is an, as yet, unrecognised bug. Or perhaps there is a technique or style of play that could be employed so that you would again find enjoyment from this game. Many a time I have sat thinking "What on earth? Why did that happen?!?" only to find out that it was either something that I was doing wrong, or that I had misunderstood something within the game environment. I am not critising you, or saying that you are playing the game incorrectly. All I am saying is that I am sure that (whatever the solution) you would rather enjoy the game than be on the forum continuing to post about something which is causing you to not enjoy it. I am also absolutely certain, without wishing to speak for others, that Steve and all the team at Battlefront would prefer that you enjoyed the game also. With that in mind, faced with (what seemed to me to be) a genuine offer of assistance, I think it would be a shame to turn it down. Again, not being critical, just wishing to help.

Ah, now we are getting somewhere. Would the small stoves and/or PE used to heat the water increase the chance to be spotted? Also, the caffeine in tea being a stimulant, would the 'brew' command lead to a quickening in reaction times for the pixeltruppen? Hmmm, the multiple implications of the 'brew' command..

I have read books which state that British forces would stop in the middle of an advance to have a cup of tea. I am certain that this was the case with the Market Garden campaign and XXX Corps as a case in point. Tea being, to the British, the highly addictive substance that it is! (As a Brit, I would know.) Perhaps this could be modelled at a strategic level? Maybe a nice message at the critical moment in a battle saying that unit X,Y and Z have failed to arrive as scheduled due to them stopping for a brew?

Well if you wish to play somebody who's arse you are very likely to kick (I have never played PBEM before ) then please feel free to PM me. I may as well start learning the hard way at some point.

Personally, I find Steve's method of posting quite refreshing. Honesty is always the best policy and to be totally honest, his responses cause me to smile due to his sarcasm (always the highest form of wit). Whilst I have, myself, seen (very rare) instances with the pathfinding of infantry and vehicles in a very limited set of situations, I do not find the behaviour to be annoying, irritating or game breaking. I actually find it quite immesive due to the (very) rare occurance of it. Now, I have never been shot at, but I have been involved in the policing of large riots and even trained individuals get confused and disorientated which can cause a loss of unit cohesion and direction. I also find the WW2 Normandy setting to be much more to my tastes than the deserts of Syria. That said, I do own CMSF and all of the modules. It's all down to personal taste in the end. If you do not enjoy Normandy then play CMSF or invest some time in the editor and make some maps which do not include this terrain feature for yourself and other like minded people. Just because the game is set in Normandy, doesn't mean the map has to BE in Normandy. I hope that my first post in this forum has been constructive and taken in the polite manner in which it was intended. A final thank you to Battlefront for making an excellent game and to Steve for the continued support of this game by his, and his team's, lively debates on various subjects.