Spellir_74

re: 1st, 2nd page here... Wow, talk about hijacking a thread with politics. (Sanctimony knows no limit.)

Small arms lethality was NOT too high for me. You're right, Redjac. Small arms was just about right to me. Ie Fudged to be low lethality. ;-) (...Now, now, we all know that games are fudged versions of "reality" right? The cause and effect of the universe traces any given event, right now this moment, back to the big bang, while a game-world's cause and effect--eg combat resolution-- traces back to "dice rolls" which attempt to "model" reality based on stats. Problem is that reality is problematic--ie real world events aint just ballistic test-range statistics. If you make each artillery round always have a 42.6m kill-radius(per some real world Ballistics stat), a game world environment can become un real in a hurry _because all the other cause and effect complexity for each moment of existence has not also been traced back to dice rolls or a big bang too_ --only the arti round hit has (no wind; no blurry eyes etc). Dig? [Also for vehicle simulators... the situation of sitting at a 21inch computer monitor in a chair in your draws presents difference "feedback" from all the real-world feedback one would be getting in a real life situation. Thus even simulators (eg flight, tank, sub) need to be fudged too. The "harder harder" modeler set doesn't grapple with that; and that irks me enough to harp on about here.]) I didn't mean TOW rifle shoot outs. But I did mean, along with arti barrages, now that I remember, aerial attack lethality coming in incessant waves. ...Planes are super combat effective=true; Normandy Germans took _massive beating_ from planes=true; a 1:1 game that has player loose 50% to unnecessary spluttering waves of death in its demo mission (along with fresh enemy tank waves)=bad fudge of truth. Both with arti and plane waves here, that could have been tuned down by having fewer come in during missions. (But arti did hit my trench line hard too I recall.) APD1004, correct I have only the first TOW. I wasn't really trying to make a review off-site; I was just confirming Tuhhodges observations. (And trying to tweak game-reality in general to my preference.) I like the game. And appreciate the art. Mitigate lethality in a 1:1 and RTS* by using game as platoon vs platoon type. Ie No kampgruppe coming in multi road, multi prong assaults: just a few squads bounding up one road to take out enemy positions (while the rest of the kompanie and KG pursue their goals off map). One gets so good at the title's "mechanics" (combat resolution dice) and UI that lethality becomes realistic again? Similar to olde Close Combat. TOW maps are _big_ and beautiful though. (*for an RTS, TOW pause function could be perfect if not for that glitch of not being able to issue multiple orders etc.) Note platoons rarely fight alone. Hollywood would have us believe all combat is the "lost squad." One would be surprised how nearby half a kilometer is; how integrated a company --and even btn-- is with its flanking-fire assists in support. ------- My comment at the bottom of my post about releasing add on packs rather than 'reinventing the wheel' with new titles all the time was meant more as a 'sig (...trying to tweak games to my preference) than a jibe.

Lethality IS too high in the game. _And way too high for arty._ Bad enough you lose 50% taking a Ville. But even then you probably haven't achieved enough victory points to end, so you wait for an enemy arti barrage to kill most of the rest of your survivors. [eye roll] The game world is filled with dudes who want it "harder, harder" [like a two bit porn flick]. Somebody on the design team was of that ilk or heeded that ilk's demand. Irony is these "bungee jumpers" don't actually play games regularly; they play a few times and then move on to the next visceral thrill (that sitting in a chair just will never provide). I have never played for non axis. Is the lethality across sides or just for the Germans? I wonder if the lethality is the side effect of a fanboy helping 'his side'(allies) to win. Also the TOW-first-game stock missions (I only have TOW one) from the German side have unrealistic amounts of enemy attacking in _too many waves._ Lethality is as high 90+ percent per mission. Not conducive to enjoying a GAME _that demands player micro manage his troops down to the middle initial in their names._ [eye roll] This game IS beautiful looking. Looking out from an ATG or SP position overwatching from a crest, looking across a sloping field for a kilometer plus is time machine like. Going to Africa was a bit of a mistake since any game can do a desert look. Your strong suit was your green fields seen from tree lined overwatches, near a brook by birds. Stunning. Should have went to Italy if you had an inner need to go tan and (use the grant /lee mods ;-)). With that relocating to the desert and the high-lethality _in a 1:1 micro-manage-your-men game_, the best choices were not made. The only other problem I had is the not being able to pause while picking up the player's choice of weapon and ammo _for all who need it_. Ie there needs to be a group-pickup switch. That way a player can issue a few commands while paused. With the pause system now, player has to pause and then order-a man-to-pickup, then un-pause to be able to do the same for the next man who needs picking up and so on. The player will take an unnecessary beating someplace on the map while he is micro managing a squad's disposition. I mitigate that by letting the game pickup what it wants but that isn't my first choice. ------ If I were to design games as the Thor, it seems money should be make-able through releasing official add-on packs that increase the amount of vehicles and situations and game world physic's ambiance. For my money I like games that have complete liveries and are finished, as far as game world mechanics and physics; and I would pay to get it that way. The industry now believes that you make money by releasing new titles all the time --with the same ~six units redood in higher polys ever year and a similar weak-physics world; ...energy burnt "reinventing the wheel" rather than moving forward. I wonder if that approach has been market-researched or if it is just some olde designer's inkling (like the "harder harder" thing) that has become a rut for the industry to conform too. YMMV

========= __Good things about TOW's super mod: -HMG 42 is transportable -sdk251 carries full 10 men -tanks transport men (could be 8 though just for game strategy sake) -SS ranks are real (-more faces?) ---- questionable/ debatable: -Changes to game play. Eg infantry made less seeable/destroyable by changing the unit-file values (unbalances game /opinion based). (Changing unit values is a major problem with "super mods" in general. There are 'ergonomic' considerations [ie one is sitting in fornmt of computer screen] that are not being considered by moddders who demand "real = harder", generally.) _____________________ """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" __Requested things (request to modders or _DEVS_): -sdk250 carries up to 5+ men -50mm and 80mm Mortar teams (especially since game models medical etc) -"Game Paused" message moved to corner. -Seriously wounded men not magically healed --ie not available-- by next mission; and some don't recover. -SP (Self Propelled) anti tank vehicles; including early war (Very common WWII devices absent from most games.) -SP Infanry Gun and towed 'IG' (early war augmentation to Brummbaar) -More combat train defensive positions brought up after enemy is gone from area at end of sceanrio/map/game. (Envision horse towed atg and arty being brought up and deployted to eg ridge line beofre next game starts; -Pioneers with demolition clearing and laying capabilities (eg bridges), fortification (entrenching) abilities and mine clearing and -post battle- laying qualites. (Tricky to model but cool in concept, just like the combat train 'operations officer' stuff). =============== Does medical staff/ambulance help wounded men live/ recover?

"Game Paused" be-gone mod? The Game Paused message is right at eye level in apparently all situations and angles. Is there some way to get rid of the overlay "Game Paused"?

>Jason "Sure. And captured French tanks, and Hungarian..." =========== Nice post Jason. It seems I'm going to have to get the 'king' (CM1x). Just to see for myself, if for no other reason.

Good find Hannibal.

I had firewall problems too with license. Eventually got lucky. Other games seem to be able to control pirate-ing without making it a chore to install.

In this mod --and its 'patch'-- MKIV G has '?' (question mark) in write up section under 'encyclopedia' segment. Since the other added units have extensive write ups, I wondering if this omission was purposful.

All unit types of War In this Game? Well? And I don't mean are all the different variants of MkIII and MIV tanks here. I mean are the Marders and PzJg I and R35 all here?... -251/22 [PaK40 on 251]? The Sturm Panzer I (funny looking tower thing) and Sturm IG33 and sIG p33 H & M?... Befel wgs? Pioneers PII L tank? (No way) PII D!!? Any special qualites of infantry?... Medics offer some kind of healing or preservational benefit to wounded they connect to? (medical vehicles increase this ability)? Pioneers clear bridges and minefields etc? Lay them too? Combat train supplies coming up from rear? (Combat train personal brought up after victorious battle; makes game far more interesting than just ending after dead men tallied. Also getting into enemy's rear so as to destroy his is one of the points of battle no?) Flak and schleppers? (vehicles and horses!) Prisoners taken? -sdk250(+variants) carry up to 4 men! -German 3 or 4 man crew + mortar 80mm 50mm mortar teams? (250s carry 2 HMG crews+equip or 1 mortar crew and equip) All HMGs and guns are transportable and moveable? 75mm IG + 54-5 man crew. 150mm sIG33 + Crew FalshirmJager and gebirg(mtn) light guns Post battle deployment of defensive positions (PAK Front etc); Artillery train (pre SP/ 1943 --ie towed guns and vehicles and horses!) needed Survey men to plot artillery etc distances (Hell, even media troops) French and captured AUV thingy? -------- Has anyone seen a list of available stock and mod units I could be directed to? _____________________________ ========================== ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Regarding stuff modded... I understand that captured variants are cool. And endless variants on what is already there is nice too. BUT WWII games NEED most of the things by now (including combat train of the battalions Rgts and Divs). Note on 'tweaking' armour and armament and visiblity to /from unit (ie 'destroyability' and firepower of vehicles and troops)... 1)This leads to 'unbalanced' game. 2)Motivated by players' desire to have favorite device(s) be more powerful-- definitely leads to unbalanced game! (I see right now in this forum a debate still rates about this. (Multi player sucks because _people do_. Simple really.)) It seems to me that if one wanted to and knew how to mod a game, one would start with creating the above units (which few if any games have), before tweaking files to reflect their _opinions_ about 'realism' and 'challange'. (Multi player sucks because _people do_. Simple really.) -------- Thanks for abiding my semi rant.

I believe the downloaded version--from the battlefront site--still needs the "uber patch" (again from the battlefront site). Downloaded version= 1.02 something something Patch version= 1.10 something something

Regarding my question... From searching around here, I believe mods are at http://www.cmmods.com/ .

Hello. Thanks for your work. Question: How does a noob (that'd be me) download the Mod?