Buzz

Thanks for the excellent AAR pnzrldr. Happy Thanksgiving and Good Hunting for Black Friday.

grunt_GI, Happy to help. 30 years ago we didn't need to use the Accessibility options I remember when I 1st used this feature in CMSF reading (not winning) became much easier

OS X "Accessibility" in System Preferences: Command, Option, 8 = makes small font ... bigger.. by zooming in. I also have a dedicated set of prescription 'computer glasses'. I really need them on a 2560 x 1440 screen.

Looks great pnzrldr. I enjoy the immersion narration. Delightful and fun. "I do equate combat games a tad with the real thing, and cannot send even pixeltruppen to their doom lightly." ... especially when they are in play to demonstrate other nice toys coming our way If pixeltruppen are headed for doom... as Ken S. Patton used to say..... "Order them to advance and, when they get hit, to make sure they fall with their arms stretched out towards the enemy so the rest of us will know where to aim!" "My experience with the M1 is fairly extensive, and I think I can fight them well .... " I am really looking forward to these lessons from an authentic modern 'pro'. Thanks,

Quote: Nobody ever defended anything successfully, there is only attack and attack and attack some more. George S. Patton Really Ken, I think you might be a reincarnation of the old bastard. Ken S. Patton may be envious of your opportunity to..."Attack the remnants, then ATTACK the newcomers! Attack! ..." We want to see all the new modern tools we are about to get to play with too! Throw in some devastatingly decisive attacks ... that should demo Black Sea's robustness.

About to witness two exceedingly skilled CM Veterans play the New Modern ... CM Black Sea. Going to be a bucket load of entertainment, education and a peek at all the new tools in the CM Black Sea kits "Stay tuned… this is going to be fun."

"What system should be used for the care and feeding of volunteer help here?" Ken asks the critical question. I don't have an answer but a major part is KISS... SIMPLE. "Several posters here have stated that if I want feedback on my scenarios, I should start a tournament...." :confused: I agree with you umlaut. Setting up a tournament, with your custom scenarios and custom mods and custom scoring and sure to be custom adjusting of parts and pieces = full time work. "Quality of the feedback was rather mixed and sometimes I had to wait quite a while for it. But hey, it is all unpaid volunteer work..." Good point PanzerMike. I am sure many Beta testers can give very constructive comments and have these organized with screenshots. The pre announcement threads Battlefront uses for new products are very, very entertaining. (Looking forward to the one for CMBS ) You are not going to find that level of feedback on average. I thank everyone (scenario designers and mod artists) with feedback mostly in the forum thread other times in PM. I often forget about the Repository rating not on purpose but because it may be weeks if not months before I get time to play the scenario and time to complete it. Then I would have to find the link in the Repository, post a rating, comment and would see essentially zero feedback. It kind of makes rating in the Repository ... a dead end .. except for the designers as there is little give and take in this form of communication. *I use the Repository mostly when I see a new listing posted in the forum. Repository revamp would be greatly appreciated but if I had to use my business workforce wisely I would keep them creating new products and then get to the Repository.* It is clear there are some very talented scenario designers and mod artists in this community. I think most people appreciate these talents. If responding with feedback is not SIMPLE ... really SIMPLE ... the feedback is going to be little to none. This is true in more than CM design. The 'volunteer feedback' that many public institutions, private business's get is often lacking or nonexistent ... unless it is a complaint I don't have a solution as to how to make folks respond more fully to scenario designers and mod artists. Perhaps an example of what constitutes requested / desired feedback / comments might help organize the feedback that is produced. Ultimately, it is the enjoyment and satisfaction of the creative process that drives much of the volunteer creation for CM. Thank You All for making CM more fun and appealing.

More a CM Connoisseur

"Our tradition is to release 4-6 weeks after pre-orders have started. So use that as a guide for roughly when we will release." = Rockin Santa Sock Tme;) The beta preview AAR's.... "We're got one starting soonish." Bet beta preview AAR includes a few of these major new features .... Amphibious vehicles Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) Electronic Warfare Precision Artillery Active Protection Systems Airburst Munitions Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAMs) Expanded Soldier Night Vision Systems ... and a slew of more subtle new features as well... "...starting soonish."

Delightful "tinkering" Jock...

"CMSF often felt like a knife fight with the fighters tied together." Black Sea won't be ... Ya Mama's CMSF Check out the list of new Black Sea units, equipment, features... Looks like a whole lot more equal sparing ... even if you select knife fight distances. Maps presumably would relate to modern equipment - could be many KMs ins both directions? Heck, CMRT WWII has some darn HUGE maps. Active defense systems make a life saving difference in real life so I suspect this will be realistically modeled into Black Sea.

"It's a very strong possibility for a future Black Sea expansion." British Forces were an unqualified serious fun factor to employ in CMSF = Agreed. * Battlefront indicated their intention to bring CMSF into 'da future' * Modern Good Times ahead

You took the words right out of my mouth Wodin

Great news! Always enjoyed Modern CMSF but the list of new Black Sea features is HUGE! Good advice from Sergi re: trying the CMSF demo to get a taste of modern in the early CM game engine. I am sure Modern will take some adjusting to but Black Sea will be a Battlefront quality Combat Mission game and it comes with "Active Protection Systems" ... that detect and defeat incoming projectiles so your are good WWII and Modern: Something I noticed when I bought the full Mac CMSF Bundle. I was enjoying play WWII games ...CMFI, CMBN, CMRT but now and then I would jump into Modern with CMSF. My appreciation of both military periods / conflicts was enhanced! Playing Modern made me realize how instantaneous weapons systems are now and how that alters strategy and tactics. Playing WWII made me appreciate the ruggedness of a more spartan tool kit and how that impacted strategy and tactics then. If I had to choose ... I would play both WWII and Modern combined provides enhanced understanding of strategy, tactics and weapons systems in historical scenarios / campaigns and user made scenarios. Much like when I got the full Mac CMSF Bundle I began to understand the NATO forces look the same but are not. So happy to see all these new units and features... in Version 3 of the Combat Mission game engine. Black Sea is going to ROCK.... Big Time

Thank you Pete and Battlefront! Cue the "Jingle Bells" soundtrack and roll up some Combat Mission Black Sea ... real soon Pre-orders available!!! "Combat Mission: Black Sea includes the following new or enhanced features. These are just major new features. The list of tweaks and smaller changes to the simulation of modern equipment are too numerous to list here...... " Dang! This is HUGE ... way more Modern than I bargained for

Thanks for the update on the hotfix Phil. Much appreciated

Busy with other projects and just noted the Vehicle Pack release! Treated myself to Lobsters Crabs of Doom! aka CMBN Vehicle Pack. Made the Vehicle Pack purchase. * I spend more than $20 taking wife to a movie theater... even more if we stop for ice cream after. *"Economics... it's a big mystery to some people." Anyway... Removed Z folder on EVO Hackintosh... just to be safe. Follow the install instructions. Installation is pretty straight forward step by step by step w/o starting the game till all the steps were complete. Restart. Fire up the CMBN/CW/MG/VP and all 4 icons are smiling back at me with intro screen reading V3.10 Game Engine 3 Loaded "Boderland inc CMBN vehicle pack" from Pete Wenman and 'fired up some hot ones' like the Flammpanzer Char B-2(f). Drove around lighting stuff up to test the sizzle stick... spicy hot;) Yep. Crabs, Crocodiles, toss in the Churchlll AVRE with it's 290mm "Petard" mortar, Kangaroos, concrete reinforced bunker weapons and add FIRE! I am good Happy Halloween

"I'm pretty much finished with my first small house for CM:RT, here's a preview:" ... Insert Craftsman quality small house images by Tanks! May be your first "small house" Tanks but you have manufactured many fines buildings for us all to enjoy. Looks powerful for a "small house. Thanks Tanks,

I will support the WWII movie and have a great time - entertainment. I wonder what the age mix of the audience seeing Fury is. Seeing the actual historical machinery used in the war makes me appreciate what it must have been like. Different than the 'movies' for sure. Lancasters gracing the skies would be very cool to see... as well as USS Missouri an Iowa class battleship would be a BIG treat!

"the movie was good entertainment...." I want to go see the movie. If it has WWII tanks and a vicious rabbit scene... well ... more popcorn Do they have live hoses in Fury WWI related: Saw a restored B-24 fly over this afternoon over my house! Very, very cool Hood teenagers were out on street and wanted to know what all the noise was. Tried to explain WWII, B-24.... a glaze went over their eyes. On kid pulled out his phone. Whats up ... looking for B-24? No...I am goggling WWII :eek:

Due to health and hardware issues, I never got around to finishing up and releasing my 4th and final barn. It's about ready to go now, so here's a preview: Outstanding 4th and final barn. You must be feeling better as your strength shows in your art. Thanks Tanks.

ian is correct. With SW development…”rooms" can be added later - it takes great discipline to *not* add features…” On a substantial non commercial construction, 6 months + (discounting weather, emergencies and Life in general) is easily within a ‘normal’ … standard delay. The home owners (us end users / customers) always want more ‘rooms’ features and we can get them but that adds to the standard delay and expected frustration. I always ask customers, Do you want it fast … or do you want it correct, proper? I can build it either way. Sequoia gets a bullseye “…making upgrades for the older games is a great long term strategy.” I suspect most have not touched all the CMBN/CMFI 3.0 Upgrade features. I have 2 improved games and have not even come close to playing all the stock CMRT content. CMBS is a ’new game’ and I suspect (based on the BFC history) will take all the CM goodness we have seen to date in CMx2 ...wrap it in a kick a** modern setting with new units, features and probably some surprises .... but all this will not stop us from playing CMBN/FI/RT... because they are so much fun:D * I might be as bold to suggest Open the Editor in the game and discover the vast creative possibilities that too infrequently are set aside in the new game lust we all entertain. There are many, many hours of entertainment in the creative process of the Editor in all the CM games * “BFC is the only one who can answer whether it is profitable and worth their time to keep upgrading their older games.” 15+ years into thriving in a niche market … with new project(s) modules, packs, upgrades, etc. in development … = your answer as to how it is working for them … and US… the game consumers. The Road Ahead is vibrant

ChrisND it is OK by me if you want to pull a Fortress Italy on us with Black Sea this time I can handle it

Many 3D laden games are mostly GPU-limited now as my understanding has it. *I noticed a huge improvement in my game experience with everything set to best installing GTX 760 with 4 GB Memory on a 5 year old slow CPU Mac Pro. Loading times and turn calculations were slow compared to the hackintosh but the game looked and scrolled much better with a stronger GPU* If graphics application programming interface such as OpenGL which provides a software abstraction of the GPU is poorly designed, inefficient or parts actually 'broken' by an OS vendor , it makes for a lot of extra work around and a bad investment for any company with ambitious graphical goals. As the resolutions increase (October new 27-inch Retina iMac may come with a "5K" resolution of 5120 x 2880) gamers will need beefier GPUs and more efficient APIs to use all the potential not very far from now. I am sure Battlefront has plenty of "wish lists" from customers as well as some of their own favorite items. It seems 'if' BFC is going to make a game engine swap, getting it's customer base filled with solid working CMx2 content would be the foundation for a move to CMx3 'new game engine'. This would give them some time to make a major improvement in our CM gaming future.

Related to Mac 3.0 upgrade. I read where Apple is planning to hold its next fall event October 16... should include release OS X Yosemite to the public... and announce a new 27-inch Retina iMac that may come with a "5K" resolution of 5120 x 2880! No doubt the Battlefront Mac 3.0 upgrade will work great in OS X Yosemite. As for "5K" resolution ... that is a bucketload of pixels for da truppen to look pretty in;)