SNAFU

Having gotten completely pounded in a QB-something I admit that humbled me (a lot) I'll add my Thank You. If the AI keeps doing what I've already experienced, these QBs are going to always be challenging and enjoyable. Talk about adding shelf life to a game!!! BF better buy Mark an extra bottle of beer!

I suspected as much Great job!

Well--having played the demo quite a bit and the full game for just a couple battles, I've seen what you're talking about. On the other hand--I've also seen plenty of 1 shot kills. It seems to me that there is enough variability that I never really know what to expect. And I'm really beginning to like that aspect of the game. Kind of like playing squad leader--rolling snake eyes to hit and box cars for the result. This kind of variability equals better replay value IMHO. Which all means that I'm not complaining (yet).

You weren't the one getting holes shot in your tanks! (Well--not this time anyway),

I never take pics of the fish that got away.

I've actually found myself with plenty of time at a scenarios end. I think the question originally posted, "Are we going to see scenario designers creating missions specifically for each mode of play?" is a good one and interesting to ponder. It's somthing I'll be thinking about when I set out to build scenarios.

My first impressions are that this game is a(nother) keeper by BattleFront. Thank You for your continued effort to keep Real war gaming alive. My first scenario had something to do with a farm Since it's way too early for spoilers, I'll just say that the farm is now mine and the Germans paid for it. Dearly. Unfortunately, by the time I finished I was looking at too few hours of sleep available before the alarm would ring. Being a man of unreputable self-control and knowing that the game will be on my computer for years, I did the smart thing and started a small Quick Battle: Meeting Engagement. Since I really did want it to be quick I chose all armor and let the computer choose my forces. I was rewarded with 2 fine StugIIIG's and 1 forboding Panther A. I quivered with anticipation thinking of the carnage I was about to solicit. "Surely I am smarter than my computer," I smirked. My armored heros dashed to the village and took up brilliant defensive positions. No approach was unguarded. I had beat them to the objective and there was no mercy in my heart, a heart that pumped ice water through veins of contemptuousness. Today a small village, tomorrow the world. A few WeGo minutes later, a lone Sherman peaked its trembling snout through a tree line in view of my Panther. A whispered order and the Panther's turret deftly swung 15 degrees to the right. With a resounding roar the high velocity round lept from the muzzle on its destructive path and tore through the pitifull armor of my most hated enemy. The cowardly crew of the Sherman somehow survived the death they deserved and were able to back out of my line of sight, popping out more smoke pellets than Los Angelas traffic creates in a decade. Unconcerned, I knew I would finish him later. Again, I waited. Three minutes later my patience was rewarded. A forlorn M10 and 2 more Shermans approached the Panthers position--but wait! They weren't just approaching; they were racing past the flank of the Panther faster than it could traverse its turret. "How rude, foul and unfair! What devilry is this?!?" I cried. As soon as my sneaky opponents reached my flank they halted and 2 rounds from the Shermans turned my beautiful armored leviathon into a flaming coffin. The crew popped out of the now useless tank like popcorn jumping from a lidless kettle, only to find their end in a hail of 30 calibre slugs. The ice water in my veins began to boil. One of the StugIIIG's--angered and dismayed by the loss of its dear friends--traversed toward the direction of this new menace. It cautiously hunted forward 10 meters to glimpse around a dusty shack. It was rewarded by the sight of 2 Shermans slinking slowly toward its position. The commander yelled his order (there was no longer need of stealth) and three guns roared in unison. A Sherman exploded with a roar as did 1 StugIIIG. A single crewman escaped the caldron and dashed into the shack--presumably to search for a cheese snack and a bottle of good wine. He would soon be too drunk to be usefull. Now one brave StugIIIG remained to repulse these invading Saxons. They were not afraid as they had skipped directly from confidence to complete and abject terror. He traversed toward the area of threat and began to back away into the trees, hoping to find a quieter area in this neighborhood of death. But what you don't know can kill you. Waiting in those same trees loitered a Sherman--yes, a Sherman which sported a 75mm hole in its turret--a survivor of an earlier attack, a Sherman crewed by four men and an angel. There was not enough time for the Stug crew to do more than grit their teeth and and tightly close their eyes. They collectively held their breath. And their fore-sight proved true as an armor piercing round tore their engine to shreds. Forgetting their lack of religion, the crew lept from their treasured tank and raised their hands to the heavens. Their leader, humbled by what BattleFront hath wrought, went to a dark and quiet room in search of a few hours rest...

Yes--I've noticed both of these behaviors as well.

It's really hard to tell for sure how well accuracy in the game will be until we all get to see some long range battles. The current scenarios included with the demo make for pretty short range duals. At these ranges, the crews could basically bore-sight their weapons... I do look forward to some longer range action in the near future as that is when I'll start to complain

That makes sense and I think you're right that the problem is more of a graphical "interpretation" of players. Just thought I'd throw in another aspect: Tanks surely did breach bocage at times. The question is, when? It's one thing to drive your tank over a nasty hedge row when your goal is simply to get from point A to point B and another to do it when the probablity of a panzerhaust (or worse) is likely to be wating on the other side. In the scale of BFBN, the situation is that they are in combat and any intelligent crew doesn't want to take higher percentage risks of getting killed. And no crew wanted to take the chance of throwing a track while the enemy was in close proximity... From what I know about bocage fighting (only what I've read and heard from veterans), these obstacles should not be passable for tanks. The dangers were just too great and I believe it is this fact that BF wants to portray. It is an attempt to simulate the situation as it was in WWII. IMHO (and I do mean Humble ), being able to order units to do things that they didn't (couldn't?) would detract from the game rather than make it better. Cheers!

I tend to agree that crews seem to be too immune to shock. However, I admit that I may be using CMx1 as a guide-post for behavior in CMBN. And the question is, which is more accuarate? I used to be involved in a Great Battles class in college where I taught The Battle of the Atlantic. In the course I met many veterans and heard many stories. A couple points follow: 1. I was told that when American tank crews went up against German armour that they couldn't kill (ie Sherman vs Tiger) the Americans usually fired HE for the shock/spalling effect. They hoped to rattle the crew to the point where they became basically ineffective. That gave them a chance to maneveur for a better shot or to "Get the hell out of there!". 2. Heard a German tanker tell this story (short version): His tank platoon (4 Panthers) got into a fur-ball with some Shermans (not sure how many but probably 10-12). By the end of the fight they had 2 Panthers left but had knocked out 6 or 7 of the Shermans. He said it was during this fight that he knew Germany had lost the war. Why? He said he didn't think that it would be possible to beat an enemy that "would shoot from a burning tank". There are many imponderables in war. A rifle bullet passing by a TC's head may cause that tank to run while another crew might be operating in a basically berserk state. And there is no sure measure for who will do what. All reason goes out the window when the bullets and shell are flying... Just points to ponder. And a real PITA to code for CMx2 Loving the game!

I like reinforced Company level scenarios on the average. But then there are times when it's interesting to command a Battalion+ (I liked trying my luck at the "All is Fair" scenario (CMAK) once in a while). To answer the posters question: My experience is limited to CMx1. But back then there scenarios (lots of them) of all sizes but the majority were roughly Company level with attached units. As to what we will be seeing on final release??? (I quiver with anticipation).

This is rather strange (scratches head). I've played a few scenarios now and haven't seen anything like what is being described here. The crews from tanks I take out (and from those I have lost) make tracks for their respective rear echelons. I think I saw it posted in this thread that the player was using lower difficulty settings. I've only been playing on elite setting. Is it possible that this setting has a "ghost" efect on the crews? How many playtesters actually used the easier difficulty settings (I wouldn't have wanted to ). I sure am looking forward to the full release of the game. I need some more scenarios LOL! I played Road to Berlin tonight and only lost 9 KIA and 12 WIA. Getting to know these maps a little too well I think...

Same here. Definitely looks to be an ATI issue. ATI HD6870, Win 7 Professional 64-bit Running Microsoft Security Essentials for AV. No programs running in the background besides that... It ain't going to stop me though as I have my handy ctrl-alt-del That's computers and programming for you though. You work your butt off to make sure everything is smooth but there always seems to be one more glitch...

It's been a long time. I didn't play any of the modern era games (not my cup of tea) so I stubbornly held out for BF to bring back WWII. And oh how I waited... You'd think that the new interface and command set would have slowed me some, that the learning curve would be steep and arduous. But not for me. No sir! Once you've played (and won) the original BF series, moving into Beyond Normandy is child's play, a cake walk, a tasty slice of apple pie. Yep. I just fired up the tutorial scenario and ordered the assault on the osttruppen. And all went extremely well. Nothing could stop my brutal and relentless advance. That was right up until the moment that they blew up my tanks and killed all my guys. Hmm. I'm looking forward to a hard copy of that manual. Very Impressive work BF! This game is a Beauty!

Very nice tip! And to Battle Front: There is no greater honor for a writer than to have his/her work accepted as primary reading for the latrine. Your fine manual certainly qualifies. Very well written and easy to understand!

Follow up... http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/mobile/04/21/iphone.tracker.explainer/index.html?hpt=C1

Steve Jobs forced a delay of the Mac version of CMBN. He required an additional sub-routine to be installed in the program that will track all of your movements on the battlefield. When enough information is gathered the (unencrypted) files will then be sent to all of your potential opponents so they can analyze your style of play. This added "feature" has potentially delayed the release of CMBN for up to 2 weeks. :eek:

Let's not ignore the fact that there were good jobs for a man in Stalingrad at that time.

Yes. The Soviet doctrine was very different, relying on numbers of troops to overwhelm and over-run their enemy. Human-wave assaults were common. And the Germans were Very "reluctant" to allow themselves to be captured by the Russians...

I admit I've never done that. I'll definitely have to give it a shot though and see how I like it.

I remember when I thought Gato for my Commodore 64 was cool. I also remember playing the Squad Leader series and wishing they could put it on a computer. Then came the Close Combat series--"Not bad," I thought. Finally I was introduced to BF:BO... And now it'll come with a full metal jacket! Life just keeps gettin' better!

It doesn't really matter what level I play at. I go into every scenario with the paranoid belief that I'm going to get my a$$ kicked. That tends to make my preperation a little on the long side but it usually pays off. It also makes the Veterans I play against a bit angry when I beat them.

It was a good fight and Very Loud considering I was at work! (self-employed, thank heavens). If I'd of been playing the Germans, I would taken far heavier casualties though.

But when we get as far East as Stalingrad... Well, that's a whole different kettle of fish! :cool: