A Canadian Cat

No no worries. We all create a mental model of how it works and then use that when we explain it. Mine is that when the game needs to load a file the game searches the file system under data and finds the files with the required name and then picks the one that is last in the sort order and loads it. I am pretty certain that the game does not load data files it does not actually need. But what do I know? My way of thinking about it is why I wrote it that way . You are picturing it done differently and therefore noticed a problem with my explanation. Hopefully the longer version makes it clearer. I sure hope I have not made things more confusing for anyone. At any rate the main point is mod files in a "z" folder will be the ones used by the game over those in a "mod" folder or a "ui" folder etc. As long as we get that in the end it is all good.

My guess is that only one file is actually loaded and it is last one found in alphabetical order so "before" is correct. Having said that my language was not very precise and I see how that could be interpreted back to front from my intention. Here is a rewrite: The mod that is loaded and used by the game is the one that is last in the alphabetical sort order. So, for any file name that appeared in both data/mods and data/z directory the file that would be loaded and used by the game is the one from the data/z directory.

On the attack there are a couple of more options that I sometimes use. For preplanned you can plan where your assault will go and set things up to hit a target area just before you get there. Timing that with no information on the enemy is tricky and I usually only find that works well with an object that is close to your starting position. You can create a plannned smoke screen for sure but I nearly never do since timing is so important with smoke. Another useful role for preplanned artillery is to harrass your opponents movement paths. It can be very helpful if you cut off part of his force from coming to the aid of the location you plan to attack. During the battle you can use your artillery to hit points of resistance. For example an at gun, bunker or a trench line. As you advance or scout and you find resistance stop and drop some artillery on it. Warning though this is when I would be plotting a mission on the attacker if I were on defense. So, watch for spotting rounds or hold back most of your attack force while you wait for the shells to arrive. This is also a good time to consider smoke as well. If you have an area with resistance you can drop some HE on it and time some smoke to cover your advance from the defence's supporting troops before you send your men in.

On the attack there are a couple of more options that I sometimes use. For preplanned you can plan where your assault will go and set things up to hit a target area just before you get there. Timing that with no information on the enemy is tricky and I usually only find that works well with an object that is close to your starting position. You can create a plannned smoke screen for sure but I nearly never do since timing is so important with smoke. Another useful role for preplanned artillery is to harrass your opponents movement paths. It can be very helpful if you cut off part of his force from coming to the aid of the location you plan to attack. During the battle you can use your artillery to hit points of resistance. For example an at gun, bunker or a trench line. As you advance or scout and you find resistance stop and drop some artillery on it. Warning though this is when I would be plotting a mission on the attacker if I were on defense. So, watch for spotting rounds or hold back most of your attack force while you wait for the shells to arrive. This is also a good time to consider smoke as well. If you have an area with resistance you can drop some HE on it and time some smoke to cover your advance from the defence's supporting troops before you send your men in.

Yes, it was passed along. The issue is that the cause is not always generic. In other words a fix for one "vehicle gets stuck in a building" does not fix all possible cases. This is similar to the wondering solider bugs that we see from time to time. They still happen but it is not because the previously found problem was not fixed it was because the same result can happen many ways and they get fixed as they get found.

They can ventalate half-tracks too. They usually want to run away once they have a few extra holes.

Lots to cover there. I admit I like precision artillery in CMBS too. When I have it I use it. Once the precision ammo is gone or in ww2 here are some thoughts. On defence. Having TRPs is helpful for sure but you don't have to have them. The key is to do one if two things. Know where your enemy is moving and call a strike in early on their route of advance. Or my preferred method, engage them and when they stop to deal with your defense you hold them up while you make call. To do that you need to protect your best callers. They might be the FO or the mortar platoon HQ. Always make sure they are behind a screen and behind cover if they are not working. For long calls you can move them back and hide while waiting for the spotting rounds to arrive. My preference is to make the calls maximin in length that way you can cancel or adjust then as needed. I would rather have a few to many rounds than not enough. If you are using church towers or other land marks for observation posts be careful and leave or otherwise hide from time to time. Your enemy may (will if it is me) target those locations with area fire. I have had a tank assigned to just hose down and blast a church tower an entire game just to make sure it did not get used for FOs or snipers.

Wow you had a vehicle become free from a building? That I have never seen before. My experience (limited to I think three or four times) is not you can never get out if you get stuck. Honestly the very best thing you can do is report it here with a saved game and someone can reporting it internally. Sometimes there is a fix that can be done. Do you have a save that shows this? Better yet do you have a save of the orders that got your vehicles stuck?

Yes, sorry for the gratuitous short form. I cannot even claim to have been on my phone. Correct, I have a mods sub folder under data, under that I have folders like ui, u, v, etc. (ui for User interface, u for uniforms, v for vehicles) so I can keep things organized. But I also have a sub folder z for just odds and ends and one zz for when I need to make sure a mod wins over anything else I might have. My setup is probably way over kill and paranoid but there a go.

Stuff in data/z would be loaded before stuff in data/mods. The only difference is last in the alpha sort wins.

I am going to go out in a limb here and say it has something to do with CMFB not being quite ready yet. "we are still in the process of completing them. "

You cab upgrade your PBEM games. Just make sure you coordinate that with your opponent. Once you upgrade your opponent will not be able to read the turn file until they upgrade as well. The procedure is to review the latest turn in the old version, move to the command phase and save the game. Then open the saved game in the newer version and generate the new email file. My usual recommendation is to make a copy of your game install first. Rename the new copied dir something that makes sense and then install the patch on top of the copy. That way you can keep playing your PBEM games while you coordinate with your opponents and you can play with the new content.

It would be nice yes. I am pretty sure that the decision not to make then limberable had to do with the separate wheels and the additional animations needed. It is a significant effort to code and they preferred to give us AA guns that didn't limber than delay more. It seems like a good wish list item to me. Perhaps if we bring it up once and a while it might make it in the list. We can hope.

Wow I have only just begun reading this the rest is going to have to wait until the weekend. That must be a record longest post ever too.

LOL but you will be to busy having fun with CMBN to notice.

Actually the German Infantry have the best AT assets because they have the Panzer Fausts which are really nasty for short range and they have the Panzer Shreck for longer range. But the point is that yes dealing with enemy armour is difficult. I think that is why the tank battle is of increased importance in the game especially on small maps. The infantry's usual support of AT guns are less effective if those guns cannot be at range which cannot happen on the smaller maps. But you can deal with enemy tanks in close quarters if they have no infantry protection. So, if you can get your infantry into a location where the tank has to come and get them you can make life difficult for the enemy tanks.

Indeed - no worries. I'll be on the other end of Dropbox waiting.

Yes, I agree. When you withdraw as you suggest look for places where they can ambush that armour - town, forest, farm stead etc. That way if your enemy is too aggressive you can make them pay for it.

That sounds like a threat. I certainly hope it is not. Actually I have no problem with people who disagree with me. None at all. However I will honor your request and ignore you from now on. LOL something I have noticed is that people who spend time insulting others often accuse their targets of having a thin skin or being childish. Sad really.

Nice work you guys! Well done. I liked your lessons @Artemis258 - especially #5 LOL

Indeed. Although I would adjust things slightly to say that I have no real world experience so all I can talk about his how the game works and how past discussions have gone. BFC have a long history of making changes to the game when people present actual evidence. So, if you want to see this stuff changed go find that evidence and present it. Yes, it is your job because other people are fine with these things as they are. If you are bent out of shape because I mocked you a while back for sounding like Rambo then I'll even apologize for that but your snark and insults are not really going to bother me any. All they will mean is you will soon get added to my short list of people on my ignore list. Oh yeah and I would add @womble to that list of helpful people instead of me We really need to get him an avatar.

Wow that is some luck. I could use some of that right about now...

LOL neat was not the word I was looking for. Brilliant work.

So, you have not noticed that your loaded up troops get tired faster and sometimes they cannot be given a fast move order?

Far worse? Far worse? What!! BTW nice ricochet sound.