A Canadian Cat

I only started playing CMBB a few months ago - while waiting for CMBN to be released. I finally got FRAPS to work with it (newest version has a fix that makes it work). Here is an amazing shot that happened in a QB I was playing with a friend. I was totally in control of things. My infantry supported by a platoon of Wespes was chewing up his infantry left and right. Then out of know where and IS2 showed up. The turn before the platoon HQ in the building next to the Wespes saw it coming and yelled down to warn the SP gunners. They immediately tried to reposition themselves to be ready for the coming threat. They were not fast enough: After that things went down hill fast. His T34 on the other side of the board managed to take out the other two Wespes and slowly his infantry supported by the tanks ground me down. I spent the whole game trying to deal with those tanks and never got anywhere against them. I came close twice but my guys were just two messed up to get close enough to deliver the demo charges.

When you screw up the movement orders of your scouts and they run down the middle of the road in stead of sneaking along the hedge row there is a M10 sitting there covering the road.

Yes, that is a really good point. The first time I played it took me a long time to figure out why one of my tanks would not do what I asked. I finally realized that it was getting hit by MG fire and stopping. The hunt command is great for preventing your guys from walking 100m down a road taking fire all the way but no so good when you want your tank to move up and there are small arms bullets flying around.

Yeah, it sure can happen - even in the old games. While waiting for CMBN I was playing CMBB with a friend. I had two Wespes hiding in the trees chewing up some infantry. Suddenly a IS2 showed up that I had no idea he had. Before my guys could turn their guns around the near one was blasted by the 122mm and the explosion plus secondary was so big it took out the other Wespe too. One shot two kills. I just got FRAPs working and I need to go find that turn because it was pretty cool even in the old game. I learned lots of lessons that game.

Plus, just because the attack kicked off at 0655 doesn't mean anything interesting tactically happened right away. There could be half an hour of getting into position and waiting for the scouting reports to come back.

Yeah I'll rate it once I play it but right now I have four old CMBB games that are finishing up, two new Quick battles in CMBN plus the self training scenarios I'm working on (not the prescribed ones my own choices :-). Then I have plans to do a PBEM scenario and hopefully try out a campaign. After all that this one will be close to the top of the list. So much to see so little time.

When I use the system on the first link in my previous message I see the same times (well within 10min). It is showing local time and no day light savings.

Thanks for the info. That will be very helpful. The orders at way point system is so powerful. I love setting up a tank to move and fire at multiple area targets in a turn. We just need a dismount command that passengers can use at a given way point. Then we could do what ever we want.

I found a few - not really tables but you enter a date and place and it spits out an answer. This one is cool: http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/grad/solcalc/ Use the map to centre the place you want the times for. It suggests clicking on a pre-placed pin that will be in the same time zone. For example Paris and then move the map so the place you want is centred. Then enter the date out pops the times. But here are two more: http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneDay.php http://www.sunrisesunset.com/predefined.asp

I would be interested but I'm not the most prolific player - usually one turn per day. I am happy playing the Germans.

Are you saying that the cooking off amo caused that crater? Holly smoke - pun intended. I had a Sherman cook off amo for a really long time after getting taken out but it never created a crater. Amazing.

Go for it. Speaking which how do you indicate to the game that a map you design is suitable for QB or not? What I'm getting at is, if it has no AI plans how does the game know that the map should only be used for human on human battles. Of if you create a AI plans for infantry only how does the game know not to use the map for QBs with armour?

That looks amazing. What is the size of your map - it looks pretty big. When you make the scenario available I would be interested in try it out. Ian

I have experienced you pain as well. More common for me is trying to give orders while in play back mode. At least I figure out my mistake without messing things up. Not a bad idea. Colour alone is not always the best way to denote change. I would suggest the button be a green circle during the order phase for "Go". It could even say "Go" right on it - if translation allows. During the play back phase make it a red octagon for Stop. That could cause some confusion between stopping the play back temporarily and exiting the play back mode. Another alternative could be a red rectangle with "Exit" on it. Please, please do *not* do this. There is no worse sin in UI design than to add confirmation dialogs for normal activities. This is the kind of thing that makes people yell at their computers "Yes, of course, I just *told* you to do that". That could work too.

On the Battle for Normandy forum page http://www.battlefront.com/community/forumdisplay.php?f=124 at the top there are two sub forums listed. One for tech support and the one you care about: CM Normandy Maps and Mods.

They put one up today at the top of the thread list page or http://www.battlefront.com/community/forumdisplay.php?f=126

A few months ago discovered this game and found a great thread that had links to useful tactics discussion threads. I sure looked like a wonderful collection of useful stuff but none of the links worked. It seems some forum maintenance meant the links no longer worked. I searched and found what I feel are probably most of the articles. A few I could not find and some seemed to have more then one relevant thread. After I posted the new anthology in the CM1x game forum, Michael Emrys suggested that once the new game arrives people might find those old articles useful. I present you with a list of links from the discussion forums for the old games on tactics. I think if you focus on the tactical part of the discussions there are good lessons to be learned from all this. I certainly learned to play better by reading them. The parts that include "game UI instructions" often will have differences in the new game, but if you focus on what the orders mean to the soldiers and how to respond to certain situations there is value in these old discussions. A Radical New Approach to the Meeting Engagement Advance to Contact - Techniques Advance to contact Advancing troops Ammo Conservation Tips Armor vs Armor tactics Armor vs Armor tactics 2 Assaulting a town (night) AT Gun Usage AT Guns in an Offensive Role AT Guns in an Offensive Role 2 AT Guns in defense AT Guns vs Tanks duel Avoiding traffic jams Avoiding traffic jams 2 Best tank Bogging Building assault tactics Defending against artillery in a town Defending Defending 2 Defending 3 Defense tactics Defensive tactics for artillery bombardment Entering buildings Exiting units Finding MP games Flame Throwers Foxholes German Infantry in the Closed Defense Going Hull Down Going Hull Down 2 Going Hull Down 3 Halftrack and Armored Car uses Company / Battalion HQ's Hiding Tanks How to break contact How to use smoke effectively Killing Pillboxes Meeting Engagement Tactics MGs on the Attack Morale affects Mortar Targeting Mortar Targeting 2 Moving tanks Night game tactics Offensive Consolidation Leaving the Armor Free Panzerschrek unit usage Priest usage Purchasing Arty Rifle squads and buildings Rushing Tactics Sharp Shooters Sharpshooters Sneak or crawl Sneak or crawl 2 Some tips for newbie defenders Sound Map Splitting squads Splitting squads 2 Spotting enemy AT Guns Squad spacing Stone Walls Taking Bridges Tank Techniques Tank vs Tank engagements Advice please Tips on Hiding TRPs Tutorial - Tank vs. Tank Company HQ Leadership Bonuses (was Using CC bonuses) Using hunt with tanks Using Mortars Which unit to shoot at first Withdrawal on The Attack (staying Flexible) Withdrawal Withdrawal 2 Enjoy, Ian

I've only played the Road to Berlin scenario a couple of times now (getting a feel for the diff between Vetran, Warrior and Elite) and I have noticed that the Germans keep trying to do my Shermans in from 200m plus. So far I'm not worried at all. My tankers have not suffered any ill effects from such fire. So, the Germans can just keep right on shooting away. Now if I were commanding the Germans I'd be telling my guys to wait until those tanks get closer. It seems to me that the weapons are being modeled OK. Perhaps its my disciplined advance that keeps the tanks just out of reach while supporting my infantry. That AT gun is a whole different matter - where is it this time?

I will defiantly try this out. I have been using the mouse at the far edges of the screen to navigate - just like I did in CMBB and AK. I always hated how jumpy that ended up being (can't control the speed and always over shooting and then backing up). I had been excited about the keyboard keys for camera control but they have been spiking my blood pressure too. LOL my blood pressure goes up when using the key board because the speed the camera moves keeps changing. I'll be humming along using the W key to move the camera forward (along with the Q and E keys to tweak the direction) happy as a clam and then it will come to some trees and ssssslllllooooowwww to a crawl. When I use the mouse that does not happen.

What is he shooting at? It looks like he is just firing it off high into the air.

Excellent thanks to all those that posted how to cease firing. All I can say is I need a better imagination:). Now that you spell it out its obvious that I already knew how to do it for the advancing guys - and it is just the same for the stationary guys. I was just not able to make the leap to give the stationary guys a move order. Sounds like a face order can be used too. I'll experiment - thanks for what will be a very useful technique. Ian

Yep I did the same thing with an HMG crew - oops.

I would love to get fancy:). I know how to get the moving squads to pause and wait for 20s. But how do I set the guys doing the covering fire to only fire for the first 20s of a turn? Ian

Not sure if it was a failure but it sure was strange. I have two squads an assault order to enter a house while being covered by a thrid squad and a tank. The first squad was a bit a head and moved in no problem and started shooting at the Germans in the next building over. They all huddled around the windows at one end and fired away. The second squad entered the building and once most of the squad was inside started doing this dance from one side of the building to the other. I was like they were restless and unable to just sit down. Once the whole squad was inside they kept on doing for the rest of the turn. One or two of them would go back and forth back and forth. It was like they were saying "give us a turn guys, let us have some room at the windows". At the end of the turn I noticed that the first squad was nervous and the second one was rattled. They sure looked rattled. So, perhaps that was it. Next turn the stopped and joined their mates to provide covering fire for the third squad. Once the Platoon HQ got in their a few turns later they were no longer rattled. Ian

Come to think of it my infantry coming under fire was how I found the AT gun in the Road to Berlin scenario. Up to that point it had KO'ed a Sherman and bounced a couple of rounds off another but the tanks were clueless as to where it was or even what direction. I had to hold them back. As soon as one of my squads came under HE fire (well after the settled down any way) my guys spotted them. After that it took some work but eventually they took care of it. If I had been the German commander I would *not* have wanted my guys to bother firing at that squad - it was over 300m away and there was German infantry between the gun and the Americans that had not even been engaged yet. +1 for cover armor Ian