Sgt Schultz

Yet another facepalm obvious observation that took me this long to get. Halftracks = ironclad C2. From an HMG team, to their secion HQ(who is within shouting distance of their assigned track), all the way up to Btn. As long as the HQs are in shouting distance, and the tracks are assigned properly at purchase and setup(assumption), we are all one big happy family. I may not stick them right out front, but I will certainly try to keep them near any section/non-radio HQs from now on. If you get halftracks in a scenario, don't leave 'em behind. ---

Scout Teams are handy little Heers. One or two will add security and spotting to almost any unit. HMGs, HQs, schreks/zooks... as long as everyone involved is in C2. That is the critical part as always. On their own they're the back to being the Three Amigos. They fill out a halftrack nicely. It is amazing how many places they fit to fill those empty and oh-so-valuable seats. I was a tad downtrodden that I couldn't make the old supertoons from CM1. Not anymore. I just have to create them in the editor instead of on the field. The race is on to find the gameyest supertoon now fellas. -

I must once again express my gratitude and awe at the granularity of the editor. My Heer are happy campers. Step 1. Buy formation Step 2. Select and expand a platoon Step 3. Buy nine Scout Teams for that platoon Step 4. Buy 1 LMG team for same Step 5. Delete regular squads/all other from that platoon ----- Ambush and nom nom nom. ---

Thanks a bunch. Updating my marsh now.

The idea is not as far-fetched as one might imagine. Eisenhower & Co got ideas for the interstate system from riding on the autobahn. Put the date in '45 sometime and fudge things a bit and it could be semi-historical. Basically this is my 'training wheels' map. I made it for CMBO and CMBB to learn the different aspects of the editor. It is what I call a modified quartered mirror map. Most relevant terrain is copied to each side with minor vairations, and since it is a cloverleaf it goes into quarters. Things I learned making this map... Water can no longer be placed at different elevations. (waaaa. goodbye dam map ) I dropped a water tile at a high elevation and got the city well from "300". I wanted to push a prisoner in and yell "This is Sparta!". The large, wide road bridge is approx one meter off to the East. (30 minutes of tweaking frustration to learn) Date makes a difference for dawn/dusk clear battles. I can put the sun right in one side's eyes if I so choose. You can no longer make a railroad/road crossing at 45 degrees. WTF is up with that? Pyramids, dimples and sawteeth are much easier to trowel down, and do not appear as often to begin with. Ninja Grass™(XT) covers a multitude of small editor sins. I am sure I picked up other things, but they seem to be lost in a riesling haze. Back to the plans...

Over twenty-six man-hours. One large bag of Pizza Rolls. Four bottles of Riesling. Three packs of smokes. Two liters of Coca Cola. All I have to do is put in plans. The era of Beer & Pretzels CM is back. Ever have a really bad day at work, and then get stuck in the worst traffic in the world? All you want to do is get home and check your inbox for turn files, but some bluehair dropped her Lawrence Welk CD and caused an accident. The Interstate is jammed. As your eyes glaze over and the Battlefront theme starts to play in your head, you fantasize about what it would be like to just roll on through in a tank. Well friends and neighbors... here's your chance. The map is called "No Exit". The scenario will be called "Rush Hour". -------- Until I get the hang of plans etc, both the map and the scenario will be for Human vs Human only. Forces for each side will be approx ... 5-6 scout car 2 plt inf dismount w/HMG 1 plt inf mounted on halftracks 4-5 med tank (pzIV/Sherm) 2x 81 mortar on map w/halftrack 2x 81 mortar off map ---- Once I get a good night's sleep I will set up the QB map and upload to Proving Grounds I suppose. -

Maps in progress. I played two quick battles and dove into the manual and the editor. Having a blast. First map will be done this weekend.

I was in the 3D view of the editor making a map last night. Noon on the map, but way too late for me. I ALT/TAB to check the forums, then go to bed. With the editor in 3D mode minimised. I come home tonight after work, and realise CM is still running at the bottom. I click to maximise. IT IS ALMOST DARK on the map! Full moon on the horizon. A freakin' clock runs in the editor while you are in 3D view mode. Color me astounded.

Training films try to encourage behavior that will almost never be carried out on a battlefield. Yes, halftracks were used as fire support. No, they probably didn't roll right into the enemy's face with any regularity. Exceptions would be in cases of over-running a formation, when you just roll right through broken or fleeing troops while mounted.

I have a theory that every time the guys at BFC go to fix this bug, they watch it in action. It's worth keeping in for the comedic effect. I had a berserker crew run all the way down from the Ami ridge to the village in Closing the Pocket to assault the Panther that killed their tank. I'll give them props for getting as close as they did before being snuffed.

Now while I enjoy putting my pixeltruppen through their paces, and the panzers are a treat, it's towed guns all the way. Mortars are fun, but are for sissies who are too afraid to show themselves. A 150mm IG will take out all the infantry one would care to place in range. A 75mm ATG(or lord help you an 88) will ring any tanks bell. and still rack up the infantry body count. So, while I use combined arms every time, it is still the old skool weapons I prefer. -

I am noticing quite a few posts relating difficulty in controlling the camera. In my meager travels across the maps I have found a few tips that may help. I do not use the keyboard to move the camera, unless it is the TAB key to lock on to a unit. The keyboard will only raise your blood pressure. This is my method. Place cursor in lower right area of screen(any corner/place will do, my choice). Hold down left mouse button. SLOWWWLY move your cursor to the left, right, up and down. You will notice that the farther you drag your cursor from its start position on the screen, the faster the camera moves. Now try holding down the RIGHT mouse button, and repeating the process for pan functions. Next, use the mouse wheel for altitude adjustments. With a little practice, I was following tanks as they flew down hills on FAST without a lock-on. Hope this helps. Back to my QB.

... cancelled everything in their so-called 'real lives' for at least the next 24 hours? Due to a 'happy' coincidence, I threw out my shoulder today, so after the Dr. appointment tomorrow, I am diving in. I get to stay up late tonight buying forces for my 1st QB. Thanks BFC. This is the perfect painkiller for me. If anyone wants to try a large PBEM assault against my German defenders... let me know. Four files a day minimum from me.

Got home from work to my precious email. 37% complete and still cranking at 1.08 M/sec

Loving every minute. Big win BFC.

Old GeForce 9800 GTX w/512 DDR3. Nothing special at all. These pics are horrid stripped down photobucket JPGs. I have yet to optimise my vid card settings for CM and perform other infranview tweaks, or find a decent place to load huge files. I also don't like killing people with huge file size pics on a forum post. I can produce desktops soon, once the mods come out after release. -- Aye, a human would have ripped me to shreds. All that wasted Ami 105 could have kept me hopping a lot more. Even a human could not have done much about the approach march though. That picture doesn't do the smoke screen justice. The left HMG pair saw anything not covered in smoke. The center PSW nosed just far enough forward to plink at anyone in the middle who poked his nose up. The Hail Mary bazooka rounds all missed. If the AI had held fire it would have sneaked up closer, and died. I would love to play a human Ami opponent, if I could add another 'toon and maybe a single PzIV or StuG at start. Otherwise it is a sure loser. Human controlled arty alone is a 'toons worth of casualties and this scenario has points for that. All in all it is a fun, well designed scenario. A few map tweaks could be suggested, but that is personal taste. What was unusual about my approach? It seemed like a case of logical elimination. Take one objective and position my entire force within striking distance of the main without a single casualty(except for Cpt Klunk).

Back to Main Street... He's out there... I can feel him. I just can't see him. A shape appears... Hello Kitty! ---- The four Marders gave their lives in trade one for one, dueling at max range with the Ami overwatch. Both Panthers ended up immobilised just before killing their final victims. The Yank troops were done for the day before I rolled onto the objective. The broken remnants were attended to as they showed themselves. Most friendly infantry casualties were riesling-induced, rather than the fortunes of war. Stopping a squad in plain sight of a 'zooka team can never end well. Doing it twice in three minutes gave me another half-dozen letters to write. It was a fun time, but a human opponent is needed. The AI dropped an insane amount of arty on a set-up ridge I never occupied in the first place. I can see that this would be nigh unto impossible to win with a decent human Ami player. Salute to the designer and BFC.

TTG 29:07. 105s falling like mad. LOS breaking up all over. Hoping to see a column of smoke from a lucky top hit. TTG 29:01. Heeheeheehee. I seeee youuu. From the other side... So, it's now orders time. My other Panther is to the my left as I face the village, and managing the approaches. It cannot pull back and re-position. If I lose the upcoming duel, my job will become infinitely more difficult. I choose to meet my foe head on and lean right up on the barrage line. Narrow arc set... check. Fast order in... check. Sacrifice goat to the Panzer Gods... check. Push the red button. Oh Em Gee, the arty is still falling. Buildings failing. Smoke and dust everywhere. CRACK! I am staring at one Panther so hard, I forgot the other. Buh-bye Mr Sherman. That Panther eats a few TDs on the ridgeline over the rest of the battle after pushing across the gully and becoming immobilised by a victim.

While the clock ticks down, we find out how many licks it takes to get to the center of a 57mm ATG crew. More than two full minutes of constant fire from a platoon plus. I don't think the ATG got off more than three rounds. The arrival of my Kitties breaks up the monotony. I need to OWN both the village and the approaches. I have a grand total of TWO tanks to do it with. I have only one order for my Panther crews .... floor it! I am in position. The arty is a' fallin'. My boys have flushed anything facing me. Smoke 'em if ya got 'em, 'cause it's about to get nasty. The last rounds of 105mm are either in flight or in the tubes. It's time to lean on that barrage. As my Panthers ease forward, someone pokes his nose up... Then it happens. I detect the opportunity for greatness. It cost me a PSW, but I gained endless replays from countless angles. It begins with my certain knowledge that there is enemy armor present. I must know where it is, and gauge its intentions. My far right PSW sneaks a look. Poof. Found 'em. Others take up where the PSW left off for keeping them in view. The column of smoke is ... you guessed it, the PSW. Note the blue circles around the time in the next series of pics. The indicated tank has a date with destiny. The ATG that is circled is never heard from again. I have not gone back to see what killed it, but I remember worrying about it until other things took precedence. Time To Go is 29:47. Meanwhile... on the other side of the village...

Please excuse the lo-rez pics. I will do better next time. This is not a standard AAR. Just a few musings and a description of a crucial battle, with some pics. The scenario turned into a bit of a cakewalk, so a real AAR will have to wait. This post does show why I choose WEGO over RT in most respects. I trade the gameyness of uber-intel for the ability to see every single consequence... over and over again. No finer training tool. It is a different type of immersion that suits me. I glanced at the Ami side, but once I saw it could be played by either I jumped to my beloved Heer. The first thing I noticed was the map configuration. After a good look at my side, I went over and looked from the other side of the map. I said to myself, "Self, what we have here is a mirror map with a few variations to disguise it." I divided the map into thirds along the axis of attack from the terrain and road positions. My right side looks like something I saw on the Military Channel. It was a gunnery range for M1 tanks. The Ami reinforcements will most likely be charging over that hill and own the entire side. I don't want to be there when they arrive. The center I reject out of hand. That stretch of sparse woods may as well be named "Primrose Path" in the editor. Just enough concealment and cover to be tempting, but a meatgrinder if I ever saw one. With another 'toon and some initial armor I may have attempted it. That leaves my left. Hmmm. Wind is blowing to the SE. The building line angles from NW to SE. That stream has a bank. The road holds possibilities for rapid armor response. Left sidemon ... I choose you! Prep barrage is set for all smoke from all guns with a linear mission along the commune line. Everyone else hides. Two minutes in, and the smoke is building nicely. An initial facing error on my part made for a fortuitous smoke mission from a single 81mm team. They dropped one on my rear left map corner and 'adjusted' to just over the crest of my initial hill. I stopped them after the first minute, but it gave my troops a wonderful edge when they skylined and started down the hill. This shows my initial positions. Not enough for the mission at hand, but it will have to do. Final smoke rounds are falling and it's time to get moving. Two 'toons and two PSW head for the bridge. This next shot gives you an idea of just how safe the trip down the hill was. My men could have walked up and rung every bell in that line of houses. Made it all that way to the bridge without a single casualty... or so I thought. One KIA. The fattest, slowest, lard-butted, monocle-polishing Captain that ever limped into battle won't be limping out of this one. The highest ranking officer on the field takes a single stray round as he rambles down to catch up to his guards. Moral of the story... lead from the front, you dead moron. Oh well... onward. The smoke is clearing and it's time to lay down some hurt. I realise about now that it will take NINE MINUTES to start my 105mm barrage. So that means my boys get to do the lateral dance to keep those pesky 60mm's away. The 81s will be showering the village with love soon™ though.

I thought they were just slipping on the cow pies in the fields. It was an extra layer of immersion for me and them. -

Once they get their daily three hours of sleep and tackle their Window$ issue I am sure there will be an announcement. They also may have some thing going where they cannot start the downloads until they ship our precious steelboxes. In any case I would not expect action on a weekend. Prove me wrong BFC... ohhh puuulleeez prove me wrong.

Finally got a day off work to play one all the way through. My first impression... If I could justify any need at all for a second copy, I would order one now just to support BFC. Niggling tweaks that are on the list™ aside, in my opinion this sim is a home run in every respect. The incredible camera control will force me to purchase a new hard drive to hold nothing but fraps of CM turn replays while I imagine I am Mr. Coppola. Seven to ten minutes in replays per turn. I laugh, I cry, I want to see it again and again. Two thumbs up sirs! *

I experienced about three minutes of frustration before I parsed the reasoning behind my unit positioning troubles. Folks need to realise that this is the engine, so this is our world. BFC has provided... now we must go forth and be fruitful. The world will be as good as WE make it. All this means is you are whinging in the wrong direction my friends. MAP MAKERS must take into account that folks want a treeline to provide enough depth for dark blue lines. MAP MAKERS must be aware of their action spot/reverse slope positions. MAP MAKERS must make buildings large enough so a single HQ isn't figuratively hanging out the window to be shot by anyone. BFC is probably in no mood for an engine tweak at the moment, so we need to step up. We have the tools, the talent and the time. Get to work.

Lovin' it. Working 10+ hours a day six days a week now(ofc), so not too much time to play with it. I am as happy as I knew I would be, and am glad I pre-ordered. -