eltorrente

Uhhh.. yes, I know. Which is why it makes no sense to assume that since he doesn't play AI, that that would mean that he doesn't play QBs. QB's are for Human vs Human.

Wow, that's much less of an angle than I thought it would be. Not that I've looked at the stats or done the math or anything... but I just assumed the round would be coming in several degrees steeper than that at that range. Interesting - thanks for posting.

This statement makes no sense to me. The AI is HORRIBLE in QB's, therefore the only way to play QB's is against a human - unless you want a ridiculously easy game every time. Even the scenarios that people put so much thought into in making AI plans are simply too easy and that makes it no fun. As you can tell, I don't like playing the AI either - therefore I play QB's quite a bit.

Everyone is talking about MG's lack of accuracy and effectiveness - but what about the other 2-5 rifleman that accompany the MG gunner(s)? I think 2 rifleman in cover could easily stop 12 guys running at them across flat ground for hundreds of meters... Heck just one good rifleman could probably stop them. Instead of keying in on just the MG gunners, we should perhaps think about everyone with a gun.

Here's yet another FOW issue that should never be possible: Double click an enemy icon, and all of the units in his formation also light up! There's no way you should be able to do this. One of my PBEM's is an A/D with me as the attacker. It's raining and dark, and my troops were moving through some woods on a wide front. My lead units suddently get into some small firefights with 3 small enemy Sections which were spread out ~250 yards or so. I thought - uh oh, he's attacking me - I wonder how many platoons he's sending at me. I clicked on the enemy units, and he sent sections 3A, 3B, and 3C. Interesting.. I wonder if they are from the same squad or are in different platoons? I double clicked one, and they all lit up. Oh.. no worries - he just split one single squad and is sending out some scouts. I don't have to worry about preparing for several platoons coming at me. If you double click any enemy leader, it'll show all of their subordinates. WAY too much information. I believe that all these "Too Much Information" issues are affecting gameplay and really take away from realism.

Well, if we ever play a PBEM - I welcome you to charge across open fields at me every chance you get. I would enjoy that.

Based on what I've seen in many PBEM's, I have to say that MG's do a pretty good job. I've had many, many games that an MG unit in a good position has made a huge difference in battles. They suppress positions from a distance, and that's their primary role - at least in my battles. Often I'll take a look after a battle and see how many kills my hero MG team got, and maybe it got 3 kills, or maybe 7, whatever.. but that isn't the key to their success. When I'm in a heated battle, enemy MG's firing at me are targetted and taken out as soon as I can. They have a big impact on any firefight. I don't charge across a field at them, either - and my opponents don't try either, so I can't talk much about their inaccuracy and lethality against charging (foolish) troops. They're rarely the only guys firing at a particular unit, either. They are always back as far as I can be while still having LOS on the firefight. If I area fire on a building, or a piece of terrain - the enemy hits the deck and keeps their heads down. Making them more accurate will make them even more powerful than they already are. I'm just speaking anecdotally and haven't run 100 tests determining accuracy - instead I'm speaking of actual in-game situations in PBEM's, with all the craziness that goes on in any given game, and have always found them quite powerful and valuable units. They are always worthy of being targetted as soon as they are spotted. They are NEVER ignored because they aren't lethal enough, that's for sure.

That's true as far as soldiers' individual radios are concerned. However, all you need is any vehicle with a radio to be parked with 20meters or so of the mortar squad, and they'll be able to make use of it. EDIT: oh- you know this already, since you posted about vehicle's radios in this thread already.

I couldn't agree more. I always try and encourage people to take the plunge and give PBEM a try. I find that many people are worried that they aren't practiced enough, and should play the AI more before playing a human. It's just such a HUGE leap when the enemy is an actual thinking human, who will try all sorts of crazy tactics, and respond and adjust to what you are doing. I just can't get into playing the AI. The games don't mean as much, and it isn't as satisfying to destroy a tank or take a crucial position against the AI. Against a human though - killing a certain unit or pulling off a good move is soooooo satisfying. PBEM is where the game REALLY shines, and is where you really learn to use tactics. You can only learn so much playing against the AI, which is dumb and has no clue about strategy and will never actually respond to what you are doing.

No, you CAN'T see the enemy mortar fire unless one of your troops actually has visibility on the mortar crew. The rounds will be invisible until they hit in that case. However, you can ALWAYS pinpoint exactly where they are, even if none of your troops actually hears them. If the mortar is 1000 yards away, behind a hill, you can still hear them perfectly.

LOL I honestly thought, after playing countless games of CMx2 so far, that the only way to order smoke was by direct fire. I never questioned it. I guess I missed the option once or twice, or maybe just ignored it - and I only keyed in on the direct fire option. The game just got easier for me..

Ha - yes, me too. When I was a kid, it would come on really late at night (at least it seemed late to my 7 yr old mind), I think on weekends. It was reruns when I was watching it - in the mid seventies. I always had vivid memories of them taking out everything they saw with those .50's, and narrow escapes as they jumped over the dunes. Great stuff.. I checked, and the disks are available on Netflix. I think I'll check them out and get inspired to do some jeep-ops.

That's surprising to take out a Tiger with an AT grenade.. In my experience so far in CMFI (I've had just two PBEM's vs Tigers so far) I've found that even bazooka penetrations to the side of Tigers don't often take it out. In one battle, I had 3 bazooka-equipped units shooting at an advancing Tiger. I had a few penetrations in the side and partial in the turret, yet it still lived. After maybe 5-7 hits total, it was immobilized away from a VL - lucky for me. AT grenades always seem to hit the side, but never penetrate or even partial pentrate (from what I've seen). I've never seen one take out a Sherman or PZIV. I've seen them bounce off the front armor of M3's a few times, too. I've had AT grenades come through the front of Marders and ATV's though, but not even injure anyone. If they do injure, it's usually just one guy. I usually don't worry about them at all. After seeing one take a Stug out, though - I'm going to be more wary.

Well, for what it's worth.. I did the "save trick" mentioned in this thread, to convert the 1.0 pbem save into a 1.01, and it seems to have worked. In one PBEM, we converted our turn into the patched version and the buildings looked fine (it's at night though, so not sure if that matters). In another PBEM, we started a new game with the latest version and it looks fine.

In the perfect situation, I would open fire with a distant unit while I kept my ambushing units hidden. I would unhide them when I thought the enemy were committed to moving into my ambush zone. Often I just give them cover arcs and don't hide them, because they'll stay hidden most of the time, and will react to a situation I'm not necessarily anticipating. I don't play realtime, so in normal PBEM's, I think you shouldn't hide troops unless you have a good distance to see the enemy and react in the space of one minute. Your opponent could use Quick move to cover 100yards before you can react in one minute, for instance.

Next time you do a battle where you pick your own troops, you should pick elite/fanatic/+2 jeeps with .50's. You'll be able to perform decisive actions like Rat Patrol: The really good troops also get their own lunchboxes (which helps morale):

Awesome! Thanks. It sounds like a logical way to get PBEM's patched up mid-game. I'll post that tip on TheBlitz.org too, which is the ladder site that I often play at. However - I'll be sure to tell them I haven't tried it yet, though it seems like it will work.

It says it's safe for current save games - so does that mean PBEM's are safe, too?

I always count on those things not working - however in a recent PBEM, my American AT grenade took out an undamaged Stug as it came over a hill. My bazooka guy never even had to fire - the AT grenade hit it in the side and penetrated, and knocked it out in one shot. Normally, I figure they are just good for halftracks and other infantry. I think there's a good chance they can take out the Priest if they are in position.

I don't worry about ammo, except for mortars and bazookas. I take note of heavy MG ammo, if I am using them to area fire, or if they've been firing on distant targets for several turns. If I'm playing the computer, I watch my turns a couple times and don't get into the ground level much - just because it's hard for me to "get into" the game against the computer. When I'm playing PBEM's, which is most of the time, I watch each movie with great interest. I play almost like a role-playing game, where I care about each unit and each soldier. I HATE it when one of my guys dies. I like to unit lock on various units and watch the turn from their level, and see what they are seeing. I stick to ground level for several replays from different angles, and look for every dip and bump in the ground, trying to find the best places to go. I've found that I'm MUCH more successful when I take the time to watch from ground level, otherwise I miss important terrain features. I also like to make sure I watch the map zoomed out from straight above, where I can see the entire thing. This gives me a good strategic view, and it helps me see the overall lines and get a good feel for the situation. For a large battle PBEM, I often take 30minutes to an hour just watching the replay. However - this time is also spent planning and contemplating my next move(s). I like to plan during the replay, because I can take a careful look at how a firefight is going, which way a unit is moving or coming from, maybe a unit is invisible at the end of the turn, but I saw him moving over here during the replay, etc - and it helps to really understand the situation fully before you commit to a plan in the orders phase.

Wow - you took a lot of tanks.. I usually take 2 tanks per 3 platoons of infantry. I'm looking forward to how you used them in this battle - should be interesting. I just got done with a PBEM where I had 5 Shermans vs 13 PZIV's, and I won because of bazookas mostly. This map seems to be better for tanks, though. I love reading AARs..

That's funny, and I've actually played some games against the AI with a similar setup. I'd recommend anyone that wants to learn how to use artillery to try this. Anyway, Create a large/huge attack/defend battle where you are the attacker vs the AI, and pick a platoon of elite infantry, an FO, and spend the rest on artillery. Maybe turn rarity off so you can pick whatever rare/odd artillery you want. It's a lot of fun to find the enemy and use just enough arty to take them out, and clear an avenue of approach. That's how I learned to use artillery and mortars. I've done similar things with a platoon of elite/fanatic/+2 infantry with lots of extra ammo (acquired from trucks in setup) vs a company or 2 of poorly trained infantry. This is pretty much the only time I play against the AI - when I have a fun unbalanced battle in mind. Otherwise, PBEM is the only way to fully appreciate the game IMO.

One of my favorite dogfights of all time. Voss was the MAN.

Advancing troops are vulnerable to just a few guys that are laying down in cover, waiting for them. I think it'll be a good fight at the end and am looking forward to lots of screenshots.

If both players cease fire, then the game will end. Are you saying that if both players decide to cease fire, that the game will just decide that it doesn't agree with them and keep going and going? I really doubt that, and have never seen that.