altipueri

Aren't you supposed to put all those figures in a spreadsheet, calculate the mean and standard deviation, and then work out the probability of each occurrence? It looks to me that your data set is probably large enough to give reasonable results. And I think that even if the game engine is using some sort of random genrator or other distribution the aggregation of those results should themselves be a normal distribution. There seems to a considerable increase in the number of less than 10 second spottings in the second series, so maybe a normal distribution isn't correct.

I would have thought the USS Vincennes was an example to examine. Nothing like a lawyer in pursuit of a fee.

I do find it odd that in a forum on game where the object is to kill and maim people you get auto censored for using a rude word about bodily functions or ticked off for denigrating a pixelated enemy. But you are allowed to be called ignorant. I do however take comfort from the fact that ignorance is temporary whereas stupidity is permanent. There are uncomfortable parallels between the way religious and military organisations take new recruits and indoctrinate them. First removing freedom of thought and action, and then building obedience and loyalty to a creed or unit, punishing physically, ritualistically and often bizarrely those who continue to show individuality. Human beings seem particularly susceptible to this. It's like blindly agreeing with whatever mother says, irrespective of whether she is drunk or sober. The Internet is full of these weird tribalisms be they Canon/Nikon or Apple/Microsoft. In each case there is displayed all the disadvantages of arguments in public. I will continue to play CMBN despite its flaws, not least because as XP fades to dust CMBN will be the only choice unless a new contender arrives. My disappointment with CMBN has meant that I've spent more time on games such as Command Ops, Hearts of Iron, Advanced Tactics, and various offering by AGEOD. I'm actually something of an evangelist for wargames, buying them and giving them to people who express some interest in history. This of course is harder to do these days as there are fewer retail shops but I scour the shelves for the few offerings still available.

Well I started this so I'd better reply. I've been around since before the days of DOS, but didn't go for CMSF because killing ragheads with modern weapons isn't my thing. And frankly the meddling in Afghanistan is such an embarrassing reminder of the 1842 retreat from Kabul that I pray the soul of Doctor Brydon isn't spinning in his grave. I just fired up a scenario, "Chance Encounter", which exists both on my XP machine with CMBO and Win8 with CMBN. If you have both yourself try it, side by side, turn by turn. At least CMBN has more landmarks e.g. Road to Somefink St Grammont Abbey Steve's Cafe Mord's Meadows JuJu's Modshop Culliton's House Memorial for the Unknown Modder Compare the number of mouse clicks, amount of mouse movement, number of cardboard cutouts vs number of crabs scuttling, the nice data base when you've spotted something and decide for yourself. Oh **** it's a Stug III, back up guys. Aaargh. “The old order changeth, yielding place to new, And God fulfils himself in many ways, Lest one good custom should corrupt the world."

In other words for most captains/lieutenants and men its walk/drive down that road until you get blown up. Take your turn as the point man. Hope that when you get hit it doesn't actually hurt that much and you get a ticket home, or an instant wipe-out. Being cooked by a flamethrower is to be avoided. Bloody glad I wasn't there.

Given the number of issues on the forum at the moment we don't seem to be much better off than CMx1 (apart from better graphics) on a number of realism related matters. If you want realism, you've got to play ground level and map level only. No 3D flying round the farm mode. Reality is such a let down.

“In the Soviet Union, it's takes more courage to retreat than advance.” ― Joseph Stalin

I think BadgerDog's point should be well taken. It's bloody hard to spot a stationary vehicle even if you are stationary with binoculars, let alone moving (ever tried using binos moving?) or peering through a vision block.

Sounds like real life AAR.

Just go and look through your own front door's letter box.

Where are the horses? Didn't we Brits still have a man to hold the horses even after the artillery was motorised? The army is more socialist than most people realise.

I think CM maps are mostly too small for indirect fire other than mortars. Even then some one has to have LOS don't they? You cannot blast bit of a map unless someone (with fire authority and contact or whatever) can see the target.

QBs are the worst feature of CMx2. It's a disgrace.

What about the horses?

"Drop to Destiny" was the scenario I think. I just tried it again.

CM1 still more fun than CM2 This is like some religious cult with BFC as Pope - what Pope says goes. Just look at, or load up Steel Panthers, or download it (free) if you haven't got it. Set realism settings on a dozen or two settings to what you want. The whole power of PCs is you can play pretty much the way you want. Clearly if you are playing H2H you should have similar settings (although even that doesn't apply if you are playing a friend or opponent you know is stronger or weaker). A thousand years ago my Dad taught me chess by him playing without the Queen. Once I started winning it became evens. Merry bloody Christmas.

You shouldn't call the wife "it." But, if you kill it, you can turn the music up as loud as you want.

Me too. I've probably watched less than five hours TV this year. TV is receive only. Web is interactive.

For the average soldier: O is for obstacle B is for bomb X is for your grave marker

This is why this game is hard work. Click this way rather than click that or your guys stand around doing something stupid. I thought the whole point of TacAI was that squads didn't have to have their noses wiped for them.

I've got it just about working on an Asus T100 transformer tablet - one of those where you break the screen off .. etc. Well, I can't avoid the stretched screen thing, but hey, only wimps and posers want great graphics in a wargame.

Life was so much easier when I played table top wargames and if the bazooka was in range - we said 100 yards max - roll a dice and 5 or 6 is a hit. Which is about the same 33% the OP was getting. Things are being over complicated and over analysed for no significant increase "realism."

I thought it all came free with Windows 8.1.

Blimey I thought skirmish lines were from Napoleonic time.

Those Devils in Baggy Pants by Ross Carter.