kohlenklau

OK, maybe we should define reserves versus reinforcements. Reserves: I usually play some fairly small scale battles so my reserves could/would be on map and require no special settings. The bigger the units the more it might be off-map available platoon or company or whatever awaiting commitment if needed/requested. LIke Theater of War had you designate units as reserves prior to battle start IIRC. Maybe you as human player could hit a button and request reserves to bolster defense or exploit success as attacker. sub-routine could do its black-box and either release reserves or say no. No adding to failure, etc. Reinforcements: If we had a couple dials to adjust arrival we could make a reinforcement seem like a random, lucky thing or a real world delayed unit that was supposed to be in the line-up. I kind of laugh when the briefing says that some Sherman platoon and 1 platoon of troops will be there exactly at 20 minutes. No Murphy's law in CMBN! Of course then you can adjust the time +/-. NOW, I don't know clearly for CMBN reserves arrival, does the game engine do a single calc knowing your 45+/-30 window as game loads prior to start and this results in a a time in the overall game timeframe where that reinforcement will arrive window or is it a continuous new die roll after each minute in the 45+/-30 window? More die rolls equals more variation and thus replayability for us stay at home, non-H2H folks. One more thing: I used to love writing Ardennes Offensive type scenarios for CMAK and the reinforcements would also equate to units pulling back or rallying and getting mixed up in the fray. Your side could be getting waxed and low and behold a sherman wanders through and decides to bolster your defense of some unknown cross-roads. A lot of fun. Bottomline we need a few more dials for reinforcements. Chance of arrival 1 to 100 after radio button for probability is clicked. Please please please!

Poor introverted Heinrich, he could see the other kids playing outside but he just didn't have the confidence to go and meet them.

I really liked the ability in CMX1 to adjust probability from 1 chance in 100 up to 100 in 100 chance of a specific reinforcement's arrival after a certain turn in the battle. This really added some cool surprises to scenarios I made up and played against the AI. Like a 1% chance that sometime in the battle the enemy would get a certain heavy tank. It would always be a possibility adding excitement to the game. Or for your own side, the hope that a certain reinforcement might arrive at any time. I have made up a few scenarios in CMBN but that range of time +/- for reinforcement arrival with no probability dial just doesn't give me that same worrisome feeling/clinging hope. What are some other folks feelings? This of course would be a good thing even with H2H battles. Like a wild card effect? Any chance we could drag this feature back into the editor?

I rather enjoyed "The Battle of Sicily: How the allies lost their chance for total victory" by Samuel W. Mitcham Jr and Friedrich von Stauffenberg. It tells the story slightly more from the German side about how General Hans Valentin Hube, commander of XIV Panzer Corps pulled off a Dunkirk, etc. Also, a side note I have to pull out my VHS copy of International Historic Videos with the appropriate weekly German newsreel Die Deutshce Volkenshau to watch the FJ jumping into Sicily as reinforcements. Plus other German footage from Sicily. And maybe watch Big Red One with Lee Marvin...I better get a bottle or 2 of vino rosso.

Those are great ages to travel with. I also love Band of Brothers, Brothers in Arms and Call of Duty. Gearbox software for Brothers in arms did a lot of research. They have features in the game to show the actual village and the game version. Maybe your sons have time to plan to follow the exact route of "Baker" of the 506th. Road to Hill 30 and Earned in Blood. (You are from the Netherlands so you already live near the Hells Highway locations. Said with the greatest of envy. )Your sons played the game and now they can walk in the same terrain in real life. Since you are getting involved it will be a very bonding experience for you and your boys. Maybe even have some calvados apple brandy with them??! Sincere Best wishes and maybe tell us later how the trip went.....

How old are your sons? I visited all over Europe in 2001 with my young son and my father. My son was 10 years old. We came up from Naples, Italy where I was stationed with US forces. In Normandy, we stayed at an old Chateau, Chateau D'Asnieres. Asnieres en Bessin. Like a bed and breakfast we were the only guests. It had been a German Battalion HQ. Most kids like Museums with gift shops to buy cool souvenirs. He is older now and still has many mementos of his trip. Have a great trip!

Hi, I have never contributed back to the CM community since CMBO and lately I am tinkering with a (LibreOffice Calc freeware) spreadsheet tool to help me ( and maybe interested others) plan the AI computer player battle plan for my scenarios. I always have done it in pencil in a notebook. Has this been done already? I haven't seen it if it is out there... Basically, my goal would be one worksheet visible onscreen to show each AI group and the orders and time elapsed timeframes. Maybe drag and drop menus with the choices for stance etc. As much info as possible to aid development of a good AI computer player plan. I also am analyzing current scenarios to see if any "boxer punch combinations" are evident that can be canned on the shelf available for use. AI computer player on defense, I looked at one scenario "Platoon patrol" and all it had was setup for each German AI group and no further orders. 4 different set-up plans for replayability. AI computer player on attack, I looked at "Le Desert" and analysis is sill in progress. I know I know I know Human is the best opponent but I often play against the AI and think this spreadsheet might help optimize for me at least the performace of the AI computer player. What are some good AI scenarios to take a look at? Any thoughts or recommendations? Thanks.

Shucks Blooker, Now I re-read the manual page 133 and we are in error. Manual's example says earliest arrival at 30 min and 30 min variation for a 60 min game gives possibility of arrival 1 second after game start or right at end. And it says it is a 50/50 chance each minute of the game. heads/tails probability.

Blooker, Thanks for the clarification. I wonder what actually probability curve or whatever it ends up being? I always think of these things as a 100 sided die roll. My R1 unit earliest possible arrival say 15 minutes with a 15 minute variation in a 30 minute scenario. Is it a 50/50 die roll starting at 15 min mark? I wonder.... I still really like that ability to dial down the probability. Really added replayability...

When I used to make scenarios and operations in CMAK, I appreciated the versatility of adding in many different reinforcements with very low probability of arrival. I never knew what the AI enemy might get and it added a lot of replayability to my scenarios. But with CMBN it seems to just have time of arrival of the reinforcement and a drop down menu to change if it is exact arrival on the dot or +/- various minutes. Does anyone have a way to try and regain the probability of arrival? For example can I have the reinforcement targeted to arrive at 45 minutes in a 30 minute game and then make the variation +/- 20 minutes? Thanks

Thank you for the reply.

I am enjoying the demo. Ordered the game today... I always enjoyed QB on CM1 games. I understand from posts that for QB set-up the computer auto selects some strange/odd enemy unit combos. Is there any way that saved QB game file from player 1 could be e-mailed and then viewed by another player and player 2 helps make the enemy set-up better and thus save fog of war/surprise value? Then player 2 e-mails back to player 1? Side note: does anyone remember playing CMBO with that excel spreadsheet campaign system with dice rolls to select settings? I think JasonC made it up.... I fondly remember that I used to leave the room and my wife would roll the excel dice and then based on result enter that setting into the QB editor. So I would not know if I was up against green or vets or SS or FJ, etc. It really added to the game. To track and follow your core units. So and so is still alive after so many battles. That was 1 thing I liked about theater of war. Maybe the only thing.