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Ultradave

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Everything posted by Ultradave

  1. Excellent! Although from Russia's standpoint, not an optimal operating mode for that asset. Dave
  2. "Leaked" Well, I am an expert with 38 years of submarine construction and testing, and as a subject matter expert I can say that that submarine is truly f-ed, FUBAR, SNAFU, scrap metal. Aren't you glad I'm here to provide you with my expert opinions? And kudos to Ukraine. Nice shot. Dave
  3. You shouldn't need a license code for a free patch, just for DLCs that are paid. Dave
  4. Mac OS X: (I speak Mac ) It's not the mods. In testing (yeah, I'm the tester it happens to) I've installed clean 1.07 full installer, ran the updates from 1.03 to 1.06 to 1.07, and started from 1.06 and updated to 1.07. Everything is fine until 1.07, no matter which way I do it. I have some mods and I moved them in and moved them back out - no difference. But in each case I started with a no mod clean install. It's not my OS that's doing it either. I have Sonoma Beta and @JRC58 has 13.5.3 and it happened to both of us. Also, I just updated FI with no issues at all, with or without mods (of which I have a lot for FI). There's no reason it should behave differently for FI than CW. None that I can think of anyway. The .brz file for 1.07 is indeed quite small, but that could be correct for Mac since there is no PBEM++ support for Macs, just a couple of minor graphics fixes. There are some who get the glitch, and some who don't, even among the beta testers. So - a mystery so far. Perhaps Charles will spot something. Meanwhile, for myself, I kept an installation of 1.06 for now, which works fine. One thing I haven't tried though is whether a normal PBEM would be compatible with a Windows user on 1.07. For those of you who have the glitch, I wouldn't knock yourself out trying a bunch of tricks, just reinstall 1.06 and you'll be fine. John can provide anyone with a link to it. And you should be able to put your mods back in 1.06 with no problems. Dave PS - For Windows users, just as general information, on Macs EVERYTHING is installed in the application directory - the app, saves, incoming/outgoing emails, mods, etc. There isn't anything at all in the user's home directory (except the license buried deep somewhere). Different looking installation than that for Windows.
  5. No, don't think so. Pathfinders are Army and they also do that job. We had a Pathfinders school at Fort Liberty (nee Bragg). These guys were Air Force and jumped in as a team of 2 or 3 and set up the beacons and smoke pots on the DZ and established contact with the Air Force aircraft. It may be that in my day the Pathfinders did it for Army based Das and LZs and the USAF guys when it was AF transport. It's been a long time. The name has probably changed over the years.. When I had a biopsy the anaesthesiologist was one of those Air Force guys. We got on that subject because he asked about my Typhoid vaccine allergy (which I found out about in the Army). Usual conversation of where did you serve, etc. When he found out I was former 82d, he piped up about the advance team that he used to do. And I thought I was nuts being a paratrooper! Got nothing on those guys. Dave
  6. I will also admit to being partly guilty myself (and my friends) of some "elitism". I am a life member of the 82d Airborne Association. We have our annual picnic Saturday for the Greater Hartford (CT) Chapter. Everyone is a paratrooper, from WW2 veterans, of which we still have just a couple, to recent returnees from Afghanistan, and everyone in between. You are a paratrooper. None of us care when, where, or how, what job, enlisted, officer. You are a paratrooper. It's differentiated between those who went to Airborne School and got their wings, which is certainly an accomplishment and something to be proud of, to those of us who served on "jump status" in a paratrooper unit. We have members male and female from the 82d, 101st, and 11th Abn Divisions and a couple of the independent brigades, plus Green Berets, plus even a couple Marine Force Recon guys. All paratroopers. Oh, and one USAF Close Combat Team guy (I think that's what they used to call it - the guys who jump in first and set up the drop zone for us - you want to talk about guys with big you know whats). Can't find what they call it now. It's like someone mentioned about the Marines. You are a Marine. For us, you are a paratrooper. It's more a shared experience equalizer than anything. Dave
  7. I did say "supposed", however, REFORGER? I'll say come on to that. That was to reinforce NATO (REinforce FORces in GERmany), in the case of a Soviet invasion of Western Europe. Nothing else. It was practice for the supporting our allies part of what I said, and rehearsal for a defensive stand that thankfully never came. Dave
  8. Pet peeve (and not at all aimed at you, or at Kevin, who you were quoting). I really do not like the pervasive use of the terms "warriors" and "warfighters" that many, mostly in government or the military upper echelons, refer to service members. Statements like "We have to give our warfighters the tools to do their jobs" (which is another thing - sounds like we are talking about carpenters or plumbers). It's like some macho thing to me. Maybe I'm an old fogie (I guess I am at this point!) Maybe it's just me and I'm the outlier, but it seems much too belligerent for a country that supposedly uses its military for self-protection, and the aid and support of other countries. I have no idea if this is common in other countries, but I find it very grating. Dave
  9. To recover that "vision" and put it into effective action of some kind, the US Congress needs to take a deep breath and decide to work toward some common goals and agreements. They exist, and the Senate is better in this regard than the House. Anything substantive takes both houses, though. I'd say "the US" DOES know better but the current atmosphere is so partisan that bipartisan agreements just aren't happening, even though both parties essentially agree on something (and not just Ukraine, other topics as well). Dave
  10. Excellent summary. All this and Putin still decides, "Ah, what the Hell, I'm doing it anyway" What could be done that wasn't? Put 3 US divisions in Ukraine before he attacked (not happening)? Doing anything AFTER he attacked, like US airpower to try to neutralize Russia's military, or massive Tomahawk strikes into Russia itself, is just insanity (both ideas have been floated by various people). There's really no good way to stop someone like that. Dave
  11. It is. Yes. and yes we finished the WitE. The highlight I recall, was me getting a whole Russian tank army surrounded on frozen Lake Ladoga and unable to move. Then spring came. Oops. Much glee and laughter from the German players as my tank corps sank.
  12. Played the original War in the East on a Zenith 8088-2 PC years ago (many years). Never really got into the newer WitE, but I love WitW, and have a number of satisfying PBEM games of that, from both Allied and Axis side. From the Allied side, the planning and execution of invasions is fun, involved and nail-biting when they are executed. The air war in WitW is more involved too (or can be - you can automate most of it if you want). Haven't played it in a while, but I really like it. There are some good player aid charts for it that give you the basics of how to do almost everything important in the game. Dave
  13. Not sure. Kind of a gradual progression. Started way back in Junior High School with AH Midway, Jutland, Blitzkrieg, AK. Lots of SPI titles from the mags, lots more AH games, PanzerBlitz, Panzer Leader, Squad Leader and its add ons. Never played ASL. Had a semester long game of War in the East set up in a guy's dorm room in college. Took the whole semester between all of our classes. 5 of us played different roles. Also had a LOT of 1:1200 metal naval miniatures, with rulesets Kriegspiel, Seapower 1, 2, 3, and Harpoon miniatures. Had the first Close Combat, but it didn't do much for me. Found CMBO on the shelf at the local game shop and was hooked. Sad when the later titles were PC only and glad they came back to the Mac (been a Mac user since the mid later 80s). Today, I play mostly, CM, CMO, Flashpoint Campaigns, and some sports games (OOTP Baseball on line, and some Action PC! games solo). Dave
  14. One thing I could add to this. That 10% may (or will) force the leadership to propose a vote to cease aid to Ukraine, but it will not pass either the House or Senate, based on current feelings among Representatives and Senators. There currently are more than enough to support aid to Ukraine, with supporters coming from both parties. That could also lead the 10% to force a leadership battle, even though they did what the 10% wanted, but it failed (the reasoning being the leadership cannot lead). Democracy can be very messy Dave
  15. If it's a Mac, select the .app file, right click and select Open. Then wait. You might have to do that twice to get it to respond. It can take a significant amount of time to open the first time, and you'll have to say OK, or OPEN or some such in response to the malware/virus warnings. It's not saying there is one, just that it can't check. You can trust Battlefront software, so tell it to go ahead. Once it has gone through this once you won't have to do it again. It will open in about 1 second flat, with no questions. Dave
  16. Whoa, there buddy. Both my wife and I are lifelong runners. She once described my legs to someone else as dangerously sexy. The same can be said of her. Even today at age 68, she has the legs of a 30 year old. (I'm 66 and we both still run). Last week I was halfway through a 5 mile run, passed a lady on the sidewalk, as I moved out into the street to pass her (I don't like brushing past people as they seldom here you coming and you can scare them half to death by saying "On your left"). Got about 50 feet past her, hopped back on the sidewalk, and she yells out "Great legs!!!" Still got it. So, engineers CAN be sexy. Even retired ones. Funny thing was I was right near my turnaround point so I got to run back past her face-to-face this time. She did not seem embarrassed in the least, just smiled and waved. Dave PS - Our first date was a lunchtime run. We worked at adjacent companies. I ran to her front gate, we went for a nice run down by Long Island Sound, and chatted a lot along the way. Very public, so very safe.
  17. Like I said - no guarantee all civilians would evacuate and therefore not have to worry about unexploded munitions. We know that wouldn't happen. I'm just relating what the expected usage was back when they were first put in service and how it was related to us (to which many of us said, "yeah, right ".
  18. When I was in the Army DPICM was *just* being fielded in any significant numbers. The original idea for usage was to fire it at a target of opportunity - a mass of armor forming up to attack in front of you, but more likely a mass of armor/vehicles in the second echelon that was forming up to exploit or continue the advance, in order to halt that advance through lack of support. We didn't have unlimited supplies so it was planned to be used when it could be most effective, usually in a Time on Target, Battalion FFE. Since we expected in Europe to be completely on the defensive as the Soviet Army advanced into West Germany, unexploded munitions were not really seen as an issue, since they would be the Soviet's problem, behind their lines. (of course the pie-in-the-sky projection was that all civilians would have evacuated west in advance of the Soviet Army, and we know that wouldn't be the case - not everyone anyway.) In Ukraine with a more static, back and forth front line, this is much more of a concern, for obvious reasons. Just a little background from the olden days Dave
  19. All good unless Russia decides to do something stupid before those things can be considered. Dave
  20. I agree in general terms with this analysis although a couple points to make are: 1) In regards to spent fuel pools, yes, they have additional means of cooling, but so did Fukushima until the you know what hit the fan. So postulating what might or might not be operational or usable after some sabotage or battle damage is really being hopeful. 2) Yes, the Fukushima containments were somewhat less robust, but there was also an inner containment which was quite robust. Those failed in varying degrees. 3) The explosions seen at Fukushima were from hydrogen buildup in the containments. All plants have "sparklers" for lack of a better term, that will safely burn off excess H2 (>4% in air is explosive if I remember right, >~95% is not oddly, because not enough O2 for combustion!). Unfortunately the sparklers at Fukushima were of an older design, due to be replaced, and instead of safely burning the H2, they caused the explosions. (Rolls-Royce evaluation at the time). I believe worldwide, new systems have been put in to safely burn. Why is this important? That's where the spent fuel pools were at Fukushima, and the explosion and subsequent fire is what caused aerosol/particulate plumes of fission products, so the result of a mechanical explosion COULD have wider consequences (which the article doesn't mention or explore). Again however, though, the containment here is more robust. 4) Side note - USSR stated that the RBMK reactors did not NEED a containment because their strict operating procedures and extensive training would preclude an accident. The root cause of the accident, regardless of the design, were multiple failures to follow operating procedures, performing an unapproved test, and the complete failure of the operators to understand what was happening in order to take the proper steps. Everything they did made it worse. We were taught "Believe your indications, because they are all you have. If you have an indication of a problem, acting on that will only put the plant in a more safe condition" They can complain later about wasting time or money, but my response was always. "I was there. I had the watch. My responsibility. My decision." They cannot argue with this. Naval Reactors will back that 100%, even if you get grief from your management. THIS is the difference between our power plants and the Russians, more so than the design. As a senior Naval Reactors officer said to us once - "and uncompromising attitude toward safety" which in our terms meant. "When in doubt, shut it down" Bit of a ramble on that 4) but bottom line, that article is a reasonable summary, with some added explanation from me, for those who like that sort of thing. Dave
  21. I realize many of the players are drunk on power, but if I was anyone of consequence in the middle of this and they wanted me to resign, I'd say, "Sure, absolutely. No problem. You won't hear from me again. I'll be playing chess in the park." Bail out while you can. Dave
  22. So would I if you can post the scenario somewhere. I know I could do the same but I'm happy to steal yours and play around with it Dave
  23. I think some of us catch sight of things here or elsewhere in the forum, and try to reproduce it or ask for more info so we can. When I do, and it's something I feel confident/competent to evaluate, I'll either make a new bug report in the tracking system, or verify it's already in there. As far as when things might get fixed, none of us beta testers have any control over that other than to add our voices, which we do. Dave
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