db_zero

Yes getting back on track... is this real or staged?

Scout hit the nail smack on the head. Sounds like he may have learned somethings the hard way. I was lucky and learned them the easy way. I spent part of my teen life growing up in the Middle East as an ex-pat and you see and learn things you'll never quite comprehend out of a book, TV or any other way. Conventionally we rule, but once you get into the COIN phase its a different story I would imagine and you're fighting on their turf that they grew up in and know. Throw in the language, cultural and religious differences and its a situation I would not want to be in. It was quirky enough being there as a Westerner in the best of times. Being a westerner there when the natives are restless, don't want or appreciate you being there would suck big time if you ask me-especially when they shoot at you and set off IEDs. Unfortunately being the cynical person who's may have seen too much I doubt we can stay out of things completely. There are too many unsaid and unspoken interconnections. The money, power and influence trail is very complex. The rest of the world has become dependent on the US being the global robocop and that has created dynamics of its own. If it were up to me I would avoid as much interaction as I could and let them go on killing each other like they have been for centuries. There is a reason why dictators have ruled for as long as they have-and yes you spend endless treasure, lives and times building democracy and what you may end up getting is a bunch of fanatics elected for all your troubles. From what Scout has said it sound like things haven't really changed much. It was Medieval back in the day when I was there. I tell people it was like stepping into a time machine and going back to the 15th century. Sounds like they may have the internet, twitter and other amenities that didn't exist when I was there, but also sounds like the mindset and mentality of the masses hasn't really advanced past what we might can called the enlightened period? Heck for all I know it could still be stuck back in the 15th century.

I would think acT-34/85 is a better match against a Panther or Tiger than a Sherman. Lack of bazooka like weapon does hurt. I have killed a MarkIV in a close assault with infantry.

A very nice map to play on. You also discover why the Chicago Typewriter-Tommy Gun was so useful and popular in street fighting. It would have been interesting to see what would have occurred if the American employed SMG formations like the Russians did. The BAR is a also a beast. Just think if the Americans deployed mixed Tommy Gun/BAR units. I recalls the Tommy Gun was a fairly expensive weapon back in the day.

I've see AT rifle grenades used in Italy-I lost a MarkIV to my opponent in close quarters in a town. Unfortunately I also see AT rifle grenades being wasted in long range shots as well as against infantry. You really don;t have much control and it seems like a matter of luck. I've tried a fast move followed by an assault against German tanks in RT to see it they would toss a few AT grenades but so far the tanks have won and machine gunned the assaulting infantry.

I have a game going on and my opponent is sniping my reinforcement area. 2 of my units have exited the map and all I see is green arrows in the directing they exitied. Are they lost for good?

Appreciate the response I think the fact your a CMSF Beta Tester BF may cut you a little slack I already own the whole thing-that's why I mention the $30 dollar thing. I have a lead finger-that's why I burn out lasers fast! Looks like you're from what we in the states refer as "down under" An old boss from my dot-com 1 days offered me a job in Melbourne. I so badly wanted to take it, but it was a temp gig with a start-up and the year was 2006. We had a housing bubble brewing here in the states and my previous past experience in the financial industry and start-ups told me I should stay put with my secure, but less than glamorous job. One of the few wise decisions I made. Last I heard of my old boss was he was out of work. Lost touch since. One of these days I will visit your neck of the woods. I also hear NZ is very nice.

I'm by far not the SB expert so please feel free to correct me... I don't think you need to man all the positions when playing. You can plot your moves on a tactical map and then jump to and play a position and the AI mans the other positions. I mostly play on the gunnery range which is loads of fun. Personally I like the Challenger the best. The ring and bead sight (this is what I call it) is to my liking. I've found the laser on the M1 to be easy to burn out. Once that happens I've found I have to resort to using the backup sights which can be a real challenge to hit anything especially if its moving. The Bradely is really fun. The 25mm gun is a blast. Nothing like hosing down stuff with a rapid fire cannon. The backup MG is also fun to hose down trucks and pixelmen. SB Pro is not M1 Tank Platoon. I haven't even begun to scratch the surface of it. Seems like there is lots of content and I think there is usermade stuff you can download. You can get lost just playing it like an arcade game. One of my friends kids can't get enough of it. Everytime he's comes over the first thing out of his mouth is "Steel Beasts"

From what I've seen 45mms are deadly against the Rodney Danderfields of the battlefield the MarkIV. That poor tank that can't get a break and gets no respect. I've also seen 45mms incinerate German armored cars which seem to have a tendency to make nice explosions when hit. Interestingly enough I've also seen them penetrate halftracks loaded with infantry, kill a few of the occupants and the tracks continue on their merry way. Has a couple of Panthers roll by a 45mm in the woods without spotting it. The 45mm got nice close range side shots and penetrated the lower side hull and side turret of 2 tanks, but the Panthers turned around and eventually MG the crew, but not before it got off another shot hitting the wheel of the Panther. Not sure what to make of that.

So it wasn't just a fluke in my h2h game and my 45mm AT guns. I definitely like the change and can't wait till it makes its way into Normandy, Italy and Holland. This is really going to change things. I often removed AT guns from my force selection in h2h quick battles. Now they may become something to bring along. Should really help the poor infantry. I'm sure my zook, faust and shreick mules will be happy. They won't be sent on suicide missions as much.

Thanks. If I was going to spend $10 I may as well spend $30 and get the whole thing. I look into it. Between work and the 14 h2h CM games it hard to find time to do much else. Right now SB Pro is being used like the old 80 arcade game Battlezone. I know its far deeper than that. One of these days Ill dig into it.

In my h2h of Venafro-which is in Italy the place looks pretty beat up and there is plenty of what appears to be rubble around. Don't know if tanks or other vehicles can traverse and there are no operating tanks-the ones in the game have seen better days. Not sure if you can have a untouched urban area and have the same sort of rubble and obstructions appear during play when a built up area gets trashed. From what I've seen I don't think that is the case at the moment. Realistic or historically accurate I've found tanks to be very useful in the 5 h2h games ( 3 are historical) I've played in built up areas. That's from the from receiving and giving end. I'm sure both my opponents in my 2 historical h2h games are cursing my tanks and crews at the moment. Be interesting to see just how extensively tanks were used in WW2. There must be plenty of documentation somewhere. My impression from what I recall is they were used quite a bit, but just what that really amounted to I can't say. I would venture to guess the Germans with their doctrine, organization and experience may have been more extensive, but that's just a guess. My impression is the difference in doctrine and organization between the 2 armies may have had an effect? One a side note I do recall early war reports from the American Army that there were complains about regular infantry being used as armored infantry and that they really didn't understand the role. I'm user the assumption armored infantry units tended to work with tanks more? I have seen from some footage that today when the US military does combined armored/infantry training that safety is a huge concern. Just getting bumped by a slow moving tank can cause serious injury or death and that and other potentially dangerous issues is something you don't have to be concerned about in CM. So perhaps that along with other things such as no instant rubbling may make tanks a bit too easy to employ in the game, but then again its is just a game and not real life. I also believe that if you're playing a h2h game in built up areas it may be fairer or more a challenge for the defender if the attacking player gets some force advantage. In a straight up infantry vs infantry battle I would say that is even more important-given both player are equal in skill. You may also consider upping the time limit in a urban fight as slow, methodical recon is vital for the attacker. I also read in another thread that artillery is deliberately nerfed to not make it too powerful in light of the fact infantry squads don't automatically spread out when they come under arty attack. I wonder if this too may have some bearing on its used in built up areas where defenders are often under cover in buildings.

The only comment I have regarding condoms is from a former manager - always provide you're own and never let them out of your sight. Apparently his wife who he never stopped complaining about took a needle and poked holes in his stash and got knocked up before the shotgun and marriage.

IIRC last time I checked Steel Beast Pro had a $40 upgrade where it had improvements to the graphics, infantry enhancements, IEDs, Middle East environments, drones, technicals and other stuff. I didn't get it as I'm too preoccipied with CM, but at some point I will. Its fun to just fire it up and blast away. I would love to see a WW2 version. I have a few WW2 tank sims, but they are pretty dated.

Ill have to take a look later but I have a h2h where I engaged a Panther at dang close range and the 85mm bounced off the Panthers front hide. The Panther then destroyed my T-34. I also got some penetrating hits on the side of Panthers at close range with 45mm AT guns. Didn't seem to phase them although it may have injured or killed a crewman. Tough beast those Panthers.

I would love to see realistic rubbling in urban environments. Tanks wit dozer blades or even bulldozers would become worth their weight in gold. Don't know if we'll ever see that and I can see the person who programs CM groaning at the mention of this.

One of my reference books mentions the Panthers hatch over the driver and radio operators compartment was very difficult to operate and it was common to just leave them open during combat. Not modeled in CM though

Overrated or not the T-34 was a tank the average Russian could operate as well as be maintained in the field. My understanding is the German tanks like the Panther and Tiger required quite a bit of training time for the crews to become effective and you needed a fairly high level of technical proficiency and maintenence was always a challenge. If the Soviets were given 5000 Panthers or Tigers I'm not sure they would have been able to use them. The same sort of thing may be going on to this day. There is a reason why AKs are so popular in many parts of the world.

Part of the problem is the limitations of the CM game engine as it currently stands. If not mistaken infantry a cannot climb/crawl through windows so that means they have to enter and exit buildings through doors or holes somehow blasted in building s. That may limit an avenue of approach. Some high walls can't be scaled. Others mentioned the way close assault is handled could be improved. No way to move through sewers. Not a criticism if the game just some limits you have to work with. I think the "conventional wisdom" is an attacker needs a 7 to 10 to 1 advantage in manpower when assaulting a built up area. Also takes longer.

Your work is amazing. I may just have to capture all your work and buy one of those electronic picture thingies.

Interesting stuff. In all honesty I'm not so methodical. I'm a more on the fly type of player. I also have 10-14 h2h games going on at one time so I don't think I can take that sort of approach. I'm used to getting information shoved in front of my face and forced to make quick decisions with imperfect data. Trade stocks, options and forex. Some say playing games like this can be useful if you do that sort of stuff and many companies are using game theory exercises to train employees.

I'm facing Paras in Longsdales Block and they are devastating. My Kriegsmarines are probably wishing for UBoat duty. Well at least they served their purpose soaking up bullets and inflicting a few casualties. If it wasn't for the 1 King Tiger and Stugs the SMG armed paras would be next to impossible to dislodge. Hopefully the paras are running low on bullets. My opponent has promised me a surprise or 2. I wonder what he has up his sleeve.

Fair enough. I was thinking more in terms of a series of tactical action in pursuit of a larger goal.

Plenty of strategy and tactics. When you get into mid, large and huge battles it becomes as much an exercise in the operational art of war.

Many believe canola oil causes IBS.