db_zero

FT don't just burn. They suck all the air out around the target area. On humans it can cause the lungs to collapse. No idea of how well they would work on a tank. You can put Styrofoam into gas and make a sticky goo that burns a long time. Mix in soap detergent and you get napalm like stuff. Me and my pals use to play with that stuff when we were kids. We did all sorts of stupid stuff like that.

OP-you may be on to something. I don't play QBs but decided to try one out. It was a medium battle and automatic selection for both sides. Infantry only. I was the German defenders and the Russian Guards the AI attacker. The map was not an easy one for the attackers. A city with a river and 2 bridges to attack over. I was pleasantly surprised with the automatic force selection I got. Infantry Battalion with 2 88mm cannons and a 37mm AA gun. Also got a FO and 150mm IG offboard artillery support. Well balanced force. The AI started off with a 5 turn arty barrage and a nice smoke screen over 1 bridge. The smoke screen was a good one, but for whatever reason the infantry didn't follow up and advance while the smoke screen was up. The attack did eventually come over both bridges. It really wasn't a fair fight to begin with given my excellent defensive position and I should have given the AI attacker a force advantage, but the attack was pretty competent. The MGs were positioned to support the advance and when the infantry got across the bridge under fire they actually fanned out and used the woods for cover. I even saw a lone Soviet infantryman that made it into the city and shot up the 88mm gun crew and toss a grenade at it before scurrying into a house. All in all not a bad showing. If I gave the Soviets a 30% force multiplier it probably would have been a long tough battle. Like I said I don;t play QB's, but it looks promising. Don't know how they are in Normandy or Italy, but hope the improvements eventually make it to them.

I once wiped out an entire load of people on the BART. It was one of those days when I had the SBD variant that was like rotten eggs and a visit to the volcanic sulfur pits. The trains were suffering delay and running slow at a crawl. It was a hot muggy day and the AC in our car was out of order and we were packed in like sardines. Let one go as I was getting off at the West Oakland station. Looked back and could see the look of agony on the packed commuters faces. Mission accomplished. That must have been one pleasant ride through the Transbay tube. Yeah I know it was evil and wrong...but I just couldn't resist.

I looked at the new curve TVs yesterday. Nice, but being involved with tech so long will wait. The prices on the huge LEDs is approaching a point where its attractive. I have 42 inch LCD I may have to try out. I have a dual 23 inch setup that is good enough. I may get another liquid cooled PC for flight sims. Also saw a gaming laptop that was $1000 that caught my attention. Too many toys...

Sounds par for the course in the Eastern Front-a real meat grinder. I have a couple of h2h games going and I'm having to adjust. I'm so used to playing the Western Front and moving Allied or German pixeltroops around. At least Mother Russia has an endless supply of men and tanks so its all good I guess.

Are you piping the game from the video card to the HDTV through a HDMI cable?

I got better results in CMBN with MarkIVs when I stopped viewing them as tanks and looked at them as assault guns with turrets. I read a long time ago a big problem with the US Army in WW2 with regards to its armored force was it was too heavily influenced by the British experience. The real armored arms race was taking place on the Eastern Front and when confronted by large numbers of Panthers in Normandy it shocked them. Yes the Americans encountered Panthers and Tigers in Italy, but for whatever reason it seems they were no fully in sync when they hit France. Ill have to see for myself how MKIVs do against T34s. So far ive seen what panzerfausts and shreicks do, but my Stugs are getting hammered.

I would love to see this and have effort put into it....as a prelude to medieval, Ronan and pre-Roman Combat Mission.

I tried this last night and like it. Looks like it may need to be updates for some new units. Is there a way for the German symbols to show for the opponent too? Its only showing for the side I'm playing at the moment

I played the original CM and CMBB and have all of the Shock Force games. Really no comparison. I find it hard to get into SF after the newer titles and can't wait for SF to get upgraded. Really shines when you play h2h. I spend over an hour late last night just looking at my ongoing games and amazed at how the battle develop operationally when you have a good reliable h2h opponent. The AI is good, but really there is no way to program an AI that can handle a rapidly changing situation in an urban environment.

The supreme leader of Germany was a meth addict and it shows. Left 250,000 battle hardened troops to rot in North Africa and wasted an army at Stalingrad. One can only imagine what would have happened if those half a million troops were available in 44-45.

I haven't been able to get into RT that much as I have a lot of other h2h games going on. That being said I have a mirrored h2h game of Borderland and like my opponent I'm discovering that there are some times when you got to just say f**k it and be brutal and just steamroller the opponent and take what comes. You win some and you lose some. You can't always be fancy and maneuver.

The take away from all this is the Red Army plays differently and that is a very good thing. If they looked, played and felt like the Western armies we would have a big problem, but from the look and sound of it they are not clones of the Germans or American armies. I'm looking forward to learning and playing for and against them.

I'm sure as long as there is a supply of pixel troops players will be more than happy to butcher them. May just need a readjustment period to get used to playing the reds.

Womble-I haven't made a comparison, but when selecting my Red forces I thought the T34s and other goodies were pretty cheap considering what I was used to paying for when playing Americans and Germans.

Be nice if we had some commisar and NKVD units to maintain momentium and morale. I heard stories from the 41-43 period. Not sure if that was still the case in 44.

Thanks Commrade Steve. I will regard my Soviet units as cannon fodder and sleep well at night. Life was considered a cheap commodity in the USSR back in the day. Have to wonder if that's still the case.

I'm starting a large ME QB against a good player. I'm the Soviets. Should be interesting. I'm very accustomed to playing Germans, Americans and CW to a lesser degree and used to splitting my squads so looks like I'll need to adjust. Also looks like you get little if anything in the way of infantry AT weapons if your the Red Army.

Helmets are for cooking so don't think you want to be pooping where you eat.

I'm surprised op isn't asking for ability to dig holes so pixeltroopen can relieve themselves.

Shock Force is good, but its hard to get into it once you've been exposed to the newer WW2 engines. I am looking forward to the upgraded SF game.

Haven't had much time to play extensively, but already there is a lot to like. Looks and feels like the Eastern Front. I find other periods more interesting, but RT may change that. Personally I've never been dissapointed with a CM game. It may not be for everyone for various reasons, but for many of us its The game to play.

So whats your favorite angle. I'm still playing around and getting used to the new cameras. I now have it in RTS mode. I like it, but I still kinda like the traditional view. Are there hotkeys you can use to switch views while playing or do you need to completely exit out and set the views in the options menu?

Nah...use aggressively and report back the results It may open up the ongoing debate about HT crew vulnerability. Those operators look awfully exposed. Wonder how easy they are to pick off.

You could fry a cow and get some nice steaks with that. I wouldn't want to be in that if it gets hit and lights up though and if you got taken alive and they figured out you manned one of these they would probably give you special treatment.