Warts 'n' all

I have to agree with the OP... It must make a big enough difference otherwise BFC wouldn't have bothered to have "spalling" and "partial penetration" indicated. My own personal take on it, in terms of game play. When I see "spalling" I think, "Good, the enemy crew are getting little flakes of hot metal in their faces". When I see "partial penetration" I think "Even better, we've dented the b*******, one more shot like that and we've got 'em". This may not be the most technical of answers. But, I wouldn't want "spalling" and "partial penetration" to be replaced by the single word "hit".

Having the Nazi flags hanging down the front of the building is chillingly realistic.

I don't know his name on the boards. But, I think his videos are great. Particularly the fact that he doesn't try to edit out his mistakes.

What a coincidence! I'm a 2.12 er, and am slowly working my way chronologically through all the battles. I should be taking this on in a week or two. The map looks great Pete. I'll check this thread again after the AI has given me a good kicking.

I have to agree with Mord. After years of treating CMx1 as a stroll in the park, I was amazed at how difficult I found CMBN. But, as much as I hate losing, I find myself loving the fact that I struggle with this game. It means that I learn something new every time I play it.

I think that the article has to be taken with a massive pinch of salt. It strikes me as a string of cliches rather than a serious attempt at historical analysis. If we are talking about the decisions made in August 44. We have to keep in mind the fact that the logistic planners wanted to open up the ports in Brittany. Therefore, the idea of 3rd Army cutting around behind the Germans and trapping them against the Seine or the Somme was never an option. Another concern voiced at the time (however rightly or wrongly), was that having 3rd Army advance North to trap the Germans, would have lead to 3rd Army becoming over stretched and therefore quite easily punched through by the retreating Panzers. Trying to depict it as a choice between a ponderous "Monty" and a gung-ho "Patton" is an insult to our intelligence. And an even bigger insult to Generals Bradley, Dempsey, Horrrocks, Collins etc

This is great stuff, keep it coming. More than 30 years ago an old girlfriend of mine emigrated to the Netherlands. For a couple of years she lived in a small apartment in Arnhem. She told me that there were bullets embedded in the walls.

NPye This place really looks like it is lived in, rather than existing just in a game. The love the rose window in one of the churches. Also, that fact that some of the windows in the houses are open whilst others are shuttered. I also think that having a street sign fixed to the wall of a building is a very realistic touch. A great piece of work.

They look great. Thanks for putting the effort in.

My Grandad didn't storm the beaches of Normandy, he was a humble truck driver. But, at least he had a truck to drive there, unlike in Dunkirk four years earlier. It must have been sweet revenge.

Both were great. Although it was really the latter that I had in mind.

If you're gonna die, you may as well die in a cemetery. I feel a "Smiths" tune coming on... exits stage right in a wave of nostalgia -->

Also, keep in mind. Playing CM is a love/hate thing. One minute you are screaming at your men, calling them all the names under the sun. The next minute you cheer as they slaughter the enemy

What a brilliant series of pictures.

Horror stories like this have put me off upgrading which is a shame.

I think I'm correct in saying that the Russians used Molotov Cocktails in '41/42 because they had little option. And that is why they featured in Barbarrosa to Berlin. By '44 they'd developed better AT weapons. And there is no need to have them in Red Thunder.

I'm a We Goer and a screen edger.

Picking up on what "womble" posted. I might be wrong, but the way I see it is this. The map consists of equal sized AS to regulate movement etc. When a designer puts a building on the map, because they are of various sizes and, the fact that they can be set on a diagonal, they are in effect creating a new AS on top of the original. Therefore buildings can be targeted without the player having to target the ground they stand upon. And units can either move into the AS without entering the building i.e. standing outside it. Or, can enter it if you click on the building itself. Once a building has been reduced to rubble it no longer creates a separate AS. Therefore units will fill the AS as if it was empty ground. So a squad will have 1 or 2 teams in the rubble and 1 or 2 outside depending on the size of the now destroyed building.

I have to admit that I had never seen this with PIATs before. Probably because I always dish out all available HEAT ammo during the set-up phase, (or on the first turn that any reinforcements arrive). Of course, now that it has been pointed out, I have noticed in the mission that i am currently playing that I have two US Bazooka teams just a few yards apart and that they are capable of sharing ammo. That is one of the great things about CM and this forum, you never stop learning.

It can be considered "expensive". But, if you keep on playing it for years like I do, then it is certainly value for money.

I use "Target Smoke" from the command menu. British 2-in mortar teams carry a mixture of "Smoke" and "WP" rounds.

I tend to use 2-inch mortars when I need smoke in a hurry, instead of waiting for a spotter to call it in from other arty weapons. As for their HE rounds, I nearly always use that when they have a clear target, rather than using it to suppress the enemy in an area where I think that they might be located.

I have the Then and Now two volume set about Market Garden. And yes, it was expensive. Some book shops still stock the magazines I'm not sure if they ever printed an edition that just dealt with Oosterbeek. You might be able to find out on the net.

I think that Ithikial hits the nail on the head. Fighting in their own national armies for the first time seems to me why Gallipoli still resonates "down under". He is also spot on about their role on the Western Front. Here in Limeyland the ANZACs, Canadians and, Indians are often forgotten when it comes to the Western Front, which is sad to say the least.

As long as he gets his round in. Can't celebrate the anniversary without a beer or two.