Warts 'n' all

I've only played it on "Warrior" level.
 
Scored a "Major Victory" as the Germans. And "Total Victory" as the Allies. I can't remember how and to be honest, it is pretty rare for me to do well playing CMx2.

Thing is, they aren't really scouts, they're "walking point". The SL isn't going to give his expensive binos to guys who're pretty much expected to get shot and might have to be left where they fell. They're called "Scout" teams, because if you told Smith and Jones off to form a "Bait" team, they might not appreciate the glory you're offering them.
 
In the same vein, when you have a three-team German squad, with the SL and his assistant both having MP40, if you split an Assault "A team" off, the Assistant (who stays with the B team) doesn't pass his Schmeisser over to one of the A team. Because, though there are many like it, that SMG is his.

Aye, I think we've already got the closest we'll get to that in TRPs. Really abstracted, sure, but passing actual spotting information to the player is a bit of a stretch.

I don't particularly like that idea, as I don't think spotting from these aircraft would feed directly into intel for low-level commanders on the ground. It would go to the higher-ups, whom we don't play in this game..
 
When we start a game and we already have some intel, I think of that as coming from sources such as light aircraft etc. but trickling down through the chain of command.

Yeah. I was worried that I'd overdone it a bit, Hopefully it's in keeping with the piece and it helps o get some emotional connection with what those poor men went through.

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.

For the most part in most situations 'what you see is what you get' - or WYSIWYG. The tall yellow grass is tall yellow grass The plowed field is a plowed field. The sand is sand and the mud is the mud. You can spot distant no-go areas by dragging a movement icon over it and watch the color change.The biggest factor in vehicle movement isn't terrain type so much as climate conditions. Green grass behaved very differently depending on whether its very dry or muddy ground conditions. If you don't know the ground condition give a quick check down in the Menu panel in the lower right. If you find you're operating across wet terrain plan accordingly.

I disagree. There are only a few types which are difficult to distinguish, and displaying the ground type gives only half the story, which, in the complicated web of factors, has as much chance of being deceptive as the information you get from the ground textures.

Hi Guys
I've been building scenarios and maps for about a couple of years now, I thought it's about time to show you guys what ive been doing. Below are some screen shots of a Normandy town (loosely based on Caumont) its not meant to be a battle map but to see what looks good and ive made all the building skins etc, although there are bits from the brilliant Tanks alot buildings and Kiemmes Modular builds. All the skins are textures from real Normandy buildings, the windows also, but they dont neccasarily come from the same building, when building a map I try to put my mind to a Street planner and try not to do things that wouldnt happen in real life, then i put my mind into the owner of the buildings for gardens etc, basically most towns/cities in western europe have Streets with houses, places of work ie factories, shops, or farms and religious buildings. But i also add in little touches like market places etc. Anyway see what you think and if you have any questions feel free to ask.
 
Cheers
Nige
 
 

A few more details:
 

Thanks Pete Wenman,
 
I will give you some feedback (if wanted) when we finish; so far it's very "interesting" - in a nail biting - "OH GAWD WE'RE ALL GOING to DIE" way
 
Just a comment - I really like the idea of "misleading/flexible" briefings/objectives as this better reflects the reality of combat.
 
Anyway back to the game

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 

How about: "A dreaded sunny day, meet me at the cemetary gates..." or "Mother, I can feel the soil falling all over my head..."

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

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

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

Their Trappist ales are pretty tasty too. And most of the bars around the battlefield are worth drinking in.

End result.  The hatches are still closed...there were no survivors. 

Amazingly enough, the round strikes true.  Veteran Fell's skill comes through.  The shot was barely 80 meters.  The 'schrek signature smoke can be seen through the trees on the right. 

A reverse look has the projectile running true and on target.  It is gonna hit a tree though...It always hits a freaking tree...

Veteran panzerschreck  gunner Oberschütze Fell takes aim and lets fly.  The projectile can be seen along the left side of the picture.

It could be the twitchy realtimers don't have the patience to come to the forum and make posts.

I agree - and that people genuinely want to help others is wonderful too. 

I have a PIAT team that shows conflicting ammo info. I know it's not a mistake, so what does this mean?

Kettler is not the only source of information. Often, his information, while correct, has little to do with the way the game interface displays things. Read my post again, and see whether that matches what you see in-game.
 
Remember that (since we have no scroll bars) there is a limited amount of information that can be displayed in the white-on-black element ammo pane; there are only four lines on which to display ammo types, and the first three of those in an american rifle squad are taken up by M2 ball, .45 ACP and grenades. So there isn't room to display the presence of the M7 HEAT round, nor, when there's one present, the zook HEAT rounds in that list. That's one of the reasons they're there as icons in the information pane, next to binos and the zook tube if present.