sttp

It's a 4.0 bug not a particular game bug so yeah it affects all games running 4.0.

Oh sure I get that and I am not really talking so much about release of the patch but just some communication to the community who has supported them through thick and thin.
That is what really bothers me. I love these game more than any other game I have ever owned and always had big love for these devs but just to put it into perspective.
They released a for money engine upgrade that broke the AI.  Ok that happens, its game development.  Then they say something about it being almost ready or looking good almost 6 months ago and since then not a word. Not a "hey guys we are working on it ran into some issues but we are working on it."  Just a little communication goes a long way.
Unless I totally missed some communication.  It really makes ya wonder if they just cant fix it and they don't want to say it.

I don't mind so much about the  bugs, they will always be there in some form. I'm especially annoyed about the endless delay and vague promises. And the reactions one gets when one has the bloody nerve to comment on that. A good example is the promise of screenshots in the beginning of this year. We only recently had some new ones for CM Italy, thanks to Bud. The comments were good and grateful. According to BF screenshots always cause a hailstorm of comments and questions. Just didn't happen.
Always the same 'it's all your own fault'- defence, to explain the failing of a decent PR-policy by BF.

I assure you I am no entitled snowflake and I think that is an easy defense of their lack of communication.
I understand the whole entitlement thing is real now a days but I cant see in any way how this is that.  Steve communicated that this is a problem back in Jan.?  Indicating that things were looking good or something to that effect? And we are entitled snowflakes 6 months later because we have issues with the total lack of communication since?  That is why I hesitated even making my original post because it doesn't seem to take long for the insults to come when one questions BF here.
I do not expect anyone to hold my hand nor do I feel entitled to anything other than decent customer service for a product that I have shelled out quite a bit of my hard earned money for.
And again my comments are just about some simple communication about what is going on.  The lack of that simple little piece of customer service shows a disrespect for the community and customer base that has kept them in business all these years.  Now I am sorry I was trying to be very respectful in my comments and concerns and if I get banned now then I guess so be it but I didn't take us down this road.
 
 

I agree, facts are a pain in the arse. One of the facts, that incidentally also is a pain the arse, is that is has been 17 months since 4.0 was released, and still no patch.

Unfortunately I can't say much, but I can say that for sure is not it.  Heck all they had to do if they felt they had created a bug was rollback to 3.0.  The behavior itself is the result of trying to get the AI to react better.  Unfortunately it had unintended consequences.  The preference is to find the middle ground.  They didn't "break the AI", semantics maybe but when you have an AI as complicated as CM is, getting the behavior to cover all situations is tough.
I know that probably isn't helping much but it is about all that I can say.

Has there been any word at all from BF on the patch? 
I have supported and bought everything these guys have ever put out and now they just decide to go complete radio silence on fixing something they broke?
I hate to sound so negative but dang its hard not to feel like they really just don't care.  I have to hope that is not the case but it would be nice for them to at least let us know whats going on.
This has always been a pretty loyal fan base but I don't know if it makes good business sense to take that for granted.
Sorry for the rant but with the 4.0 issue I really don't even want to play at the moment and its been that way for quite a while now and should have been addressed by now.
Unacceptable.
 

I've got to admit I now have more than two games (as of this evening) on hold because of poor AI behaviour that have stopped play. When veteran troops (and +2), rested and OK are in cover behind bocage but come under pinning fire, they do not run out from the bocage into the exposed field of fire  - unless they first panic or at least become nervous. Pinned does not mean panic, it means pinned! Infuriating stuff!

Because, in RL they are more effective compared how the Game Portrays them...Yes, I feel your pain on how the Game Mechanics handle unbuttoned Crews in General, especially vehicles like the Stuart Recon :-[

Or do a variable tile source, if your close but have no eyes the indicator will be within a couple of tiles of the actual source, the further the distance the larger the tile spread.  So at say 1km the ? Icon pings upfor an AT that fired but it is randomly placed within a (i dunno) 20 tile radius, so you can take a swag at it and pummel it with arty but you might be wrooong.  To me this would be the best solution.

I always play on Iron. Even on Iron, if you click on an enemy soldier then it will tell if you they are part of an HQ team or AT gun crew or whatever. It would be better if it just told you nothing.

I remember that in CM1, the game would fool you about the location of distant shooters. At very long range, you might get a "?" mystery contact that is several tiles away from their true location. Then after you've blasted that spot with area fire, you discover later on that their real location is 50m off to the right or whatever. That was a pretty cool way to handle the problem. Whatever happened to that? I've always felt that CM2 gives you way too much info about the enemy. Not just with the sound exploits, but with other things as well, like being able to tell who is an enemy HQ team and who isn't at 1000+ meters or whatever. Or the game telling you the exact moment that an enemy MG or AT gun position is destroyed or abandoned. Or always being able to tell the exact type of enemy tank. I liked how in CM1, your troops could mis-identify enemy tanks, thinking one is a Tiger when it really isn't or whatever.

I built a grandiose display cabinet stocked with the finest liquors, then sealed it. On the glass, I applied a vinyl decal that reads "Break in case of 4.0 patch". I'm ready.

Well Steve’s tan has improved greatly and Charle’s jar gets a special onsen water treatment every afternoon ...oh wait you thought they were working. Hell no, they have been spending their millions in ill gotten gains partying at various destinations around the globe. I hear they are considering returning soon though. They have been kicked out of nearly every bar in a dozen vacation spots and need some time for the owners to forget them. 

So I know you guys are really not particularly interested in any of this stuff but I thought I might post some WIP Beta shots from the upcoming CMFI Rome to Victory module. You know, cause I have nothing else to do and no one will ever notice this stuff anyway but I need to put it somewhere...  
 

Perhaps it is best to refrain from questions for the moment. It will only discourage the testers to post screenshots, because it will take time and energy to answer. Let's be content with screenshots only

Bud,
You're most welcome--and thanks for your wonderful CM comics!
Bil,
Am going to have to go read the Bil commentated version on your blog. The excellently posed Panzer commander art reminded me of a real bit of grog chrome visible in the image: those throat microphones clamped on his larynx. This was done to keep his speech intelligible even with battle raging. Have no idea why this clever invention isn't used by the US and everyone else, since it seems an excellent solution to keeping the battlefield uproar out of the conversation.
Regards,
John Kettler

Was trying to find the Soviet Armored Tactics of World War II book BFC once sold, when I came across this on Panzer tactics. Thirty rules for effectively using Panzers.
https://www.feldgrau.com/WW2-German-Panzer-Tank-Tactics-Training-Guide
Regards,
John Kettler

Brother Ed is happily making craters on a 3-D printer, and I unearthed this to help him. Turns out this is a blast from my past, in the form of a runway cratering study I used when doing a report on US rapid runway repair capability in my early days at Hughes. This is, in part, quite the tutorial on crater configuration from aerial bombs and addresses dimensions  for a range of bomb sizes against both a range of runway types and against bare soil. It's called BOMB CRATER DAMAGE TO RUNWAYS and was authored by Peter Westine of the Southwest Research Institute. 
http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/907456.pdf

P.S.

I give up! This post won't delete. Tried doing that after realizing I put it in the wrong place. Should be in CM GDF, not CMFB. Mods, please move it. Thanks! 
Regards,
John Kettler

This is a true After Action report (AAR).  I played this game last year against one of my most skilled opponents (ScoutPL).  The scenario was Green Hell, my goal was to protect the Farm and Cafe objectives, and if possible, try to take the la Madeleine objective.  Simple no?  This was the first time I had played this scenario and the scenario and sides were chosen by my opponent.
I will give a general overview along with a quick and dirty METT-T analysis, then I'll get right into the action.  A word of warning though, there will be no long range tank fights in this AAR, it will be a tough costly mainly infantry slug-fest for both sides.  I do hope however that I can at least show my philosophy when on the defense.  I will be honest, I struggle the most with the defense, I am very offensive minded and just can't help myself sometimes and overextend, right Baneman? 
MISSION
The mission is simple, hold the enemy at bay and force him to waste his combat power on the drive to my objectives, so that when he arrives he will have a spent force.  My main goal is to protect the two objectives in my zone, and preserve my force as much as possible.

ENEMY
I have been told to expect German FJ troops in unknown strength, though if I go by the tactical map above I can expect a combined force of infantry and armor.  All I really know is that they should be entering around the a Madeleine objective area... if the tactical map above is correct.
TERRAIN
My force is sitting on a ridge-line, so I should have good lines of sight across the entire map.  Whether that means I will be able to spot much is another matter.  The map is also broken up by bocage lined fields.  However they are easily penetrated, so will be easily flanked, also those fields will mask movement wonderfully, for both sides.

TROOPS
I command Baker Company, with a weapons company (Dog) in support.  I will get into my initial plans for this battle in a future post.  Initial deployments are shown below.. Baker is spread across the entire ridge-line and Dog has been broken up evenly to support Baker's Platoons.


TIME
I have 1 hour and 20 minutes to hold off the enemy.  That is a long time, but will also mean that ammo supply could be the deciding factor at the end.

If so, consider. this an appetite whetter.  Colin. Farrant posted this on the FB CoC Forum, and I thought it was pretty cool.   It's reminicsent of the war photography magic some of the modders work on the various unofficial screenshot threads.


Regards,
John. Kettler

Only stopping along the way to commit as many warcrimes as they could. Mad respect over here.
 
 
Anyway, it took Battlefront 3 versions to add a toggle for music independent of the sound toggle. 1+ years to correct a real bug is in the correct ballpark.