danfrodo

Thanks Steve, that was very clear. I'm having fun w Black Sea right now. So while I am ww2 guy first, the other games are really just as fun. And now there will be thread about Abyssinian campaign but with Meanwhile, Elvis says 'major milestone', which to me means we've reached the final product which would then go through the 2-4 week production release tunnel. I can't wait to be overrun by T34-85s! Ah, Berlin in the spring.

I like this idea -- challenge all of us yammering for east front to put our money where our mouths are. I'd pay my $60 right now for a 1943 or 1942 game that wouldn't be delivered until 2022 sometime . So BFC could ask how many would be willing to fund the project, and if that's enough they could ask folks to pay up and if enough actually pay then there's the answer. And if enough don't I guess we get refund.

I think CMCW started out as a labor of love by a couple of long time modder/users and so was presented to BFC as a partially completed project, so low investment. And the best surprise I've had since.... since..... well, gosh, ever? I am still surprised though that east front isn't the most popular thing since chocolate and ice cream, but sounds like it's not.

So following up on what Steve's said over time: once they had Normandy game, then doing east front 1944 (RT) meant only investing in one side's new OOB for the most part. But going to 1941 the entire German and Soviet OOB is different than anything that currently exists, so is huge investment. Doing Italy meant adding some features, but not entirely new sets of vehicles, uniforms, etc. Which also gives me hope that we'll at least get back to 1943 someday since we already have most of the equipment But Steve's made it clear the investment for Barbarossa is very high and therefore very risky given that the market is not as big as some of us (like me) thought it would be. I expect we'll see more Black Sea/modern, plus more existing stuff ported to Steam, as lower risk / higher benefit choices for a while. I am now expecting, instead of east front, some CMCW-NATO and CMBS-NATO releases ~2022+. Dutch, brits, germans, maybe even French vs Russians type stuff. The Russian side doesn't change so only need to add one set of new stuff. But maybe I'll be surprised. Meanwhile, back on F&R related stuff, there's a new Fall of Berlin youtube series coming from a channel that previously did some nice work on Stalingrad. Series preview:

I get the frustration about waiting. but I suspect that ~4 weeks from now we'll all be complaining we don't have enough time to play all the new content. That will be a nice 'rich person' problem.

oh, Right, Capt Miller. I gotta do those! thanks. Someone mentioned those before but I forgot about them

I recently reread Team Yankee and Red Storm Rising after 30+ years. What a treat. And read Larry Bond's Red Phoenix (1980s war in korea) also. reread The Third World War last year. I am ready for CMCW. I suppose I should also re-read Sword Point by the Team Yankee author. I know I used to have The Untold Story, might have to do that one also.

Thanks for pointing this out, Gnarly. There's so much forum traffic these days I miss a lot it seems.

I'm surprised I haven't seen anything on the forum about this. Russia says it's just for exercises while at the same time saying it has right to intervene within Ukraine to protect ethnic Russians from persecution. There's tons of videos showing armor being brought in on trains, supplies being moved up. Oh my. Meanwhile, Ukraine asking for more military support ASAP from US et al.

I wonder what's coming next after BF gets through the hectic work of getting FR & CW released? Since from Steve it certainly aint Kursk I am guessing more BS and lots of add-ons for CW? Anyone read between the lines on what's next? There's lots of speculation and it's hard to wade through. Now that I've gone through the phases of grief (denial, etc) on finding out more eastern front is not coming anytime soon, I am actually kinda excited by what we actually could actually get next.

Steve, I think you will never feel spiritually complete or fully emotionally actualized w/o at least getting to Fall Blau. I am only thinking of you and your mental and spiritual health going forward into the future. But there are many paths to enlightenment. A CMCW NATO module w Germany, England, Netherlands, and also some Norway battles would greatly improve your karmic trajectory even if Fall Blau must wait. Again, only thinking of you, not my own selfish and grasping desires.

Thanks for the info Steve, this definitely clears up my thinking. I have definitely played Normandy the most, being from USA, and after that is big mix of the other games, w a lot of SF2 last year. So does this mean I don't get to nag BF about barbarossa anymore? Where will I find meaning in life? Modern & normandy are the big ones? Interesting. In Steve's shoes, I guess my longer term plan would then be to make a fancy new engine and then release all new Normandy game with it, followed by a modern title.

There are people that would not be excited by eastern front 41-43??? Definitely surprised to hear that. So what does get the most folks excited? Modern?

oh, does that not mean I have download waiting?

HOLY F!!! I just rec'd my CMCW license key! Now if I could just put the day job on hold for month...

Also make sure smoke is 'on'. alt-k hotkey allows you to turn smoke visual on/off. I once couldn't get smoke to work then realized (via the forum) it was off and when I turned it on I already had monstrous smoke screen. Note that 'pop smoke' is under the 's'-button menu, not the 'c'-button targeting menu

Let's all remember that F&R is delayed based on quality. they do not release to deadline, they release when product is right. The big players in industry, of course, release to deadline. I would rather be frustrated by waiting than frustrated by bugs. And Stalin has ordered me to take Berlin by May Day, so it does need to come out soon.

I've actually been to masada. Roman siege ramp still there, 2000 years later. I've had two business trips to Israel, lots of history there. Oh, and spoiler alert: The Sea of Galilee is just a lake . But as an Israeli told me "well, it's the only lake we have so why can't we exaggerate?"

I agree Umlaut, Evans' trilogy was amazing. Btw Umlaut, you are from Denmark? I am now an expert on all things Danish because I have watched Borgen and The Investigation (about the crazy submarine murder in 2017). What is it they say in the shows for 'thanks'? Tak? Dak?

From the Realm of a Dying Sun, Vol II, is on sale on amazon kindle for only $3.99 for month of April https://smile.amazon.com/Realm-Dying-Sun-SS-Panzerkorps-1944-February-ebook/dp/B08MH2QFX9/ref=sr_1_90?dchild=1&qid=1617550960&rnid=3441883011&s=digital-text&sr=1-90

Yes, Aragorn, you see my point exactly -- what could they do?? Most situations one can look w hindsight and figure out a solution, but only with knowing the outcome already and all the things those involved did not know. But in 1942, I've long wonder what could've been done. It's quite a riddle.

Hi Jamxo, I have only played a couple of the full campaigns in SF2, having come from WW2 like you. I really like the Highland Games. It's british forces but as the campaign progresses you get some american units to fight along with. Note that it's a long campaign, 16 battles. The battles are all winnable, some harder some easier

yeah, that does sound close

so now that we've all read 100 books on Ost Front, I gotta wonder: what would y'all have planned for spring of 1942? My options: 1. very best option: shoot hitler and claim it was all his fault and cede territory to make peace w at least USSR. Germany still very strong so isn't negotiating from complete weakness. 2. I could do Fall Blau, but that is built on the assumption that Soviet army is on its last legs, which was always the assumption and always turned out wrong, and would need a LOT more troops to actually have worked 3. advance only to the donets, push south to rostov then south/SE to the oil regions. Final line is donets to east of rostov, then along the Manych canal eastward to the best spot to run the line southward again. have months to prep that line for soviet attacks while strong mobile forces head for the oil to the south & east. LIne is similar in length to fall blau line but supply lines MUCH better and much more time to prepare defenses for eventual counterattack. Also really puts the focus on the real prize -- the oilfields.

Oh my, you are going to be a very busy fellow! Congratulations!