CMBN 2.12 and cease fire

[SlowMotion]

Have people noticed that Cease Fire command wouldn't work in PBEM?

I have seen this. One player says he has pressed cease fire, I do it also, but the game just doesn't end. So is one of the players doing something wrong or is there a bug in the game?

[General Lee Irked]

I have not ceased fire in a PBEM in v2.12, in earlier versions I have and it usually takes a couple turns before it takes effect. If true, this could pose a problem for the tournament I am in at TFGM.

[SlowMotion]

I had always thought Cease Fire would happen immediately after both players have pressed it.

[Fizou]

SlowMotion,

No I think it takes a few turns before it comes into effect.

[A Canadian Cat]

Taking a few turns has been my experience as well. Although I have yet cease fire in 2.12 yet.

[SlowMotion]

Ok, I guess it's not a bug then.

Misunderstanding about how the command works.

Although I don't quite understand why the extra delay is there.

Often people use it in situations where players see that positions are stuck and it makes no sense to really move any units.

Then time passes, nothing happens and players get bored.

So "let's just quit this battle and play something else".

[A Canadian Cat]

Oh it could be a bug but one with a workaround - just keep going a couple more times.

[SlowMotion]

Sure, but if you play at file per day pace, all those extra delay turns are just wasted real life days for players.

[A Canadian Cat]

Yep, agreed.

[Doug Williams]

I have never noticed Cease Fires in CM2 PBEMs taking "a few turns" to take effect.

At most, I have only, IIRC, seen them take one or (at most) two turns to take effect.

Let's keep this thread alive and look into this.

Cease Fires, once both players agree and click, should happen almost instantly.

[womble]

I'm sure I saw a reference to Cease Fires only taking effect once things have "gone quiet" for a couple of turns. Whether it was a manual, or BFC-post, or some speculation, I can no longer recall... But it would make sense that if such a condition were to be checked for, different play styles might mean some people never registering that the condition should apply, as they only ever offer/accept ceasefires once troops aren't actively shooting at each other very much.

[c2yeung]

I have always been paying against AI. Is H2H the same as PBEM? i.e. against another human. I surmise that PBEM (email) is I review replay of previous turn, issue orders, save it and email it to my opponent and he does the same thing and email his saved file to me and on and on...? I wonder how long do human players take to do one turn and how many turn on average do they play in a day? It takes me a few hours to play a scenario of 45 to 60 turns against AI. Therefore, playing a human may take a few days unless both players are willingly to sit in front of a computer for a few hours.

[Odin]

C2yeung H2H means 'head to head' ie 2 player. PBEM means 'play by email' the most common method of playing someone else in CM.

I'm not sure if you're asking this, but I'll go off an a tangent in any case. H2H Helper is a simple but very effective piece of software for PBEM games. Originally players would email their turns to each other, which meant manually downloading and uploading turns - a labourious process which certainly put me off playing PBEM.

Then along came Dropbox, which allowed each player to upload their turn's file to a shared 'cloud' folder which helped to speed up the process.

Then Green As Jade (praise be the man) came up with H2H Helper. This very effective and free piece of kit will automatically upload and download your turn files to a designated dropbox folder which you share with your opponent - taking away all the administration involved in playing PBEM.

Personally whilst I'll still play Campaigns in single player mode, I only now play scenarios against a human opponent. I recommend you give it a go, because if like me you'll probably find it more challenging and much more rewarding.

I often have 3-4 PBEM games running at the same time, playing them out using H2H Helper. Depending on the size of scenarioat the moment I'm getting through 1-2 turns a day so a game will likely take a couple of weeks. Other than the satisifaction of playing a human opponent, the other advantage of PBEM is that you don't need to to write off half a day or more playing a scenario out in one sitting.

I think H2H Helper is that good a piece of software Battlefront should pay Green As Jade to allow them to include it in their titles. It always gives me a warm glow turning on the laptop after getting back home from work to find I have a couple of turns to play out.

There are plenty of places to find opponents, not least this forum. Otherwise I can recommend The Few Good Men forum and the Blitz.

[womble]

I surmise that PBEM (email) is I review replay of previous turn, issue orders, save it and email it to my opponent and he does the same thing and email his saved file to me and on and on...?

That's pretty much the sequence. After you've each issued orders, the turn is calculated and the results can be watched.

I wonder how long do human players take to do one turn...

The same time (roughly, give or take some time for considering what devilishness a human opponent might have in store for you that an AI likely would not) as they do for a turn vs the AI: anywhere from a few seconds, to an hour, or more.

...and how many turn on average do they play in a day?

That depends on the players. Most like to try and aim for at least a turn a day. It will depend on the time each has available, of course, and the time zone differences. I had one opponent in just the right place that we could each do a turn before work, when we got home from work and before bedtime, or so it seemed, so we sometimes got three turns done even on a weekday, and usually managed 2.

It takes me a few hours to play a scenario of 45 to 60 turns against AI.

Now I'd say that was a pretty pacy speed.

Therefore, playing a human may take a few days...

Or months. A two hour scenario at a turn a day is a 4 month commitment...

[c2yeung]

Thanks for all your good advice and insight. I am itching to try out PBEM. It is good to know that online players generally do not expect to play through a whole scenario in one shot because I simply cannot commit the time to it. I am looking forward to the challenge. I am sure it is very different from the rather static and set-piece tactics of AI.

[Ted]

I have seen it both ways, where it takes a couple of few turns and where it takes one turn. I always thought it was kind of variable. There's nothing in the manual either way.

Do you or your opponent have anything targeted or artillery/air support on call. Maybe that can delay a ceasefire(?).

There's nothing in the manual that I could find that says how long a cease fire should take.

[Nidan1]

I guess it depends on what one considers "a few turns", in my experience playing many PBEM games, three turns is the most time elapsed before a ceasefire takes effect that I have seen.

I do know that it does not happen on the first turn that two PBEM players request one by hitting the "ceasefire" button.

[Michael Emrys]

I do know that it does not happen on the first turn that two PBEM players request one by hitting the "ceasefire" button.

I am curious as to what the thinking behind that is.

Michael

[poesel]

I guess there is some delay on determining who the owner of an objective is. Which is probably the same mechanism that triggers extra time.

[sburke]

CM is trying to decide if the players are worthy of being allowed to continue. In effect it is simply saying "oh no you don't soldier! You are gonna take that objective or else!"