Demo vs. Real Game

[[CoFR]Archangel]

I have purchased and played the game. My friend downloaded the demo, ran into some issues, (mainly target choice by his units of what enemies should be shot at). I know the drawbacks of the demo, and that it is a year old, but is there something to download to describe the detail of effort or fixes from the demo to the current purchased version?

Thanks, it will mean more sales!

[CoFR]Archangel

[Guest ckoharik]

Well, you could always look at the readme.txt file in the patch to see what changes were made.

[[CoFR]Archangel]

I did, but it includes only the update of the most recent improvements, not an overall. (I would be willing to get more than just one source of info if it is around). Also interested in comparisons to other games,,,,,as to accuracy of gameplay.

[lcm1947]

I will try to answer this but I feel sure someone will jumb in to straigten me out as I'm no expect but have played well over 50 games ( at least according to my wife ). First I've never played the Demo so don't know what problems it has but I see no problem in the game once you read the manual. There are times that your unit will fire on an enemy unit other than what you would rather have it fire on but as the manual states your unit will choose the biggest threat and deal with it first. This is bothersome at times but hey the game is doing what it thinks best. Another way I look at it so as not to get all mad and stuff is in real battle your men would do the same thing so it is real like in that sense. But trust me the game is better than any other game I've ever played and for every 1 thing you don't like there's 100 that you will like about it. You will miss out on the best game ever if you don't buy and try it.

[Speedy]

ArchAngel I have a V1.12 ReadMe which list all the improvements to the game since V1.00.

If you have the 1.12 Readme try scrolling down as it list the improvements from latest to oldest i.e.- 1.12, 1.1, 1.0, 1.05 etc.

[Sten]

Accuracy.. it can be said quite simply: You simply won't find a more accurate game than this. CC-series, SP-series or any boardgame you can think of is surpassed by a wide margin.

IIRC the biggest changes in the targetting routine since the demo are the way tanks are less prone to target distant infantry. And tanks don't rotate their hull towards inf anymore, unless it's a know AT-team.

Don't forget that units generally target the enemy that poses the greatest current threat. If you issue a specific target command, the unit will prioritize that target and be less interested in other targets. It will still switch targets, but it will be less likely to do so.

Also, if an enemy unit goes to ground, another unit, even if it is farther away, may be considered a larger threat. And if the unit is on the other side of a crest, it might even drop from LOS when ducking.

[jd]

Another change is that the mortars/arty are alot less über relative to AFV's. Used to be you could count on taking out tanks with indirect fire,that has greatly been toned downed.

[[CoFR]Archangel]

Thanks for the replies all.

I am convinced of the game and loving it, trying to get proof to a friend is another issue. I appreciate the feedback.

Speedy,

I am looking at the cd and my readme in the directory of the game, and it only gives a 1.12 description. Interesting, as that was specifically what I was looking for outside the demo to version 1.00 fixes.

[CoFR]Archangel

[-Havermeyer-]

Madmatt often posted the readme file of each patch-- and there was often lengthy discussion prior to and during patch release about the relative merits of BTS's hardwork incorporating stuff we whined about.

Ready?

Do a search on Madmatt and patch and readme, settle back with a cup of coffee or adult beverage, and prepare to read for at least an hour or more (excluding the running commentary by the users on BTS's fixes). Your friend will probably be convinced the designers of this game give a damn after the first 10 minutes, and will want to purchase.

[Wolfe]

Wel,, you asked for it. From the 1.12 readme:

Combat Mission: Beyond Overlord

v1.12 UPDATE PATCH - Windows

February 6, 2001 www.battlefront.com

This is the version 1.12 update for "Combat Mission: Beyond Overlord". It

updates versions 1.0 through 1.11. Please follow these instructions:

1. Run the patch and select your existing Combat Mission install directory

as the destination. Unlike previous patches, the Public Beta will install

directly into your Combat Mission folder without further manual file copying.

The patch will create the necessary folders and files in all the correct

locations.

2. Read the INTERNET PLAY READ ME file to learn how to play Combat Mission

live over the Internet.

3. NOTE: Five scenarios in the "Scenarios" directory will be updated

automatically (unless you've already updated to v1.1).

You're all done! Below is the list of changes made.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

v1.12 2/6/2001

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

* Tanks use better hull-rotation logic.

* Gun accuracy is somewhat higher at long range.

* Firing ordnance while moving is less accurate than before.

* Quick Battles have a new "unrestricted" force type.

* Pillboxes have slightly better 'reaction time' and are slightly less easier

to spot at long range. It is also somewhat harder to hit their firing slits

from longer ranges.

* Smoke usage logic tweaked.

* 20mm gun in Lynx cannot fire on aircraft.

* If both sides have global morale below 25%, a battle will end immediately

with an enforced cease-fire.

* Fixed a bug (introduced in v1.1) where simultaneous cease-fire requests by

both players in play by email could lead to a crash.

* Fixed a bug so that the computer will never place antitank mines in woods.

* Fixed a bug that made hotseat mutual cease-fires activate one turn later

han they should.

* Fixed a bug that could cause a game previously (partly) played as PBEM, but

subsequently reloaded as TCP/IP to "lose" minefields and barbed wire.

* Fixed a bug that made the TacAI hesitant to give targeting orders to the

rearward-firing Archer.

* Fixed a bug that occasionally showed FOs having a "label" showing JAM.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

v1.11 1/12/2001

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

* Fixed a bug that allowed tungsten rounds to be overly effective against

highly-sloped armor.

* Data changes:

- Sherman Jumbo speed, turret rotation, and some armor values lowered.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

v1.1 12/23/2000

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

* TCP/IP play has been implemented (i.e. "live" Internet play). The game

can also run as a "spawn", meaning that you do not need the CD-ROM in the

drive, but you will be restricted to joining TCP/IP games only. SEE THE

"INTERNET PLAY READ ME" file for more detailed instructions.

* If both sides have global morale below 15%, a battle will end immediately

with an enforced cease-fire.

* Quick Battles:

- Ratio of attacker to defender points has been reduced slightly for

Attack and Assault scenarios.

- Fortifications are cheaper to purchase.

- Automatic unit purchaser does a better job of using up (nearly) all

available points.

- Force proportion limits modified slightly (main change is that attackers

have a higher limit on support points than before).

* Armored vehicles are smarter about rotating their hulls to bring their

main weapons to bear faster, however vehicles rotate 'in place' more slowly

now.

* Vehicles in hunt mode are more likely to stop moving in order to engage

"lesser" enemy vehicles than before.

* Allied tanks and guns are more likely to fire tungsten rounds when

available.

* Infantry TacAI is less likely to seek cover when it would require moving

closer to the enemy to reach that cover. Also, infantry (sometimes)

retreats from buildings being blasted by heavy weapons that are in danger

of collapse.

* Fixed a bug that incorrectly counted the number of knocked out vehicles

and crewmember casualties during Operations.

* A bug that incorrectly identified (or failed to identify) vehicles as

hull-down when the mouse was pointing at them has been fixed.

* Forward Observers no longer cancel a bombardment on a building that is

blasted to rubble (though any other unit using area fire still does).

* Enemy units targeting an ambush marker are no longer displayed as doing

so.

* Vehicle top speed over open ground reduced somewhat, especially for jeeps.

And all wheeled vehicles are slightly more likely to bog down in bad terrain.

* Vehicles, especially those with only a few crewmen, have greater difficulty

spotting enemies when moving. The difficulty is proportional to speed and

ruggedness of terrain.

* Vehicles can more readily spot other vehicles at greater ranges (3000+ m)

in clear weather with clear line of sight.

* Vehicle sound contacts are not shown rotating their turrets.

* When faced with a threat, unarmored vehicles will sometimes seek shelter

at a new destination chosen by the TacAI even when ordered to move fast or

in reverse.

* Fixed a bug that caused tanks to 'fear' pillboxes even when they were out

of its firing arc.

* Hull down display when drawing LOS line also indicates "bow MG blocked"

when appropriate.

* Mortars gain target acquisition a bit more slowly now, and their point

values have been lowered slightly. They are also somewhat less effective

at hitting vehicles.

* Gunnery accuracy equations modified slightly to permit greater accuracy

at point-blank ranges.

* Fixed a bug that prevented Churchill AVREs from killing a pillbox form

the side.

* Vehicles which are targeting ambush markers, and are directly hit by

anything other than small-arms fire, will cancel their ambush orders and

react to the attack normally.

* Crews that bail from a knocked out vehicle have "low" ammo and are often

panicked or worse.

* Fixed a bug that caused events happening past the normal 60 seconds of

action sometimes to be "undone" by rewinding and fast-forwarding past them.

* Fixed a bug that caused the battle number not to advance when both players

in an operation agreed to a cease fire.

* Fixed a bug that often caused airplanes not to show up in Operations.

* Rough terrain tiles now abut so that they block vehicular traffic along

shared edges.

* A letter 'c' after the armor slope display indicates that a vehicle has a

curved gun mantlet, so the actual slope can vary depending on where the shell

strikes. (Example: Panther tank).

* Fixed a bug that allowed game saves to be done before the battle was even

underway.

* Passengers no longer immediately jump off a vehicle that bogs down unless

the vehicle becomes permanently immobilized.

* You can no longer trace line of sight (LOS) from a Target Reference Point

(TRP) during setup.

* Vehicles which use up their last round of ammunition are quicker to cancel

targeting.

* TacAI does a better job weighing the importance of hull-down status when

choosing targets.

* Fixed a TacAI bug in the logic that causes vehicles use the coaxial MG

instead of the main gun (to conserve ammo when the MG is nearly as effective

anyway). The bug sometimes made the vehicle switch to the coaxial MG when

it should not have.

* Forward Observers' targets are never shown to the enemy, even in action

playback.

* Bug fix for group-moves of mixed tanks and infantry, to ensure that

FAST/RUN and MOVE orders are carried out appropriately.

* Pillboxes:

- Acquire targets a bit faster than other guns (it's assumed that they've

pre-ranged to landmarks).

- Carry a little more 'weight' when calculating the new position of the

front lines in operations.

* Bug fix that makes the 'setup' between campaign battles work out the same no

matter how many times you reload the play-by-email file.

* Bug fix so operations don't have empty white (Allied) or black (Axis)

setup zones.

* Bug fix: passengers disembarking out of sight of the enemy are no longer

'seen' as doing so by the enemy. A spot marker does not appear for the

disembarked unit.

* Fixed a bug that made vehicles moving in reverse immune to bogging down

or striking minefields.

* When placing cursor over an unidentified enemy infantry unit, your tank will

be shown as "hull down" (if it is hull down) just in *case* the enemy unit

is an antitank unit.

* AI is less likely to fire off-map artillery smoke missions when overall

visibility is poor.

* M3A1 Halftrack, M3A1 Scout Car, and M5A1 Halftrack are not forced to remain

buttoned up after suffering only one crew casualty.

* Split squads rejoin when within 10m of one another, not 15m as before.

* Fixed bug so you cannot get TRP bonus when adjusting fire, unless you are

within 20m of TRP (was 100m due to bug).

* Vehicles can only do a 'hide' order if they do not currently have movement

orders.

* Popup menus are not obscured by text-input fields.

* Fixed a bug that sometimes slightly overloaded tank ammo between battles

in operations.

* Texture fix on Stuart V.

* Fixed it so sound contacts right on the edge of listening range don't flutter

in and out of contact, which made them 'bounce around'.

* Fixed a bug that sometimes made target selection "jump" very quickly between

different targets.

* Fixed a bug that caused the TacAI sometimes not to regard foxholes as

"sufficient" cover.

* Fixed a bug that sometimes caused vehicles to stop on the map edge instead

of exiting.

* Data changes:

- MG Jeep cannot carry passengers.

- PzIV silhouette reduced.

- Firefly's turret rotation speed is medium. Point value is reduced before

September 1944 to reflect that no High Explosive (HE) ammo is carried.

- 17pdr gun no longer has shatter-prone armor-piercing ammo (so penetration

is increased).

- Marder III armor changed.

- Sherman Jumbo's speed and some armor values lowered.

- Muzzle velocity slightly lowered on some German vehicle-mounted 75mm guns.

- HEAT/Shaped-charge penetration values changed for some German weapons:

75mm howitzer, 75mm recoilless, 75mm L/24, 105mm howitzer, 105mm recoilless,

150mm gun, 150mm infantry gun

- More AT guns, PIATs, and carriers added to British infantry battalion TO&E.

- Vehicle point values adjusted slightly.

- British M5 Halftrack added.

- Puppchen is available on all dates.

- British Carriers now have smoke mortars.

- British rifle battalion may have MG platoon attached or not.

- Polish may use the Cromwell, but not the Stuart, Sherman II/IIA/IIC, or

Sherman III tanks.

- Canadians may not use Sherman II/IIA/IIC or Churchill (exc. Crocodile) tanks.

- M3A1 Scout Car and Humber Scout Cars are able to cross hedges.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

v1.05 8/24/2000

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

* Units will NOT switch away from an ambush marker target just because

they have been spotted by the enemy.

* Units area-targeting a building which collapses and has no visible

surviving enemy troops in the resulting rubble will cancel their area

target.

* Buildings and bridges are labeled with "damage" or "heavy damage"

when they've taken over 50% damage and the "Warning Labels" option is

on. Additionally, they're listed with a '*' attached, like

"light building*", or a '**' for heavy damage.

* JPz IV and JPz IV/70 now have a bow MG, but it's somewhat less

effective at short (under 100m) range than a 'standard' bow MG due to

its simplified and somewhat underprotected mounting.

* T8 Recon vehicle now first available in December 1944 (same time as

arrival of M24 Chaffee).

* Fixed a bug introduced in v1.04 that made some units with normally

large ammo loads, in scenarios created with v1.03 or earlier, have ammo

loads above 65000.

* Roads are never considered "slopes", in order to make mapbuilding

easier and avoid the problem of vehicles not being able to traverse

*roads* on steep grades.

* When a unit's last movement order is "rotate", and it tries to move

through impassable terrain, the TacAI is no longer confused about the

intended endpoint of the movement path if a new movement path must be

calculated (bug fix).

* Victory flags in a meeting engagement quick battle are more centered

(to avoid giving one player too much of an advantage).

* In previous versions, the TacAI was less likely to fire vehicle heavy

weapons at bailed crews, but it wasn't as inhibited about wanting to fire

the coax MG at them, which still caused the turret-swiveling-away-from-real-

threats problem. So the coax MG has been "toned down" vs. crews like the

main weapon (bug fix).

* TacAI code for a tank swiveling its turret back to a forward position

when it has no target is smarter. It will do so as default behavior except

for a 2-3 minute period after the tank has targeted an enemy which had

anti-armor capability and the tank is not moving or rotating (i.e. moving

or rotating the tank will cause the turret to swivel back to forward even

if the last target was an anti-armor threat).

* Large guns like the 88mm AT are allowed to use the rotation order (this

was a bug).

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

v1.04 8/17/2000

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

* Play-by-email format has changed. Both players must use v1.04 to be

compatible. IMPORTANT: Upgrading to v1.04 part way through a scenario or

play-by-email is NOT recommended, due to a change in the way artillery

ammunition is tracked (see below).

* Scenarios created by v1.04 cannot be loaded by PREVIOUS versions of

Combat Mission.

* Artillery Forward Observers (FOs) track their ammunition by individual

shells rather than by fire missions. So this will make it look at first

like they now have 4 times as much ammo, but they really don't. Spotting

rounds now count against ammo usage. Older scenarios are dynamically

updated when loaded to account for this change.

* Tanks are less likely to target a new, not-highly-threating unit which,

to engage, would require significant turret or hull rotation away from a

recent, important threat.

* Tanks with no target do not automatically return turrets to face forward

unless they are moving or hull-rotating.

* Enemy units must be closer before full identification can be obtained.

* Mortars now have a more difficult time tracking moving targets.

* TacAI is quicker to move open-top vehicles away from mortar attack,

and to recognize .50cal MGs as threats to light armor.

* Armor penetration capability for high-explosive (HE) rounds fired from

high-velocity cannon has been toned down.

* Tiger tank now models the varying thickness of its mantlet armor (up to

200mm in places).

* Armor penetrations by MG bullets and small AP shells are somewhat less

likely to knock out the target (no change for 75mm and up). And crews of

struck vehicles are less likely to bail out when no serious damage has

been suffered.

* MG fire against vehicles is now less effective (i.e. less accurate) if

the firer or target is moving.

* Reinforcements are placed better around entrance locations.

* Small-caliber shells that enter a pillbox's firing slit are less likely

to knock out the whole pillbox.

* Vehicles with rear-facing guns (not including mortars) may not 'hunt'.

* Bailed-out crews are never eligible for exit points.

* Units are a little smarter about finding the "right" cover to move to

when they come under fire or panic.

* British 2-inch mortar is now able to run for short distances (like

Panzerschreck), but ammo load reduced from 22 to 20.

* Vehicles in hunt mode, whose guns are damaged, will stop movement and

consider evasive action.

* Very small changes made to vehicle unit point cost based on top armor

thickness.

* When one side surrenders, any prisoners it still has on the map are

automatically uncaptured.

* Slight modifications made to the firepower ratings for MP44, MP40,

Thompson SMG, and Sten SMG.

* Captured units cannot set off mines. And the code that checks for

captured units escaping has been extended to allow units to escape

(sometimes) even when enemy guards are nearby, provided that nearby

friendly forces have a significant local superiority.

* Bug fix makes passengers free to disembark and re-embark on assault boats

without problems during battle setup phase and scenario editing.

* Bug fix: there is no longer a problem with quick battles when the

starting player chooses "human chosen" units and the other player has

"auto pick", with the first player's setup phase being skipped.

* Bocage blocks LOS less severely, provided the spotter or target is

adjacent to the bocage (bug fix).

* Sometimes very small reinforcement groups (e.g. one or two units) under

computer control had a tendency to sit still and not get involved in the

battle. This is fixed.

* The No-Man's-Land Size setting for Operations no longer changes from

0 to 400 when saving/loading the file (bug fix).

* Area fire target lines disappear automatically when a unit is out of ammo.

* Movement paths created by the TacAI don't "hug" road edges so much.

* AI bug fixed so it does a better job 'defending' against an enemy exit

edge, even if the AI is the attacking force.

* Vehicles with limited AP ammo were sometimes overly cautious about using

it (e.g. SPW 250/9). This has been remedied.

* Canadians have use of 40mm Bofors AA gun.

* M3A1 scout car has 3 crewmen (driver and 2 gunners).

* M3A1 halftrack, M5 halftrack, and M3A1 scout car can still fire one MG

after suffering one crew casualty.

* Two-man vehicles that suffer a crew casualty will only display only one

crewman now (bug fix).

* Recoilless rifles are placed better (graphically) upon transporting

vehicles (bug fix).

* When a vehicle towing a gun is knocked out, the gun is not visually

'trapped under' the vehicle (bug fix).

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

v1.03 7/26/2000

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

* Play-by-email format has changed. Both players must use v1.03

to be compatible.

* Infantry moving in the open is more vulnerable to casualties than

before.

* Small-arms units, especially MGs, fire more rapidly at units that

are moving in the open.

* Top-mount MG range increased for: Stuart, T8, PSW 234/3

* Vickers MG is available to British and Polish paratroops.

* Running units spot enemies more poorly.

* Mortar shell top armor penetration capability reduced slightly.

* The 'front line' in Operations does not tend to shift quite as

much in the attacker's favor as it did before.

* v1.01 made pillboxes just a little bit too resistant to artillery.

This resistance has been toned down slightly.

* Fog of War 'preference' is remembered properly.

* Unit point values have been tweaked, especially small recoilless

weapons. Vehicles with veteran or better experience also cost more.

* Quick Battles

- Max length is now 60 turns.

- Troop quality, weather, and time of day can be set to "random".

- The automatic force chooser can now pick Conscript (on Low

quality setting), and Crack and Elite troops (on High quality

setting).

- Allow a slightly higher portion of points to be spent on artillery.

- In a 2-player Quick Battle, a reminder window appears to both

players if there is a handicap in force size.

- Attacker-to-defender ratio in points is slightly reduced.

* TacAI (esp. for tanks) is less 'distracted' by targets of lesser

importance.

* Vehicle reinforcements are more likely to be placed on a road, if one is

(very) nearby.

* Operations have always been able to end when one side is "pushed off"

their own map edge, but the algorithm which determines when this has

occurred is more forgiving now, and allows the force to be "squeezed" up

closer against that map edge before force-ending the operation.

* Sound volume no longer automatically raised to maximum when CM starts

up.

* FOs are no longer automatically fully resupplied between battles in an

operation.

* Foxholes dug in Tall Pines terrain were treated (in part) as if they

were dug in the open. This is now fixed.

* Vehicles that button up or turn away are less likely to lose visual

contact with their *current* target.

* One can no longer change a rotation waypoint to a movement waypoint,

therefore circumventing command delay.

* Computer player is smarter about exiting units for points (when allowed

by scenario).

* Grenade and demo charge attacks against armored vehicles can no longer

cause collateral damage to friendly units.

* Random map generator no longer creates "spiky" hills.

* Silhouette rating for M24 Chaffee reduced.

* Bailed crews now have poor visual spotting ability.

* When a sound contact to an enemy vehicle is lost, the sound effect of

its engine stops too.

* Units out of ammo will never be shown as 'reloading'.

* Pillbox MG ammo no longer 'wraps around' back up to 254 or 255 shots.

* Reinforcements in an operation are no longer sometimes placed in

impassable terrain.

* Turret penetrations are likely to cause more crew casualties than

before.

* Time penalty for adjusted artillery missions is slightly reduced.

* Captured troops don't stay panicked for unreasonable lengths of time.

* A bug which sometimes caused a unit which had just suffered a casualty,

but had not fired, to say "reloading", has been fixed.

* Split squads kept split at the end of a battle during an operation no

longer have problems remembering the number of casualties suffered.

* Sometimes in the scenario editor, squads split into teams would be

given different squad I.D. numbers. This has been fixed.

* Deleting a split-squad team in the editor simultaneously deletes the

other team as well. Also, the point values for split-squad teams are

corrected, and correct data is shown for them in the cursor-hotspot info

window.

* Sneaking is now more sensitive to incoming fire when it decides to stop

(i.e. "advance to contact")

* Occasionally during an Operation, a vehicle knocked out in a previous

battle, when hit again, could produce a 'new' crew bailing out. This is

fixed.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

v1.02 6/21/2000

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

* Quick Battles can have larger forces.

* Unarmored vehicles and those with rear-facing guns are smarter about

when to rotate the whole vehicle (TacAI).

* Woods terrain doesn't "break" over elevation changes.

* UNSPOTTED infantry won't ever fire panzerfausts at enemy infantry.

* Heavy buildings are slightly less likely to catch fire. And firing

bazookas and panzerschrecks from inside any type of building is slightly

less likely to cause a fire than previously (from backblast).

* Previously, if you canceled out of the password screen and started up

a new 1-player game, CM would crash. This is fixed.

* A sharpshooter's data screen lists main weapon as "sniper rifle" (was

previously blank).

* Several small bugs fixed in how aerial rockets damage armored vehicles.

* U.S. Paratrooper battalion has 9 bazookas in its HQ Company, not 8.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

v1.01 6/14/2000

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

* Play-by-email (PBEM) fixes:

- Both players MUST upgrade to v1.01. v1.01 cannot play PBEM with

the original v1.0. This is due to bug and security fixes which

changed the format of PBEM files.

- Barbed wire does not lose its ability to slow down infantry.

- Doing a normal save-game no longer causes the occasional skipping

of one player's orders phase.

- Units no longer occasionally target smoke toward the map corner.

- There is no longer the occasional problem of being unable to give

orders to a vehicle, seemingly for no reason.

- Reinforcements don't arrive differently upon subsequent reloads of

a PBEM file.

- Vehicles no longer sometimes switch from 'destroyed' to

'abandoned'.

- Captured vehicle crew are counted properly when one side

surrenders.

* TacAI fixes:

- Less fickle with targeting changes, i.e. targeting 'stickiness'

increased slightly.

- Buttoned-up tanks are less likely to target low-visibility targets

(like hiding infantry) at longer ranges, even when the target *is*

spotted by another friendly unit.

- Less likely to fire smoke at less-important targets, especially

ones that are already pinned down or panicked.

- Paths made by TacAI no longer occasionally have visually

'floating' waypoints.

- Judges 'cover' behind stone walls and bocage properly, not

prematurely forcing units to abandon these positions as if they're too

exposed.

* New explosion graphics (when using "high quality smoke" option)

* Camera can rotate on a 'point' rather than around a circle (SHIFT-J

option).

* Units can hide during setup.

* Handicapper unit choice is more logical. Can also go to +200%.

* Player can give the AI an "experience bonus" that raises all AI

units from 1 to 3 experience levels.

* Infantry "close combat" versus armored vehicles has been reworked:

- Demo charges and grenades thrown at armored vehicles now have a

visible blast wave.

- Tossed demo charges vs. armored vehicles are more accurate.

- Various bug fixes

* Some computer-player tweaks, including no longer moving gun-damaged

tanks into the map corner.

* Nonmoving infantry is slightly harder to spot (i.e. max range

decreased a bit).

* Pillboxes are slightly harder to spot (if in cover), and can 'hide'

(which helps save ammo). Also, they are now far more resistant to

artillery.

* In hotseat play, uncontacted enemy vehicles' engine sounds are not

audible.

* Flamethrowers stop firing once their AREA target is burning.

* Map elevation algorithm is improved, making roads run more smoothly

up/down hill faces, not stair-stepped.

* Gun crews won't abandon their (functioning) guns until they're fully

ROUTED (rather than BROKEN) provided they have less than 50%

casualties.

* Sneaking units, when fired upon in cover, are more likely to stop

and return fire rather than keep moving.

* In the action phase the rewind button would sometimes cause a

building-destruction animation to play at the incorrect time. This

has been fixed.

* Fanatic units are subject to panic (like normal units) when attacked

by flamethrower.

* Captured (or escaped) infantry is allowed to move at run speed,

regardless of initial weapon type. However, this can only happen

as a result of running for cover when under attack; no captured

unit may be given orders to "run".

* Smoke shells leave a small impact crater.

* When a unit kills an enemy armored vehicle, it now (usually) plays

the appropriate voice sound effect.

* "Detailed armor hit text" is not shown to the enemy when a vehicle

is hit by a mine or artillery outside of enemy observation.

* When repositioning a unit during setup, the colored line always

turns red to indicate that a position is not allowed.

* Sound contacts are no longer indicated (to the enemy) as knocked out

or destroyed even if they actually are. And if destroyed, they are

not shown on the map at all. And they are never shown as being

located off the map edge.

* Armored vehicles are slightly less likely to be immobilized or

receive gun damage from nearby blasts (e.g. artillery).

* You can give movement orders to bogged vehicles, which they'll

execute if they're able to un-bog.

* Split-squads' casualties are tallied correctly in the after-action

report.

* 'Target Next' order works for vehicles with machineguns but no main

gun.

* 0 vs. 0 final score is reported as a 'draw' not an Axis victory.

* Units 'notice' more quickly that an enemy unit has surrendered, and

don't shoot at them just seconds after surrendering.

* Bailed vehicle crews who are less than 'fully' spotted are drawn

with generic infantry uniforms.

* Infantry moves more slowly on slopes.

* Automatic force picker for Quick Battles picks fewer defensive

fortifications.

* Captured guns and mortars are tallied correctly in the after action

report.

* Interior graphic problem with the SPW 251/1 halftrack fixed.

* If a tank became immobilized while rotating its turret, sometimes

the turret would keep spinning. This has been fixed.

* If you move a vehicle carrying passengers during setup, its

passengers' command and control links are updated immediately and

correctly.

* No 'reinforcements have arrived' message is shown if all of them are

airplanes.

* Vehicles in 'hunt' mode are a little more likely to stop before

shooting.

* Sometimes the 'hide roofs' and 'transparent buildings' options would

interfere with one another. This has been fixed.

[continued below]

- Chris

[Wolfe]

[continued from previous post]

* When loading or saving a file in the editor, the dialog

'default' directory is the Saved Games directory.

* Slight problem of diagonal bocage and walls not quite matching 3D

placement on map is fixed.

* No prisoner will ever be shown as "reloading".

* Some open-top armored vehicles were suffering crew casualties from

nearby explosions, even when buttoned-up. This has been fixed.

* Unit editor allows U.S. Paratroops to carry up to 3 rifle grenades

(was 2).

* Bazookas, panzerschrecks, and PIATs display caliber and muzzle

velocity in data window.

* Sometimes reloading a 1-player game would have the wrong fog of war

setting (it wasn't being reloaded properly). This is fixed.

* Sometimes shells were passing through buildings when firing at the

top story. Fixed.

Unfortunately, the one listed on CMHQ is still v. 1.05, which is why I posted this here.

- Chris

[[CoFR]Archangel]

Stop!!!! Stop!!!!

Thank you. It will be good.

As an aside, you guys are great. I can't wait to defeat you in battle!!!!

I appreciate the time and help. As soon as I stop Jerry from making it past me to Bastogne, I am going to start hunting for people to take it easy on me!

Thanks again,

[CoFR]Archangel

[Mr. Johnson--]

It was the list of fixes for 1.03 that got me to download the demo and after 15 mins of that I ordered a CMBO I.V. installed directly into my vein. I've never been happier.

[Binkie]

Hey, look at that! Clans have made their way into the CM world...we must have hit the big time!

[lcm1947]

Very nicely done Wolf. I couldn't have said it better myself. You the man!