Changes that you have noticed in CMAK

[Madmatt]

Originally posted by Brent Pollock:

Actually, I've always liked the bogging sound: it's quite distinctive so you know when someone's in trouble. The one I'm not too fond of is the CMBO/CMBB immobilized sound, which always seemed like a tire going flat, which was a bit odd for tracked vehicles.

Other than that, all I've noticed about CMAK is that I've pre-ordered one copy and received four e-mail notifications of the pre-order; if I see four credit card billings, there will be further communications :eek:

You should have only gotten a single confirmation. Did each confirmation have a different order number listed? If so then the order system detected that either you pressed the order button multiple times by mistake (which can happen but there is java code that runs to prevent from occuring, normally) or perhaps the email for some reason got repeated/resent which can also happen as a normal network/internet glitch with SMTP traffic.

If the order numbers are different in each email, please contact sales@battlefront.com at once! Give them the order numbers and they will cancel the extra orders and I will credit back the amount charged to your card for the extra orders.

Madmatt

[Madmatt]

Originally posted by redwolf:

I don't think Cooper gives such a number, but I believe 15% is good. As I said I only played the Axis attack once and had many gun damages, I think 6.

However, if those historical 15% are damages to the main gun, then CM with its model to always have the coax MG knocked out along the way might still punish players too hard. The problem in CM is that the remaining bow MG is a lot less useful than the coax, because the player cannot give target orders and it fires only rarely. Vehicles with only a coax MG are also punished hard.

So for a realistic punishment I would say CM should assume a lower percentage of gun damages as was historically reported as long as the coax is always out of order, too.

Oour overall percentage of such damage is lower than 15%, I believe its lower than 10% actually but there are certain factors that you need to remember.

There are more actions with armor played out in a single day in CM than probably ever occured in all of WWII! When thousands of players play battles with tanks against tanks, you are going to see %'s slightly skewed.

As to overly penalizing the player, well I think we go too far in the other direction by being a little too generous on any of about a hundred different game elements related to vehicles so in the end everything pretty much balances out.

Madmatt

[kingjames]

Love the sounds of the shells pinging off the armor, love it all. The only problem I have had is twice in the first scenario I gave hunt orders to one and a seek to another . First one was the grant, the other was the halftrack. Both times they hit reverse and hightailed it out of the area, in reverse. Just to let you know.

[Cull]

Originally posted by CMplayer:

I actually thought a lot of the American voices sounded too modern. Almost like surfer dudes (well, not quite). Well, what it sounded like was a bunch of generation X-ers trying to sound like WWII soldiers....

Ha! I was waiting for this one. I swear I heard an American say "Boo-yah!" (ala the uber-annoying ESPN anchor Stuart Scott) after a tank kill. What the?! Ouch. I like hearing hearing new voice sounds (some are great!), just maybe not this set. :confused:

On the positive, I like the "chug-clatter-engine dies" sound when an vehicle takes an immobilizing hit. Or is it on any pre-bailout? Whatever, it's cool.

Also, and I need more playing time to be sure, but tank behavior (oooh, this is a touchy one) seems a bit different, in a good way. There seems to be more of a variable in crew actions, re: I had one green crew stand and fight pretty hard despite multiple dings off the turret and such, whereas another crew bolted pretty quickly. Same type targeted tanks, same type shooting tanks. I'll keep observing with different afv matchups and such.

Uh....definitely heard the Garand clip ejection, but I didn't think that was new(?).

Off to check out the second scenario now.

[JonS]

I'm impressed with the deeper, chubbier (don't know how else to describe it ) sound of the US engines and MGs. I'm sure there are others, but those are the ones that have stood out so far.

Oh yeah, I got the Boo-yah! a couple of times too. I wondered about it for a few seconds, then filed it under the "laden or unladen swallow" file

Regards

JonS

[russellmz]

00051000.wav

confirmed: it is indeed hooyaa and not booyaa.

[Pvt. Ryan]

Having attended the LA sneak preview I can tell you the sounds with the full version are amazing. One thing I did notice, though, was that the Australians sounded like Americans. That may have changed since then.

[Aces_and_8's]

Now, the one sound that I tried time and time to replace, but could never find something appropriate, I speak of the bogging sound. Currently its this thick gooey muddy gurgling sound, which I guess is about right, but I never liked it as it has no mechanical component to it, which I think it needs. Maybe I will give it another stab sometime in the future.

Maybe you should try an engine racing like it going through a load test, stops for a second as the crew throws it in reverse, then gets lower as they dig themselves in deeper while trying to rock it out. Once firmly stuck a voice is heard, "Get our freakin wingman on the net, get his ass over here, and tell him to make sure his winch works."

[ November 20, 2003, 07:50 PM: Message edited by: Aces_and_8's ]

[pzgndr]

New graphics are great. One minor thing I noticed playing the Italian scenario was my Sherman commanders being shot up more than in CMBO. So the second time I played I had the Shermans button up and advance. Here's the odd thing - the tanks unbuttoned on their own, and then the commanders got shot up. This will take some getting used to. Anyway, great job and I'm waiting for the full version.

[Madmatt]

Originally posted by Bill Macon:

New graphics are great. One minor thing I noticed playing the Italian scenario was my Sherman commanders being shot up more than in CMBO. So the second time I played I had the Shermans button up and advance. Here's the odd thing - the tanks unbuttoned on their own, and then the commanders got shot up. This will take some getting used to. Anyway, great job and I'm waiting for the full version.

They get shot up due to the quality of the Sharpshooter in the Italian scenario (he is Crack).

In CMBB 1.03 we recoded the TacAI to wait at least 60 seconds to unbutton if the player manually issued a button command.

That code is also in place for CMAK. Are you seeing the TC's pop up before the end of the same turn you issued the Button Up order or is it later on? If you want them to stay buttoned, go ahead and reissue the command each turn, by having them unbutton and rebutton. Normally the TacAI is pretty good about keeping their heads down, but sharpshooters can make this tricky and if you absolutely want them to stay down, just *force* them to each turn until you can flush out that guy and give the all clear.

If you notice that your TC's are popping in less than 60 seconds, try this trick, give the command twice in the same turn (button, unbutton, button). The internal clock doesn't reset with a second command issued(but it doesnt simply double either) so that should guarantee they stay down a full turn. The following turn, just do it again.

Let me know if that doesn't work though but I just ran a bunch of tests with the demo, and I couldnt ever get a TC to unbutton in less than 60 seconds myself.

Madmatt

[ November 20, 2003, 10:48 PM: Message edited by: Madmatt ]

[Mr. Tittles]

Originally posted by Madmatt:

</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Bill Macon:

New graphics are great. One minor thing I noticed playing the Italian scenario was my Sherman commanders being shot up more than in CMBO. So the second time I played I had the Shermans button up and advance. Here's the odd thing - the tanks unbuttoned on their own, and then the commanders got shot up. This will take some getting used to. Anyway, great job and I'm waiting for the full version.

They get shot up due to the quality of the Sharpshooter in the Italian scenario (he is Crack).

Madmatt </font>

[Redwolf]

The turn rate improvement:

CMAK early M4A1 Sherman: 22 seconds/90 degrees.

CMBB M4A2: 35 seconds/90 degrees.

The CMBB variant is a little lighter but has higher ground pressure (1.01 to 0.96).

Also note increased penetration of CMAK 75mm Sherman gun.

[Le Tondu]

I like the new explosions when artillery arrives. Dust gets kicked up too! No missing of where artillery hits anymore. No missing of those CMBO shockwaves either.

[Madmatt]

We did increase vehicle turn rates pretty much across the board.

Madmatt

[ November 21, 2003, 12:49 AM: Message edited by: Madmatt ]

[pzgndr]

If you want them to stay buttoned, go ahead and reissue the command each turn, by having them unbutton and rebutton.

These events did happen after the turn they were commanded to button, so that's the issue. Thanks. A "stay buttoned when I tell you to stay buttoned" feature wouldn't be too difficult to include, would it? After all, we don't have to reissue "hide" commands and such each turn with troops deciding to change posture on their own. This was the one and only thing that bugged me during the 3 games I've played so far. I can do the unbutton/rebutton thing as a workaround, but please reconsider this.

[Ace Pilot]

I could be mistaken, but I thought I saw an enemy tank get hit, manuever (actually zig and zag) closer to some cover, and then the crew bailed out. The tank didn't take any other incoming fire. In CMBB, I don't ever recall seeing a tank move (other than costing to a stop) once the crew decided to bail.

[rune]

But that would be highly unrealistic. Tanks are blind when buttoned up, and tank commander losses were high during the war. Found this gem sent out to the troops in "Combat Lessons Learned" from the War Department in Spring of 1945:

Keep buttoned up

High loses among tank commanders have been caused by snipers. Keep buttoned up, as the sniper concentrates on such profitable targets. This is especially true in villages.

Note that the war department had to include this and sent it out to units, but not till, I believe, it was April 45.

Also remember, you have a god like view, but the tank commander doesn't. One of these days when I get time I will post the pictures I took out of a Sherman's viewports to show how little they could really see.

Rune

[Chad Harrison]

I don't know if it was mentioned before, but I loved the sound bit for the garand . . .

bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang CLING!

Nice touch Maybe I am just excited to have my Ami's back!

Chad

[SgtMuhammed]

The only sound I remember hearing when my track would bog went somethinglike this;

"We'll make it sarge, I never get stuck."

This was then followed by the repeated sound of someone getting kicked in the CVC.

One of the other American sounds caught my attention. The first couple times I heard it I swear I thought they were saying "Enemy Dude, open fire." Had to listen real close to realize it was Troops and not Dude.

[SuperSulo]

I played the italian scenario as german, and almost fell off my chair! I was seeing a "convoy" or "follow vehicle" command being used by the american tanks!! Of course it wasn't, but it sure looked like it. 3 tanks came rolling down the road, and turned and went offroad in TOTAL syncro, with perfect distance to eachother, was amazing to see.

I do hope they implement this in the next engine.

[Le Tondu]

Then there is those panzerschrecks. They certainly sound "different."

[Le Tondu]

Originally posted by SuperSulo:

I played the italian scenario as german, and almost fell off my chair! I was seeing a "convoy" or "follow vehicle" command being used by the american tanks!! Of course it wasn't, but it sure looked like it. 3 tanks came rolling down the road, and turned and went offroad in TOTAL syncro, with perfect distance to eachother, was amazing to see....

Ah, but it was easy to mess that all up with my sharpshooter shooting the lead tank's commander. Lead tank stops and you get a pile-up. I guess thats to be expected.

[flamingknives]

Tank guns seem more lethal - Playing CMBO or CMBB, I'd be chasing reduced AT teams across the map with gun fire (76.2mm) whereas in CMAK, as soon as the crew have routed out of the foxhole, the next shell landing near them kills them.

[Mr. Tittles]

Originally posted by rune:

But that would be highly unrealistic. Tanks are blind when buttoned up, and tank commander losses were high during the war. Found this gem sent out to the troops in "Combat Lessons Learned" from the War Department in Spring of 1945:

Keep buttoned up

High loses among tank commanders have been caused by snipers. Keep buttoned up, as the sniper concentrates on such profitable targets. This is especially true in villages.

Note that the war department had to include this and sent it out to units, but not till, I believe, it was April 45.

Also remember, you have a god like view, but the tank commander doesn't. One of these days when I get time I will post the pictures I took out of a Sherman's viewports to show how little they could really see.

Rune

Abrams, the tank battalion commander, would threaten to weld the hatches open if a tank commander was too under-the-hatch.

Its just too dependant on variables. In open terrain, TCs would be half out of the turret. In closed up bocage or towns, it would be suicide to have your head out.

Sherman tanks did not have the better german style cupolas till later.

[Mr. Tittles]

Originally posted by flamingknives:

Tank guns seem more lethal - Playing CMBO or CMBB, I'd be chasing reduced AT teams across the map with gun fire (76.2mm) whereas in CMAK, as soon as the crew have routed out of the foxhole, the next shell landing near them kills them.

As it should be too. See the CMBB thread 'Medium caliber HE'