Is Time Running Out on CMSF?

[c3k]

Steve,

Thanks, glad you've seen and acted as needed on the issues already.

Count me as another datapoint in agreement with the LOS issue: in v1.10 if I select the enemy icon and not all the enemy are in LOS I cannot get the target line to snap into place. If I do a polygon hunt and select the actual enemy unit, it will snap in place.

Thanks,

Ken

[vincere]

We feel that instead of spending considerable time retrofitting CM Normandy improvements into CM:SF, and charging people for it (there is no way we can do all that work for a free patch!), everybody is better off if we update the entire CM:SF experience. That includes a new temperate setting and an expanded Red Force.

Steve

I'll slip from lurking to say that I'll look forward to that one.

[Mord]

One particular niggle I hope will be fixed before it's all said and done, would be Red crews labeled with pistols, being shown with AKs in the battle.

Mord.

[Battlefront.com]

I'll see what we can find out about the "pixel hunting" behavior. That's strange. What you should get is a Gray target line, which indicates that a significant portion of your men can't see the target OR you can't see a significant portion of the enemy's men OR both. The target line should still "snap" onto that unit, though, regardless.

MeatEtr,

Whoa, wait a minute, so a different company or development team is working on the British module?

Yes and no. We're moving in that direction, but for the British Module we're still pretty involved simply because you can't drop this in someone's lap and say "get back to us when it's done" Lots of cooperation needed to transfer knowledge and impart past experiences. But yes in the sense that the bulk of the work is being done by people that are not directly working for us in the strictest sense of the word.

I think this is certainly a good thing.

Yes, it is We have always known that there is more content to cover than we can possibly do on our own, but the old game code was such a bottleneck that effectively it ruled out the possibility of outside development. Therefore, when we designed the CMx2 game engine we had outside development firmly in mind and we are liking the results so far.

You guys will hear a lot more about this as the British Module starts to have things to show off. For now, just know that this is why we are able to work on British Module, Normandy Title, and NATO Module all concurrently. It is also how we are able to plan on having Modern and WW2 Families co-existing side-by-side as the years go on without one having to be temporarily abandoned so we can work on the other. That was the CMx1 way of doing things and, frankly, I think we can all agree that sucked

Steve

[Fizou]

I have the same problem as Cpl Steiner. At times I cant target the icon but only the unit. It also happens that I cant target any of them despite seeing them on the screen.

I also have a nVidia card.

[Peter Panzer]

Steve:

Your thorough response is precisely why I knew it would be worth the time to craft my original post. Thank you for the useful, direct discussion.

I understand the utility of having to draw the line somewhere and certainly do not begrudge you for adhering to that reality. That said, I wanted to make sure the issues in my original post were known before "major combat operations in CMSF have ended."

From my perspective, CMSF:M is teetering on the edge of becoming not only an entertaining game, but also a captivating one. It is no longer a matter of a few lingering gamebreakers so much as it is a mob of little issues collectively taking off the luster. After reading your reply, I am feeling confident v1.11. could very well be the proper cap stone I have been waiting for (unless v.1.11 breaks something).

Some follow up:

Vehicles sometimes stutter and hitch in a vertical motion during slow movement. This is accompanied by corresponding stuttering in the sound effects. This happened four times in a period of 12 minutes during WEGO. Multiple saved game files available.

This is probably already fixed. We're testing a fix for it now.

Quote:

Vehicles sometimes hitch vertically when moving over uneven terrain or rotating in place. This is similar to the glitch above, however it happens much more frequently and the sound error does not occur

What we affectionally call the "U-Boat Commander Bug" should be fixed for the next release.

I play via WEGO while staying "down in the dirt." A big hook for me is watching the game's models convincingly interact with the environment. Knocking out these two issues would be a gift to players like me.

Quote:

Infantry models sometimes revert to a stark, bolt-upright position ("scarecrow?") at waypoints during WEGO playback. They then resume their appropriate movement animation/posture once the remainder of the squad arrives at the waypoint. The net effect is needlessly jarring and detracts from the otherwise well designed animations.

Infantry models often slide (no run/walk animation) into final positions. This occurs frequently.

Hmmm... I haven't heard about this one for months. This is an indication that the CPU is getting hogged down by something. But we'll definitely check to see if there's something we can reproduce. It's a tough one, though, since it is usually somehow related to someone's hardware and the way the game is interacting with it. I'm not blaming the hardware per se, since it could be that there's something we can do to work around the problem without hobbling the game for everybody else.

Regarding the sudden upright posture at waypoints, that one is a bit elusive. Unfortunately, I do not have a save game file yet. The sliding into position, however, is common. I have sent a file to Dima illustrating the issue.

Quote:

Small arms disappear from infantry models when they are mounting vehicles.

Do you mean the 3D models, or the 2D icons in the user interface? I presume you mean the 3D models. I've not heard about this one yet so will check into it.

Correct, I was referring to the 3D models. This one has been around from the very beginning.

The system is set up to only allow one Command per Waypoint at a time. Can this be changed in the future? Yes, and it very well might be. However, I don't see this happening for v1.11.

That statement clears things up. I have learned to work around the limitation.

Quote:

Why does it first require an entire turn to "unhide" in order to then issue a follow up command in WEGO? Shouldn't it be reasonabe to accomplish both in a single turn?

I'm not sure. Honestly, this sounds like a bug that, for whatever reason, I've not seen before.

Yes sir, this is a pain in the ass during WEGO. I want that FO to get his head up and bring down rounds now!

Quote:

The M16A4 hanguard is too short. The barrel and gas tube of the M16A4 are not exposed the way they are depicted in CMSF:M

I'll have KwazyDog take a look into it. First I've heard of it.

They should drum Huntar right out of the virtual Corps for letting that one pass muster. My helps to explain the matter.

Quote:

LAV-25 troop compartment doors remain open when troops mount the vehicle (I believe BFC may already be aware of this)

Already aware, already fixed

Honestly, catching an RPG there is bad enough with the doors closed. Thank you!

Quote:

Bless your trodden soul if you actually read all of that.

So what do I get for doing that and responding too?

A very appreciative supporter and customer for one...

...oh, and a no-knock raid from Kadett Holm...

...unfortunately, it will be followed up by CQB training with Sgt. Borkivitch.

Enjoy.

[Chainsaw]

...oh, and a no-knock raid from Kadett Holm...

Enjoy.

Now I remembed why I loved my time in the Swedish Army.....

[Meach]

She needs a gumshield or someone will shoot her in the teeth.

[Huntarr]

They should drum Huntar right out of the virtual Corps for letting that one pass muster. My helps to explain the matter.

Well, well, well...What do we have here a little Devilpup with some bark. Guess this ole Gunny is gonna have to swat him on the nose. I don't think Steve'll mind this NDA violation in this case, but here goes. My attention was focused on other systems. For your information, just how freaked out would you be if you didn't have this?...

.....Well no $hit alot! You can kiss my Red, White, & Blue arse for it. That's cause I was bitchin and moaning (maybe there were tears and weepin, maybe not) and recruiting every Devildog and swingin dick that would listen, cause yep you guessed it. They were not going to add the M40A3 to the CMSF:Marines! So you can understand why my attention was not on the M16A4. The reasoning was the bolt action would force an addition to the animation that was not there. So why put in the extra work on just a little itty bitty weapon like the M40A3? Cause look at the response, you gentlemen LOVE the scout/snipers. Hell there have already been snipers in CMSF, but we all see the difference with the M40A3. The team worked really hard to make sure that that pride and joy of the Marine Corps was kept in and not assumed to be replaced by the fancy new semi-automatic POS that the Ermie is using. I am by no means claiming credit for the insane amount of work and detail that BFC has put into this game, they are by far the smartest SOBs for listening and not just dismissing ideas that are suggested to them on a daily basis. So we should always remember that even if they don't put an idea in the next patch, Steve's "list" does exist.

Peter & everyone who contributes, thanks for playing along and letting me share this inside "Skunkworks" anecdote. oOOHHRAH! Now to the point of misspelling Huntarr, well you know where your going for that......(someone point him the way)

Semper Fi

Link to hirez M40A3 images

[MeatEtr]

MeatEtr,

Yes and no. We're moving in that direction, but for the British Module we're still pretty involved simply because you can't drop this in someone's lap and say "get back to us when it's done" Lots of cooperation needed to transfer knowledge and impart past experiences. But yes in the sense that the bulk of the work is being done by people that are not directly working for us in the strictest sense of the word.

Yes, it is We have always known that there is more content to cover than we can possibly do on our own, but the old game code was such a bottleneck that effectively it ruled out the possibility of outside development. Therefore, when we designed the CMx2 game engine we had outside development firmly in mind and we are liking the results so far.

You guys will hear a lot more about this as the British Module starts to have things to show off. For now, just know that this is why we are able to work on British Module, Normandy Title, and NATO Module all concurrently. It is also how we are able to plan on having Modern and WW2 Families co-existing side-by-side as the years go on without one having to be temporarily abandoned so we can work on the other. That was the CMx1 way of doing things and, frankly, I think we can all agree that sucked

Steve

Thanks for the response Steve. This does seem to be the best route to go. Both you guys and the customers make out pretty good too. You have more products to sell and us customers get more games/eras to blow things up in.

Actually, now that I think about it, I do remember talk from several years ago of having an outside dev team or mod team make more fronts or eras for CMx1. It's great to see this being adopted to the CMx2 games and beyond. This way you guys get much better mileage out of your new engine and many more customers, new and old, are happy campers.

[ChrisND]

...oh, and a no-knock raid from Kadett Holm...

That's it, I am emigrating to Sweden.

[Battlefront.com]

Peter Panzer,

Thanks for the follow up. Smoothing out rough edges will be a lifelong process with CMx2 because of its enormous depth and complexity. Earlier today I was remembering some of the rough edges I found in the first release of Warcraft 2 and then also remembering how bloody simple that game system was! Oh, if only you guys would be happy with rock, paper, and scissors stuff we'd shave off years of programming headaches Having more pics of Kadett Holms would just be icing on the cake.

Huntarr,

Ah! The Great M40A3 Controversy of 2008! I remember it well

MeatEtr,

Actually, now that I think about it, I do remember talk from several years ago of having an outside dev team or mod team make more fronts or eras for CMx1.

This has been a suggestion by customers since they found out how frick'n long it took us to rework the CMBO code for CMBB The problem is that the code was not written in a way that made such collaboration possible. We recognized the potential, we just had the wrong tool for the job. CMx2 isn't the most perfect platform for collaborative effort (programming is still a bit of a bottleneck), but it's "good enough".

Steve

[Peter Panzer]

Huntarr:

You can kiss my Red, White, & Blue arse for it.

Now Gunny, I would devotedly butter your buns and call you a biscuit for far less than an antique Remington with a few aftermarket parts.

So why put in the extra work on just a little itty bitty weapon like the M40A3?

...because you, BFC and many of us on this board understand "Small things" make the game.

I was ecstatic to see BFC correct the issue with the M1's previous inability to direct area fire at open terrain with the 120mm in v.1.10. This was a "small" issue with large implications for both gameplay and the ability to convincingly model the real world applications of the weapon system.

My M256 Rheinmetall is your M40A3.

...they are by far the smartest SOBs for listening and not just dismissing ideas that are suggested to them on a daily basis.

No question.

Honestly, thank you for the practical knowledge of the Corps you bring to the game, as well as the color you bring to the community.

...and Gunny, will you do me a favor? Make sure those BFC boys get the '16 right in v.1.11.

[ChrisND]

Having more pics of Kadett Holms would just be icing on the cake.

I think we have a new module: CM: Swedish Babes in Uniform. I predict it will sell.

[MeatEtr]

Since this thread has Steve's attention, I'm gonna slip in a question completely off topic. Hey Steve, what the heck is up with CMC?

I think we have a new module: CM: Swedish Babes in Uniform. I predict it will sell.

I'd like to be first in line to pre-order this one.

[Battlefront.com]

MeatEtr,

Since this thread has Steve's attention, I'm gonna slip in a question completely off topic. Hey Steve, what the heck is up with CMC?

Still in development. Other than that I don't know since I'm not the one overseeing that one. I'm overseeing this one

I'd like to be first in line to pre-order this one.

Right... and you think this won't make wives/girlfriends more likely to get mad at you guys for playing CM all weekend or instead of taking out the trash? Riiiiiiiight, dream on! Playing with fire, that's for damned sure. Hell, the game probably wouldn't even make it out of development before some sort of "accident" caused the code to be erased

Steve

[ChrisND]

Right... and you think this won't make wives/girlfriends more likely to get mad at you guys for playing CM all weekend or instead of taking out the trash? Riiiiiiiight, dream on! Playing with fire, that's for damned sure. Hell, the game probably wouldn't even make it out of development before some sort of "accident" caused the code to be erased

A man can dream, can't he? Even if my girlfriend is going to kick my ass later.

[Other Means]

I think we have a new module: CM: Swedish Babes in Uniform. I predict it will sell.

The only mod released with all Blue on Blue scenarios.

And of course close combat modelled.

[ChrisND]

The only mod released with all Blue on Blue scenarios.

Nonsense; they can fight the Norwegian babes. Unless you meant, ah yes I see. Carry on.

There must, of course, be plenty of new mud tiles and muddy "uniforms".

[MeatEtr]

The only mod released with all Blue on Blue scenarios.

And of course close combat modelled.

Hehe, good one. And it just so happens most scenarios take place in mud pits too with the Dudes muddy mods.

And I can just see all the questions pertaining to muzzle velocity too.

[ChrisND]

And I can just see all the questions pertaining to muzzle velocity too.

Let's not forget chassis modeling. Attention to detail pays off.

[Pinetree]

Hopefully no one mentions grass mods...

[ChrisND]

Hopefully no one mentions grass mods...

As long it's a short grass mod.

[Lethaface]

you Perverts!!!

[Battlefront.com]

Er... unless there are more pics of Kadett Holms, I think this thread has just about reached a logical conclusion

Steve