Matrix Games Forums

I dont know if anyone has picked up on this but when upgrading mg units ie mg34 to mg42 in the various company packages cost stays the same. So why have mg34's when it costs the same for mg42's.

Hadn't noticed that, but I did notice when trying to do a British campaign that a few of the transport options cost the same. Not really a problem, but you wonder why you should take the one that's even a tiny bit worse.

Originally posted by Blubbs!:
I dont know if anyone has picked up on this but when upgrading mg units ie mg34 to mg42 in the various company packages cost stays the same. So why have mg34's when it costs the same for mg42's.

Historical reasons? MG34 is a fine weapon even on today's standards but it had similar problems like the Finnish Lahti LMG, pre-war design that was too expensive and unnecessarily precisely crafted. So an easier to build MG42 was created. But of course the MG34's stayd in the inventory thus they are both available until 49. Btw, both guns are great to shoot and the MG34 on a pedestal with optical sights is really something

If you want to nitpick the MG42 should be cheaper..it should be possible to dig out even the exact values in ReichsMarks...

Voriax

I'm working on the German OOB and have a problem with the lbm files. When I download a jpg from the net and want it to become a lbm to fit into the game, what do I have to do ??? My somewhat clumsy tries sofar ended most often in no "picture available" or a crash.
My sources for editing the German OOB are mainly "Handbook on German Military Forces (WWII)", published by the U.S. War Department, the website "Panzerfaust" and my nationality (german)...if you're interested, I can send you the whole package (my edited file), as soon, as I'm done...by the way...why did you try to press the German OOB into one file? Your job on the vehicles seems to be excellent, but when I see the limited number of infantry units, my old Jaeger heart bleeds...there seems to be no way around two files for Germany: the German Army (Heer)and div. German Field Units (SS/ Luftwaffen FJ/ Volksgrenadiere/ Volkssturm/ and maybe some foreign troops serving next to german troops, as I read in a note today (I defenitely need help on these!)...)...

Originally posted by Leo:
I'm working on the German OOB and have a problem with the lbm files. When I download a jpg from the net and want it to become a lbm to fit into the game, what do I have to do ??? My somewhat clumsy tries sofar ended most often in no "picture available" or a crash.

What you need is a PaintShop Pro. I think an evaluation version is available for free, check www.winfiles.com for example. Then load the jpg, resize it to the correct size (don't recall the size but load one lbm and check from it). Then you need to copy the colour palette from the lbm you loaded to check the size and apply that palette to your jpg. At least in SP1 you had to do this otherwise you got funnily coloured pics. Then save the picture to the .lbm format as Pxxxx.lbm (4 numbers in place of x's), copy it to the pic folder and use the oob editor to link it to an unit file.

It should work this way, but i'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

Voriax

I have a question about rifle-grenades. Just about every army seems to use them especially during early years and I feel they are a bit too effective in the anti-tank role.

Now I wonder how widely rifle-grenades were _really_ used? I've been under the impression that they were disliked because you needed usually a special adapter and had to load a blank round to fire them. If you didn't and shot a live round thru the grenade...well you get the picture.

Voriax

I guess this is bug... Belgian rifle squads are called sections in SPWAW.

Belgian infantry platoon has only one squad and infantry company looks too small also.

Here is a pretty big oob mistake. The US Army forces do not get Garand equipped troops until 1942. The Marines don't get them until 1943. These dates are definitely incorrect.
The Garand was standard issue for US troops after January 1936. It became standard issue for the Marines in November 1940. Either way, the point is that the Garand had replaced the 1903 Springfield before the war even started for the US. The Springfield was still in limited use with both the Army and Marines, but it was not standard issue.

not an expert, but you must remember,
Though the Army OF 1940 may have been totally re-equipped, it numbered what, 100,000 men? (from all branches). Due to the puckered up budget of the army, they probably did not have massive stockpiled of "extra" weapons either. Thus, when units mobilized, they took anything they could get their hands on. Now true, it seems the Garand was in use by the majority of units once in combat, I imagine the Marines went without some, since they always got 2nd pick for gear. (Got fewer, older tanks, etc.) Again, this is just my guess, so take it only as that.

And interestingly enough, the M1903A3 rifle was adopted into use in 1942, and almost a million such rifles were made. Apparently the army saw some use for it. I guess they could have ordered M1's as easily back then?

Voriax

Originally posted by Voriax:


Now I wonder how widely rifle-grenades were _really_ used? I've been under the impression that they were disliked because you needed usually a special adapter and had to load a blank round to fire them. If you didn't and shot a live round thru the grenade...well you get the picture.

Voriax

German troops used about 18 million riflegrenades during the war. The adapter was called Schiessbecher and even the MP44 was designed to wear this device. The AT-role however seems to be of importence for the first war years, being the only common hollow charge available, till this role was taken over first by special mines and later the Panzerfaust. Although due to it's size it was never a real thread to even earlier main battle tanks, it proved quite effective against armored cars and APCs. The only US type I know, is genrally of a larger design and less accurate, but more effectful (the bazooka rocket is based on this grenade). But when the US entered the european war it soon became obsolete by first bazookas issued in Africa.
The HE role was commonly that of a light mortar...get infantry behind obstecles and the like...

Leo

This is more of a request then a comment. Is there any chance of putting in some static versions of aircraft! I've a plan to try and put together some senarios based on the British Long Range Desert Group, and it would be nice to have some 'parked' aircraft to be used as objectives.

you can build them in the oob, but IIRC, you would have to have the player D/load that OOB as well. (Make a truck or something, rename it, and give it 0 speed, and the desired aircrafts SHP). Oh, and no weapons, or else it will be like a turret, idle, but 360 degree fire arc with all it's guns! (OR guns an no ammo).

Originally posted by Voriax:

And interestingly enough, the M1903A3 rifle was adopted into use in 1942, and almost a million such rifles were made. Apparently the army saw some use for it. I guess they could have ordered M1's as easily back then?

Voriax

Yes, 1903s were put into production because they were simple to make and there was a shortage of Garands. However, considering that Garands had been in production for 5 years already, I think that army units should get the garands by the time the war starts. I don't know how many the Marines had at that time, so it may be that there really were not enough for the Marines to be put into combat service.
However, the point is that they were in service and in production for quite a while before the war, and because of that, they should be in the units much earlier. Tigers were put into production in July of '42, and we get them in August '42 in the game. How many were really made in 1 month and shipped to the front? Probably not many, but in the same vein, Garands may not have been abundant, but they were there, so the units should be equipped with them. Obviously, to represent history, the 1903s should still have a place in units at the same time that the Garands do for the first year of the war.

Looked at three more countries last night.

France
The Char B1 should have a short 47mm.
At least in the first Infantry squad on the list, the MAS 36 is available from 1/30.
37mm mle 16 has a picture of the 25mm ATG.
The 25mm ATG appears twice, with no difference that I could find.
All of the AMR's should be listed as recon vehicles.
The Coastal Gun is available 6/44-42.
The LeO. 451 has a picture of a Blenheim and shouldn't have the 20 mm cannon.
The MS. 406 has 4 cannon and a Hurricane picture.
The Daimler SC has the wrong picture.
The AMD50 has a picture of a Panhard.
The third listing for the Char D1B says it's a flame tank, but it has no f/t.
The Potez 63.11 is called an observation helicopter, and is equipped with the camAra, not camEra.
The C-K P 17 has a picture of an M3.
The Renault UE was not an APC, and the picture looks like a doctored one of an AMR.
No French flamethrowers? Only the British-equipped engineers have one.

Japan
I assume that Stuart is captured?
The Type 91 105mm and Type 4 152mm are only available from 12/49.
The Type 3 AAMG has a picture of a tank.
The 20mm AT/AA is only the 6.5mm AAMG.
75mm and 88mm AA have a picture of the German 88.
The A6M2 only has 1 cannon. Maybe the Australians stole the other one for their rearmament program
The Ki. 45 only has 1 20mm.
The Ki. 27 is only available from 7/40. Should be from the late thirties sometime.
The A5M4 has no cannon.
The 152mm Type 4 battery is available from 1/36.
The 70mm Type 90IG is a 70mm Type 92IG.
All Type 97 150mm mortars are available from 1/34.
The 90mm Type 97 battery is available from 1935.
The Bergmann SMG seems to have a range of 12.

Hungary
The first Schwarzlose MG has a picture of a Hotchkiss. The second is actually the 43M MG. Maybe Schwarzlose made them too, but I thought they were WWI MG's.
The Panzerfaust 100 team has a Soviet ATR picture.
The Sniper picture seems to be the Polish ATR.
The 14aM 100mm is available from 1/49, as is the 122mm M-30.
The Nimrod AA and TD are the same vehicle. Maybe the ammo load is different. I thought they were only TD's in emergencies.
The C.R. 42 should have 2 .50cal. MG's.
The 37M 105mm and 31M 150mm are available from 1/49.

Hi Seth,

Thank you for your notes about the French OOB (and about the other ones as well!)

Some explanations:

The pictures problems are known, I will propose new ones to the lbm team, I have first to clear up any copyright problem.

Sometimes we had to use available classes (Flame-tanks and APC-tracked for instance) to allow separate formations to use specific vehicles, either because of multiple political factions in the same OOB (1940 Army, then Vichy and Free French for this one, hence the use or Flame-Tanks and Airborne-IFV classes for regular tanks) or because of movement types (Renault UE was not an APC -that's why it can carry only 4 passengers in SPWAW- but it was a tracked vehicle and so must be listed as such to share the movement costs associated to tracked movement).

The Potez 63.11 is a leftover of the observation plane class that was abandoned during the development of SPWAW. It is not used in SPWAW (not listed in any formation)

I can't find any reference about flamethrowers in the French Army of 1940 (in regular units anyway). Of course I welcome any documented correction...


Thanks again,
Joël

Someone's bound to have mentioned this before but how about fixing the German file so that Tigers, Panthers and King Tigers are listed with those names.

Pz-VIb doesn't inspire the same kind of pant-wetting fear as King Tiger. I'd do this with the editor but I'm concerned it might mess up e-mail games.

BTW, after quite a bit of playing I wanna say thanks for giving us this totally fantastic game. My Steel Panthers II CD is coming up to it's honourable discharge. SPW@W is a brilliant successor to the old master.

Cheers to everyone involved.

Joel,
If you say there weren't any French flamethrowers, then I believe you, but it is surprising. The French Army was one of the best equipped in the world, it's performance notwithstanding. Also, they had been around since WWI, and if anyone was ready to refight that war...

I have a question about the GE amphibious and mine clearing tanks. I know some were built but I've been unable to determine how widely availible they were. Were they like the Maus or the King Tiger? The former wasn't fielded while the latter was fielded and used but held in special Army-level units and would not be found at the divisional level.

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An old soldier but not yet a faded one.