how about you write an epilogue with whatever ending you think might happen. I'd be very glad to read it!
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Ok, so i have managed through some black arts to find an old backed up copy of the game (although at what save I don't know). That's the good news. The bad news is that it doesn't seem to run under windows 7 - any clues?
Could you be more specific? Any particular error messages that you're getting? One suggestion would be to try different compatibility modes for the program (right-click on the icon of the .exe file, go to "Properties", then find and choose another compatibility mode, such as WinXP or similar).
As in it just won't run at all - no splash screen, error, nothing. Double click the .exe, get the 'working' then nothing. Most odd.
Try deleting the videos. Notice that this is the same for EU2, which had a video in its startup, and did not start for me. FTG, which has no video, does, however.
Also, I do bleive that there is a "noviedo" command for the exe.
Solved it! Had forgotten that I am in Win7 64 bit, not 32 - so compatability mode worked. Save is 10th September 1946, so looks like only lost 2 or so months from the last update. No just need some time to play it and remember where I was! 
Well that's certainly good news, and I look forward to this being updated again.
A quick review.
10th September 1946
Before we kick things off again, a quick review of where we are now on the 10th September, 1946.
This is Europe as things stand - more detail to follow. I am liking the Finnish drive to the East
And this is the Far East. Don't forget that it is Soviets vs Allies, Soviets vs Japan, and Japan vs Allies.
Back to Europe. In Czechoslovakia we have been kicked out of northern Austria, and the Soviets have penetrated as far as Brno. Our forces are currently regaining org and strength after a furious series of battles that saw us lose these areas.
The Polish sector is pretty much static, with no gains either side. We currently hold Czestochowa. I am guessing we will lose it again before long.
Finally, in the north. The French are off on another attack; I am more than happy to let them do it. I can't waste the manpower on such adventures.
![upd5.jpg[img]](http://img576.imageshack.us/img576/705/upd5.jpg[img])
10th September 1946
Before we kick things off again, a quick review of where we are now on the 10th September, 1946.
This is Europe as things stand - more detail to follow. I am liking the Finnish drive to the East
And this is the Far East. Don't forget that it is Soviets vs Allies, Soviets vs Japan, and Japan vs Allies.
Back to Europe. In Czechoslovakia we have been kicked out of northern Austria, and the Soviets have penetrated as far as Brno. Our forces are currently regaining org and strength after a furious series of battles that saw us lose these areas.
The Polish sector is pretty much static, with no gains either side. We currently hold Czestochowa. I am guessing we will lose it again before long.
Finally, in the north. The French are off on another attack; I am more than happy to let them do it. I can't waste the manpower on such adventures.
It's back! The last time I read this you were considering giving up because taking on Germany as such a small country was too hard. Now look at you!
Keep it up, the updates on the war and your love life are what make this board special.
Keep it up, the updates on the war and your love life are what make this board special.
I am the resurrection and I am alive.
September 10th, 1946 - September 18th, 1946
So what's happened then.
Well, been to Tallinn (inspired in part by this AAR):
Norway:
And the Alps:
And we are off to Krakow in 2 weeks time
Anyway - onwards!
September 12th, 1946
On the 12th we resume bombing the Soviets. With complete air superiority in this theatre, the air crews are bombing 24/7 with no interference. The result is that most Soviet divisions that move usually suffer large losses as they do so - I am hoping this gradual attrition is wearing them down.
21:00
Later on that day, Krakow falls. I am leaving this sector (the gap between the armies in Czechoslovakia and in the Baltic Republic) to Ze Germans and Le French.
September 13th - 14th, 1946
Here is a handy illustration of the effects the airforce is having over a 24hr period. An entire division is destroyed, with another one badly mauled. This one in return is destroyed the next day.
12:00 16th September, 1946
We spot a gap that has appeared in the Soviets line. The enemy in Radom has been forced out by the French, so we move to support this. We also notice that Warsaw has been evacuated for some reason - infantry is ordered forward to seize this important city.
September 17th, 1946
In support of the French attack on Radom we encounter sporadic resistance as the Soviets throw scratch divisions in our path. These piecemeal attacks are easily crushed in a matter of hours.
00:00 September 18th, 1946
The French arrive in Radom at midnight, with our forces following close behind.
Our airforce is busy bombing the survivors as they retreat.
21:00
Our forces arrive in Warsaw and begin establishing defence lines. We will aim to use this point as a lunch pad for campaigns in the future.
Down in the south we drive forwards with the aim of securing Brno. This will help shorted our frontlines and also secure the last fort in the area.
September 10th, 1946 - September 18th, 1946
So what's happened then.
Well, been to Tallinn (inspired in part by this AAR):
Norway:
And the Alps:
And we are off to Krakow in 2 weeks time
Anyway - onwards!
September 12th, 1946
On the 12th we resume bombing the Soviets. With complete air superiority in this theatre, the air crews are bombing 24/7 with no interference. The result is that most Soviet divisions that move usually suffer large losses as they do so - I am hoping this gradual attrition is wearing them down.
21:00
Later on that day, Krakow falls. I am leaving this sector (the gap between the armies in Czechoslovakia and in the Baltic Republic) to Ze Germans and Le French.
September 13th - 14th, 1946
Here is a handy illustration of the effects the airforce is having over a 24hr period. An entire division is destroyed, with another one badly mauled. This one in return is destroyed the next day.
12:00 16th September, 1946
We spot a gap that has appeared in the Soviets line. The enemy in Radom has been forced out by the French, so we move to support this. We also notice that Warsaw has been evacuated for some reason - infantry is ordered forward to seize this important city.
September 17th, 1946
In support of the French attack on Radom we encounter sporadic resistance as the Soviets throw scratch divisions in our path. These piecemeal attacks are easily crushed in a matter of hours.
00:00 September 18th, 1946
The French arrive in Radom at midnight, with our forces following close behind.
Our airforce is busy bombing the survivors as they retreat.
21:00
Our forces arrive in Warsaw and begin establishing defence lines. We will aim to use this point as a lunch pad for campaigns in the future.
Down in the south we drive forwards with the aim of securing Brno. This will help shorted our frontlines and also secure the last fort in the area.
Your GF is cute, mr. Hot Chocolate
Identical twin, incidentally.
It still annoys me all these years later
September 18th, 1946 - September 21st, 1946
22:00 September 18th, 1946
In rode the Lord of the Nazgul. A great black shape against the fires beyond he loomed up, grown to a vast menace of despair.
05:00 September 19th, 1946
In rode the Lord of the Nazgul, under the archway that no enemy ever yet had passed, and all fled before his face.
All save one. There waiting, silent and still in the space before the Gate, sat Gandalf upon Shadowfax: Shadowfax who alone among the free horses of the earth endured the terror, unmoving, steadfast as a graven image in Rath Dinen.
07:00
"You cannot enter here," said Gandalf, and the huge shadow halted. "Go back to the abyss prepared for you! Go back! Fall into the nothingness that awaits you and your Master. Go!"
20:00
The Black Rider flung back his hood, and behold! he had a kingly crown; and yet upon no head visible was it set. The red fires shone between it and the mantled shoulders vast and dark. From a mouth unseen there came a deadly laughter.
00:00 September 21st, 1946
"Old fool!" he said. "Old fool! This is my hour. Do you no know death when you see it? Die now and curse in vain!" And with that he lifted high his sword and flames ran down the blade.
Gandalf did not move. And in that moment, away behind in some courtyard of the City, a cock crowed.
14:00
Shrill and clear he crowed, recking nothing of wizardry or war, welcoming only the morning that in the sky far above the shadows of death was coming with the dawn.
15:00
And as if in answer there came from far away another note. Horns, horns, horns. In dark Mindolluin's sides they dimly echoed. Great horns of the North wildly blowing. Rohan had come at last.
16:00
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REdVUTEs57M
20:00
Why Peter Jackson.. WHY!?!? How can you fail this badly?! And this is not the worse of your crimes, just one of many! Why did you have to literally destroy one of the best pieces of literature ever written?! Why did you think it needed 'improving'?? Just WHY??
September 18th, 1946 - September 21st, 1946
22:00 September 18th, 1946
In rode the Lord of the Nazgul. A great black shape against the fires beyond he loomed up, grown to a vast menace of despair.
05:00 September 19th, 1946
In rode the Lord of the Nazgul, under the archway that no enemy ever yet had passed, and all fled before his face.
All save one. There waiting, silent and still in the space before the Gate, sat Gandalf upon Shadowfax: Shadowfax who alone among the free horses of the earth endured the terror, unmoving, steadfast as a graven image in Rath Dinen.
07:00
"You cannot enter here," said Gandalf, and the huge shadow halted. "Go back to the abyss prepared for you! Go back! Fall into the nothingness that awaits you and your Master. Go!"
20:00
The Black Rider flung back his hood, and behold! he had a kingly crown; and yet upon no head visible was it set. The red fires shone between it and the mantled shoulders vast and dark. From a mouth unseen there came a deadly laughter.
00:00 September 21st, 1946
"Old fool!" he said. "Old fool! This is my hour. Do you no know death when you see it? Die now and curse in vain!" And with that he lifted high his sword and flames ran down the blade.
Gandalf did not move. And in that moment, away behind in some courtyard of the City, a cock crowed.
14:00
Shrill and clear he crowed, recking nothing of wizardry or war, welcoming only the morning that in the sky far above the shadows of death was coming with the dawn.
15:00
And as if in answer there came from far away another note. Horns, horns, horns. In dark Mindolluin's sides they dimly echoed. Great horns of the North wildly blowing. Rohan had come at last.
16:00
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REdVUTEs57M
20:00
Why Peter Jackson.. WHY!?!? How can you fail this badly?! And this is not the worse of your crimes, just one of many! Why did you have to literally destroy one of the best pieces of literature ever written?! Why did you think it needed 'improving'?? Just WHY??
I'm confused. While the parable with the Nazgul seems to make sense with the pictures, it sort of breaks down towards the end when it seems like you're blaming the French AI getting encircled on Peter Jackson's rendition of Gandalf.
As for the need to put the Nazgul away from the archway scene it makes sense because the book is inconsistent. You have a creature which flies, but he's going through the arch instead of just flying in. The symbolic importance in the books is explicit because he literally writes, "This is symbolically important." That same symbolism won't be apparent in a movie and instead the ridiculousness of having a creature which flies wait for a gate to be battered down before entering is going to stand out. Then the same creature, after entering the city, seems to decide its unimportant and flies back out after his big confrontation with Gandalf to have the final confrontation with Theoden and Eowyn.
I think you have to cut Peter Jackson slack on how the movie was filmed because I can't see anyone doing it better even with the shortcuts and mischaracterizations. If you're just objecting to the movies ever getting made, a process which made "dramatic license" inevitable, you have a point.
As for the need to put the Nazgul away from the archway scene it makes sense because the book is inconsistent. You have a creature which flies, but he's going through the arch instead of just flying in. The symbolic importance in the books is explicit because he literally writes, "This is symbolically important." That same symbolism won't be apparent in a movie and instead the ridiculousness of having a creature which flies wait for a gate to be battered down before entering is going to stand out. Then the same creature, after entering the city, seems to decide its unimportant and flies back out after his big confrontation with Gandalf to have the final confrontation with Theoden and Eowyn.
I think you have to cut Peter Jackson slack on how the movie was filmed because I can't see anyone doing it better even with the shortcuts and mischaracterizations. If you're just objecting to the movies ever getting made, a process which made "dramatic license" inevitable, you have a point.
I'm glad to see this back. It looks like your allies are doing rather well in the Far East. For the allies anyway.
And additionally, the point is that not only did they miss out scenes which would've been perfect cinematically; only to invent utter tripe to fill the gaps; but they also re-wrote the main characters to things which they weren't and completely missed/altered the core themes of the book.
It's basically a film for those with short attention spans who can't be trusted with anything cerebral.
I mean - the Army of the Dead? WTF?
"Sam go home"??
"Nobody tosses a dwarf"!!!
I could go on, but it just makes me so annoyed.
It's basically a film for those with short attention spans who can't be trusted with anything cerebral.
I mean - the Army of the Dead? WTF?
"Sam go home"??
"Nobody tosses a dwarf"!!!
I could go on, but it just makes me so annoyed.
My issue was more trying to understand how the juxtaposition of the AAR and the scene were supposed to tie together. Is the point that you don't like the movie much as you don't like the French AI getting themselves encircled in Russia? It was really cool and I found the complaint about the movie version jarring.
Movie going publics can't be trusted with anything cerebral. Movies can't do anything cerebral like a book can because they can't contain the information density that books can. A picture is worth a thousand words but not all words can be replaced by pictures, especially the historical background that accompanies every character.
For example, the passing of the dead has Aragorn get rejoined by the sons of Elrond and 40 some odd Rangers of the North. It takes less than a page to sort out who these people are and why they're here. Very little of the reader's time is spent on them and it's not essential that they even understand who they are. In the movie, all of those characters would have to be reintroduced, with minutes of dialogue and interaction to establish the scene, only to have them go with Aragorn to the final set piece where they are essentially a footnote. 5 minutes of a 180 minute movie for a Chekhov's gun that won't fire is a lot.
The battle with Shelob is also one of those moments where the movie makes a pretty compelling scene out of an unfilmable passage. The book has most of the fight in complete darkness. One of my favorite bits, the history of Shelob, there is literally no way to get it in a movie. Sauron pops up and calls her his pet? Gandalf has a 5 minute voice over where he explains that she's the source of the mirkwood spiders? A tattoo saying "Ungoliant for life?" I knew going in that there was no good way to get her history into the movie and I made peace with that going in. Does the movie adequately convey that she is a monstrously intelligent and powerful creature only surpassed in sheer mystical oomph by the wizards and Sauron himself? No. Is it a really cool fight between a hobbit and a giant spider? Yes.
I dislike the characterization, (Gimli is too stupid, Faramir is too corruptible, Frodo is too young.) That said, I can't see a movie being done better. I was especially surprised when I watched the extended return of the King and found myself preferring the shorter one because the extra scenes broke up the pacing. (Though the less said about the Two Towers the better.)
Movie going publics can't be trusted with anything cerebral. Movies can't do anything cerebral like a book can because they can't contain the information density that books can. A picture is worth a thousand words but not all words can be replaced by pictures, especially the historical background that accompanies every character.
For example, the passing of the dead has Aragorn get rejoined by the sons of Elrond and 40 some odd Rangers of the North. It takes less than a page to sort out who these people are and why they're here. Very little of the reader's time is spent on them and it's not essential that they even understand who they are. In the movie, all of those characters would have to be reintroduced, with minutes of dialogue and interaction to establish the scene, only to have them go with Aragorn to the final set piece where they are essentially a footnote. 5 minutes of a 180 minute movie for a Chekhov's gun that won't fire is a lot.
The battle with Shelob is also one of those moments where the movie makes a pretty compelling scene out of an unfilmable passage. The book has most of the fight in complete darkness. One of my favorite bits, the history of Shelob, there is literally no way to get it in a movie. Sauron pops up and calls her his pet? Gandalf has a 5 minute voice over where he explains that she's the source of the mirkwood spiders? A tattoo saying "Ungoliant for life?" I knew going in that there was no good way to get her history into the movie and I made peace with that going in. Does the movie adequately convey that she is a monstrously intelligent and powerful creature only surpassed in sheer mystical oomph by the wizards and Sauron himself? No. Is it a really cool fight between a hobbit and a giant spider? Yes.
I dislike the characterization, (Gimli is too stupid, Faramir is too corruptible, Frodo is too young.) That said, I can't see a movie being done better. I was especially surprised when I watched the extended return of the King and found myself preferring the shorter one because the extra scenes broke up the pacing. (Though the less said about the Two Towers the better.)