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[WW2 On] Combat Mission: Battle for Normandy
krylon666
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I was tempted to resurrect the old war games thread, but I figured if this thread takes off it'll be easier to coordinate games. Anyway, in true grognard spirit, I bring you Combat Mission: Battle for Normandy! I've been wanting to pick this game up for awhile after reading about it, watching AARs, etc. I finally pulled the trigger the other day as a self-xmas present, and I'm glad I did.
CM:BN is a tactical war game set during the D-Day landings from Operation Overlord to the Cobra Breakout. You may be familiar with the older CM games, but this one looks a lot better. It's based on the engine they built for their CM: Shock Force games (modern combat). For a game of it's genre it's beautiful, for a game of the time it's reasonable
You can play in either real-time or turn-based mode. The latter works in one minute increments, where you issue all your orders then watch the minute unfold. Then issue new orders, etc. With the amount of detail and things possibly going on, turn-based mode is definitely my preferred way to play.
Where can I buy it?
The official site: http://www.battlefront.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=274&Itemid=457
Is there multiplayer?
Yes indeed! Real-time lan / internet play, turn-based PBEM, or hot seat mode.
How hard is it to get into?
If you can take enough time to go through the tutorial campaign while following along with the guide in the manual, you can pick the game up very quickly. The UI is actually pretty good. You may not be good strategically, but you should be able to effectively play the game quickly. We can all teach each other tactics along the way. There is also a demo that has multiplayer support! (It's not patched to the latest version, but it's definitely solid)
Gimme that demo!
Ok: http://www.battlefront.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=277&Itemid=477
Is there a MAC version?
Actually, there is! During the checkout process, you can select the MAC version instead of the Windows version.
Helpful Stuff
- Here is an awesome After Action Report that gives you a good feel for the game (and the use of armor): http://battlefront.com/community/showpost.php?p=1238459&postcount=1
- The WSAD camera controls may stutter / feel real shitty. I highly recommend using the mouse to move the camera. (Note: this is mostly for the demo, the latest patch seems to have smoothed it a bit)
- How do I use mortars? They can be fired directly or indirectly. If the mortar team can see its target, they can fire on their own. Otherwise, you'll need to call in a fire mission from one of your HQ squads or Forward Observers (FOs). Select the team who can see where you want to attack, click the artillery tab in the center of the control bar on the bottom of the screen, select the available team, select the mission parameters, wait, profit!
Game On
Ideally you all will purchase this game and we'll have glorious battles. So check the game out and let me know what you think. I'll try to answer any questions I can.
CM:BN is a tactical war game set during the D-Day landings from Operation Overlord to the Cobra Breakout. You may be familiar with the older CM games, but this one looks a lot better. It's based on the engine they built for their CM: Shock Force games (modern combat). For a game of it's genre it's beautiful, for a game of the time it's reasonable
You can play in either real-time or turn-based mode. The latter works in one minute increments, where you issue all your orders then watch the minute unfold. Then issue new orders, etc. With the amount of detail and things possibly going on, turn-based mode is definitely my preferred way to play.
Where can I buy it?
The official site: http://www.battlefront.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=274&Itemid=457
Is there multiplayer?
Yes indeed! Real-time lan / internet play, turn-based PBEM, or hot seat mode.
How hard is it to get into?
If you can take enough time to go through the tutorial campaign while following along with the guide in the manual, you can pick the game up very quickly. The UI is actually pretty good. You may not be good strategically, but you should be able to effectively play the game quickly. We can all teach each other tactics along the way. There is also a demo that has multiplayer support! (It's not patched to the latest version, but it's definitely solid)
Gimme that demo!
Ok: http://www.battlefront.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=277&Itemid=477
Is there a MAC version?
Actually, there is! During the checkout process, you can select the MAC version instead of the Windows version.
Helpful Stuff
- Here is an awesome After Action Report that gives you a good feel for the game (and the use of armor): http://battlefront.com/community/showpost.php?p=1238459&postcount=1
- The WSAD camera controls may stutter / feel real shitty. I highly recommend using the mouse to move the camera. (Note: this is mostly for the demo, the latest patch seems to have smoothed it a bit)
- How do I use mortars? They can be fired directly or indirectly. If the mortar team can see its target, they can fire on their own. Otherwise, you'll need to call in a fire mission from one of your HQ squads or Forward Observers (FOs). Select the team who can see where you want to attack, click the artillery tab in the center of the control bar on the bottom of the screen, select the available team, select the mission parameters, wait, profit!
Game On
Ideally you all will purchase this game and we'll have glorious battles. So check the game out and let me know what you think. I'll try to answer any questions I can.
krylon666 on
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Posts
[EDIT] They want $55 for this? I don't know about that...
Twitter 3DS: 0860 - 3257 - 2516
Game play goes like this (in turn based mode):
- Issue orders to each of your squads, weapons teams, and vehicles and hit the commit button
- Watch your orders play out over the next minute of game time (during this phase you can rewind, rewatch, and pause the action as much as you want. That way you can analyze what's going on over the entire battlefield)
You repeat this two steps until the objectives are met, or time runs out. I'm sure the game is fun in real-time (which you can pause), but I like locking in my orders and living with the results for that minute in time.
This is definitely a game for someone who:
a) is interested in realistic tactical warfare at the squad level, especially during ww2
b) likes to invest time into strategy
c) appreciates deep game play mechanics / realism over cutting edge graphics
It takes games like this, and puts them into a 3d game:
Fuck, that's me! I am currently reading my fourth WWII memoir in a row, so this thread popped up at a strategically weak time for me!
Twitter 3DS: 0860 - 3257 - 2516
"I think I can comment on this because I used to live above the Baby Doll Lounge, a topless bar that was once frequented by bikers in lower Manhattan."
Kinda surprised they made another in normandy though. Curious why they haven't tackled the pacific theatre yet.
Bastable - I'm down for PBEM for sure. Did you ever setup dropbox (or something like that) for this? I feel like that would work well, rather than actually emailing the file each time. Let me know.
Mulletude - I only dabbled in the earlier CM games. Then I messed with the Theater of War games a bit (and own them all) but I always thought they ran way shittier than they should. CM:BN feels really good though. The load times are fair, and once the game is started it runs really well. As far as the pacific goes, it seems like everyone makes operational level games for that theater. Makes sense I guess, but I'd love to see it in a CM game.
Battlefront is also working on the first add-on as well, the Commonwealth Forces. It looks pretty good. Two new campaigns and over 20 new missions, along with all the related troops / vehicles.
I am just spitballing here, as I am not at all intimately familiar with this type of game so maybe what I'm suggesting would be no obstacle at all. However, my guess would be that the relative absence of vehicle engagements in the Pacific theater, and the fact that a lot of the Pacific campaign was brutal jungle fighting (compared to the maneuvering and relative open-field engagements on the European and Russian fronts), might make it more difficult and at the same time less interesting for this type of game to portray.
"I think I can comment on this because I used to live above the Baby Doll Lounge, a topless bar that was once frequented by bikers in lower Manhattan."
That way we both get more free space. (Everyone can use that to sign up, please do!)
Also, Happy New Year!
Also, the space bar brings up an orders menu, way easier to use than the normal ui.
"I think I can comment on this because I used to live above the Baby Doll Lounge, a topless bar that was once frequented by bikers in lower Manhattan."
It uses a "wego" system for the turn-based mode; there's a planning phase where you plot your moves followed by execution phase where the actions are actually resolved simultaneously in a realtime (one-minute) period. If you seen/played stuff like Frozen Synapse, it's the same concept.
"I think I can comment on this because I used to live above the Baby Doll Lounge, a topless bar that was once frequented by bikers in lower Manhattan."
But WORLD WAR II!......
I haven't messed with Combat Mission since the original, which ran like shit, and Shock Force, which... yeah let's not talk about Shock Force. It's nice to seem them back to their roots with the most enjoyable war to play videogames about.
As far as Battlefront returning to WW2, they simply love the setting. Developing the new engine for Shock Force meant they could make sure it could handle whatever complicated systems they wanted to put into it, and also ended up being a way to work out most of the kinks in the engine. Unfortunately, that meant I didn't play much of that one, as each patch would fix some things and break others. Most memorable for me was the bug that would lose Javelins acquired from Strykers in between pbem turns. That put quite a damper on my game as my Strykers were no match for T-72s without Javelins. Didn't help that the one squad that managed to not lose it ended up getting wiped out from a lucky rpg hit, and I couldn't get anyone to get back on that roof to retrieve it. The plus side of that match was that I got to see the effects of well placed airburst strikes, and also what happens when a soldier getting ready to throw a grenade gets killed. I replayed that turn over and over trying to figure out where that last explosion came from, till I finally saw the soldier indicator go from "grenade" to "casualty" shortly followed by an explosion, and then more casualties.
Anyway, Shock Force ended up being somewhat of a beta test for Battle for Normandy. Shock Force itself isn't bad nowadays, but I just don't like it as much as WW2. I think the WW2 games give a bit more leeway for mistakes, and you can usually salvage a plan a few times before it becomes a lost cause. Of course, I've been playing the same opponent for almost a decade, so it may be that we just know each other too well, and are doomed to meat grinder battles.
I think that's a very good point. Armored combat is a huge part of these games (although there are/were plenty of infantry centric maps). Maybe just a pacific campaign expansion would be suitable.
"I think I can comment on this because I used to live above the Baby Doll Lounge, a topless bar that was once frequented by bikers in lower Manhattan."
@Mulletude - If a tank takes a penetrating hit that doesn't destroy it (or the crew), they'll most likely bail out cause its fucking scary. But if they can pull it together, they can remount their vehicle. Definitely awesome.
The first three combat mission games still have a special place in my heart, though.
"I think I can comment on this because I used to live above the Baby Doll Lounge, a topless bar that was once frequented by bikers in lower Manhattan."
It is noticeably worse than the AI in the Combat Mission games. I'd say the infantry AI is better than the vehicle AI though, at least because the infantry don't run into trees and get stuck.
@kaliyama - I think the best way is to just coordinate in this thread to find an opponent. For PBEM you can either email the save back and forth, or use something like dropbox (see above) to sync the files.
"I think I can comment on this because I used to live above the Baby Doll Lounge, a topless bar that was once frequented by bikers in lower Manhattan."
@kaliyama - I'll gladly take you on. You have any preferences about the kind of map and forces? Personally, I've grown fond of quick battles, but I'm open to whatever you want to play.
It's good, but the troops can't ride tanks, no German volk battalion so no crazy late war squads made up of MP40s and MG 42 with only 8 men/boys + 60m Panzerfausts. The more discrete modeling and 1 by 1 representation of troops and bullets make it much more tense and just as lethal in the forests.
StuG is stronger as is the Sherman so more like the CMAK match up than CMBO tank battles but with the non penetrating damage represented and more discrete.
It's very lovingly crafted as a map with more undulations and details than the now stark CMBO/CMAK modeling. It's also a much better showcase for the changes than the "chance encounter" quickbattle map Battlefront included in the initial release.
Chance encounter was/is the map I always run through to see the changes to the engine: Pretty bloody good.
"I think I can comment on this because I used to live above the Baby Doll Lounge, a topless bar that was once frequented by bikers in lower Manhattan."
Sweet, @bigpointyteeth. I haven't played CM in years, so we can certainly do quickbattles. As to whoever referred people balking at the price to matrixgames - exactly. Matrix seems to put out content each year that is more derivative and buggier, while upping the price. The only games worth it are war in the pacific (which i don't have time to play), war in the east and a few others. Battlefront, not a publisher the way Matrix is, has a slower releases schedule with fewer options, but they're almost always better games.
So we get people into the game and treat the thread right, I propose we do an AAR w/screenshots.
I have a feeling we're gonna get along just fine. I am definitely in for doing an AAR.
I usually play as our fine American troops - but I'll see what I can do with this patchwork force of germans
/puts on smoking jacket and puffs on pipe.
"I think I can comment on this because I used to live above the Baby Doll Lounge, a topless bar that was once frequented by bikers in lower Manhattan."
And it begins. I just dropped my file into the folder. I'm not sure how I feel about my initial plan, that side of the map seems pretty tough. I can (and will!) adapt however. I'm excited, this will be my first online game of this. Good luck sir!
I feel like this is going to be a great way to scratch my Flames of War itch, when I can't get a game of that going.
edit: what difficulty are we playing on? does that even come into play with MP?
Iron man. The only difficulty level.
It's a deceptive map use level 1 and 2 it's much less flat than the old CMBO version, lots more dead ground. I'm actually used to playing RT versus the CPu so this is my first time too. Good luck "email" bro.
You should pick the next map for the game and I'll be the dirty hitlarites.
"I think I can comment on this because I used to live above the Baby Doll Lounge, a topless bar that was once frequented by bikers in lower Manhattan."