Wish List for CM3

[whizbang]

Does this exist? If not could I make a plea for the AI to include keeping platoons in formation especially tanks. It would save a lot of unnecessary micromanagement and I suspect it would well be within the capabilities of the pexisting game engine.

[Bruno Weiss]

Not sure, I think at last count we were wishing on CM4.

[laxx]

assuming cm3 is a really great product and takes 2 years to come out, what do you think the world of technology be like then ?

- computers will probably be in the 6ghz range

- graphics will probably be ultra-realistic

- highspeed internet will be default built-in

what about games ?

- widespread massively domain games

- real time system will still be there

- immersive technology, virtual networked worlds (maybe)

so what about wargames ?

- instead of a 60 second timer, what about user intervened action ? The user can choose to press the break key to plan actions, movements, fire-orders or else the game carries on, rendering graphics on the fly.

- Option for users to plug into a central server and command teams according to their rank. So you start as an Australian platoon leader, plugged into a massively domain game called Combat Mission: War in Korea (CMWK) . Other folks log in at will as allied or Commies. Your company commander can promote you depending on your gameplay, skills or number of games you have played.

I think the wargaming will get better, scarier and social interaction skills will drop to an all time low. By CM6, Combat Mission: Yom Kippur (CMYK not Cyan Magenta Yellow and Black) , people will take steriods to stay awake, eat less and doan sleep at all. By CM8, Combat Mission: Crisis in Cuba (CMCC) or CM9, Combat Mission:Nuclear Winter (CMNW) they completely lose their ability to operate simple machinery, everything is "jacked in"

Brave New World, I can't wait.

[ December 02, 2002, 09:42 AM: Message edited by: laxx ]

[MasterGoodale]

1. Really nothing, because the game is almost perfect. But since you asked. . .

2. Better Graphics and animations with a new updated engine. However, I could live with the same graphics we have now as they are very nice and immersive.

3. The AI pathfinding could use a little work, but it's not too bad.

4. Medics that can save some lives on the battlefield to earn additional points for victory. I don't mean the injured could fight on!! That would be ridiculous! Just that the medics could perhaps have medic vehicles and/or be on foot and they could treat soldiers who are wounded badly so that they may be taken away and could earn the player some extra points versus if they just died. They could also add a morale bonus to the soldiers they are near. Let's face it, if you are in combat and you see trained medics around it adds a bit of comfort. It would also add a certain emotional connection to your virtual soldiers because you would actually have a means of taking care of them AFTER they are wounded instead of just leaving them on the field to rot. Squads with soldiers who are wounded badly enough to require a medic could have a label that reads "Medic". I think it would be cool and add a new dynamic to gameplay.

[MikeyD]

Barring a catastrophic meltdown of my old G3 mac and replacement by a state-of-the-art system, I fear that CM3 will probably be impossible for me to play. As it is I'm already too slow for the newer games on the shelves, and the ability to play a $45 game is not incentive enough for me to shell-out twenty times that amount on another new platform.

I think it's going to be me and CM2 for a very VERY long time to come.

[Panzer Leader]

Originally posted by MikeyD:

Barring a catastrophic meltdown of my old G3 mac and replacement by a state-of-the-art system, I fear that CM3 will probably be impossible for me to play. As it is I'm already too slow for the newer games on the shelves, and the ability to play a $45 game is not incentive enough for me to shell-out twenty times that amount on another new platform.

I think it's going to be me and CM2 for a very VERY long time to come.

Ahh, stuffit! You know you'll have a new computer by then. After a year of not being able to buy ANY software, you'll crack and you know it.

[rune]

Laxx,

Good idea, you just missed one thing, but an important one. During the two years of coding, it HAS to be coded on an older pc...why? Cause the newer technology DOESN'T exist yet. You can make educated guesses, but guesses none the less. So, even if they rushed out and bought brand new 3.06gig rigs with nvidia 4600 cards, it would still be coded on something that is 2 years old when the game is released. Who knows what changes in DirectX or opengl will happen by then. You cannot code for the highest end pc, rather select what you will accept as the lowest end pc.

All that being said, I think some of your points are well made. Mult-player with multiple people per side. Fast internet connections, and wo knows, maybe a dedicated CM server for finding opponents. T&L for sure, smaller size per tile. Better models I am sure, as I know Krazydog and the gang will amaze us even more.

We will have to wait and see. I am expecting to be wow'ed when the time comes.

Rune

[MasterGoodale]

I would like to add to my wish list. I thought of this during lunch. I think it would be really neat if we could have the ability to create our own movies for custom scenario intros where we could have background music and use game graphics and animations with perhaps a voice-over narrative on what each players' mission is while showing the movie and "photos". We could provide Reconnaissance photos for each side if we want which would be as simple as taking snapshots of the map where we placed certain units when making the scenario. Then we could either leave the units there or move them to a new location to make it realistic since units weren't always where commanders said they were. The game could provide some classical war themes for background music or you could import your own. The movie could show animations of enemy troops marching or fighting or whatever. :mad:

[Col Deadmarsh]

--Relative spotting

--Better infantry, fire, and smoke graphics

--Aircraft animations with strafing and bombing runs

--1:1 infantry display (all men shown)

[Voxman]

Agreed!!

Not sure why they did not put the planes in this one !? :confused:

Originally posted by Colonel_Deadmarsh:

--Relative spotting

--Better infantry, fire, and smoke graphics

--Aircraft animations with strafing and bombing runs

--1:1 infantry display (all men shown)

[MrNoobie]

road wheels that actually work!

cylander wheels.

smoke exhuasts

tracks left by tanks

and uhm better infantry animations, id like to see the men go prone and fire at the same time.

infantry can use tanks as cover

better water graphics

im all about the eye candy, the gameplay is fine IMHO. thats all i really want

EDIT: wanted to add more

[ December 02, 2002, 04:30 PM: Message edited by: MrNoobie ]

[Mud]

- Some form of relative spotting, yup. This is a big one.

- The ability to add/remove labels (not visible to the other player, pref....) as a way of taking notes.

- Better control over artillery, such as different dispersal patterns, as historically were used.

- SOP menus. When confronted by ___ do ___, that sort of thing.

- True 3-D vehicle-specific models for hit modeling and interesection testing, so (a) vehicle hits don't use a generic table, and ( tanks no longer can shoot through each other.

- Option to area-fire just once, perhaps -- e.g. for a vehicle-mounted flamethrower, it's a bit wasteful to recon-by-area-fire a trench for a full minute.

- Better handling of crewed equipment, such as ability to abandon/recrew. Separate targeting of crew, equipment so a tank might try to KO a gun anyway even 'tho the crew is hiding.

- Text messages indicating when an airplane appears to be attacking.

- More complete AAR generation, e.g. cas info caused by minefields / airplanes.

- "Novice support", such as a way for an FO to give me an estimate of the endangered area from a barrage to come, or how long a squad thinks it'll take to reach a destination.

[Hilltopper]

I'd love to see a US Civil War version.

[Guest Mike]

How can you guys forget the ability to create a single movie for the whole battle??!! lol

Shesh - the angst and heartache that that caused in the lead-up......

[aka_tom_w]

from another old thread like this one:

the NEW CMII engine possible new features like:

* NO more Borg Spotting (so Relative Spotting works in the game and every units spots the enemy units idepentantly I think everyone agrees this is the BIG ONE !)

* LOS & LOF blocked by LIVE AFV's (i.e. infantry have "some" cover behind live and dead vehicles that

are not burning)

* Same as above, vehicles and other units CANNOT shoot through other live or dead vehicles that are

not burning

* Full movie replay

* Roster (for those would think they need it)

* Multi-turreted vehicles like the Allied Grant and Lee

* Amphibious units

* Dynamic lighting effects (two fold:

i. As visual effect and more important

ii. Integration into fire- and detection algorithms

* change PBEM format to only require two e-mails per turn

* Realistic modelling of visibility at night

* collision detection for all projectiles, even those that would hit

*smaller terrain tiles ( 10 x 10 m or better )

* Multi-Multi Player with co-operative team play.

* Programable SOP's for all units:

(e.g. "Wouldn't it be great if an order could be given to the commander of company "A" to "take that

hill" or "move to that position and set up a defense" and watch as the orders are dissiminated down

throught he ranks and the varios platoons begin to try and carry out your orders. Yes, much as it

happens with "Airborn Assult".)

"with a little help from my friends"

-tom w

[ December 02, 2002, 04:52 PM: Message edited by: aka_tom_w ]

[General Panic]

I think there should be switch for turning on and off certain behaviors of the TacAI so certain members of this forum can play the game the way they think it SHOULD be played and leave the rest of us alone...

[Michael Emrys]

A few things occur to me:

1. FOs that can call fire from vehicles. Alternatively, specialized vehicles for this purpose.

2. Passengers can fire from vehicles, albeit with greatly reduced effectiveness.

3. Units will strenuously avoid firing through known friendly units. When that is unavoidable, there should be some likelihood of causing friendly casualties.

4. [A possibility; I don't really know if this is needed or justified] Recon vehicles (and foot units too?) that are a bit better at spotting and reporting.

Michael

[Baron von Beergut]

In night battles there should be some ability to use flares to increase visibility. Give mortars/arty some flare ammo, and possibly give HQ units a flare pistol. Have fires increase visibility to that immediate area.

I like the previously mentioned idea about medics, and the one about uncrewing/recrewing vehicles/guns, along with some other good posts.

Adding a campaign system ala Steel Panthers would be nice and would then be most likely easier/automated than the present Bitlong system which is good and reminds me of the board wargame days.

Ability to capture/use abandoned enemy weapons such as machine guns.

Addition of bangalore torpedoes or something similar to breach wire obstacles.

[Bruceov]

DON'T make us buy a new computer to play it. If the economy continues to tank we will be boiling and eating our shoes by 2003 second half

[UberFunBunny]

These should have been in CM2:

* Full movie replay

* Relative spotting

* PBEM 2 emails per turn but keeping anti-cheat ability

* Co-operative team play

* LOS blocked by vehicles

* Convoy command for vehicles

* Choose HQ for teams

[Gaylord Focker]

"Laser Beams".

[Kaiser Soze 71]

Full movie replay, with a feature where you can be the director (like in EA's NHL replay)!

So when you are watching the full movie, it will automatically change the camera angle&position so all the "cool things" won't be missed.

These default cameras will be defined before saving the whole movie. Then you can just publish a fight-movie in to internet for other people to see.

Then of course the watcher can disable the "director mode" and watch it like he wants to see it.

Difficult to explain, but check EA's NHL-serie's replay mode

[hellfish]

Originally posted by rune:

Mult-player with multiple people per side. Fast internet connections, and wo knows, maybe a dedicated CM server for finding opponents. Rune

TacOps4 currently has truly multiplayer capability. I haven't used it yet, but I've read all the reports - looks like the bee's knees. You've got something like 16 players (8 v. 8, 15 v. 1, etc.) who can command units (designated by a GM or commander, I think) and I'm pretty sure that there is room for spectators as well.

I don't know how buddy-buddy BFC is with Major H, but hopefully they can scratch each other's backs. Wouldn't it be great if the Major was given permission to make a modern CM? A TacOps and CM hybrid would be something I'd shell out $100 for (I've payed more on dates where all I got was a smile, fer chrissake).

[ December 03, 2002, 04:23 AM: Message edited by: fytinghellfish ]

[jiggles]

Three things:

</font>

• AI </font>
• AI </font>
• AI </font>

And better graphics of course. Honestly if I was writing a CM-like game write now, the potential of the up-coming crop of graphics cards would give me wood. They do anyway, and I'm not writing a CM-like game!

They also make graphics pretty much free from the CPU standpoint, and with the capabilities of current high-end processors (which will be very much low-end , ie. obsolete) in two years, I think there should be sufficient horsepower around to do something about one of the AI.

I know writing AI engines is terrificly difficult (I've done it, at a simple level), but more available horsepower allows for more sophisticated algorithms to be implemented, and this has to be very exciting for the future of CM-like games.

Just my €0.02.

[Lou2000]

lots of talk about eye-candy ... and im all for that, however one BIG change that i'd like to see in Cm3 or even an upgrade/patch to CMBB is AI related.

I'd LOVE to see a mode where the player only controls a portion (25% 50% 75%) of the forces and the AI controls the rest.

You could provide support / covering fire to AI controlled units, therefore influencing the outcome, but not directly micro-manage how / where they move. Perhaps a targetting option to 'request' mortar / artillery /armour support with no guarantee that the AI will provide.

This would add a whole new level to gameplay making it very similar to being in company commmander in the field, obviously the more units the AI controlls the less overall influence you have on the outcome, and if you get stuck you couldnt just call up the heavy armour to bail you out.

This would even allow you to 'hotseat' a game against yourself (avoids references to playing with yourself )

Though im sure there must be some bad points to this ..... i cant really think of many, and the additional depth this would add to gameplay would more than counter them. (IMHO)

Anybody else like this idea ... or am i alone in this.

BFC any thoughts (for or against) on this or any other items mentioned in this thread ?

Lou2000