LeadMeister Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 OK, I admit it, this is a rant and I will probably get nothing from it other than the "feel good" of venting. I also realize that this will most likely raise the ire of many Battlefront fanboys. First, who am I? I'm a retired computer systems analyst and multi-platform programmer. I’ve been playing PC based games, from FPS to adventure and sims, since '84, starting with MS Flight Simulator 1.0.. I currently own over 500 “boxed” games, many of which can be seen on my personal homepage at: http://leadmeister.250x.com/index.htm (click on “My Rigs”). Combat Mission, time on the ground: My brother introduced me to CMBO several years ago. He’d been playing it for many years prior and convinced me to give it a try. I loved it! Since then we’ve played CMBB and CMSF, all via PBEM. We both like CMBB the best and continue to play it even now. I made a little movie of one of our CMBB games and posted it on You Tube ( ). The rant: I just received my CMBB “Steelbook” and, just like my Brother, was shocked at what I really got. This so called steel book was a very poorly designed inner plastic box with front and rear ultra-thin steel (?) laminates press fitted on. It was shipped to me in a thinly padded envelope and, like my Brother’s, was damaged upon receipt. His was bent and mine, even though not bent, had one of the inner (upper right) lid tab holder slots broken out which now prevents the lid from fully locking down. Further, I immediately noticed that the design of the inner plastic recess that holds the book in place was devoid of any open access indentations that would allow the manual to be lifted out with your finger or thumb. Instead, you are relegated to turning the box on its side and “dumping“ the manual out. The manual itself was even more of a disaster. What was the BF design team thinking when they chose to use ultra small light brown (tan) text and graphics on a light tan background. It’s an eyestrain experience to say the least, and pretty much makes the manual useless on the long term. Also, the right margin is too narrow and forces you to bend the book open way too far which damages the spine (pages on the floor very soon). Well, that’s it, I’m done. Final conclusion … I’m stunned that BF did this to a largely loyal repeat user base. It does not bode well for their future. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agua Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 If you get up with BFC, I bet they'll make it right. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattias Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Well, that’s it, I’m done. Final conclusion … I’m stunned that BF did this to a largely loyal repeat user base. It does not bode well for their future. And I for one am stunned at the utter and complete lack of perspective. You are hopefully healthy and living in a civilized country, and today you hold in you hand what is probably the best tactical wargame ever. And because your box was of poor quality and broken (as both of mine were) you, I, and every loyal customer are the victims of a, not clear what, crime, violation, abuse brought upon us by Battlefront? And this bodes ill for the future? What future exactly? A future choke full of stupendously good gaming and poor standard quality boxes? It´s not that you are wrong in voicing opinions or indeed complaints, it´s the frankly ludicrous level om importance you seem to attach to it. M. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wodin Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 I'm very happy with my box and I love the manual...don't get ones like this anymore with any other game....the box is exactly like the ones you see DVD collector editions in so I knew it would be similar.... I also can't see how this doesn't bode well for the future? As said above you have stunning game in your hands...in a better than plastic or cardboard box and a 180 odd page manual.....and loads odf agming goodness to look forard to...I've seen a couple of complaints about the box on the net...really can't believe they where expecting 100% pure steel box...the game and a 180 odd page manual for the price they paid...now that would be bad news if it had been as BF would probably go bankrupt! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeadMeister Posted June 2, 2011 Author Share Posted June 2, 2011 . . . And this bodes ill for the future? What future exactly? A future choke full of stupendously good gaming and poor standard quality boxes? M. Their future is based upon sales, and very often sales can be thwarted by poor quality incidentals, i.e., a sales pitched poorly designed "steel box" and an equally bad hard copy manual. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stikkypixie Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Their future is based upon sales, and very often sales can be thwarted by poor quality incidentals, i.e., a sales pitched poorly designed "steel box" and an equally bad hard copy manual. They posted a video of the box so everyone knew what they were getting. I am sorry your box got damaged, you can try to contact the sales people to get a replacement maybe. The paper envelope is not that flimsy seeing how mine got to me in mint condition. This bodes very well for the future and their loyal fan base. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boo Radley Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 OK, I admit it, this is a rant and I will probably get nothing from it other than the "feel good" of venting. I also realize that this will most likely raise the ire of many Battlefront fanboys. Boy, you sure called that right. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
user38 Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Nice collection: I notice you have a copy of Doom in your collection (which I imagine is the original DOS version). I also note you are a collector: My computer gaming obsession started in 1981 with the Commodore VIC-20. But the bug really hit me big time in 1984 when I got my first real "PC", the IBM 5150. Microsoft's Flight Simulator 1.0 was the first game I loaded on it. Well, 30 years later and I'm still at it. I have kept every single game I've bought since 1981, including the original box/sleeves, floppy discs/CD/DVD and manuals. All in all I have nearly 500 games in my collection and plan on having them buried with me. I often look at them neatly organized in dedicated bookcases around the house and can still remember playing each and every one. I truly am a gaming freak and I have no intention of ever stopping this glorious madness. I am a collector myself (although not of video games) and I understand that to you the box just as or perhaps more important than the game itself. I feel your pain - I hope Battlefront can do something to replace your damaged box. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattias Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Boy, you sure called that right. Aw, I´m just mad because all my Spielberger books are locked away in storage And from a collectors standpoint I can definitely relate to you LeadMeister. M. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wodin Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Hopefully BF can send out a replacement to you...it being damaged is bad news...but I do think your compliants about the build and manual are really unfounded...if it had cost $100 fair enough..though I bought a game with no manual or decent box for $80 once...because the game was so damn good... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stitch Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Hmm...I have a pristine box and a manual with unbroken spine (I used the pdfs to lookup any questions). I guess this collector's item must be worth a pretty penny already! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Canuck Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 My box arrive in fine condition and customs didn't bend me over. I would have preferred to see the manual in 8.5" x 5.5" format with a greater contrast between the background and foreground. These 56 year old eyes require a stronger set of reading glasses than normal to read it. Am happy to see that there was a 'printer' version of the PDF file though. That being said, the first game for the IBM PC that I bought in 1981 (with DOS 1.0) was Microsoft's Olympic Decathalon ('82), which was the first game for that platform. I later graduated on to Flight Simulator 1.0 and continued from there. . . That computer cost over one third of my gross annual salary. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgie Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Greetings every one, this, as you can see, is my first post. I have been playing CMBO, CMBB, and CMAK for 10 years or so. I agree with LeadMeister on this. The manuals for CMBO, CMBB and CMAK were of good quality and were easy to read. The quality of the CMBN manual is good but it is uncomfortable to read. I would have gladly paid an extra ten bucks for a larger manual printed black on white. I expect to be playing CMBN for many years and a more user friendly manual would be very handy. I expect that there are many other CMBN players who would like to have a more readable manual. Maybe Battlefront could publish one and sell it for ten or twenty bucks and any corrections or additions to the existing manual could be made. It would be a very good investment. Be sure to print it black on white. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgie Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Hello every one. This,as you can see, is my first post. I have been playing CMBO, CMBB, and CMAK for the past ten years or so. I agree with LeadMeister. The manuals for CMBO, CMBB and CMAK were very good. They were of good quality and were large enough to be read at length without discomfort. The manual for CMBN is of good quality but the print is too small and the print to back ground contrast is too low for comfortable reading and it is difficult to open all the way which will destroy the spine in short order. Maybe Battlefront could print a larger version, black on white, and include any changes that have occurred in the game and correct any mistakes that are found. I would be very willing to buy it for 15 or 20 bucks or even more. It would be a good investment considering that I will be playing the game for years. Anybody else out there who would be willing to invest in a CMBO sized manual? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgie Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Ops, double post, didn't realize the first one went thru. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonRocko Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Leadmeister is right. I won't go as far as calling it fraud, but it definitely was misleading advertising. It's like having one microgram of gold in a coin,and calling it a "gold coin". Who had the brilliant idea of putting tiny tan letters on tan pages? The game itself is fine, but this sort of stuff will keep me away from future preorders and taking their word for anything. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClarkWGriswold Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 My steelbox arrived undamaged, but given how they were packed (a simple padded envelope) I had a feeling the forums would be full of people who'd received damaged goods. I was kinda shocked that they weren't shipped in Amazon-style cardboard wraps. That sort of packaging probably wouldn't have prevented a lot of these issues. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sburke Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 OK, I admit it, this is a rant and I will probably get nothing from it other than the "feel good" of venting. I also realize that this will most likely raise the ire of many Battlefront fanboys. I am a confessed fanboy... but umm, no not gonna get my ire raised. i can definitely understand the attachment to the Boxed game, if I didn't I wouldn't have paid extra for it. Only thing I would say is take it up with BFC, don't get too freaked out until you give them a chance to help you out. As to the case itself, yeah I was a bit surprised as well, but as I thought about it i realized a true "Steel" case would've cost quite a bit more than I plunked down. I also haven't quite figured out how i thought the discs were going to mount. :-P I will likely never open it again until the next module comes out so it really is just cosmetic and it does still look cool on my shelf. Doesn't change your feeling about it I know, but I just put it down to a bit of miscommunication and a bit of (on my part) not thinking too much about what "Steelcase" might be. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sluggo337 Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 I think you have to keep everything in perspective. The steelbook - it's nice. Never expected steel. It'll be nice to keep future discs in. The manual - somewhat disappointing. Hard to read because of the colors, small font, and stiff spine. I'll probably never use it it's so hard to read. But, IIRC I only paid $5 bucks extra (vs the price of download + mail currently). So I got the steelbook and got to download early. Probably worth $5. It won't keep me from buying future products. The game is awesome. But I will probably avoid buying manuals since there not very readable. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stikkypixie Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Leadmeister is right. I won't go as far as calling it fraud, but it definitely was misleading advertising. It's like having one microgram of gold in a coin,and calling it a "gold coin". Who had the brilliant idea of putting tiny tan letters on tan pages? The game itself is fine, but this sort of stuff will keep me away from future preorders and taking their word for anything. The put up a video of the BOX, I don't see how this is misleading in any way. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackcat Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 For what its is worth, my only beef with the manual is that it is too short. As an aide to get a new player into the game it is very good. As something of longer term use that explains things in detail - the sort of thing one might need having got over the inital hump - it is sadly lacking. I am sure that there all sorts of good reasons why the manual had to be of the size and page length it is (cost and fitting inside the box are probably good starters), but, and you call call me Mr. Picky if you want, it really is more of an introductory guide than a user manual. Good job we have the internet and can ask the questions here that the manual doesn't answer. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonRocko Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 The put up a video of the BOX, I don't see how this is misleading in any way. How do you tell from a video picture? It could be paper mache,shiny plastic,tin, or anything else in a picture! They used the word "Steel", not me. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runyan99 Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Hey there. Nice box. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dieseltaylor Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Yes the printing does really suck. It is not much of a secret that eyesight worsens with age and we are all getting on. Would anyone at BF like to say why it was thought to be a good idea? DO we have a hotshot young marketing genuis helping out. Sheesh! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elmar Bijlsma Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 With the OP starting out like that I wasn't going to get my ire on out of sheer contrariness. And you know, he has a few valid points. The padded envelope wasn't the best of protection for the Steel box so it does suck if it's broken on you. And no, despite the video it wasn't as steely as I had imagined either. And the manual, I can read it just fine but I can fathom your complaint on that point too. In fact, I was getting all sympathetic. Further, I immediately noticed that the design of the inner plastic recess that holds the book in place was devoid of any open access indentations that would allow the manual to be lifted out with your finger or thumb. Instead, you are relegated to turning the box on its side and “dumping“ the manual out. The thing about having a valid point or two is to not overplay your hand, which is what you did right there. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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