Doug Williams

A lot of the same basic tactics that apply to CM WW2 apply to CM Modern.
 
You just have to remember that any unit that can be seen can be killed very quickly, including the M1 Abrams.
 
So typically, you will spend a lot of time scouting with your infantry, UAVs just to try to figure out where the enemy forces are located. AFVs should be kept out of LOS until you have a definitive target located and a plan on how to take it out.

Title pretty much says it all. Black Sea will be my first modern CM game. I've been playing CMBN/CMFI/CMRT since release, so I'm familiar with the game engine. 
 
What advice can you beta testers, Shock Force and Afghanistan players give to us who have only played WW2 CM? How should we adjust our tactics? What can we expect from all this newfangled equipment? 

I would say, probably just expect to have your troops die a lot more, faster while you learn.
 
So, similar to how you got used to CM2 WWII, just speeded up.
 
As more and more people learn via the above method, more and more Tips and Tricks will be posted.

- US Army advanced night vision optics.
 
 
 
Everything can die very, very. VERY quickly, it is absolutely vital you find the enemy before he finds you. Tanks like the Abrams and T-90AM have sophisticated optics packages that include thermal and night vision, if you can see the enemy chances are he sees you! Infantry at night are also an entirely new ball game, US forces have fancy new night vision goggles that incorporate both NV and thermal, effectively turning them into predator (Creepy huh?) , Russian and Ukrainian forces sport night vision as well but mostly only on there rifle optics, darkness is no where near the obstacle it was back in World War 2.
 
Theres more of course, but I will let everyone else chime in so I don't have to write an essay, I think these are the most important though really!
 
Edit: Check out ChrisND's videos here, he does a great job explaining and showing stuff off- https://www.youtube.com/user/NormalDude1066

Didn't notice the "winky" in my post, eh?
 
Obviously no Steam employee. They wouldn't have been that obnoxious.

I don't have any expertise on Steam numbers but FWIW the "community" (i.e. forum) aspects of Steam probably aren't the best way to measure sales.  The best source for Steam data that I'm aware of is Steam Charts, which tracks the number of players of a game at a given time/over the last 24 hours/last month/what have you.  Here are some numbers for games being specifically tossed around in this thread or that are broadly similar to CM:
 
Unity of Command - 43.1 average players at a time over the last 30 days; 358 all-time peak
 
Close Combat:  Gateway to Caen - 25.8; 240
 
Command:  Modern Air/Naval Operations - 15.7; 83
 
Flashpoint Campaigns - 12.0; 88
 
Graviteam Tactics - 10.9; 33
 
Theatre of War - 4.6; 26
 
This data is of pretty limited use to the discussion (if you can even call it that anymore) for a few reasons - most obviously, it shows people playing, not sales numbers - but it is the best that's out there unless publishers decide to release their own sales figures.  The best this can tell us is that (for example) at least 33 people bought Graviteam Tactics from Steam - without knowing more about GT's history (when and where it was first released, how many copies it sold there, its history on Steam), I don't think there's much that can be done with that tidbit alone.  It's also possibly a bit misleading because I believe that each of these titles were directly available from the publisher for a significant length of time before being on Steam, so I'd hypothesize that most of the core fans probably bought them early and directly rather than later through Steam (which means those purchases won't show up on Steam Charts, and while that's useful for determining how many new people might buy a CMSF re-release now it might not tell us how many people would buy CMBS if it launched tomorrow).  Along similar lines, we also have no idea if any of these titles ever got any of the exposure that appears to drive a lot of the sales on Steam and would drive most of the hypothetical additional sales from moving there - significant front page placement, daily, holiday, or flash sales, etc., and furthermore there's no way to know if a Steam launch (rather than re-release) would have garnered them such attention.  We could probably figure that out too, to a certain extent (there are sites that track Steam discount history), but I'm too lazy to do it.
 
And of course, we can make all the assumptions from this data we want and it doesn't really get us anywhere, not least of all because none of us are BFC and can't make these decisions for them.
 
As far as my two cents, I am agnostic about Steam for Steam's own sake, but I find it remarkable that I have never seen an ad for CM anywhere.  I stumbled across CMSF solely by chance looking for another type of game altogether, and I think it would be great if more people knew this sort of game was out there.  I think Steam would be a great way to do that but I trust BFC to make the decision that's right for them.

Some proper tinfoil hattery here. Steam employees, haha, christ.

Oh haha, I finally understood what you meant. It is certainly not an insult as the 'Old' in GoG no longer applies  

if you want to check out the popularity of games on Steam, you can view the game stats which lists the 100 most popular games:
 
http://store.steampowered.com/stats/
 
Notice that neither "Rise of Flight" or "IL-2: Battle of Stalingrad", two fairly realistic flight sims which are sold on Steam are in the top 100. In fact, I have never seen either one on that chart.
 
personally, I don't have an opinion either way. I have a lot of games on Steam which I play. As a consumer, I appreciate Steam. However, I don't care whether CM is on Steam or not, that is really BFC's decision.

Oh come on.....Wargame EE is an actual Wargame now? Don't get me wrong I played and enjoyed the first one  (Wargame:EE). It is a splendid (and at the time, underrated) RTS. But no way I would call it a wargame. Just because it has some elements resmbling wargames doesnt mean it is automatically one. Similarly, I would not call (the excellent) Men of War a Wargame just because it models some level of armor penetrations just like wargames do.

Yes, and his name is m0317624. Jeez, Steam. Hire someone who can pick better forum names. ;-)
 
 
Well, even if he's not a Steam employee, it's interesting to watch him try to "educate" Steve.

I have the impression that there is some steam marketing nerd pushing an agenda in this forum.
When I discovered the first combat mission demo, back in the year 2000. I did work for a game publisher, and from the forty + staff, there was nobody except me who played the game.
14 years later BF still make outstanding pieces of software, and the company I did work for is long forgotten... Try to google Montecristo games.com and see how a company without soul and heavily funded exploded in mid air.

LOL. Man, what is wrong with you?
 
 
 
 
Mord.

I would just up vote Steve's comment but my quota is all used up upvoting his other comments (that's a joke BTW). This is pretty much how I see things developing *every* time this topic comes up.

I don't think I have ever seen BFC just say "no". They point out that right now the work needed and the cons that they see are not wroth it. Both of those things can change - stay tuned you never know. I guess there are a handful of people who say they don't want steam here but that is a really small number. There are a few of us just pointing out the results from previous threads and a bunch of people who just keep repeating

"What do we want? STEAM When do we want it NOW".

Sorry there is no real value in that and insulting those of us who point that out creats even less value. Negative value in fact. I would down vote more of those comments but I my down vote quota has been exceeded for today, on this thread, again for the second day in a row.

You guys don't bother beating the dead horse you go right to the corpse fornication....here are just a few of the half a hundred threads on this tired (answered a million times) argument.

http://community.battlefront.com/topic/104171-steam/

http://community.battlefront.com/topic/115759-combat-mission-and-steam/

http://community.battlefront.com/topic/114499-combat-mission-and-steam/

http://community.battlefront.com/topic/84898-combat-mission-on-steam/?hl=steam#entry1554732
 
When people who have been here a long time, and particpated in many a thread on this subject tell you it's been discussed to death...yeah, just ignore them.
 
Here's the deal, BFC doesn't want to do it. Get over it.
 
Mord.

P.S. Jim Jones called and wants his Kool-aid back.
 

I don't care one way or the other. I buy games on Steam, I buy games outside of Steam. For someone to say that they won't buy a game outside of Steam strikes me as ludicrous. If I want to buy and play a game, I'm going to do it whether it's on Steam or not. 

The sticks in the mud remain still after this was last brought up I see.

I noticed 'cause you are always telling us. But anyway I don't have a dog in this fight. If BFC stays away from Steam I am fine. If they join up with Steam, I am fine. It has no bearing on my existence or gaming.
 
So, ok software genius type guy...see if you can figure out how to fix the blood bug in Shogun II. You do that and I'll join the Steam scream team.
 
 
Mord.

So, show us this super successful game company that you created—you always seem to have a smarmy little dig to throw out there—put your money where your mouth is. Show us this ingenius ground breaking tactical wargame you've made, show us your super-awesome website, and show us your massive sales figures. You seem to be quite the authority. Show BFC how it's done.
 
 
Mord.

I don't give a **** either way, whether it's there or isn't, but they said NO. Stamping feet and crying about it every month or two doesn't change what they said. That's the point. No still pretty much means no in most dictionaries. Steve possibly, yet again, spending precious time explaining why they said no, on the fifteenth stupid @ss Steam argument is a waste of resources. I'd rather have him talk about the actual game.
 
 
Big deal, 1200 views...every argument thread gets lots of views. Wait, let me guess...it's the magic of Steam! Steam makes reading fundemental! Lose 100lbs of fat in only 9 hours...with Steam! Got wrinkles...Steam will fix them! LOL.
 
Look, I am on Steam. I have no problem with Steam. I have Rome II, Shogun II, Medieval II, Left 4 Dead, and Sniper Elite V2 all on Steam. So, what?
 
Mord.

Another thread about steam, I really start to dislike this campaign, people with no real interest in participating on CM discussions come on these boards, make quick accounts or use old accounts only just to push an already over-discussed subject, which received in the past all the attention from developers it deserved.
 
Besides, I don't really see the necessity of publishing a direct link to buy another (steam) game on this board, since we discuss of CMBS here.
 
I am glad that the more of these threads pop up the less Steve will be interested in steam. So, to all those who are opening this discussion over and over and over again from time to time: good job!

Bottom line, boys. BFC knows it's customer base, and WE DON'T CARE if CM is on Steam or not.

Nah, you are probably around 18-25 years old, at the most. You are new here, and, like many noobs who think too highly of themselves, you come on here claiming vast knowledge and experience in computer game development and marketing, and try to "help" BFC make correct marketing decisions based on your extensive knowledge of the current PC game market. You are mistaken.
 
No one on here really cares about your opinion of how BFC should run their company, Junior Member M0317624. Good luck convincing us, and BFC, otherwise. :-)

I don't care one way or the other. I buy games on Steam, I buy games outside of Steam. For someone to say that they won't buy a game outside of Steam strikes me as ludicrous. If I want to buy and play a game, I'm going to do it whether it's on Steam or not. 

Bottom line, boys. BFC knows it's customer base, and WE DON'T CARE if CM is on Steam or not.