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Rocky Balboa

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Posts posted by Rocky Balboa

  1. I doubt even BFC knows exactly what will be released in 2013.

    Oh, you can bet they already know what they plan on releasing in 2013 and they made that plan based on what they know they can get accomplish.

    The farther down the road we get with CMx2 the better they will get at making those plans but CMx2 is > 2 years old and I'm not counting CMSF ;) so I'm sure they are getting pretty accurate in their planning.

  2. Michael Emrys - please don't try to explain me that patches are still free and this is not patch but something more. I have already said something about this "upgrade" and if you are ready to pay for patch ok, go for it but don't try to persuade others that this is something more than regular patch. I'm starting to think that you really believe this. You are creating your own definition of what is and what is not a patch

    This is the first time BFC has ever added new features into an existing game. People have been asking BFC to back-port features from new games into older games since CMBB was released 10 years ago. So we have a choice: pay $10 to get what we have wanted for so long, or continue to see older releases made obsolete every time a new game comes out. If most of us are happy to pay $10 for the upgrade it's because we've been asking for it, not because we are stupid or taking Ecstasy.

    VAB makes and excellent point. perhaps the reason why you see so many people who are "ok" with paying for an upgrade is because, for a small sum $10.00. Your investment stays current. The alternative is to have a situation like we had with CMBO where you could never expect the game you bought to have the additional features of the latest version.

    How would you feel if BF said CMBN will never receive another improvement and the next version of the game will be CM:EF and it will have all the latest features, you'll have to pay $55.00 for the new game to use those features but you'll never see those features in CMBN? That's exactly what they did with CMBO and it was a real bummer. Now with the CmX2 engine they have given us the ability to keep our investment fresh and at the same time experience all the latest features and enhancements for a very modest fee. This for me is worth the upgrade cost alone.

    BF stated that patches (defined as fixes to existing components and features) are free and they have proven that. Upgrades (defined as new features and components added to a base game) will cost $5.00 - $10.00 and will be released about every 12 months. How can anyone complain about having to come up with $10.00 for a game every 12 months that they spend many hours playing?

    As for multi-player, I understand that you might feel forced to upgrade because everyone else is upgrading, but that should tell you that its not just the "fanboys" here on this forum that don't seem to have a problem with this. I personally have 2 versions of CMBN installed v1.11 and v2.0 this gives me the ability to play with whichever version my opponent has. Notice I don't have a v1.0 or a v.101 installed because there is no excuse for someone not to patch to the latest version, especially when its free! Dont you just love free stuff?

    If you really are against having to pay for an upgrade then go and talk to the people you play online with and convince them not to upgrade instead of coming here and ranting about it, and don't be surprise when you receive very little sympathy with your cause.

  3. The ability to issue different formation orders is one the features I hope to see at some point.

    I like the idea of formations, but if BF adds them then they need to be more than just eye candy. Here's how they should work IMO.

    Each formation should have some in game tactical benefit and be nationality specific.

    To cut down on micromanagement each formation should have a purpose or be considered best practice given a certain set of circumstances and the tac AI will will pick that formation best suited for the situation.

    Of course this should also be linked to leadership/C2 so that units with poor leadership or C2 wont necessarily pick the best formation under the circumstances.

    I know this is coming dangerously close to the SOP's which BF says it wants to avoid but I really think this is the best way to do it and cut down on micromanagement and command clutter.

  4. I posted a week or two ago my guesstimated release schedule for 2013. However, now based on information from Steve over the last few days I would like to slightly modify my list of BF products to be released in 2013.

    1st Qtr 13 - CM:BN 2.0 Market Garden module

    2nd Qtr 13 - CM:MW (Modern Warfare) v2.0 base game.

    3rd Qtr 13 - CM:FI 2.0 (Brits in Sicily) Module

    4th Qtr 13 - CM:EF (East Front) v3.0 engine!! base game.

    Ok this is my prediction for gaming goodness in 2013 ... Anyone else want to look into the future and make a prognostication?

    Beta testers, you can sit this one out on the sidelines, wouldn't want you to injure your NDA's. ;)

  5. :)

    There is no set list at this time. However, I can say that our emphasis for v3.0 will be on low level gameplay elements. This includes a fairly wide range of things like TacAI behaviors, AI Plans, maybe a new Command or two, etc. Other stuff will come about for sure, but unlike releases of the past they won't be consuming the bulk of our development time.

    Steve

    What? No fire!! :( Please tells us we will have FT'ers and dynamic fire for 3.0

  6. Additionally, we will continue to sell v1.xx until we have Upgrade v3.0 available (roughly 12 months). Steve

    12 Months!! If there's going to be an upgrade for CMBN in 12 Months, that tells me that there will at least be a major release this year highlighting the 3.0 engine. I'm guessing CMEF possibly sometime around midyear 2013?

    So MG module out probably Q1 of 13, hopefully CMEF in Q2 followed up by maybe another upgrade to CMFI v3.0 and module for CMFI in Q3 and an upgrade to CMBN to 3.0 in Q4.

    If my prophesy is correct, it looks like we will have new CM toys to play with about every 3 months :D. Why don't I just give you my wallet now, it will be much easier that way .... ;)

  7. It seems to me that "technical fixes and occasionally some small improvements" is a highly subjective phrase.

    When Steve says "technical fixes and occasionally some small improvements" he is talking about a patch which is usually free. Where some people get confused is telling the difference between a patch(free) and an Upgrade(Not free but nominal cost).

    As Steve said a patch is a fix (something not working as intended) or a small improvement to an existing feature. An upgrade would be New features or major changes to an existing feature. This is where it gets somewhat subjective because what I might think is a small improvement could in fact be a major amount of work from a programming standpoint.

    This is why as the consumer we have to be realistic and trust to a certain extent that BF is pricing their products honestly & fairly. So far in the ~12 years I have been purchasing from them, I haven't had any reason to believe otherwise.

    The bottom line is, you have several tools at your disposal to determine value before purchasing.

    You have this forum to come to and ask questions and read other players perspective.

    You have reviews from magazines and websites.

    BF always provides a demo of a new version so you can try it out for yourself. (this one is huge and I can't stress this enough, especially if you are a first time purchaser)

    After a number of years you will hopefully have a trusted relationship with a company that has consistently provided great entertainment value for your dollar.

  8. Its all quite interesting garnering people's reactions.

    Just to say BF have had $247 from me since March 12 2011 for the CMBN series, and I am not including CMFI. So its not like I am taking cheap shots. I have multiple copies of CMx1 series apart from CMBO and have been playing since 2000 so my interest is not casual.

    My view is that since March 2010 is we have been involved in a mass playtesting whilst they worked on V2.0 . And it seems a lot of bugs have been teased out with three fixes. Having said that some remain and I have no idea if V2.00 has killed them but judging by the CMFI board certainly HMG's suppressive effects are causing concern. And ammo sharing is bizarre.

    Diesel, your paying to playtest analogy doesnt hold water either. You say you have been playing CM since 2000 as have I. Unless you consider CMBO, CMBB or CMAK perfect then I guess you could say your were paying to playtest those games as well?

    True you paid for the games and you voluntarily came to the forums and posted your opinions on issues you have with them, but your weren't forced to give any feed back were you? Where you promised any compensation or special consideration for your services as a "playtester"?

    The bottom line is you paid for the games in their current state because you tried the demo (or you should have) and you liked it and you continue to purchase upgrades because you enjoy it and see value in it. This doesn't classify you as a play/beta tester. Just sayin ;)

  9. You know you can burn your own CD/DVD backup disk in the year of 2012, right? I have no idea why you would want to buy a "physical" copy.. other than maybe for the printed manual?

    I'm not sure what the appeal is of having a hard copy from BF, other than having something "officially from BF", which I suppose has some value for some.

    As for myself, I can and do make my own backups especially since BF only archives stuff for a limited amount of time.

  10. I believe the way it works is as follows:

    You can upgrade to v2.0 now for $10.00 or you can wait for the MG module to be released.

    The MG module will require v2.0 so at that time you will be able to purchase the 2.0 update for $5.00 and if you already have 2.0 then you wont have to repurchase it.

    So everyone will pay at least $5.00 for the 2.0 update however paying $10.00 now, allows you to have the v2.0 features in advance of the MG module.

    Take it for what its worth, but I'm pretty certain that's the drill.

  11. back on topic...and an instant 180 degree arc key combo like in CMBB PLEASE!!!

    Creating a 180 degree arc command and assigning it to a button would not be a huge coding issue I suspect. However it does become an issue when you have to integrate it into the existing UI.

    The UI needs to provide a means for the novice user to play the game without having to read a manual. Simply creating a new command and assigning it to a button would insure that veterans and experienced players would know about it but newer players would not.

    This was one of the problems that CMBB had as feature creep kicked in and it's a very real issue that CMx2 faces as it continues to mature. Perhaps a player customizable command toolbar would help in this regard.

  12. THAT IS WHAT I THOUGHT ALSO, Except when you select a M10, there is no target light option.

    So in other wards, pretty useless.

    It would be nice to see a member get out and use it in the forward direction.

    I mean I have had a commander stand on top of a turret to get a view before.

    Dont ask me how that happened, I cannot remember if it was a dismount and the dude decided to hang there for a moment since he could see the enemy.

    Hmmm ... If it has no target light command then I'm guessing that the MG is just for looks.

  13. OK, Can someone give me any advice how to get this MG into the action.

    I have M10's vs enemy infantry. I am out of HE rounds and this appears to be the only decent weapon left to use.

    Do I need to be unbutton and do I need the turret turned away from the enemy.

    In theory you should be able to issue a target light order and have the unit AI will work it out on it's own. Let us know what happens ...

  14. I am always saddened when people misunderstand what has been explicitly not been said. I maintained it was released too early for the reasons outlined.
    And if BF had waited to add all the things that you and others think should be included then we would still be waiting on CMSF to be release and BF would never have released CMBN because they would no longer be in the game making business.

    I very appreciate how much BF is reliant on tens of unpaid enthusiasts who run clubs, make scenarios, run tournaments, and spread the word.
    I’m not sure how reliant they are on these unpaid enthusiasts, I’m quite sure that they are reliant on their fans who would not be buying their games, making content to enhance the play if they weren't enjoying and find value in what they have purchased.

    I have playtested many scenarios, been involved in many tournaments, nagged GAJ about inventing a PBEMHelper for CMBN, paid to support BF relevant sites,and was a very early adopter of the site in the sig, so I think I have done a fair bit for the player community. Actually I suppose running tests and digging up information on things that do not seem right probably does help BF get it right for the benefit of all players. I now people laugh at me being upset about reversing speed but hells teeth how fundamental part of a realistic wargame is correct speeds for vehicles?

    My research on brick and stone structures and penetration took many many hours. You know it gets to the point when you wonder why do it. After all there seem to be many players who don't care if there tank goes backwards at 25mph , 10 times real speed, and has no problem steering.

    You have been here over a decade RB but you with 500+ posts I almost feel I may have invested more in BF then you have. Perhaps that is why I feel more let down.

    DT, I know you feel like you have a vested interest in CMBN but I can assure you that no one has more invested in this game than BF does. For you and I this is really just a hobby but for BF this is their job and its how they feed their families, please never lose site of this.

    If all your predictions of calamity and doom are correct then you have lost relatively little compared to BF so have some faith that they are aware of what the major issues are. Yes, do your testing if you feel so inclined and post the results or don't, but stop this complaining about how much the game costs and why everything should be given for free because these are bugs and should have been fixed before release. If you bought it and continue to buy it then you have no one to blame but yourself and If you honestly want to see the game improve then make constructive critical and non-critical posts and then let it go you’ll be much happier that way.

  15. Plus the interface simply sucks and didn't get better in 2.0

    BF said that CMx2 v3.0 is slated for some additional UI changes. If the UI is a big brick wall which prevents you from enjoying the game then hopefully V3.0 will correct that issue for you. However, I can assure you that if you consider V3.0's interface to be absolutely perfect there will be others that will say that it sucks. No UI is perfect and so when you please one person you normally tick someone else off. This is why the big budget game company's invest in UI's that are customizable or modable by the community. BF might be able to go this route but I don't expect that to happen.

    I would be interested to know if you think these UI changes should be considered bug fixes given for free or is it something you think users should pay for?

  16. However I am now more of the camp that believe the early launch was to steal/preempt Matrix's offering.

    Must be a pretty lonely camp because you are the first I have heard to express this theory. If the "matrix offering" was such a threat to CMBN then why are we all here playing CMBN and not the "matrix offering" surely it must have been released by now?

    Now as you know I think of V2.00 to actually be what CMBN should have been. I am not talking of the scenario tools etc I am only interested in the play side.

    Being only interested in the "play side" is very short sided of you. BF doesn't have the time or the resources to put into making a large amount of good quality content. The scenario tools are of great value to those in the community that enjoy making that content and dare I say that others enjoy consuming

    What I find interesting is the number of people who talk of "if I had bought CMSF" I would have known what to expect. I always thought things had improved because of the number of patches and modules CMSF had. This made the shock of CMBN being so weird even greater.
    If you honestly feel like you were sold a bill of goods and were unfairly taken advantage of, then absolutely you should not buy another version of CMx2 until it has everything in it exactly as you feel it should and to do otherwise would be foolish

    But you will understand that having forked out a substantial sum plus postage and taxes for the Steelbox edition paying more for the version that will allow me to play the majority of CMBN players will irk me.

    You see here is why myself and others have a problem with your complaints. On the one hand you claim that CMBN is so fundamentally flawed that it should never have seen the light of day yet numbers of players are playing the game and enjoying it so much so that you feel forced to upgrade so that you can continue to play the game with them. If the game is not worth the "substantial sum plus postage and taxes" then why are many people playing it and why do you feel forced to upgrade?

    However I hope BF continue and improve.
    I have confidence that BF will continue to improve because I was one of those who purchased CMSF back in 07 and I have seen how BF has worked hard to listen to its customers and have been willing to make changes to improve the game.
  17. Really? I only wanted information to help me decide if I should wait a bit to buy the game or not.

    For the record, I'm glad I bought it, and I'm not concerned about spending a little more for a major update, but perhaps I'm lucky that $5-$10 is not a lot for me.

    I don't consider the game buggy, incomplete or missing key features. Certainly, there are things I wish it could do, but none of them are deal breakers for me.

    Be nice if it could make me a nice cup of tea though... I'd pay for that!:)

    This of course is the correct attitude for any consumer to take with regard to purchases. Thoroughly investigate what the product does and doesn't do before making your decision to buy it. Fortunately for us consumers, BF gives us a demo that we can play to see exactly what the product does and doesn't do, so this takes out all the guess work. There should be no excuse for someone to say that they bought CMx2 and didn't know what was included or not included.

    I personally love the game even though there are some things that I wish they would include or modify. I did not buy CMFI because I'm just not interested in the theater but I have played the demo to try out the new features and so buying the upgrade for CMBN will be a no brainer for me. I have to really give major kudos to BF for the way they have given the players all the information we need to make an informed purchasing decision and giving us the opportunity to keep our initial investment current by providing a low cost upgrade is just unheard of from any developer that I'm aware of....

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