SKELLEN

The old cliche "if it ain't broke don't fix it" springs to mind here from the posts I've read. I think people wanted/expected more of CMX1 with added improvements and why not give the customer more of the same if it brings the money in? Obviously you have your own business model in mind and this is a brand new engine and all and I respect your decision to go the way you have with this game, but to say that "people don't get it" when so many have voiced their concerns on similar things makes me think they can't all be wrong. It also shows some arrogance towards your customers I feel that if they "don't get it", then it's ok because you expected this from many people. How can it be ok to lose customers or potential customers when you obviously need as much support as possible and this game to sell. I only wish I could test this game myself as I have a Mac but from what I've learned it seems that this game would have benefited greatly from a delay but I understand you didn't have much choice due to the distribution deal. I want this game to be a success like most here and will continue to support you, however many customers I feel may be heading out the door to pastures new, and I sense you are letting them go too easily, please hold onto them BFC!

This reminds me of a French policeman in TV comedy "Allo Allo". LOL </font>

I have to admit I've not played the game yet but from what I've read in various posts I agree 100%, and I've commented on this very thing, but it seems many people are unwilling to accept the fact that this is the case - :confused: - you aren't the only one.

Maybe that's because they are busy doing other things (being a seven man team and all), like working their butts off to release the imminent patch.

From what I remember as I haven't played for several months now but HMG's are prone to random jamming. The type of weather obviously plays a part here i.e., hot/most likey to overheat, cold/most likey to freeze - pretty self explanatory really.

Maybe you should have posted this in the General forum. I've heard of 'The Lost Battalion' but never seen it as yet and I agree with you on 'Downfall' and Bruno Ganz on his excellent performance and his moving portayal of this evil/monstrous like man and the madness that so obviously plagued him. Very moving indeed! Btw I don't know if you are aware of this, but I read just a couple of days ago that Hitler liked to listen to music by Jewish composers amongst others, how chilling is that for one case of ultimate hypocrisy?

I here EA also have a bad reputation off the top of my head but I just wanted to make the point that there has been companies and will be companies that continue to shaft the customer - so to speak.

One could argue that game graphics have nil game effect but people still want eye candy. :confused:

Yes, and that is a problem. What business / industry are you employed in SKELLEN? I am and have been for many years been working in what was once the least customer friendly business in the Unites States. The Phone Company. But a funny thing happened. It changed. Kicking and screaming for a lot of people, but change it did. I'm just wondering what business can not focus on the customer, can afford to not make customers their first priority with regard to development of products and services. I know several unsuccessful companies, but cannot off hand come up with any self-sufficient firms with a sustainable business model that does not put their customers first. </font>

Hey, who was it that had that quote from Steve as their sigline for years? "I assure you that, if we abandon any platform, it will not be the Mac." Heh. -dale </font>

I remember reading an article on game physics years ago and what game innovations of tomorrow would bring, but one in particular still sticks with me today for good reason - I'm still not seeing it surprisingly, or maybe it's here already? What am I referring to - good question, as the term for this procedure escapes me (forgive me), but if you look on most vidoegames today you will see it in some shape or form. An arm protruding through a wall, characters walking through each other, I even watched a video of Shock Force with a Syrian pickup truck halfway through a building. I'm very curios to know what BFC's stance on this procedure with regard to pyhsics is, has it been considered, is it not possible as yet, or would it require a CMX3/CMX4? Anybody here have any knowledge of this and care to share with the community?

Oh sure, I get your point here - BFC is, in the sense of the profit motive, no different than GM or Coca Cola. Doesn't stop people from remarking on "New Coke" does it? And to my mind that's largely what CMSF is - the New Coke of computer games. -dale </font>

Where have I claimed that businesses are not about profit? I'm just trying to point out that that profit comes from customers. In the end, people have to want the product. And don't get me wrong - I think plenty of people want this product. But I also know that many don't, even though they wanted to, and pissing on them from a great height isn't going to increase the chances of them wanting the next product. -dale </font>

Actually, the customer takes precedence in any business. </font>

Hmm. Well, if I accept the position that CMSF was truly released in a Beta state, then the time factor for the next module irrelevant. If the game couldn't really be "done" until, say, January 2008, then releasing it in July 2007 and spending the next 4 months getting it up to release standards is not much different, if at all, from releasing it playable out of the box in January 2008 and then starting work on the next module then. -dale </font>

Actually, the customer takes precedence in any business. </font>

You've hit the nail right on its head (so to speak) as I mentioned in another thread, the game being delayed by several months would have allowed bugs to be fixed and saved BFC from a lot of negative posts from appearing. I'm not talking about the game being delayed six months here either that would be uncalled for, but maybe 3/4 months if needed. They (BFC) are only having to do now what would/could have been done if the game was delayed anyway, but obviously it's a business afterall and like any business money takes precedence. I love BFC as much as the next guy and this isn't meant to sound negative either, rather I wanted to reitirate the fact that this would not have been an issue had extra time been given for further development. Time spent fixing bugs now could have been better spent on the next module, and that is perhaps what many people realise, or don't as the case may be.

Maybe you are right but unfortunately I can't see it happening unless BFC care to make a comment on it?

By the same token, not everyone is a complete geekoid refreshing beginning two days before the game is released and don't really care if they pick it up on pre-order, and are prepared to wait to actually read reviews, try the demo, visit the developer's forums and maybe even get it in the discount bin. [/QB]

This is something else that seems to get overlooked when a game is released with multiple bugs - potential customers/cutomer are lost, as not everyone is pepared to download patch after patch or willing to hanging around for six months for one game and is it any wonder? I read somewhere that compnies are so busy looking for new customers that they lose existing customers and don’t even know it, and if they do, they do nothing about it. It costs 5 times as much to get a new customer as it does to resell an existing customer. Wake up developers customers aren't mugs!!!

Unfortunately I can't play the game as I own a Mac and it's not available for my chosen platform as yet, but maybe you should download the demo although you may be put off by this very fact due dial-up sloooow! Otherwise maybe look out for a demo in a PC magazine if and when BFC choose this option.

Like the old saying goes "You reap what you sow" and the path BFC took with regard to this game was obviously something not just chosen over night but with their future in mind. And like any decision made in life there is no crystal ball to look into to see the future and mistakes will be made along the way it's human nature. Of course BFC will take FLAK and are taking a huge amount of Flak already, but there will be a problem if this company goes bust, that's for sure. Take your choice with regard to choosing another company's game but there is no game made even to this day that I'm aware of that's comparable to CM. And that is the sad fact of it all, who can replace BFC?

It was never meant to be although I'm sure many people would love the idea. In practice however I can see there would be a lot of work involved as well as expense for an old engine now superseded by CMX2/Shock Force. Each release of the old CM BO/BB/AK were slighty different with regard to features and graphic files etc, and if my memory serves me correctly BFC once said something along the lines of the old engine being incapable of the flexibility they required due to the design/code of the old engine. Also remember those games are antiquated now, although still very good fun to play, so a new engine was inevitable and I'm sure there will be something to interest you and others eventually - have a little faith.

First of all welcome to the community and second, have you never heard of the word 'you'? Whether it's a good marketing ploy or not including the name 'Combat Mission' in the title of the game will naturally make people compare or assume it's going to be similar to the original CM. If this games flops and they lose a bundle I'm sure all here will care as BFC are only a small company and can't afford a flop and I doubt any other games will ever see the light of day. As for the bugs that's not doing BFC any favours obviously but that's another story and I've already commented on this in another thread.

This isn't doing BFC any favours with regard to customers (new and old) as many are and will be wondering why this is the case for a product in development for 4 years. Delaying the release of this game for several months would have allowed the product to shine (so to speak) and many bugs corrected in the process. I know some will say there is only one programmer and a very good one at that, so why not hire another programmer if only on a temporary basis? Obviously a game has to be released at some point and I understand this, but it just saddens me to see software released in such an unfinished state i.e. multiple bugs. Also for such a small company as BFC are, isn't it more the more reason why you can't afford to lose customers and (shudder to think) this game flop? My intention is not to sound like a pessimist here and if it appears that way (I'm sorry in advance) as I've been a supporter of BFC since 2002, however I don't want to see BFC go the route of many other companies (around or no longer around) who had/have nothing to seperate themselves from the competition due to the same development process. I'm sure the game will become great with patch after patch but this is my point.