[Not as much fun as previous games.]

The lack of targeting lines like in CMx1 is one of the biggest minuses in this game, I hope they will be re-added in a patch someday.

[Why was the interface not developed further?]

The positive discussion portion of this thread is not going unnoticed amidst the usual "berate the game developer" part

As I've said, we plan a major overhaul of the UI for the next major release of CM. Months of development time will be invested into the UI work. To put that into perspective, that would be more time than we put into the new QB system, UI and all. Which is why I keep saying that you guys can't have your cake and pie and tortes and ice cream all at once. We have to prioritize because there's only so many hours in a day and we already work too many of them.

The UI overhaul is largely designed already. We had hoped to get it into CM:BN, but just look at how much longer it took for it to be complete AND we didn't try the UI overhaul. That's why it didn't get implemented this time around.

Many of the suggestions I've seen here are already part of the new UI design. While we don't have the benefit of a direct 1:1 relationship between unit status and "health bars", like RTS games, we plan on offering the player more ways to survey his forces at a glance. The way Commands are issued is slated for an overhaul as well. Simple things, like better understanding the status of a particular unit (Hiding, Buttoned, etc) is also already incorporated into the new design.

The problem with a UI is for it to work the UI has to feel cohesive. A good UI also has to efficiently use screen space and user input. These two requirements for a good UI means that slapping in "improvements" willy-nilly generally works against the overall effectiveness of the UI as a whole. Which is why so many good ideas are not going to be implemented until there is a comprehensive overhaul.

One thing we do not plan on changing is the right/left click behavior when it comes to interacting with either the 2D or 3D environments. Left clicking is far more natural than right clicking. Therefore, we want the vast majority of clicks to be assigned to the left mouse button. And that means keeping Commands tied to the left mouse button. Right click will remain reserved for special actions, some of which may be added to CM in the future.

Steve

When the next major CM is released with the new UI, will you patch CMBN's UI as well to match the new game?

[Armor far too accurate...]

Yeah, one of my Panthers killed two allied tanks while going full speed from across the map, 1 shot each, on the Demo map with the little village in the middle. The accuracy is definitely screwed up.

[First Impressions (CM:BN Full Release)]

Modules are expansion packs - eg. for CMSF there was USMC, British and NATO modules. For CMBN the modules will be Commonwealth (incl. Brits, Canucks, Allied minors, Waffen SS and Fallschirmjägers), Market Garden (it also expands the timeframe to September-October) and a 'Battle Pack' which is a new concept with no single common theme, odds and sods like 'Hobart's funnies'.

Modules require the base game, but you don't have to own them all - eg. you can skip the Commonwealth module and buy just the Market Garden module if you like.

Ah, thanks for the info.

[First Impressions (CM:BN Full Release)]

Of course!!! But they didn't come until September 1944. You can expect to see them in the Market Garden module at earliest.

Module? Is that a patch, DLC or expansion?

[First Impressions (CM:BN Full Release)]

Game is incredible.

As a side note to Battlefront.com: Will the Hetzer ever be added?