DotComCTO

Martin, Thanks again for that detailed response. Forgive my ignorance, but I do have one follow-up though: The system spec for CMBO is a Celeron chip, and for CMBN it's a P4. How is it that the dual-core A5X w/1 GB system RAM (and a quad core GPU) is not sufficient to run a game of CMBO's complexity? Granted, iOS and other apps can consume a chunk of that 1 GB, but I would have imagined there should still be sufficient system RAM available. Any additional insight you can provide would be great! Thanks! :cool: --DotComCTO

Hey, thanks for clarifying that. Although I have played the CM series over the years, I don't have much of an understanding of the underpinnings of the CM simulation as it relates to its graphics. :cool: --DotComCTO

Thanks, YankeeDog! Yes, I did catch ClaytoniusRex's posts, so I do know that 1.1 is around the corner. I was just saying that - like that famous scene in I Love Lucy - the conveyor belt has to keep moving! I agree 100% with your observation of releasing a more bare bones v1.0 and providing regular incremental improvements. You're spot on! This is why I immediately bought the game; I wanted to support BF on iOS and in some small way, do my part to encourage further development. There's a ton of promise here! :cool: --DotComCTO

Forgive me, but I'm curious about this comment. From a graphics perspective, I think CM:T is functional, but not what I'd call very good. That said, I'm OK with what's in the game, but I don't love a lot of the low-res textures along with spartan looking towns. I have to say that there are many games in the App Store that have far more eye candy. So, I'm wondering why you think the graphics are very good for an iPad (and I realize this is all completely subjective)? Thanks! --DotComCTO

Oh. And can I make one feature enhancement request? It would be just swell if there were support for asynchronous multiplayer. As I mentioned elsewhere, when my brother and I play, our schedules don't exactly line up and we live in different parts of the US. So, when we play CM, we use PBEM. Now, I don't expect PBEM in CM:T, but some kind of asynchronous play would be great (unless that's already supported in the GameCenter implementation?). Thanks for reading... :cool: --DotComCTO

At the risk of being, "Master of the Obvious", just keep in mind that in the ADD App Store environment, you won't have 2-3 years improving CM:T. The team will need to crank things out at a much more rapid pace; think Agile development: 2-3 week iterative dev cycles over the next couple of months. As a long time CTO, I'd suggest getting the 1.1 release out and then come back with more missions and/or a campaign. Then I'd look at the feature enhancement requests (such as the ones Harv listed) and get those cranked out. Then I'd make sure some more campaigns hit the store, etc. At best, you have a window of a few months to get the game polished and enhanced. Sorry if I'm being pedantic, but I've been in IT for 30 years (12+ years as a developer and 12+ years as a CTO - with 8 years of other fun stuff). So, it's in my nature to make recommendations whether they were asked for or not! Thanks! :cool: --DotComCTO aka Master of the Obvious!

And I feel completely the opposite. As Harv mentioned here, not everyone wants to camp out in front on their PC. I am a big fan of the iPad, and the new iPad is a really nice device. The device is with me all the time, and I *do* sit down with the iPad to play games for a longer stretch of time. Maybe I'm in the minority, but I don't think so. Frankly, my wife doesn't love it when I go into my home office to play games after a day of work; however, she doesn't mind if I'm playing on my iPad while we're all hanging out in the family room. Go figure! So, this is a long way of saying that I'd like CM:T to become a more robust game. It doesn't have to have the layers upon layers of detail that the CM games on the PC have, but I do want it to continue to borrow from its big brothers as much as possible/practical. :cool: --DotComCTO

So what's the roadmap for CM:T improvements? Harv listed several concerns - and there's a thread going on Touch Arcade and other pros & cons. I think we'd all be interested in learning what the future may hold. Also, out of curiosity, the new iPad seems to have some reasonable horsepower in it. What is the limiting factor for a game like CM:T (and CMBN for that matter)? Thanks! --DotComCTO

OK, Martin! I'm going to hold you to that. Just posted a 5 star review for you guys (along with a nice review). I really do hope this game does well. I'm one of those people that asked about getting CM running on iOS a few years ago! It seems such a natural environment for this game. So thrilled to see that Battlefront have dipped their toe in the iOS waters! Please continue to support this game with additional missions and campaigns! Quick question: Does the GameCenter implementation support a pseudo-PBEM type of play? My brother and I used to play CM with PBEM so we could take our time and squeeze in a turn or two each day. I invited him to play CM:T and we started a game, but we weren't sure about what would happen when we left the game. Oh, and one more thought...don't bother building a CM:T mission editor into the game. It's likely going to be a lot of investment for nearly zero gain. If you're going to do a mission editor for public consumption, then make it a standalone piece of software with either a wifi or iTunes sync to the game. I'd imagine that even that is a lot of work. Personally, I'd rather that the BF team focus on making CM:T even better and building out the missions and campaigns. Thanks again! :cool: --DotComCTO

Seriously. I've been wishing for any of the Combat Mission titles to make it to the iPad. There's a complete dearth of games in this genre on the iOS platform. There are some strategy games, but they mostly fall into the RTS or Risk-game categories. There are some TBS games, but certainly nothing with the depth of CM. That said, I know the biggest issues have to be: 1. How many people with iPads will buy a CM game on that platform (since most surveys indicate that iOS gamers are more interested in quick, pick up and play games)? 2. How much investment would have to be made to port any of the CM games to the platform - and that includes revamping the UI (and possibly the game) to support a touch device? 2a. How long would it take to bring a CM game to the iOS platform? 3. How much money can be made on a game like this? While I can guess the answer to some of these questions, I'd still really love to see the CM games make it to the iPad. The platform has a lot of strengths, and the idea of a deep, portable war game - with asynchronous multiplayer and support for match making via Game Center - could be a dream come true! I'll just keep wishing! --DotComCTO