Heirloom_Tomato

Fire and Rubble will ready for release when it is ready as the saying around here goes. If you are thinking about Red Thunder, there will most likely be a bundle deal when Fire and Rubble comes out saving you a few dollars if you wait until then.
However, every day spent waiting is another day not playing the game. If you have the financial capabilities, pick a title, buy it and start enjoying the game. You really don't sound like someone who will regret the purchase.

Ahh, a drop of the old mother’s ruin ...
Will this do?

Everyone who has a copy of the game has access to the tools, including yourself.

There's another rooster in my henhouse -- a Sherman.

 
It's not looking good for my HQ Hetzer, but friendly infantry up ahead are in a position to help out. They chuck a number of smoke grenades toward the enemy that increase the tank destroyer's chance of escape.

 
Eat fog, rooster!

 
It works and the HQ crew manage to back their vehicle to safety.

 
Meanwhile, the last fully-functional Hetzer leads a combined arms advance on the other side of the woods to try and open up an avenue for a flanking attack on the rooster gang.

Green, but mean. So, far, these guys are having a good day.

 
Having repositioned, two of my trio of Hetzers engage and bag an AG trying to sneak onto prime real estate. Next up, a TD comes into view.

 
The roadbound Hetzer gets off two inaccurate shots while the platoon HQ to his left tries to get eyes on. The commander can't locate the TD and his Hetzer eats a round, knocking out the main gun. The roadbound Hetzer sends off a third round that lands short. The TD sends one back, but the Hetzer, thankfully, bounces it. The German crew then lobs a fourth round at the TD.

 
Despite spotting first, firing first and getting off four shots, the round is high. 😦

 
The TD fires a second shot. 😬

 
I doesn't bounce. 😟

I don't seek out armor duels because they are a bit like tossing a coin, but they come up again and again. So I was interested to learn what I can do to maximize the chances for my tank in a duel if it gets into one.
So I put two identical Pz IVH (late) tanks with regular crews, no modifiers, against each other at 600 m range. I called one "Attacker" and the other "Defender", although it does not mean anything. I put both on a mild slope (partial hull down) and varied different conditions. Crew hatches open/closed, vehicle movement, terrain type, crew experience. I ran each case at least 1000 times and recorded the percentage of wins by each side. A 'win' means that the other vehicle was destroyed or the crew bailed out. If both vehicles were alive after 5 minutes, neither side won - usually one vehicle got hit and retreated back down the slope. If neither vehicle survived, both sides got a win.
The tables show the win rate on each side. The statistics were not perfect even with 1000 duels per case. Results of repeat runs could vary by up to +/- 3%. Notably I did not get a perfectly symmetric results even for reference cases R1 and R4 where the vehicles had identical conditions on both sides. So, don't take the numbers as the absolutely accurate truth. They just show what works.
Pz IVH was a good tank for this purpose because it can easily kill itself - powerful gun and vs weak armor. Therefore, the duels were mainly about who is able to spot first and land the first round accurately on target.
I did not find anything revolutionary - mostly stuff people already know and do - but it was still interesting to see the numbers. Here it is:
1. Keep your crew hatches open when expecting to fight an enemy AFV. If you can, force the enemy to close theirs.
Table 1. Effect of crew hatches open/closed. Both AFVs are stationary on Grass.
Attacker
Defender
Closed
49%
49%
Closed
Open [R1]
48%
50%
[R1] Open
Open
76%
21%
Closed
2. Minimize movement when within enemy LOS. Stop as soon as your vehicle can see the place where the enemy is (represented with the "Hull Down" command in the table below, which gives additional advantage of being harder to see and hit due to being hull down; this is not to say that the Hull Down command is always useable, but it worked here well because the Attacker was going up the slope). Movement makes you more visible - and it does not appear to matter what kind of movement command you use - in fact the faster movement commands seem to work a bit better.
Table 2. Effect of vehicle movement. Attacker starts out of LOS and moves in towards the Defender using different movement commands. Both AFVs are on Grass and the crew hatches are open.
Attacker
Defender
Hunt [R2]
41%
57%
[R2] Stationary
Slow
35%
63%
Stationary
Move
39%
59%
Stationary
Quick
42%
56%
Stationary
Fast
41%
57%
Stationary
Hull Down
61%
29%
Stationary
Quick: Minimizes the time interval when the Attacker is moving within the Defender’s FOV. Therefore, Quick works well as it gets the attacker into position quickly, whereas Slow works poorly.
Hull Down: Better cover than the Defender and minimizes time when the Attacker is moving within the Defender’s FOV. Also: Easier to disengage when damaged – probably for both sides. High percentage of duels with no winner.
3. If you have to Hunt, point 1. about crew hatches still applies and can reverse the odds in your favor.
Table 3. Effect of crew hatches open/closed while the Attacker is moving. Attacker starts out of LOS and moves in towards the Defender using Hunt. The Defender is stationary. Both AFVs are on Grass and the crew hatches are open.
Attacker
Defender
Closed
37%
60%
Closed
Open [R2]
41%
57%
[R2] Open
Open
64%
34%
Closed
Closed
14%
82%
Open
4. Target arc can serve various purposes but does not help with seeing or hitting the enemy. TRP helps, likely by increasing the chances of a first hit.
Table 4. Effect of using Target Armor Arc and Target Reference Point (TRP). Both AFVs are stationary on Grass and the crew hatches are open.
Attacker
Defender
No arc [R1]
48%
50%
[R1] No arc
Target Armor Arc
50%
49%
No arc
TRP on Defender
72%
28%
No TRP
Note: Target Arc can still help by pointing the gun and the Commander’s attention to the right direction if the vehicle is not moving directly towards the defender. Also, it prevents distraction of the Attacker by other, low-priority targets.
5. Ground type can provide some help by concealment. Tall types of grass (T and TY), Weeds, Brush, Lt Forest (without trees) and Crop 1 give a small advantage over hard or bare surfaces. Very tall types of crops (2-6) and Grass XT give significant advantage. There is no disadvantage in being on road or pavement compared to grass, but sand, mud and cobblestone seem to hurt a little, possibly because they lower the chances of disengaging when retreating in damaged condition.
Trees are complicated and depend on type. Type A trees are somewhat helpful if there are 2 or 3 on the tile. Type B trees are not helpful at all. Type C trees seem to be best, especially if there are 2 or 3. Type D trees are somewhat helpful independently on their number. Type E are like Type A. Bush does not make much of a change.
Stone and brick walls and low bocage give some advantage - can be concealment as well as cover. But bocage is the big one. A tank behind bocage almost always wins against a tank in open ground.
Table 5a. Effect of Defender ground type – bare surfaces, hard surfaces and roads. Attacker on Grass. Both AFVs are stationary and the crew hatches are open.
Attacker
Defender
Grass
45%
51%
Dirt
Grass
47%
50%
Dirt Red
Grass
49%
48%
Hard
Grass
50%
48%
Rocky
Grass
49%
49%
Rocky Red
Grass
52%
47%
Sand
Grass
52%
47%
Mud
Grass
50%
49%
Pavement 1
Grass
50%
50%
Pavement 2
Grass
52%
47%
Cobblestone
Grass
47%
51%
Gravel
Grass
46%
49%
Dirt Lot
Grass
49%
48%
Dirt Road
Grass
47%
50%
Gravel Road
Grass
51%
48%
Paved 1
Grass
48%
51%
Paved 2
Grass
47%
49%
Foot Path
Sand, Mud, Cobblestone (?): Can impair movement, possibly making retreat of a damaged vehicle slower and less likely to succeed before the Attacker fires another accurate shot.
Table 5b. Effect of Defender ground type – low vegetation and cultivated fields. Attacker on Grass. Both AFVs are stationary and the crew hatches are open.
Attacker
Defender
Grass [R1]
48%
50%
[R1] Grass
Grass
50%
47%
Grass Y
Grass
50%
48%
Clover
Grass
50%
48%
Flowers
Grass
49%
50%
Plow NS
Grass
50%
50%
Plow EW
Grass
43%
57%
Grass T
Grass
43%
55%
Grass TY
Grass
44%
54%
Weeds
Grass
44%
55%
Grass + Brush
Grass [R3]
46%
54%
[R3] Lt Forest
Grass
42%
57%
Crop 1
Grass
39%
60%
Crop 2
Grass
39%
60%
Crop 3
Grass
39%
60%
Crop 4
Grass
40%
58%
Crop 5
Grass
39%
59%
Crop 6
Grass
38%
60%
Grass XT
Table 5c. Effect of Defender ground type – foliage. Attacker on Grass. Both AFVs are stationary and the crew hatches are open.
Attacker
Defender
Grass [R1]
48%
50%
[R1] Grass, no foliage
Grass
50%
46%
Grass + 1x Type A Tree
Grass
44%
51%
Grass + 2x Type A Tree
Grass
42%
54%
Grass + 3x Type A Tree
Grass
49%
49%
Grass + 1x Type B Tree
Grass
51%
46%
Grass + 2x Type B Tree
Grass
51%
47%
Grass + 3x Type B Tree
Grass
43%
52%
Grass + 1x Type C Tree
Grass
33%
62%
Grass + 2x Type C Tree
Grass
32%
62%
Grass + 3x Type C Tree
Grass
44%
52%
Grass + 1x Type D Tree
Grass
44%
51%
Grass + 2x Type D Tree
Grass
40%
55%
Grass + 3x Type D Tree
Grass
50%
47%
Grass + 1x Type E Tree
Grass
42%
55%
Grass + 2x Type E Tree
Grass
41%
55%
Grass + 3x Type E Tree
Grass
49%
49%
Grass + 1x Type A Bush
Grass
52%
47%
Grass + 2x Type A Bush
Grass
50%
46%
Grass + 3x Type A Bush
Grass [R3]
46%
54%
 [R3] Lt Forest, no foliage
Grass
44%
54%
Lt Forest + 1x Type A Tree
Grass
39%
57%
Lt Forest + 2x Type A Tree
Grass
37%
59%
Lt Forest + 3x Type A Tree
1x Tree: Can be detrimental because it does not provide enough concealment and can trigger APHE shells passing high, wounding the exposed Commander.
Table 5d. Effect of Defender ground type – walls and fences. Attacker on Grass. Both AFVs are stationary and the crew hatches are open.
Attacker
Defender
Grass [R4]
48%
51%
[R4] Grass
Grass
46%
54%
Grass + Stone
Grass
47%
52%
Grass + Brick
Grass
 
 
Grass + Rural Stone
Grass
43%
55%
Grass + Low Bocage
Grass
7%
89%
Grass + Bocage
6. Crew experience - there is a big change from Green to Regular to Veteran, but Crack gives little advantage over Veteran.
Table 6. Effect of crew Experience. Both AFVs are stationary on Grass and the crew hatches are open.
Attacker
Defender
Green
33%
66%
Regular
Regular
36%
61%
Veteran
Veteran
44%
57%
Crack
Green
20%
78%
Veteran
Regular
32%
67%
Crack
Green
18%
82%
Crack

@Zloba if you are thinking about playing quick battles, I would suggest you play as the attacker on TINY battles. Choose the forces yourself for both sides. I started by giving myself a single company and one platoon to the enemy. Stick to one branch of one nation, the TO&E differences in this game are massive and make a huge difference in outcome of a battle. Learn to command one group really well and then branch out and see just how different a Canadian rifle company is from the Americans, or the British Airborne, or even an armoured American company. 

The reason I suggested to select the forces yourself while trying to learn the game is to frame the battle properly. Let's say you want to practice house clearing in a village. If the game randomly selects units, you could end up fighting a couple of tanks, not what you wanted to practice.
Something for everyone selecting forces for quick battles, the game tries to keep formations intact in AI groups. For example, if a QB map has 3 AI groups and you select three companies from the same battalion, there is a pretty decent chance they will all end up in the same AI group. However, if you select three companies from three different battalions, they will most likely end up in 3 different AI groups, particularly if you leave the battalion HQ unit with the company. Selecting the enemy with this strategy in mind, should help to get the most out of the AI plan you are up against. 

You overdo it by a factor of ten, but my real complaint is you needling Sarge (and many others over the years) about things they actually do provide, free, for your own G-D enjoyment. You’ve hit him up twice in two days. If you aren’t going to produce anything, and harass those that do, then I will tell you to F**k Off every time. You are a user and a taker, plain and simple, and there is a whole legion complaining about you off site. I broke my silence, because you complained one too many times about regular, non-BFC people who provide content—for free—for your enjoyment.  You can complain about BFC all you want (they just ignore you, as I have all this time, until now) but you are way off base when you complain about the guys who make  content for our enjoyment. And while you’re at it, it wouldn’t hurt to thank people who try to help you with issues (check your comments; these incidents, too, are legion) instead of doubling down like you did with Sarge. 
 
Elvis, I’ll gladly take a ban...it was worth it to get this off my chest!

@Zloba if you are thinking about playing quick battles, I would suggest you play as the attacker on TINY battles. Choose the forces yourself for both sides. I started by giving myself a single company and one platoon to the enemy. Stick to one branch of one nation, the TO&E differences in this game are massive and make a huge difference in outcome of a battle. Learn to command one group really well and then branch out and see just how different a Canadian rifle company is from the Americans, or the British Airborne, or even an armoured American company. 

I think the editor is a great tool, I'm slowly becoming more skilled at using the AI, which can work very well on defence and in limited counterattacks, and I would also like to see the AI and its interface improved.
However, while I don't object to the suggestions made, my wishes are completely different. A lot of these suggestions seem to be asking for more micromanaging, when I would like to see less.
It's probably some time away, and I'm not at all displeased with the AI as it currently works, but I would like to see the day when you could just define one or two broad attacks (like: feint left, attack right), and rely on the AI to use recon, seek cover, use combined arms, respond to observed enemy and pace its attack, defence or fallback based on the actions of the human opponent's forces.
It actually does not a bad job of this now. I generally get better results with fairly simple AI plans: 3-6 groups, painting broad areas of the map, and long overlapping time periods for each action. Micromanaging requires you to guess what the human player will do, and I just can't get that to work, even against myself!

That is just one example and it sounds like an outlier.  My point refers to the majority of scenarios - esp the larger ones.  Am playing a campaign (Die Letzte Hoffnung") on Iron, and finding the only difference is that when no unit is selected I see everything juts like playing on Elite.  If one selects a unit one only sees what that unit sees.  So what...?  Unless I wait until the C2 system tells the unit what it can fire at there is no difference in the play experience.  The missions are not long enuff to wait for the C2 system to work.  So...  one simply alternates between no unit selected and then select the desired unit and use Area Fire on where one knows an enemy (or a contact icon) is located.  
I get the sense that missions/scenarios have to designed to be played on Iron, or it is not practical and rather silly.

here is an instance where the turret crew bail out and the driver and radio operator remain fighting in the tank.
So anyway, the long and the short of it is that people can quote regulations and from that derive opinions of what tank crews are supposed to do or act, but the reality can be something entirely different.  The only way to know for sure what really happens is to read first hand accounts - lots of them because one veteran's experience will not always be the same as another veteran's experience, but you can sort of get a picture of what is probable and what isn't by sifting through the accounts collectively.  Some of the ways reality differs from the game is
1. If a tank takes a casualty the tank retreats off the battlefield.  There is no crew swapping of positions or anything like that.  If the driver is dead or otherwise incapacitated then the tank is immobilized.  If the driver is okay then he drives off the battlefield if any crewmember is killed or wounded.
2. If a tank takes a penetrating hit and actually notices it (sometimes they don't even know it), but no crewmembers are killed or wounded they will typically withdraw off the battlefield.  Taking a penetrating hit and just sitting in place never happens unless the crew doesn't know that they took a hit.
2a.  If a tank takes a non penetrating hit that causes damage to the vehicle it is likely that the vehicle will withdraw off the battlefield although this isn't 100 percent and it is situationally dependent.  For example, a Tiger took a turret hit that knocked the turret MG back inside the turret which then knocked the gunner out cold.  The tank withdrew from the battlefield.  Another Tiger took a hit on the turret and the gunner's eyepiece was driven into his eye and blinded him so the vehicle withdrew from the battlefield.  I guess that also falls into category 1 above.
3. If a tank crew bails out of a tank the crew retreats to friendly lines and counts themselves as lucky to have survived.  They are lucky to have a pistol if they are armed with anything at all.
4.  Just as many tank crewmen are killed in the process of bailing out of the tank due to jammed or blocked hatches or other complications as are killed when the tank is destroyed.  In CM everyone gets out of the tank as there are no jammed or blocked hatches.  A big offender in this is the PzIV with the turret skirts - if the turret is turned the skirts can block the driver and radio operator hatches.  The Panther commander's hatch is also an offender since it apparently has some sort of a screw mechanism and can be difficult and time consuming to open in an emergency even if the hatch wasn't damaged.
5. A tank crew typically won't recrew a tank that they bailed out of, although it does happen on occasion it's relatively rare.  I've never read an account where a recrewed tank immediately rejoins the fight though or recrews the tank when it is under fire with the intent of engaging the enemy.  Usually there is time spent away from the vehicle and when it seems the situation has changed they might recrew it.  Certainly no crew would jump back into a tank that wasn't theirs if the enemy is nearby since there is no way for them to know what the situation is with the tank mechanically if it's just sitting abandoned in a field somewhere.
That's all I can think of at the moment, but generally speaking tank crews in CM are already supermen in many ways.  They don't need any additional morale boosters in the game.  The problem is that if tanks acted the way they really act players would complain about it because their tanks aren't doing what they want their tanks to do so some compromises are to be expected.
 

Hello all,
I thought I'd tell a little story for what it is worth.  This post is bit related a little to CM's recent decision to start pushing the Steam front of things and a general need for exposure. 
Something like 15 years or so ago I owned and played CMBO, CMBB, and CMAK.  I played for about 2 or 3 years before life took hold and I felt like I had mostly played those games out. 
Well, a few weeks ago I was browsing GOG's sale and found all three of those old games for like $3 each.  For that price I bought all three to see if there was any magic left.  Partly nostalgia and partly based on fun game play, I had a grand old time even though the games are so old have have pretty poor graphics now.  So I decided to see if Battlefront was even alive and find out what they were up to.  Lo and behold, CMx2 was going strong. 
I immediately downloaded the CMBN demo and was very impressed with how everything had improved (except for a little frustration looking for the old LOS tool).  About 15 minutes into the battle I witnessed a hidden German MG position open up behind a stone wall and my Shermans and M1918s returned fire.  Seeing my tracers ricocheting all over the place after hitting the wall (pretty much like in real life) had me let out a giddy laugh and I was sold.  It's amazing to me how rare it is to see that happen in games.  I spent about 12 hours on the demo playing the missions and testing out stuff.
So thanks for letting GOG sell the old trio since you have apparently not spent a dime on marketing in 15 years ;).  As of now, I have purchased the CMFI big bundle. That GOG exposure will end up netting Battlefront at least the following sales from me within the next year: CMFI Big Bundle, CMBS (coding the need to split off some men from the squad disembarking the BMP to man the optics show a startling attention to detail that I love), CMRT + Fire & Rubble bundle (once released).  Who knows, maybe I'll get suckered in on some of the other titles too.
Regards

@Zloba I have a young one at home, 8 months old now, along with a bunch of siblings for the little guy, so I know cash can be tight sometimes and spending money on a game can be hard to justify. If you want to wait for the Red Thunder/ Fire and Rubble bundle to save a few bucks no one will blame you. The demos are fun and can keep you entertained until either you are certain you want to buy the game or you have enough free cash to justify the purchase.
If you really want to make sure you have the money to buy the game, follow a tip an old man gave me. He put $2 into a jar on his nightstand every day. If you need to raid the jar for an important purchase, the money is right there and ready to go. If at the end of the month, the jar hasn't been raided and you still have some extra cash, use the money for whatever you want. In your case, put $2 in the jar every day until the Fire and Rubble bundle is available. If your jar is still full, a guilt free purchase awaits!
Or just trust a random internet stranger, buy the CMFI bundle and really start having fun!

It might be sooner than you think actually. After i'm finished with the tutorial campaings i'll have a look on the Battle Drill Tactical Problems, where i saw some PBEM scenarios. And i'm really looking forward to it.
😂 Thanks, i've been warned but already pushed the button. Game is installed.
 
Well i really hope it will take a loong time before i do as i don't want to buy bundles every month 😄
Ok guys, thanks again for helping me out with my decision. Gonna do some training drills and i'll be back when i have some report to do.
Zloba out

Kills like 6 men.

I wanna take wagers on how long it takes before a second purchase is made! Before or after the first pbem @mjkerner? 

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
You press that button, Zloba, and you’re a goner! You don’t think you’ve had enough sleep now, but wait until you start really playing.  Your addiction will only grow, and grow, and grow. You will reach new heights of frustration and angst. Many Rage Quits await you. And if, like BornGinger says, you jump into pbem, you’ll be pulling your hair out and climbing the walls waiting for that next turn to see how your orders worked out.
(This isn’t a duty that I enjoy, but someone had to warn him. I know you regulars understand.)

Fire and Rubble will ready for release when it is ready as the saying around here goes. If you are thinking about Red Thunder, there will most likely be a bundle deal when Fire and Rubble comes out saving you a few dollars if you wait until then.
However, every day spent waiting is another day not playing the game. If you have the financial capabilities, pick a title, buy it and start enjoying the game. You really don't sound like someone who will regret the purchase.

For many years I've just excepted and even repeated this premise that Combat Mission graphics are outdated.  Recently I bought and played two other games that I thought were similar to Combat Mission.  I missed Combat Mission graphics when I realized these games didn't even have 3D graphics.  They were basically 2D top down view.  They have some cool features CM does not have but CM far surpasses them in the graphics department.  In one game you can zoom in on a single tank.  But every tank in the platoon looks the same, top down view, nothing special to take a screenshot of.  And even this is not really practical since there is no replay, like CM has.  Most of the time you are forced to play maxed zoomed out for situational awareness.  I don't own Mius but have watched U-tube videos of it.  Those graphics seemed okay but not a new graphics standard as far as I could tell.  I think it may also suffer from lack of replay?  So you mostly have to play zoomed out anyways?  Not sure about that.   
I agree there are games with better graphics.  Probably Grand Theft Auto, Cyberpunk etc.  But those games are a different genre.  I guess it would be cool if CM had those graphics.  But when staying within realistic tactical combat simulations (not first person shooters etc.) what do you compare CM to for graphics? 
Honest question.  I'm just giving some thought to this old premise after playing two other games.      
I'm not sure of any other games where you would be able to get the type of screenshot displayed below.  In CM if you use replay and get down at ground level the below is fairly common.  
 

Yeah I don't imagine a 'rewriting' like that to be worthwile for a codebase that was started many years ago. But for the future I suspect it will be more easy to maintain. We'll see 😉 
Having all CMx2 games and upgrades, yes I paid about ~$100+ on upgrades. However considering the time I got out of all games, I thought they were worth it. Of course not all upgrades introduced as much as others, but overall I'd say it's worth it. 
Many AAA titles I own have much less hours / $ spend. Plus they come with a AAA priced new version almost every year. 
Which game that is ~10years old do you still play? The only game for which that is true in my case, is the CMx2 family. So I'm happy they keep the games up to date with the new engine features. 

Okay, well maybe one last one just because it's so ridiculous for a tank to be taken out by a tree but odd things can happen I guess
 

@Zloba The price of the game you see on the website is not a sale price but rather a discount for purchasing the bundle. If you choose to purchase just the base game and then add the modules later, it will cost more than deciding to purchase the bundle up front. 
The price of these games is subject to great debate and a search history of those who post here will show many have asked the same questions as you are asking now. I know I was looking for a sale price when I first thought about buying one. These games are not something you will finish or beat in a few days. Even if you only buy one base game and play a single scenario every night, it will take you over a month to complete all the scenarios and campaigns that came with the game.  So is a $1 or $2 a day really all that excessive to spend on entertainment? Add in community created scenarios, quick battles, multi-player battles, and exploring with the editor and the cost of these games is actually quite cheap per hour of entertainment. 
The manuals for each game are included with the purchase. The website wording refers to an older option where you could purchase a physical copy of the manual and have it shipped to your house. The manuals are now all pdf files and will be installed along with the game of your choice.
I would recommend picking up the CMFI big bundle for your first purchase. It may seem less interesting at first glance but consider the following:
Accurate TO&E for at least 10 different nations from July 1943 to May 1945, the most for any CM title. All the cool little tankettes and armoured cars up to the big cats. Wide array of different small arms, mortars and off map artillery.
Longest timeline of any CM game giving all 4 season to play through. Hot, humid, hazy summer days, the rain, mud and fog of spring and fall, the winter snows and frozen ground.
Widest variety of terrain to fight through. Desert, mountains, valleys, rich agricultural lands and dreaded city battles.
All together, the CMFI big bundle gives you the most opportunity to experience a wide variety of tactical challenges.
But is sounds to me like you have already been bitten by the CM bug so it doesn't matter what title you buy first, soon you will buy another. So pick one, and start having fun playing!

@Zloba The price of the game you see on the website is not a sale price but rather a discount for purchasing the bundle. If you choose to purchase just the base game and then add the modules later, it will cost more than deciding to purchase the bundle up front. 
The price of these games is subject to great debate and a search history of those who post here will show many have asked the same questions as you are asking now. I know I was looking for a sale price when I first thought about buying one. These games are not something you will finish or beat in a few days. Even if you only buy one base game and play a single scenario every night, it will take you over a month to complete all the scenarios and campaigns that came with the game.  So is a $1 or $2 a day really all that excessive to spend on entertainment? Add in community created scenarios, quick battles, multi-player battles, and exploring with the editor and the cost of these games is actually quite cheap per hour of entertainment. 
The manuals for each game are included with the purchase. The website wording refers to an older option where you could purchase a physical copy of the manual and have it shipped to your house. The manuals are now all pdf files and will be installed along with the game of your choice.
I would recommend picking up the CMFI big bundle for your first purchase. It may seem less interesting at first glance but consider the following:
Accurate TO&E for at least 10 different nations from July 1943 to May 1945, the most for any CM title. All the cool little tankettes and armoured cars up to the big cats. Wide array of different small arms, mortars and off map artillery.
Longest timeline of any CM game giving all 4 season to play through. Hot, humid, hazy summer days, the rain, mud and fog of spring and fall, the winter snows and frozen ground.
Widest variety of terrain to fight through. Desert, mountains, valleys, rich agricultural lands and dreaded city battles.
All together, the CMFI big bundle gives you the most opportunity to experience a wide variety of tactical challenges.
But is sounds to me like you have already been bitten by the CM bug so it doesn't matter what title you buy first, soon you will buy another. So pick one, and start having fun playing!