Bulletpoint

not that much as I found actually. In Setup screen swapping units in and out for acquire goes fairly quickly. We can get used to many things. It's just one of those times where I wish I could push a button to say "Alright, load up and move out".

I don't find it gamey, but I do think it's one of the things where the game isn't strict enough with the consequences. Also, I think it's annoying micromanagement to have to go through squad after squad and acquire ammo before starting the game.

Maybe ask players to honour a house rule to only ever use "hunt", "move" and "slow" commands when moving towards enemy lines, if there's no friendly unit further ahead. A big part of why I'm able to clear a map fast in CM is that I use scout teams to run through hundreds of metres of potential danger areas at top speed, quickly sorting the map into "danger" and "no danger" areas.

I like your calm and analytical AAR style. Nicely illustrated, too. Well done. Not sure what the tactical objectives of this battle are though. You said it has an occupy objective but that you disregard it. So basically it's a meeting engagement where the aim is to destroy the opponent's forces?

Very impressive library you have. Did you read all those books/manuals?

Haven't formally tested it; I just noticed I have very few problems with bogging as soon as it's just a little below freezing. So it seems cold overrides ground conditions. Haven't played many scenarios with deep snow - it could be that it overrides yet again, making vehicles bog. As for whether roads then override yet again... that I don't know. I don't think they should. If the ground is frozen and there's 50 cm of snow, I assume there wouldn't be much difference between being on a road or in a field.

Looks like it took a hit on the side with the hull MG.. is that where the driver sits?

Just noticed that the squad leader, machinegunner and assistant were all equipped with sunglasses... (page 2).. But I never saw any German wear sunglasses in any war movie or war game

During the two years we have waited for this patch, Europe and North America have physically moved about 5 cm (2 inches) further apart due to continental drift. https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/continental-drift/

@Kaunitz did some testing of trees and found out some surprising things, did you read that post?

I have often wondered about that but also have never tested it. Perhaps this discussion will inspire someone... It's one of those "Skinner Box" things that comes up regularly. For all it's worth, I never do anything special to bogged vehicles, I just leave them to it and 90 pct of the times they free themselves just fine. That's of course a perfect argument

Well, call it "flare barrage" or some such... implying it's a lot of artillery delivered flares? But I'd also prefer to see them implement proper local dynamic lighting, so that burning wrecks could illuminate their local area etc.

It wouldn't be that hard to make a simplified flare lighting system. Because changing light conditions are already in the code. Light levels change as the daylight changes. That means there's a number somewhere in the code that says "how light is it right now?" Flares could just be setting this number to +X for the next X seconds. As I said, it would be simplified, because one flare would light up the entire map equally. But it would be quick and easy to do. The harder part would be to design how and when the player and AI would be able to fire flares, how many they would have, which units had them, etc. That could be solved by assuming flares were a kind of off-map artillery with a very short call-time. Again, simplified but workable.

Don't be so hard on them.. I'm sure all seven Mac users appreciate that the patch was delayed again to make sure it works also on their machines You wouldn't really feel good playing the game knowing that somewhere in the world, a lonely mac user sat quietly whimpering in the shadows, rejected by his gaming community, would you? For my part, I wouldn't be able to bear it. Solidarity, brothers! Just because a few people choose to play on a widely unsupported gaming platform shouldn't mean that I should enjoy any special privilege just because I bought a Windows PC. All animals are, after all, equal, and the nail that sticks out gets hammered down. So carry on and show patience, comrade...

The British Army would be especially ripe for modding opportunities. Monty Python and plenty of tea break references for the greens, then "blimey" moving up to "bloody" for the regulars and veterans. Not sure what the Paras would say - maybe they could mutter something about king and country once in a while.

Certainly not their commanding officer, no sireee.. Seriously though, it's an interesting AAR. Thanks and keep it coming.

It's been tested by IanL, and it seems he did a very thorough test. Going SLOW through mud or forest for example won't change bogging risks. All vehicles change to SLOW automatically before going through obstacles, so no need to do that manually.

One thing I thought would be cool is if troops of different experience levels had different sound files. So hard-boiled veterans would sound different from green recruits. And crack troops would sound determined and professional. But ok, it's not like this game is lacking ideas for "what would be cool"...

It doesn't matter unfortunately. In CM, as soon as the temperature dips below freezing, ground is treated as being frozen solid and bogging becomes very unlikely (even when ground conditions are set to damp). It's very rare that I lose vehicles to bogging in open country in light/medium snow.

Especially the ones when German tanks take out an enemy tank.. those are really goofy. Sounds like it was recorded at Oktoberfest I actually thought it did.. I often check the casualty status when guys go down, and I thought I could see a pattern where KIAs had more of a "Ungh!" sound, not shouting "my leg" or anything.

that would surprise me as well if true. Tablet game not simplified but rather vice versa? Well, I'm sure the tablet version is massively simplified in other ways, but I just think it would be nice if those features were also found on PC. Because I think they would be both realistic and make for good gameplay (balancing the need to get somewhere fast and getting there unspotted and in good fighting condition)

There's also that sound mod that includes a guy screaming hysterically in pain and horror - ok, I get that war is hell and all, but unless you were in the foxhole with that guy, you probably wouldn't hear it over the noise of the rest of the battle. And... this is a game after all. I prefer to be able to play it for hours without being traumatised. Again, I think the stock game sounds gets the balance pretty much right.

I never installed any sound mods, because from what I hear in youtube videos by players who do use those mods, the sounds are quite crass. Not sure if it's because of poor technical quality in the source material or what it is, but I need sounds that I am able to stand listening to many times over The sounds included with the game are actually decent - maybe not completely historically accurate, but quite "listenable". Some of the voices get a bit repetitive though.

Well, it's not, unfortunately. As I wrote, it's been tested... Fatigue doesn't affect accuracy: Speed doesn't affect bogging/immobilisation risk:

Just found this old tutorial video for CM:Touch, the tablet version of Combat Mission. I thought the tablet game would be more simplified, but apparently it's actually more advanced in some ways than the games we play on the home computer. Would be nice to see these in CMx2: Moving speed affecting spottting and getting spotted <- I'm pretty sure this is not in CMx2, but haven't tested it Tired infantry losing accuracy and morale under fire <- tested and found not to be in CMx2 Moving fast with vehicles increasing risk of bogging and throwing tracks <- also tested, not in CMx2 (optional) 30 second turn length Link to the moment in the video where Steve (?) explains how the mobile game works: