robertiv

Thanks Erwin! I wasn't sure how effective area/suppression fire is in this game. What about the different movement commands for infantry? How often do you use the more deliberate ones like Hunt & Slow?

As mentioned in another thread I'm relatively new to CMBS, & CM in general. At this point I feel like I've picked up the gist of the game plus skimmed thru this forum for a few tips, but still get the sense there are some basic tactics that elude me (only doing solo play at this point). I'm looking for feedback on the 4th mission of the Russian campaign - not because it's insurmountable, but more because it's a relatively manageable size and I've got a hunch some of the errors I'm making there can be corrected & applied universally. Especially regarding infantry tactics. So any advice would be much appreciated. Basically you've got a bunch of infantry squads along with a handful of BTRs & a couple BMPs, and are assaulting some prepared American lines. I've tried to advance my squads from building to building looking for good vantage points and in mutually supportive formations, but once I uncover the first line of defense things just bog down. Both attackers & defenders whittle away at each other from their respective positions (usually from windows and roofs) and it feels like my infantry is stalemating at best if not getting the worst of things. The Yanks also have Strykers hidden on their flanks so any attempt to bring up my vehicles for support usually goes poorly, as does trying to hit them from the side with infantry. In my current game, after a while of grinding against their front I was able to carefully advance my BMPs & BTRs to flush out some American squads, but they took some losses and soon discovered a couple more Strykers waiting. I've gotten thru their first line but doubt I have the remaining firepower to go much further. So what am I doing wrong? My infantry gets hit hard anytime I try to advance them, but get shot up if they stay in place. Should I be advancing using the "Hunt" command instead of "Move", etc? Last scenario - the Dnieper crossing - while trying to be more cautious I fell behind schedule, plus Hunt seemed to wear out my troops quickly. Are there any specific tricks to spotting that would be helpful? Any advice for using machine guns? Feels like finding a place with good LOS is a crapshoot - even if it looks good from afar - and I always wind up getting spotted & disrupted/killed before the gun can be deployed. Basically I have no idea how to send infantry & light mech units against dug-in defenders, especially on a constrained map. Help!

Hi all, relative Combat Mission newbie here. Black Sea is my first CM game, been playing for a couple months though. I've learned in hindsight how different CMBS than the other titles, especially the WWII games. Modern tech & therefore tactics are much different, I'm just curious how much of this has been borne out in real-world experience. Specifically the deadliness of weapon systems which essentially make CMBS into a variation of hide & seek - if you get spotted, you're dead soon after. Do we have detailed enough records of engagements (as opposed to the usual low-intensity shelling, etc) in the Ukraine conflict to get a sense how these game mechanics match up with reality? I guess for me thus far CMBS, despite being well-crafted, is strangely unsatisfying. After thinking about it a little, IMO the root of that weakness is the contact system - as it exists, it doesn't effectively give the "feel" of an actual battle. The suspected contacts being represented solely by an icon just don't convey this for me, thus the battles seem kind of empty & sterile until something pops up and is immediately killed, it just doesn't feel very dynamic from the player's perspective. I'm really really trying to like it though - if anyone's got tips or strategies to "get more out of it", feel free to share!

That was exactly what I needed, thanks IanL! With those settings the object edges are a little choppier, but I'm able to smoothly run at max 3d quality - well worth the tradeoff IMO.

Hi all, relatively new to CMBS here. My computer/vid card is getting a bit long in the tooth - AMD Radeon HD 5700 with 1gb memory, 8gb system RAM. On small maps CMBS runs smoothly with 3D model quality somewhere between Improved & Excellent, but it stutters pretty bad on larger maps. For example I'm on mission 3 of the original Russian campaign (river crossing) and at times it takes a bit of patience to scroll & zoom in areas with a lot of units. I've only really messed around with the 3D quality though - are there other combinations of settings that make a difference? Of course ideally settings that have a better ratio of performance improvement vs aesthetic hit, but I'm curious about any that might help. Thanks.

I have both Kieme's terrain & vehicle textures installed. I'm guessing Oleks' would conflict with the latter though? And thanks Mord - I already had the vehicle chatter one (very well executed), now installed the portraits. Big step up from the stock ones, although I wish the game allowed variation (randomized if nothing else) from one unit to another.

Thanks guys. I've picked up the SR mod set (plus the others he recommended) and your explosions mod. The game definitely looks & sounds better, I appreciate all the hard work. So it looks like the "finished" user campaigns are: Spartan Resolve, Mountains of Allah, Eagle & Bear. Do we know if there are any others in the works? Also if anyone else wants to chime in with their recommendations, feel free!

Hi all, relatively new CMBS player here - just wanted to get some mod recommendations. Thus far I've been playing only singleplayer We-go campaigns, so mods oriented toward that experience are my main curiosity. I've installed a bunch of Kieme's excellent improved textures but beyond that am a little overwhelmed by the selection. Are there good AI or balance mods out there? Other enhancements? Also any player-designed campaigns or especially cool maps that work well in SP are always appreciated. I do have The Eagle & Bear and Mountains of Allah campaigns installed (haven't tried them yet though). Thanks in advance!

Thanks for the detailed advice everyone, very helpful stuff! I think for me the most important adjustment is coming from WWII games (and I checked out CM with the intention of WWII, but ended up too intrigued with Black Sea), where general long-range lethality wasn't anywhere near what we've got today. It really winds up being a different mindset tactically, and the whole rhythm of the game changes. I'm extremely impressed with the recon/sighting mechanics, so looking forward to understanding them better. One quick follow-on question if anyone's got a moment - are there any decent player-made campaigns suitable for single-player to supplement the 3 stock ones? And do other CM games have longer campaigns - the 5 mission length strikes me as a little short at first glance.

Apologies in advance for the basic questions.... Black Sea is my first CM game. I've read thru the manual, played the tutorial campaign and feel like I have a decent grasp on the functions available if not tactics. Fired up the UKR campaign, first mission seems pretty simple - advance on lightly defended treeline through a field, against outgunned forces. My first playthru was a humbling experience though. Soon as the first contacts go up, I'm taking return fire that wipes out a BTR. Shortly thereafter vehicles advancing up the highway are knocked out in quick succession. My armor has trouble spotting anything until close range and by the time they can really bring the guns out I've lost a number of IFVs, both on the road and in the field. Obviously doing multiple things wrong but can't figure out exactly what - can anyone give some basic tips or at least point me in the direction of such? Thanks. For the record, I'm playing WeGo on Veteran level.

Hi all, I'm new to Combat Mission (well, played an old demo years ago) and want to get one of the games. Any recommendations for which one to get first? This would be for primarily single player. I've got no preferences on time period or nationalities - mostly just looking for compelling gameplay, at least somewhat challenging AI, and ideally a campaign that feels progressive (rather than just a series of isolated scenarios). With all the titles available it's hard for a noob to determine which ones are best. Thanks in advance!