Just one . . . more . . . turn . . .

[TheBlackHand]

When I first bought the game, I played a few of the stock campaigns and was a little put off. They seemed much too difficult and somewhat contrived. There were also the basic game mechanics which took some getting used to. So, I put it down for a bit. Downloaded a bunch of mods & started playing the community made scenarios with last month . . . and haven't been able to stop since.

It's probably been mentioned before, but every time I start a new battle or campaign, I know there's going to be a lot of late nights. Playing all of the CM games is the closest thing I've ever found to the old Civilization. It'll be 1am and I'll tell myself "I have fifteen more minutes". Next thing I know, it's 2am and I know I'm gonna be late for work in the morning. Good thing I'm the boss . . . and a bachelor (no surprise).

I do find that the better graphics in CMBN make it even harder to tear myself away from.

I've been very critical of certain areas of the game, but the bottom line is, this is one of a very few titles that borders on an addiction.

That has to mean it is good. Really good.

The ability to mod the game is it's biggest plus. I appreciate the work of the game designers, but I appreciate the work of the modders just as much. With so many mods, it allows you to personalize the game. With so many scenarios, it allows you to practically go anywhere. Read a book . . . then play the battle.

Reading "NO BETTER PLACE TO DIE: Ste-Mere Eglise, June 1944-The Battle for la Fiere Bridge". Hoping that one day I'll get to play a version of this pivotal battle in CMBN. (If/when the Renault tanks are modelled . . . which may be never.)

Anyway, I gotta get to work . . .

[Mord]

LMAO! How the worm has turned...See? We TOLD you if you just gave it some time...

You'd be even more impressed if you'd went through the growing pains we had with CMSF...the niggles and irritants in CMBN are minuscule in comparison. Welcome back to the fold. Glad you are enjoying it.

Mord.

[Hessian deserter]

Addictive indeed. A couple Saturday's ago I started a battle at 8:00 p.m.........and finished it .....11 hours and 3 caffienated soda's later at 7:00 a.m. Sunday.

This sim has so much depth and dynanacisim ,so it does not become mundane. If you can master it you will feel like Napoleon and Peyton Manning all rolled into one,because CMBN has more math in it than was in Einstien's brain!..........What a fun way to learn math!!!!!!!!!!!!

[evo6tme]

What mods and scenarios would you sugest. I to am feeling overwhelmed by the campains and scenarios that come with the game . They are just to hard and no fun for me ..

[Sgt Schultz]

Any/every mod that is made by Vein, Juju or Ari to start. That will take care of terrain, GUI and vehicles.

Then Mord's faces and voices.

Then pick some uniform mods.

It depends on what kind of battle you want as to map choices.

[pcelt]

Evo6tme--if you are feeling a bit overwhelmed with difficulty levels i suggest you play a few Quick Battles v AI. You can select the type of battle,and choose a small size and map. Selelect your units and let the computer select and play the enemy. Initially you can allocate a percentage less to the comp or more to you and so you will have certain advantages. As you learn the tactics and become more skilful you can even up the choice more and then when more comfortable play some of the specific battles listed which are more of a challenge than the Quick Battles.

Experiment with the Quick battle section....

[Hessian deserter]

I like the the flame, muzzle flash,and tracer mod's.............

[TheBlackHand]

I find myself having to allocate time to play. The other game that I play a lot is Battlefield Europe/WWII Online. That one I can just fire up any ol' time. Play a half-hour or two hours and I'm done. With CM I know that once I start . . . it's gonna require some serious will-power and brain-time over the course of a few days/weeks. This is a good thing because once I'm able to tear myself away (late in the evening), I'm able to mull over the various tactical problems that confront me . . . until I'm able to start the game again the following evening. I know my girlfriend (yes, I have one) would prefer that I was thinking about her . . . but the fact is, I'm probably thinking about how to maneuver on a nasty MG42 or face an armored onslaught with nothing but a stove pipe or two.

Sure, there are times when I scream BS!! (literally), like when a squad of infantry which has been ordered to sprint across a road . . . stops in the middle of said road to take pot shots at a machine gun which promptly mows them down. Thankfully, those flaws are few (and get fewer with each patch/mod/release).

. . . and what was that I said about wishing for a La Fiere scenario? Well . . . look what I found while looking for images from La Fiere last night: La Fiere Bridge and Manor, by LemuelG. How cool is that?

evo, I just finished a fantastic campaign called Devil's Descent by Field Marshal Blücher. This was such a great gaming experience. The narrative really gets you involved and the battles are put together just right. It challenges you, but doesn't beat you over the head with puzzle-piece objectives.

I've recently upgraded my difficulty settings from, "Warrior" to "Elite". I prefer not knowing precisely what type of unit I'm firing on. This leaves me to surmise, based on experience, what I'm facing. Much more realistic, IMO.

Anyhow, I usually DL the mods/scenarios that have received the highest ratings. So far, so good!