Release of games\modules thoughts

[Wodin]

I know we get a new base game version followed by I think three modules for the Bulge.

I was thinking though with all the work going into the Bulge is there really need to make another new base game version to cover the rest of the War? Wouldn't another say 5 or six modules cover it without the need to make a whole new base game?

If it is important to have a new game release to cover 45 what is it in during that period that demands it be given a whole new full release base game?

Obviously the benefit of just making modules to cover it means we get all the Western front quicker and we also move onto the East front quicker aswell.

[Sakai007]

Hey buddy! Long time no see, virtually at least Miss ya over at the WG, not the same without ya man!

My thought here is that, there isn't so much a new element on the battlefield that requires a new base game, but that the lessons learned, mistakes made, and new features developed can make it into the game engine on a more frequent basis. As the Shock Force series shows, most of the added features that came with modules were either first proof of retail quality content (on board mortars and tank main gun smoke rounds) for things that CMBN would offer, or polishing the engine to a high degree of shine and adjusting the code as they went along to make it easier to add new models, terrain, TOEs, etc. After the Commonwealth module, we will get Market Garden and a mop up module to finish out the CMBN series. Granted, Normandy and Market Garden are not small battles by any means. However, from the Battle of the Bulge until the end of the war, europe bore witness to the largest tanks battles of the western front, and the largest airborne drop, Operation Varsity. We have the crossing of the Rhine, the closing of the Ruhr pocket. These are some huge scale battles compared to some of what CMBN has offered. There is also a great diversity of weapons and forces that are involved. This all seems to set the engine up for the next installment, the Eastern Front Personally, I see a pattern here that makes good sense. Look at the previous CM titles for example, CMBO is the grand daddy, simple yet elegant. I still play it for crying out loud. Then CMBB offered a whole new mess of features and commands. This is great, but why can't I retrofit these new features to the CMBO engine? Can't be done, CMBO is obsolete. Then comes CMAK, with most of the primary features in line with CMBB, but better textures (IMHO), an entirely new set of terrain tiles, and a switch back to western kit. A bunch of the 'toys' from CMBO didn't make this one since they never served in Italy or Southern France. So now we are stuck with three engines that aren't compatible, each with different units and features that all sorts of people find desirable.

I think the new method of doing things, base game and modules, will allow for the best continuity between main titles, without leaving anyone out in the rain as far as, "I want these units but with these engine features!" as the time period and difference in combat theater will be much smaller then it ever was before.

I hope this all makes sense to the reader, get a little over excited and sometimes type faster then I think, leading to errors between the brain and keyboard

[Paper Tiger]

Ten to one the Bulge title will ship with an all-new user interface as well as winter terrain. The trees and bushes etc will mostly all have to be redone for example. As far as the models are concerned, they'll probably need to redo all the soldier models so that they sport winter kit with greatcoats, etc. The winter camo for the vehicles is probably the least of their worries (except for the artists of course)

I really, REALLy don't see any way BFC can put out a Bulge title without nighttiime illumination either as it will span the NW European winter when the days are only 6-7 hours long. And I know that I, for one, am going to expect to see Fire in that title. That will be an enormous coding effort and I'd expect them to want to be reimbursed for their work rather than put it out for a measly $25.

Now the East Front. I wish they'd do it as one title with an enormous number of modules as I'd love to make the granddaddy of all campaigns: a four year epic covering a single company's fortunes from the opening of Barbarossa to the Fall of Berlin . Never going to happen but I can dream...

[Sergei]

If it is important to have a new game release to cover 45 what is it in during that period that demands it be given a whole new full release base game?

Well I don't know... Winter?

[sfhand]

... rather than put it out for a measly $25.

Someone hasn't been paying attention to current pricing...

[LJFHutch]

... be reimbursed for their work rather than put it out for a measly $25.

Thirty five you mean. I'm torn between "but the last modules were only $25 :(" and "but it's going to BF so that's ok".

[Paper Tiger]

Someone hasn't been paying attention to current pricing...

Guilty as charged (obviously) . I guess I've just been too busy working on the Commonwealth module for that piece of information to register.

[Sgt Schultz]

As long as they keep feeding me WW2 titles I will keep feeding them money.

BFC has the process down pat for their size, and I trust them to get as much to us as quickly as the quality requirements allow.

The fact that the East Front Modules will be released in a reversed timeline is just one way of speeding up the process.

Fire and a few other coding issues would be my assumption as to why they are going with another game rather than continuing Modules.

Flares and starshells just cannot be easy to code either.

Brainjar nutrient solution and Red Bull cost money.

[benpark]

I will purchase any/all WWII base games and modules that have been announced. I prefer games dealing with the Axis/Soviet conflict by a long shot, but Western Front is fine by me.

My main wish is that the pace could be sped up from yearly to closer the 6 month estimate that was stated when BFC went to the new modular system. I have a feeling some of us might not make it until "the war" is finished, sarge!

[para]

I will purchase any/all WWII base games and modules that have been announced. I prefer games dealing with the Axis/Soviet conflict by a long shot, but Western Front is fine by me.

My main wish is that the pace could be sped up from yearly to closer the 6 month estimate that was stated when BFC went to the new modular system. I have a feeling some of us might not make it until "the war" is finished, sarge!

I am with you on the 6 monthly release wish if possible, yearly releases are far too long to wait.

[Wodin]

I made a mistake.

I knew the Bulge was going to be a full release which is great. However I thought here was going to be ANOTHER full release to cover 45 onwards. So I thought the Bulge game with three modules followed by a 45 game and three modules. Thats why I was questioning whether there is a need to do a full release for 45 onwards when it could be covered by modules to the Bulge game.

However it appears it's just the Bulge that will be a full base game then modules that take it to the end of the war..is that correct?

I do love the base game\module process...it's a great way of doing things in my opinion.

Oh and hello Stryker...well it's a life time ban over at Wargamer so it's finished for me. Abit of a pain as I've been doing some mods and can't post them over there and have to get someone else to post for me. Anyway one Mod over there in particular should, in my opinion, never been given a modding job.

[MarkEzra]

I am with you on the 6 monthly release wish if possible, yearly releases are far too long to wait.

BFC wives agree!

[Pak40]

I'm not sure what BFC plans to do, but my best guess of future plans would be to release the following modules:

Commonwealth

Market Garden

Bulge to VE day

then go back to Africa

Italian add-on (could possibly be bundled with the African module)

Then start with the East Front:

Barbarossa to Moscow

Stalingrad

Kursk...

Star Wars

The Clone Wars

Naboo add-on

Battle of Endor featuring the Ewok Light Brigade

[YankeeDog]

I'm not sure what BFC plans to do, but my best guess of future plans would be to release the following modules:

Commonwealth

Market Garden

Bulge to VE day

then go back to Africa

Italian add-on (could possibly be bundled with the African module)

Then start with the East Front:

Barbarossa to Moscow

Stalingrad

Kursk...

Star Wars

The Clone Wars

Naboo add-on

Battle of Endor featuring the Ewok Light Brigade

Steve put up a post that outlined BFC's rough plan for game/module progression a year or so back. If you're up for a little digging round the forum archives, you should be able to find it. Might have been before the CMBN forum was started, so it might be in the CMSF forum.

Of course their plans may have changed by now, and my memory of what he posted is almost certainly imperfect, but I am quite sure that there was no mention of any plans for N. Africa or Italy games/modules for the foreseeable future. IIRC, Rough progression went something like this:

CMBN

Commonwealth

Market Garden

"Odds n' Sods" (additional rarer vehicles/formations)

CM:Bulge

2-3 related modules. I don't specifically recall if these were supposed to cover Dec. 1944 - VE day, but this does make sense.

CM: Bagration (East Front, June-August 1944)

2-3 related modules

CM: Modern2 (some sort of modern game a la CMSF, but temperate setting)

2-3 related modules.

CM: SLOD (Space Lobsters of Doom)

200-300 related modules, covering various solar systems.

I think he also said there would likely be overlap between the release of the final module for one family, and the release of the base game for the next. I'm also not 100% sure I have the CM: Bagration and CM: Modern2 order right (might have been the other way around).

Anyway, to the best of my my memory, that what came from the horse's mouth... if you want more reliable info, search away.

[Loaf]

What might we see in a Market Garden module that would make it a compelling purchase after the release of the Commonwealth module? I don't know enough about what vehicles/units were at Market Garden that we won't have after Commonwealth...

[vonRocko]

Wow, I wonder what the world will be like when we finally get to the east front? At the rate it is going at now, that looks like 2020-23. By then I might be fighting it in virtual reality, if I'm alive at all!

[benpark]

I'd suspect the release of MG would come with Dutch terrain elements.

Since formations such as the Fallschirmjäger haven't made it in yet (including the Commonwealth add-on), maybe that will be an opportunity to add them in. Not certain what Allied units would be added- maybe Poles?

Again, I would love to give BFC more money- so let's see 6 month releases! And please, no to modern in order prior to doing at least a few modules and the base game on the eastern front.

[Tactical Wargamer]

Ten to one the Bulge title will ship with an all-new user interface as well as winter terrain. The trees and bushes etc will mostly all have to be redone for example. As far as the models are concerned, they'll probably need to redo all the soldier models so that they sport winter kit with greatcoats, etc. The winter camo for the vehicles is probably the least of their worries (except for the artists of course)

I really, REALLy don't see any way BFC can put out a Bulge title without nighttiime illumination either as it will span the NW European winter when the days are only 6-7 hours long. And I know that I, for one, am going to expect to see Fire in that title. That will be an enormous coding effort and I'd expect them to want to be reimbursed for their work rather than put it out for a measly $25.

Now the East Front. I wish they'd do it as one title with an enormous number of modules as I'd love to make the granddaddy of all campaigns: a four year epic covering a single company's fortunes from the opening of Barbarossa to the Fall of Berlin . Never going to happen but I can dream...

Don't forget the possbile WEGO or "pausable" MP games would be a nice reason also for a new engine re-work

[Mord]

Since formations such as the Fallschirmjäger haven't made it in yet (including the Commonwealth add-on), maybe that will be an opportunity to add them in. Not certain what Allied units would be added- maybe Poles?

Poles are already in the CW Module...but most likely they'll add polish airborne (if they aren't already a part of the next release) and updated versions of US and British airborne TO&E. As for Germans, FJ are definitely gonna be a big part of the module...Steve said they saved them for MG because they were a lot of work and didn't want to half ass them.

And yes, dutch terrain is supposed to be a part of the module as well.

Mord.

[Rokossovski]

I seem to recall something about the Commonwealth module having Luftwaffe units. If not FJ, does that mean there will be troops from the Luftwaffe Field Divisions in Commonwealth? Or has that been dropped too?

[Thomm]

I seem to recall something about the Commonwealth module having Luftwaffe units. If not FJ, does that mean there will be troops from the Luftwaffe Field Divisions in Commonwealth? Or has that been dropped too?

No, those are in:

This module also brings you new German formations, such as the "Waffen SS" and the Luftwaffe Field Divisions.

Best regards,

Thomm