Query Regarding Unit and Weapon Data

[Lord Cool]

I recently downloaded and played the Demo of Combat Mission: Battle for Normandy/Commonwealth Forces and I was very impressed overall. However, after looking around in the game files/folders I noticed there doesn't seem to be any file or archive for the weapon/unit data. The .brz files from what I gather only contain sound and texture files. That leaves the only place for the weapon/unit data to be is in the main executable itself, which unless your a programming genius, rules out any form of modding/alteration.

For me this is dissapointing as it means I would not be able to use the game engine to play out scenarios based upon a fictional reality of WW2 (like creating new artillery modules, different squads etc.) and would be restricted to strictly historical stuff.

So is there any sort of ability to see/mod unit data with this game or is that not possible?

[womble]

I recently downloaded and played the Demo of Combat Mission: Battle for Normandy/Commonwealth Forces and I was very impressed overall.

It's a great product, but it's very historical.

For me this is dissapointing as it means I would not be able to use the game engine to play out scenarios based upon a fictional reality of WW2 (like creating new artillery modules, different squads etc.) and would be restricted to strictly historical stuff.

Yep. BFC only allow modding of cosmetic items, not the actual stats of the vehicles. Considering the labour of love that the current precise historical data represents, I don't find that at all surprising. Making changes would also be, I'd imagine, pretty difficult. It's not like the numbers are "Front armour" and "gun power", so if you wanted anything even vaguely not resembling self-gratification, it'd be a passel of work. Also, I'm pretty sure that Steve has said that it will never be their intention that users can get at the guts of the units.

So is there any sort of ability to see/mod unit data with this game or is that not possible?

Unfortunately (according to some lights, including mine) the information that can be viewed is just the summary stuff you see when you select the unit. Many have called for something more like the "Enter" screen you used to get in CMx1 which showed "hard, historical facts" like "Front Armour" and (for infantry) "Firepower" at different ranges. The new engine is more complex than that though, and "Front Armour" is at least 2 different hit locations, and "Firepower" figures are meaningless. The data that the engine crunches for us would need some "interpreting" to give a meaningful "Unit information pane", and it's low on the priority list, if it's there at all.