New features/feature ideas for CM for the next few years thread

[Whiterider]

I´d like to see planes atacking and antiaircraft guns shooting against them.

[AlexUK]

trying to play through Courage and fortitude - eugh - thought I was just about going to get through Razorback Ridge when some artillery fell out of nowhere onto a choke point that I thought was out of sight of any spotters - anyway, a whole platoon was running through there at the time.... There went my reserve, so start again. Fantastic mission though.

Anyhoo - here's my one, several times during the mission I had set MG and BAR to provide covering far while I assaulted - quite a few times they 'reloaded' after only a few shots - no covering fire, my men got cut down. Aaarghh!!

So the idea would be - ability to manually force a reload (or even if troops have not moved for a couple of turns - they automatically reload).

[Buzz]

As fas as I know, any order on a team will prevent them rejoining.

I think mjkerner is correct.

[DavidFields]

Not that this is needed for the people who post on this board, but I think CM2 needs this for getting people into the franchise:

Super small scenarios, with a story to follow, with a campaign which builds up to larger units and actions. Shipped with the base game--not something that has to be downloaded.

When I started CMBN, I was amazed at how many units were in the tutorial, and the degree of knowledge they assumed.

Even the "tiny" scenarios--and I don't think I have played anything scenarios other than that size (I generally play the massive campaigns) are generally 30 minutes.

At 15 minutes a WEGO turn, that can be 7 1/2 hours. And a platoon, if split in all its pieces, which I increasingly find necessary, can 15 or so pieces to contend with.

How about 1 squad, 10 minute scenarios? Bunches of them. Campaigns of them.

Put a German general, for example in a house with a few guards, and have a "special forces" type action with a squad or two to "take him out".

This would seem to be such an obvious marketing move, to start people small (from StarCraft, to, really, most other games--whether Civ, or EU, or TW, where one inherently starts small and works up to complexity) that I must be missing some clear reason this was not done.

[DavidFields]

Ah, and one feature which I am surprised no one mentioned--and more in line with the usual suggestions elicited by the OP.

****Give an indication, when ordering an artillery mission, of how many shells will be expended.

I have a cheat-sheet by my computer, which is a post from Martin Krejcirik about the shell usage for some of the US guns.

But why do I need this, or need to guess? And, again, I am always thinking of the difficulty a newbie has with CM2.

Just before the confirm, there "should" be an indication such as: "your orders will cause X shells to be used". Alternatively, one could be able to just type in how many shells, rather than the "quick, short, medium...etc".

The number of shells one is given is, appropriately, a play-balance issue. But I don't see what is gained, or interestingly gained, when one has 50 shells for an asset (and the smoke shells, gone if you use all the shells on HE is also a confusing issue) and you have to guess what your "Medium, Medium" is going to consume.

[With regard to my previous post--and I am not complaining, because that would be like a heroin addict complaining he is getting too much methadone--I am starting RtoM 13 mission today. It is 80 minutes. That is 30 hours, if I can move two companies in 15 minutes every WEGO turn--which I can't. Just thinking about the start has consumed hours of my time. Heaven help me if I find, after 40 minutes, I found I did something entirely wrong with my artillery at turn 1--and this is a must win mission. I spent 30+ hours on Hell in the Hedgerow before giving up--I can see it is winnable, but I wanted to move on. Not everyone will find this is fun. The young need a gateway drug into this series.]

[Michael Emrys]

[With regard to my previous post--and I am not complaining, because that would be like a heroin addict complaining he is getting too much methadone--I am starting RtoM 13 mission today. It is 80 minutes. That is 30 hours, if I can move two companies in 15 minutes every WEGO turn--which I can't. Just thinking about the start has consumed hours of my time. Heaven help me if I find, after 40 minutes, I found I did something entirely wrong with my artillery at turn 1--and this is a must win mission. I spent 30+ hours on Hell in the Hedgerow before giving up--I can see it is winnable, but I wanted to move on. Not everyone will find this is fun. The young need a gateway drug into this series.]

Heh. That is a big part of the reason why I never, ever, play campaigns. I cannot bear the thought of putting in possibly hundreds of hours only to discover halfway through that I have screwed something up to the point that the campaign is now unwinnable. For those who do not have this problem, I say more power to you, but "I yam what I yam" in the immortal words of a certain sailor.

Michael

[Whiterider]

New transports for infantry: Sidecars, bicycles, motorcycles.

[Ithikial_AU]

The ability to set in the scenario editor for units to be equipped in part with captured enemy small arms. ie. to represent Paratroopers with MP40's/Kar98's on D-Day. And the ability to pick up enemy weapons via 'buddy aid' if a range of factors are met - Like the unit's assigned weapon is out of ammo.

[Whiterider]

Possibility to set in the scenario editor target arcs for any unit.

[GerryCMBB]

One from Ian I would really like:

"Head to Head Campaigns via PBEM

I have so far tried three campaigns but never got into them. I know the majority of your customers play against the AI only but I just cannot. For me play by email is the way to go and I would really like to play campaigns against a human. Please - this is my number one wish. If you only do one thing this would be it."

And these from Womble's list, numbers indicating my preferred order.

3. Being able to deploy to the map from a holding area/menu rather than having your forces already plonked down in a horrid jumble that you then have to sort out.

2. Allow "lock camera to map location" without there having to be a unit there.

4. Similarly with waypoints.

1. Ability to see what your unit can see with LOS-fidelity, or at least have elevations match potential view heights for the selected unit.

Gerry

[GerryCMBB]

Trying to get back into CM and am playing Silence the Guns - Brecourt Manor. A very small scenario. It's really nice to play a small scenario in terms of workload, time needed to play a turn, etc.

Unfortunately the trend seems to be much larger scenarios with tons of units and tons of time needed (I know Bil said ignore the time as many are over in 40 minutes anways, but still ...).

Gerry

Not that this is needed for the people who post on this board, but I think CM2 needs this for getting people into the franchise:

Super small scenarios, with a story to follow, with a campaign which builds up to larger units and actions. Shipped with the base game--not something that has to be downloaded.

When I started CMBN, I was amazed at how many units were in the tutorial, and the degree of knowledge they assumed.

Even the "tiny" scenarios--and I don't think I have played anything scenarios other than that size (I generally play the massive campaigns) are generally 30 minutes.

At 15 minutes a WEGO turn, that can be 7 1/2 hours. And a platoon, if split in all its pieces, which I increasingly find necessary, can 15 or so pieces to contend with.

How about 1 squad, 10 minute scenarios? Bunches of them. Campaigns of them.

Put a German general, for example in a house with a few guards, and have a "special forces" type action with a squad or two to "take him out".

This would seem to be such an obvious marketing move, to start people small (from StarCraft, to, really, most other games--whether Civ, or EU, or TW, where one inherently starts small and works up to complexity) that I must be missing some clear reason this was not done.

[poesel]

****Give an indication, when ordering an artillery mission, of how many shells will be expended.

+1!

I can never remember how many shells are in each mission. Number ranges would be most welcome.

[Whiterider]

Movement preview: A new tool to see the orders you have given before the turn expires. The idea is to avoid those traffic jams, narrow streets or difficult terrain that sometimes can spoil your advance in a stupid way. Specially useful for vehicles.

[c3k]

^^^

Alt P shows all movement orders. (Hotkeys menu.) Is that what you're looking for?

[Childress]

A right click on a given tile shows elevation in meters. This is essential.

[A Canadian Cat]

Movement preview: A new tool to see the orders you have given before the turn expires. The idea is to avoid those traffic jams, narrow streets or difficult terrain that sometimes can spoil your advance in a stupid way. Specially useful for vehicles.

^^^

Alt P shows all movement orders. (Hotkeys menu.) Is that what you're looking for?

Oh no I think he is looking for path resolution preview. Something that when you plot the orders into town and hit the show preview it figures out the path that the tank, given the terrain and the movement orders would go over, will actually take. That way when you ask it to go down a street that looks wide enough but isn't, the preview will show your tank going off in all directions to drive around the town and down the main street. Or the kind of thing where you give your tank orders to got through a hedge and hit the preview and discover that it really is low bocage and your tank will actually drive 500m to the left to get through the gap in the hedge (oops I mean bocage - I still cannot tell half the time:-). That way we can avoid those "WTH are you doing" moments when our vehicles start driving around in dangerous places.

I personally would like to see this. Lets face it if you are the TC and you order your tank to advance through the hedge and the driver says "I don't think we can make that" the real TC would have the opportunity to come up with a different plan. But we don't that opportunity. We get drivers coming up with sometimes insane ideas and very dangerous moves. When in real live the TC would never let the driver take the tank and present its side to a known AT gun position or drive way to the left of where friendly forces have already secured the area and right into close proximity of the enemy. The real TC could yell stop and the driver would. We just get to yell stop and watch the insanity.

[DavidFields]

Heh. That is a big part of the reason why I never, ever, play campaigns. I cannot bear the thought of putting in possibly hundreds of hours only to discover halfway through that I have screwed something up to the point that the campaign is now unwinnable. For those who do not have this problem, I say more power to you, but "I yam what I yam" in the immortal words of a certain sailor.

Michael

Is this when I pop open a can of spinach and eat it, look at OliveOil, and then ask the other guy for a hamburger, which I will pay back next week?

I am RtoM number 14--great, but it has also seemed like I should get paid to do this.

I did Platoon Platrol [spelling is wrong] I was able...not quite, because of some thinking, to keep up almost 10 turns per hour--that would be 4 hours, on what seems like one the simplest scenarios, and I played the last 10 minutes several times.

Ludicrous--and I am such a fan of this series.

[Michael Emrys]

I am RtoM number 14--great, but it has also seemed like I should get paid to do this.

It is rather a job, isn't it?

Michael

[Whiterider]

Oh no I think he is looking for path resolution preview. Something that when you plot the orders into town and hit the show preview it figures out the path that the tank, given the terrain and the movement orders would go over, will actually take. That way when you ask it to go down a street that looks wide enough but isn't, the preview will show your tank going off in all directions to drive around the town and down the main street. Or the kind of thing where you give your tank orders to got through a hedge and hit the preview and discover that it really is low bocage and your tank will actually drive 500m to the left to get through the gap in the hedge (oops I mean bocage - I still cannot tell half the time:-). That way we can avoid those "WTH are you doing" moments when our vehicles start driving around in dangerous places.

I personally would like to see this. Lets face it if you are the TC and you order your tank to advance through the hedge and the driver says "I don't think we can make that" the real TC would have the opportunity to come up with a different plan. But we don't that opportunity. We get drivers coming up with sometimes insane ideas and very dangerous moves. When in real live the TC would never let the driver take the tank and present its side to a known AT gun position or drive way to the left of where friendly forces have already secured the area and right into close proximity of the enemy. The real TC could yell stop and the driver would. We just get to yell stop and watch the insanity.

Exactly! That was my idea. Sorry for my poor english

[costard]

I am RtoM number 14--great, but it has also seemed like I should get paid to do this.

I did Platoon Platrol [spelling is wrong] I was able...not quite, because of some thinking, to keep up almost 10 turns per hour--that would be 4 hours, on what seems like one the simplest scenarios, and I played the last 10 minutes several times.

Ludicrous--and I am such a fan of this series.

This is most of the reason I moved to Real Time - the solutions I come up with are far messier, but the game is over in thirty or sixty minutes. Bad pathing is easier to notice and correct, too.

[A Canadian Cat]

Exactly! That was my idea. Sorry for my poor english

LOL I had no trouble understanding. I am not sure why Ken did I just embellished it a bit. Oh that might explain it. Ken, is the king of dramatic flare - I just needed to translate from English to dramatic flare for him.

[Whiterider]

Fast rate of fire: During the turn the unit will try to supress strongly at the cost of ammo and precision.

[DavidFields]

It is rather a job, isn't it?

Michael

But, I should not be other than anything grateful about the time put in to make the campaign--particularly the maps. So I will mention that on the CMBN site.

[Whiterider]

Option of area and linear target (like artillery) for tanks, guns and machine guns. In some situations point targets are not the best idea for shooting: A line of trenches or a medium sized area full of enemies.

The bombardment is random inside the target, like artillery. Pressing Target then shift+left click mouse (for area target) or Target then Ctrl+left click mouse (linear target) would be a way to do it.

[Childress]

Exactly! That was my idea. Sorry for my poor english

No worries, mate! Leibniz's Characteristica Universalis of War Gaming forums: Those who apologize for, in this case, their English tend to possess unimpeachable skills in that language. The reverse phenomenon is also well documented.