A Canadian Cat Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Multiplayer is dead? Probably 75% of my CM gaming is multiplayer (PBEMs), and I play almost every day. I typically have three or four games going. If you're having trouble finding reliable opponents, you should join a club, such as FGM and/or WeBoB. Edit: Wait, I forgot this is a "modern" forum. WeBoB really only caters to WW2. Not sure about FGM. Or theBlitz. The current plan is to have a modern game ladder once it is released. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pelican Pal Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 I do know that CM:SF had trouble getting a lot of multiplayer traction. Whether that was because of the modern setting or that the game sucked for a long time is the question. Wargame definitely has a steep learning curve. A lot of it has to do with the mixture of real-time, large map size, and giant unit pool. You have to know what a Sheridan is, then know the relative range of all its weapons. Then you have to be able to physically handle controlling a multitude of units across 10s of kilometers. Which takes a bit of getting used to because your gut reaction is to have as much stuff on the field as possible. When the best course of action is to design your deployment around the mental capabilities you have. In CM you have relatively small unit pool and many units are practically speaking the same. Ranges are also much shorter to the point where your heavy hitters will all essentially be in range. CM is secretly not very demanding of the player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
womble Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 CM is secretly not very demanding of the player.Nice one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkEzra Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Wargames are like pornography; I can't define it but I know it when I see it.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackMoria Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Wargames are like pornography; I can't define it but I know it when I see it.... Quoted for truth. That about sums up my take on what is or is not a wargame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pablius Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 You can define Wargames easily...just ask your friends to play one...if it is about war and they won't touch it in a million years then it is a wargame... That`s been my experience since I started playing video games in 1986 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Williams Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 You can define Wargames easily...just ask your friends to play one...if it is about war and they won't touch it in a million years then it is a wargame... That`s been my experience since I started playing video games in 1986 In the 1980's, real wargamers played with cardboard and paper. ;-) Some would argue they still do (not me, though). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baneman Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 You can define Wargames easily...just ask your friends to play one...if it is about war and they won't touch it in a million years then it is a wargame... That`s been my experience since I started playing video games in 1986 Oh man, so true ! Great laugh, thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Battlefront.com Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 Wargames are like pornography; I can't define it but I know it when I see it....Darn you MarkEzra! I have been meaning to quote that line for several days now and, through sheer laziness, have neglected to do so. And now you have taken that away from me.Seriously though, there is a vast amount of truth to the application of this thinking on wargame definition. Some are undoubtably "wargames" by any reasonably informed definition, others debatable based on personal points of view.Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ithikial_AU Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 (edited) Multiplayer is dead? Probably 75% of my CM gaming is multiplayer (PBEMs), and I play almost every day. I typically have three or four games going. If you're having trouble finding reliable opponents, you should join a club, such as FGM and/or WeBoB. Edit: Wait, I forgot this is a "modern" forum. WeBoB really only caters to WW2. Not sure about FGM. FGM has a dedicated modern warfare forum section and our ladders are ready to accept Modern Era game results. (Including CMSF and CMA). I just think everybody is still WW2 focused until CMBS is released. Edited January 9, 2015 by Ithikial_AU Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stagler Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 Its all well and good saying that you can go on forums and organise games. But what if i wanted to boot up CMBS and play someone now. Like right now. As in the next five minutes. Who wants to attempt to matchmake on forums for an undeterminate amount of time just to play multiplayer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
womble Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 Its all well and good saying that you can go on forums and organise games. But what if i wanted to boot up CMBS and play someone now.Like right now.As in the next five minutes. Who wants to attempt to matchmake on forums for an undeterminate amount of time just to play multiplayer?Conversely, who wants to attempt to matchmake on an empty PvP lobby? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Williams Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 Its all well and good saying that you can go on forums and organise games. But what if i wanted to boot up CMBS and play someone now. Like right now. As in the next five minutes. Who wants to attempt to matchmake on forums for an undeterminate amount of time just to play multiplayer? CM is never going to have the player base of Starcraft. I don't know the exact numbers, and I doubt if BFC even does, but I would guess that less than half of CM players ever play multiplayer. Of those that do play multiplayer, I would also guess that the majority play mostly PBEM, rather than RT. Now, these are just WAGs, but they are based on my interacting with the CM community since CMBO, and being a member of an active gaming club that is CM focused. So, what I am saying is, sure it would theoretically be good to have a lobby to meet people in and immediately get games started, but how populated do you think that lobby would be? Such a lobby would only be of minimal use for those who want to play PBEMs, because, hey, PBEMs can take weeks or even months to finish. So, the lobby would mainly be used for people who want to get an immediate Real Time game going. I'm willing to be it would be mostly empty a lot of the time. Also, you would inevitably run into the frustrating player who says "GG" and drops out as soon as he thinks he's going to lose. For me, I would rather play with people that I know will "stay the course" and finish the game, or at least ask for a cease fire or do a proper surrender. Just my thoughts. I'm not against a lobby. It would actually be nice to have one and see how it goes. Might even make me try a RT game occasionally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
domfluff Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 This is it - PBEM games take weeks and months to complete, so it's not a problem to wait a few days for a response. I use The Blitz (and A Few Good Men a little) to organise them, and since I've started doing that I've usually had three games on the go. Especially considering the trend towards larger scenario sizes in the recent titles (one of the things that made CMSF an excellent starting point is that there are plenty of company-and-platoon-level scenarios), I don't honestly think that CM works well in real time. I would quite happily sit down and real time WeGo someone, but that would mean setting aside 3-5 hours or so I think - which is an awful lot if you're not face to face. I'd be happy to do it over LAN with a mate and a few beers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stagler Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 Especially considering the trend towards larger scenario sizes in the recent titles (one of the things that made CMSF an excellent starting point is that there are plenty of company-and-platoon-level scenarios), I don't honestly think that CM works well in real time. I would quite happily sit down and real time WeGo someone, but that would mean setting aside 3-5 hours or so I think - which is an awful lot if you're not face to face. I'd be happy to do it over LAN with a mate and a few beers. I think the complete opposite. I havent played PBEM before. Iv only played real time, and i will continue to prefer to play real time rather than turn-based if I have the choice, because thats way I like to play. The lobby would be populated by anyone who is playing combat mission at the time, like most lobbys are these days. If you had a basic hosting and chat function, then games could be hosted and people could join if they saw the game and liked the settings, or you had spoke to them previously in the lobby. You could chose to host using the normal QB settings or pick an existing scenario - choosing whether to play RT or Turn based. Flexibility is good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AstroCat Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 Just a quick jump in... I think the CM games on Steam would be a great idea. Good for exposure, player base growth, sales, etc... I'm just a long time comsumer and fan of the series so I'm just one tiny opinion on the matter but I've always felt this would be a positive move. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BletchleyGeek Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 Its all well and good saying that you can go on forums and organise games. But what if i wanted to boot up CMBS and play someone now. Like right now. As in the next five minutes. Who wants to attempt to matchmake on forums for an undeterminate amount of time just to play multiplayer? Well, alt tabbing to some application that allows you to chat in real time, exchange IPs and you're set. That chat application could be the Steam client itself, pinging your contacts for a game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astano Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 This topic made The Flare Path on Rock Paper Shotgun. http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2015/01/09/the-flare-path-full-steam-astern/#more-261519 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AttorneyAtWar Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 (edited) This topic made The Flare Path on Rock Paper Shotgun. http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2015/01/09/the-flare-path-full-steam-astern/#more-261519 Heh, what do you know, "Hi mom!" That is a very interesting comment page to read through as well at the bottom, its pretty surprising how many of those guys won't buy a game unless theirs a steam code attached, and how many would buy CM if it was on steam. Edited January 9, 2015 by Raptorx7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jargotn Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 I somehow feel watched. At least we finished this discussion. Now Steve made sure that everyone understands why CM isn't on steam. Until another thread opens. *takes hat and leaves, silently planning his revenge* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m0317624 Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 Heh, what do you know, "Hi mom!" That is a very interesting comment page to read through as well at the bottom, its pretty surprising how many of those guys won't buy a game unless theirs a steam code attached, and how many would buy CM if it was on steam. Obviously that is complete nonsense and those people are clearly figments of our imagination. Steve and his decades of savvy business experience have proven decisively that everyone who will ever be interested in Combat Mission is already buying it from this site. Good to see Tim Stone butting in on this. His articles also played a pretty major role in convincing Matrix to join Steam. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratdeath Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 Battlefront are free to run their business any way they see fit, it's also possible for the pro-steam crowd to run their own business and sell their own version of CMx2 type of game on Steam and be far more successful then Battlefront. Personally I think Battlefront is doing just fine without steam, it has been a fun ride since the release of Combat Mission: Battle for Normandy and they are about to relese CMBS and "Bulge" is in the works. For a Combat Mission fan this is good times. From my point of view it seems that Battlefront are doing just fine, they keep making awesome games, so someone outside of Steam must be buying them. I have no problem with Steam as a service (I do own 129 games there) but if I have a choice between Steam and GOG, I choose GOG. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chazz Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 The only thing that is abundantly clear from the comments is that the installation procedures and updating might need some attention. While we are at it, might as well get rid of the DRM stuff as well. Otherwise, being on steam or not is not an issue at all. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ASL Veteran Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 This topic made The Flare Path on Rock Paper Shotgun. http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2015/01/09/the-flare-path-full-steam-astern/#more-261519 Yeah, that was an interesting read. There is clearly at least one person who is disappointed that CM isn't on Steam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stagler Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 Well, alt tabbing to some application that allows you to chat in real time, exchange IPs and you're set. That chat application could be the Steam client itself, pinging your contacts for a game. Thats the thing though, the current model and what you suggested relies on knowing my contacts prior to the game - which limits the chance of getting a game because people will be busy/doing other things/not on. The point of the lobby system is to have everyone there who is looking for a game regardless if you know them or not beforehand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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