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Preview of the first Battle Pack


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They're all (the standalones) able to be played H2H and either way vs the AI :)

 

Triggers are used where it makes sense.

 

Great news JonS!! May I ask how well-balanced, challenging and enjoyable these scenarios are when played as the Germans? 

Edited by PanzerMiller
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I’ve written elsewhere that I think ‘balance’ – let alone ‘well balanced’ – is an impractical and illusory design objective, and so I don’t really consider it as a specific design criteria anymore. What I’m more interested in is creating plausible, interesting, and asymmetric challenges. By that I mean that the ‘story’ behind the objectives that each side is going for makes sense, and that given some skill and luck either side can achieve its own objectives. The objectives are asymmetric in that while Side A might be principally trying to secure a bridge, Side B may not care about the bridge at all and could instead be going for the church, or trying to move all forces off map, or something else. That sets up an interesting dynamic tension in that in order to win you need to achieve what you’ve been told to do, but also prevent the enemy doing what they’ve been told to do … but that probably isn’t simply the opposite of your goals. So you need to figure out what they are trying to do, and hinder that as much as possible without compromising the achievement of your own objectives.
 
Ticklish.
 
Well, that’s the idea, anyway :D
 
I believe it also adds to replayability because now the player's goals are more clearly tied to the relative balance of points at the end of the game. Since the number of ways points can be accumulated - and therefore generate different end-game totals – is quite large, then the number of distinctly different viable approaches that each side can take is similarly large.
 
So, yeah; all the scenarios are playable and in principle achievable from either side, but actually winning will depend on your skill. As it should.
Edited by JonS
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No, not by me, although you can of course unpack them yourself.

 

I sort-of agree with you about extending life, but campaign scenarios are unusual in that they are designed from the outset to only ever be played one way - i.e. one side against the AI. That has lots of implications for the way they're designed and built.

 

Price hasn't been finalised, but I think you'll find it quite reasonable.

True,  I had not considered how they relate back to the previous battles, so potentially a lot of work to make them standalone.  It is good some of the maps will make there way into the QB map list.

 

Good to here the modules are need, and we will see the vehicle pack units in action in the battlepack.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Good news team. There's a couple of minor technical issues to resolve first, but at this stage it looks like the BP will be released mid-to-late September. Yay!

Great news - just in time for when autumn kicks in and the daylight starts to vanish. Perfect time for some serious gametime. In sburke's first screenshot, am I right that there are some new buildings?

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Another sequence to wrap up the weekend.

One of my best CM moments ever.

Situation.  Linnet II, British Paras are tasked with securing the Meuse and Albert Canal crossings.  The Germans are holed up in several buildings and have taken some Paras out to their front under fire.  Meanwhile a number of teams have been making their way forward on the German flank.  They have just eliminated the German team in the first house on the right.  The Germans have units in 3 of the next 4 houses.

sweep1_zps57ed3684.jpg

The plan is to breach the wall to the adjoining house while simultaneously assaulting it from the rear.  While those two forces go in two other teams will then roll up the remaining two positions from the rear.

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The assault goes in -

sweep2_zpsc77cb4ec.jpg

The Germans on the ground floor are stunned while those on the second floor are still distracted by the Paras to their front.

sweep3_zpsd6aa1823.jpg

The second team joins them and helps eliminate the second floor defenders before they can react.

sweep4_zps09de2040.jpg

While that is going on the third team is hitting the next house

sweep5_zps494376fd.jpg

And finally the last team rolls up the remaining Germans.  About a dozen enemy killed or captured, 3 buildings cleared, no casualties - 60 seconds.

sweep6_zpsf410e6b9.jpg

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Yeah I usually end up with a previously undiscovered team armed with a couple smgs making a shamble of my attack...  like a million monkeys banging away on a keyboard I can eventually pull something off.  :D  Fortunately in this instance my intel was complete and the enemy units were kept occupied enough.

 

Next installment later this week will sample what happens when things don't go quite right.  Linnet II gave me plenty of opportunity to practice assaults like this.

 

edit- Between this and some of the MG scenarios, I found Brit Paras to be some of my favorite units.

Edited by sburke
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So this is what happens when you don't plan right.

The idea was breach the wall, stun the guys inside and mow em down.  I have done this enough and it almost always works..almost.

So two things I did wrong here, there was no other fire to distract the occupants.  The second was, I didn't really factor in what might happen if the side of the house was reinforced with a wall - I found out.


So my guys have just listened to a speech I stole from c3k, they are properly motivated and anxious to engage and destroy my enemies with their bare hands if need be.

Assault11_zps611e8aff.jpg

The wall explodes...and curiously there is no dust in the room, just around my guys...uh oh.

Assault12_zps4ec9e81a.jpg

My guys have just started to rush forward and the unexpected gift stalls the attack.

Assault13_zps1fc8350f.jpg

Yeah this didn't end well.  I took the room, but the cost was way too high.

Assault14_zps82daffe5.jpg

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