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Some Final Blitzkrieg basic details


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Hey guys,

Since we've opened up this forum and started the AARs ahead of the official announcement on the website, here's some basic info on Final Blitzkrieg for those of you who may have missed it. A more complete description will go up with the website announcement when it arrives.

We have not yet announced a release date for Final Blitzkrieg.

Scope:

  • Combat Mission: Final Blitzkrieg is a standalone game that covers the late Western Front. Final Blitzkrieg DOES NOT require any other Combat Mission games in order for you to play it: it combines all of the Western Front equipment (where applicable for forces/region/date) and CMx2 engine advances that have been made to date for the CMx2 series.
  • Covers October 1944 - January 1945.
  • Regions depicted are the Ardennes, France, Germany, and Holland, with appropriate environmental art for each. So for example, if you switch the Region from Ardennes to Germany, the languages displayed on buildings, street signs, etc will switch from French to German.
  • A future module will extend the game to the end of the war in May 1945. We haven't our plans for Packs yet.
  • CMFB uses the v3.0 engine of CMx2, same as Red Thunder and Black Sea. Some features that are new to the Western Front include mortars being able to fire from inside their halftracks, and tank riders.

Nationalities and Formations:

  • The following Services are present in base game: US Army, German Heer, German Luftwaffe, and German Waffen-SS.
  • All formations have been updated to reflect late war changes, which were extensive, especially in the case of Germany. There also quite a few TO&E fixes made to all formations, many of which will be backported to CMBN when it is patched.
  • New US formations include: straggler group, AA batteries, tank flamethrower platoon, tank flail platoons, SP cannon battery, paratrooper demolition group, and paratrooper/glider pack howitzer batteries.
  • New German formations include Volksgrenadier battalions, Gebirgsjäger battalions, SS-Gebirgsjäger companies, fortress MG battalions, Panzergrenadier and Panzer battalions from Panzer Brigades, late and mixed Panzer battalions (which combine Pz IV with Pz V and even SPGs/TDs), Flammpanzer companies, Sturmpanzer companies, and Sturmtiger companies.

Vehicles and Equipment:

  • Final Blitzkrieg includes 130 vehicles, 24 heavy weapons ("guns"), and 32 infantry weapons.
  • New vehicles for the US include: M24 Chaffee, M36 and M36B1 tank destroyer, M4A3E8 "Easy Eight" Sherman, M4A3E2 Sherman Jumbo with 75mm, 76mm, and flamethrower variants, and late variants of various Sherman models.
  • New vehicles for Germany include: PSW 234/3, Flakpanzer 38(t), Sturmtiger, Jagdtiger, Panther G w/ chin mantlet, Hetzer w/ flamethrower, and late varients of numerous Panzers, TDs, and SPGs.
  • Plus all of the vehicles seen in CMBN's modules/pack and CMRT, where appropriate for the setting.
  • Vehicles will automatically apply whitewash camo if the date is January 1945, and there is snow on the ground. If the date is December 1944, vehicles can have their whitewash applied if the [whitewash] mod tag is applied to the scenario.

Content:

  • Four campaigns will be included with Final Blitzkrieg.
  • Training campaign takes place in Lutrebois in late December, just southeast of Bastogne.
  • US Campaign gives the player command of the entire Combat Command Reserve (CCR) of 4th Armored Division from December 23-26, as they strive to bash through the German encirclement of Bastogne from the south. Command Lt. Col. Abrams's tank (yes, THAT Abrams). Battle the 5th Fallschirmjäger Division and 26th Volksgrenadier Division. Be the first to reach the 101st at Bastogne in the historic armored dash through Assenois.
  • A second US campaign takes place in the assault on Aachen. Urban combat to the hilt!
  • The German campaign gives you command of the tip of the spear in Kampfgruppe Peiper's drive on the Meuse. Battle your way through Stavelot, Stoumont, and other historical locations. You will have a lot of tough decisions to make as you balance the need for speed, rest, and fuel while you try to break through American lines before you are surrounded and overwhelmed.
  • About 24 standalone missions (NOTE: this number is subject to change slightly before release). Standalone missions include, among other settings, battles from the Bulge campaign, the Lorraine campaign in eastern France, and even a couple battles in Holland.
  • Master Maps of the following historical locations: Northern Aachen, Stoumont - La Gleize - Cheneux, Stavelot, Noville, Kinkelt - Rocherath, Marnach, Meijel, Hofen - Rohren - Monschau area, Lutrebois, and St. Vith. This list does not include individual smaller maps of historical locations.
  • Over 330 Quick Battle maps, including maps from all the historical locations mentioned above and more. Mark Ezra has been honing his craft and has provided a preview of changes in Quick Battles here: http://community.battlefront.com/topic/121388-whats-new-for-cmfb-quick-battle-games/ 
Edited by ChrisND
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Twitch ? Twitch ?

Pah, you'll read Bil and my static AAR's and like it ! None of this new-fangled moving pictures nonsense :lol:

<twitches>

Rest assured, dear sir, that I cling on to every screen shot like it was the last. Imagining what it would be like to be in that battle, preserved for you and Bil so far, waiting like a child on x-mas eve. Keep calm and carry on - and give Bil his money's worth.

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Nice package! :) I see the CW will not be included in this release, so this is the first (and probably only) module then.

Northern Aachen master map and second US campaign. That means, we´ll likely see the area between Aachen, Wurselen, Stolberg and the western fringes of the hurtgen mapped, with various units involved, like US 1st ID Big Red One, US 3rd Armored, possibly the US 35th ID in the north, as well as appropiate german opponents. :) 

Meijel indicates, we´ll see some the Peel marsh battles in october 1944. The small german counterattack and maybe some action near Overloon, with the US 7th AD involved initially.

Will the [muddy] tag and textures be extended for those units that didn´t have it in CMBN yet?

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Nice, very nice! "Nothern Aachen" means "Huertgenwald"? Let it go soon, guys.  ;-)

I doubt that larger parts of the hurtgen will be included with the master maps, if any at all. Steeply sloped hills, almost all densely forrested and that corresponding to historic period maps. That´s PITA for any serious map maker and brings your PC to its knees, when you don´t have latest hardware to load and play it. But we´ll see. The Ardennes has lots of this terrain as well. ;)

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Battle possibilities stretching from Oct 1 through January 31 are practically endless. Since the title couldn't possibly include 300+ separate scenarios I hope that'll inspire industrious gamers to add their own scenarios for downloading, to fill in any gaps. I've got one or two in mind, myself.  :) I keep trying to tell people the scenario making is half the fun of the franchise!

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oh yes the fighting around Aachen. the scars of it still survive in Charlemagne's cathedral. i seem to recall an entire row of Stained glass was "new" and not painted. i assumed this was battle damage as well on my visit. nice town today though, the Printin was tasty too.

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I doubt that larger parts of the hurtgen will be included with the master maps, if any at all. Steeply sloped hills, almost all densely forrested and that corresponding to historic period maps. That´s PITA for any serious map maker and brings your PC to its knees, when you don´t have latest hardware to load and play it. But we´ll see. The Ardennes has lots of this terrain as well. ;)

Sure, RockinHarry, sure. I think so too.

 

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Hmm, I do seem to remember some beta tester letting it slip he was working on a Schmidt/Kall Trail map though. Maybe the project was discontinued or my memory is wrong. 

I remember but I think that was a private project, not related to CMFB. But who knows. Some the hurtgen forest terrain is particularly tricky when considering some the real slopes will be turned to cliffs in CMX2. That´s any slopes of above 30° steepness (or height diff of 5m between AS). The real terrain has slopes of up to 45° and more, without beeing a rocky and unclimbable, or generally walkable.

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Well, after getting brutalized by the sudden and very violent deaths that result in Black Sea (and nevertheless mostly enjoying it, though I think I prefer Mech Infantry over Armour), I think this will be my first proper (purchased as opposed to demos) foray into the CM WW2 offerings, and I am most excited!

Edited by gnarly
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