Best way to play operational level?

[mbarbaric]

 

 

Blazing 88's

• PanzerabwehrKanone - PaK 88 mm
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• Location: Winnipeg, MB Canada

 

Posted 6 hours ago · Report post

This is what I am waiting for, patiently...
http://dogsofwarvu.com/forum/index.php/topic,1848.0.html?PHPSESSID=bfb11f46622dc539494d6ed73c447bc1

 

END QUOTE

 

battlefront should soooo team up with this guys

Edited February 20, 2016 by mbarbaric

[kohlenklau]

@choppinlt  Great job on that youtube video Matt! Things are looking much more polished and professional. I will have my wallet ready when the kickstarter begins.

[Los]

Same here..will buy immediately. 

 

 

[kohlenklau]

Unfortunately AFAIK they want/need the money before the game is ready for release or it will never get developed to be released if you follow.

[Broadsword56]

This video shows the Theater of Ops project is on track and heading in exactly the direction I've always hoped.

Can't wait for the chance to back it, try it, and see it open a whole new chapter in CM op-tac gaming!

[Los]

I agree, I am awaiting the kick starter as well.

 

Los

 

[choppinlt]

@IanL @kohlenklau, @mbarbaric @Broadsword56 @Blazing 88's @Los thank you for the positive comments. We need all the support we can get! As someone mentioned, we are going to attempt a kickstarter to help fund development. Right now we are only working on it when we have time, which means it is a painfully slow and erratic process. The money we raise will allow a number of people to dedicate themselves to the project. Over 75% of what we raise will pay for programming, but some will go to graphic design, etc. Here is something to consider...if we significantly exceed our goals we will be able to do more, and more quickly. One big thing will be the ability to have more sophisticated AI for single player gaming, and we will also be able to generate more DLC.

I don't want to get into too much detail yet, but this project has picked up a lot of momentum in the last month. I am hoping that March is where we have a  real breakthrough...IF we have a reasonable demo ready in the next 2 weeks, then we should be ready for the kickstarter by 1 April. Keep your fingers crossed, because the demo is the critical path. Once that demo is ready then lots of other things should fall in to place. My suggestion would be to check in to our forum at least once a week for the latest updates.

Oh, and someone said we should team up with BFC...well I have attempted to do what you suggest, and we have an informal relationship with BFC at the moment. I want everyone to know that they have been very friendly and supportive of my efforts, and I bug them with regularity. I can truly tell they want my project to succeed, they just have to worry about their own production schedule.

Oh, and I revised the video on how command roles will work, so anyone interested in seeing it can hop over to the forum: http://dogsofwarvu.com/forum/index.php?topic=1867.0

 

[IICptMillerII]

@choppinlt The tag worked this time! Really liking the video presentations! I think they're a great way to show off all the progress that has been made in a neat little package.

CMPzC is a very good system to use in the meantime while we await Theater of Operations. When ToO comes out I think it will be the best system for WWII. However we still don't have anything for the modern CM titles. I'll give Vassal a try again as well as look around a bit more for another possible system to use. @Stele's system for Vassal looks very promising.

If anyone else has any ideas for the modern titles, let us know!

[Blazing 88's]

...If anyone else has any ideas for the modern titles, let us know!

The Operational Art of War III maybe?  Probably already discussed somewhere???

[choppinlt]

@IICptMillerII Thank you...I should have done the videos long ago, but better late than never! I have played around with Vassal quite a bit, and it is a great system. It does have its limitations though. Originally I started designed ToO for vassal, but I decided to take it further.

Regarding modern, you may want to check out Flashpoint Campaigns by Matrix Games. I have never played it, but it really does look good. I realize it does you no good right now, but I hope to expand up through '80's Cold War, and perhaps beyond. Just some food for thought... 

[IICptMillerII]

 

The Operational Art of War III maybe?  Probably already discussed somewhere???

 You know this could be a good idea. A friend of mine let me try out this game and it looks like it has a lot of potential. It does cover from WWI to modern (~2010) if I remember correctly. I know for a  fact that there are a ton of WWII, 1980s cold war, Arab-Israeli wars, and modern wars in the Middle East, from the First Gulf War to OIF in 2003. There are also a handful of fictional what-if scenarios that look really cool as well, such as another Arab-Israeli war in the mid 2000s. 

Unfortunately for me, the version of the game I played was quite dated (none of the newer patches were applied) and the interface was dreadful to say the least. For those that think the base CM interface is bad, TOAoW III will break your soul. However I still think this could be worth looking into for the modern CM games.

@IICptMillerII Thank you...I should have done the videos long ago, but better late than never! I have played around with Vassal quite a bit, and it is a great system. It does have its limitations though. Originally I started designed ToO for vassal, but I decided to take it further.

Regarding modern, you may want to check out Flashpoint Campaigns by Matrix Games. I have never played it, but it really does look good. I realize it does you no good right now, but I hope to expand up through '80's Cold War, and perhaps beyond. Just some food for thought... 

Maybe, just maybe, by the time you get around to pumping out your 1980's cold war game, Battlefront will have made CM Fulda Gap! I can dream can't I?

Edited February 25, 2016 by IICptMillerII

[IICptMillerII]

A bit late, but here are some screenshots of my current operation going on in CMFI:

(Note: Be sure to full screen the photos, otherwise they will appear grainy/blurry) 

Operational Situation:

This first image shows the current operational state. A few hours of battle have happened at this point with mostly skirmishing actions. US forces were able to take the villages of Naro and Palma di Montechiaro from the remains of Italian Coastal Defense units. Currently the Germans are about to initiate a major push against the American center. 

The operational objective of the US 3rd ID is to advance farther inland and take the town of Canicatti in order to expand the US beach head on Sicily. The objective of the Germans is to counter attack through the American lines to Licata in order to create a breach in the lines which can be exploited to attack and overrun the US beach head. 

German Push:

This image shows the axis of attack of elements of the German 15th (Sizilien) Panzer Grenadier Division, as well as secondary efforts, against the center of the American line. The attack is being spearheaded by a Stug tank element supported by Panzer Grenadiers. The Germans have more tanks on the way. Opposing them is Company C, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment and a company of Sherman tanks from CCA, 2nd Armored. Both sides are well supported by artillery. 

This next turn or two should be very interesting. If the Germans are able to break through here, they have the potential of smashing through and seizing Licata quickly. If the US is able to hold in good order and counter attack, they too have a good chance of achieving their objective early by taking Canicatti. However, elements of the 16th (Sizilien) Panzer Grenadier Division (Fictional) are moving quickly to reinforce the 15th Pz Gren Div and are only a days march away. The Americans have their work cut out for them.  

[polterklotz]

Hmm... I only skimmed this so far. There is lots pretty cool stuff to see, but most of this looks like a lot of work! It sure would add lots of variety and meaning to the battles though.
Let me throw in my 2c sideways if I can. @slippy perhaps some of this approach would work for you.
I dabbled with making a very alpha concept based on spreadsheet and map (included as background image into the spreadsheet). A couple of reasons why I did that:

• Generic hexes don't cut it for me. I want to pour over the map with all its nitty gritty detail (if your side had that info). Terrain appreciation is a big part for me.
• You just exchange one file most people know, and it does unit tracking & orders, rule book, map, and collision detection (when units meet), only view your portion of course.
• When you start a battle you can design the CM map accordingly - you can even enlarge it as the battle escalates (e.g. you punch through defenses).
  • Drawback: an AI would not be able to make sense of the map easily, so probably only multi-player

Ideally I'd want to move the map part to paper, pins and string in order to avoid screen time. But interfacing this would not work easily I'm afraid. Second best would be to move the operational layer onto phone or tablet. That way you could mull things over better, e.g. on public transport.

@chopperinlt Good luck with your developments - sure looks promising so far!

[Bulletpoint]

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Edited March 12, 2016 by Bulletpoint

[Blazing 88's]

Forgot about this thread... CMPzC BUMP!!