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CMFB gets a metion on Rock Paper Shotgun


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17 hours ago, easytarget said:

Follow up coverage is much more extensive and if I'm reading it right, Tim is inviting the readers to play as the Axis:

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/04/15/the-flare-path-welcomes-combative-commenters/#more-360249

 

" Battlefront’s AI will be left to choreograph the American AFVs "

Do they even know there's no AI in the game?

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1 hour ago, Bulletpoint said:

" Battlefront’s AI will be left to choreograph the American AFVs "

Do they even know there's no AI in the game?

Yeah, the guy authoring the article is familiar with CM, one of the few if only people on a mainstream gaming site that talks about it at all.  Chances are the AI even such as it is will prove challenging to the people who respond, unless a regular from here jumps in.

Always amused by the attitude towards the AI in the forum, given in all likelihood the majority of the players of this series play mostly SP.

For me, I find it sufficiently fun when the AI plays defense to entertain myself just fine.

 

Edited by easytarget
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1 minute ago, easytarget said:

Yeah, the guy authoring the article is familiar with CM, one of the few if only people on a mainstream gaming site that talks about it at all.  Chances are the AI even such as it is will prove challenging to the people who respond, unless a regular from here jumps in.

Always amused by the attitude towards the AI in the forum, given in all likelihood the majority of the players of this series play mostly SP.

For me, I find it sufficiently fun when the AI plays defense to entertain myself just fine.

 

I also enjoy playing missions about attacking fixed positions. It can be challenging, depending on the scenario.

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Just now, FroBodine said:

If there's no real AI in the game, how do quick battles work, then?  How does the computer put up a fight?

The AI is scripted in Quick Battles, so any movements you see them make unless they are retreating are put in by the quick battle map designer. The overall "strategic" AI doesn't exist, there is nothing telling them to attack this or that, only to move where the designer has told them to.

Edited by Raptorx7
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4 minutes ago, FroBodine said:

If there's no real AI in the game, how do quick battles work, then?  How does the computer put up a fight?

In most quick battles I've played, the AI troops just sit and wait for me to attack them.

But sometimes, the designer who made the scenario has added some orders that make various groups of enemies advance at certain times. A bit like a mechanical toy that you wind up and then it walks forward banging its drum.

Edited by Bulletpoint
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Oh wow, I didn't realize even quick battle maps had scripted stuff.  I thought they were just maps, and you bought your forces and played skirmishes on them.  I have not played any quick battles yet.

I thought only campaign missions, and single battle missions were fully scripted.

Thanks for enlightening me.

Edited by FroBodine
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Just now, FroBodine said:

Oh wow, I didn't realize even quick battle maps had scripted stuff.  I thought they were just maps, and you played skirmishes on them.  I have not played any quick battles yet.

I thought only campaign missions, and single battle missions were fully scripted.

Thanks for enlightening me.

You're welcome. Not all quick battles have scripts, it depends on the designer. And since the designer doesn't know what kind of troops will fight on the map, it's extremely difficult to script anything useful. Because if you script AI group 1 to assault the town, what happens if AI group 1 turns out to be a couple of AT guns?

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All QB correctly made maps have AI plans relevant to the type of mission the player is selecting to play vs the computer. In my personal experience, the software fills the lowered numbered AI plans first. Formations with HQs are spread among the plans based on their type i.e. company , platoon etc. The QB map designer knows these tendencies and designs AI plans with that foreknowledge.  Even with that knowledge, some QB conditions might be selected that produce an odd battle. I think selecting your own OOB, as well as the computer player's, will produce more consistent and militarily standard results compared to random OOBs. Some element of surprise is lost however if the player knows the enemy's OOB. There are pluses and minuses to that approach. This is my understanding and experience with QBs anyway. 

Kevin

Edited by kevinkin
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I was a little wary about using a Quick Battle for this piece, but it's actually proving rather exciting. Thirteen turns in the commenters are down to a Panzer IV (green), a Tiger (main gun out of action) and a three-man HQ team, but during the last couple of turns they've managed to hole at least two enemy AFVs without loss.

The turn summaries start about halfway through the piece.

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/04/15/the-flare-path-welcomes-combative-commenters/

One thing I'm struggling with is preventing the HQ from opening fire. Can anyone suggest a foolproof method for ensuring observers observe rather than engage. At the moment I'm using a short-range target arc but that doesn't seem to work 100% of the time (see turn 11) 

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easytarget,

It's a special kind of madness to be sure, but I love it! What a remarkable and scary way to do multiplayer. I think he had the Americans run by the computer so that the commenters could play with the Tiger (must be about the only Tiger 1 in the region) and other panzer toys. Predictably, the Tiger was barely in the fight when its gun was KOed. This is typical of my experience with heavy German armor. In fairness, though, I had the exact same thing immediately happen to my Sherman Jumbo when playing hybrid Bolt Action and Fast Rules in 15 mm while out visiting brother George in Sea-Tac. If you face heavy armor, it kills with impunity and laughs at your attempts to hurt it. Whereas, if it's yours, it is rendered dead or effectively useless practically as soon as the fight begins!

Regards,

John Kettler

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Hymek: regarding the shot over the tall wall...

Shermans are pretty tall, and it doesn't take much declivity for the tall walls to be just shootable-over for 'em. A slight rise behind the wall or a slight rise at the target end will suffice; it's a rare QB map that's completely flat, even if it looks it.

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@womble,

I might be wrong but I think 'Small City' is that rare thing, a totally flat CM map. On two occasions so far the Comment Commanders have lost vehicles to Shermans that were firing over adjacent high walls (Hetzer - turn 5 , halftrack - turn 11) . Happily, they got some revenge in turn 13 by turret-potting one of the 'Kilroys'.

@Pete Wenman,

Thanks.

 

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Joined in June of 2014 and first post to day...  Could be a record.

 

9 hours ago, hymek said:

One thing I'm struggling with is preventing the HQ from opening fire. Can anyone suggest a foolproof method for ensuring observers observe rather than engage. At the moment I'm using a short-range target arc but that doesn't seem to work 100% of the time (see turn 11) 

A short cover arc *is* the right thing to do in order to get them to hold fire.  It is never a 100% thing though.  The higher their motivation the more likely they will obey even when tempted not to.

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