What other WW2 games do you guys play

[Ironcross12]

Hey guys im new here. but i come from games like Men of War Assault squad 2 and red orchestra 2. Also i like War Thunder realistic mode i have played that alot. these are the games i played before finding this great game. This is so realistic really got me hooked. 

Now i own all CMBN packs CMRT CMFB in the space of a month i have played CMBN the most and a little of CMRT im saving CMFB till i get bored  

 

[Blazing 88's]

Enjoy. 

If you haven't checked out these sites you should...
Graphic Mods:
http://cmmods.greenasjade.net/

Scenario's /Campaigns /Opponents:
http://www.thefewgoodmen.com/tsd3/

Tactics:
http://battledrill.blogspot.ca/2013/08/combat-mission-tactical-problems-cmtp.html

Other useful stuff you will stumble upon or be directed to by the other CM addicts.

 

 

Edited September 8, 2016 by Blazing 88's

[Wodin]

Red Orchestra 2, Graviteam Tactics MF and OS,  Decisive Campaigns Barbarossa, Command Ops 2, testing Tigers Unleashed

[Erwin]

Enjoying Grigsby's War In The Pacific AE.  It's a good contrast game when the regular CM2 burnout hits.

[StieliAlpha]

Now, THAT's a question! Playing board games since 40 years.

Computerwise, it's indeed only CM for me. But if I would have the time and patience, I would be hooked to board game adaptions. Erwin's Gary Grigsbys proposal is a good starting point. You'll find lot's of this "hard core stuff" on the Matrix Games site. But mind you: That's low graphics, low action, numbers crunching, table reading stuff.

[StieliAlpha]

And I forgot to say: You can't get bored by CM.

If that's the case, it's not the game  for you anyway. ?

[Bloody Bill]

Combat mission Normandy all modules, Red Thunder.  I also play a lot of board games from Avalon Hill and Victory Games.  Other PC games I play are some John Tiller games and HPS titles mainly WW2, Napoleonic and US Civil war.

[Ironcross12]

16 hours ago, Blazing 88's said:

Enjoy. 

If you haven't checked out these sites you should...
Graphic Mods:
http://cmmods.greenasjade.net/

Scenario's /Campaigns /Opponents:
http://www.thefewgoodmen.com/tsd3/

Tactics:
http://battledrill.blogspot.ca/2013/08/combat-mission-tactical-problems-cmtp.html

Other useful stuff you will stumble upon or be directed to by the other CM addicts.

 

 

Yeah ive downloaded loads of mods to make the game and inf/tanks look better some great mods out there. Also some missions.

I am still learning how to play seem to struggle with clearing towns and villages can be hard. I do like to play as the Germans the most as i like the Tanks and the Waffen SS Camo.

Edited September 8, 2016 by ironcross13

[Ironcross12]

12 hours ago, Wodin said:

Red Orchestra 2, Graviteam Tactics MF and OS,  Decisive Campaigns Barbarossa, Command Ops 2, testing Tigers Unleashed

Not heard of Decisive Campaigns Barbarossa, Command Ops 2, or  Tigers Unleashed. 

Are they good games

1 hour ago, StieliAlpha said:

Now, THAT's a question! Playing board games since 40 years.

Computerwise, it's indeed only CM for me. But if I would have the time and patience, I would be hooked to board game adaptions. Erwin's Gary Grigsbys proposal is a good starting point. You'll find lot's of this "hard core stuff" on the Matrix Games site. But mind you: That's low graphics, low action, numbers crunching, table reading stuff.

Never played a WW2 board game i do read alot of WW2 books 

[StieliAlpha]

2 hours ago, ironcross13 said:

Not heard of Decisive Campaigns Barbarossa, Command Ops 2, or  Tigers Unleashed. 

Are they good games

Never played a WW2 board game i do read alot of WW2 books 

Well, if you have a human opponent, give it a try.

The variety is HUGE, compared to what computer games offer. But they need a certain, eh, resolution. You need to be willing to read through rule books (between 20 and 200 pages), be willing to spend weekends to learn the mechanics. But THEN! There's nothing better than watching your opponent crumble and throw dice through the room. Or feel the frustration when things go wrong for you...

[user1000]

all close combat games microsoft/matrix

[Erwin]

Uh, not sure if this is obvious (re Ironcross13's comment), but all the games mentioned in this thread are computer wargames not cardboard wargames.

If you want to discuss cardboard wargames, there are literally thousands of high quality cardboard wargames available from a surprisingly healthy bunch of companies.  I must have over 1,000 cardboard wargames stocked up in my nuclear bunker for when the "collapse of financial system and life as we know it" happens.  And I stopped collecting board wargames when I discovered CM1 back 1998/1999!

Edited September 9, 2016 by Erwin

[Ironcross12]

7 hours ago, StieliAlpha said:

Well, if you have a human opponent, give it a try.

The variety is HUGE, compared to what computer games offer. But they need a certain, eh, resolution. You need to be willing to read through rule books (between 20 and 200 pages), be willing to spend weekends to learn the mechanics. But THEN! There's nothing better than watching your opponent crumble and throw dice through the room. Or feel the frustration when things go wrong for you...

Yeah seems a bit like warhammer? do you paint the tanks ect? i think this would be to much for me as i grew up with video games.

I do study ww2 alot i have a massive collection of books, Divisions Histories some rare first edition books. Reference books on SS camo and uniforms. Ironcrosses  all sorts of diffrent books on ww2 and DVDs. im sure most of you guys do also.

6 hours ago, user1000 said:

all close combat games microsoft/matrix

I did see these games but not not buy as the graphics are so old and dont look very good. What are the games like to Combat mission? 

2 hours ago, Erwin said:

Uh, not sure if this is obvious (re Ironcross13's comment), but all the games mentioned in this thread are computer wargames not cardboard wargames.

If you want to discuss cardboard wargames, there are literally thousands of high quality cardboard wargames available from a surprisingly healthy bunch of companies.  I must have over 1,000 cardboard wargames stocked up in my nuclear bunker for when the "collapse of financial system and life as we know it" happens.  And I stopped collecting board wargames when I discovered CM1 back 1998/1999!

Yeah sound like fun but could never get any one to play lol hard to get a online game these days.

 

also guys what do yous think of War Thunder on realist mode? it can be a very good game and its free. Has quite realistic armor Pen its nothing like World of Tanks  

[Erwin]

"Yeah sound like fun but could never get any one to play lol hard to get a online game these days."

That's definitely the biggest challenge for cardboard wargamers outside of the regular game conventions that occur regularly around the country.  Computer wargames were a godsend in that respect.  And these BF games represent the pinnacle of COTS tactical wargame products.  Gary Grigsby's designs like WITPAE, WITE, and WITW are probably the pinnacle for strategic-level wargames.  However, the other Matrix products are not in the same class.

[womble]

For my part, I don't play any other tactical WW2 titles. HOI 3 (with Semper Fi, For the Motherland and Their Finest Hour) is a favourite, but still unsatisfying compared to CM, grand strategic option.

As for board games, a recent one I've found thoroughly excellent is Quartermaster General which is WW2 in 20 turns. Way more abstract than this simulationist gamer generally likes for a wargame, but by that token it manages to avoid descending into the "Uncanny Valley" where dodgy mechanic shims erode the experience's flavour or challenge. It's fast to play, especially if the Axis get a good start...

[Father Ted]

Ironcross, you mention RO2.  If you like that, you should check out Darkest Hour - a free, western front mod of RO1.  You get to play as US or Brits (infantry, paras and armoured) or Germans (Wehrmacht, SS and armour) on maps in Normandy through to the Bulge.  It's "realistic" - no crosshairs, radar or revival, and you're generally one-shotted (as my kids would say).  Sure it's a bit old, graphics-wise, but it does a much better job than RO2 when it comes to tanks and bigger maps.  I always think of DH as the wargamer's FPS.

[Aragorn2002]

If you like sea battles: Atlantic Fleet is great fun!

[Macisle]

Over the years, various WWII titles, including the boardgame ASL.

Since CMx2 came out, my interest in other games has really hit a low ebb. Part of that is getting older and having more RL demands. But most of it is just not being satisfied with anything else beyond the novelty phase. Other games ultimately serve to pretty much just reinforce how awesome CM is.

My most recent WWII titles have been Iron Front 1944, GTOS, and just this last two weeks, (5 bucks on sale) RO2/RS.

I had a lot of fun with IFL1944, but it has too many realism blind spots for me as compared to the CM battlefield. GTOS has a few nice touches, but isn't what I'm looking for (too much like a 3D version of Close Combat).

RO2/RS is fun so far. It is very arcade in many ways, but my expectations are in line with what it is. I'm just using it for a little first-person adrenaline as an occastional break from CM, offline in Classic mode with a full crew of bots. I can already feel the interest fading, though.

[Ironcross12]

On 10/09/2016 at 8:06 PM, Father Ted said:

Ironcross, you mention RO2.  If you like that, you should check out Darkest Hour - a free, western front mod of RO1.  You get to play as US or Brits (infantry, paras and armoured) or Germans (Wehrmacht, SS and armour) on maps in Normandy through to the Bulge.  It's "realistic" - no crosshairs, radar or revival, and you're generally one-shotted (as my kids would say).  Sure it's a bit old, graphics-wise, but it does a much better job than RO2 when it comes to tanks and bigger maps.  I always think of DH as the wargamer's FPS.

Yeah i have seen this Mod not played it much as i got into RO2 also RO2 now has a West Front mod and Pacific add one. I do like the West front one has D-Day and lots of other cool battles. I will have to get DH a try and see how it is as ive never really give it a chance.

9 hours ago, Macisle said:

Over the years, various WWII titles, including the boardgame ASL.

Since CMx2 came out, my interest in other games has really hit a low ebb. Part of that is getting older and having more RL demands. But most of it is just not being satisfied with anything else beyond the novelty phase. Other games ultimately serve to pretty much just reinforce how awesome CM is.

My most recent WWII titles have been Iron Front 1944, GTOS, and just this last two weeks, (5 bucks on sale) RO2/RS.

I had a lot of fun with IFL1944, but it has too many realism blind spots for me as compared to the CM battlefield. GTOS has a few nice touches, but isn't what I'm looking for (too much like a 3D version of Close Combat).

RO2/RS is fun so far. It is very arcade in many ways, but my expectations are in line with what it is. I'm just using it for a little first-person adrenaline as an occastional break from CM, offline in Classic mode with a full crew of bots. I can already feel the interest fading, though.

Dose Iron front still work i do own this but thought this game was dead? I know there is a Iron Front mod for Arma 3. So what is close combat like towards Combat Mission? I know its 2D but is it a good game?

Yeah RO2 is a good game i would say realistic shooter as there is not many out there. As you have games like Call of Duty that is really arcade. I did like that First call of duty which was a great game for its time

[user1000]

On 9/9/2016 at 0:08 AM, ironcross13 said:

I did see these games but not not buy as the graphics are so old and dont look very good. What are the games like to Combat mission? 

 

This is a fine case where gameplay over graphics. You will get used to the style of play and there is a ton of strategy involved you have to use to win campaigns it is similar to combat mission. If you like combat mission you will like close combat series.

Edited September 12, 2016 by user1000

[JoMac]

1 hour ago, ironcross13 said:

Yeah i have seen this Mod not played it much as i got into RO2 also RO2 now has a West Front mod and Pacific add one. I do like the West front one has D-Day and lots of other cool battles. I will have to get DH a try and see how it is as ive never really give it a chance.

Does Iron front still work ? I do own this, but thought the game was dead? I know there is a Iron Front mod for Arma 3. So what, is Close Combat like towards Combat Mission? I know its 2D but is it a good game?

Yeah, RO2 is a good game i would say realistic shooter as there is not many out there. As you have games like Call of Duty that is really arcade. I did like that First call of duty which was a great game for its time

As the previous Poster mentioned, (if not, I will say it here) RO is the way to go (thou dated, and often Dead), and it's 'Darkest Hour' mod (more lively)...Not RO2.

I haven't play 'RO & Darkest Hour' in awhile, and so it's time for me to jump in to see what's the latest going on...Need a FPS fix from time to time...Thou, Technically, ARMA 2-3 (WWII Mod) is supposed to be much better, it's just that I never got around to purchase it. 

Edited September 12, 2016 by JoMc67

[Macisle]

6 hours ago, ironcross13 said:

Dose Iron front still work i do own this but thought this game was dead? I know there is a Iron Front mod for Arma 3. So what is close combat like towards Combat Mission? I know its 2D but is it a good game?

I played IFL1944 as a mod under Arma 2 in the early days of that release, but passed on Arma 3. So, I'm not sure of current status. To find out, try a web search for "Iron Front Mission Repository" or "Iron Front Revival Project." I think those groups are still active. People are still producing videos of IFL under Arma 3 for YouTube and some of them are for gaming groups. I've no ideal how active they are, though.

For Close Combat, I'd just look for videos or see if you can find a demo. Combat Mission offers so much more that it is hard for me to even compare them now.  I haven't played the CC series since CCIV. I think the current one is Close Combat - Last Stand Arnhem. Maybe check that out on YouTube.

[Erwin]

Are the Arma and RO series games primarily for online multiplayer, or good for vs AI play?

[Macisle]

1 hour ago, Erwin said:

Are the Arma and RO series games primarily for online multiplayer, or good for vs AI play?

The focus for RO2 seems to be MP. I'm new to the series and haven't done much MP with it yet. My first impression is that the popular style of play is not sim enough for me. If my understanding is correct, the play mode "Classic" is the closest to the original RO and is the most realistic. However, there are literally no servers offering that right now. Even Classic mode is very arcade compared to Arma. Having said that, people do organize teams and I've seen first hand how say, not having a person playing the commander role can make winning very hard. The commander can go to radio positions to call for aerial recon and arty. Last weekend, I spent some time on a commanderless Soviet side and we got totally slaughtered. Basically, I spawned, ran a few feet, died, rinse and repeat. People on comms were complaining that no one was taking charge.

After that, I searched for and found "Steam Workshop" mode, which is what they have strangely labeled the offline play feature. Since then, I've been playing exlusively against bots in Classic mode. I just do a full 64 bots and spend time in the various positions. For the last few sessions, I've been the Commander and that is pretty fun. That allows you to control all the squads. You can also be a Squad Leader, which allows you to control a squad split into LMG, Rifle, and Assault teams. SLs can mark targets for arty, but the Commander has to call in the actual arty. The mechanisms, level of control, and troop intelligence leave a lot to be desired. Radios are in fixed map positions rather than being carried by a soldier. Ordering squads is often a case of a quick drop menu selection of which objective to attack. And, squad members are very suicidal in their movement and use of cover. Having said that, it it is fun and there are some nice touches, like being able to use cover (even being able to fire blind over the top of something). The soldier graphics are not as good as I'd hoped, but some maps are very impressive in terms of atmosphere and terrain/bulding graphics. I know the dev team traveled to Stalingrad and walked many of the places in the game.

Arma is much more of a sim and some folks really get into it. They organize into formations and do voice comms. Pretty impressive sometimes. However, the flip side is that your play time can be like, an hour of walking around to find the enemy, followed by a bullet to the head from never-spotted said enemy.

Arma (meaning IFL1944--same engine and IFL1944 can be played as a mod under Arma 2/3) does have a fantastic Editor, though. I spent most of my time with it trying to set up CM-style battles with all-bot formations and me jumping around to various levels of command. I would set up a strong defense (if you learn the code, you can fill-out the crews of HMG/AT guns and have the other crew members replace dead gunners) and bring in, say a company or two. I eventually gave up on it, though. The problem was that once a squad loses its leaders, it stops taking orders. So, at the beginning of the battle, squads go where you want them to. But once the shooting starts, they start doing their own thing, which generally means lemming forward to suicide. Also, I found that units in reserve would not stay in reserve, even if they still had leaders if the action fell within their awareness zone. Pretty much every time, once I got distracted for awhile with heavy action, I'd emerge to discover that my reserve units had buggered off and gotten slaughtered.

That, and things like max-skill ATGs in entrenchments in the woods not being aware of 3 enemy tanks coming over the hill, but those same, minimum-skill level, 2-man turret tanks immediately spotting and killing the AT (like...on the first shot). 

Anyway, to sum up, both Arma/IFL1944 and RO2 can be played either SP or MP. Assuming the right group of people and play mode, both are probably best under MP. However, lacking that, much fun can be had under SP. You just need to adjust your expectations to the right level. RO2 is more accessible and the action is fast and continuous. Arma can be slow and tedious, but is much more realistic overall.

Oh, last problem with Arma...bots have an awareness zone that, if exceeded, makes them sitting ducks for long-distance spotting and killing. On the flipside, they can be godlike in their ability to spot and kill once they notice you, even if settings have been adjusted to be more realistic. I actually like the RO2 bots better. They're dumb about things like taking cover, but their abilty to target you actually seems more human-like (slower, less accurate) than the Arma bots.

Edited September 12, 2016 by Macisle

[Erwin]

Thanks for the helpful summary. I used to play Arma and RO and was hoping things had improved a bit.  But, what you say sounds v familiar.