Fire and Rubble

[Artkin]

40 minutes ago, SlowMotion said:

I checked an online dictionary about meanings of that word and IMO the best matching choice was
4. (Commerce) (modifier) relating to or aimed at a small specialized group or market

So it's not about how much work is needed, but how many people are buying. You could say CM games are niche games compared to things selling millions of copies, but if you compare different CM games some sell many more than others. According to what I've read Battlefront's comments CMBN and CMSF have been some big sellers, but for example Red Storm has sold less than those. I hope CM Cold War will be one of their best selling titles.

eh

[Vacillator]

6 hours ago, BFCElvis said:

Unrelated.......we reached a milestone in Fire and Rubble last night.

Think I'll check my emails over the weekend.

[Kiukkumöykky]

2 hours ago, Vacilllator said:

Think I'll check my emails over the weekend.

Bah! I've been checking my email daily for the past 2 months before I realized there was a forum to gawk and yell at. 

[Kiukkumöykky]

Is anyone else excited for the Volkssturm? I've been thinking about their use in-game a lot recently and realized that the buddy system might not be the best thing for ammo recovery for these guys since each squad would be using rifles made in several different countries. Baha

[Vacillator]

3 minutes ago, Kiukkumöykky said:

Bah! I've been checking my email daily for the past 2 months before I realized there was a forum to gawk and yell at. 

Yeah, well some day soon I hope . 

Anyway welcome!  I was guessing Finland but google says Canada?

[Kiukkumöykky]

1 minute ago, Vacilllator said:

Yeah, well some day soon I hope . 

Anyway welcome!  I was guessing Finland but google says Canada?

Thanks bud and yeah I am from Canada.. Not as cool as Finland, but I do like the country a lot haha.

[Ultradave]

13 minutes ago, Kiukkumöykky said:

Is anyone else excited for the Volkssturm? I've been thinking about their use in-game a lot recently and realized that the buddy system might not be the best thing for ammo recovery for these guys since each squad would be using rifles made in several different countries. Baha

Enough of them die that this is not an issue

 

[Kiukkumöykky]

4 minutes ago, Ultradave said:

Enough of them die that this is not an issue

 

Yeah I guess you are right. I have a inkling of fear that the 5 rounds that they are given to fight won't even be used if they get shelled by anything. If SF2 told me anything about militia battalions/low quality formations is that they really don't like staying in hard cover in the middle of heavy and long barrages

[Vacillator]

51 minutes ago, Kiukkumöykky said:

I am from Canada.. Not as cool as Finland

I've been to Canada twice and liked it a lot.  Not been to Finland yet...

Edit:  think I've got it now - Angry Blob?

Edited April 16, 2021 by Vacilllator

[BFCElvis]

I just finished "unpinning" nearly every topic in the Fire and Rubble beta forum (2 remain). Almost all of those threads are moot now. That isn't enough to say "very" yet but it's a step closer. 

[Vacillator]

3 minutes ago, BFCElvis said:

That isn't enough to say "very" yet but it's a step closer. 

I'm feeling excited John, thanks  .

[Vergeltungswaffe]

11 hours ago, BFCElvis said:

 

Unrelated.......we reached a milestone in Fire and Rubble last night.

Final Candidate...

[Kiukkumöykky]

52 minutes ago, BFCElvis said:

That isn't enough to say "very" yet but it's a step closer. 

We are in the Endgame now. 

Volkssturm tears will be shed within the fortnight...

[BFCElvis]

2 hours ago, Vergeltungswaffe said:

Final Candidate...

Yes. 

 

1 hour ago, Kiukkumöykky said:

We are in the Endgame now. 

Volkssturm tears will be shed within the fortnight...

Something catastrophic would have to happen for that to now be the case. 

[weapon2010]

21 hours ago, Battlefront.com said:

The problem with this strategy is it's painfully slow.  We've been doing WW2 for 10 years and we're still at 1944 and only now getting 1945 covered.

but you did not forsee that in 2007, agreed?

[chuckdyke]

The German for shotgun is "die Schrotbϋchse " will be interesting how many Volkssturm will be armed with a shotgun. 

[Kiukkumöykky]

3 hours ago, BFCElvis said:

Something catastrophic would have to happen for that to now be the case. 

You are scaring me with how cryptic this seems. Either that or I can't take a hint .

[Battlefront.com]

19 hours ago, BFCElvis said:

I think that I can answer this for Steve.......

Sure. Because we have seen that those will be more popular and a better use of our resources. That seems to be what he has been saying in his last few posts. "We could do it but it would be at the expense of other titles that would be more widely popular"

(I think that I speak "Steve" fluently) 

Well done!  Seems all the years of training were not wasted on you

13 hours ago, SlowMotion said:

I checked an online dictionary about meanings of that word and IMO the best matching choice was
4. (Commerce) (modifier) relating to or aimed at a small specialized group or market

So it's not about how much work is needed, but how many people are buying. You could say CM games are niche games compared to things selling millions of copies, but if you compare different CM games some sell many more than others. According to what I've read Battlefront's comments CMBN and CMSF have been some big sellers, but for example Red Storm has sold less than those. I hope CM Cold War will be one of their best selling titles.

You are both correct.  All wargames fall into a "niche" within the broader gaming industry (RTS games like Total War being undoubtably the largest of all "wargames").  Serious wargames are a "niche" within that broader category.  Combat Mission is a niche within serious wargames, making Combat Mission a niche within a niche within a niche.  That's a lot of niches before we even consider that any one specific Combat Mission game might fall into a niche within Battlefront's customer base. 

When we sit down and figure out what products we are going to do, we think about the balance between customer demand and how much it will take to make.  A game that appeals to 50% of our customer base, but takes 8 months to do, may win out over a game that appeals to 50% with a 2 year development time.  Then again, if the quicker game doesn't overlap much with any other product we make, but the longer one is the beginning of something bigger, then who knows... maybe we go with the much longer development time.  It all depends on the details!  Which, again, is why something like speculative preorders or Kickstarter aren't likely to change the equation at all.

As for Cold War... it has a lot of overlap with CMSF2 and CMBS.  First, the setting itself (terrain and sim elements) are derived from CMBS, which in turn was derived from CMSF1.  Second, the Soviets in Cold War overlap heavily with both games because for the most part because all of the 1970s equipment was still in use.  Taking a modernized version of a T-72 and stripping stuff off of it is very different than having to build a PzKw 1 from scratch.  Third, the TO&E for Cold War, though pretty much brand new to CM, is far more limited in scope than what we'd have to deal with in Barbarossa days.  Well, unless we left out large amounts of fairly common forces.  Which we could do, but I am sure we'd hear howls of disappointment from the very people most interested in buying a Barbarossa game.  And finally, we do think there's more customer appeal for Cold War than Barbarossa.  There's also more appeal with Slitherine's customer base, we think, but we didn't think of that when we started making Cold War as we didn't have any idea a deal with Slitherine was in the making.

Steve

[LukeFF]

3 hours ago, chuckdyke said:

The German for shotgun is "die Schrotbϋchse " will be interesting how many Volkssturm will be armed with a shotgun. 

0

[Aragorn2002]

Each to his own of course, but I don't entirely understand people's fascination with the Volkssturm. Badly armed, badly trained, often badly led, they fought with great courage, but for me not very appealing, although perhaps somewhat useful for flank protection and such.

For me FR is all about Volksgrenadiere, Fallschirmjäger and Waffen SS. 

Edited April 17, 2021 by Aragorn2002

[Dlw]

30 minutes ago, Aragorn2002 said:

Each to his own of course, but I don't entirely understand people's fascination with the Volkssturm. Badly armed, badly trained, often badly led, they fought with great courage, but for me not very appealing, although perhaps somewhat useful for flank protection and such.

For me FR is all about Volksgrenadiere, Fallschirmjäger and Waffen SS. 

I often find it to be entertaining to fight against the odd's, see how long I can hold with what i'm given, which is why I along with others am eager to see just what lengths the development team went into the accuracy and depth of the late war soldiers of the east. The hodge podge nature of the mixed SS, Volkssturm, Polizei, Luftwaffe Auxiliaries, Falschirm., Kriegsmariner and other units in my opinion just makes for a fun challenge considering all of the different variables of what a German commander could expect to receive in 1945 often demanding superior tactics to overcome all the deficiencies that your motivated and well equipped enemy does not share.

[Aragorn2002]

4 minutes ago, Dlw said:

I often find it to be entertaining to fight against the odd's, see how long I can hold with what i'm given, which is why I along with others am eager to see just what lengths the development team went into the accuracy and depth of the late war soldiers of the east. The hodge podge nature of the mixed SS, Volkssturm, Polizei, Luftwaffe Auxiliaries, Falschirm., Kriegsmariner and other units in my opinion just makes for a fun challenge considering all of the different variables of what a German commander could expect to receive in 1945 often demanding superior tactics to overcome all the deficiencies that your motivated and well equipped enemy does not share.

Well, the Volkssturm played a large role in the fighting for East Prussia and towns like Lauban and Bautzen, so I agree with you that we will find some use for them.

I hope we don't have to wait much longer.

[chuckdyke]

7 minutes ago, Aragorn2002 said:

I hope we don't have to wait much longer.

I am just curious what a shotgun will do in CM. Inside buildings they are superb. 

[Aragorn2002]

4 minutes ago, chuckdyke said:

I am just curious what a shotgun will do in CM. Inside buildings they are superb. 

Then buy one, my friend, and visit your neighbour. It's no CM of course, but it will be quite an experience. 

[chuckdyke]

9 minutes ago, Aragorn2002 said:

Then buy one, my friend, and visit your neighbour.

Winchester Defender 12 gauge 7 shots was mine. Still regret I had to sell it, because of some idiot in Tasmania. That one had an open choke so inside building only. Far more effective than a 9mm pistol bullet. My neighbors are a nice bunch of younger men with Harleys, they always take care of my place if I am away. 

Edited April 17, 2021 by chuckdyke