To buy or not to buy

[Freyr Oakenshield]

So..., er... I've been toying with this idea of buying one of the CM2 games, but the priced seem a little steep (discounted 100$ still seems a little high for a computer game...), so I was wondering if you could try to, perhaps, convince me that it's good value for money...? Any new modules coming up? Is this series still alive? Are the developers still looking after it? Are there many scenario available? Any free scenarios? Are there good prospects for the game's growth? ...

[Glubokii Boy]

If you like tactical (realistic) war games...Buying one of these titles will be the best value for money you will ever spend...

The majority of players here have spend several 100 if not 1000 of hours playing these games...

They are addictive !

Choose the theatre wich intrests you the most...the WW2 titles might be a bit more forgiving when it comes to making mistakes compared to the modern titles...

ps...I guess the 100 dollar is a typo ? 

[landser]

Which title are you considering? I won't get in to the growth question, but all scenarios are free, and how many really depends on which title you get.

If bang for the buck is paramount, I'd recommend Battle for Normandy. The big bundle is US $110 so maybe that's the one you are looking at? Lots of content, and especially campaigns, relatively speaking. For modern, the bang for buck best bet is Shock Force 2 in my opinion.

Not sure how I could convince you if it would be worth it to you, but try the demo. If you like it, then I reckon you'll get plenty of value out of the game, and even the series. For most players, Combat Mission is peanuts per hour in the end. If you do not like it, it's an expensive mistake. So try the demo. It's a nice scenario.

 

Edit: Link to demo CMBN Demo

Edited March 6, 2020 by landser

[Attilaforfun]

There are demos for all of them. Try it.

[Freyr Oakenshield]

Is it real time like Close Combat or are there turns?

[landser]

You can choose either style. the turn-based is called WEGO and is brilliant for me. You can opt to play real-time as well.

[Bud Backer]

The series is alive. The developer is small so it takes time but definitely the series is continuing to grow. Just a few months ago a huge module was added for CMFI. Now one is being worked on for CMRT. Others are planned to follow that. 

Scenarios are included in each game, as are campaigns, and maps for “Quick Battles” which let you pick your own forces. There is also an editor to design your own maps, and if you wish, scenarios, though that requires some more work on your part.

There are user-made free maps and battles and even campaigns available for download. 

More than anything, I’d say this: these are simulations, and as such, less concerned with balance and more with realistic combat. One has to accept that losing is part of the experience, and that there is an incredible amount of learning to be done about how real world tactics and weapons perform. Not from a memorization standpoint, but thinking about how and why something does or doesn’t work. If you get into it, the cost will seem fairly insignificant over time as many spend hundred if not thousands of hours with these simulations.

Try the demos.

Think about the time and place you’d enjoy most fighting in - There are modern and WWII titles.

To get an idea of the sort of mental exercise these games are I would strongly suggest you look at all the “Tactical Toolbox” sections of @Bil Hardenberger’s superb blog, found here:

https://battledrill.blogspot.com/2013/08/tactical-skills-001-key-tactical.html

They will give a lot of insight into how these sims function, which may tell You if they are a good fit for what you like in a game.

Finally, I would suggest you look at an AAR here on the forum for the game you think interests you the most, to see how someone who’s experienced plays. It gives an excellent perspective of what play is like and what to expect - certainly if you plan on playing against a human, which I can heartily recommend as the best part of this system. 

Edited March 6, 2020 by Bud Backer

[Freyr Oakenshield]

Are there any campaigns or only single scenarios?

[Bud Backer]

See my post above yours

[landser]

And I believe I mentioned this as well a little further up

[Warts 'n' all]

To buy or not to buy? I seem to remember a certain playwright used to say that every time is was his turn to get the beers in.

Given the nature of your questions, can I ask how you found your way to this forum in the first place? I'd found out the basics before I even knew that there was a forum. In the meantime I'd echo the above advice. Find the theatre, or front, that most interests you, then give the demos a whirl.

[JoMac]

Yes, Friar Tuck...Get one of the WWII Titles (there the only ones that count) so you can play against one of the H2H Players, like myself (I'm an easy kill :-).

Joe

[umlaut]

I usually say this when people say that CM games are expensive:

I have lots of games that have cost me 20 or 30 $ - and I have played them less than 10 hours. Then there´s CMBN. It costs far more, but it has given me thousands of hours of gameplay - and still does.  So when it comes to price per hour of gameplay, CMBN is by far the cheapest game I ever bought.

Like the others, I recommend you try the demos: If you like playing them, then you have found a game that you probably wont get tired of for a very long time.

[MikeyD]

When a new CM title first comes out purchasers play the basegame happily for months and years before a module shows up. If the cost of a full multi-module series is too steep for you just buy the basegame and play the hell out of it like the original purchasers did.

The CM game engine is actively supported, all titles (except for CM:Afghanistan) run on the same fully updated game engine. If a game engine change occurs while working on one title all the rest receive free patches to keep everything up to date. There's a lot of new CM content in the works, especially the big Combat Mission Red Thunder module that brings to war on the eastern front up to VE day.

Awhile back when someone asked which CM title to buy I suggested this. Have a friend make the decision for you. If you're disappointed in his choice that means you really wanted that other title all along. 

[Freyr Oakenshield]

What's "VE day"?

[MikeyD]

'Victory in Europe' day, May 8, 1945.

[rocketman]

6 hours ago, umlaut said:

I usually say this when people say that CM games are expensive:

I have lots of games that have cost me 20 or 30 $ - and I have played them less than 10 hours. Then there´s CMBN. It costs far more, but it has given me thousands of hours of gameplay - and still does.  So when it comes to price per hour of gameplay, CMBN is by far the cheapest game I ever bought.

Like the others, I recommend you try the demos: If you like playing them, then you have found a game that you probably wont get tired of for a very long time.

@Freyr Oakenshield I agree completely with above statement. The game series has been the bargain of my life. And if you, like me, take a dive into the editor and start to make scenarios or just test stuff, then there are hundreds and hundreds of hours of additional value.

[Artkin]

Black sea is fun. Waiting for that module though. It will be better than Shock Force 2 by then...

[Freyberg]

I once bought one of the Total War games - it kept me mildly entertained for about 45min before I got bored.

Combat Mission in its various permutations has had me hooked for around 15 years (since CMBB came out, whenever that was) - and I'm still finding new aspects to explore (currently enjoying designing QB maps and adding AI plans).

[Erwin]

1 hour ago, rocketman said:

I have lots of games that have cost me 20 or 30 $ - and I have played them less than 10 hours. Then there´s CMBN. It costs far more, but it has given me thousands of hours of gameplay - and still does. 

+1   Many of us here have kept the CM2 games on our HD for years as the game can be addictive.  Best value games ever.

[Erwin]

1 minute ago, Freyberg said:

I once bought one of the Total War games - it kept me mildly entertained for about 45min before I got bored.

I have to say that I have just reinstalled the original "Rome: Total War" on my Win 7 machine and it still one of the greatest games of its type.  

[Warts 'n' all]

6 hours ago, Erwin said:

I have to say that I have just reinstalled the original "Rome: Total War" on my Win 7 machine and it still one of the greatest games of its type.  

Their best title as far as I concerned. As opposed to the farcical "Empire", where Willem van Oranje and Gay King Billy die at different times despite being one and the same person.

[landser]

I've played all TW titles aside from the first Medieval and first Shogun, and Rome 2 and the new Chinese one. Of the rest, Napoleon was my favorite. I feel like gunpowder is a sweetspot, much more tactical than melee.  Shogun 2 was interesting because it was a mix of gunpowder and steel. I really liked Attila too. Great campaign.

But ya know what, despite my affinity for history, and despite my bias, I ended up trying Warhammer. Fantasy TW didn't interest me. Even back in the Med 2 days with the Middle Earth mod, I ignored it despite it's popularity (Stanless Steel mod was the one I played). But now I rate Warhammer 2 as the best TW title. Some dismiss it because it is not historical, but I'm glad I stopped doing that. The 'factionality' as I like to call it is amazing. Each faction is so unique, and that means everything. Tech trees, mechanics, units, special abilities. Replayability is sky high on WH2, and especially combined with WH1 in to one, huge, epic campaign.

Back on topic, Feyr, which Combat Mission title are you looking at here? You asked about turn based and I said it's WEGO, which, if you're not familiar, means both sides execute their turns simultaneously. Orders are issued, and there is a 60-second stage where each side carries them out. It then stops for the next round of orders. After 20 years it's still a brilliant system.

 

 

[danfrodo]

To be clear, WEGO is REAL TIME, but with fixed pauses at 1 minute intervals.  We all play this way because we can watch the replay of that one minute from anywhere on the map.  In regular real time, most of the action in large battles is missed because you can't be in two (or four) places at once.  w WEGO, if you have multiple sectors you can watch everything that happens in each sector.

[landser]

9 minutes ago, danfrodo said:

To be clear, WEGO is REAL TIME, but with fixed pauses at 1 minute intervals.

Wut? Real time with fixed pauses sounds like turns to me. Is this a commonly held viewpoint here?

I mean, if it's paused, and you can view unlimited replays how is it real time?

And not everyone plays WEGO