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It's the German setup from CMBB.

CMBB/CMAK were better than CMBO.  Features and mechanics were added.  In particular, the later 2 games were more balanced between offense and defense.

I like CMBB a little bit better.  CMAK introduced kicked up dust.  This was very noticeable.  The player knew what it meant, but not the AI.  However, it was turned on and off with smoke effects.  Smoke is real necessary and there was no good answer for CMAK SP.

There were even features which never found their way back into the game:

ORDER DELAYS:  The more waypoints, the longer before a unit moves out.  The delay varied based on the number of waypoints and experience.

PATHS:  You click any path visible on the map, and then edit it.

JAM:  The swapping out of hot HMG-42 barrels.

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4 hours ago, markshot said:

There were even features which never found their way back into the game:

ORDER DELAYS:  The more waypoints, the longer before a unit moves out.  The delay varied based on the number of waypoints and experience.

PATHS:  You click any path visible on the map, and then edit it.

JAM:  The swapping out of hot HMG-42 barrels.

+1 Interesting stuff.  I got CMAK from GOG about a year ago but have not had much time to play it.

I kind of like the idea of order delays and Jams.  Although I'm sure a friendly Jam would often result in me cursing at the PC monitor. :lol:

Not sure if this is the same thing as PATH but in one of the updates to CM2 moving waypoints was added.

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CMBB should be capable of much more than 1024 x 768 (I think 2560 x 1440 or something along those lines might be the maximum). However it does utilize distinct resolutions that were typically of the 4:3 ratio that markshot mentioned. With current widescreen displays this may mean either the entire image gets stretched (usually horizontally) or there are black bars on each side (a 'letterboxing' of sorts). An important consideration is the vertical resolution of your monitor/display (the '768' of your current resolution). If the next higher vertical resolution is beyond your display it won't get offered during the resolution selection process. I can't remember if the next higher resolution has a vertical component of either 960 or 1024. For most 'HD' 1920 x 1080 displays the maximum resolution will usually be 1280 x 1024 (there might be a 1366 x 960 or something).

Deleting the 'prefs' file will usually start the resolution selection process on the next launch of the game. Typically it will start at the highest possible resolution and vertical refresh rate (discerned between your video driver and possibly the display). You typically select a resolution by clicking the 'Select' or 'OK' button that shows up within the box that lists the current resolution and vertical refresh rate. If the selection isn't made within 5 seconds, then the next lower vertical refresh rate is tried until 60Hz (or so) is reached. At that point the next lower resolution is tried, but at the highest possible refresh rate. This all proceeds until 800 x 600 at 60Hz is reached. If nothing is selected then a DirectX error is generated and the game/process exits. You can simply try again (the process does not 'loop around' to try again, you must relaunch).

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27 minutes ago, MOS:96B2P said:

 

I kind of like the idea of order delays and Jams.  Although I'm sure a friendly Jam would often result in me cursing at the PC monitor. :lol:

 

If we ever get to play the early eastern front years in CM2 something simular ought to be considdered....

To simulate the complete mess that was russian C2 at that time...

And by the way CMBB is one of the best computetgames ever made imo...for it's time....AWESOME ! 😁

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You could move, add, delete waypoints.

But what I mean is when all paths were displayed, you could click on any path and that would select the owning unit of the path.  So, you didn't have to first find the owning unit to edit the path.

All QBs and scenarios had difficulty settings beside FOW.

So, you increase or decrease the units favoring one side.  It would just be more of the same if it was +20%.

Also, you could set the AI's skill level.  So, +1 meant every OPFOR units was buffed by one skill level.

---

In general unlike CMx2, you did not split squads.  The sum of the teams were not equal to the whole.  They would prove to be more brittle.

Due to "borg spotting" or "absolute spotting" you learned to set up ATGs in keyhole LOS.  Because as soon as it fired, every tank on the map knew of its existence.  The only way the ATG could survive for a while was with keyhole LOS; otherwise everything would open up.

---

There were some magic numbers too.  Like 200M.  This was the spotting distance for most non-AFV heavy weapons.  So, you wanted to put HMGs back and screen them with some infantry.  Because as soon as an HMG was spotted every tank on the map bring its turret around.  The AI had a target hierarchy:  tanks, ATGs, panzerschrecks, HMGs, mortar, grunts ...  But you could suppress global target fixation by setting up covered arcs.

The current CM family may be far better than CMBO/CMBB/CMAK, but those games were great fun.  BFC has narrowed their content offering considerably.  The CMx1 games covered the entire war, but the Pacific.  When you think what you go with one title, it was tremendous value.

---

I should say something about Sid Meier here.  To the best of my recollection he introduced realtime combat with a 3D isometric map with his Gettysburg series.  Sid, broke much new ground in many genres.

Many people played Close Combat 1-5 (2D top down), but you lose the whole tactical battlefield like that.  It's okay for operations, but not a tactical game.

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45 minutes ago, markshot said:

Many people played Close Combat 1-5 (2D top down), but you lose the whole tactical battlefield like that.  It's okay for operations, but not a tactical game.

CC3 was the first tactical-ish 😊...computergame i played...i had great fun with it but i remember thinking for my self "if only this game was 3D"...then one day by chans i spotted some pictures of CMBO on the net..."oooohhh....what the he...l is this !!...my,my, my...this looks exactelly like something i'm wishing for...i gotta have this ! ".

I managed to find some AARs on the net (by Fionn Kelly i belive) and got even more exited...

I searched all the gamingshops in my own and neihhboring towns and finaly found a boxed copy 😁...

I"ve been hocked ever since...

Edited by RepsolCBR
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45 minutes ago, markshot said:

You could move, add, delete waypoints.  But what I mean is when all paths were displayed, you could click on any path and that would select the owning unit of the path.  So, you didn't have to first find the owning unit to edit the path.

I should say something about Sid Meier here.  To the best of my recollection he introduced realtime combat with a 3D isometric map with his Gettysburg series.  Sid, broke much new ground in many genres.

Okay, understood.

I spent many, many hours playing Sid Meier PC games.  Excellent games, especially for their time.   

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Man, CMAK.

Played so many PBEM's in the early desert where my opponents and I were fielding crap tanks or AC's, blazing away at each other over 1000m away and missing wildly.

Came down to who ran out of ammo and had to withdraw first more times than you'd think. So glorious.

Still hoping we'll get the desert again someday. Maybe in CMx3...

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3 hours ago, RepsolCBR said:

I kind of like the idea of order delays and Jams.  Although I'm sure a friendly Jam would often result in me cursing at the PC monitor. :lol:

 

Many of us complained that order delays were eliminated in CM2.  We thought that feature was a good way of showing the effects of higher training and experience.  However, we were told that it was a hated feature and that most (presumably those who had the ear of BF) wanted it gone.  

Handling the challenges of order delays was a skill in itself and those who could master it had an advantage.  Considering all the efforts to make the game as complex/realistic as possible by some, one would have thought that order delays would be popular today.

 

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8 hours ago, Sgt.Squarehead said:

It made convoying even harder than it currently is though.....Do you remember the sort of delays you could get sending a Conscript tuck for a long drive?

Aye people think managing convoys in CMX2 is a pain. Try doing it in CMX1 with a mix of experience units in one unit... urgh...

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10 hours ago, Erwin said:

Many of us complained that order delays were eliminated in CM2.  We thought that feature was a good way of showing the effects of higher training and experience.  However, we were told that it was a hated feature and that most (presumably those who had the ear of BF) wanted it gone.  

Handling the challenges of order delays was a skill in itself and those who could master it had an advantage.  Considering all the efforts to make the game as complex/realistic as possible by some, one would have thought that order delays would be popular today.

 

My guess was it was removed to aid RT play.

Do many play CM RT?

I cannot imagine playing RT given how much time I invest in just small scenario with planning.

REMEMBER:  They may have removed Borg Spotting, but among the units on the map there is only one brain.

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19 minutes ago, markshot said:

My guess was it was removed to aid RT play.

Do many play CM RT?

I cannot imagine playing RT given how much time I invest in just small scenario with planning.

REMEMBER:  They may have removed Borg Spotting, but among the units on the map there is only one brain.

I used to play RT regularly. I really enjoyed the pace and ability to intervene. 
 

now though I play all WEGO. Mainly cos AI plan testing so I fast forward just to see the plan unfold. Also I like rewatching these glorious and/or WTF!? moments that occur. Like when you blow stuff up or your stuff goes boom!

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If we someday will be able to play co-operative multiplayer...then RT will be a far more intresting option imo...

Preferably combine this with an option to watch THE WHOLE battle as a movie (with FOW toggled on or off) after the fight...

Being able to flip between the various units...both friendly and enemy.

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One of the best parts for me was how stealthy some weapons could be. You could have anti tank rifles or even MGs sometimes when firing at long range with a leader with a camouflage bonus remain just sound contacts for a long time. And you had to get rather close to spot them, unlike now where it is rare, it happens but it is rare, that a shooter is not located after a minute or two.

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Leaders in CM1 had a much more obvious effect on troops.  In CM2 the leadership benefits are so subtle that one rarely notices (even tho's statistically they are supposed to have an effect).  It's as if CM2 mitigates the effects of outstanding leadership so as to create squads and platoons that are more cookie-cutter.  Have wondered if that reflects the modern philosophy of armies - perhaps they do not want to depict anything too outstanding - "everyone is trained the same, therefore everyone acts the same" like automatons.

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