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2 hours ago, mjkerner said:

I thought that was the Discord thingy that’s discussed on another thread on this forum?

Are you talking about multi player support? If so discord is just a comms channel. Like text messages, slack, FB messenger or email. Each have their strengths and weaknesses and different popularity for different communities. None of those systems can automatically launch games or manage files.

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40 minutes ago, RepsolCBR said:

 

If you can't rely on your target zones being fired on it makes it somewhat difficult to plan the whole thing 🤓

And this relates to the initial barrage. It does not really get any better after this barrage has been conducted. On the contrary...now you as the designer have no controll over how the AI will conduct its indirect support...not where...and not when...

Oooh, maybe some... via the use of reinforcements and TRPs. But this will be even more random...and maybe.

And since the AI seems to have no coordination between ground movement and artillery things are likely to turn out messy...

If an AI FO ot HQ units decides to call for support it will do so without regard for the overall situation it seems...simply because that Hq/FO sees some juicy targets...

What the AI infantry are doing seems to be of little concern...

Consequently...the AI groundunits will folliw its scripted movement path regarles of friendly artillery falling in the path of itd intendent target....and the FO/hq will not cancel that barrage even when it becomes obvious that it will fall on friendly troops...

This is less then ideal 💣😫😳

Compare this with having very high controll over how the AI conducts its artillery via triggers, areafire and such...resulting in well timed, well targeted barrages with no/ limited friendly casualties...the ability to deliver smoke on the desired locations at the desired times...

If a was an AI trooper i sure would prefer the later 😁

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2 hours ago, Combatintman said:

Set the guns to have less ammunition then.  If you need arty for stuff going on later add extra batteries as reinforcements.

Well I suppose that is one option.....I'll probably try switching a few settings TBH, but it's the unpredictabilty of the thing that's the main issue for me. 

I'm trying to teach myself to write better scenarios and to do that I need to know how things work, so the scenario itself is often less important to me than the learning process (hell, you of all people know what I'm like on that front).  ;)

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On map artillery will fire on a painted-on 'fire' target zone while that order is active, lets say from 15:00 to 16:30 for example. In the past I've linked the order to triggers. The enemy wanders onto a trigger zone, on-map mortars starts dropping rounds onto their target zone.

I've been surprised by the AI targeting 'support targets' (in the AI plan) with off-map assets a good half hour into a scenario. It'll just start dropping mortar bomb on one of your painted target areas at the most inconvenient times. Usually that only happens first turn into a game. I've got a scenario in the works where the defenders are under constant harassing fire. Mortars get dropped on them, tanks area fire on suspected locations, machine guns spray the area. Its quite a fireworks display.

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19 minutes ago, MikeyD said:

On map artillery will fire on a painted-on 'fire' target zone while that order is active, lets say from 15:00 to 16:30 for example. In the past I've linked the order to triggers. The enemy wanders onto a trigger zone, on-map mortars starts dropping rounds onto their target zone.

Yes...this is the feature i would like to see expanded on...to include off-map assets and the ability to chose between smoke and HE.

It will give the scenariodesigners the controll they need to program some decent AI artillery activity.

And the fact that the designers gets controll of the AI artillery does not have to mean that every AI artiillery barrage in every scenario has to be perfect...

Via the use of triggerzones and the actuall locations of the areafire target zones the designer can mix good with bad AI firemissions as he sees fit. 😊

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On 1/4/2021 at 5:55 AM, Battlefront.com said:

I should have stated up front that we do intend on rolling out Modules for Final Blitzkrieg & Black Sea, and perhaps some Battle Packs for others.  But we're not quite ready to discuss the details so I skipped mentioning that for now.  I didn't mean to imply that precludes 2021 release dates.  We'll know better in a couple of months after a few more boxes are checked off.

Good to hear. That gives me hope for experiencing Battle of the Schelde, Varsity, Remagen or Battle of the Ruhr, Harz Mountain etc. once that module concludes the war in the west in CM:FB and of course playing with Comet and Pershing tanks :-).

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Thanks for the update on what lies ahead this year for BF and CM.

I'm still hoping that we might yet be gifted with the capability for head to head campaigns for PBEM. Not a feature for the casual scenario player but many long term CM players have regular gaming opponents and playing a series of linked battles with carried over casualties would spice up CM no end. 

Second on my wish list has always been persistent battlefields, would enhance those H2H campaign games even more.

In my view modelling of street and house to house fighting is the least immersive in CM; given the new modules have more MOUT content now than ever, would be nice to see some further improvements in this area.

I'd like to see large flavour objects offering cover and concealment - there's so much that could be done with these to scenario maps, potentially adding greater fidelity to street fighting tactics. I would suppose that cover degradation is a sticking point though so I get that it's not a 'low lying fruit' for easy implementation.  
 

Edited by The Steppenwulf
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3 minutes ago, BornGinger said:

Proper house to house fighting with different rooms on each floor and basements where the troops can fight is probably something for CM3 if that engine ever will arrive.

 

I like to see that attics can be used for OP's and troops can modify buildings. To depend on doors to enter is just ridiculous (windows should be an exit or entrance too). Brick and rooftiles can be removed in a matter of a few minutes. if you set up a defense before you start, making trenches or foxholes in a house should be possible. Rooms could be sandbagged. Have something like a house and bunker in one. Foxholes to be spotted by fit and trained troops is also more realistic (Veterans) and above or scouts and snipers. Infantry can share spotting by walking up to a tank inside a turn. It can be done without unnecessary eye candy.  

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36 minutes ago, BornGinger said:

Proper house to house fighting with different rooms on each floor and basements where the troops can fight is probably something for CM3 if that engine ever will arrive.

I wasn't thinking anything as far ahead as this. More like some improved animations on house storming such as infantry backs to walls and stand up grenade throws etc.. I'm not a Company of Heroes player in particular, but house fighting is much more immersive for these reasons in that game.

More advanced version of this might move to include a specific house assault action function for carrying out a building assault - the infantry then carrying out a scripted procedure with set of animations. Specific assault function would get away from the present standard movements (slow, hunt, quick) all of which can make a difference to success. For me presently that feels very unsatisfying.

Lastly, a specific house assault action icon (e.g. flashing arrow on the house being assaulted) would add a bit more game immersion in the command phase rather than the usual movement path lines. 

Edited by The Steppenwulf
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9 minutes ago, chuckdyke said:

I like to see that attics can be used for OP's and troops can modify buildings. To depend on doors to enter is just ridiculous (windows should be an exit or entrance too). Brick and rooftiles can be removed in a matter of a few minutes. if you set up a defense before you start, making trenches or foxholes in a house should be possible. Rooms could be sandbagged. Have something like a house and bunker in one. Foxholes to be spotted by fit and trained troops is also more realistic (Veterans) and above or scouts and snipers. Infantry can share spotting by walking up to a tank inside a turn. It can be done without unnecessary eye candy.  

Agreed. I think proper reinforced buildings (and some applicable house models to depict it) have been requested by some members of the community for a good few many years since now. It's especially relevant given the Berlin module, but the Soviets implemented strongholds when they were on the defensive in the war also. 

Putting foxholes half-in buildings as a work around (or as game compensation), really doesn't cut it in terms of immersion for me.

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35 minutes ago, The Steppenwulf said:

Agreed. I think proper reinforced buildings (and some applicable house models to depict it) have been requested by some members of the community for a good few many years since now. It's especially relevant given the Berlin module, but the Soviets implemented strongholds when they were on the defensive in the war also. 

Atleast they have improved the staying power of troops inside buildings...

Things like HE- and flamethrowers will be more important now to rout troops out of biildings.

Thats a small step forward... as is the improved pathfinding in and out of buildings that will release with the module i belive.

Additional improvements to urban fighting would be most welcome for sure but I think that BornGinger is right here...

1 hour ago, BornGinger said:

Proper house to house fighting with different rooms on each floor and basements where the troops can fight is probably something for CM3 if that engine ever will arrive.

 

 

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It has been mentioned elsewhere, but would like to see more scenarios that are designed to be played by one side only. I have been looking at the R2V sce arios and too many, in my opinion, seem to be designed for H2H, which, having played some of them now, are too easy for single player. 

I would also like to see how you can target buildings to change, as too often you cannot target. 

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On 1/7/2021 at 6:48 PM, AlexUK said:

I have been looking at the R2V sce arios and too many, in my opinion, seem to be designed for H2H, which, having played some of them now, are too easy for single player. 

I would agree with you, but at the same time, I am now an experienced player. I remember back when I was a new player, how incredibly difficult this game seemed. It's good that the general difficulty is a bit less, I think. Then people can advance to PBEM for a real challenge later.

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Are we going to see F&R pre-orders before then?

Pre-orders used to have some genuine utility back when BFC had to judge how many paper manuals and game CDs they should produce for release. Now when 99% of sales is online download I don't know what utility pre-ordering has anymore. Also sales through Steam has thrown BFC's sales forecast numbers all out of whack. Pre-order is still a pretty good marketing gimmick to generate some 'buzz' before the release date.

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