Vacillator Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 17 minutes ago, Lethaface said: preferably meaty bones +1 to that. 22 hours ago, SonsofUltramar said: outside of expansions made by the community, what is the future of CM? I'm particularly concerned for those of us with a WW2 leaning. The focus is obviously on more modern events, which I can understand (particularly with the professional tie-ins) but it leaves me with a feeling that WW2 might be considered largely 'done' apart from the occasional DLC. The ruling out of things like early war, e.g. France, Barbarossa etc. only reinforces this. But I hope I'm wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kohlenklau Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 22 minutes ago, Vacillator said: The focus is obviously on more modern events It is all Putin's fault I guess. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Centurian52 Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 It occurs to me that it might not be such a bad thing if the CMBN Battle Pack is still a little ways off. A June 6th 2024 release date for a Battle Pack depicting D-Day would be almost perfect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonsofUltramar Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 3 hours ago, Vacillator said: +1 to that. I'm particularly concerned for those of us with a WW2 leaning. The focus is obviously on more modern events, which I can understand (particularly with the professional tie-ins) but it leaves me with a feeling that WW2 might be considered largely 'done' apart from the occasional DLC. The ruling out of things like early war, e.g. France, Barbarossa etc. only reinforces this. But I hope I'm wrong. If the CMx2 base games we have are all we are going to be getting, I dont have any issues with that at all if BFC needs to move on from CM, or just focus CM into modern titles/titles made for British MOD, ect.. There is plenty of experiences to be had within the games that are already released. But I would rather we knew as a community that was the direction this train was going. If BFC is done moving the ball forward on CMx2 content, and CMx3 is not on the table, and the only CMx2 content that is being developed is by the community, then make it official. You all are working with Slitherine/Matrix. Look at what they did with WitP. WitP was a fantastic, really groundbreaking, game. We loved it - but we saw that there was much more that could be done with a lot more work. The official developers (2by3) had moved on, so the community put together some really talented people and created WitP:AE as an official Matrix product, not just a mod - a game that thrives to this day. Steve and everyone at BFC, maybe you all are hard at work on CMx3 or CMx2 Kursk, and are going to drop that bomb on all of us soon. If not, and you all have moved on from actively developing content for CMx2 (not just patching, but content from inhouse BFC) just make that official so we know what the road forward looks like. If its up to us to team up with you all and develop the new content for CMx2, there are many of us who would like to do so - but are waiting to see if CMx3 is a thing thats even being discussed. This also serves well in framing our expectations - if nothing more is coming, then we can stop looking for something new, and start looking at how we can add to what we already have. Many of us have been here a long time - we want to see CM succeed as it is really unique in what it presents. You all have been very good at transparency in the past - would love a little insight into your thoughts on the future of CM. Thanks Chad 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Centurian52 Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 I seriously doubt that we need to worry about the WW2 content getting abandoned 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PIATpunk Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 steve's too busy posting in the Ukraine thread to read any of this. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonsofUltramar Posted October 25, 2023 Share Posted October 25, 2023 2 hours ago, Centurian52 said: I seriously doubt that we need to worry about the WW2 content getting abandoned Abandoned by the community working with BFC, no. We already know of a number of modules being created for WW2 titles by members of the community. The question I am looking for some direction on from BFC is what is BFC's plans for commercial CM? Is BFC done creating content, and is now only managing a 16 year old game engine and supporting community made content? Look at the release schedule of the major CMx2 games (as far as I recall): CMSF 2007 CMBN 2011 CMFI 2012 CMRT 2014 CMBS 2014 CMFB 2016 That means that once the code for CMx2 was stable after a few years of working on CMSF, they released 5 major titles in 6 years. Not counting the many expansions in that same period of time. An amazing pace that took the work of many people for sure. I was there for every single one of those releases and thoroughly enjoyed them all (even tried to enjoy CMA, but that just wasnt my jam). In the 7 years since CMFB, we have seen support of the CMx2 titles, a community made game (CMCW), and a few modules - and I believe most, if not all, of these modules since 2016 have been community made. I would love to hear that work is well underway on CMx3, or say CM Kursk. But I fear that the shift has been made from BFC creating content, to the community creating content under BFC. Not exactly the worst case scenario - we have some really talented members of our community. But I would be sad to see the content stream from BFC stop - that content stream has been something I have enjoyed for the last 23 years. My gut feeling is that our New Years bone in January will just be all the things that were suppose to happen this year, many of which are community created, and didnt. If that is the case, BFC, it may be time to just be honest that the ball has shifted to us to create content. Or, announce that CMx3 is releasing in 2024 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artkin Posted October 25, 2023 Share Posted October 25, 2023 CM Fall Blau first !!!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danfrodo Posted October 25, 2023 Share Posted October 25, 2023 2 hours ago, Artkin said: CM Fall Blau first !!!!! I just hope this happens in my lifetime. If not, I wonder at what level of hell (where I'm going) one no longer gets CM? I am guessing by level 4 all you get is Company of Heroes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulletpoint Posted October 25, 2023 Share Posted October 25, 2023 I'm just surprised some people still think this is a game in active development. Even after years and years of pretty much no progress, apart from a couple of content packs and CMCW which was basically a mod. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Centurian52 Posted October 25, 2023 Share Posted October 25, 2023 13 hours ago, SonsofUltramar said: Abandoned by the community working with BFC, no. We already know of a number of modules being created for WW2 titles by members of the community. The question I am looking for some direction on from BFC is what is BFC's plans for commercial CM? Is BFC done creating content, and is now only managing a 16 year old game engine and supporting community made content? Look at the release schedule of the major CMx2 games (as far as I recall): CMSF 2007 CMBN 2011 CMFI 2012 CMRT 2014 CMBS 2014 CMFB 2016 That means that once the code for CMx2 was stable after a few years of working on CMSF, they released 5 major titles in 6 years. Not counting the many expansions in that same period of time. An amazing pace that took the work of many people for sure. I was there for every single one of those releases and thoroughly enjoyed them all (even tried to enjoy CMA, but that just wasnt my jam). In the 7 years since CMFB, we have seen support of the CMx2 titles, a community made game (CMCW), and a few modules - and I believe most, if not all, of these modules since 2016 have been community made. I would love to hear that work is well underway on CMx3, or say CM Kursk. But I fear that the shift has been made from BFC creating content, to the community creating content under BFC. Not exactly the worst case scenario - we have some really talented members of our community. But I would be sad to see the content stream from BFC stop - that content stream has been something I have enjoyed for the last 23 years. My gut feeling is that our New Years bone in January will just be all the things that were suppose to happen this year, many of which are community created, and didnt. If that is the case, BFC, it may be time to just be honest that the ball has shifted to us to create content. Or, announce that CMx3 is releasing in 2024 No I'm talking about official Battlefront content, not the community (though I'm not worried about the community abandoning WW2 either). There is no reason for us to be worried about WW2 content being abandoned by BFC. Base game releases make far too small of a sample size to really judge where their main focus is from them alone. But even going by base game releases there is no indication of a switch to a modern focus. I would certainly hesitate to call the most recent base game, CMCW, a modern title (it's only "modern" in the sense that it's more recent than WW2). And the next most recent base game to be released was CMFB. There hasn't been a truly modern title since CMBS, and that hasn't even gotten a single module or Battle Pack released yet (though there is a finished module standing by for the war to end). But most official Combat Mission content comes in the form of modules and Battle Packs to existing base games, which gives us a much more useful sample size to work with. And from that it seems pretty clear that they are still very much interested in WW2. The Fire and Rubble module for CMRT was released at approximately the same time that CMCW was released. Of the four projects that were announced at the beginning of this very thread, one was a module for CMCW, but the other three were all for WW2 titles. A module for CMFB, and Battle Packs for CMBN and CMFI. I don't know where or when the next base game will be set (though they announced a while back that it's going to be a while until they do more base games, since they want to get modules out for all existing games). I would offer a low confidence guess (say, 60% probability) that it is probably going to be WW2 (historically BFC tends to do more WW2 content than content for any other era). The current suite of modules will bring all the fronts up to the end of the war, so it should finally be about time to start rolling the clock back to earlier in the war by the time they do another base game (Perhaps Kursk or Tunisia 1943). But I definitely won't complain if it's a modern title (there are both current and potential near future conflicts that are worth covering). I really don't have a strong preference for any one era. For me a big part of the Combat Mission experience comes from playing all the games, set across all the eras that have been covered so far (WW2, Cold War, and modern), to get a sense for how warfare has changed over time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Centurian52 Posted October 25, 2023 Share Posted October 25, 2023 6 hours ago, Bulletpoint said: I'm just surprised some people still think this is a game in active development. Even after years and years of pretty much no progress, apart from a couple of content packs and CMCW which was basically a mod. A mod for what? Sure, you might be able to find most of the Soviet equipment in CMSF2. But almost all of the American equipment has never been seen before in any Combat Mission title. Just how unique does a base game have to be? Are all the WW2 titles mods for each other? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Canadian Cat Posted October 25, 2023 Share Posted October 25, 2023 17 hours ago, PIATpunk said: steve's too busy posting in the Ukraine thread to read any of this. I am fairly certain @Battlefront.com can walk and chew gum at the same time 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Canadian Cat Posted October 25, 2023 Share Posted October 25, 2023 6 hours ago, Bulletpoint said: I'm just surprised some people still think this is a game in active development. Even after years and years of pretty much no progress, apart from a couple of content packs and CMCW which was basically a mod. Wow that seems a bit unfair. Sorry, not sorry, you aren't getting new toys fast enough. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarlXII Posted October 25, 2023 Share Posted October 25, 2023 27 minutes ago, IanL said: I am fairly certain @Battlefront.com can walk and chew gum at the same time We havn't seen much of the 'chew gum' part lately... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Centurian52 Posted October 25, 2023 Share Posted October 25, 2023 10 minutes ago, CarlXII said: We havn't seen much of the 'chew gum' part lately... Development takes time and Battlefront is a small company, so you've got to think on a scale of years, not months. We got two big releases in 2021 (CMCW and the Fire and Rubble module for CMRT). 2022 was mostly lost to PBEM++ development, though we would have gotten a module for CMBS if the war hadn't broken out (current events robbed us of the content, but the work had clearly been done). Basically the only data point for the alleged lack of gum chewing is that none of the projects that were announced at the beginning of 2023 have been released yet. But sometimes work on a project goes slower than expected (and I don't recall any release dates being promised on those). I'd advise patience. I think there's a very good chance that we'll be getting new content in 2024 (and 2023 isn't over yet). If we get nothing in 2024 then it might be fair to start complaining a little more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grey_Fox Posted October 25, 2023 Share Posted October 25, 2023 (edited) 1 hour ago, Centurian52 said: The Fire and Rubble module for CMRT was released at approximately the same time that CMCW was released The Fire & Rubble battlepack took **several** years to go from announcement to release. By contrast CMCW, a full game, took only something like 18 months from start to finish. Edited October 25, 2023 by Grey_Fox Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarlXII Posted October 25, 2023 Share Posted October 25, 2023 18 minutes ago, Centurian52 said: I'd advise patience. I think there's a very good chance that we'll be getting new content in 2024 (and 2023 isn't over yet). If we get nothing in 2024 then it might be fair to start complaining a little more. I'm seriously dissapointed with recent progress and parts of the updates/ info sharing i can't deny it but as you said....I will wait until the 2024 new years-bone to see if i will drop CM for good... I never thought that would happen !! I've been along since CMBB... but i just don't enjoy it currently...The lack of progress simply frustrates me more than the enjoyment i used to get from playing the game...I hope things will change for the better soon....It still is the best tactical game ever made...but that just isn't enough for me any more... And the lack of comments when it comes to CM3 is a complete PR fiasko imo... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kohlenklau Posted October 25, 2023 Share Posted October 25, 2023 I have made many posts with suggestions and requests. I try to now stop. Paraphrasing Steve: "We know best/better." 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benpark Posted October 25, 2023 Share Posted October 25, 2023 57 minutes ago, Grey_Fox said: The Fire & Rubble battlepack took **several** years to go from announcement to release. By contrast CMCW, a full game, took only something like 18 months from start to finish. It was about 2 years total spent on active FR work. That was along with Covid interferences. The team for FR was far smaller, as well. The work done on FR speaks for itself. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwolf Posted October 25, 2023 Share Posted October 25, 2023 I don't mind so much that there is no new Charles-involved content (aka not a scenario pack). I am disappointed when new patches [i]do[/i] get released without addressing well-known bugs. All that release building and testing for nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kohlenklau Posted October 25, 2023 Share Posted October 25, 2023 (edited) 2 hours ago, Centurian52 said: Just how unique does a base game have to be? Are all the WW2 titles mods for each other? My hypothesis is that the various titles are ALL just mods of the first base game. But the BFC folks can change the gamecode and thus are "super-modders" with capability beyond the normal mortal modder. BASE GAME: Everything is just Red versus Blue. Red side has equipment with physics spreadsheet R1 through Rn. Red voices, Red UI ranks, names, portraits, branches, uniforms, squad types, etc. Blue side has equipment with physics spreadsheet B1 through Bn Blue voices, Blue UI ranks, names, portraits, branches, uniforms, squad types, etc. Sometimes Red has a buddy Pink, maybe several buddies. Sometimes Blue might also. The gamecode is the gamecode and can be applied to various conflicts. Special tweaks such as "WW2 Italians cannot split up into teams" are done by super-modders only. Adding a new vehicle into the physics spreadsheet also. COME ON POWERBALL! Edited October 25, 2023 by kohlenklau Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Canadian Cat Posted October 25, 2023 Share Posted October 25, 2023 59 minutes ago, kohlenklau said: I have made many posts with suggestions and requests. I try to now stop. Paraphrasing Steve: "We know best/better." LOL I'm fairly certain that Steve feels exactly the same. Except he *has* stopped talking to the wall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Canadian Cat Posted October 25, 2023 Share Posted October 25, 2023 2 hours ago, CarlXII said: We havn't seen much of the 'chew gum' part lately... We never see the chew gum part out here until he has fashioned a great looking bubble. OK maybe that analogy has run its course Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vacillator Posted October 25, 2023 Share Posted October 25, 2023 13 minutes ago, IanL said: chew gum part out here until he has fashioned a great looking bubble In the UK, 'chewing gum' is not the same as 'bubble gum'. Perhaps that's the problem? Okay enough already . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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