Home of Wargames Event

[BFCElvis]

Slitherine will be holding their Home of Wargames event today at Noon EDT. Combat Mission will be the 2nd game discussed. The announcements (yes, there will be 2 new announcements) should be around 12:10 EDT.

Here's a link to the link:
 

https://www.matrixgames.com/news/home-of-wargamers-live-event-announcement

[BFCElvis]

Also, everything that we offer on Steam is on sale on the Battlefront website.

 

[dkchapuis]

is there a recording of that live event?  Looked on the matrix site and couldnt find it.  Asking here because I assume others will be interested too.

[BFCElvis]

20 minutes ago, dkchapuis said:

is there a recording of that live event?  Looked on the matrix site and couldnt find it.  Asking here because I assume others will be interested too.

They usually post it on the YouTubes. I haven't found that yet but they did post a recap web page. I LOVE the Fortress Italy video that @Hapless made. 

 

https://www.matrixgames.com/news/what-happened-at-home-of-wargamers

 

 

[Artkin]

Dude, WTF is that picture? Completely and totally misleading. That is exactly the type of business I wouldn't buy from.

A flipped over tank? Wow. 

[Grey_Fox]

5 minutes ago, Artkin said:

Dude, WTF is that picture? Completely and totally misleading. That is exactly the type of business I wouldn't buy from.

A flipped over tank? Wow. 

It's just artwork - most advertising has it.

Edited September 12, 2023 by Grey_Fox

[Sunbather]

I must admit I am a bit pissed that Slitherine/Matrix turned off the ability on Steam to complete a bundle when you already have parts of it.

For example: you only have CM Normandy and Commonwealth. Just a few months ago you were able to buy the complete bundle at a discounted price, MINUS the parts of the game you already owned.

This got changed. I have Fortress Italy and Gustav Line. However, I only have the option now to buy the full bundle at the full price of 90 euro, disregarding completely that I already own two items of the three-parts bundle.

I think this is really ****ty business practice; especially since it was possible earlier.

[Hapless]

@BFCElvis Thanks very much ! Though to fair, I just recorded the footage, someone else cut it down to size and stitched it back together for the trailer.

@dkchapuis Here you go, this is the start of the CM chunk of the live event: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1923663906?t=00h48m50s

[BFCElvis]

16 minutes ago, Grey_Fox said:

It's just artwork - most advertising has it.

Correct. It is what appears on the Store screen. It is no different than the artwork on the cover of our DVD cases. Frankly, when I saw it I thought it was the best one of all the Steam pictures so far.

 

When you go to the store page there are plenty of in game screenshots and the video posted above.

[BFCElvis]

4 minutes ago, Sunbather said:

I must admit I am a bit pissed that Slitherine/Matrix turned off the ability on Steam to complete a bundle when you already have parts of it.

For example: you only have CM Normandy and Commonwealth. Just a few months ago you were able to buy the complete bundle at a discounted price, MINUS the parts of the game you already owned.

I am 99.999999999999999% sure that they never offered this for any Combat Mission game.

Quote

This got changed. I have Fortress Italy and Gustav Line. However, I only have the option now to buy the full bundle at the full price of 90 euro, disregarding completely that I already own two items of the three-parts bundle.

You shouldn't have to buy anything. If you own Gustav Line and the base game you can just purchase the Rome to Victory module. In case you aren't familiar, here is how you redeem your Battlefront keys for Steam keys:

https://community.battlefront.com/topic/142952-cm-fortress-italy-is-now-available-on-steam-here-is-how-to-get-your-steam-key-if-you-already-own-the-game/

Quote

I think this is really ****ty business practice; especially since it was possible earlier.

I think it is fantastic business practice for the customer. Someone could have purchased Fortress Italy 10 years ago and can get it on Steam for free. I mean, what's unfair about that?

 

[Sunbather]

1 minute ago, BFCElvis said:

I am 99.999999999999999% sure that they never offered this for any Combat Mission game.

You shouldn't have to buy anything. If you own Gustav Line and the base game you can just purchase the Rome to Victory module. In case you aren't familiar, here is how you redeem your Battlefront keys for Steam keys:

https://community.battlefront.com/topic/142952-cm-fortress-italy-is-now-available-on-steam-here-is-how-to-get-your-steam-key-if-you-already-own-the-game/

I think it is fantastic business practice for the customer. Someone could have purchased Fortress Italy 10 years ago and can get it on Steam for free. I mean, what's unfair about that?

 

Hey there, Elvis. My English is pretty bad today so maybe a lot got lost in translation.

Disregarding the other two points, let me only answer to the first one. It is and always was possible to "upgrade"/"complete" your bundle at a discounted price.

In fact, it is already possible again. It was either an error in the Matrix (no pun intended) or a problem with Steam (most likely). I.e. I can now buy Gustav Line at a discounted-discounted price which is awesome since I am very tight on money right now.

[BFCElvis]

1 minute ago, Sunbather said:

Hey there, Elvis. My English is pretty bad today so maybe a lot got lost in translation.

Disregarding the other two points, let me only answer to the first one. It is and always was possible to "upgrade"/"complete" your bundle at a discounted price.

In fact, it is already possible again. It was either an error in the Matrix (no pun intended) or a problem with Steam (most likely). I.e. I can now buy Gustav Line at a discounted-discounted price which is awesome since I am very tight on money right now.

There has never been anything like that on the Battlefront or Steam sites. Although "complete" is possible, but not at a discounted price. It just means purchasing the the module that you don't have. But neither site has ever offered a module at a discounted price if you had purchased an earlier bundle. Heck, the logistics of somefink like that make my head spin.  I can't even think how the store's system would even know if someone had purchased an earlier bundle. When you make a purchase the system has no idea idea what you have purchased before. The records of the other purchases are there but nothing about the checkout process "knows" or connects your previous purchases, and it would have to know if you should be paying the "upgrade a bundle" or stand alone module price.  

That said, the Rome to Victory module is on sale right now for $29. This is for a limited time though. It isn't always discounted. Everything that is offered on Steam is discounted for a limited time.

[Artkin]

There's a big difference in having artwork that's supposed to represent game footage and artwork that's clearly just elements from the game. It's obvious what Slitherine's trying to do here. Super lame.

[Vacillator]

1 hour ago, BFCElvis said:

There has never been anything like that on the Battlefront or Steam sites.

Well, on Steam if I bought another company's 'bundle' it would look at what I already had and take any duplicated items off.  Sniper Elite is an example of this.

Not sure if that's true for BFC stuff though as I've not bought it on Steam, only direct from your good selves John.

[Grey_Fox]

1 hour ago, Artkin said:

There's a big difference in having artwork that's supposed to represent game footage and artwork that's clearly just elements from the game. It's obvious what Slitherine's trying to do here. Super lame.

The artwork depicted is a rejigging of the original CM advertising:

 

Edited September 12, 2023 by Grey_Fox

[BFCElvis]

2 minutes ago, Grey_Fox said:

The artwork depicted is a rejigging of the original CM advertising:

 

Right. At the risk of sounding rude, what he is saying is just silly.

Let's look at some Call of Duty artwork. Is this what the game looks like?:

 

Or how about Strategic Command?:

 

Or how about the cover art for Red Thunder:

 

It's what most cover art does. It gives the prospective customer a "feel" for what the game is about. I'd bet Mario Brothers doesn't look like in game artwork. When you're on the store page there are 10 in game screen shots (just the base game. The modules have their own sets of in game screenshots) and an in game video. If the "lame" and "Completely and totally misleading" things are that he thinks people are being hoodwinked into thinking the game looks like the cover art then he's only trying to find somefink to complain about, just to complain. 

[danfrodo]

Reminds me that I need to visit Italy, it's been a while.  Just went from Syria 08 to France 44 and currently in germany 79.  but I think The Med 44 is next.

[Brille]

13 hours ago, Artkin said:

There's a big difference in having artwork that's supposed to represent game footage and artwork that's clearly just elements from the game. It's obvious what Slitherine's trying to do here. Super lame.

So what is slitherine obviously trying? Because I don't get it.  

 

Artwork is for advertising or representation of ideas where the journey is or could be going. 

 

Misleading are those cheap little mobile games that sell you prerendered videos for actual gameplay. But as soon as you download it you see that it has nothing to do with it entirely. 

 

Back in the CD/DVD era every games cover had an eye catching artwork or at least very altered or cineastic screenshot on it. That games that didn't usually got sold less. Humans are pretty much visually triggered, so nothing new to that. 

But once you turn the cover there should be pics of actual gameplay. And that's what the Steampage is now. 

 

So if one got mislead to buy a game by some simple artworks well then you are either too young, new to the game industry or... very naive/dumb. (no offense) 

[CHEqTRO]

15 hours ago, BFCElvis said:

I am 99.999999999999999% sure that they never offered this for any Combat Mission game.

 

You would be wrong though: (Te bundle is also present, at least, in CMBN and CMBS, apart form CMRT, from which I took the screenshoot):

 Edit: The thing is, @Sunbather, that it seems that the bundle is also present for CMFI, at least for me 

T

Edited September 13, 2023 by CHEqTRO

[BFCElvis]

3 hours ago, CHEqTRO said:

You would be wrong though: (Te bundle is also present, at least, in CMBN and CMBS, apart form CMRT, from which I took the screenshoot):

I see what you're seeing there. I apologize, I appear to have been wrong. Again, somefink like that cannot happen on the Battlefront store. The system isn't equipped for it. I guess that I've never seen it because I have always had the full version of each game, so it wouldn't offer me things that I didn't have because I have everything with the Steam access that I have.

@Sunbather This is a question that you will need to contact Slitherine/Matrix about. How they price things is completely up to them with very little input from us. 

[BFCElvis]

@Sunbather Also, try this. Register and get your Steam keys and install the bundle that you have on Steam. After doing that, see if you're offered the module at a reduced price. I don't know if that will work or not. I would guess that you're seeing what you're seeing because you didn't purchase the bundle through Steam. Slitherine should know that answer. @CHEqTRO, did you purchase your bundle through Steam or Battlefront?

[CHEqTRO]

5 hours ago, BFCElvis said:

@CHEqTRO, did you purchase your bundle through Steam or Battlefront?

I did purchase them long ago from Battlefront, in the case of CMRT, first the base game, and then, once it came out, the FR module. I never got the BP, hence why I do not have it redeemed in Steam.

Wether you get the game from Battlefront or from Steam shouldnt matter thought, the game is registered as "purchased" in Steam the same way. Also, you shouldnt consider Steam bundles as rigid, where you buy everything at once for a fixed price, as it happens with Battlefront Bundles.

One neat thing of these kinds of bundles is that you could, for example, for a game which also has a DLC, buy the bundle for the base game and said DLC; and then, months in advance, once a second DLC is released, rebuy the bundle, paying only for this new DLC, but with the bundle associated discount. Thats why, even thought I have the base game for CMRT and the FR DLC, I can "buy" the bundle, with only the BP in it (In addition, in this case i get apart of the temporary 15% discount that is being offered for all CM games, the 10% associated with the bundle. You can check in the screenshot that depending if I buy it standalone, or with the bundle associated, I either have to pay 8,28, so 15% discount; or 7,45, 24% discount, even thought, in reality, I am just buying the BP standalone either way).

Thats why Sunbather asked why, even thought he had both CMFI and GL, he could not access to this same discount for RtV. I would argue that is probably a problem of regionality, as it is known that some bundles do not work in some regions. However, its weird that it works in some CM games, and not in CMFI . If it has stopped working for all games, maybe his country of origin has had a change of policy?

[BFCElvis]

47 minutes ago, CHEqTRO said:

I did purchase them long ago from Battlefront, in the case of CMRT, first the base game, and then, once it came out, the FR module. I never got the BP, hence why I do not have it redeemed in Steam.

Wether you get the game from Battlefront or from Steam shouldnt matter thought, the game is registered as "purchased" in Steam the same way. Also, you shouldnt consider Steam bundles as rigid, where you buy everything at once for a fixed price, as it happens with Battlefront Bundles.

One neat thing of these kinds of bundles is that you could, for example, for a game which also has a DLC, buy the bundle for the base game and said DLC; and then, months in advance, once a second DLC is released, rebuy the bundle, paying only for this new DLC, but with the bundle associated discount. Thats why, even thought I have the base game for CMRT and the FR DLC, I can "buy" the bundle, with only the BP in it (In addition, in this case i get apart of the temporary 15% discount that is being offered for all CM games, the 10% associated with the bundle. You can check in the screenshot that depending if I buy it standalone, or with the bundle associated, I either have to pay 8,28, so 15% discount; or 7,45, 24% discount, even thought, in reality, I am just buying the BP standalone either way).

Thats why Sunbather asked why, even thought he had both CMFI and GL, he could not access to this same discount for RtV. I would argue that is probably a problem of regionality, as it is known that some bundles do not work in some regions. However, its weird that it works in some CM games, and not in CMFI . If it has stopped working for all games, maybe his country of origin has had a change of policy?

I've been having conversations with Slitherine ever since you posted the screenshot earlier. It isn't a problem how they do it but I should know how it works. So that I don't incorrectly answer questions. 

What is surprising with your post is that not only did you purchase from Battlefront but you didn't purchase as a bundle!!! But Steam is treating it as if you have a bundle.

The other question that I am trying to find out about is, if this is how they handle bundles, why isn't CMFI working this way? 

Now.......here is the other thing that concerns me......What if I exposed a hole in the system by asking questions. I don't want someone over there trying to "fix" things and shut it down. 

[CHEqTRO]

8 hours ago, BFCElvis said:

I've been having conversations with Slitherine ever since you posted the screenshot earlier. It isn't a problem how they do it but I should know how it works. So that I don't incorrectly answer questions. 

What is surprising with your post is that not only did you purchase from Battlefront but you didn't purchase as a bundle!!! But Steam is treating it as if you have a bundle.

The other question that I am trying to find out about is, if this is how they handle bundles, why isn't CMFI working this way? 

Now.......here is the other thing that concerns me......What if I exposed a hole in the system by asking questions. I don't want someone over there trying to "fix" things and shut it down. 

Hahahaha, you shouldnt worry, as I tried to explain in my post, its working as intended, or at least as other bundles in steam work. Steam Bundles are not Rigid, they are just an asssociated discount to getting all content related to a product/game at once. You could buy first the base game standalone without discount, later get the steam Bundle for two DLCs that the game had, only paying for said DLCs, but at a discounted price; and later rebuying the bundle once they got a new DLC, paying only for said third DLC. Maybe i am confusing you saying that you "buy" the bundle, as there is no "real bundle", you are buying all content separately in reality, only with the associated discount.

This, by the way, is standard practice in Steam, not only by Slitherine , so I would be surprised if it was not working as intended. As for the CMFI bundle, well, like I showed, it exist, at least for me. Even if you own all content for CMFI in steam, you can check for "bundle info" in its store page in Steam. Thats why I found weird that Sunbather didnt have access to it. If he can not access to any bundles, then maybe, like I said, is because of regionality.