Big announcement... Battlefront is now Slitherine

[Bootie]

We will find out when we find out... no point in dissecting every comment, phrase or silence to signify anything.

[MeatEtr]

I heard through the grape vine CM3 can do your laundry too! Its gonna be soo rad... cant wait!

[nposborn]

I really do appreciate the posts that the devs make on here. I’m so excited to know what everyone is working on now that the team is bigger!!! I love these games and I’m excited to try to get my traditionally non-wargamer friends into them again when they are hopefully more approachable with a new engine.  
 

That being said, do we know what exactly is currently being worked on? (Other than Cold War DLC - very excited for that)

Have devs finished identifying features they want for the new engine yet or have they started work on it already? Are there any community engagement surveys or player focus groups that are helping guide development?
 

My current hyper-focus is combat mission PLEASE I need to know

[Lieutenant Ash]

All we know is that they are working on a new game engine (CM3) and that a new game utilising that engine is forthcoming at some point. Other than that your guess is as good as anyone else's as regards to progress or what the new game will be about (modern, WW2, Rome v Carthage). My guess for what its worth is a modern day fictional setting, but who knows.

[Battlefront.com]

Yes, we need to keep most of our cards close to our chests at the moment.  We usually do that anyway and come to you guys when we're sure about the details.

As for map size... we don't know.  In fact, we're performing some practical tests pretty soon to get some sense.  Which means that not even we know yet what the max size is.

What I can tell you is we are aiming for bigger maps and better framerate than.  At some point the two will start to conflict and compromise each other.  We just don't know where yet.

Steve

[ncc1701e]

3 hours ago, Battlefront.com said:

What I can tell you is we are aiming for bigger maps and better framerate than.  At some point the two will start to conflict and compromise each other.  We just don't know where yet.

Whatever you are doing, if you are going for bigger maps, I really hope you will reintroduce the concept of operations. The fact that you can continue your operation on the same map with the damage from the previous battle. My old memory of CMBB is here and this is really something I have missed in CM2.

With Unity engine, I also hope you will do some treatment on damaged buildings, etc... This is cosmetic yes but I can dream. Also, please bring the air units. I would love to see planes, helos, drones coming to destroy whatever do you have.

At last, the editor. More functions will be welcomed. But, it really depends on what you will do with the TacAi and the way you want scenario designers to program it. Things that come to mind. Conditional unit reinforcements, preventing reinforcements to come directly in front of the enemy because this is scripted like this.

Well will see. I hope you will enjoy Unity and that it will help you to catch today's computer fast pace of changing things...

Edited October 4 by ncc1701e

[Erwin]

2 hours ago, ncc1701e said:

Whatever you are doing, if you are going for bigger maps, I really hope you will reintroduce the concept of operations. The fact that you can continue your operation on the same map with the damage from the previous battle. My old memory of CMBB is here and this is really something I have missed in CM2.

+100   That was a great feature of CM1

[fry30]

3 hours ago, ncc1701e said:

Whatever you are doing, if you are going for bigger maps, I really hope you will reintroduce the concept of operations. The fact that you can continue your operation on the same map with the damage from the previous battle.

Don't mean to pile on... but man oh man it's the only thing Close Combat still has over this great game. (Even if its more of a basic concept like ABTF.) 

Edited October 4 by fry30

[nposborn]

6 hours ago, Battlefront.com said:

Yes, we need to keep most of our cards close to our chests at the moment.  We usually do that anyway and come to you guys when we're sure about the details.

… we're performing some practical tests pretty soon to get some sense.  Which means that not even we know yet what the max size is.

I understand! This is plenty good enough for me for now knowing that you are currently testing map sizes with the goal of increasing them. Thanks for the reply. With the card analogy, I think I speak for many people here that when you are learning a new game, it really helps playing with open hands at least for the first couple of rounds  

I remember playing the original Africa Korp with my dad when I was 6, and now here I am at 27 so thankful that the series is alive and evolving with the times. It’s got me hyped more than any other game these days. Godspeed! 

[snarre]

map editor is must have thing.

[Redwolf]

3 hours ago, snarre said:

map editor is must have thing.

Even better would be an interface for an external map editor so that we don't have to OCR the map and use mouse click emulation anymore.

[Dynaman216]

I'm just hoping the road tool would use the 45 degree road tiles and not rely on zig zagging.

[Lieutenant Ash]

I'm hoping for curved roads in the new engine.

[cargol]

On 10/4/2024 at 5:29 PM, Battlefront.com said:

 

What I can tell you is we are aiming for bigger maps and better framerate than. 

  All I can say is that CM1 and CM2 fans will have much to be happy about in the near future!  We just ask that you let the dust settle a bit and then we'll have something solid to announce.

So far, we have one hint and one indication that the CM Campaigns concept might be alive.

Good. 

 

[ncc1701e]

On 10/4/2024 at 5:29 PM, Battlefront.com said:

Yes, we need to keep most of our cards close to our chests at the moment.  We usually do that anyway and come to you guys when we're sure about the details.

And since I know you are a big fan, I just hope you come up with something before the next album of Taylor Swift. 

[chaos49]

Hi Steve

You mentioned that CM3 could not be as nice as the videos on Youtube of Unity. This is understandable, but is it possible to make it so that those with powerful machines can add extra nice graphics to the game or buy a module with graphics.

[Centurian52]

On 10/5/2024 at 2:36 AM, snarre said:

map editor is must have thing.

I don't know what features the map editor will have (I don't think they even fully know what features it will have yet). But there is no possibility whatsoever that CM3 won't have a map editor. There are some things that I'm pretty sure CM will always have. 100 years from now, when they're up to CM8(assuming each engine lasts ~20 years)*, CM will still have WEGO, and it will still have an editor.

*Actually it occurs to me that they may only be up to CM5 in 100 years. As each new CM engine gets more and more realistic it might take longer and longer for technology to move on enough to make it necessary to invest in a new engine. There will just be fewer and fewer things for new engines to improve on (I'd guess that by CM4 it'll already be a near-exact replica of real warfare taking place on your computer (which should be fine so long as the pixeltruppen aren't sentient by then)). There were only 8 years from CM1 to CM2 (1999-2007), CM2 will probably have been going a full 20 years by the time CM3 is ready for release, CM3 could very plausibly carry on for 30 years, CM4 another 50 years...

[sburke]

3 hours ago, Centurian52 said:

I don't know what features the map editor will have (I don't think they even fully know what features it will have yet). But there is no possibility whatsoever that CM3 won't have a map editor. There are some things that I'm pretty sure CM will always have. 100 years from now, when they're up to CM8(assuming each engine lasts ~20 years)*, CM will still have WEGO, and it will still have an editor.

*Actually it occurs to me that they may only be up to CM5 in 100 years. As each new CM engine gets more and more realistic it might take longer and longer for technology to move on enough to make it necessary to invest in a new engine. There will just be fewer and fewer things for new engines to improve on (I'd guess that by CM4 it'll already be a near-exact replica of real warfare taking place on your computer (which should be fine so long as the pixeltruppen aren't sentient by then)). There were only 8 years from CM1 to CM2 (1999-2007), CM2 will probably have been going a full 20 years by the time CM3 is ready for release, CM3 could very plausibly carry on for 30 years, CM4 another 50 years...

In CM5 you will be automatically registered to serve in the space marines and go fight space lobsters.  You'll be too busy to worry about a map editor.

[Battlefront.com]

8 hours ago, chaos49 said:

Hi Steve

You mentioned that CM3 could not be as nice as the videos on Youtube of Unity. This is understandable, but is it possible to make it so that those with powerful machines can add extra nice graphics to the game or buy a module with graphics.

Absolutely.  There's always going to be a need to balance resource allocation between the simulation and the game (graphics) sides.  But our philosophy is to shoot for the best of both and then scale back accordingly, giving players options to shift balances to suit their hardware as well as gameplay preferences.

Steve

[Lieutenant Ash]

 By CM5 you will be plugged into the matrix (as in film, not game publisher) thinking you are doing it for real. For a toilet break take the red pill.

[chaos49]

Hi steve.
It sounds good that the players get to choose how hard they want to push their machines so I hope you can say a bit about which API you support, will CM3 be directx 12 and Vulkan only or will you include directx 11 for those with older graphics cards? 

[Battlefront.com]

11 minutes ago, chaos49 said:

Hi steve.
It sounds good that the players get to choose how hard they want to push their machines so I hope you can say a bit about which API you support, will CM3 be directx 12 and Vulkan only or will you include directx 11 for those with older graphics cards? 

What I can say is that if there's any way to support older technology without hobbling our long term future, it will be supported.  The inverse is true.  DirectX 11 was released 15 years ago, so without checking with anybody I'm thinking CM3 won't do well with it.  But that's just me saying that without checking with anybody.

Steve

 

[SlowMotion]

Even though it's possible to buy current CM games from both Slitherine and Steam they don't seem to have same prices. Steam is selling CM stuff in very low prices compared to Slitherine. At least right now.

[Centurian52]

1 minute ago, SlowMotion said:

Even though it's possible to buy current CM games from both Slitherine and Steam they don't seem to have same prices. Steam is selling CM stuff in very low prices compared to Slitherine. At least right now.

Steam often runs sales. When Battlefront was independent @BFCElvis would often try to match those sales as soon as he found out that one was on. I'm not sure if Slitherine does the same thing though.

[BFCElvis]

2 hours ago, Centurian52 said:

Steam often runs sales. When Battlefront was independent @BFCElvis would often try to match those sales as soon as he found out that one was on. I'm not sure if Slitherine does the same thing though.

Everything (or almost everything) is on GOG now too. They are pretty frequently priced low.

Matrix/Slitherine do sales about as frequently as Steam. Sometimes at the same time.

 

If I were the one spending my money, I'd buy when Matrix/Slitherine do a sale. A Matrix/Slitherine purchase also gives you a Steam key. But a Steam purchase doesn't give a Matrix/Slitherine purchase.