Touch me, I've seen the beta demo

G Ned Anderson · March 21, 2000

Go ahead.. touch me!

Recently the man by the handle "Rune" on this board (who shall otherwise remain nameless, lest he decide otherwise ) most graciously invited CM fans in the Chicago area to check out the latest CM Beta, with Steve's permission.

I took Rune up on the offer, brought some beer and checked it out..

AYE CHIHUAHUA!!! This game is amazing! The game is nothing like the beta demo.. so much cooler.. so much better..

I can't and won't comment on any specifics, but you guys are definately gonna scream out in glee when you get your copies. This game will definately be worth the wait. I think I'm gonna go and preorder some more.. haha..

Keep touching me... that tickles..

Muahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!

------------------

I love the f***ing Army

and the Army loves f***ing me

March 21, 2000

Dear Mr. Andersen,

Do you happen to have an alias of "Neo"?

Do you have a copy of the build you see, oh, if so, are you interested in some home-made sexy Sims in exchange?

Griffin @ lunch

Fionn · March 21, 2000

Oh so Rune had his get-together eh?

Did many people turn up? What was the general concensus? Come on, I want DETAILS damnit .

If there isn't a full report online within 6 hours I'm gonna put on some ass-kicking boots and call for "THE VAN !" .

Seriously though, more details . (except for the stuff which I'm sure you were told not to tell...)

iggi · March 21, 2000

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>The game is nothing like the beta demo.. so much cooler.. so much better..<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

..that and the fact that Fionn mentioned secret new features.

What's going on? The screen shots look a bit better but 'nothing like the beta'? Are you guys serious?

Now I'm starting to think new interface(more info/control), movies etc etc

Don't get our hopes too high. Refined, I understand but 'nothing like the beta'? Seriously now.

Lee · March 21, 2000

iggi: I think what Anderson is saying is that CM has been

polished to the *hilt*, thus creating an effect of dramatic

improvement when all the finishing touches are seen at one time

in graceful action on the screen.

Hopefully we'll all get to see this very soon. We've

waited a long time and I expect the payoff will be large, indeed.

Fionn · March 21, 2000

Ok, I will NOT give away any of the "surprise" features but I'll say this.

1. The control system ( how the camera moves etc) has all been overhauled based on the feedback you all gave when the beta demo came out. There are now ways to control movement with keys (2 ways with different sensitivies I think) AND mouse. By holding shift you "strafe" left and right instead of rotating.

2. The graphics have been improved. It should be noted that there's a new build with better graphics on the way so what Ned saw isn't "final".

3. There are a number of features which weren't present at all in the beta demo including some which many people on this board asked for in the past.

4. When you polish a game and polish it and polish it so that both the visual and aural aspects of that game are maximised immersion increases massively. Combine that with an overhauled AI and suddenly the immersion factor (and enjoyment0 increases exponentially.

It is a case of the total being greater than the sum of its parts.

FWIW seeing STATIC POTDs doesn't do CM and the improvements which have gone in since beta demo time ANY justice.

Think back to the Alpha AAR... When Martin and I were fighting the scenario PBEM and you first saw pictures of the Alpha build (apart from the 4 or 5 pics on BF.C) you thought CM looked and functioned well as a wargame.

Then you got the beta demo and I bet it exceeded most of your expectations since static pictures just CANNOT give you a sense of what it is like to actually watch your Panzerzug rolling forward in formation laying waste to enemy outposts.

Ok, now think of the POTDs you see now. Same thing.. They are only snapshots of the game and CANNOT give an accurate sense of how far it has come... That is why matt and I have been trying VERY hard to provide you with some AVI movie files of a PBEM turn or something so you can see CM in action and get a bit of a better sense of things.

Unfortunately no-one has found a single programme which has worked well yet.

G Ned Anderson · March 21, 2000

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Fionn:

Oh so Rune had his get-together eh?

Did many people turn up? What was the general concensus? Come on, I want DETAILS damnit .

If there isn't a full report online within 6 hours I'm gonna put on some ass-kicking boots and call for "THE VAN !" .

Seriously though, more details . (except for the stuff which I'm sure you were told not to tell...)<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I was the only one who was able to show up for that day (I think the others may have rescheduled?) so, poor me, I had the beta all to myself. <sigh>.. Such a tough life I lead.

Details.. hm.. The AI has improved vastly. Of the scenarioes I played (and I tend to think I'm a decent player) I walked away with one win, two losses and a draw.

I was suprised at the number of units modelled.. I dunno, maybe it was the shock of seeing units besides Tigers, StuGs and Shermans.. ha ha ha. There were, however, units, vehicles and weapons that I really didn't think were going to be in the game.

The scenarioes which I saw (and will not otherwise mention) are all excellent and hugely challenging. I really didn't think I'd win the scenario I did win and I really thought I won (one of) the scenarioes I lost. The victory conditions are definately less forgiving..

Like Fionn said, the game has become immensely immersive. Lots of playability enhancements, sounds and textures are excellent. Seeing the new faces on the soldiers.. Madmatt's non-regulation beard..

I *wish* I could have taken a beta home with me.. but I am contented with what I saw and now patiently wait for the Gold version while pictures of Panthers and Pershings dance in my head.

Greg

PS - I loved the 14" fire support..

March 21, 2000

Fionn and All,

this was not the ASL players, I am still waiting for them to pick a date, this was for members of this group that lived in my area. A few had to cancel last minute, so he wound up on his own, and loved every minute of it.

It amazes me, stuff we take for granted because we see it everyday, was brand new to see for him. He learned what 105mm VT can do. He saw how much the AI has improved [see his record against the AI]. Saw a lot of the vehicles that pictures have not been posted on yet. it amazed me, he was impressed by basically everything as evident in his post. The two of you covered things well. He saw how large a battle can be, played one where there were over 60 vehicles and troops. [Turns took about 15 secs, nice to have a 800mhz with the pc800 memory and a 32meg video card ]I could tell how impressed he was with the game by the happy look on his face, even while getting his Pershings wiped out.

For everyone else, now you can take the word of a non-beta tester. If you are in the Chicago area, I will be posting when I do the Chicago Area Wargamers club, as soon as they post a date for me to demo the game.

G.,

What was the thing that surprised you most without mentioning the NDA things? Also, what was your favorite part of any scenario you played? I think it was your Sherman 76 that took out 4 Panzer IVjs and 8 HTs before getting nailed, or maybe the bazooka team that took out the StuG and Panther along the wooded road...

[This message has been edited by rune (edited 03-21-2000).]

Jeff · March 21, 2000

G Ned Anderson how can you do it to us europeans with no chance to move to Chicago on a very short notice ? If I ever touch you it will be with an 88 AP shell. It should do the rest.

Kidding happy for you that you saw it. I'm gonna wait some more.

------------------

Veni, vidi, vici

Julius Caesar

Thomm · March 21, 2000

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>I think it was your Sherman 76 that took out 4 Panzer IVjs and 8 HTs before getting nailed!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>HEY, that sounds like my Close Combat IV Grand Campaign !!!

Ohhhh, apart from the "getting nailed" part, of course !

[This message has been edited by Thomm (edited 03-21-2000).]

G Ned Anderson · March 21, 2000

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by rune:

Fionn and All,

this was not the ASL players, I am still waiting for them to pick a date, this was for members of this group that lived in my area. A few had to cancel last minute, so he wound up on his own, and loved every minute of it.

It amazes me, stuff we take for granted because we see it everyday, was brand new to see for him. He learned what 105mm VT can do. He saw how much the AI has improved [see his record against the AI]. Saw a lot of the vehicles that pictures have not been posted on yet. it amazed me, he was impressed by basically everything as evident in his post. The two of you covered things well. He saw how large a battle can be, played one where there were over 60 vehicles and troops. [Turns took about 15 secs, nice to have a 800mhz with the pc800 memory and a 32meg video card ]I could tell how impressed he was with the game by the happy look on his face, even while getting his Pershings wiped out.

For everyone else, now you can take the word of a non-beta tester. If you are in the Chicago area, I will be posting when I do the Chicago Area Wargamers club, as soon as they post a date for me to demo the game.

G.,

What was the thing that surprised you most without mentioning the NDA things? Also, what was your favorite part of any scenario you played? I think it was your Sherman 76 that took out 4 Panzer IVjs and 8 HTs before getting nailed, or maybe the bazooka team that took out the StuG and Panther along the wooded road...

[This message has been edited by rune (edited 03-21-2000).]<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Oh man, it was beautiful. I was in the process of being overrun by a company or so of Panzer IVJs - they wiped out all my defenses and last remaining guns. Only a handful of crews, a diminished rifle squad or two and a certain artillery major were all that was between the Germans and the map exit.

Suddenly, a suprise. Reinforcements! A platoon of M4 (76ers) shows up, along with an airborne company. I drive the M4s up the road to the village where the last remnants of my first line of defense are holding out.

The Sherms arrive piecemeal, the first one kills a Panzer IV, but takes a hit soon thereafter. The second Sherm - my hero - shows up and gleefully begins plinking a group of Panzer IVs sitting in a snowy field some 300m away. The Panzers don't know what hit them - one brewed up, followed by two more and the fourth died a spectacular, firely death. No more panzers in view, so my Sherm, still waiting for the rest of his platoon to play catch up (my fault.. they got caught up in some trees on a ridgeline) starts taking out all the German halftracks in the area - eight in all.

Without warning, however, another Panzer IV emerges from the village, quickly acquiring and destroying my brave crew before they can fire. Ah well. The survivors will get medals.

It was a great scenario, though. The rest of the Shermans showed up, taking out a few more panzers, though I lost another two Shermans (one survived). A platoon of M10s reinforced me a little while later and the infantry I sent up to reinforce the village told me that mo more panzers were in the area. I sent an M10 and the last Sherman up ahead while the remaining Wolverines took on some German engineers (with flamethrowers, I might add).

This M10 and accompanying Sherman stumbled into about ten German halftracks - all empty - and had a field day brewing them all up. It is interesting to note that on more than one occasion my forces misidentified German vehicles (like halftracks were identified as light tanks and Panzer IVs as Panthers).

This is the only battle I fought where I won. I got a total victory and the results were something like 14 allied vehicles destroyed to 90 Germans (one of their Panthers and a halftrack survived, but I managed to kill all their StuG IIIs, StuG IVs, StuH 42s, and Panzer IVs).

There are many more stories to tell about this battle (and the other battles I fought, for that matter), but they are for another time.

Greg

PS - the Pershings.. oy vais. If its one thing I learned, don't send buttonned up tanks speeding up an unreconnoitered road in a hasty attempt to flank the enemy. Their spotting was so bad that I drove right past two StuGs who took their time turning 180 degrees to shoot me in the ass. Twice. Not one of my finer moments.. It was nice to see an 88mm shell bounce of of something too.

G Ned Anderson · March 21, 2000