Fionn Posted December 23, 1999 Share Posted December 23, 1999 Hi, I decided that it was about time to get the ball rolling on some of the things I wanted to set in place for the release of Combat Mission. Graphics: Well, I think a whole load of people would be interested in graphical mods and I'd be willing to offer space on the TGN server for these mods to be hosted. I know some people have tweaked textures for the beta demo and we might be willing to offer space for them but I'm more interested in just setting up the lines of communication for when the game is actually released. 2. Ladder System... As some people mentioned this is something we wish to offer also and while I don't want to offer this for the beta demo (since starting a ladder system with it would be a little unfair IMO) I would like to have it up and running by the time the gold begins to arrive on peoples doorsteps and so it seems like this is a good time to invite people who have the ability to rig something like this up to contact me. I am familiar with the chess ranking system which provides a very easy way of awarding points based on the differing ranks of the various players and as I feel it offers a good, reliable, tested system I would favour a system which includes a rating system identical to or similar to the chess system. I welcome other applications though of course. 3. Scenario design etc etc.. I won't discuss this much more until people have the editor but I will say that there will be a place on CMHQ where historical and hypothetical scenarios, operations AND MAPS (ideal for the players wanting to have a ready-made map and 2000 points to get them started) will be available for download (and upload of course). 4. Meta-campaign. Ok, I want to gauge the level of interest in this. Basically my idea is NOT to use CM to try to run a Kampfgruppe all the way from Normandy to Berlin or anything like that. My current concept is to utilise CM as the basis for a divisional or corps-level (depending on interest) conflict loosely based on history. The idea would be to create something similar to what TacOps players have done and create a self-sustaining gaming environment in which each battle fought contributes to a larger goal (victory for your side). I ran something a little similar as a GM before which was wildly succesful with roughly 100 participants and twice as many people looking to get in. The RPG aspect was very strong as I hope it will be with this re-enactment. Basically each player would be a battalion commander and/or a rear-echelon officer. To ensure that any player whose entire battalion gets wiped out in the first battle doesn't have to sit on the sidelines for the whole game I think it would be best if each player has an "alter ego" who is a rear echelon officer in another regiment or division. I don't know if any of you have ever tried to form a part of an RPG which simulates military chains of command but it can be a HUGE learning experience as well as tremendously enjoyable. Anyways, it all depends on interest but basically the leaders of each side will generate orders and issue them to the regimental commanders who, in turn, will pass these orders down to their battalion commanders who, in turn end up having to carry out these orders using maps that will be given to them over which they will face a player from the other side and resolve the battle via CM. A regiment would require a barebones of 4 players (3 battalion leaders and the regimental leader) although, obviously if enough interest is present the number of combat units involved can expand and with each player having to fulfill a rear-echelon role in another friendly formation it should be possible to flesh out the regimental and divisional HQs with "staff officers" and thus recreate the whole planning process with the consequent feeling of being part of a greater whole etc. I also have some very "interesting" ideas to do with enforcing chains of command and really enforcing FOW throughout the levels of the chain of command which should add to the fun and intellectual challenge of being a rear-echelon player. By allowing a player to be both a rear-echelon persona and a battalion commander it should be possible to ensure that virtually everyone who starts the game is still in it by the end. It would, of course, be possible to play only a rear-echelon persona but I am not sure if it will be possible to allow people to ONLY play as battalion commanders. (Again, it all depends on expressed interest). Obviously the more people who volunteer to make maps (making maps would NOT rule you out of participating in the game), volunteer to GM ( the GMs would be responsible for basically ensuring that the flow of information follows game rules and that no-one cheats ... If anyone cheats in the tactical battles by hacking or something I should have my own way of verifying it by then and they will be found out. BTW being a GM would rule one out of participating in the game since one would have so much information available that it would be unfair to allow GMs to participate. The workload on GMs should be light and basically consist of a little swapping of messages between participants and listening to questions and complaints from people inexperienced with the system. GMing is a lot of fun and the more volunteer GMs there are the more people can play. If 100 people want to play and only two volunteer to GM then this won't happen. ) volunteer to help with the web aspect of this. My planning for this has taken into account many factors, one of which was the desirability of providing a spectacle to CM players. With that in mind the whole progress of the "war" and its constituent battles will be posted to a special section on the CMHQ. I am looking for some people who would, in theory, be willing to run this section and do the html (which should consist mainly of posting player-generated files, messages etc). Madmatt is going to be kept very, very, very busy when CM comes out with a whole load of other updates CMHQ is planning at that time so he won't be able to run the whole campaign section himself which is why I am asking for some help. The whole way this thing is structured might be new to many of you but I can say that I've run something similar (and probably larger than this will turn out to be) for over a year on the net some time ago and that it was greatly enjoyed by all the participants, as will this. I am putting this info out now because I feel we have reached an appropriate time to discuss the RPG campaign system I have been formulating. I would ask that anyone interested in partaking in this campaign idea OR GMing (or helping in any other way) please contact me by email as soon as possible. I don't want to clutter the board so I'll create a mailing list to discuss it on if interest is shown. Anyone on that mailing list can partake in discussions which will help set up the RPG campaign system which is eventually crystallised into a set of rules for the game and will get first choice on positions. I've always wanted to play in something like this myself and CM is the first game whose combat model offers me the fidelity I am looking for and, at the same time, has an editor which allows the various maps to be generated. I've thought a lot about many of these issues and come up with something I think will be a lot of fun to play, very realistic and probably will end up teaching people a lot about World War II and the military and why things happened the way they did. Mainly though I think this is a chance to experience something you hopefully never will and have a hell of a lot of fun playing CM. Please ask questions in this thread and, if you have any interest in the campaign outlined in any capacity email me. 5. ANYTHING ELSE ! If there is anything you think would be "cool" or interesting to see at CMHQ drop me a line telling me what it is. If there is something you would like to do concerning CM why not drop me a line. If it is interesting perhaps I'll ask you aboard and you can run a section at CMHQ? CMHQ is not about handing down data and articles from on high. As I see it its only aim is to provide all the people who buy CM (and later versions) with an informative, friendly place to go. I want people from the CM community to feel free to drop myself and Matt an email at any time suggesting changes, improvements, offering help etc. Just visiting the homepages of people who post to the board over the past few months I've found some interesting items I want to incorporate into CMHQ also. Such things as interactive quizes, mailing lists, a chatroom and a few other "interesting" things I've been considering behind the scenes which you'll find out about later. BTW, those of you who know WoW should be glad to hear it is going to be reborn through the medium of CombatHQ Well, I hope at least someone shows interest . It'd be embarassing to have no responses after this record setting lengthy post [This message has been edited by Fionn (edited 12-22-99).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bil Hardenberger Posted December 23, 1999 Share Posted December 23, 1999 Fionn, Now this is why I am excited about CM! An e-mail is on the way to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strider Posted December 23, 1999 Share Posted December 23, 1999 I'd be very interested in the Meta-campaign...I very much enjoy 'large' campaigns. Would be interested in more detail when available. I'm not a 'ladder' person, but there are a lot of players who are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mike Posted December 23, 1999 Share Posted December 23, 1999 The campaign sounds like an excellent idea. I just hope there's a vacancy or 2 when I finally get around to buying the game (probably at v2, or 3 :-()!! Mike (atwork) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fionn Posted December 23, 1999 Author Share Posted December 23, 1999 Guys, if you are in ANY way interested in this email me so I can include you in the mailshot telling you how to sign up to the mailing list I'm generating to continue discussion on this. Since this is something external to CM I'm not going to clutter the board with lots of discussion about it here and I'm not going to take emails off the board either since I just know I'll miss someone by mistake So, strider (and others) if you are interested then by all means say so here but also be sure to drop me a line. So far I'm already getting a nice bunch of mails (far more than I expected after just 30 minutes). ------------------ ___________ Fionn Kelly Manager of Historical Research, The Gamers Net - Gaming for Gamers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
citizen Posted December 23, 1999 Share Posted December 23, 1999 Good stuff all around. Here's my comments: Graphics: Do both sides have to have the same mods to be compatible? I assume yes. I would suggest that you leave the mods to another page with another host. That way, everyone who shows up at CMHQ won't have to worry about who's running with what mods. To even have them at the CMHQ will invite lots of confusion with the organized/competitive play. Ladder: Yes, the CMHQ should be the host and the chess system is good. Custom scenarios and maps: I'd say save this one for a couple months as it will take a few months to get through the ones included in the gold release. Meta-Campaign: Very interested. I would be willing to participate at any level. I have experience with the TacOps Command Post Exercise campaigns, so I could even GM if needed. I can't decide what I'd like to do most as it's all very tempting. I haven't done the Regimental commander or General thing. That sounds good. But I want to play, too. I like the idea of a Reg Cmd on one flank getting a field command on another flank (if the player wants to). My vote is for maximum possible FoW. Perhaps everyone takes on a in-game code name to keep their annonimity. No emailing someone with whom you shouldn't have direct contact! A few other misc suggestions: A> Average 20 turns per battle. It'd be nice to get through one a month. Unpopular but necessary. B> Smallish maps (GM's decide based on real world terrain in area and unit density) C> To start things off (and for the first try), each side should be limited to 15 total players or it will be too much, too soon. If EVERYONE joins now, there won't be anyone fill in when the inevitable dropouts happen. And there should be 1 GM for every 10 players. Perhaps a dedicated GM for each side and 1 overall Judge (using my model of 30 players and 3 GM's). citizen I can make a map or two. Don't know HTML, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fionn Posted December 23, 1999 Author Share Posted December 23, 1999 Citizen, 1. Nope, the graphics mods do NOT have to be the same on both computers. The only thing downloading different BMPs does is allow YOU to see the game with those BMPs in place. the other person will see the game with his bmps in place. E.g If I upgrade to all-black Tigers I'll see all-black Tigers but you'll see them still in their normal colourings. I've tested this myself and it is so. I will NOT host ANYTHING AT ALL which puts a different version out and introduces compatibility problems. I've thought this through. You can change EVERY graphics and sound file in CM, replace the entire GUI and still have no compatibility problems... Change one piece of vehicle or unit data and you're screwed though . 2. Custom Scenarios and Maps... We'll host them from the instant people start sending them to us to post... If someone sends a scenario two days after the game has arrived at people's houses we'll post it. It'll probably be poor since he won't have come to grasps with the system but I'm not going to put an artificial cap on when scenarios appear... Some people will play the included scenarios for a year, others will play them through in a month. It'd be unfair to penalise the latter for the former 3. LOL. The in-game emailing system is, if I get enough GMs, something I intend. It would be my intention that, if players agree (since I'm not gonna force anything on them unless I really think its necessary), they all choose different personas and role-play those personas, passing all communications through GMs (this ensures that a lot of SNAFUS are possible and also ensures thatthe GMs keep a trace of ALL messages which will allow us, later, to post them to the site and show everyone a fascinating insight into the decision-making processes... I always like seeing what makes people tick and how they think anyways (as you can see in my AARS which focus a lot on the psychological battle). ). Ur regiment commander/ field commander on another flank idea is what I have in mind. Regimental commander (in my mind) is a REMF assignment thus you can be Bn CO elsewhere. The only thing is that GMs can't play the game as it'd unbalance it. You sound like you'd be a good GM though . Drop me a line. ------------------ ___________ Fionn Kelly Manager of Historical Research, The Gamers Net - Gaming for Gamers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strider Posted December 23, 1999 Share Posted December 23, 1999 Hey "Master Gloater", as soon as I finished posting here, I sent you an email. Are you getting slow in your old age? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fionn Posted December 23, 1999 Author Share Posted December 23, 1999 LOL, you and fifty other people (that's on top of my normal mail load). It isn't going to be possible for me to respond to everyone who mailed me personally unfortunately just too many mails. ------------------ ___________ Fionn Kelly Manager of Historical Research, The Gamers Net - Gaming for Gamers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fionn Posted December 25, 1999 Author Share Posted December 25, 1999 I'm getting ready to send off the first email to the discussion list but just want to be sure first that: a) people get a chance to read the above message and see if they are interested. realise that people on the discussion list are going to get ABSOLUTE PRIORITY when it comes to allocating places. I.e. they'll get they cushy and prestigious positions c) that anyone who has emailed me but hasn't received an invite to join the list emails me again as quickly as possible. The list mailserver had a hiccup during one of the mass invites I was doing and I'm not sure if everyone has gotten an invite. I certainly am glad to say that a lot of very qualified people came forward and volunteered to GM the campaign which means that we can really set the bar high in terms of GM involvement and scope. Ps. If anyone reads this and hasn't applied yet (or reads this a month from now or whatever) simply drop me an email asking to be added to the list. I'll be willing to add people all the time since my philosophy is that its a "more the merrier" situation. ------------------ ___________ Fionn Kelly Manager of Historical Research, The Gamers Net - Gaming for Gamers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eridani Posted December 25, 1999 Share Posted December 25, 1999 Fionn- Billcarey and I are currently a good deal into creating a scenarios and operations page for Combat Mission... there really is no sense in having two pages that do the same thing... As soon as we go live I'll send you the URL and you can check out what we have so far. (should be sometime before the new year)... that way you could focus on the meta-campaign (a great Idea btw) and we'll handle Scenarios and Operations archiving, reviews, and the rest. -EridanMan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guachi Posted December 25, 1999 Share Posted December 25, 1999 Fionn, I e-mailed you on the 24th replying to your initial comments in this thread and I indicated that I would be interested in helping out with the 'Grand-Campaign' idea. If you attempted to reply to me, I didn't get an e-mail. Now, for the first time, my e-mail is acting up and refusing to work. I'm going on vacation for a week, but please e-mail me at guachi@wtp.net and add me to the list. Thanks, Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
von shrad Posted December 25, 1999 Share Posted December 25, 1999 Oh, I want to be thrown into the fire! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fionn Posted December 25, 1999 Author Share Posted December 25, 1999 Jason, I think that the mailing list invite page was malfunctioning a little. One group of 10 invites didn't seem to work properly. Almost everyone else I invited has already signed up but out of this group of 10 only 3 or 4 have signed up. I've added you now Jason. You should be getting an invite in the mail. Anyone else who has written me and hasn't received an invite yet should email me privately for me to send them another invitation. ------------------ ___________ Fionn Kelly Manager of Historical Research, The Gamers Net - Gaming for Gamers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boris Balaban Posted December 25, 1999 Share Posted December 25, 1999 Fionn did you get my email? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johan Brittz Posted December 25, 1999 Share Posted December 25, 1999 Fionn If you got my 3 mails (23rd; 24th; and today) don't reply - else let me know. Ta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fionn Posted December 25, 1999 Author Share Posted December 25, 1999 Ok, it looks like 10 people didn't get my invites.. You've both been re-invited. ------------------ ___________ Fionn Kelly Manager of Historical Research, The Gamers Net - Gaming for Gamers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoolColJ Posted January 4, 2000 Share Posted January 4, 2000 Hi Fionn Any more places left in this Campaign? ------------------ ------------------ CCJ BLITZ_Force My HomePage -----> www.geocities.com/coolcolj/ [This message has been edited by CoolColJ (edited 01-04-2000).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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