Med Game, let's take a vote (for fun, at least).

[Runyan99]

The following is from the CM2 preview at: http://www.cgonline.com/previews/combatmiss-02-p1.html

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> Their next project is still up in the air, though a complete rewrite of the game engine is on tap for 2002-03. They want to do a Mediterranean game, covering the Western Desert, Sicily, and Italy, and one covering the early war years, but when these will arrive and what game system each will use has yet to be decided. One possibility is that Battlefront will release the Mediterranean game as Combat Mission 3, using the Combat Mission 2 engine, and then do the complete rewrite as a combination West Front and East Front game. Another is to do the Mediterranean title with the new engine. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

So, which would you prefer that BTS do?

Option 1 = Med as CM3

Option 2 = Med as CM rewrite

I would prefer Option 1 because, A) It would get the Med game released faster, and I would then have the entire ETO (excluding the early war) to play with while I wait for the CM rewrite.

Your thoughts?

[gunnergoz]

I personally don't want anything to delay the new engine re-write as it may address some limitations of the current engine that we'd all like to see changed (e.g. tile size, multi-floor buildings, command rules, relative spotting, to name a few.)

I'll enjoy the Med a lot more with an engine that can truly do it justice.

[Viceroy]

I think the key thing is sales. A combined E/W front game would sell more than a Med game. Save the lengthy engine rewrite for the big earner.

[kipanderson]

Hi,

For me the big three, when it comes to “settings” for war games are,

1) WW2 Eastern Front

2) WW2 NW Europe

3) Current, say 1994-2004

As BTS want to keep everything “in-house”, and are happy with their small team, we are clearly going to be rationed in terms the number of CM type games they will produce. If they do not wish to do a current/modern game, my vote would be to return to NW Europe with a new engine for CMII.

The “big” feature I would like to see in the new engine is live, online team play. This is, in my view, however little that may be worth, the only satisfactory way of handling “relative” spotting and command. If one had, say, four players on each team then a company commander would only be able to spot with, and issue orders to, his own company, and so on… He would only see what the units directly under his command see.

I am very keen that there should not be too many restrictions placed on ones freedom to control squads/AFVs directly under ones command. The reason is that in CM you are not only the battalion and company commander, but also the platoon “and” squad/AFV commander. Restrictions on a squads freedom to react quickly due to lack of training within the squad personnel and AFV crew are fine but the coding must not go so far as to, in effect, “assume” that the squad/AFV commander is stupid.

The other “big feature” I would like to see in CMII, in the perfect world, is a quality operational layer. So one could move battalions and companies around on a map and then “zoom” in to play a CM type battle when one wished. Not unlike the way CMMC works. This would be huge plus if BTS could pull it off. I believe they could pull it off.

All the best,

Kip.