gossamer Posted January 3, 2001 Share Posted January 3, 2001 I consider myself a serious war gamer and I want to make this purchase but I don't want to get ripped off again. Any comments will be welcomed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mace Posted January 3, 2001 Share Posted January 3, 2001 As a wargamer for some years, I would definitely recommend CMBO as being one of the most enjoyable and absorbing tactical wargames I have ever played! Mace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Clark Posted January 3, 2001 Share Posted January 3, 2001 Um... I honestly CANNOT imagine you being disappointed. Especially if you are a serious wargamer as you say. There are TONS of hard-core grognards here, loving this game. BUT, you may as well do yourself a favor and d/load the DEMO. That way you'll KNOW you want to buy the game. Also, let me be the first to welcome you to the "we are insane about CM" community... I know you'll be joining us soon... (YES! It's REALLY as good as they say... even better!... Shhhh!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aka_tom_w Posted January 3, 2001 Share Posted January 3, 2001 Are you serious? Have you played the Demo? Have you read these Threads? http://www.battlefront.com/discuss/Forum1/HTML/014127.html and: http://www.battlefront.com/discuss/Forum1/HTML/014152.html hope that helps -tom w Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
von shrad Posted January 3, 2001 Share Posted January 3, 2001 <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> I consider myself a serious war gamer and I want to make this purchase but I don't want to get ripped off again. Any comments will be welcomed. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> No gossamer it is better than that. Most reviews were written after limited time with the game but just when you thought you have seen it all, another facet of it is exposed. I have been playing it for over a year and I am still being suprised at the events on the screen and 'under the hood'. It is the wargame to play and even non wargaming friends of mine have fallen in love with it. There is so much depth to this game yet it plays very easily. I suggest playing the demo but keep in mind that the full version offers a world more. Nice to have you aboard and look forward to a future game with you. vs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rob/1 Posted January 3, 2001 Share Posted January 3, 2001 <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by gossamer: I consider myself a serious war gamer and I want to make this purchase but I don't want to get ripped off again. Any comments will be welcomed.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Lets just say the best $45 U.S you'll ever pay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kettler Posted January 3, 2001 Share Posted January 3, 2001 gossamer, I've been wargaming since age twelve when I got Avalon Hill's Tactics II for Christmas. If it had hexes, squares or required a protractor and measuring tape I played it. Whether on a map on a table top, on a sand table or on the floor, I played it. I've pushed cardboard, lead and plastic for almost 34 years, in everything from man-to-man combat to grand strategy, and spent over eleven years as a professional military analyst for Hughes and Rockwell. In that time I became convinced that nothing could ever equal, successively, board wargaming, then wargaming with miniatures. I tried computer gaming (SSI's Red Lightning) and hated it. Things looked bleak, for wargaming period was in dire trouble, when out of the blue I learned about two new developments, Panzer Elite, a deeply immersive you-are-there individual and platoon level armor sim, and Combat Mission, which found me while reading a Panzer Elite review, via the now famous banner--"the battalion's ready!" Combat Mission is immersive, terrifyingly so, but it is the immersion that comes from bearing the crushing responsibilities of a battlefield commander (up to battalion level) dealing with men under fire, men who are far more fond of their hides than in seizing the objective one day, but who fight to the last man the next. It is an experience of carefully nursing green troops to the objective, taking casualties all the while, only to have the big attack collapse when all seems destined for success. It is screaming with frustration because fire support is late in coming; it is cringing as fighter bombers roll in on the target while you pray fervently they don't drop on your troops. Combat Mission is discovering too late that you forgot to shift fire, meaning you are now shelling your own troops. It is the triumph of a well-executed ambush, the sharpshooter's kill of a Tiger commander and the grenade dropped from the upper floor into a Hellcat driving past the window. It is the shattering blast of a K-killed tank, the whoosh of a flamethrower, the crack of high velocity guns, the roaring crump of artillery fire and the heaving of the earth that goes with it. It is the ripping sound of MG-42s firing, answered by the chugging bursts of the .50 cal MG. It is the sound of the sky ripping apart under Nebelwerfer and battleship fire. It is the sound of orders given in the language of the men fighting; their screams of pain when hit and dying. It is of vistas so beautiful they take your breath away, and scenes of devastation which practically make you gag. Everything except the actual performance characteristics is customizable, too--uniforms, faces, vehicle paint schemes, buildings, bridges, the grass itself. Mods galore are available for free. You can play the battles and operations (series of battles) on the CD, download dozens for free from a bunch of sites, let the computer do a Quick Battle for you (just set the basic parameters) or design your own with the complete Scenario Designer which is included. You can fight the good AI, play by hotseat, play by E-mail or download the beta patch and play on the Internet or via LAN. What you've read about in the history books will come to life for you when you have Combat Mission. If you're still not convinced, download and play the demo. Bear in mind, though, that it is as nothing to the full game. If you are convinced, why are you still here when you need to be ordering? Simply put, gossamer, you can't afford not to have this game. There simply aren't enough superlatives to describe it. Nor have you ever seen such devotion, customer support and incredible levels of knowledge in the company and here on this many-faceted Forum. Welcome aboard! Sincerely, John Kettler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GriffinCheng+ Posted January 3, 2001 Share Posted January 3, 2001 Hello gossamer, I think you can try the demo first. I suggest you play the scenarioes and judge if CMBO worths it. Then I strongly recommend you to play a PBEM game or two -- I know quite a lot of good players ( but not me ) around who would love to play. A word of pre-warning : many old-timers here play the demo "to death" and to the level where they remember all the names and ranks of each squad leader. Personally, I started serious PC wargaming from "W@W : Operation Crusader" and later "Steel Panthers". I am never quite good at it but it is always fun to me. But I can tell CMBO is the best tactical WW2 games to date. May be magazine, both on-line and printed, reviews are a bit rushed. But from what I read from regulator CGO newsletters (not just on wargamming, but occation simulation), they praise CMBO a lot! Hope you like the game and good hunting. Griffin. ------------------ "When you find your PBEM opportents too hard to beat, there is always the AI." "Can't get enough Tank?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maximus Posted January 3, 2001 Share Posted January 3, 2001 <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by gossamer: I consider myself a serious war gamer and I want to make this purchase but I don't want to get ripped off again. Any comments will be welcomed.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> OK com'on, TownshendVol, we know it's you. No really, count the number of posts on this board. We're coming up on 175 THOUSAND posts in about a year and half time. What other game board have you seen with as many posts as that? Hell, there's been threads on here that have had more posts than whole other boards combined, but that's the Peng aka Cesspool Threads, that's a different story. Not to mention BTS has THE best customer support in the business. We find bugs, BTS fixes them! There have been FIVE official patches with a SIXTH in the works that have undergone FOUR beta patches already. Trust me, you won't get screwed with this game. But I sense you fear the "on-line only" marketing, but don't worry lad, you're safe with us. ------------------ "Live by the sword, live a good LOOONG life!"-Minsc, BGII "Boo points, I punch."--Minsc, BGII Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanonier Reichmann Posted January 3, 2001 Share Posted January 3, 2001 <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by John Kettler: Combat Mission is immersive, terrifyingly so, but it is the immersion that comes from bearing the crushing responsibilities of a battlefield commander (up to battalion level) dealing with men under fire, men who are far more fond of their hides than in seizing the objective one day, but who fight to the last man the next. It is an experience of carefully nursing green troops to the objective, taking casualties all the while, only to have the big attack collapse when all seems destined for success. It is screaming with frustration because fire support is late in coming; it is cringing as fighter bombers roll in on the target while you pray fervently they don't drop on your troops. Combat Mission is discovering too late that you forgot to shift fire, meaning you are now shelling your own troops. It is the triumph of a well-executed ambush, the sharpshooter's kill of a Tiger commander and the grenade dropped from the upper floor into a Hellcat driving past the window. It is the shattering blast of a K-killed tank, the whoosh of a flamethrower, the crack of high velocity guns, the roaring crump of artillery fire and the heaving of the earth that goes with it. It is the ripping sound of MG-42s firing, answered by the chugging bursts of the .50 cal MG. It is the sound of the sky ripping apart under Nebelwerfer and battleship fire. It is the sound of orders given in the language of the men fighting; their screams of pain when hit and dying. It is of vistas so beautiful they take your breath away, and scenes of devastation which practically make you gag. Everything except the actual performance characteristics is customizable, too--uniforms, faces, vehicle paint schemes, buildings, bridges, the grass itself. Mods galore are available for free. You can play the battles and operations (series of battles) on the CD, download dozens for free from a bunch of sites, let the computer do a Quick Battle for you (just set the basic parameters) or design your own with the complete Scenario Designer which is included. You can fight the good AI, play by hotseat, play by E-mail or download the beta patch and play on the Internet or via LAN. What you've read about in the history books will come to life for you when you have Combat Mission. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> BTS, you've just gotta employ Johnno... who else could so eloquently describe Combat Mission (say on the box cover of CM2? when released) than ol' Kettler. That was almost poetry. Regards Jim R. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maximus Posted January 3, 2001 Share Posted January 3, 2001 <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Kanonier Reichmann: BTS, you've just gotta employ Johnno... who else could so eloquently describe Combat Mission (say on the box cover of CM2? when released) than ol' Kettler. That was almost poetry. Regards Jim R.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Well yeah, but remember that there is a fine line between Genius and Idiot. J/K, Johnno! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shatter Posted January 3, 2001 Share Posted January 3, 2001 <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Maximus: OK com'on, TownshendVol, we know it's you. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> No doubt I am loading my gun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rob/1 Posted January 3, 2001 Share Posted January 3, 2001 <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Kanonier Reichmann: (say on the box cover of CM2? when released) than ol' Kettler. That was almost poetry. Regards Jim R.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Man CM dosen't come in a box Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jd Posted January 3, 2001 Share Posted January 3, 2001 <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by gossamer: I consider myself a serious war gamer and I want to make this purchase but I don't want to get ripped off again. Any comments will be welcomed.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> It is better than they say. Before you dismiss that as hyperbole, consider that the reviews (go to http://www.battlefront.com/products/worldwar/cm/cm_rev.html for a sampling) mostly have been on the initial release. The game has continued to improve. Note: that the "patches" referred to were NOT to fix major busg, but as tweaks. What makes this game different? This is a very active and interactive community. The developers are TWO guys. Period. Only recently has BTS added some further help. They are above all wargamers, like us. They listen and participate. In fact Steve posted a thread http://www.battlefront.com/discuss/Forum1/HTML/014292.html that was a continuation of previous forum discussions about the carrying capacity of HT's. What other game has that level of involvement. I am not a grognard type, but history is a passion. I enjoy games but am not a "gamer" Yet CM touches all of these. The attention to detail is amazing. just tonight in a pbem game, my tank hit a Panther. The hit immobilized the tank, but didn't kill it. It was not a track hit. But the damage was such that the drive train/engine was ko'd. That is not what was amazing. What was, is that they programmed the sound of the engine dying and sputtering out. You might not catch this in the cacophony of battle, yet BTS cared enough about immersive accuracy to model it. They could have left it out and CM would be just as great. They didn't. What John Kettler said in so many eloquent words DOES mirror my experience. Get the demo, if you love this genre you will not be disappointed. Then buy the game! [This message has been edited by jd (edited 01-03-2001).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Seimerst Posted January 3, 2001 Share Posted January 3, 2001 No, it is not as good as they say. It is much, much better. Clearly the posters in this forum love the game-- but they are serious dedicated war gamers and darn fine historians. But if you have read all the posts down to this one and still have not ordered the game, what in the world are you waiting for? Welcome to the family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grisha Posted January 3, 2001 Share Posted January 3, 2001 Will have played wargames for 30 years this year, and CM is the best tactical game I've seen on either a board, or a computer. ------------------ Best regards, Greg Leon Guerrero Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wesy Posted January 3, 2001 Share Posted January 3, 2001 You will not be disappointed. This is the best thing since sliced bread There is nothing more visceral than seeing you squad throw a grenade into an open German Halftrack and watching it brew up! Buy it man! I DO want to see a PTO version of this game though...and the only way to ever see this is to buy the entire series when they are launched (and with a bit of hope!). ------------------ If all men are brothers, like the seas throughout the world; So why do winds and waves clash so fiercely?" - Emperor Hirohito (1940) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scooleen Posted January 3, 2001 Share Posted January 3, 2001 This game sucks Because now the blinds of ignorance have been lifted from my eyes, and every other game I liked before doesnt have the same draw to me anymore. I love you BTS/No I Hate You! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GI Tom Posted January 3, 2001 Share Posted January 3, 2001 <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by John Kettler: gossamer,.....What you've read about in the history books will come to life for you when you have Combat Mission..... Sincerely, John Kettler<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Preach on my CM brother! I have owned a copy for about 6 months now, and those statements made me want to buy another one! Gossamer, If you take anything away from John's very eloquent and excellent post, the above quote would be my recommendation. The man is 100% dead on with this statement in my very humble opinion. GI Tom ------------------ To a New Yorker like you, a hero is some type of weird sandwich. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruno Weiss Posted January 3, 2001 Share Posted January 3, 2001 It's better than they say, on account of they don't want to say. None of them want you to know about CM. Once you play the best, your dissappointed with the rest. CM, there is no substitute! ------------------ "Gentlemen, you may be sure that of the three courses open to the enemy, he will always choose the fourth." -Field Marshal Count Helmuth von Moltke, (1848-1916) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JediJobu Posted January 3, 2001 Share Posted January 3, 2001 My unbiased .02 cents on this. I am a very busy person and have limited time for games - unfortunatelly. I have to pick and choose wisely on the game that I buy, not b/c I can't afford them but b/c of my time limitations I figure I better pick the ones that would be most enjoyable. Combat mission has been one of my 2 games that I get to play and have been doing so for 3-4 months now. CM is true to the genre with great innovations in it. I have never played a war game as good a this ever. Yeah, there are always classics but this one still wins by a long haul. Never had any technical difficulties with it. Very detailed and strategically demanding - unlike other games that once a strategy is found you can use it succesfully every time. Longevity is superb with play-by-email or internet play. AI is fairly good and until you get the hang of the game, does plenty to make you reload your old saved game. Excellent support from the makers with patches to fix up very small details. In short - I has been the best $45 spent in a game for me in a long, long time. Have a nice day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TownsendVol Posted January 3, 2001 Share Posted January 3, 2001 gossamer, WOW this sounds familiar. If you will notice I am the person they linked you to as far as past questions. I bugged them for about 2 days asking questions while playing the demo. I must say that after playing the Demo I have no doubt that when my copy comes in I will be classified as a missing person. I had a blast. Dont just play one side or play one game. Play a few. It took me some time to fall in love, a whole one game. But I played a few more times just to make sure. I like you work hard for my limited funds and didnt want to waste them. I must say that I am very very excited and cannot wait for the to take my money so I can get their game. Play the Demo see what you think, and no matter what feel free to ask questions just like this. Good luck and I am sure you will love it. God Bless and Still Go Vols "Evil around every corner, be careful not to step in any" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juju Posted January 3, 2001 Share Posted January 3, 2001 Think we got him assimilated by now? ------------------ I prefer an enemy who's willing to die for his country. That way both him and me have the same aim in mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coralsaw Posted January 4, 2001 Share Posted January 4, 2001 Gossamer, If you are even remotely interested in WWII, then CMBO is clearly the one to have. I bought it in the summer, and have not bought or even played anything else since then (well, except a couple of TOAW games, sorry ). Easily the best value for money and one of my top 3 favourite games ever. Regards [This message has been edited by coralsaw (edited 01-03-2001).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diceman Posted January 4, 2001 Share Posted January 4, 2001 Mega dittos. Best game I've ever owned. ------------------ Pair-O-Dice "Once a Diceman, Always a Diceman." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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