CM2... CMBO.... compatable?

[Foobar]

OK,

This has been discussed before, but lets see if there are any new developments?

Will I be able to play West Front battles with CM2? I am not asking anyone to magically make CMBO upgradable to the new standard, BUT

How hard would it be to put the West Front Models into CM2? I assume that CM2 will be an improved simulation in many respects, and I would be just giddy if I could play my old Western Front battles with the new and improved....

Question directed towards BTS, bystander opinions also welcome:

[Pvt. Ryan]

I'm pretty sure it's not going to work that way, but it would be nice if each version of CM meshed with the others so that you don't have to swap disks to play the different versions. If you remember the V for Victory series, each new module was integrated with the existing ones so that you could chose from among all the battles on the startup screen. Each battle was still independently played, however.

And, in the Battleground series each new game came with patches to upgrade all of the previous games to take advantage of the new features. I realize there is a lot more going on in CM, but it would be nice if BTS could do that, to the extent possible.

[Stalins Organ]

I believe the 3-d models are hard coded into the game and unalterable, so you will not be able to play CMBO scenarios on CM2 or vice versa.

[Manx]

This is something i would definitely like to see. Maybe one day, we'll get a core CM-X engine that you can just bolt any of the WW2 theatres to, using data discs with unit info and graphics.

Whatever the price, it would be worth it!

[Foobar]

I guess I should have phrased it differently.

What I would be interested is seeing the CMBO units for US, German, Polish, British, French, etc BUILT IN to CM2. Forget about CM1, it would be silly to try to patch it somehow.

Here's where I am coming from. I dont think I will be "over" CMBO by the time CM2 comes out. If the tactical and interface considerations are too different in CMBO vs CM2, it will make it very hard to enjoy playing both of them at once.

Trying to change hats, and think back in CMBO mode, will be very difficult. If CM2 is the improvement I think it will be, I would really like to play Western Front games with the improvements..

[Stalins Organ]

No, they won't be built in.

[Pvt. Ryan]

I think we would all like that. The only ones that can really answer that are BTS, and they aren't saying much about CM2 yet. I think they would have one more patch for CM1 that incorporates as many backwards compatible changes as possible, but I suspect there will be a few things particular to CM2 that won't be compatible with CM1. I'm sure that BTS' priority will be getting CM2 out the door and working correctly before they really think about trying to patch CM1 again.

Reading your question again, I don't think I really answered it. To put it simply, I don't think CM2 will do what you want it too. That would make CM1 obsolete, and I don't think BTS wants to do that.

[ 05-10-2001: Message edited by: Pvt. Ryan ]

[Mr. Johnson--]

More importantly will we be able to use scenarios from CMBO in CM2. So after we get CM2, we can grab old .cmt and .cmb files and stick them in our new dir. I fiqure that BTS is going to be adding additional terrian but why would we not be able to use the old files and add the new terrian to it?

[Stalins Organ]

I don't think so - the ino in those files will refer to completely different things in CMBtB - I don't know the details, but, for example if CMBO gives the allies a Sherman then it's going to be something else entirely in CMBt - maybe a T34, Maybe a Su-76..who knows?,

Probably the same problem for many of the Axis equipments.

[kverdon]

Hmmm,

I may be wrong but along time ago I seem to remember BTS saying that the CM games would be kept up to date. ie. that CM1 would be updated to CM2 after CM2 was released etc. I could be wrong or this could have changed but I would certainly like BTS to chime in on this one.

Kevin

[Stalins Organ]

I think that was referring to patches to bring the game mechanics up to speed. Haven't heard any more on that for a while tho'.

[Lurker]

I too would be very interested in seeing some sort of CMBO and CMBB combination. I know that I can't be the only one who is itching to try Western troops and equipment against the Soviet troops and equipment.

-Lurker

[Loki]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by kverdon:

Hmmm,

I may be wrong but along time ago I seem to remember BTS saying that the CM games would be kept up to date. ie. that CM1 would be updated to CM2 after CM2 was released etc. I could be wrong or this could have changed but I would certainly like BTS to chime in on this one.

Kevin<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Going by what BTS has stated in the past, the final CM patch has been done. I recall a tread from last summer or fall saying CMBO maybe redone once East Front, Mediteranean, N. Africa, and the Early years were out. Naturally all that could be subject to change. If someone can recall ( or find) that thread I am interesting in re-reading it.

[Dallas]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by kverdon:

Hmmm,

I may be wrong but along time ago I seem to remember BTS saying that the CM games would be kept up to date....

Kevin<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

A long time ago before the demo when Steve and Charles ran the board, I was emphatically assured that CMBO would have the full battle replay functionality built into it.

At that time the intention was also to update all previous versions of CM with any later enhancements.

As we all know a plan rarely survives contact with the enemy.

My guess is that BTS are muzzling themselves at this stage of CM2 development in case anything they say like the above comes back to haunt them later.