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Should i get CMAK?


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The games play out very differently, not because of any engine differences but because of the unit types and tactics for their use.

The German player can't rely on 80mm front StuG's to dominate the armour war or be able to dodge un-responsive arty, however the infantry can now beat Allied infantry in a close in assault.

It's a better, more balanced game. But it does lack some of the epic sweep of the Eastern front.

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Overall CMBB seems to have more "polish." CMAK has had a tendency to be a bit buggy. On the other hand, CMAK has better graphics. CMAK also has the benefit of having terrain from two different continents. The contrasts of fighting in thw wide open desert and the hilly wooded Italian terrain makes it seem like two games.

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I played CMBB for a couple years before I picked up CMAK. I have really enjoyed learning the new primary Allied units (ie: American & British). After years of Soviet vs. German and their subsidiaries, it's great to see new stuff.

I would not hesitate to recommend this game, particularly if you have enjoyed CMBB.

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para,

Aside from the fact that there are all sorts of new "toys" and units to play with and new places to play, like vineyards on Crete, the addition of dust in CMAK radically changes things, adding greatly to the pucker factor and demanding more of the players as well. That dust cloud rolling up on your position, for example, might be lorried infantry, but what if it's armor? Dust blocks LOS and can make targeting of both DF and IDF weapons a real bear. In ROW, dust allowed an entire armored serial to drive right through my defenses, and I couldn't do anything about it until it was way too close to stop.

The armor battles become, IMO, much more interesting, and otherwise marginal weapons become serious concerns. In ROW, for example, I had an M-11/39 which was partially F-killed (turret out), but carried on with the hull cannon, this despite some 40+ Boys rifle hits. I razzed my foe by thanking him for uparmoring my tank. Just as well I did, for I got my butt kicked! Even so, I was shot at for most of the game by multiple ATR teams and had only a rough idea where the fire was coming from.

If you don't have a proper antitank weapon, even a Mark VI light tank can be a severe threat capable of shredding infantry it can run rings around. And did I mention you literally have to retrain your terrain reading eyes? The desert will fool you, and a misread of the ground can and will cost you dearly!

OTOH, well sited defenses, even when hard pressed, can wreak havoc (not much cover), and I have seen individual attacks get down to opposing officers killing each other with pistols! Oases may seem cool and inviting--until 25 pdr. fire starts bursting in the palm tops! Sometimes, just moving a unit is an accomplishment. In ROW, I lost several ACs, some 251s and a bunch of trucks while crossing rocky ground, and that was before encountering the enemy.

Something else CMAK has that CMBB doesn't is that it semimodels (can't designate separate targets, unfortunately) tanks with multiple cannon, such as the Grant/Lee, M-11/39 and others. Also, even though some vehicles aren't available in CMAK, such as the Jagdpanther, CMAK allows the play, using much better modeling of weapon performance and environmental effects than CMBO had, of Western Europe scenarios. Indeed, there is an active group called CMETO (CM, European Theater of Operations)

hard at work on what practically amounts to a new game.

Bottom line? Get CMAK!

Regards,

John Kettler

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Originally posted by John Kettler:

Also, even though some vehicles aren't available in CMAK, such as the Jagdpanther,

The Jagdpanther is available in CMAK. The King TIger, Jagdtiger, Cromwell, Pershing, and Jackson are not. But John is very right in that the available forces allow for scenarios based on the fighting in Germany, France, and the other countries in NW Europe as well as Italy.
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stoat,

My mistake! Was unaware the Jagdpanther saw service in Italy. Was thinking that it's nearest equivalent

was the much slower and better protected Elefant. No surprises, though, on the King Tiger, Jagdtiger

or Allied armor introduced at Normandy or thereafter.

para,

You're welcome!

Regards,

John Kettler

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"Indeed, there is an active group called CMETO (CM, European Theater of Operations)

hard at work on what practically amounts to a new game."

--John Kettler

You mean there will be a real Westfront Combat Mission which is based on CMAK,and with all missing tank units in CMBO?

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Originally posted by xellos:

"Indeed, there is an active group called CMETO (CM, European Theater of Operations)

hard at work on what practically amounts to a new game."

--John Kettler

You mean there will be a real Westfront Combat Mission which is based on CMAK,and with all missing tank units in CMBO?

No. It is a mod project which will make CMAK look entirely different. Same units and the like, but a new view of buildings and terrain.
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Get CMAK. Now. It's a great game, completely different from CMBB (I sometimes instinctively reach for the human wave button only to find it's not there). I believe the differences from CMBB are what makes it such a good game. If you have CMBB then you need CMAK and vice versa. You wouldn't even be playing the full game if you didn't (I have both).

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Originally posted by David I:

Xellos & para,

CMETO is already out. Go to the CMAK forum, go to search and type "Announcing CMETO" this will bring up pictures, instructions for installation and alot of, mostly, favorable comments. Check it out.

DavidI

Cheers DavidI
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