Now it,s here, a look into the future

[jake bullet]

i was just wondering now that i am playing CMAK

what about a glimpse into the future any comments of what people would like to see in the next engine

here's my sugestion

advanced damage modeling for buildings IE gradual deteriation in the buildings structure the abilty to knock holes ii a wall lets say

ok here is another idea me and my mate often have a hotseat battle which is fun what about a 2 player coop option say like where one person controls a infantry company and the othere tanks

ps Well done to the team for producing another classic still the best strategy title on the market keep up the good work

[ December 09, 2003, 05:29 PM: Message edited by: jake bullet ]

[Airborne]

Agreed Jake. Don't know if this could be done, but it would really add to this great game.

[Sanok]

How about when a tree is on the map, that's where the tree actually is? That way, you wouldn't see the following:

"Driver, park the tank behind those trees."

"Okay, Sarge, but remember, the trees are abstracted. We might be parking behind trees that aren't really there."

[Sycander]

Some things I would like to see in the next version of CM, in order of preference:

1. fog of war for terrain; terrain not in LOS should be unknown or known only sketchily, like maybe contour lines (which would look cool, too), but that's it. This could be set by scenario, according to the level of pre-battle intelligence; just as pre-battle briefings are often misleading, so could be pre-LOS maps.

2. non-universal LOS; why does every friendly unit on the board know where an enemy gun is located as soon as one friendly unit spots it? LOS might be individualized for selected units or command radiuses (radii?).

3. a way to archive turn movies, so that an entire game or portions thereof could be played after the battle in complete, and the movie files easily traded among players

4. a way to play longer battles, lasting, say, several days, with scenario-set reinforcement and ammo replenishment

5. things like brush and trees shouldn't catch fire so easily and burn constantly throughout a battle; brush fires usually burn only at the leading edge, with some light smoke left behind

6. star shells or illumination rounds for night battles

7. some randomness in building damage, as others have noted

- Sycander

[Pvt. Ryan]

Originally posted by Sycander:

4. a way to play longer battles, lasting, say, several days, with scenario-set reinforcement and ammo replenishment

This is what operations are for.

[second amendment]

Ditto on the night illumination, and how about when you click on a unit and get a first person view as if looking through binoculars of the battlefield.

[SteppenWolf]

1. A 2d like map that shows elevations clearly to issue oders. Like the maps real commanders have. Searching for elevations on the 3d field is kinda not optimal.

2. A way to figure out line of sight from a point before you move a unit there. Its frustrating to think you found a cool spot and then the line of sight for it after you moved units actually is not as good.

3. Formations for vehicles, let tanks for example form a diamond formation and advance using it. Also it would be cool if there would be an easier way to let vehicles follow a road. In some scenarios its just micromanagement.

4. Really cool would be if company and higher level HQ's could be issued orders to automatically advance and defend or simly hold ground smart so you can focus on key elements of an attack or defence.

In general I don't think that borg spotting is such a terrible thing. If you drive in a formation in a tank platoon and one of your tank opens fire on a location you are likely to suspect something and might fire too... Especially if you might have noticed a shell bouncing off this tank. So I think AT guns are handled not to unfair in the CM series.

I also have no problem with the current graphics, I prefer improvements in the model more over the eye candy. If it gets improved cool but more functionality and realism first visuals later IMHO.

[Bruceov]

An important improvement imo would be true multiplayer with up to 6 or eight at a time.

[undead reindeer cavalry]

1. vehicles need to block LOS & LOF.

2. "move on road to point X" command.

3. ability to set units to keep their position in relation to other units.

4. art spotters can specify the number of shells to be fired.

5. dragons teeth. frozen lakes.

6. ability to choose sides freely. e.g. Germans vs Germans.

[kenfedoroff]

Originally posted by SteppenWolf:

...Also it would be cool if there would be an easier way to let vehicles follow a road. In some scenarios its just micromanagement.

Amen. A follow road command. Even a conscript can do that.

I also have no problem with the current graphics, I prefer improvements in the model more over the eye candy. If it gets improved cool but more functionality and realism first visuals later IMHO.

Amen. Get the Tac/AI to recognize "dead-ground" in relation to the incoming.

Have ability to remove wire, road-blocks, etc.

Improved Artillery Model.

Make the wooden MG bunker at least equal to an MG in a trench as far as spotting.

As far as Multi-Player: Have an Operational Map where units move, but the resulting combat is resolved in CM. This could also be a separate Campaign tool for sale for the current CM series.

If they could integrate operational movement, supply, etc., we could recreate the historical "what-if" that sets the stage for the CM scenarios.

Santa! Are you listening? We've been good!

Ken

[SSG D]

One imporvement that should be added to the new CM2 engine is a new orders feature to permit HQ units to set formations. ie For Infantry platoons use Wedge, Vee, Echelon Left-right, line etc.

[tar]

Of course these two requests (by different users) are in conflict. Sycander:

1. fog of war for terrain; terrain not in LOS should be unknown or known only sketchily, like maybe contour lines (which would look cool, too), but that's it. This could be set by scenario, according to the level of pre-battle intelligence; just as pre-battle briefings are often misleading, so could be pre-LOS maps.

and Steppen Wolf

2. A way to figure out line of sight from a point before you move a unit there. Its frustrating to think you found a cool spot and then the line of sight for it after you moved units actually is not as good.

Personally, I prefer the first option. As for the second, well, the only way to really tell what the LOS is from a particular point is to go there. As it is, you can eyeball it much better using the game engine by moving the camera there than you could ever hope to do by looking at the terrain from a distance, or (shudder) a map.

As for

how about when you click on a unit and get a first person view as if looking through binoculars of the battlefield.

It isn't too hard now. Just select the unit and then hit "Tab" and "1" keys.

In general I don't think that borg spotting is such a terrible thing. If you drive in a formation in a tank platoon and one of your tank opens fire on a location you are likely to suspect something and might fire too... Especially if you might have noticed a shell bouncing off this tank. So I think AT guns are handled not to unfair in the CM series.

I heartily disagree. Now, there may be some cueing to look at where things are being targetted, but I would bet that in real life, a tanker's first thought would be "What the [exclamation] is he shooting at?" Not to mention, that normally a formation will have assigned sectors to scan for threats.

It also gets really out of hand, when everyone knows instantly where everything else is. I could see giving some spotting bonus to units spotted by other friendly forces (ideally with some chain-of-command effects), but making it automatic, across different organizational units and across the board seems a bit much.

[Kazom]

Here is my wish list:

1. Ability to toggle on and off a map hex grid - so we can see the elevation levels better during the planning phase, but take them off during the movie play back.

2. Better looking graphics for infantry units

3. Better looking graphics for buildings, and other terrain features. (I would like to see more than just square block builidngs, I would like to see buildings with some doodad objects around them - yards, porches, wells, streetlights, etc just for the looks but no effect on gameplay)

4. 3D Doodads for burning flames, rubble and wheatfields (instead of 2D ones)

5. Ability to see los from any point on the map without having to move your unit their first

6. Ability to play back the entire game in one movie at the end.

7. Last I still havent made up my mind on this one 100 percednt: but maybe individual spotting instead of borg spotting.

[Marty]

This is my first post in a long time - been out of the loop for awhile. This subject seems as good a place to jump back in as any!

I have two features I would like to see in the next version -

1. A standard map editor format for all theaters, with all of the terrain types built in, or in modules that can be added. Standard scenario format would be really nice also, but it seems easier to reconstruct those details than it is to rebuild large maps.

2. A parameter or button that allows for more than the 60 second action turn. Perhaps 2, 3, 4, 5 minutes, or my favorite - continuous until all current orders are completed.

Item 1 is just a plea for modular standardization and flexibility. Some days I just want to make games with whatever nationalities, in whatever terrain, at whatever time I want - no historical limitations other than the units available in the modules.

Item 2 is for the more passive side of me, although there are certainly wartime uses for it. Sometimes, I like to create a battle that only consists of some impressive terrain and one vehicle, or perhaps a few of them, with no enemy units in play. Then, I plot a move that takes a lot of waypoints along the various roads and over the countryside. Next, I take a "locked on" view from one of the vehicles and proceed to "go for a drive" by letting the turns execute. The run can be exhilirating, especially from the second or third vehicle in a convoy, in mountainous terrain, in the winter! The 60-second interruptions are a bit annoying, especially since it loses the vehicle lock each time. :confused:

Flowing from that is the issue of how much of that long drive should bae available for playback? As much as I can get, of course!

[SteppenWolf]

I don't know how available good maps where in WW II to german and other units but I know from my army time maps today are quiet accurate and the LOS tool from any location would basically simulate access to a good map.

An alternate feature would be a 2D view of the battlefield as map and the option to issue orders over this map.

Note that you've a lot of disadvantages as "Computer General" if it comes to exploring the elevations right. So I just try to get it right...

About the tanks and at guns, I only know modern tanks where communication of cause is quiet good and sharing intelligence within a tank platoon and synchronizing fire is key to survival.

I would just think that tanks with radio might within the platoon under fire shared such key information as "Hey an AT gun just fired at me but it bunched off, I think the shot came from 10..."

So like I said I see borg spotting not as the root of all evil but on the other hand my experience is more with modern weapons which of cause have better resources if it comes to battlefield intelligence

[MOS was 71331]

I too would like a follow road command. It's absurd to have to set multiple way points to move a vehicle along a road with twists and turns. I'd prefer a way point where the vehicle is to get on the road and another way point where the vehicle is to leave the road. The screen would show the whole path to the player, who could move the end way point to where he felt the computer's route became unacceptable and start a new follow road command from there.

I really like the suggested contour lines toggle. I know the CM games are 3D, but I'm finding it difficult to see where I should move my units to accomplish my goals. I want to move an FO to where he can just see over some obstructing terrain. Perhaps countour lines would solve this problem.

I use the FO's present LOS to guess where he should go, and his end position turns out either to be in the open or to have no view of the area I wanted. (In real life, I think the FO would be ordered to "get some fire on those Krauts up ahead," and the FO'd move to an appropriate position.) [The notes for the CMAK tutorial say to position a vehicle near a crest where its occupants can see ... I've tried over and over, but I can't find such a position without leaving the vehicle visible to the entire enemy garrison.]

A play aid I'd appreciate is to make the AI set up available to the player. The AI could place the player's forces on the map, and the player could then change the AI's positions as he wishes. It can take me hours to set up a defense from my units lined up along the map edge, while the AI needs only a few seconds to do a decent job. I'd appreciate having the AI give me a first approximation which I can then tweak.

I read somewhere that killing the FO no longer kills artillery fire the FO has started. I hope this is true. I've been annoyed repeatedly in CMBO at having a rocket barrage end after four or five impacts because the FO calling it in got hit. That just doesn't strike me as realistic.

[MOS was 71331]

A possible enhancement of the contour lines enhancement: make it like tree coverage or unit scale. Contour lines start OFF, then go to every 10 meters, then go to every 5 meters, then go to every meter, then go back to OFF.

[BDW]

Request: Damage to tree tiles

Could be abstracted: if heavy artillery falls in a patch of woods, then LOS through those woods would be increased.

And it could also be eye-candy: replace the normal tree tile with a damaged tree/crater tile .

[Bonxa]

1. Full movie playback. This is a must. It would add a whole new dimension to the CM life. AAR's should be watched!

2. Spotting fixed.

3. Better arty model.

4. I've been thinking about a sepatate overlay "layer" where phaselines, TRPs, coverarcs and the likes can be drawn which then can be toggled on and off just as say unitbases. This "tactical layer" can then be turned off for the movie play when everything is as "real" looking as possible. What do you think?

[CMplayer]

Amen, amen, amen!

So many good suggestions!