What's so bad about gamey?

[REVS]

*Ducks*

*Pops up periscope to see if the coast is clear for a moment*

I play CM as a game, pure and simple. I like the fact the game is based on all the real-world data relating to weapon and machine performance, and I appreciate the research that has gone into it, from serious grogs.

*Hang on, incoming!....*

*Minutes later, checks again, coast is clear*

But I think the best any computer game can get is about 75-80% realistic replay, and the rest is 20-25% nonsense. Can I mention borg spotting at this point? Or the inability of vehicles to follow a road or work in convoy? Or troops sneaking towards the enemy position? etc etc.

All this I accept as just part of the silly fun that is computer gaming.

But my main interest is with this post is in finding out who else basically loves this as a game, and isn't too hung up on all that 'historical realism' stuff.

*Gotta go, more incoming!!*

[Seanachai]

Originally posted by REVS:

*Ducks*

*Pops up periscope to see if the coast is clear for a moment*

I play CM as a game, pure and simple. I like the fact the game is based on all the real-world data relating to weapon and machine performance, and I appreciate the research that has gone into it, from serious grogs.

*Hang on, incoming!....*

*Minutes later, checks again, coast is clear*

But I think the best any computer game can get is about 75-80% realistic replay, and the rest is 20-25% nonsense. Can I mention borg spotting at this point? Or the inability of vehicles to follow a road or work in convoy? Or troops sneaking towards the enemy position? etc etc.

All this I accept as just part of the silly fun that is computer gaming.

But my main interest is with this post is in finding out who else basically loves this as a game, and isn't too hung up on all that 'historical realism' stuff.

*Gotta go, more incoming!!*

And people wonder why we have to shoot dingoes...

[Noba]

Originally posted by Seanachai:

</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by REVS:

*Ducks*

*Pops up periscope to see if the coast is clear for a moment*

I play CM as a game, pure and simple. I like the fact the game is based on all the real-world data relating to weapon and machine performance, and I appreciate the research that has gone into it, from serious grogs.

*Hang on, incoming!....*

*Minutes later, checks again, coast is clear*

But I think the best any computer game can get is about 75-80% realistic replay, and the rest is 20-25% nonsense. Can I mention borg spotting at this point? Or the inability of vehicles to follow a road or work in convoy? Or troops sneaking towards the enemy position? etc etc.

All this I accept as just part of the silly fun that is computer gaming.

But my main interest is with this post is in finding out who else basically loves this as a game, and isn't too hung up on all that 'historical realism' stuff.

*Gotta go, more incoming!!*

And people wonder why we have to shoot dingoes... </font>

[Seanachai]

Originally posted by Noba:

</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Seanachai:

</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by REVS:

*Ducks*

*Pops up periscope to see if the coast is clear for a moment*

I play CM as a game, pure and simple. I like the fact the game is based on all the real-world data relating to weapon and machine performance, and I appreciate the research that has gone into it, from serious grogs.

*Hang on, incoming!....*

*Minutes later, checks again, coast is clear*

But I think the best any computer game can get is about 75-80% realistic replay, and the rest is 20-25% nonsense. Can I mention borg spotting at this point? Or the inability of vehicles to follow a road or work in convoy? Or troops sneaking towards the enemy position? etc etc.

All this I accept as just part of the silly fun that is computer gaming.

But my main interest is with this post is in finding out who else basically loves this as a game, and isn't too hung up on all that 'historical realism' stuff.

*Gotta go, more incoming!!*

And people wonder why we have to shoot dingoes... </font>

[Dandelion]

Originally posted by REVS:

*Ducks*

*Pops up periscope to see if the coast is clear for a moment*

Huh? What was that? Guys did you see that?

I play CM as a game, pure and simple. I like the fact the game is based on all the real-world data relating to weapon and machine performance, and I appreciate the research that has gone into it, from serious grogs.

AHA! GAMEY PERSON! FIRE!

*Hang on, incoming!....*

See anything? Rats. Looks like he got away. Ah well, he won't be back in a hurry will he now...

*Minutes later, checks again, coast is clear*

What th...? Did you see that again? I'm telling you there was something moving over there...

But I think the best any computer game can get is about 75-80% realistic replay, and the rest is 20-25% nonsense. Can I mention borg spotting at this point? Or the inability of vehicles to follow a road or work in convoy? Or troops sneaking towards the enemy position? etc etc.

All this I accept as just part of the silly fun that is computer gaming.

But my main interest is with this post is in finding out who else basically loves this as a game, and isn't too hung up on all that 'historical realism' stuff.

Silence, I have a visual, ready the piece. Feuerbereit. 350, ein Schuss-Feuer frei! Abgefeuert. 40 nach rechts-50 kürzer-ein Schuss-Feuer frei!

*Gotta go, more incoming!!*

The pursuit of realism need not necessarily mean lack of playfulness. And the yell of GAMEY! need not necessarily come from a person focused on realism either.

As it seems to be the CM equivalent of the yell CHEATER! I always imagine it to be forwarded primarily by people about to lose a battle.

Personally I treasure an opponent (or scenario designer) playing with a historical realism approach. By forcing the game to behave realistically, he helps the suggestion and illusion of reality in the game and thus increase my personal gaming experience. Whereas the guy playing (or designing) with not a toe in realism highlights the fact that the game is just a game. Still a good game, and he is still a skilled player (designer). But you know for me it's a little like watching a movie and I suddenly spot cameras and wires in the background...

Your ducking approach here indicates you feel there is intolerance among grogs, which is sad. If you encounter a person who have obvious personality issues and problems behaving, and he calls himself a Grog, he is lying. He is in fact a gamey agent provocateur.

Cheerio

Dandelion

[Holman]

Dingoes ate my baby!

That said, you can play CM as historically or as gamily as you wish. What's needed is to make it clear to your opponent what kind of game you're playing this time. The problem is not gameyness or groginess, but the clash of expectations between the two.

There's nothing more frustrating for a hard-grog realist than to see a thoroughly ahistorical jeep-recon rush coming at his carefully hidden units, and there is nothing less fun for a gamey player than being superciliously bawled out for it over email.

Personally, I prefer historical play, but I have one opponent who thinks nothing wrong in sending out suicidal Bren carriers to probe my positions. When I play him, I know what we're doing and I enjoy it accordingly and immensely.

Still, I hope that CM will keep up its presumption of historical gameplay; there's precious little of it out there elsewhere. The burden of confession should be on the gamey player, who should always let his opponent know that he *isn't* playing in order to write a treatise on late-1943 Soviet infantry tactics or the OOB for Operation Torch.

[Dandelion]

Originally posted by Martyr:

Personally, I prefer historical play, but I have one opponent who thinks nothing wrong in sending out suicidal Bren carriers to probe my positions.

Interestingly, given the topic of this thread anyway, I left my PC on as I was cooking some food here, having just finished my little joke there above so this thread was up. My wife peeks into the monitor, curious as women tend to be, and then while eating she asks me what a suicidal Bren carrier is.

I don't know if I am the only one with this situation at home.

In a thread full of strange abbreviations, incomprehensible jokes, gamer and military (=both unknown) jargon, there were dozens of questions she might have asked.

And I thought to myself forthe duration of that conversation, why did he have to write suicidal? How about "deathanguishly challenged" or "endlife oriented" or "terminally enthusiastic" or something?

Not long ago, she sat next to me doing her hobbies as a Sherman blew up. It kind of got her attention, and so did my discreet and tasteful triumphant smile. "Did the kids get out or are they all burned to death now?"

That's when I say yeahwell hey, it's just a game baby, just a game... ehrm.

/D

[Nidan1]

Hey, whasammata you? Dingoes love Combat Mission too.

[With Clusters]

My (shacking-up-with) girlfriend always checks to see if I'm surfing porn and/or chatting with floozies. Recently, I made her watch Band of Brothers with me (she's Japanese/I live in Japan, which was kind of interesting as we both watched it for the first time on DVD), and when I directed her attention to a point in a game where I'd just blown up a Sherman ("Cool! See, just like in the show!"), she gave me a really confused look. "That's American, right?" - meaning, I'm American, so why do I think that's so cool? "It's just a game baby, just a game..."

[simovitch]

yes, I play (and design) with the historical approach paramount. It all began when I was using halftracks to spot 88's in panzerblitz/panzerleader and I started feeling bad for the hapless cardboard soldiers, their wives, and the now fatherless cardboard infants.

incidentally my wife said she would fell better if I play CM only with the Hamster mod. Not that she hates hamster's, she just thinks their cute. Must have 3D hamster faces. Does it exist? kitty?

[Guest Mike]

Originally posted by Martyr:

Dingoes ate my baby!

A fine reason for their existance.

Other than that I have, as usual, nothing to add

[Philippe]

Originally posted by simovitch:

yes, I play (and design) with the historical approach paramount. It all began when I was using halftracks to spot 88's in panzerblitz/panzerleader and I started feeling bad for the hapless cardboard soldiers, their wives, and the now fatherless cardboard infants.

incidentally my wife said she would fell better if I play CM only with the Hamster mod. Not that she hates hamster's, she just thinks their cute. Must have 3D hamster faces. Does it exist? kitty?

It wouldn't be all that hard to make. The faces don't involve any really peculiar distortions as found in the CMBO helmets. From ear to ear the image is just the face shot dead on, with the two sides of the head tacked on outside the ears. It works because the bmp wraps around the head (a bit like a cylinder). Not sure how well the whiskers will show up, though...

And remember: just doing the research and scouring the web for source materials is half the fun. So just put together a collection of your favorite rodents or marmosets shot front and center, convert them to the right size bmp, and you're in business.

[ May 11, 2004, 08:22 PM: Message edited by: Philippe ]

[Holman]

My wife peeks into the monitor, curious as women tend to be, and then while eating she asks me what a suicidal Bren carrier is.

Was your mouth full? Please tell me that this was a "spit take" moment!