New to Combat Mission

[byoung205]

I just ordered CMAK and book bundle ! I am really excited but kinda nervous as I am new to wargaming.

I have heard and read all the rave reviews and could not resist. I love the History Channel and books on WW2 and PC games so this seemed like a natural fit.

What books would you recommend for this game besides the one I ordered with game?

I have heard about skins and mods, any ones for CMAK you would suggest for newbie? I want to go slow with mods at first so I don't overload my computer.

What are best tips to get started and get the most from the game?

Sorry for all the questions.

PS-I will use Search function but wanted you to know I ordered game

[Kingfish]

Welcome aboard.

What are best tips to get started and get the most from the game?

Start off with small scenarios, especially the tutorial. Learn the basics, then progress from there.

Feel free to ask any questions. The manual will help a little, but the vast majority of information will come from practice and from this board.

[BFawlty]

You will lose alot of time to wargaming. The CM series is great. I tend to phase in and out. Right now I am just really getting back to it again after a lay off of sorts, I've been playing the Total War games, anyway just ordered CMAK myself.

BF

[guachi]

Originally posted by byoung205:

What books would you recommend for this game besides the one I ordered with game?

Are you interested in history or books on equipment?

For equipment, I have two good books on German stuff. 'German Tanks of WWII" by Chamberlain and Doyle and "German Infantry Weapons of WWII" by some other British guy.

I can't think of a good book off the top of my head for British stuff. But there are always bunches of websites.

I found "Achtung Panzer" an interesting historical read.

My father, and I don't know how he found this at amazon, bought me "Mit Rommel in der Wüste : Kampf u. Untergang d. Dt. Afrika-Korps 1941-1943

by Volkmar Kühn"

Only the version he bought me was in English, not German. Quite interesting to read somthing published originally in German. Don't have the book with me at the moment so I can't comment specifically.

For first person perspective, my favorite book is "Company Commander". Not about Africa or Italy, but good nonetheless.

I have heard about skins and mods, any ones for CMAK you would suggest for newbie? I want to go slow with mods at first so I don't overload my computer.

I think a good way not to get overloaded with mods is pick one scenario, then download mods of terrain, infantry, vehicles that go with that scenario. Get a mod manager of some kind (see CMMODS for example) so you can remove them. And then compare. Little by little, you will find the mods that you like.

I just downloaded almost everything from CMMODS yesterday in between PBEM games. So today I am going to start rummaging through what I got.

For some things, there is only one mod that is suitable. For example, if you are playing a desert scenario, there is, as far as I know, only one set of 'dusty' mods for vehicles - the mods by gautrek. So after playing a desert scenario you just use the mod manager to swap out the dusty ones for regular ones.

Winter mods, on the other hand, don't need to be swapped out with regular mods. Battlefront has been kind enough to add empty bmp 'slots' that can be filled with winter mods. If the winter mods aren't there, it goes to the default ones. It would have been really cool if they had added that feature for all the different theaters in CMAK.

What are best tips to get started and get the most from the game?

Start small and replay the same scenario over again to see how the different tactics work. For those of us who have been following the game for a long time, all we had to play was the demo. So we got to practice and practice with a small sample of the game.

The AI is pretty decent on defense and you could play endless Quick Battles versus the AI that way. I've found that on a small map and with a decent force (like one that you've picked) the AI can be a good attacker as well.

Then dip your feet in the PBEM pool. People do things, fo course, that no computer ever would.

Sorry for all the questions.

PS-I will use Search function but wanted you to know I ordered game

[edited because I can't spell]

Jason

[flamingknives]

Rick Atkinson's "An Army at Dawn" is a good book, and helps put some of the battles in CMAK into perspective.

[guachi]

I said:

Originally posted by guachi:

Winter mods, on the other hand, don't need to be swapped out with regular mods. Battlefront has been kind enough to add empty bmp 'slots' that can be filled with winter mods. If the winter mods aren't there, it goes to the default ones. It would have been really cool if they had added that feature for all the different theaters in CMAK.

After looking at things more, it looks like there ARE different BMPs for various theaters and time periods.

I've been playing around with MCMMM available from CMMODS website. Nice and easy to use.

Jason

[zukkov]

welcome to wargaming! since you're new at this i'd say the most important thing to remember is don't get discouraged. there's a learning curve to this game. not so much in moving and shooting, but where to move and when to shoot. just keep trying and you'll get the hang of it. ask questions and read the forums often. good hunting!

[dieseltaylor]

Welcome!

Two things - the only must have on my systems are the gridded terrain so that you can get the folds of the ground reasonably easily.

CM is soo so immersive with so much to learn you would do best not to disappear to the "modding world"

[Malakovski]

All good advice above.

Let me emphasize, learn the equipment! I got a big encyclopedia of WWII equipment (everything from small arms to aircraft carriers) and read it cover to cover back when CMBO came out. It some ways it was more info than was needed, but as far as armored vehicles, it wasn't even enough. You need to know the capabilities of the vehicles, or you'll feel very lost. I've tried to introduce a number of people to the game who gave up because the learning curve was too steep and they didn't know why they were losing tanks all the time. You have to get a feeling for the different guns and armor properties.

So yes, start with the small battles, use the in game info to get oriented, but I'd also recommend a good book on armor as a supplement.

Also, the AI is fine for learning, but the real game is PBEM...

[Sirocco]

Originally posted by flamingknives:

Rick Atkinson's "An Army at Dawn" is a good book, and helps put some of the battles in CMAK into perspective.

I would second that. It's beautifully written, which makes it easier to follow events.

[MikeyD]

After you've figured out the controls the best tactics are usually going to be common sense tactics. In the real world if someone on the other side of an open field were firing a mg at you you'd think twice about charging at him across that field. In the real world if an enemy Tiger suddenly appears on a ridgeline your first urge might be to run screaming in the opposite direction... and that wouldn't be a bad plan in the game, either!