CMAK/CMBB/CMBO Questions

[Lanzfeld]

Hey,

I have CMBO (one of the first!) and CMAK. I have a few questions before I get CMBB (the CMC looks like a dream).

1. With respect to the "engine" of the game, what does CMAK have that CMBB doesn't? I know CMAK has dust and multi-turret and CMBB does not. Does CMBB have covered arcs? Does CMBB have "move to contact"? Does CMBB have trenches? What are the other changes to CMAK?

2. What was the big change from CMBO with respect to MG's? I remember that there was a problem with CMBO's MG's that was fixed in CMBB and CMAK. Just curious....

3. To make CMAK more "Europe" so we can stop using CMBO are there any plans to add the "missing" vehicles to CMAK or am I just dreaming?

4. Last question is a designer question. When I make a battle and test-play it vs the AI with "Fog Of War" off (so I can see how AI plays) does the AI see me all the time or is it still bound by LOS?

[Lanzfeld]

Okay...I went through the website and answered question number 1.

What about names? Is there a way to put my name in the "database"?

[Emar]

Here are a couple of the answers.

CMAK is a finished product. Unless some progarmming genius from the CM community figures out a way to add the the NW Europe stuff

CMBB does have covered arcs, move to contact and trenches, the main features that CMAK has that CMBB does not (unfortunately)is dust and multi turret vehicles, both of which would have been usefull for CMBB battles.

With fog of war off the AI "sees" exactly where you are at all times just as you see the AI's forces. One of the features of the next engine is the ability for designers to play with fog of war off with the AI unable to see forces not in it's LOS.

[John Kettler]

Lanzfeld,

CMBB introduced several useful improvements, some of which were essential to properly model the Eastern Front. These include human wave attacks, trenches,

cover arcs and cover armor arcs (which I used during the Beta Demo playtest to successfully protect a moving Panzer force against all-aspect threats and goes a long way toward keeping units from firing prematurely or shooting the wrong target), a radically changed and more realistic artillery model (CMBO's is laser guided by comparison), a new preplanned prep fire mode (standard Soviet mode), shoot and scoot (useful

especially for lighter AFVs fighting heavier ones), aircraft and aircraft weapons peculiar to the Eastern Front, a slew of ground weapons not in CMBO (June '44 on) at all, from Panzer Is on, Axis allies (Italians, Romanians, Hungarians and Finns), the Red Army, and a combat theater spanning thousands of miles.

Does it have some problems? Sure! But it's in CMBB with its much bigger maps that many weapons begin to show why they were so feared. No longer are 88s a sneeze away from being overrun or blasted by a light mortar. To the contrary, they can kill you at 2000 meters. The T-34 can run rings around slower Panzers or close at terrifying speeds on exposed infantry.

Because the maps are bigger, transport becomes more important, as does maneuver, in an environment practically devoid of European roads.

Antitank rifles can cause all sorts of mischief, but are difficult to spot. Machine gun effectiveness has been completely redone. Maneuvers which worked great in CMBO will get you slaughtered in CMBB. Do NOT rush MGs unless you've a) pinned them and made sure no one else

is covering them.

Men are now much more prone to pin and can and will get tired, especially when moving through mud, snow, and the like, particularly in newly modeled temperature extremes. Keeping troops in command is much more important than in CMBO, but for certain armor is more difficult, for there are no radios in some of them, reducing tactical separation. FOs now come in two flavors, radio and wire, and only those with radios can use vehicles. Wire FOs thus either have to fight Russian style from a fixed OP or will only move at the pace of an HMG team, representing time to lay wire.

Regards,

John Kettler

[Ace Pilot]

One thing CMBB has that neither CMBO nor CMAK has is factory tiles - giving the ability to create large buildings with long internal LOS. Makes those city maps a bit more interesting.

[SKELLEN]

Originally posted by Lanzfeld:

Hey,

I have CMBO (one of the first!) and CMAK. I have a few questions before I get CMBB (the CMC looks like a dream).

1. With respect to the "engine" of the game, what does CMAK have that CMBB doesn't? I know CMAK has dust and multi-turret and CMBB does not. Does CMBB have covered arcs? Does CMBB have "move to contact"? Does CMBB have trenches? What are the other changes to CMAK?

CMBB has covered arcs/move to contact/trenches.

2. What was the big change from CMBO with respect to MG's? I remember that there was a problem with CMBO's MG's that was fixed in CMBB and CMAK. Just curious....

All I can say is there is an obvious and more realistic improvement to MG's in general, they are more deadly put it that way, as you would expect.

3. To make CMAK more "Europe" so we can stop using CMBO are there any plans to add the "missing" vehicles to CMAK or am I just dreaming?

You are just dreaming with regard to the vehicles but the new engine is bound to include the missing vehicles I'm sure, in time at least.

4. Last question is a designer question. When I make a battle and test-play it vs the AI with "Fog Of War" off (so I can see how AI plays) does the AI see me all the time or is it still bound by LOS?

The AI will see as much as you if FOW is turned off.

If you really want to get a feel for CMBB can I suggest you d/l the demo - all will be revealed.