CM demo Primer??

[Thraka]

I'm trying to get my buddy over the net into CMBO.

My friend got the demo.. But is thoughroly confused by what to do, how to do it and why? Are there any tutorials with screenshots out there ont he net somewhere? Thanks guys!

[Splinty]

I would suggest he come here with his questions first, and second send him over to Combat Mission HQ, I beleive there's a slew of tutorials an their site.

[Michael Dorosh]

No, this is a valid request. My first download of the demo resulted in complete frustration and a jettison of the game from my hard drive. I never tried again for many months.

I am currently trying to recruit an internet friend - finally got him convinced to download the demo. Short of explaining things over the phone, it would be nice to have a printer friendly document somewhere that would be a "CM for Dummies" kind of a thing.

[aka_tom_w]

Originally posted by Michael Dorosh:

No, this is a valid request. My first download of the demo resulted in complete frustration and a jettison of the game from my hard drive. I never tried again for many months.

I am currently trying to recruit an internet friend - finally got him convinced to download the demo. Short of explaining things over the phone, it would be nice to have a printer friendly document somewhere that would be a "CM for Dummies" kind of a thing.

I agree

other folks who are our friends (but who we know like wargames) take an inordinately LARGE amount of time to come around to this "crazy game" (with NO HEXES it must be blasphemy! ), that we all think is so GREAT!

I have had this problem as well.

My first experience with the CMBO beta demo was relatively painless as I recall, it sort of seemed somewhat intuitive to me, but it was by no means "DEAD EASY" to figure out, especially mortars FO's and LOS and command radius, those issues REALLY tripped up my wargamer friends who could not at all understand my complete addiction to this great game because LOS Mortars and FO's "rules" seemed (at least to them) so non-intuitive.

-tom w

[ June 07, 2002, 02:19 PM: Message edited by: aka_tom_w ]

[Thraka]

Yeah I sifted through a bit of the CM tutorials but they all seemed like they were for people who already knew how to generally play the game.. basically just to play it better.

[Guest PondScum]

One possibility would be to take the tutorial in the manual as a starting point - granted the scenario there is MUCH simpler, but they do go through the various concepts.

[Michael Dorosh]

Originally posted by PondScum:

One possibility would be to take the tutorial in the manual as a starting point - granted the scenario there is MUCH simpler, but they do go through the various concepts.

yeah, great - so how do you import the cmb file into the demo so buddy can actually play it?

[Thermopylae]

Hmm...I've some spare time...I'll whip somehting up for you in a bit...

[Thraka]

smooooth You can import scenarios into the demo!?

[aka_tom_w]

Originally posted by Tharka:

smooooth You can import scenarios into the demo!?

um no

sorry you cannot import scenarios into the Demo.

-tom w

[Guest PondScum]

Originally posted by Michael Dorosh:

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

One possibility would be to take the tutorial in the manual as a starting point - granted the scenario there is MUCH simpler, but they do go through the various concepts.

yeah, great - so how do you import the cmb file into the demo so buddy can actually play it?</font>

[Aloid]

Sadly, I had a friend drop the game because he said it took too long to give commands each turn.

I tried to describe to him the best way to setup the game options (bases and paths on, and what height level to go with, while giving commands, etc.), but it was too late.

It needs to be easier for the novice to get these settings turned on, by either defaulting them on, and or providing buttons to turn things on and off.

Lost my long time PBEM partner (in other games) to this...

Aloid

[Thraka]

I agree too.. one of the missions from the demo shoulda been the tutorial mission from the full game.. there should be a TXT file that goes along with the mission that you can print out

[Thermopylae]

One Primer, Soon to be sent somewhere...

My First Burning Sherman, a CM primer.

Contents

1.The Really Basic Stuff

1.1 The CM Camera

1.2 Selecting Units & Issuing Orders

1.3 Movement Orders and Waypoints

1.4 Targeting Orders

1.5 The LOS tool

1.6 Hiding

1.7 Ambush

2. HQ Concepts

2.1 Command Radius and Platoon Leaders

2.2 Command Delay

2.3 Command Bonus

2.4 Higher HQs

3. Indirect Fire

3.1 Forward Observers and off map Arty

3.2 On Board Mortars

Chapter 1: The Really Basic Stuff

1.1 The CM Camera

First and foremost, CM involves a 3D battlefield. This often makes for an initially confusing experience, as you whip around a lot and tend to lose track of things, but is quickly overcome.

Controlling the camera is relatively simple. Merely place the cursor at the top of the screen as if you were scrolling to go forward, bottom of the screen to reverse, and left or right to turn the camera that direction. Alternatively, the arrow keys may be used with the arrows all performing the same function as placing the mouse on that portion of the screen. ( Up goes forward, left turns left, etc.)

Next, there are several different camera angles the player can work from, being numbered 1-8. You may switch to a view at any time by pressing the appropriate number. The first four views are complete 3D views, as follows:

1. Ground Level: The camera is kept skimming just off the ground, about the height of a soldier’s head. This is useful for plotting sneaky movements along depressions and watching replays, but easily becomes thoroughly confusing. I recommend staying away from it during the orders phase.

2. Not Quite Ground Level: To be honest, this is the least useful view in CM. It angles the camera downward, but remains fairly zoomed in, and as such you can’t see much beyond the immediate area. Makes for some cool screenshots though. (Which, by the way, can be taken w/ alt + print screen)

3. Local Command View: This is the equivalent of having the camera hovering in a church steeple above the ground. It is useful for judging elevation, lines of sight and so forth, and is essentially the view from which to micromanage. Usually this view can be used to command a platoon or two, or individual tanks, without any difficulty.

4. Command View: If you are ever confused by what the camera is doing, hit 4, center the cursor, and rotate until you see a friendly unit or particular landmark. This view lets you examine the entire battlefield in 3D, and is thus the most important one in the game.

Views 5-8 are top down maps of various zoom levels. Not particularly useful compared to View 4, but they do have their moments.

Note: Shift C can be used to increase the image size of your units, making finding them easier. Shift B toggles unit bases on or off, providing large squares of color to highlight units.

1.2 Selecting Units and Issuing Orders

To select a unit, place he cursor over it and left click. You can then either ENTER to view the unit’s vital statistics, TAB to center the view behind the unit, or an orders hotkey to, well, give an order. To select a group of units, drag a box around them, or double click their HQ (see HQ concepts)

To give orders to a unit, right click on it. For a group, right click one unit of the selected group. Upon your click, a list of orders will appear, as well as an orders line (a colored line with a white box at the end) what you do with this depends on the order. Either way, you move the orders line as you would the mouse cursor.

1.3 Movement Orders

Once you have selected a unit to give orders to, as mentioned above, select a movement command (see list at end of this numeral). You will now have an orders line with a white box at the end of it. This white box represents where you will tell your unit to move upon left clicking, the orders line represents the path they’ll take.

Often enough, however, you will not want your units to move in a straight line to a destination. To create waypoints in a movement path, drag the orders line to the designated waypoint and right click. You will now have locked that waypoint in, and will have a new orders line originating from that point. On the final leg, left click to seal the orders.

Note: Group orders cannot be waypointed. They also just replicate an order for the entire formation. Thus, run 250m at 27 degrees to that building becomes run forward 250m at 27 degrees to all units in the group.

Movement Orders (Infantry)

Run: Men run forward without stopping until they reach their destination, are all killed, or more likely, become damn fed up with being shot. They will fire at targets of opportunity. Some units, like MGs, cannot run.

Move: Men walk forward as per conditions of run. Less fatiguing.

Sneak: Unit treads forward stealthily (less likely to be spotted, won’t commence fire while moving) and will stop and return fire if fired upon. Typically they’ll find cover as well.

Crawl: Units crawl forward with a low tolerance for incoming fire. Best used behind walls/hedges. Will not fire while moving. Very stealthy, very slow.

Withdraw: Unit runs away as fast as possible with no command delay. (See HQ concepts) can only be used towards friendly map edge, and risks severe morale penalties.

Halt: Cancels all movement orders.

Vehicles:

Move: Universal walking pace.

Fast: Vehicle zips at top speed towards destination.

Hunt: Unit moves forward at a medium pace, and will stop to engage any vehicle sit spots.

Reverse: Vehicle will move backwards to destination at a medium-fast speed.

1.4 Targeting Orders

There are two basic targeting orders in the menu. The first is the simple TARGET command. Upon clicking this, an order line will appear for you to drag to either a target unit or terrain feature. If you highlight an enemy unit, a small data readout on your firepower and their exposure will be shown for infantry targets, or a hit chance/kill chance if you target a hard vehicle with a non-small arms weapons. Small arms versus vehicles only display the target name. Left clicking on this unit will make it the primary target of your selected unit.

Note: If you do not have LOS to the target, (the orders line will turn orange up to the point of blockage and black thereafter), left clicking will just set it as a priority target for your unit, which will try to fire on it if it comes into view.

The TARGET command, when used on a terrain feature, creates an area fire order. The unit under command will fire to try and suppress that patch of ground until the TAC AI decides it’s a really bad idea (i.e. enemies show up 10m on the left of the unit) or you cancel the order. This is NOT as effective as targeting individual units.

The NEXT TARGET command rapidly cycles you through targets the unit can see and the TAC AI thinks worthy of shooting full of holes. Note that this sometimes means you won’t be able to target some units with NEXT TARGET.

1.5 The LOS tool.

Essentially, the LOS tool functions exactly like a TARGET command, but clicking will not assign a target.

1.6 Hiding

In order to generally remain unseen, the HIDE command is used. There is no order line. The unit merely hits the dirt and qualifies as hiding. Once a until is hiding, it will try to refrain from opening up until it has a good chance to kill enemies (or the unit “freaks out”, more likely with low experience troops), it starts receiving heavy fire, or it gets the bejesus beaten out of it and runs away (Usually accomplished with artillery). While hiding, troops are very difficult to spot, but suffer a minor spotting penalty themselves.

To stop hiding, re-issue a hide command or give any regular order.

To Hide at the end of a movement order, plot the movement order, and then issue a hide order. The unit will move to its destination and then hide.

Note: Vehicles and HIDE are just a bad combination.

1.7 Ambush Markers

Sometimes you’ll want to custom tailor an ambush beyond just hiding and hoping something wanders into range. To do this, select either an HQ or a crew served weapon (like a bazooka) and then select the AMBUSH command. This will generate a targeting order, which you can then drag to anything within ~400m.

Upon left clicking, an ambush marker will be set at the end of the targeting line. In the case of HQs, this marker represents a pre-planned ambush, and other units under the HQ’s command (see HQ concepts) can target it to participate in the ambush. When an enemy unit crosses this point, the units that have targeted the marker will fire on the enemy.

For crew served weapons, the marker merely serves as an ambush for that weapon, and other units may not target it. This would be the equivalent of telling a bazooka to fire when a tank shows up at that break in the hedgerow.

2 HQ Concepts

2.1 Command Radius and Platoon Leaders

All infantry squads in the game are assigned to a particular platoon. Ever platoon has an attached HQ unit which is its commander. In addition to representing the actual command staff of the platoon, this unit represents its center of effort and cohesion. As such, all units must stay within a certain range of their HQ in order to be “In command.” This range is the command radius of the HQ. The radius increases with experience and particularly good leaders, and decreases in thick terrain or if the subject unit is out of LOS.

Units that are in command have a red line leading from them to their command unit. Units that are out of command have a black line. A Platoon HQ shows all lines, red or black, to its organic squads.

Note: Infantry squads cannot be commanded by platoon HQs from other platoons, but crew served weapons can be under anybody’s command.

Units that are out of command suffer morale and fighting penalties, delayed reaction times to orders, and do not get the benefits of any command bonuses that HQ might have.

2.2 Command Delay

For movement orders, your men do not react automatically. Every movement order has a time delay before it actually begins. More experienced troops, troops who aren’t being suppressed, and troops that are fully rested have better reaction times than their counterparts. The biggest factor, however, is whether or not the unit is in command. Units that are out of command seem to suffer an additional 66% time delay. This doesn’t mean much to the best of the best whose reactions are incredibly fast anyhow, but for regular troops that’s an additional 13 seconds at least.

2.3 Command Bonus

Not only do HQ units allow those under their command to fight to the fullest extent of their abilities, but often they add bonuses to unit performance. Units must be in command to receive these bonuses. The 4 areas of command bonuses are:

Combat: Adds to the firepower/accuracy of the firing units as if they were more experienced. Is represented by a lightning bolt in the unit bar.

Morale: Troops have the morale equivalent of an additional level of experience for each level of this bonus. Heart in the unit bar.

Stealth: Troops are generally stealthier and spot other units better. Question mark in the unit bar.

Command: Command delay is changed as if the unit were one level of experience better for each level of this bonus. Also creates a larger command radius. Star in the unit bar.

Each bonus may be either one level (represented by the symbols above) or two, (above symbols surrounded in a gold box)

2.4 Higher HQs

Besides platoon HQs, there are also Company and Battalion HQs in CM. One of these HQs automatically assumes command of any infantry squads in command radius not in command, and all crew served weapons in its command radius. They will not, however, assume command of infantry squads under the command of their platoon leaders.

3. Indirect Fire

3.1 Forward Observers/Off board artillery

Off board artillery in CM is abstracted through the forward observer unit. Each FO is a team of two men that represents one off board battery. An FO does not fight like a traditional infantry unit, rather when the TARGET command is used, creating a blue target line. An artillery strike is requested on the targeted location. In the unit information bar, you should see the time remaining until the artillery strike arrives. Allied times are usually better, and smaller caliber weapons are typically faster to respond as well.

Once there is one minute left until the strike, the time will start counting down in seconds. Around halfway through a few spotting rounds will fall, and then when the timer hits zero the battery will start firing for effect, unleashing volleys of four shells at a time. It will keep firing until the battery runs out of ammo or you cancel the fire mission.

It is possible for the FO to request artillery strikes outside of its LOS. Simply drag the target line out of LOS (it will turn orange and black, orange for what he can see, black for what he can’t) and select an area to target. However, these strikes take about twice as long to arrive, and are inaccurate in comparison to a spotted strike.

Also, you may wish to shift a fire mission a minor distance to accommodate for enemy movement or targets of opportunity. To do so, select the TARGET command again, and drag it around the current targeted area. As long as this line remains green, you may re-set the target line for a minor time delay. If you place the new target outside the region in which this line is green, you will have requested a new fire mission, and will have to wait for the full battery reaction time.

3.2 On Board Mortars

On Board mortars must have LOS to a target to fire on it, unless they are in the command radius of an HQ unit. If a mortar is in command, it may fire at anything the HQ unit can see, even if the mortar itself cannot.

Most mortars on board also have a minimum and a maximum range they can fire. These will be indicated by an “OUT OF RANGE” readout above the point of the target lien when issuing a firing order.

[petestorm]

Really nice tutorial there. Saved it to give to a friend (when I can convince to play.) Wish I would have had it before I started the demo

phs

[Auggy]

I can't believe you guys had such a hard time at this game. By game 4 of the demo (VoT) I basicly knew what all the units did and their weak/strong points were. I have played other wargames and that seemed to help me greatly but I have never played the CC games.

[SpazManOught]

morons

[Leeo]

OK, here goes. This game is simplicity itself. It's the tactics that are hard to master, not the mechanics. After slogging through page after page of rule 45.23.11 for hex based games, this is like calling football plays. I agree, a basic "this is how you give orders, this is how you change views" would be helpful to some, but if you've any wargamer in you at all, learning the mechanics of this game is "easy-squeasy." Even if they've done a touch of RTS, this would be fairly self-explanatory.

Sorry, that's just my opinion. A really nice tutorial for the wargame-challenged would be a grand idea to help folks learn the game. The more the merrier, as they say.

"Game ON!!"

[Aloid]

Originally posted by Leeo:

OK, here goes. This game is simplicity itself. It's the tactics that are hard to master, not the mechanics. After slogging through page after page of rule 45.23.11 for hex based games, this is like calling football plays. I agree, a basic "this is how you give orders, this is how you change views" would be helpful to some, but if you've any wargamer in you at all, learning the mechanics of this game is "easy-squeasy." Even if they've done a touch of RTS, this would be fairly self-explanatory.

Sorry, that's just my opinion. A really nice tutorial for the wargame-challenged would be a grand idea to help folks learn the game. The more the merrier, as they say.

"Game ON!!"

Personally, I totally agree with you. I cut my teeth on many a Grigsby game (nightmare interface + super detail = monster)

However, I think joe-gamer has been spoiled by RTS conventions (sorry I used those letters in the midst of such august company!!), and has a short attention span for detail. Heh, I knew those RTS's were evil!

I see no harm in making the interface that much more user-friendly, so it might help someone stick with the game.

Aloid

[petestorm]

Sheesh, was just saying the guy did a nice job on his tutorial. It would've only helped me for the HQ and mortars thing anyway but I have friends I'd like to play with that have never played war games before.

Only played the game twice and I crushed the machine on one scenario and played to a draw on the other so I guess I'm not that much of a moron.

tough crowd....

[Michael Dorosh]

Petestorm - welcome to the board, incidentally. Thermopylae - we know who the real moron is. Thanks for the hard work. Anyone who really feels the need to post to this thread to brag about how easy CM was for them to learn/master, don't bother. I should have thought it obvious we were talking about a tutorial for those first few minutes where you will either love the game or decide it is too difficult.

No one is saying CM is tough, and yeah, it is intuitive once you take the ten minutes to sit down and figure it out. All we are saying is some kind of documentation would be nice to get the truly uninitiated over that first hurdle.

I played ASL regularly, so I am no stranger to complexity either. That is not the issue here; I do apologize to Spazman for not making it obvious enough for even him to understand.

Them, when do you release the gold version?

[Leeo]

Sorry, petestorm. Didn't mean to be rude. A few beers, a bit of attitude, and 'VOILA!' you're being rude to a newbie. It probably seems way off base from me, because I bought the game whole, and never suffered through the demo without a manual.

Nevertheless, it does seem fairly straight-forward to me. Likely because I've been playing wargames for a long time. No offense intended.

[edited to add that I was composed and posted this message prior to Grog Dorosh's upbraiding of those who may have appeared to be rude.]

[ June 07, 2002, 09:36 PM: Message edited by: Leeo ]

[petestorm]

Hey, it's cool. I understand what it's like to be a newbie to many things so when I find something I like a lot, I just want to make it easier to get more people into it.

Anyway, this is one great game. I picked up the interface really quickly as I'm a info. security nerd by trade so I can pretty much figure out anything tech related. Also a collector of U.S. martial arms (mostly WWII) so this is the best of both worlds for me. Sheer heaven.

phs

[Olle Petersson]

Originally posted by Thermopylae:

1.6 Hiding

...

Note: Vehicles and HIDE are just a bad combination.

I'd change "just" to "generally".

Otherwise; Well done!

Cheers

Olle

[aka_tom_w]

this was a good idea

has it made to a web page of its own on someone's CMBO fan site yet?

-tom w