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Special Upgrade 4 Tech Tips

There wouldn't be a 180 pg manual if...

Guest Big Time Software

By Guest Big Time Software
in Combat Mission Archive #4 (2002)

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Guest Big Time Software

Guest Big Time Software

Posted
Posted

... CM weren't a deep and rich game smile.gif So obviously there are a lot of little, and not so little, things that can be picked up from each other. This is the place to discuss them and improve your CM gaming abilities as a whole.

Steve

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Guest Imperator

Guest Imperator

Posted
Posted

It would also be much easier if the war hadn't been so damned complicated. Next time there's a war, would someone please remember to ask the combatants to keep things simple? Each side gets one country, one type of rifle squad, machine gun, antitank team, artillery, light tank, heavy tank, and that's it! If they want to be do anything more complicated, they can wait until the end of the war to upgrade their units.

Then all we'd need is an 18 page manual, most of which would involve troubleshooting DirectX problems.

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Maximus Senior Member

Maximus

Posted
Posted

Look! I come from a family full of teachers, and bad spelling casts a shadow on the education system. To me there's no excuse for it. Especially if you come from an English speaking nation/area. Hell, even non-native English speaking people don't seem to have that much problem.

------------------

Don't mind me. I'm just a little ol' realist.

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Guest Imperator

Guest Imperator

Posted
Posted

Leland! Funny who you meet here. Left the Myth community for lack of time, but now I think I've found something else to hold my interest anyway. smile.gif

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Lurker Senior Member

Lurker

Posted
Posted

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Maximus:

Look! I come from a family full of teachers, and bad spelling casts a shadow on the education system. To me there's no excuse for it. Especially if you come from an English speaking nation/area. Hell, even non-native English speaking people don't seem to have that much problem.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Most of the non-native English speakers on the board communicate more clearly than the native English (American) speakers. I'd say that is a rather sad commentary on the state of the US education system.

And, to keep this post on topic...

Manual with 180 pages? Ooh! Hope gots lots pictures.

-Lurker

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TheJoat Junior Member

TheJoat

Posted
Posted

Arrgh. Once again, I choose my side BEFORE I select fog of war!!! Is there any way to make full fog of war be the default? Mine keeps defaulting to NONE! I've looked in the manual for how to change this, but no luck so far...

Thanks

[This message has been edited by TheJoat (edited 06-22-2000).]

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BillWoodAgain Member

BillWoodAgain

Posted
Posted

You know, I have been thinking that a way to market games would be to include games with history books, say an Ambrose book like "Citizen Soldiers" packed with a man to man wargame tactical wargame.

BTS has packed a book with a game (unfortunately I don't have it yet).

I am sure my original idea was unworkable, marketing books is worse than retail, and books last longer than games, by 10 to 1 or more.

Wonder if Combat Mission is so popular that the History Channel will do a series by the same name...stranger things have happened. It would be a remake of Combat! with modern gore (A good slogan for the Republicans: Gore More?) and the same grit that Vic Morrow made in his acting.

Later. Time to go home and see if my game made it today.

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  • 5 months later...
I/O Error Senior Member

I/O Error

Posted
Posted

You know what's the most interesting thing about the CMBO manual?

It's actually worth reading, unlike a LOT of other game manuals out there.

I have to say, it's nice to read something that a REAL person wrote and not just another poor corporate technical writer who hates computer games, his office, and the rating he just got. biggrin.giftongue.gifwink.gif

End result? CMBO manual = fun and easy to read. As well as surprisingly informative!

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Grobdeutschland Member

Grobdeutschland

Posted
Posted

Look! I hate being the teacher's pet , but you guys at BTS are just great. You take pride in your product & it shows in everything you do, from the manual to the support we get on this site, & everything in between. I don't always agree w/ya but I like the fact that you actually take the time to explain why you've done something.

Before CM I never... ever... bought...any game without A) waiting for reviews or B)being able to return the productfor a refund, I just had enough of the half-assed efforts. But when I read up on BTS at thier web-site I got the game ASAP & I've never looked back. smile.gif

BTW I've read the manual from cover to cover about 3 times & I want a 300 pager next.

------------------

"Far better it is

To dare mighty things...

Then to take rank with

Those poor, timid spirits

Who know neither

Victory nor defeat."

Theodore Roosevelt 1899

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Samhain Senior Member

Samhain

Posted
Posted

I have to say, I love the manual for being both highly readable and highly informative. The tone is superb, communicating with the layperson readily without ever condescending. It's really appreciated. I've read the manual three or four times now, which is really unusual compared to my experiences with most games' disposable, hack-written manuals.

And with CM, the manual only covers the basics--that's not a complaint or insult, but rather a testament to CM's wonderful depth.

------------------

I rode a tank, held a general's rank

When the blitzkrieg raged, and the bodies stank.

--Rolling Stones

[This message has been edited by Samhain (edited 12-24-2000).]

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Samhain Senior Member

Samhain

Posted
Posted

Actually, one way to improve the manual would be to give newbies a clue about the equipment. For those of us who know German or about WWII weaponry, it's not generally a problem, but what about the many people who come to CM who don't? How on earth would they guess what a PIAT is (dumb acronymn, to be sure), or a Panzerabwehrwerfer? Then of course there are the distinctions between tanks, tank destroyers, tank hunters, assault guns, sp guns, etc. (I'm not even sure the Germans always knew the differences wink.gif).

Then again, including an basic reference on all the units would be an enormous task.

Another suggestion: tactical primers that go well beyond the tutorial (a weakness of the current manual, frankly). Someone suggested including accompanying movie files on the disc to illustrate, which would be awesome.

------------------

I rode a tank, held a general's rank

When the blitzkrieg raged, and the bodies stank.

--Rolling Stones

[This message has been edited by Samhain (edited 12-21-2000).]

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Iskander Senior Member

Iskander

Posted
Posted

Dittos to Samhain's remark on beginner tactics. While I - and I imagine most of us - have played some type of wargame for years (decades? God! am I that old?!), there is a certain proportion of paying customers that have not (a local friend of mine, for instance, who I've talked into buying CMBO).

A better tutorial in the manual AND 1-3 more tutorial scenarios (perhaps via download to save CD space) on basic tactics (advance, defence, armor, infantry) would help the newbie. Yes, I know, they could go and read about such on various websites, but these folks bought the game to PLAY IT, not get a Ph.D in WWII history (once they're addicted, that comes later).

------------------

"The Secret of the Empire was revealed: an emperor, it seemed, could be made outside of Rome"

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