_Axe_ Posted November 4, 2002 Share Posted November 4, 2002 Hi all, I have owned CMBO for over a year and received CMBB 10 days after it initially shipped. I have to say, I wasn't completely sold after playing the demo but I thought it would grow on me. That, it turns out, is an understatement. I can't - I won't - return to CMBO even though it is my preferred theatre of the Second World War. There are several reasons for this, including: Infantry realism - Debated on this forum to death, I know, but I find the way the infantry hugs the ground during artillery strikes realistic and challenging. The complaints tend to be along the lines of, 'My guys panic and I can't do anything with them.' Anyone who has seen the Band of Brothers episode featuring the Jan. 9, 1945 artillery bombardment of the 101st in the Ardennes knows that is exactly what happens to soldiers under heavy fire. The suppression fire is welcomed and realistic too. IMHO CMBO was too often a "mere matter of marching" (bonus points to those who can name the speaker of that quote). Machine gun nest? "Yawn. I'll take a stroll and take care of it fellas." Tank battles - I am not a grog, nor do I much care for algorithms and such. All I know is the tanks battles in CMBO were usually won by those who fired first (unless you were in some sort of uber tank). Now, the misses, partial penetrations, crew morale and death clock have turned the head to heads into real white-knuckled affairs. Covered arcs - No more will my tanks crews target that truck's broken crew 800 metres away when a Panzer lurches around the corner. Nor will my infantry fire wildly giving up their position foolishly. New orders - The move to contact and advance orders are godsends. Now I know if my men stumble across another recon platoon, they have a fighting chance by dropping and firing rather than just marching to the slaughter. Conversely, if they have to get an objective and get it NOW, they can, under effective covering fire, make the dashes from cover to cover while firing themselves. There are plenty of other reasons that I won't go into here (number of units, rarity, EFOW, QB generator, etc., etc.) but I just wanted to add my two cents on why I think this game has taken the standard on tactical combat simulation and raised the bar. I've learned more about realistic tactics in my short time with CMBB than I did in the first twelve months I did with CMBO. Cheers, Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawyer Posted November 4, 2002 Share Posted November 4, 2002 Yeah, I agree. But I sure do wish we could do all this on the western front as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Axe_ Posted November 4, 2002 Author Share Posted November 4, 2002 Originally posted by Lawyer: Yeah, I agree. But I sure do wish we could do all this on the western front as well.*Sigh* Tell me about it. Cheers, Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aka_tom_w Posted November 4, 2002 Share Posted November 4, 2002 Originally posted by Lawyer: Yeah, I agree. But I sure do wish we could do all this on the western front as well.YES I agree with everything here! especially "But I sure do wish we could do all this on the western front as well." How about it Steve??? Don't let us (the fans of the ETO and we are many) down in the re-write, (please) -tom w Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruno Weiss Posted November 4, 2002 Share Posted November 4, 2002 PTO! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwxspoon Posted November 4, 2002 Share Posted November 4, 2002 Wow! I agree 100 percent! jw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dar Posted November 4, 2002 Share Posted November 4, 2002 Well said, Axe! I am getting such a damn thrill out of watching the grunts toss grenades, grenade bundles, satchel charges, Panzerwurfgranaten, etc. that it probably shouldn't be legal! I also love the little puffs of dirt from incoming rounds--nice new touch. The trees swaying in the wind is another great addition. The new tank combat model in which the crews don't bail immediately, crew morale is modelled, and guns continue to shot at a target until it's confirmed dead is a great change. All in all, one great sequel! My only complaint is that we apparently still need to exchange 3 emails for a turn instead of 2 (haven't played a PBEM game yet, but I read that it hasn't changed). The king (CMBO) is dead! Long live the king (CMBB)! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notalex Posted November 4, 2002 Share Posted November 4, 2002 Axe2121 wrote: There are plenty of other reasons that I won't go into here (number of units, rarity, EFOW, QB generator, etc., etc.) but I just wanted to add my two cents on why I think this game has taken the standard on tactical combat simulation and raised the bar. I've learned more about realistic tactics in my short time with CMBB than I did in the first twelve months I did with CMBO. Couldn't agree more. I was thinking the other day that games like this more than make up for all the duds I've bought. In dollars spent versus hours of pleasure received, CMBB beats out movies, music, food, drugs and sex combined. I propose that we all give up movies, music, food, drugs and sex and send the money to BTS and maybe they can get the engine rewrite narrowed down to a year or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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