How about a CMBB Demo Primer???

[aka_tom_w]

This is a BRILLIANT effort! GREAT Job

May I humbly suggest that somthing like this, in some form, somewhere, accompany the release of the CMBB Demo which must be only WEEKS (months? ) away.

Any CMBB Beta testors care to take a few minutes and edit this wonderful effort (below) to create a similiar document for the release of the CMBB demo?

I think there is a need so new folks that are perhaps more familiar with the RTS style of play will have a good place to start if they are looking for some documentation to read before they start out on the demo.

-tom w

Thermopylae

Member

Member # 3395

posted June 07, 2002 07:11 PM

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.

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

[ June 12, 2002, 06:58 AM: Message edited by: aka_tom_w ]

[aka_tom_w]

not one comment?

oh well

-tom w

[KNac]

i will bump