Thoughts and observations

[Scipio]

I apologize in advance if my points are known already. It's just a collection of thoughts and observations!

1.) Trenches disappear from the 3d view like other 3d objects as soon as you move the camera a little bit away from them, what makes it rather difficult to plot an artillery strike or locate them in general. I'm missing 'junctions' for trenches in the editor. The 'T, X, Y and +' juctions we had in CM1 for roads etc would be a good add, even if trench complexes will be more important in a later WWII title as in CMSF.

2.) Walls & Fences are both named in the editor, bud only walls are really available; in the game, walls seems to be both and nothing of it. Since this is a known bug, I asume this will be changed in an upcoming patch, and I hope fences will be added, too. Missing junctions here, too.

3.) Ruins are visually still very simple modeled. The technique behind it seems mostly the same as in CM1 since it looks very similiar; obvisously parts of the texture are simply cut out with a hardcoded 'software scissor'. Of course I don't know if this is difficult to program, but maybe it is possible to cut round holes in the wall and paint them with a torched black border, what would look a bit more realistic? Applies of course only for larger calibers...

It's also very unrealistic that buildings collaps to a perfect and flat pile of rubble, even if I like that they can be destroyed level by level now.

4.) I'm missing some special kinds of buildings, such us industrial complexes, comercial buildings etc, thought they can be abstracted. But this things could be partially done relativly simply: the option to add chimneys of various height and oil tanks (or maybe simply round buildings with different textures?) can be used to build more realistic looking industrial complexes. Some flavour objects like (shop) signs, gasoline pumps and/or glas walls etc would offer many options, too.

5.) It would be a good idea if we have much more fortifications available. Sandbags, barbed wire, tank obstacles etc. Great would be if we could set the strengh of a fortification, too, or shall I better say the grade of development/extention?

6.) That's more some kind of a bug and happens at least when playing in elite level: I want to select a couple of units with 'Shift + left mouse button'. But if the first unit is selected, all other units become invisble that are not visible to the first selected unit and can not be selected anymore.

[ August 24, 2007, 11:39 PM: Message edited by: Leopard2 ]

[Scipio]

7.) To give movement orders to vehicels is sometimes difficult, especially in city areas - at one point the order isn't allowed if the target point is to close to a building. Instead of plotting a movement order with points, it would be better to order movements with a transparent 3D box, so we can see how much space the vehicel needs, so we can give orders more precise.

9.) Needless to say that pathfinding is sometimes a nightmare. When I order a vehicel to move 200m from point A to point B, I can see them frequently drive around a house first or even worse things. Not to speak about the attempt to let a group of vehicels drive in a colum. The later has been requested since CMBO, and I really hope that the one thing will be fixed, and the second will be added.

[Bluefish]

Originally posted by Scipio:

It would be a good idea if we have much more fortifications available. Sandbags, barbed wire, tank obstacles etc.

I'm surprised these things aren't included. God knows the Syrians could use some wire.

[Scipio]

10.) Soldiers can walk through walls ...

...and they can fly

BTW, when I order to 'QUICK' move on the roof of a building (seen at least in one-story buildings), the men enter the building pop up on the roof and then fall back to the ground floor.

11.) Pathfinding of grunts is sometimes strange to. I tried as workaround to give more waypoints, but the 'regrouping pause' they take on each waypoint doesn't makes it better.

[Secondbrooks]

12. Foxholes with roofs. This is somewhat necessary because of mid-air bursts.

13. Men don't keep their distances in formation. Squad easily spreads out into about 50 meters line, currently in CM:SF it's more like about 20 meters line. one HE-shell kills them all or atleast most.

[Scipio]

14.) I'm missing an in-game load function for saved games. Is there a special reason why I have to return to the main menu first?

[ August 25, 2007, 09:20 AM: Message edited by: Leopard2 ]

[Pink]

15) Stats table for the units can help to understand what makes what like in CMx1.

[Huntarr]

Originally posted by Leopard2:

14.) I'm missing an in-game load function for saved games. Is there a special reason why I have to return to the main menu first?

Thats classic CM, it makes the gamey reload that much harder, so your more inclined to deal with consequences.

[Scipio]

16.) Units are not able to release aquired ammo and equiment, it's also not possible to give ammo and equipment from one unit to another. Very bad if I have selected the wrong item from the acquire list, since I have no chance to undo.

17.) I'm still missing the possibilty to order a splitted squad to merge again. In theory easy to do if I would be able to order it the same way like I order to get into a vehicel.

18.) If a squad carries a Javelin launcher, it is not shown on the equipment list, while the Javelin ammo is shown. If no soldier has the Javelin launcher actualy equipted, it's hard to tell if the squad still carries the launcher, or if the launcher is lost - for example because the carrier is dead/wounded or the launcher is damaged. Feel free to combine the fact that a squad carries Javelins it can't use with 16.) the fact that different units can't share equipment.

[stikkypixie]

Originally posted by Leopard2:

18.) If a squad carries a Javelin launcher, it is not shown on the equipment list, while the Javelin ammo is shown. If no soldier has the Javelin launcher actualy equipted, it's hard to tell if the squad still carries the launcher, or if the launcher is lost - for example because the carrier is dead/wounded or the launcher is damaged. Feel free to combine the fact that a squad carries Javelins it can't use with 16.) the fact that different units can't share equipment.

I think you're mistaken there. When a squad grabs a Javelin launcher, a new icon does appear. It's not too obvious though.

Hopefully BFC will get the context help out or the mod tools, because now if you don't know the equipment in real life, you don't know what a squad has.

[Scipio]

Originally posted by stikkypixie:

I think you're mistaken there. When a squad grabs a Javelin launcher, a new icon does appear. It's not too obvious though.

Hopefully BFC will get the context help out or the mod tools, because now if you don't know the equipment in real life, you don't know what a squad has.

Sorry, you are right, my mistake!

That leaves us with the issue connected to 16.)

[SgtMuhammed]

Weren't squads supposed to be able to take stuff off wounded comrads? I seem to remember that somewhere in the depths of my mind.

[thewood]

I have seen it happen once (I think) when a Syrian soldier grabbed an RPG7 after the gunner was KIA. It too like 10 minutes for it to happen. In all the scenarios I have played it is the only time.