Time accel/Fast forward feature in the future please??

[drtechno]

Is there any way to add a time scale feature to the realtime component of the game (haven't tried WEGO), if not for CMSF, then for future CMx2 games?

I just remember how useful it was in CMx1 where at least in the initial approach, it was invaluable as long parts of the game were spent carefully approaching your target. This is tedious in real time (especially if it went back to a WW2 theme). I know that in WEGO everything was calculated before hand so you didnt have to deal with on the fly AI calculations, which makes it hairy if not impossible to implement in realtime.

But I find myself using unrealistic commands just to get done with a battle or using ceasefire even before the main fight is done just so I don't have to use HUNT on 5 floors of a multisegmented building to find that last syrian squad. Its not worth 10 minutes of my life to sit there watching my squad move uneventfully around just so I don't get ambushed by that last squad.

Perhaps some kind of time acceleration feature that only works when there is no contact and hence (possibly) less AI calculation is needed (no trajectories for fire, hit calcs, etc)??

I remember in some CMx1 missions where I had to search around for a couple squads on a large map that made me glad I could just skip minutes ahead. I think I would die of boredom if I had to do that in real time.

Perhaps an AutoResolve button which would make some calculations about your force, the enemy force, and try to predict an outcome (ala Rome Total War) ?? Even if it was heavily weighted against the human player, it still beats a tedious search.

For the people playing it in WEGO, can you fastforward like in CMx1 ?

[Huntarr]

No, you can not fastforward. BFC has stated that the calculations are done in RT.

[kerko]

Yes, simple time acceleration would be nice like in many other simulations which run in RT. 2x, 4x, 8x acceleration maybe. Of course it should not skip any calculations so you would not probably get much acceleration with low end computer.

[Yskonyn]

You will get wacky results if you fast forward the number crunching.

Also a lot of PC's will not be able to cope with heavy number crunching in turbo mode, so no, it won't be likely that you'll see this in CMx2.

[Letar]

Yeah and if lot of PCs won't even run the game realtime very efficiently, then accelerating would be pointless.

[ufologist]

I never thought I would play a Combat Mission game at real-time but here I am, ADD'ing it up because I'm not patient enough to wait through those tedious early moments of a game.

And now that I've given Real Time some play, I think it is the superior way of playing CM:SF. The engine was built for this style of play, and the old method was put in just for show. Thats the way I see it anyway.

[C'Rogers]

This is actually the main reason I have switched to real time. Not because I inherently find it a better method to play, but current WeGo is just to boring early/late game.

[drtechno]

Ya, currently I employ (unrealistically) move fast and quick in the clean up stages of missions, where I should be HUNTing from house to house. The result is higher casualties than is accurate, but its just plain frustrating and boring at a certain point. I use that or an early ceasefire.

But I disagree with statements that systems cant handle accelerated time. Most of the slow down is from the graphics, I propose. If I run this thing on minimal resolution with low rez textures/details, the game flies. This game is hardly CPU bound it seems, meaning there seem to be plenty of CPU cycles left over that could be utilized to accelerate time or approximate time acceleration.

Look at Medieval Total War 2.. They implement an in-battle time acceleration feature (yes, they are doing far fewer calcs) quite effectively. Something similar would be nice to have.

What we mainly need is time acceleration when there is no enemy contact. As I already stated, the CPU has far fewer things to do during this time and even an approximation of the future is better than nothing. If you dont like the results, you dont have to use it. But I feel that most people would.

My main point is that I would like to see this implemented in the future for new generation CMx2 games. A top of the line quad core has more than enough power to handle time acceleration. If we own one, there is no reason that we should suffer just because others may not be able to handle it. By the time we get our hands on the next CMx2 title, quad cores will be standard hardware. So looking into the future, this is a feature that would be nice to have.

[Omenowl]

I would like to see a fast forward feature also. I saw it in Harpoon many years ago where it would speed up until contact was made and then it would go into real time. As soon as there is gunfire then yes it should go into real time.

As for number crunching if it gets too slow then it gets too slow. I mean in Medieval War my guys would not move any faster if the computer can't handle it so this is a player decision rather than a hardware limitation. Still it seems most of the number crunching comes into effect once the combat begins not the precombat phase.

[Yskonyn]

I don't think we have any idea whatsoever about how many calculations CMSF makes once 'the **** hits the fan' in a given scenario. It is therefore useless to speculate about. If the devs say it isn't possible by any realistic standards we have no reason to believe otherwise.

[drtechno]

Well obviously we agree with you Yskonyn, if the developers say it can't be done, it can't be done.

But I haven't seen any of them say that, hence it would be a nice feature to implement in the engine so that (at least) CMx2 games going forward will have it.

Besides, there are very few things that are impossible.. Difficult? Sure .. not impossible. I'd just like to see BF comment on whether its feasible, and if it can be implemented here (CMSF)or in future games or whether parts of the game engine need to be rewritten (making it difficult)