Theatre of War 2 vs. CM Normandy

[Erik Springelkamp]

and I must say I don’t know if this was fixed in later versions

Still there in 1.31

[gibsonm]

Sorry I meant later versions of TOW.

[Copper]

I really like the armor graphic in TOW. The graphic showing the damage to tanks/armor cars is very good. I wish that was in CM. The rest of the game is well below CM standards.

[LJFHutch]

If a squad of soldiers in CM notices hostiles within grenade range they start throwing. If they spot a tank they pick up the AT-4s. If a tank finds itself in a troublesome spot it fires smoke and goes into reverse, similar to what real soldiers do.

In TOW (which IS a great computer game IMO) the guys tend to die instead.

I really enjoyed ToW - got sick of it - but the thing that really bugged me (hehe) was the AI. It has to be the most mentally deficient AI I've ever seen.

One of my soldiers actually threw a grenade into a trench trying to blow up a tank that was in the other direction (I think that was what he was trying to do) and then something like "oh no I must now take cover!!" came into his tiny little brain and then proceeded to take cover ON the grenade! Needless to say he was one of the brave little sods that didn't make it.

Another time in ToW-Africa (demo) one of my guys aimed his AT launcher at a tank and fired. Now, this would have been perfectly fine had he not been 2 feet away from a stone wall ...

[Vinnart]

I have Cmx2, and TOW2 Africa, and both are great games, but the biggest difference for me has been the PC requirements. I bought TOW2 not long ago on sale $20 and got through a few missions before I finally decided to put it on the back burner till I upgrade my 6yr old system that just barely runs it with much lag at half speed. I still think TOW2 is a great game, which really has shown great improvements with each build. I don’t feel bad about spending for it since I think it is a worthy project to support. I believe TOW to be ahead of it’s time currently PC requirement wise for average joes like me. I see this game growing in popularity as more people get systems that can handle it well in the future.

Another big difference is the team play aspect. 4vs4 TOW, and 1v1 max CM.

I would love to see:

*The day when TOW offers a WEGO option making it more accessible to the CM crowd.

*CM one day offer up to 3v3 teamplay in the future. This would be GREAT rts. Giving a whole new dimension to the game.

* An observer mode for TOW multiplayer 4v4+ 2 observer slots (1 each side), and for CM too to have 3v3 + 2 observer slot. The observer mode ala Sudden Strike 2 allows one player to observe, but not control units for each side during a game. This person can see only what his side can currently see, and not what the enemy sees just like any other player. This is great for learning in clan training, and can bring a higher tactical layer to multiplayer in games where the observer acts as supreme commander directing the actual human player during the battle. The observer can do this because they are not tied up commanding units, and can get a better overall picture of the battle. Those types of games when I was in a Sudden Strike clan were some of the best tactical gaming I ever played.

[Erwin]

Good points. I tried TOW twice and each time got fed up quick cos too much was happening and I would lose situational awareness fast in RL. A WEGO feature for one minute turns and the ability to look at the battlefield, see what was going on, (and have time to enjoy the really nice graphics too), would get me to try TOW again.