chris talpas Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 Enjoying the game quite a bit so far. Thanks very much Battlefront. Have only managed to play the training mission but managed to eek out a total allied victory despite losing 3 tanks on elite. I've been playing CMSF mainly in real time with pauses (i.e. almost cheating) but decided I'll go back to turn-based for CMBN. The inability to react almost instantly will obviously mean a refinement of tactics. The scenery is quite beautiful especially after the drab desert setting. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cameroon Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 I was going to read through the comments and then reply, but gah, so many! It's beautiful, even at Balanced/Improved and the tutorial mission was fun - had to restart it a couple times while my brain got back in the swing of things. I can't wait for the full game! My girlfriend is definitely not going to understand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
von shrad Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 Absolutely awesome. So good I am having a hard time forcing myself to play another vaguely similar game that was released and purchased today, a good game in its own right. It's like being out to dinner and ordering the special, a very decent plate of country fried steak. Meanwhile the wife is enjoying a 10oz. Fillet Mignon. So I take a bite of hers. And another. I just can't stop wanting another bite yet I know if I continue I'll never go back to the deep fried gravy goodness. O.K., just one more bite. Maybe I'll just save mine for a take home sack. At least I'll not go hungry. Did I mention great steak...er..demo. My compliments to the chef. von shrad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morganic Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 I must say, I have been thoroughly enjoying the demo. Thanks for all your hard work on making such a great product. I do have some learning to do though, just managed to lose 7 tanks/tds on the map where the us is defending the town and still won. Really need to pay attention to movement orders across high ground. I eventually took out most of the german tanks with the howitzer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leakyD Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 Great stuff BFC! Thanks to all participants for your efforts. Got a total victory on Iron w. the training scenario (lost 1 shermie plus troops). A little too cautious in the beginning, and had to push my troops in the last 15min. It's all about overwatch, baby! Liking the improvements over SF. All the subtle stuff really adds up! And from here it's going to get better? Yum! Sadly, RL is going to get in the way here soon, so maybe I can get the rest of the demo in before the S hits the F. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melnibone Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 Worth the wait. Well done everybody involved - great job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jief Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 Thanks to BF ) So i like we have scenario editors on demo is a very nice gift this one is very attractive and have nicest items than CMSF more terrains, bridges, water and so.. Great job BF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thejetset Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 7 HOURS OF PURE INTENSITY!!!!!! I played CM1 since 1999 .... never played Shock Force though except for the demos. But this is absolutely incredible! It really requires tactics! It's so much more noticeable than in CM1. I really liked the bocage mission. ... and the "standard method" for taking a hedgerow actually works! .... I did the mission from the USA side and only lost one Sherman. .... I focused all three platoons on the right side of the road and just bypassed anything Germany had on the left side of the road. I can't say enough AWESOME things about this game!!!! The demo alone will keep me going for weeks!!!!!!!!! And this just the beginning!!!!!!!!!!! Great job Battlefront!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crowbar Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 good job this game wasnt around 10 years ago - lots of 1 /300 th wargame companies would have gone bust bocage has a big impact on tactics so far - for a game representing pattons blood and guts charging around the battlefield the learning experience so far seems instead to suggest lots of creeping around hedgerows with gamey pauses so infantry moving to a new hedgerow dont stick their heads up for too long variable reinforcement isnt possible is it? ie how fast you cross demarkation lines would affect how much reinforcement your enemy gets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Jack Ripper Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 I just finished playing the tutorial mission as the U.S. and here is my official list of awesome: 1) Three infantry squads dueling a pair of HMG42's. 2) Both of my .30 cals using up all of their ammo (plus the extra ammo) in the space of one scenario. 3) Using on map 60mm mortars with Emergency/Maximum on a point target. 4) Watching three of my Shermans exploding and burning, because those 60mm mortars failed to kill an AT gun. 5) Bridges over water. 6) 75mm HE impacting against anything, and everything. 7) Watching my dogfaces fire and reload frantically. 8) Using the Assault command, and nothing but the assault command for the entire scenario. 9) Assaulting a squad up to a hedge, and watching that squad get 16 kills in 25 seconds. 10) Scoring a Total Victory my first time out, through sheer luck, determination, and use of the the assault command. Even on my wonky 6 year old computer I could play balanced/balanced at 1024x768 with no slowdowns at all. Even with the textures and resolution turned down, the game still looks great. I've played for 3 hours, and this weekend I have nothing to do but laugh, scream, cry hysterically, and play CMBN. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karac Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 Hello to all of You, I don't know if this issue was brought up earlier (I couldn't find it anywhere) but what happend to the detailed informations about units (like we had in CMx1 under "Enter" key)? I can understand why we did not have them in CMSF but now it is a bit strange... For me it was one of the gratest things in CMx1. Other than that, I love it. Demo is fantastic and I can't wait to get my hands on the full game. Well worth waiting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beatmasta Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 First impression was: This is horrible... But in a good way Been playing the SF for a while and gotten used to very open terrain and mostly superior equipment against the red forces so the casualties have been very low. But BN is very different story and I like it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chek Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 Superb job very well done. Completely engaging. You can almost feel the troops hearts sinking as the first shots ring out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krilly Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 I just finished playing the tutorial mission as the U.S. and here is my official list of awesome: 1) Three infantry squads dueling a pair of HMG42's. 2) Both of my .30 cals using up all of their ammo (plus the extra ammo) in the space of one scenario. 3) Using on map 60mm mortars with Emergency/Maximum on a point target. 4) Watching three of my Shermans exploding and burning, because those 60mm mortars failed to kill an AT gun. 5) Bridges over water. 6) 75mm HE impacting against anything, and everything. 7) Watching my dogfaces fire and reload frantically. 8) Using the Assault command, and nothing but the assault command for the entire scenario. 9) Assaulting a squad up to a hedge, and watching that squad get 16 kills in 25 seconds. 10) Scoring a Total Victory my first time out, through sheer luck, determination, and use of the the assault command. Even on my wonky 6 year old computer I could play balanced/balanced at 1024x768 with no slowdowns at all. Even with the textures and resolution turned down, the game still looks great. I've played for 3 hours, and this weekend I have nothing to do but laugh, scream, cry hysterically, and play CMBN. What a great post. And I agree with you that's is going to be an intersting weekend due to the demo being out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Viajero Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 1st impressions can not be better. One small detail that got my attention was the pressence of medics! At some point during my attack in the Training scenario, I noticed 2 soldiers attending two casualties nearby. The green text status log on the left stated "Medic". I do not know if that was a feature already in SF but it is indeed cool in CMBN. I could not later confirm if the 2 casualties returned to duty or not though as I was busy hunting a bloody PAK. What I did also not realize during the game was if the soldiers with "medic" abilities are easily identifiable and specific (i.e. if they die no more medic) or if it is just something inherent to each squad irrespective. Probably got to RTFM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunnersman Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 1st impressions can not be better. One small detail that got my attention was the pressence of medics! At some point during my attack in the Training scenario, I noticed 2 soldiers attending two casualties nearby. The green text status log on the left stated "Medic". I do not know if that was a feature already in SF but it is indeed cool in CMBN. I could not later confirm if the 2 casualties returned to duty or not though as I was busy hunting a bloody PAK. What I did also not realize during the game was if the soldiers with "medic" abilities are easily identifiable and specific (i.e. if they die no more medic) or if it is just something inherent to each squad irrespective. Probably got to RTFM. "Medics" are a good way to retrieve ammo and certain weapons such as a hand held AT weapon or MGs. Also at the end of each scenario any "wounded" soldier (a soldier with a base that is a red cross and not a brown skull and cross bones {dead}) has a 25% chance of being dead. So it gives you an ethical dilemma of sorts too. "Do I save this guy or not and move on with the attack?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vark Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 Just played the "Closing the Gap" scenario and won a major victory as the Germans. Then I realized it was 1.30 AM and I have to get up at 6 AM TODAY (FIFY) Maybe I'll wait before getting the computer wargame version of crack! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Viajero Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 So it gives you an ethical dilemma of sorts too. "Do I save this guy or not and move on with the attack?" Lol, I presume it also has to do with victory points, no? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zatoichi Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 That's the 'Buddy Aid' system - yes, it was in CMSF. Any soldier can provide buddy aid by being in the same action spot as a friendly casualty. The effects of buddy aid will not bring wounded troops back into that scenario, but they may reduce the chance of a WIA turning into a KIA at the victory screen, so can affect the final score. Plus you get to automatically acquire fallen soldiers' ammo and weapons by administering buddy aid - very handy! It's worth doing this on a KIA soldier (with the skull and crossbones on the base) as you will recover some of their ammo, even though this 'aid' will not help them. I had a tank crew give buddy aid to a couple of soldiers who had fallen during an earlier assault, and they ended up with a Garrand and a Tommy gun - not bad! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faelwolf Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 Finally got a chance to get it installed, and play around in the tutorial battle. Awesome! I especially love the graphical detail. There is a small amount of what I call the "hex effect" in the map layout, but it is unavoidable in this type of game, and certainly not as pronounced as in earlier games. Close in, it is on par with a lot of FPS games. I only had one minor problem, which I will post to a separate thread, and it certainly did not hurt the game play for me. So I would say my first impression is: Well done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sitting Duck Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 DISCLAIMER: I am not a game designer. My knowledge of usability comes from my study of it as it relates to web design and development. Really great game so far, it actually "feels" like a real company attack. I think you've nailed the tactical war-game genre. That said, I think your game design could benefit from some serious study of usability. Some minor usability adjustments would make the game infinitely more accessible. For example: Deploy: it's really hard to tell if a weapon is being deployed or not. IMO there should be indicators telling the player the state of deploy. Right now, when a weapon is deployed, it just shows the weapon silhouette in the profile panel. It also does this while it's deploying or being packed up. When not deployed, the profile silhouette is clearly labeled with a "NOT DEPLOYED" text. I've noticed two subtle queues to show if the weapon is deploying or packing up: the deploy icon in the orders panel changes SLIGHTLY, and it will say 'Mortar: Deploying' or 'Mortar: Packing up' in the updated status box on the left hand side, above the GUI. These queues are too subtle and I think accessibility and game play would be greatly improved by clearly labelling the weapon consistently for all stages of deploy, as you've done for 'Not Deployed.' When weapon is not deployed: Profile reads 'Not Deployed' When weapon is deploying: Profile reads 'Deploying' When weapon is packing up: Profile reads 'Packing up' When weapon is deployed: You can either have the profile remain as it is now, with just the silhouette, or you can label the profile 'Deployed.' Either way, clear visual indicators in one consistent spot in the GUI. It is poor practice to make your user search the entire GUI for different subtle cues relating to one command. Going one step further: Change the order to read appropriately, based on the current state. e.g.: when the weapon is deployed, the order could read "Pack Up" instead of deploy. The above can be applied to a number of commands: Hide and Open Up immediately come to mind (Hide/Unhide, Open Up/Button Up). We really need indicators beyond the ambiguous icon change in the orders panel. I've been playing CM since the CMBO beta demo days and you guys have mastered simulating tactical combat in the last 10ish years. You're falling a bit short on usability (almost there but not quite) and i think improving on that would really push you guys over the edge in terms of development. I agree with this +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c3k Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 Hello to all of You, I don't know if this issue was brought up earlier (I couldn't find it anywhere) but what happend to the detailed informations about units (like we had in CMx1 under "Enter" key)? I can understand why we did not have them in CMSF but now it is a bit strange... For me it was one of the gratest things in CMx1. Other than that, I love it. Demo is fantastic and I can't wait to get my hands on the full game. Well worth waiting! Karac, This has been brought up before and BF.C has addressed it. Without rehashing, it will not be put in. The threads discussing it are rife with information and viewpoints. The gist is that the game modeling of armor and penetration is far more complex and detailed than any table could convey. Having said that, I'm pretty sure that the old tables have been posted around here somewhere. You could find that and print it out as a reference while you're getting a feel for what weapons will do what. Meanwhile, play and enjoy! Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barkhorn1x Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 Just got done getting my benchmarking done and am now happy w/ my settings - 32-25 FPS w/ a very nice level of GFX goodness. Now moving on to actually playing this morning. Just want to say thanks as the game more than fulfills my expectations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ng cavscout Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 Thanks to BF ) So i like we have scenario editors on demo is a very nice gift this one is very attractive and have nicest items than CMSF more terrains, bridges, water and so.. Great job BF Remember, the editor is just to show you what it is like, you can't save the scenarios or maps you make. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jief Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 Remember, the editor is just to show you what it is like, you can't save the scenarios or maps you make. Thanks i know... But good preview to what a map could be I love it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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