It's been a while

[fsp]

I played CMBO and CMBB ardently but was not sold on CMSF (no need to open that can of worms, just telling it to help you judge my experience).

Now I am back and a bit confused, I tried finding the answers to my questions in the forum but failed. While I am sure my questions have been debated several times, I would appreciate it if someone would take the time to simply answer them.

1) Do most peoples nowadays play WEGO or RT? How big is the difference in general? I just tried my very first CMBN QB, used RT and easily won (I used the easy setting though). I liked it, it feld like a real chaotic battlefield to men, though it also all seemed a bit too hectic to me and that was just a battle with 8 tanks v 8 tanks. I can hardly imagine a huge scenario with say 40 infantry units on each side being controlable.

2) How do I learned what knocked out my tank? I am fine with not knowing during battle, but afterwards I would like to know. Is the CMx1 unit info gone, when after a battle I could select any given unit, click ENTER and got an info about what that unit did kill?

3) Can you just give an estimate on how much learning I have ahead of me if I have only played CMx1 so far? (I haven't RTFM so far, as I just bought the game an hour ago).

4) Any reason why the game covers only three months? Will there be free expansions for the Western front until 1945 at least, or will I have to buy CM:Battle for Normandy September 1944 to December 1944 followed by Combat Mission: Battle of the Bulge, followed by CM: Race to Berlin?

[ChrisND]

4) Any reason why the game covers only three months? Will there be free expansions for the Western front until 1945 at least, or will I have to buy CM:Battle for Normandy September 1944 to December 1944 followed by Combat Mission: Battle of the Bulge, followed by CM: Race to Berlin?

You'll be buying the expansions. People (including me) were seriously spoiled with the frankly ridiculous amounts of content present in the CMx1 titles. CMx2 content is also more time consuming to produce because it is far more detailed.

[stikkypixie]

I played CMBO and CMBB ardently but was not sold on CMSF (no need to open that can of worms, just telling it to help you judge my experience).

Now I am back and a bit confused, I tried finding the answers to my questions in the forum but failed. While I am sure my questions have been debated several times, I would appreciate it if someone would take the time to simply answer them.

1) Do most peoples nowadays play WEGO or RT? How big is the difference in general? I just tried my very first CMBN QB, used RT and easily won (I used the easy setting though). I liked it, it feld like a real chaotic battlefield to men, though it also all seemed a bit too hectic to me and that was just a battle with 8 tanks v 8 tanks. I can hardly imagine a huge scenario with say 40 infantry units on each side being controlable.

2) How do I learned what knocked out my tank? I am fine with not knowing during battle, but afterwards I would like to know. Is the CMx1 unit info gone, when after a battle I could select any given unit, click ENTER and got an info about what that unit did kill?

3) Can you just give an estimate on how much learning I have ahead of me if I have only played CMx1 so far? (I haven't RTFM so far, as I just bought the game an hour ago).

4) Any reason why the game covers only three months? Will there be free expansions for the Western front until 1945 at least, or will I have to buy CM:Battle for Normandy September 1944 to December 1944 followed by Combat Mission: Battle of the Bulge, followed by CM: Race to Berlin?

1) Don't know, guess a mix. Probably depends on the map.

2) The kill stats are shown when you click a unit after the battle (where you see what each individual soldier is doing).

3) If you are comfortable with the cameras and use direct hotkeys, not that much in my opinion. Just need to adjust to keeping C2 and not to rely on borg spotting. And the arty dropping is also different. On second thought, maybe better start reading that manual .

4) I can't speak for them, but I believe a mix of practical and financial arguments (i.e. everything is more detailed and thus take more time and they feel that what they got too little back for the effort that went into making CMBB and CMAK. Also periodically drawing a line under a game family as it is called allows them to break code and change things around (hopefully for the better).

Whatever the reasons, they will be releasing expansion packs for CMBN that will cover up to and including Market Garden. The expansion packs are less expensive than the game. For example CMSF had 3 expansion modules (Marines, UK and NATO) each at $25 whereas the game is at $45. You can mix the content of the modules no problem, you can't play scenarios which uses a module you don't have.

I believe the plan is to release a new family to cover Bulge to ? after Normandy.

[Blackcat]

2) How do I learned what knocked out my tank? I am fine with not knowing during battle, but afterwards I would like to know. Is the CMx1 unit info gone, when after a battle I could select any given unit, click ENTER and got an info about what that unit did kill?

3) Can you just give an estimate on how much learning I have ahead of me if I have only played CMx1 so far? (I haven't RTFM so far, as I just bought the game an hour ago).

2) At the end of the game select a unit (froendly or enemy) and its kill stats will appear in the bottom left hand corner of the main screen.

3) Lots and lots. CMBN isn't an upgraded CMx1 it is an entirely new game.

[Vanir Ausf B]

1) Do most peoples nowadays play WEGO or RT? How big is the difference in general? I just tried my very first CMBN QB, used RT and easily won (I used the easy setting though). I liked it, it feld like a real chaotic battlefield to men, though it also all seemed a bit too hectic to me and that was just a battle with 8 tanks v 8 tanks. I can hardly imagine a huge scenario with say 40 infantry units on each side being controlable.

My general and probably inaccurate impression is that BFC and most of the beta testers play it RT and 90% of everyone else play it WEGO

2) How do I learned what knocked out my tank? I am fine with not knowing during battle, but afterwards I would like to know. Is the CMx1 unit info gone, when after a battle I could select any given unit, click ENTER and got an info about what that unit did kill?

What Blackcat said.

3) Can you just give an estimate on how much learning I have ahead of me if I have only played CMx1 so far? (I haven't RTFM so far, as I just bought the game an hour ago).

Roughly equivalent to a 40 hr college course. Consequently, reading the textbook is recommended.

Ok, I exaggerate. But it is more complicated than CMBO.

4) Any reason why the game covers only three months? Will there be free expansions for the Western front until 1945 at least, or will I have to buy CM:Battle for Normandy September 1944 to December 1944 followed by Combat Mission: Battle of the Bulge, followed by CM: Race to Berlin?

Lots of stuff coming that you will be free to buy

[Other Means]

My general and probably inaccurate impression is that BFC and most of the beta testers play it RT and 90% of everyone else play it WEGO

Bear in mind, we've got to have tests that are reproducible. QED.

[Michael Emrys]

1) Do most peoples nowadays play WEGO or RT?

Since no one to my knowledge has taken a survey, impossible to say really. A lot of the posts here on the forum mention playing WEGO, but since only a fraction of the people who own and play the game post here, no conclusions can be drawn from that.

3) Can you just give an estimate on how much learning I have ahead of me if I have only played CMx1 so far? (I haven't RTFM so far, as I just bought the game an hour ago).

Lots. And then some more. Almost everything has changed, at least in some subtle way. IMO the game has become more complex, so there is more to consider in plotting your course. But if you like that sort of thing, as I do, that is part of the fun in playing. I've been spending about an hour and a half, sometimes even more, on each turn. At least two-thirds of that time is spent watching the replay. Without replay, the game would not be nearly so entertaining for me.

Michael

[sburke]

Lots. And then some more. Almost everything has changed, at least in some subtle way. IMO the game has become more complex, so there is more to consider in plotting your course. But if you like that sort of thing, as I do, that is part of the fun in playing. I've been spending about an hour and a half, sometimes even more, on each turn. At least two-thirds of that time is spent watching the replay. Without replay, the game would not be nearly so entertaining for me.

Michael

Yeah I'd have to agree, half the rush for me is actually watching the turn and seeing how it unfolds, The subtleties in the game are phenomenal. Hell look at the discussions in the forum. I have personally been delving for a week now into how much protection can you expect from a rural stone wall and should you assume it is a good position to move your troops behind to find cover from enemy fire (and I still am uncertain). Then watching the scenes unfold (I prefer wego as you miss far too much of the detail in RT) is like having a new WWII drama made just for you. This is one game where I think you are always learning so just dive right in.

I would say spend a lot of time reading through the forum, there is a great amount of variation in response. Some folks are having a hard time dealing with the game for a variety of issues, but I think most (based on the specific thread on first impressions) really love it. Mostly I say just go ahead and play the game and form your own opinion. I have paid a lot more for a lot less even in the old boardgame world.

[Michael Emrys]

3) Can you just give an estimate on how much learning I have ahead of me if I have only played CMx1 so far? (I haven't RTFM so far, as I just bought the game an hour ago).

I think I should expand on my earlier reply to this. The initial learning curve if you are just coming to CMx2 now is very steep. Getting used to the commands can feel strange; that is, getting a certain key (and I do recommend that you run don't walk to the alternate keystroke layout) associated in your mind with a certain on-screen behavior of your pixeltruppen can feel a bit unfamiliar at first. But once you get used to what your virtual soldiers do, it smooths out a whole lot.

There is a basic training campaign set in Devon that you should start with. It will go far in acclimating you to the new environment. Don't feel ashamed to go through it a couple of times until you feel comfortable with how things work.

The next stage is putting it all together and learning what tactics to use and when. That is the fun part, and it should last you several years at least. And as sburke says, "The subtleties in the game are phenomenal."

Michael

[fsp]

Thanks guys, that is the info I have been looking for.

I haven't had much time to play so far, unfortunately. 2 hours so far. But I loved it and it brought back that old feeling I had missed (despite everything looking nicer and being refined.). I felt back home right away, though I realise and expect that I am missing out a lot on the subtleties so far, but I can still learn those after studying the manual. I will definitely play the tutorial. I don't like the keyboard layout, maybe I will get used to it or try to change it.

I would much prefer to play WEGO, as I too am one of those that like to see how a turn unfolds and think I am missing too much in RT. But I also wanted to know if maybe that way of playing is considered totally outdated in the CM community by now and was maybe missing essential part of the RT experience. That does not seem to be the case, judging from the answers here. So WEGO seems to be the way for me :-)

Again, thank you all.