CM:Battle for Normandy General Discussion

OK after 5 hours of play... I must say I agree with Enven, it's a whole different game, which confirms I will also keep playing CMx1.. The first hour I was completely lost then started to understand how it works. After 2 hours it started feeling more natural, the last 3 hours I had a ball. I played Wego of course, no real time for me. The thing that bothered me most in the beginning was the planning of moves and target zones, as in fact you move to "tiles" instead of the precise movement of CMx1 where you can choose to be a few feet forward or to the side. Same for targeting, I was pointing at a special place and the damn thing kept going to the nearby "tile'. But once I got used to it, was no pb. I had sometimes some strange pathfinding of units !
As a first conclusion, I would say I like it, but not as much as CMx1 (probably because of the last 10 years we spent on it...lol) Will play the 2 other scenarios and try to dig in the waypoint editing which is a nice feature.
 
I agree i, it is a different game to CM1 but it feels to me of a true war game, where you have to plan a lot more and use your troops in a war game way . We all know people that send mortar troops foward on their own just to scout out rather than used as mortar crews.With the new game mortars are a lot more useful and can be used as they should be . The hedges , walls and other terrain effects have alot more effect , so I can see me not playing the original game because of its limitations ( I played CMBO when it first came out ). In the Quick battle menu I can an icon to pre view the map which could be useful.

I had fun yesturday showing HEDGEHOG the game and how it works , I think he went home for a sleep after ! Poor old boy
 
who want to play pbem ?
just send me file at mgkmgkmgk(at)gmail.com
 
The funny thing is your reactions are more or less exactly like I predicted. :biggrin1: I still hope the bigger part will like this game.

And Even hit the nail on the head: CMBN is NOT just an upgraded CMBO, it's a whole new game. And CM IS more of a simulation than a wargame. Once everyone realises that, it'll be much easier to adapt.
 
I think that whoever played CMSF will find much easier the game controls and that exactly like CMSF the more u ll play CMBN the more u ll like it.
 
I've played the tutorial a few times and finally managed to get a total victory against the AI on the easiest settings. I found the number of units and the amount of micro-management involved quite daunting, much more so than an equivalent sized CMx1 game, and having taken a quick look at the other two scenarios in the demo I felt this even more, it just doesn't feel like a 'game' any more. The graphics are definitely an improvement but for me the perfect compromise would have been the mechanics and controls of CMx1 with the graphics of CMx2, it would have taken a lot less time to develop too..

The closest analogy to the way I feel about CMx1 is that it is like complicated chess, sure it has a lot more options and types of unit (game pieces) but because of the abstraction you can concentrate on strategy and how to dominate the map and outplay your opponent rather than worry about what individual men are up to and whether the MG ammo bearers are where they should be, for example. I think that large battles are going to be unmanageable because of this, for me anyway. Probably company sized actions will be the biggest I will feel happy playing in CMBN whereas I have played battalion sized CMx1 games without a second thought.

I also miss the penetration tables and other unit info that pops up when you select a unit and press Enter which I use a lot in the old game. Increasing the size of units is something I never use, it just looks too toy-like and spoils the immersion.
 
Bidermann said:
I agree i, it is a different game to CM1 but it feels to me of a true war game, where you have to plan a lot more and use your troops in a war game way . We all know people that send mortar troops foward on their own just to scout out rather than used as mortar crews.With the new game mortars are a lot more useful and can be used as they should be .
Click to expand...

In CMx1 I always use mortars as mortars and they are also very useful, zone interdiction, take off nasty AT guns, and what I like most lots of smoke to cross danger zones with infantry ! You can use LMGs for scouting, they are cheap and also have binos ... I always felt in CMx1 you had to use your troops in a war game way, at least in BB and AK. CMBO had a few flaws like charging under MG fire...lol !
 
OK last night I had an easy victory at veteran level in "The road to Berlin" scenario. Only tricky stuff was the AT gun which did some damage to my forward infantry squad. Took the farm on the left easy with the first units, blowing up the houses with a Sherman. Concentrated 2 MG zone fire on the AT gun, a mortar, and when they had to keep their head down, sent 2 Shermans on the central road to finish it.... Only other danger was a Schreck team that was dispatched by infantry fire through the hedges.
Now for tonight am off to the second scenario... will let you know, should feel better now with orders. In fact I saw I wasn't using the keyboard at all, did it all with mouse, this way I don't have to memorize anything except a few hotkeys to turn off/on objectives, trees or smoke for the order phase when necessary. Since there are more order possibilities in the waypoint edition, I found that opening the menu showed me all options and I wouldn't forget something. And playing Wego, gives plenty of time to study these possibilities. I played the first training scenario in 3 hours.
 
it is fun when you can plan attack on trenches under cover of mortars, arty, shermans and then your men will get assault command so you can see how they fight with machine guns :)
I like it but i see now that I would prefer tiny scenarios

Hey - who would like to check PBEM ?
I think closing pocket scenario is good for multi-player
 
When moving, tanks in BN are very slow to turn to follow waypoints even on roads. They judder to a stop, have a little think, then turn to face the next waypoint and begin moving again.
In CMx1 they move much more smoothly, turning to the next waypoint without stopping.
 
Is there a "column" movement command? Plot movement for one tank, and let the others follow in its path. Would be an awesome aid in handling large battles.
 
Ok, after a bit more time with CMBN -- I still think it's a brilliant simulation game -- very immersive, but very very fiddly and very time intensive -- I'd hate to try and fight anything larger than a company size battle. It works best at grunt level -- but pull it back -- not so good.
It certainly lacks the intuitive ease of play that CMx1 has -- no quick and easy fun battles to be had here (maybe with more familiarity it'll come)
I think they should seriously think about introdusing toggled unit bases like CMx1 and a better way to display command & control (seeing that it's so important in this game, dammit!)

I think Battlefront created something special here and it is mostly a thing of beauty, if a little garish sometimes -- but they ironically went too far -- too far away from the amazing playability and adaptability that made CM by far the best wargame of its kind ever! Can I see myself running a campaign like Cross of Iron with the CMBN system... not likely without a LOT more time on my hands.

I would've been very happy with a refinement of the CMx1 system with improved graphics and fixes to bring it into 2011 standards... do I need to se every blade of grass?... not sure i do.
Do I want something with a good battle system that if I want I can bash around with in a quick battle on a tired evening after a hard day's work? -- Yes... and I don't think CMBN is it.

So far CMAK and CMBB are keeping the #1 spot on my hard drive. :biggrin:
 
well I remember my first impressions from CMBO - it was so complex and complicated :)
I agree that CMBN is different then CM1 but IMHO it is good game
I also wondering why game developers are not improving originally very good games
XCOM
Fallout 1-2
CM

but we have several successful remakes
Settlers gold 10th anniversary
CiV 4
Shogun TW 2

etc


so maybe we will get CMBB remastered ?
 
Rico said:
..I would've been very happy with a refinement of the CMx1 system with improved graphics and fixes to bring it into 2011 standards..
Click to expand...

Yes and you've just given them a ready made title- 'Combat Mission 2011'..:)
 
Thankfully CMSF2 will be locate somewhere else entirely... Somewhat tired of desert warfare. :tongue1:
 
Rico said:
Ok, after a bit more time with CMBN -- I still think it's a brilliant simulation game -- very immersive, but very very fiddly and very time intensive -- I'd hate to try and fight anything larger than a company size battle. It works best at grunt level -- but pull it back -- not so good.
It certainly lacks the intuitive ease of play that CMx1 has -- no quick and easy fun battles to be had here (maybe with more familiarity it'll come)
I think they should seriously think about introdusing toggled unit bases like CMx1 and a better way to display command & control (seeing that it's so important in this game, dammit!)

I think Battlefront created something special here and it is mostly a thing of beauty, if a little garish sometimes -- but they ironically went too far -- too far away from the amazing playability and adaptability that made CM by far the best wargame of its kind ever! Can I see myself running a campaign like Cross of Iron with the CMBN system... not likely without a LOT more time on my hands.

I would've been very happy with a refinement of the CMx1 system with improved graphics and fixes to bring it into 2011 standards... do I need to se every blade of grass?... not sure i do.
Do I want something with a good battle system that if I want I can bash around with in a quick battle on a tired evening after a hard day's work? -- Yes... and I don't think CMBN is it.

So far CMAK and CMBB are keeping the #1 spot on my hard drive. :biggrin:
Click to expand...

Buddy, give it time before saying it's too complex and complicated. I've been playing it now for about 3 or 4 months and now it's easier to play than the CMx1 games. They now seem very primitive. Your still pushing around the same number of units, but in a more realistic setting and with more realistic spotting and 'command & control'. Yes, you can work a little harder and watch a little closer, but you don't need to. The only reason you would watch closer is because instead of having 3 men representing 12 men, every man is represented. With the great graphics, it makes you want to watch all the great animations of men fighting each other up close and personal. I have a QB going with one of the other Beta testers with a Infantry Battalion+ on both sides, and I've got the camera set to where I would in a CMx1 battle of the same size(at about level 5). I'm past watching every squad up close and personal, and watching every bullet being fired. In fact this is easier to play than the CMx1 games. When you lose a man the game lets you know whereas in CMx1 you have to cycle through units manually to check losses. It's your choice how complicated you want to make the playing of the game, and if you want a bash around in a quick battle on a tired evening after a hard day's work, that is very do-able too. That IMHO makes the game much more enjoyable.
 
Artur said:
Can you give us a hint? :). I would love to see CMSF:Cold War.
Click to expand...

Not quite, but something like that. CMSF2 will be contemporary/near-future East vs. West - something like NATO/EU vs. Russia/China/Korea most likely. Not really officlal, but that's the latest word on it.
 
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