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Radio Commander...

Started by Jarhead0331, January 17, 2019, 07:10:52 PM

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Apocalypse 31

I'm bothered that he's not holding the transmit button on the hand mic.

JasonPratt

^^ Clearly a Steam Workshop mod on the way there... ;)
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ArizonaTank

Back in the day, when I played wargames at the behest of the US Army, I played a very neat CPX (command post exercise) that this reminds me of. It was mostly radio / map driven. However, you did have the option to "hop in a pretend jeep" and drive out to "visit" subordinate units. Or, you could also order your subordinate commanders to come in for a conference. The exercise would put the commanders or you out of communication while on the move.

While I like the idea of realism...as a wargamer...I may not like it. As a gamer I am a control freak when it comes to giving orders.

I have tinkered around with the idea of a command simulation set during the Meuse Argonne offensive. This was the era of runners, carrier pigeons, and land-lines. It was not uncommon for units and headquarters to get literally lost in the fog. I haven't moved forward with it because I don't think I can make it a "fun" game.
Johannes "Honus" Wagner
"The Flying Dutchman"
Shortstop: Pittsburgh Pirates 1900-1917
Rated as the 2nd most valuable player of all time by Bill James.

ArizonaTank

Quote from: Apocalypse 31 on January 26, 2019, 01:45:39 PM
Quote from: JasonPratt on January 26, 2019, 12:49:06 PM
Quote from: Apocalypse 31 on January 26, 2019, 01:54:03 AM
I play this game for real at work...except I'm usually sitting in my Stryker, freezing my ass off and staring at my digital map, chat screens, and commanders interface screen, while monitoring multiple radio nets.

My current record is 5 radio nets simultaneously.

Whenever you get to 'that' scene in Aliens, you must laugh and laugh and laugh...  ;D

I sometimes wonder how well someone like Napoleon or Lee would do on the modern, digitally-saturated battlefield. Then again, it can all be delegated - My commander usually sits in the back of my command vehicle and asks me for updates every few minutes.

There's something to be said about the ability to monitor multiple radio nets, digital chat systems while monitoring digital and analogue maps then filtering all of THAT information to provide my commander with a one or two sentence update.

I think Napoleon would have been a micro-manager...he basically had his chief of staff act as the "digital interface" to his commanders... If you ever see Berthier's instructions down from Napoleon, you will see it.  Lee probably more of a delegator.

But Napoleon knew his limitations, and he fully embraced and vastly improved the "corps" system. This would be where his army was split into independent, fully capable corps. Each corps could and often did start entire new battle fronts without waiting for orders. The other corps were then ordered to "march to the sound of the guns". Think Jena-Auerstedt.

Lee had studied Napoleon very well, and the Civil War general benefited from the corps system in his handling of the army (actually both Union and CSA armies were often modeled on the corps system). After all things had not changed so much in the 45 years since Waterloo. This "marching to the sound of guns" is how Gettysburg developed.
Johannes "Honus" Wagner
"The Flying Dutchman"
Shortstop: Pittsburgh Pirates 1900-1917
Rated as the 2nd most valuable player of all time by Bill James.

MOS:96B2P

This is an interesting concept. I like the general idea but IMO the radio procedures need a lot of work. Especially since the radio is a very big part of this game. I served during the 1980s in the 82nd Airborne. We did not transmit on the radios the way they are in this game. It seems very unrealistic that they are having "conversations" over the radio. Holding the key and talking way to long with no "breaks" in the transmission. Also saying unprofessional, dumb, cheesy stuff. There is one u-tube video about this game where the CO tells his subordinate they should let the blacks do the fighting (or something like that). WHAT? If something like that had gone out on the radio net the reaction of our NCOs would have been swift & ugly at the least. In one video the Lt. tells the CO about some private's opinion of some unimportant topic over the radio during a combat patrol.  The game designers seem to be using the radio traffic to express their opinion of what US soldiers and politics were like during Vietnam. This definitely comes across in the introduction video also. Almost in a mocking way I thought. Maybe trying to be funny? Not sure.

So the basic concept is good. They need to get some military types in there to help them. Let the radio sound and be used like a US Army military radio. Then this could be really cool. Also some background sounds when units in the field are transmitting: gunfire, helicopters, wounded etc. Maybe when a unit gets overrun a VC picks up the radio and says something.  As it is it makes me cringe to listen to u-tube videos of the radio traffic. But the concept has potential.

JasonPratt

Hm. Hearing that the devs are using the radio net for 'plot' color, suddenly reduces my interest to nearly zero.  #:-) Completely aside from their political takes and actual plot structure. That isn't how radios were/are used.
ICEBREAKER THESIS CHRONOLOGY! -- Victor Suvorov's Stalin Grand Strategy theory, in lots and lots of chronological order...
Dawn of Armageddon -- narrative AAR for Dawn of War: Soulstorm: Ultimate Apocalypse
Survive Harder! -- Two season narrative AAR, an Amazon Blood Bowl career.
PanzOrc Corpz Generals -- Fantasy Wars narrative AAR, half a combined campaign.
Khazâd du-bekâr! -- narrative dwarf AAR for LotR BfME2 RotWK campaign.
RobO Q Campaign Generator -- archived classic CMBB/CMAK tool!

al_infierno

Quote from: MOS:96B2P on March 25, 2019, 10:00:51 AM
the CO tells his subordinate they should let the blacks do the fighting (or something like that).

Sheeeesh, seriously?   ::)

Yeah, my interest in this game has been rapidly dropping with every update...

Note to devs:  You are game developers, not political comedians....
A War of a Madman's Making - a text-based war planning and political survival RPG

It makes no difference what men think of war, said the judge.  War endures.  As well ask men what they think of stone.  War was always here.  Before man was, war waited for him.  The ultimate trade awaiting its ultimate practitioner.  That is the way it was and will be.  That way and not some other way.
- Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian


If they made nothing but WWII games, I'd be perfectly content.  Hypothetical matchups from alternate history 1980s, asymmetrical US-bashes-some-3rd world guerillas, or minor wars between Upper Bumblescum and outer Kaboomistan hold no appeal for me.
- Silent Disapproval Robot


I guess it's sort of nice that the word "tactical" seems to refer to some kind of seriousness during your moments of mental clarity.
- MengJiao

SirAndrewD

Yeah, I watched a Lets Play and endured endless minutes of the radio making incest jokes about Mississippi, "friendly" racist banter, stabs about sexual orientation ect. 

I guess they're going with the whole "Vietnam movie" feel over realism. 

There's a ton of real era radio chatter that is available for the devs to listen to.  The choice is a conscious one. 
"These men do not want a happy ship. They are deeply sick and try to compensate by making me feel miserable. Last week was my birthday. Nobody even said "happy birthday" to me. Someday this tape will be played and then they'll feel sorry."  - Sgt. Pinback

CJReich46

Quote from: Huw the Poo on January 18, 2019, 01:45:04 AM
The very old 16-bit strategy game Waterloo did something similar too.  Your orders were not carried out immediately; they had to be carried by messengers who had a physical presence on the battlefield and could be shot enroute.

If I remember correctly there was something like this that the developer did during the late 90s called Battalia and it was similar to that as well.
" He either fears his fate too much
Or his deserts are small,
Who dares not put it to the touch
To win or lose it all."  - James Graham 1st Marquis of Montrose

Apocalypse 31

Watched gameplay video.

Game is off my list until they remove the uneccesary political dialogue. The way the dialogue is delivered makes it seem like an attempt from a non-english speaking person.

Not funny or realistic. Totally unnecessary.

The_Admiral

#40
Well, although I agree that the writing can be uneven, the small team seems 100% dedicated to its project, enthusiastic and much involved with its nascent community. The team leader reads the Steam forums and answers his mails swiftly. If anybody has a sound remark - regarding the cosmetics, the story or any other aspect - my feeling is that he'll be willing very much to listen.

Give them people a chance - after all, they are Polish (and as such not in indigenous to the language nor the topic), it's no small miracle already that someone would have this creativity and dedicate it to this topic. :notworthy:

al_infierno

#41
Quote from: The_Admiral on March 26, 2019, 09:20:17 AM
Well, although I agree that the writing can be uneven, the small team seems 100% dedicated to its project, enthusiastic and much involved with its nascent community. The team leader reads the Steam forums and answers his mails swiftly. If anybody has a sound remark - regarding the cosmetics, the story or any other aspect - my feeling is that he'll be willing very much to listen.

Give them people a chance - after all, they are Polish (and as such not in indigenous to the language nor the topic), it's no small miracle already that someone would have this creativity and dedicate it to this topic. :notworthy:

For sure.  If they do listen and remove the political commentary I'll be much more inclined to pick up the game, although the recent gameplay videos were honestly killing my interest anyways.  I just hope it turns out to be an interesting game.
A War of a Madman's Making - a text-based war planning and political survival RPG

It makes no difference what men think of war, said the judge.  War endures.  As well ask men what they think of stone.  War was always here.  Before man was, war waited for him.  The ultimate trade awaiting its ultimate practitioner.  That is the way it was and will be.  That way and not some other way.
- Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian


If they made nothing but WWII games, I'd be perfectly content.  Hypothetical matchups from alternate history 1980s, asymmetrical US-bashes-some-3rd world guerillas, or minor wars between Upper Bumblescum and outer Kaboomistan hold no appeal for me.
- Silent Disapproval Robot


I guess it's sort of nice that the word "tactical" seems to refer to some kind of seriousness during your moments of mental clarity.
- MengJiao

SirAndrewD

This game needs Red Leader....

"These men do not want a happy ship. They are deeply sick and try to compensate by making me feel miserable. Last week was my birthday. Nobody even said "happy birthday" to me. Someday this tape will be played and then they'll feel sorry."  - Sgt. Pinback

braaaur

#43
Hi guys!

My name is Jacob and I'm a team leader, lead designer and programmer behind the Radio Commander.

First of all, thank you for all the opinions and feedback here.

The truth is that Radio Commander is not a wargame. It is a strategy game, for sure, but it is not something that true grogheads would go for with eyes closed. We've never tried to make a wargame that's going to be 100% realistic, 150% complex and 200% focused on mechanics. That was never a plan for RC.

We decided that we want to tell a story in RC. This story involves politics, racism and uses very uncommon way to be told. We believe that every war is political. So basically, Radio Commander tries to tell that war is not about units, statistics, orders etc. but about people trapped there.

It is Ok that some of you didn't liked Radio Commander. There's no game that is suitable for everyone. If you find our writing poor or unnecessary, that is also Ok. It is our first game and we are trying our best, but sometimes it is just not enough to satisfy everybody.

Of course, we have plenty strategy and simulation in all of this, so it is not a visual novel or anything like that. Actually, in Veteran mode Radio Commander can be pretty challenging and deep if the player has to struggle with many factors like terrain, morale, stamina, flanking, height etc. And if you don't like the story, but you like the mechanics, we probably add the option to auto-skip all the narrative dialogs. It will be the player choice.

When it comes to realism, we decided that accessibility is more important than 100% realism. Therefore, our radio tag and radio procedures are not identical to these used in army. We also manipulated with scale and naming conventions (our platoons have less than 20 men and are called Alpha, Bravo, not 1st, 2nd etc.).

To sum up... I would rather see Radio Commander as a pretty accessible strategy game that could be a gateway game to more complex strategy or wargames, which could be still interesting and exciting to play by grogheads as something untypical.

What do you think about that idea?

Best regards
Jacob

PS. If you are looking for a game very similar to Radio Commander (the idea) but without narration, you may want to check Radio General by Foolish Mortals.
http://www.foolish-mortals.net/radiogeneral

Jarhead0331

Glad to see braaaur here giving the perspective of the development team.

Admittedly, I am also disappointed that the game has taken this direction. I think foregoing some of the realism for the sake of accessibility is a reasonable approach to take, but if the narrative is as bad as some are saying, this is definitely going to hurt the success of the game, particularly considering the target audience has an especially short threshold for bull$hit.

Not prepared to write it off entirely, but definitely weary now. 
Grogheads Uber Alles
Semper Grog
"No beast is more alpha than JH." Gusington, 10/23/18