Combat Mission status

[Michael Dorosh]

Were you at WBC 2018 last July? I thought I heard that you were there in 2017 (unless I'm confusing with someone else) LnL were there and I got to spend a few minutes playing an early build of the PC game. It looks much better than HoS.

No I wasn't there, but I did mention the PC game on this forum before and I think I remember you mentioning it before, so maybe that's what you're remembering? Anyway, cool that you got to see an early build. I'm looking forward to it.

Also sat down today for a face to face trial of Nations at War (platoon level), and apparently they are doing a PC version of that, as well. The boardgame version was fun, a bit different from LnL Tactical, obviously, but kind of a treat not to have to dig through a 200 page manual in order to play. The dice rolling reminded me of Axis and Allies, especially during the overruns...

[Elvis]

and their IT help desk guys are unpaid volunteers?),

I definitely get paid. Heck, I even got a good sized raise in around the beginning of the year.

I wonder if it's time to more seriously revisit the conspiracy theory that Steve and/or Charles have taken up paying day jobs and are working on CM in their spare time...

While it is true that I do not spend 24/7 communicating with these guys, if they are doing CM in their spare time then they are spending an enormous amount of time slacking off at those other jobs.  ;)

[Skoop]

and their IT help desk guys are unpaid volunteers?),

I definitely get paid. Heck, I even got a good sized raise in around the beginning of the year.

I wonder if it's time to more seriously revisit the conspiracy theory that Steve and/or Charles have taken up paying day jobs and are working on CM in their spare time...

While it is true that I do not spend 24/7 communicating with these guys, if they are doing CM in their spare time then they are spending an enormous amount of time slacking off at those other jobs.  ;)

That last bit is more alarming to me than had you disclosed they were working day jobs.  That means that inspite of their 24/7 efforts battlefront is still a train wreck in content production.  Which further supports my sitzkrieg business model theory they have devolved to.

[Moreb]

That last bit is more alarming to me than had you disclosed they were working day jobs.  That means that inspite of their 24/7 efforts battlefront is still a train wreck in content production.  Which further supports my sitzkrieg business model theory they have devolved to.

Im not a CM player (graviteam all the way) but how did you come to this conclusion by what Elvis posted? He said he's not in contact 24/7.

[Michael Dorosh]

I definitely get paid. Heck, I even got a good sized raise in around the beginning of the year.

Three free mousepads instead of two? Sounds lucrative.

Im not a CM player (graviteam all the way) but how did you come to this conclusion by what Elvis posted? He said he's not in contact 24/7.

You'd have to be familiar with that community to get the nuances here. Most wargaming projects seem to be done at long distance, via email, forum, Slack, etc. and the two founders of BFC have enjoyed fostering their outsiders reputation (aided by not sharing a lot of photos on social media, to the point one presents himself as a hermit in the woods, the other as nothing but a brain in a jar). It seems odd, then, to vouch for the time management habits of reclusive people one has never met.

[Elvis]

It seems odd, then, to vouch for the time management habits of reclusive people one has never met.

Says who?  ;)

[Moreb]

one presents himself as a hermit in the woods, the other as nothing but a brain in a jar

Lol. That's actually very funny.

No, I do not know that community. I did many years ago when Battlefront Software was a fledgling company with an unproven idea and then an Alpha Demo. Heck, I even ran the first tournament of CMBO, The Not-so-Superbowl for awful players such as myself. I think it was Stuka that won the first one. That community was small, informed, and fun. Fast forward many years to the time SF was being developed. I revisited after a long hiatus to find the same group of members dismayed at the direction Battlefront was taking and worried that the most revered aspects of the series were being abandoned for their new vision, one possibly less hardcore and what they saw at the time as more mainstream.  At that point the community was a victim of its own success and one I did not recognize. Most of the things Battlefront fought against were eventually put back into their series but by then I had moved on. I certainly remember you and your dedication to saying what was on your mind, for better or worse.

With the success of CMx1 came a certain level of respect for the developers. People trusted them and didn't question their direction. I think they eventually lost that good faith and their relationship with the members changed. Long time members began to challenge their wisdom and a combative period began. I'm not sure it ever ended. Seems like I remember a long thread with a car enthusiast analogy.

Ive never bought anything beyond Normandy 1.0 simply because I discovered Matrix and their DRM free products. I just don't like to have to work so hard for something that should be very simple. 3 lifetime installs turned out to be 2 more than I needed. These days I spend my time with Graviteam Mius Front with a sometimes combative developer, but one that makes himself available. I stand behind his vision.

I do hope for good things for CM players and Battlefront equally and have some very fond memories of that time.

[Michael Dorosh]

one presents himself as a hermit in the woods, the other as nothing but a brain in a jar

Lol. That's actually very funny.

No, I do not know that community. I did many years ago when Battlefront Software was a fledgling company with an unproven idea and then an Alpha Demo. Heck, I even ran the first tournament of CMBO, The Not-so-Superbowl for awful players such as myself. I think it was Stuka that won the first one. That community was small, informed, and fun. Fast forward many years to the time SF was being developed. I revisited after a long hiatus to find the same group of members dismayed at the direction Battlefront was taking and worried that the most revered aspects of the series were being abandoned for their new vision, one possibly less hardcore and what they saw at the time as more mainstream.  At that point the community was a victim of its own success and one I did not recognize. Most of the things Battlefront fought against were eventually put back into their series but by then I had moved on. I certainly remember you and your dedication to saying what was on your mind, for better or worse.

With the success of CMx1 came a certain level of respect for the developers. People trusted them and didn't question their direction. I think they eventually lost that good faith and their relationship with the members changed. Long time members began to challenge their wisdom and a combative period began. I'm not sure it ever ended. Seems like I remember a long thread with a car enthusiast analogy.

Ive never bought anything beyond Normandy 1.0 simply because I discovered Matrix and their DRM free products. I just don't like to have to work so hard for something that should be very simple. 3 lifetime installs turned out to be 2 more than I needed. These days I spend my time with Graviteam Mius Front with a sometimes combative developer, but one that makes himself available. I stand behind his vision.

I do hope for good things for CM players and Battlefront equally and have some very fond memories of that time.

Well said - your memory is good! Thanks for sharing this.

[RyanE]

http://community.battlefront.com/topic/133343-shock-force-2-beta-showcase-video/

Looks like some progress is being made.

[Michael Dorosh]

http://community.battlefront.com/topic/133343-shock-force-2-beta-showcase-video/

Looks like some progress is being made.

Very first shot - stupid zig-zag road. Second shot - empty sand. Third shot - ridiculous looking "anthill" foxholes. I 'get' that the guy doing this isn't a professional marketer, but how blind to this stuff do you have to be to actually *showcase* the sub-par stuff - there are really good visuals in the game, the 3D vehicles, the soldier animations. This video is unfortunately just 10 minutes of guys hunkering in poorly drawn fortifications and getting killed like fleas.

The guys who make ASL don't bother marketing stuff to newcomers anymore because mostly they just sell stuff to the guys who already own everything. I think BFC is now taking the same approach - rather than try and attract new gamers, they'll just sell to all the guys who have been in it for 20 years, so no need to attempt to hide whatever flaws there are.

[Jarhead0331]

Really hard to see what is different in that showcase video. Its been awhile since I played SF, but that still looks like SF to me. Wasn't expecting significant changes though.

[Michael Dorosh]

Really hard to see what is different in that showcase video. Its been awhile since I played SF, but that still looks like SF to me. Wasn't expecting significant changes though.

Compare to BFC's original marketing video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlJJowO8YIA

They keep inadvertently highlighting how outclassed the Syrians are in their own promotional materials. In their original AAR video from 2008, they set the Syrians up in ambush and the Americans still inflicted a total defeat on them.

[sandman2575]

I don't mean to pile on, but man. Look at that video. Then check out the videos/screen shots of Syrian Warfare, which you can get on Steam for a mere $15.

Yes, I know, Combat Mission does some things more realistically than Syrian Warfare or Call to Arms. But at this point, those 'extra' bits of realism cannot hide the fact that, charitably, this looks like a title from ten years ago.

EDIT -- the zig-zag roads that MD mentions are a particular bugbear of mine. Jeez.

[ArizonaTank]

I try not to go negative on companies that have held up the hobby I love.

But a few years back, I was a great CM fan. I bought everything.

Now they have lost me....possibly for good.

I recently changed computers...I find the Battlefront uninstall, install, then repeat for expansions, so odious that I just gave up after a while.   

Like my feelings for Stormpowered...I am just too tired of the Battlefront technical mess they have made for their best customers. 

There are too many other great gaming alternatives out there for me to waste any more time with Battlefront.

[Ubercat]

I try not to go negative on companies that have held up the hobby I love.

But a few years back, I was a great CM fan. I bought everything.

Now they have lost me....possibly for good.

I recently changed computers...I find the Battlefront uninstall, install, then repeat for expansions, so odious that I just gave up after a while.   

Like my feelings for Stormpowered...I am just too tired of the Battlefront technical mess they have made for their best customers. 

There are too many other great gaming alternatives out there for me to waste any more time with Battlefront.

QFT  Except that I didn't even bother trying to reinstall on the new PC I got a few months ago. Their ridiculous DRM kept the games I paid for from being playable on the old PC I had for years. I'm not masochistic enough to try to deal with an actual change in hardware.    :o

(Compare that to Steam. It took what, 5 minutes to install on the new computer? Just like that, my more than 100 games were ready to reinstall whenever I felt like it for a couple of mouse clicks.)