A separate game and not an expansion for CMBN.
Basic Info:
Covers October 1944 - January 1945
This is a separate game from CMBN, NOT a module or expansion of CMBN!
The emphasis is obviously on the Battle for the Bulge, but other western front operations are also in play, including the Hürtgen Forest, Aachen, Nordwind, etc.
A future Module will expand the game all the way to VE-Day, focusing on operations within Germany from February to May.
BF post with campaign details, partial vehicle list and a few screenshots: http://community.battlefront.com/topic/119001-more-bulge-info-and-a-few-screenshots/ (http://community.battlefront.com/topic/119001-more-bulge-info-and-a-few-screenshots/)
Not only is their patching system and version system a nightmare, but now you don't know what's a module and what's a game >:(
I know...shutting up ;D
Far more eager to see the EF stuff step backwards, but, hey, who am I kidding:
GIMME!
Best,
Jim
"Cyrano"
:/7)
Do Want
Quote from: JudgeDredd on March 27, 2015, 09:58:52 AM
Not only is their patching system and version system a nightmare, but now you don't know what's a module and what's a game >:(
I know...shutting up ;D
It's probably safe to assume that any future release scheduled to be a "module" has a very high chance of turning into a standalone full-priced release. I've assumed that post-Commonwealth module.
The Sturmtiger!!! :o Blessed Excrement. Count me in.
So when you want to upgrade you have to buy each 'patch' individually?
I'm pretty sure WaR was always planned as a separate game from CM:BN.
At the same time, I think they'll still be in the module business for the balance of the Eastern Front.
What makes it all hinkey, of course, is that sooner or later they'll jump the engine from 3.0 in a way that requires a substantial upgrade to BN, FI, RT, and BS...
The one thing about which they've been quite quiet since mentioning it is the retrofitting of CMSF with all the goodness that is CMBS.
The terrain and kit additions for WaR (I don't know that that's what they're calling it, but it strikes me as logical) make it well worth my while...
Maybe because the setting is snow. There has never been a snow map / game in the current generation CM.
Needs a lot of repainting even for the reused objects. Once they developed snow, they can do East Front winter campaigns.
Quote from: Cyrano on March 27, 2015, 03:12:39 PM
I'm pretty sure WaR was always planned as a separate game from CM:BN.
At the same time, I think they'll still be in the module business for the balance of the Eastern Front.
What makes it all hinkey, of course, is that sooner or later they'll jump the engine from 3.0 in a way that requires a substantial upgrade to BN, FI, RT, and BS...
The one thing about which they've been quite quiet since mentioning it is the retrofitting of CMSF with all the goodness that is CMBS.
The terrain and kit additions for WaR (I don't know that that's what they're calling it, but it strikes me as logical) make it well worth my while...
You are 100% correct. This has always been slated for being a stand alone game. And BFC is not out of the module business. You're also correct about future engine Upgrades. But, this title will be (like CMRT and CMBS) using the 3.0 engine. So, 4.0 won't be any time soon.
I know that there was a thread or post or 2 that Steve had made laying out what the plan was for releases. Doing a quick search of the forum, I couldn't find it. But it is interesting that I found this:
QuoteThe second [WW2 Title, WW2 Normandy being the first] will pick up where Normandy leaves off and go through the end of the war. Because of the terrain, weather, and equipment changes in the Fall of 1944, what follows is basically an entirely different game from our perspective. Far too much for Modules to handle.
That was for
2008 :o
It was kind of interesting skimming through it because we have been (and continue to) doing pretty much what he laid out back then. The only major deviation is that at that time, the concept of being able to back-port releases with Upgrades was either not considered or not thought possible.
http://community.battlefront.com/topic/83210-the-road-ahead-a-recap/?hl=%2Broad+%2Bahead
I'm gonna still try to find the list that Steve made of releases. If memory serves there are/were supposed to be 4 Eastern Front stand alone games,with modules for each.
Quote from: Elvis on March 27, 2015, 06:34:03 PM
Quote from: Cyrano on March 27, 2015, 03:12:39 PM
I'm pretty sure WaR was always planned as a separate game from CM:BN.
At the same time, I think they'll still be in the module business for the balance of the Eastern Front.
What makes it all hinkey, of course, is that sooner or later they'll jump the engine from 3.0 in a way that requires a substantial upgrade to BN, FI, RT, and BS...
The one thing about which they've been quite quiet since mentioning it is the retrofitting of CMSF with all the goodness that is CMBS.
The terrain and kit additions for WaR (I don't know that that's what they're calling it, but it strikes me as logical) make it well worth my while...
You are 100% correct. This has always been slated for being a stand alone game. And BFC is not out of the module business. You're also correct about future engine Upgrades. But, this title will be (like CMRT and CMBS) using the 3.0 engine. So, 4.0 won't be any time soon.
The way I see it, New theaters are always full games. Modules are just for equipment and nationality.
Quote from: Tuna on March 27, 2015, 02:29:14 PM
So when you want to upgrade you have to buy each 'patch' individually?
Patches are always free.
The Gustav add-on for CMFI included snow in some of the scenarios. I thought then they were angling for a Bulge or east front inclusion down the road.
Though I too want to see more East front games (so we can get to '41--42) I happy to see any CMx2 release. Must say I haven't bought CMFI nor the vehicle pack for CMBN but have everything else. Bulge will be cool as I hope we get deep snow which effects movement rates..unlike the snow in CMFI which is really just cosmetic. With every engine upgrade it gets better and better and those upgrades are well worth the money.
Quote from: jomni on March 27, 2015, 07:10:42 PM
Quote from: Elvis on March 27, 2015, 06:34:03 PM
Quote from: Cyrano on March 27, 2015, 03:12:39 PM
I'm pretty sure WaR was always planned as a separate game from CM:BN.
At the same time, I think they'll still be in the module business for the balance of the Eastern Front.
What makes it all hinkey, of course, is that sooner or later they'll jump the engine from 3.0 in a way that requires a substantial upgrade to BN, FI, RT, and BS...
The one thing about which they've been quite quiet since mentioning it is the retrofitting of CMSF with all the goodness that is CMBS.
The terrain and kit additions for WaR (I don't know that that's what they're calling it, but it strikes me as logical) make it well worth my while...
You are 100% correct. This has always been slated for being a stand alone game. And BFC is not out of the module business. You're also correct about future engine Upgrades. But, this title will be (like CMRT and CMBS) using the 3.0 engine. So, 4.0 won't be any time soon.
The way I see it, New theaters are always full games. Modules are just for equipment and nationality.
And that sounds great - but it's going to get expensive :o
Quote from: JudgeDredd on March 28, 2015, 01:36:28 AM
And that sounds great - but it's going to get expensive :o
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fgamesareevil.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F04%2Finsert-coin-colors2-550x171.jpeg&hash=4847950edf6b2c8181d7bcfac27cbf4135ae1c44)
...here is the joined startup-screen pre-alpha of the "4.0 engines" to come for most of our favorite wargame series ;)
doesn't matter if published by Battlefront, LnL, Slitherine/Matrix, etc.. then
in a future not to far
all grognardish 'wargames'
(you buy a 'licence to use it' anyway already today not the 'game' ...so why not a 'license' a 'ticket to ride' to use it just once
....Dr Evil, marketing director said (https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ftemp.x86-secret.com%2Fsmiley%2Fdrevil.gif&hash=bfa75429134d82a443a79ae413d2b0924e4d3e14) )
will be stored and partly executed and surly mandatory connected to something precursory we call 'cloud' today
(a service we are forced more and more to use it whether we all like it or not ...at the workplace, backups of mobile devices)
probably streamed to our varring VR hardware ...don't get me wrong, the wargame is still good'ol 2D on maps on a screen, but your desktop / gaming place / man-cave itself is all a virtual representation.
...at least we can play while our selfdriving electrical 'cars' (Top Gear would have called it 'a roofed chair for the disabled') will drive us to our destinations...
Quote from: Elvis on March 27, 2015, 07:34:13 PM
Quote from: Tuna on March 27, 2015, 02:29:14 PM
So when you want to upgrade you have to buy each 'patch' individually?
Patches are always free.
You know what I mean.. I only have CMBN with Commonwealth.. I paid for update 2 haven't gotten 3 yet (only reason to, would be to do another pbem with CON), but if I bought Bulge or Red Storm, and then 4 comes out I'd have to by 3 updates? Or does the paid update, fix all your games?
Of course I'll love Bulge as more Combat Mission goodness.... but ...
Personally, I'd have preferred to see these first -
North African 1940-43 (Modules Compass - Crusader 1941, Gazala-El Alamein 1942, Tunisia 1943);
Blitzkrieg 1939-40 (Modules - Poland 1939, Norway 1940, France (plus Low Countries, Sealion) 1940);
Red Thunder (Barbarossa to Stalingrad 41-42, Kharkov to Korsun 43-44, Gotterdammerung late 1944-1945)
Combat Mission Shock Force v3.0 Upgrade to CMBS standard (plus some new formations units etc - but I'm being ambitiously hopeful here......)
OR
A campaign system overlay similar to what Graviteam has done with Achtung Panzer etc, so you can play your core force in a series of battles linked directly to your campaign - Combat Mission Heaven!
i finally think after maybe 15 years of playing it, im temporarily over WW2 - ive been playing Airland Battle, Red Dragon and CMBS and loving my modern at the minute
Quote from: Tuna on March 28, 2015, 12:56:21 PM
Quote from: Elvis on March 27, 2015, 07:34:13 PM
Quote from: Tuna on March 27, 2015, 02:29:14 PM
So when you want to upgrade you have to buy each 'patch' individually?
Patches are always free.
You know what I mean.. I only have CMBN with Commonwealth.. I paid for update 2 haven't gotten 3 yet (only reason to, would be to do another pbem with CON), but if I bought Bulge or Red Storm, and then 4 comes out I'd have to by 3 updates? Or does the paid update, fix all your games?
Given how they sell it on their storefront, I'd say it's 1 fee per game, not per module. So, if you have CMBN with 2 modules, and CMRS with 2, you'd pay for 2 upgrades to get them to 4.0. Kind of petty... I think it should be 1 to just upgrade the engine period.
Quote from: Boggit on March 29, 2015, 12:06:05 PM
Of course I'll love Bulge as more Combat Mission goodness.... but ...
Personally, I'd have preferred to see these first -
North African 1940-43 (Modules Compass - Crusader 1941, Gazala-El Alamein 1942, Tunisia 1943);
Blitzkrieg 1939-40 (Modules - Poland 1939, Norway 1940, France (plus Low Countries, Sealion) 1940);
Red Thunder (Barbarossa to Stalingrad 41-42, Kharkov to Korsun 43-44, Gotterdammerung late 1944-1945)
Combat Mission Shock Force v3.0 Upgrade to CMBS standard (plus some new formations units etc - but I'm being ambitiously hopeful here......)
OR
A campaign system overlay similar to what Graviteam has done with Achtung Panzer etc, so you can play your core force in a series of battles linked directly to your campaign - Combat Mission Heaven!
Funnily enough the Bulge has left me cold (ahem) until I recently started reading about it to put Command Ops:BftB in context ("Battered Bastards of Bastogne" - lots of American first-person accounts) and now I eagerly await this new CM game.
I do wish they would do something different than mid-late war east/west front
North Africa campaign would be nice as well as a Poland or French theater 1939-1940
PACIFIC THEATER!!!
NO!
Fulda Gap. Balloon Goes Up. Red Storm Rising. 6 Days War. Vietnam. Korea. Yom Kippur. Desert Storm.
More modern shit....NOW! ;D
Quote from: JudgeDredd on March 30, 2015, 02:45:41 AM
NO!
Fulda Gap. Balloon Goes Up. Red Storm Rising. 6 Days War. Vietnam. Korea. Yom Kippur. Desert Storm.
More modern shit....NOW! ;D
Falkland?
Oh yeah O0
Actually, I wonder how this game engine would do for an Age of Rifles type scenario.
I'd like a North African or early war add-on too. The early war mods for the original CM were great. Nobody loves the Pacific. :'(
Going back to CMx1, Steve and Charles both said they find the PTO personally uninteresting.
I believe Charles has said they feel CM:AK was something of a misstep and they won't be back to North Africa. The fact they CM:FI is what it is suggests as much.
As a side note to all this, I was sitting around on Saturday waiting forlornly for my various PBEM turns and I fired up CM: Afghanistan. Now, Snowball put none of the polish into this effort that usually comes with CM -- the briefings were driving me insane -- but this is a really good entry into the system that provides likely the only shot we're going to have to play with these scenarios in this engine. The campaigns particularly are very tense and frustrating. It revived my hope that BF will figure out a way to back-fill 3.0 into both CM:SF and Afghanistan. I'd happily pay for both patches.
Best,
Jim
"Cyrano"
:/7)
CM Afghanistan is definitely an under-appreciated game.
Quote from: Tuna on March 28, 2015, 12:56:21 PM
Quote from: Elvis on March 27, 2015, 07:34:13 PM
Quote from: Tuna on March 27, 2015, 02:29:14 PM
So when you want to upgrade you have to buy each 'patch' individually?
Patches are always free.
You know what I mean.. I only have CMBN with Commonwealth.. I paid for update 2 haven't gotten 3 yet (only reason to, would be to do another pbem with CON), but if I bought Bulge or Red Storm, and then 4 comes out I'd have to by 3 updates? Or does the paid update, fix all your games?
The Upgrades are specific to each game. So, if you wanted it for each, you'd have to buy it for each.
The alternative to porting older titles, for Battlefront, is to the new engines are to let them die on the vine. The alternative for customers, is to not buy the Upgrade.