CMx2 -- Version 4 -- Bundle for $25

[Father Ted]

Wait. Dongles can't fly?

Of course they can fly, but they end up in lost luggage.


Edit: I fully intend to upgrade my CMBN and CMFB, but I will do so once the dust has settled.

[Apocalypse 31]

Wait...are they charging $10 for the bug fixes?

[Bardolph]

I was a low 3 digit member number member of the Big Time Software forum, was there when we crashed the server trying to download the first demo, bought multiple copies of CMBO, CMBB and CMAK, as well as some of their other games, did some modding for CM, played the hell out of it, sold even more copies for them by introducing my gaming friends to Combat Mission. I haven't bought a single thing from them since they went with the E-License DRM. Not even the final CM series patches because I was led to understand they included the DRM.
I don't know how many sales they have lost due to their choice of DRM, but I can't be the only one.

[Cyrano]

Damn, Bardolph had me checking.

Joined in 2000.  Has it been so long?

CM:BB is still amongst the greatest grog games ever made.  Likely makes Mt. Rushmore for me.

And JH is right, I just don't have the grief that some do over the DRM, although I wish we lived in a world where BFC didn't think it necessary.

JTS, for its part, insists its sales have gone up since installing its, admittedly far lighter, DRM.

And, yeah, I'll take this DRM all day long over against the gimped MP that PBEM++ requires; but I digress.

[Destraex]

Any advantage to downloading the 4.0 full games rather than the 4.0 patch. I patched CMRT but am downloading CMBN in full to clean my mods.... I don't trust my Z folder to be the only thing with mods in it.
Anybody notice any nice side effects to the new patch like performance? CMRT seemed to look sharper and perform better for me. The rivers look nice.

EDIT: Might I add that the battlefront servers seem to have just plummeted in speed half way through my 4.5 gig download. My web is tested and fine for speed. Expecting this download to die any second.
Started at 4.5Mb a second and now only a few kb\s. Somebody pay their power bill :P

EDIT2: Well it did not die. Amazeballs.

EDIT3: I would have picked up final Blitzkrieg. But at $84 Australian I cannot justify it. I am also a wondering if all of these titles will be upgraded when the next gen engine battlefront are working on becomes available. I am guessing not though. Logically that would not make sense. But it seems so pointless to collect all of these titles knowing another brand new engine is coming... one that actually is a brand new engine hopefully with coop and multi-thread.

Disappointing that they still have not fixed the briefing and load screens. I need to go and get binoculars to read the briefing screens in 1920 x 1200. Also a friend has a problem with how easily tank commanders get shot when turned out. Oh well. We cannot have everything I guess.

[Grim.Reaper]

Any advantage to downloading the 4.0 full games rather than the 4.0 patch.

EDIT: Might I add that the battlefront servers seem to have just plummeted in speed half way through my 4.5 gig download.

EDIT3:  I am also a wondering if all of these titles will be upgraded when the next gen engine battlefront are working on becomes available. I am guessing not though. Logically that would not make sense. But it seems so pointless to collect all of these titles knowing another brand new engine is coming... 

Disappointing that they still have not fixed the briefing and load screens. I need to go and get binoculars to read the briefing screens in 1920 x 1200. Also a friend has a problem with how easily tank commanders get shot when turned out. Oh well. We cannot have everything I guess.

1)  Don't think there is any advantage to the full download unless you are multiple patches behind and want to ensure you have the latest and greatest.  In my case, I downloaded the installers since I removed the games from my system awhile ago and hadn't played in a long time, so wanted to ensure I had everything and is easier then trying to figure out what incremental patches to apply.

2)  Yes, performance of their download servers is questionable at times....when I downloaded all my installers, it was the longest part of my install process since their servers could only handle about half the speed of what my internet connection could handle.  Not a huge issue for me since I don't download them often.

3)  Not sure it is pointless to collect and purchase the existing titles since we have no idea how many more years before a totally new engine comes out...based on their track record just for incremental improvements and content, I don't expect to see it for a long time so plenty of time to enjoy existing content and get your money's worth.....plus, who knows what exactly the game engine will bring....will it be different parts of the war or just the same existing parts but upgraded?

4)  I thought there was a big discussion on tank commanders at one point and in one of the patches it was toned down...don't recall much active discussions on it anymore in the forums unless people just gave up.

[Grim.Reaper]

I don't know how many sales they have lost due to their choice of DRM, but I can't be the only one.

There is no doubt that your likely not the only one, but guessing there hasn't been enough to force them to change their model or they are just comfortable with the level of sales they are getting...I can only imagine that even the most stubborn developer in the world would consider changing their model if they felt they were taking an extreme hit in the wallet.  Of course we don't know for sure and possibly they are losing out on some good opportunities. 

However, on the flip side we base our opinions on the DRM from public places such as the forums, but we have no idea what percent of customers that actually represents.  Typically people who vocalize on forums falls into two categories......someone that has an issue and wants to make sure the world knows and someone that defends the company regardless of the situation.  For all we know the actual number of people who have real problems might be very small to the actual number of people buying the game....likewise, it could be much greater but all we can do is speculate based on what information provided in the public.

Although I read the comments and I understand some people do experience issues (which I know is frustrating), I base my feelings on my own personal experience......I have owned every Combat Mission game and modules released by Battlefront (except the vehicle/mission pack) and I have never encountered an issue using their DRM.  Yes, it is more confusing then is necessary and yes I would prefer it not tied to my physical computer setup, but hard for me to complain about it when through all these years I haven't actually experienced a problem.  And I am not trying to minimize any problems experienced by others, just presenting another side that for every problem encountered, there likely is many more success stories that don't show up in the forums.

I was a slow participant in the digital download world when physical media started to disappear...just couldn't grasp how intrusive DRM (i.e. Steam, this DRM, others, etc.) was becoming and not having physical media to own.  I was so fearful the game I bought with my hard earned money would not potentially be available to me some day, what if I wanted to play a game I bought 10 years ago and Steam was no longer around?  But then I realized, that's really not a major concern based on my game playing habits since most games I play for a short time and rarely try to play a game from years ago....although I would be upset if Steam disappeared tomorrow more based on not having something in return, in reality I would look back at the time I enjoyed playing the games versus worrying about what the future will hold.  For me, I just decided living in the moment is much better then speculating about the future but I completely understand that not everyone feels the same way.

But at the end of the day, you are doing things absolutely correctly based on your own feelings.....your taking the only action that one day might impact the company's use of the DRM, your voting with your wallet by not purchasing the game and supporting it. 

[Nefaro]

Would I prefer it to be easier, yes.  But the current process although tedious is something I'll live with to play this type of game...not a chance I'll stop purchasing this game series just because of the drm, right or wrong.  I have a feeling most of their customers feel the same.

Some of us are former BF customers, and don't feel that way at all.

Stopped dealing with the nonsense a few years ago.  Liberating.  :bd:   Are we a minority of rehabilitated addicts?

[Grim.Reaper]

Would I prefer it to be easier, yes.  But the current process although tedious is something I'll live with to play this type of game...not a chance I'll stop purchasing this game series just because of the drm, right or wrong.  I have a feeling most of their customers feel the same.

Some of us are former BF customers, and don't feel that way at all.

Stopped dealing with the nonsense a few years ago.  Liberating.  :bd:   Are we a minority of rehabilitated addicts?

And certainly that is the way to vote your displeasure....but not sure it represents a small or large portion of their customers.

[RyanE]

The only thing to go on lack of posting on the BFC forum.  Its a pretty limited number.  But any number of things contributes to that.

[Ubercat]

I certainly hesitate to post anything even remotely negative on the BFC forums as I know I'll get insta-flamed. They're much like Paradox in that regard. I wonder how many others don't want to deal with all the DRM hassle and forum hassling so they vote with the door?

[RyanE]

One thing to consider is VERY limited umber of websites that even mention BFC/CM any more as far as news goes.  I mean, the update was out three days before my post here.  just a few years ago, any type of update from BFC was big news on all wargaming sites.

Again, the reasons are multiple and not necessarily tied to DRM.  But in the end, so few new people show up on BFC and so many seem to not post any more, that I have to conclude their audience has shrunk significantly.

[Grim.Reaper]

One thing to consider is VERY limited umber of websites that even mention BFC/CM any more as far as news goes.  I mean, the update was out three days before my post here.  just a few years ago, any type of update from BFC was big news on all wargaming sites.

Again, the reasons are multiple and not necessarily tied to DRM.  But in the end, so few new people show up on BFC and so many seem to not post any more, that I have to conclude their audience has shrunk significantly.

I thought the version 4 release was on Saturday, seems to be the first mention of it at Battlefront and on their news page.....was it in some kind of soft launch before then where it was actually released 3 days prior to then?

I am sure their customers are likely smaller nowadays, not uncommon when the same product line has been out for a long time without any major overhauls, along with other gaming options available, even if not the same thing.  No idea whether "significantly" less, but must still have enough customers where battlefront feels still worth supporting it.....although DRM likely caused some of its customers to look elsewhere, I am guessing the product itself is more the reason.

Nothing we can do about it besides voting with our wallets and at the moment I still choose to support them...no idea how long that will continue.

[Con]

Eh DRM is a bit of a meh issue for me until it blows up.

Yes its a pain but IMO a known pain is not a show stopper.  its when the DRM causes you to not play and there is no customer support to resolve your issue.  Then that is a pain, otherwise its all degrees of frustration.  With Battlefront we are dealing with poor scaling choices on how they initially wanted to provide new product layered with the DRM changes.  To me the counter intuitiveness of what version what patch what module and what sequence or custom way to install them is what makes Battlefront less of an appealing choice going forward rather than their version of DRM.  I bet that this is what turns off more gamers familiar with Battlefront games int he long term.

Con
FYI I did update the games without reinstalling it was not horrific just the usual confusing mess with a quick support to help me out from their Customer Help team.

[RyanE]

The "soft launch" was 12/22.  I think that notice got replaced a couple days later.  At least it was buyable on the 22nd.

Note the date...

http://community.battlefront.com/announcement/26-happy-holidays/