Best Combat Mission (ww2) currently?

sandman2575 · March 19, 2014, 06:21:55 PM

Soooo... terrible confession here -- I've never played Combat Mission. (...if my access to grogheads is hereby revoked, I will understand :'()

I have a sudden compulsion to give it a try, though. Wondering what folks think the best of the current WW2 offerings is? Battle for Normandy? Fortress Italy? Other modules e.g. Market Garden or Gustav Line?

Advice appreciated. (And please, no talk of BF's DRM here -- none -- I just want thoughts on the games themselves). thx much --

Asid · March 19, 2014, 06:25:47 PM

Why not try one of their first iterations? Barbarossa to Berlin is excellent and cheap

Silent Disapproval Robot · March 19, 2014, 06:27:47 PM

I'd say give the demo a try first and foremost and see if the game system clicks with you before diving deeper in. I loved the original 3 Combat Mission games but I do not care for the new system at all. I wish I did as I enjoy some of the screenshots and AARs I read but the core game system just doesn't work for me at all.

sandman2575 · March 19, 2014, 06:33:22 PM

I know the original CM is renowned, Asid, but no way I can play games as outdated as Barbarossa to Berlin at this point. "Good Old Games" is a concept I just can't get behind -- too much state-of-the-art gaming goodness available these days --

Maybe the demo is worth a shot. Because I never played the original CM, I won't have any preconceived notions of what the newer games are missing (...ignorance is bliss, sometimes).

Are the Fortress Italy modules more advanced than the (older?) Battle for Normandy? Or are all the ww2 offerings on 'engine 2.0' now, and all of a piece?

undercovergeek · March 19, 2014, 06:39:05 PM

i think the demo is at 2 but not the most upto date 2

Con · March 19, 2014, 06:42:50 PM

I have CMBN the Commonwealth forces and Market Garden modules.

I am an avid fan of the game (already preordered Red Thunder). The mechanics are very much different form the original game. I think it plays realistically to the degree that anything that is a game can model the chaos of war. That being said the demos are a good start but I think the flavor for me lies in the more offbeat battles seen with Commonwealth and Market Garden modules.

The biggest draw for me lately has been playing PBEM games I am currently doing a scenario one with a fellow grog Tuna on the Commonwealth module that is a hypothetical giant tank battle on the Western Front. Its been a fun cat and mouse game so far and playing against another human has many more advantages than playing the AI. If you can I would take any experience you have playing solo on the demo with a grain of salt (the games AI is good but not great esp in the attack) and try and get into a PBEM game. You will learn a lot more of what the game offers the first time a damn enemy tank blasts away at you doing a shoot and scoot from behind a boacage.

Con

sandman2575 · March 19, 2014, 07:08:03 PM

Thanks for the feedback, fellas. Downloading the Fortress Italy demo as I write.

Not sure why I'm such a latecomer to Combat Mission. I've loved Achtung Panzer from the day it came out. And got a lot of enjoyment from the Panzer Command games, although I find them too rough around the edges (and time consuming) to play anymore. Theatre of War and sequels were good if flawed games, IMO. Maybe I just can't wait any longer for Mius Front to come out. Need new WW2 fix now...

jomni · March 19, 2014, 07:52:47 PM

My advice for you is to play in Realtime mode. :)

mikeck · March 19, 2014, 09:30:37 PM

Quote from: sandman2575 on March 19, 2014, 07:08:03 PM
Thanks for the feedback, fellas. Downloading the Fortress Italy demo as I write.

Not sure why I'm such a latecomer to Combat Mission. I've loved Achtung Panzer from the day it came out. And got a lot of enjoyment from the Panzer Command games, although I find them too rough around the edges (and time consuming) to play anymore. Theatre of War and sequels were good if flawed games, IMO. Maybe I just can't wait any longer for Mius Front to come out. Need new WW2 fix now...

This one is actually my favorite.
I'm not sure why as the Italy campaign is -for me- the least interesting campaign of a war that I don't find interesting to begin with...but something about it just clicked for me. They are all great games so you can't miss.

I cannot agree with you more about the "good old games" thing. A lot of it is nastalgia. The modern iterations of CM is light years ahead if Barbarossa to Berlin in everyway (for me anyway). No reason to go back at all. Plus the graphics...bad for the time, will make you sterile on a big monitor

Bletchley_Geek · March 19, 2014, 10:08:07 PM

Quote from: sandman2575 on March 19, 2014, 07:08:03 PM
Thanks for the feedback, fellas. Downloading the Fortress Italy demo as I write.

Not sure why I'm such a latecomer to Combat Mission. I've loved Achtung Panzer from the day it came out. And got a lot of enjoyment from the Panzer Command games, although I find them too rough around the edges (and time consuming) to play anymore. Theatre of War and sequels were good if flawed games, IMO. Maybe I just can't wait any longer for Mius Front to come out. Need new WW2 fix now...

Good choice, if you have to choose. I tend to like more CMFI (and Gustav Line) because of the very varied equipment, forces and scenarios. You also get winter modelled, which further adds to the variety.

Sir Slash · March 19, 2014, 10:22:06 PM

I've played them both and the greatest difference is in the setting, whether you like the closer type of hedgerow combat or the more open field of Italy. CMFI has a lot of mountain scenarios and they can be brutally tough but also has the Italians for a very different kind of army experience. The earlier era battles have a little more simplicity to them but aren't necessarily easier though you'll probably be more familiar with the later weapons of CMBN if you try CMFI first. Both are great and definitely start on the easy difficulity level until you win a fight or two.

undercovergeek · March 20, 2014, 03:40:31 AM

Quote from: jomni on March 19, 2014, 07:52:47 PM
My advice for you is to play in Realtime mode. :)

Shush :P

MengJiao · March 20, 2014, 01:34:25 PM

Quote from: jomni on March 19, 2014, 07:52:47 PM
My advice for you is to play in Realtime mode. :)

In realtime, CM is a lot like Achtung Panzer in many ways. Which is good.

On the other hand, I was traumatized into realtime back when CMSF came out and i can't go back to WEGO.

I'm not playing any CM until CMRT comes out though. I am in East Front hell except for breif looks at ARMAIII for comic relief.

And I will be making A BIG EXCEPTION for Hannibal Goes To Rome II, seriously.

SgtRock · March 20, 2014, 03:08:39 PM

CMBN Demo is still the 1.0 version of CM2

CMFI Demo is the 2.0 version of CM2

CMRT Demo (when available) - will be the 3.0 version of CM2

Play the existing demos until the CMRT demo is released then decide.

sandman2575 · March 21, 2014, 10:00:39 AM

Just a word of thanks to Boggit for his cool review of CM Market Garden. Look forward to reading the rest.

Spending some time last night with the Fortress Italy demo, I have to say this game exposes my shortcomings as a tactical commander in ways that Graviteam Tactics and Theatre of War never did. It really makes you pay for mistakes and sloppy execution. I'll never abandon GTOS because I do think it's a completely fantastic and unique game, but I may now be becoming a convert to Combat Mission as well...