Honestly Comparing Battlefront's Combat Mission 2.0 with Graviteam's Tactics

[Bletchley_Geek]

Updated the opening post with an example of GTOS AI carrying a platoon-level attack on its own.

[Boggit]

Graviteam has invented a game that doesn't require you to micro manage every single aspect of the game and if you want you can sit back and issue some simple commands and the AI will do the rest, not something I'd recommend but it helps knowing the AI is fairly decent enough to do the simple stuff while you concentrate on the more important things like support assets,complex manuevers or just watching the battle play out in all its graphic splendor.

+1

Agree. I do a lot of baby sitting (giving detailed orders, changing them every minute) in CM because I find that the AI is lacking. Having your units handle themselves well in GT as they do in real life is a good commander simulation. But you don't need a lot of details and control at the specific squad level that CM shows in all its glory. CM is detail porn and is very fun to watch. GT may come across as bland and to those who are unaware of the details wrongly consider it as RTS.

I have come to the conclusion that though the game scale is similar, GT is a good simulation at the commander's perspective. It is tactical in a general sense but has operational considerations (cohesiveness of larger formations). Focus is the commander.

CM is more of a simulation of detailed squad tactics since you have more control of this aspect. Nuances in higher level command is not simulated (you have Full control of every squad in the map). Focus is the individual squad.

I believe any serious wargamer should have both these games as they are really serving different purposes.

[Nefaro]

Graviteam Tactics has an Operational turn-based layer in the campaign. Combat mission is a series of linked (branching) scenarios.

GT's integrated campaign system helps make it feel more alive and each battle relevant. 

When I played the CMs (all of them up to CMBN & Commonwealth), I'd play a scenario or two and not feel much invested in the experience as a whole.  I think the campaign is just as fun, if not more, than the tactical battles in such multi-layered games (to include others like the Total War series).  It adds much enjoyment to the whole.