Update on Combat Mission Fortress Italy and 4.0

[RyanE]

I suspect it would be very difficult for someone from the outside to jump into that code base.

There is some myth and legend about the code base of CM, I suspect.  I have been involved in acquisitions of plant operating software that contains millions of lines of code and had minimal issues with continued development and support with new staff.  I would think that the IL2 CLOD game is no less complex and volunteers were able to take that game over.  Of course one of the big assumptions that proper coding discipline was used in development of the game.

Now could someone do it at reasonable return on investment?  Now we get into what BFC values itself and the potential left in that engine.

[Boggit]

I just got the v4.0 upgrade bundle and am looking forward to seeing the new improvements.  :bd:

[RyanE]

I like the 4.0 upgrade.  With all the engine upgrades, we are slowly getting back the commands left behind in CM1.

[Stryker07]

I picked up CMFB the other day and I must say, I've been bitten by the CM bug all over. I had been playing CMBN 3.0 for a while and it was only really any use to me PBEM. I have been playing against the AI in FB and it's fairly solid for a CMx2 title. The improved TacAI behavior in infantry reacting to HE fire and the spacing while moving made a world of difference to me. I know there are some real varied opinions of Battlefront these days, but all that put aside I think CM is still the best option. Just my .02.

[Boggit]

I like the 4.0 upgrade.  With all the engine upgrades, we are slowly getting back the commands left behind in CM1.

;D
True! I am glad that we are getting them back. I also really like the new combine squad option too. I played a Black Sea mission yesterday and was gratified to see some of my soldiers peeking around the edges of buildings.

I hear there has been a massive reworking of Fortress Italy for the upgrade, so I hope US scouts now have more than 6 rounds for the sniper rifle, and that Vicker's teams actually have Vicker's guns, rather than a command element!

[Boggit]

The improved TacAI behavior in infantry reacting to HE fire and the spacing while moving made a world of difference to me..

That is an essential improvement. The numbers of times my troops have continued to run into a turn 1 barrage, while I cringe and say "stop! hit the dirt or run away" as my pixel warriors proceed to get themselves blown to pieces! :-"

[Michael Dorosh]

Yeah, it is kind of depressing.  I still adore (that is the only word to describe it) the CM1 series.  After the original CMSF release fiasco, I got fairly jaded on CM2.  If CM2's original release had been CMBN, I probably would have fallen in love with the CM2 engine.  But the angst and wasted time with the 1.0 release and patching of CMSF just put me off to the point that I was a reluctant buyer.  I know that Steve burned a lot of BFC bridges to me and my gaming group in that time period.  I was the only one of 7 players who made the journey beyond CMSF.

Steve was pretty adamant that he intended to burn bridges with the new game engine, so I doubt he'd be disappointed at that news.

I played GJK a PBEM of CMBB for my most recent CM experience. Had a handful of CMX2 games in the last year but I think finished only half of them. The last one was a giant battalion sized attack into fortified positions which I had no patience for and quickly bailed from.

I was inspired to try and do a scenario or two for CMFI after the upgrade and playing some good ASL scenarios face to face - and then found that my Gustav Line expansion no longer worked and I had no desire to try and fix the problem, wading back through product keys and bizarre instructions on what order to upgrade which.

I'm still saddened that Panzer Command never worked out better, either. It could have been a good successor. As it is, the evolution of the CMX2 engine has been steady, but seems like it's taking a long time to get back features that the original had. The thing I miss most was the random map generator - there had been talk a long time ago of creating 'mega tiles' or 'meta tiles' which would be geomorphic in nature and be as close to random map generation as they could manage with the new engine, but it didn't come to pass.

The first game engine was really good at anything up to a battalion, particularly because the info feedback to the player was so good. The new engine seems optimized for the player to handle about a company. Which is a great size, but seems at odds with the marketing around how big the maps can be.

[mirth]

+1 About Panzer Command

[Elvis]

So a hidden update on CMFI and its long awaited module.  Not really good news.  I remember Steve saying Phil's departure would have no impact.  I guess he was mistaken.

http://community.battlefront.com/topic/125277-lend-lease-stuff-coming-soon/?do=findComment&comment=1717050

http://community.battlefront.com/topic/125277-lend-lease-stuff-coming-soon/?do=findComment&comment=1717193

Its too bad they hide all of this news buried in the middle of threads in other forums.  My opinion is that we might not see a game or module release this year.  And Steve's "update" doesn't even mention any new full games.  I am assuming the previously mentioned 5.0 game engine will come with one of the module releases.

edit...I am actually mistaken.  Both Phil and Chris left.  I didn't know about CHris leaving.  He as the one building CMFI content.  That is really too bad.  Chris was making a real effort to reach out in a marketing way to get people engaged in promoting releases.  Is it just Steve and Charles left again?  No wonder it has completely slowed down.

HEY!?!?!? What am I? Chopped liver!?!?!

Kidding.

Aside from Steve, Charles and myself hanging around the office water cooler discussing this week's Game of Thrones (spoiler...the Khessi doesn't get nekid again this week) there are others on the payroll other than us. Most are either not frequent public forum posts or don't mention their official positions for whatever reason. But it is definitely more than the 3 of us.