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Digital Gaming => Computer Gaming => Topic started by: Jarhead0331 on January 17, 2019, 07:10:52 PM

Title: Radio Commander...
Post by: Jarhead0331 on January 17, 2019, 07:10:52 PM
Could be good...could be a disaster. Definitely an intriguing concept.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/871530/Radio_Commander/ (https://store.steampowered.com/app/871530/Radio_Commander/)

Quote
In Radio Commander you are playing as an American military commander serving in US Army during the Vietnam War. You will be carrying heavy burden as your mission is to coordinate military operations taking place between 1965 and 1967. But this is not just another RTS, in which you are an invisible being hovering over the battlefield. In Radio Commander situation reports are given to you in form of dramatic radio statements sent by troops fighting on the ground. And your only accessory is a strategic map, on which you can place tags and notes. Will you be smart, fast and cold-blooded enough to carry the responsibility and save your men?

UNIQUE VIEW ON REALISM
Radio Commander offers an unique experience very different from classic real time strategy games. It's a bold try to redefine the genre, as player will be involved in decision making process much more realistic than those pictured by casual RTS. Ask for situation reports. Listen what your men have to tell you. Send evac choppers and nape drops. Defeat the invisible enemy.

DIVE INTO THE STORY
Experience the story of soldiers and their commander, trapped in the middle of bloody, chaotic, morally ambiguous Vietnam conflict. Dive into a scenario that doesn't avoid the difficult issues of civilians trapped in the theater of action, shady CIA operations, and cynical political pressures. Discover those uneasy situations, presented in such cult classics as Platoon, Full Metal Jacket or Apocalypse Now, which were happening on a daily basis for those serving in Vietnam. See for yourself how hard it is to make the right choices in the middle of a fire exchange with Vietcong.

DECIDE WHO LIVES AND DIES
Decide the fate of your soldiers. The choices you face will have a direct impact on the course of the game. They will also define views of your hero. Or maybe those are your views? Playing Radio Commander you must be prepared to answer tough questions about the righteousness of your actions, price of a human life, and the toxic power of propaganda and stereotypes.

USE YOUR IMAGINATION
Radio Commander is not another empty action game. You will play as the commander operating from his tent, using only a radio and a map. You will be staring at the map for hours, listening carefully to the reports. Your decisions will affect life of many people. Just like in real life, there are no fancy graphics and animations to help you imagine what's happening on battlefield. Only you, your map, and skills. You have to listen and be smart. Thanks to this, level of immersion is much greater than in normal real time strategy games.

CHOOSE BETWEEN VARIOUS MEANS
You will take under your command not only units of infantry, air cavalry or field artillery, but also powerful units of air support. It's in your will to order the jungle-burning nape drops, or devastating bombings. Are you ready to bring the rain of fire and burn the enemy positions to the ground? Are you sure that your soldiers are far enough and won't take damages? And does the ends always justify the means?

EXPERIENCE DEEP IN-GAME SYSTEMS
Beneath the narrative layer, hidden from your eyes, a deep and complex simulation is taking place. In Radio Commander every unit is described by unique set of statistics. You will have to worry about your platoons morale, supplies, and even stamina. All those factors will be important during your soldiers' confrontations with enemy, unfriendly terrain and extreme Vietnamese climate. What will you do, when your choppers report, that they are out of fuel and forced to land in the middle of the jungle? Will you send the rescue mission risking the life of even more soldiers?

BOND WITH YOUR BROTHERS IN ARMS
Troops under your command are not just pawns on the map. They are complicated, multi-layered human beings, with their own voices, problems, strengths and weaknesses. Mutual trust is essential. They depend on your judgment and cool decisions, while you are hoping they're giving their best. Discover hundreds of original dialogues and scenarios. Play the same mission another time making different decisions and listening to different replies.

HOURS OF GAME EXPERIENCE
Radio Commander includes:
- 10 campaign missions (every mission is possible to complete in several different ways),
- 10 animated briefings,
- 15 units types, including: infantry, evac choppers, gunships, field artillery, aerial reconnaissance, armored personnel carriers M113, and napalm-carrying F4 Phantom jets (every unit is described by a unique set of statistics and communicates with commander using a different voice),
- full voice over,
- over 200 dialogue blocks, used to construct radio messages,
- over 600 story dialogues between units and the commander.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/871530/ss_72f96bb1c2b06844b92185a68c4a5c33f7499098.1920x1080.jpg?t=1547329468)

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/871530/ss_c19f9aab61b74ff9917585c24e47bf7644ce0e10.1920x1080.jpg?t=1547329468)

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/871530/ss_e4762c300456034bfe7dbf4412cb5a8e08106325.1920x1080.jpg?t=1547329468)

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/871530/ss_6772b8f5f86b0e462e276aa27eb36afcdd962fbc.1920x1080.jpg?t=1547329468)

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/871530/ss_f7714ff5d35dd1f14773f9a7550a8982fac062f5.1920x1080.jpg?t=1547329468)


Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: Toonces on January 17, 2019, 08:03:53 PM
That sounds like a neat idea.  I had an idea to do something similar with the player taking the role of a carrier fleet commander in WW2.  Think boardgame Carrier, but where the player is forced to listen to radio reports, make his annotations on the map, and maneuver forces, launch airstrikes, manage CAP, etc., all from radio reports from his assets.

I'm curious to see how this game handles this.  I agree, there is a lot of potential for a great game, or huge failure.
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: besilarius on January 17, 2019, 08:47:12 PM
The first, and maybe most important rule, is never say 'REPEAT" on a radio circuit.
You would ask Say Again.
Repeat is a Gunfire command, meaning the last call (One gun, three rounds - Fire for Effect) for fire is to be repeated.
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: JasonPratt on January 17, 2019, 09:05:46 PM
I think another thread mentioned this a week or two ago. I was impressed, then, too! -- but when I went to check on progress, I realized I somehow hadn't wishlisted it!

Thanks again to Jarhead, then.  :bd:

I could see this game system being expanded rather nicely.  :smitten:
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: jomni on January 17, 2019, 11:49:00 PM
I once toyed with a similar idea set during the Sengoku Jidai era. You sit in you command tent, hold a war council to set general strategy. Then receive / relay messages through a messenger during battle.
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: Huw the Poo on January 18, 2019, 01:45:04 AM
The very old 16-bit strategy game Waterloo (https://www.mobygames.com/game/waterloo) did something similar too.  Your orders were not carried out immediately; they had to be carried by messengers who had a physical presence on the battlefield and could be shot enroute.
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: FlickJax on January 18, 2019, 04:20:46 AM
Quote from: Huw the Poo on January 18, 2019, 01:45:04 AM
The very old 16-bit strategy game Waterloo (https://www.mobygames.com/game/waterloo) did something similar too.  Your orders were not carried out immediately; they had to be carried by messengers who had a physical presence on the battlefield and could be shot enroute.

Yeah had this, didnt give it a lot of time though :(
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: Destraex on January 18, 2019, 04:33:49 AM
Quote from: besilarius on January 17, 2019, 08:47:12 PM
The first, and maybe most important rule, is never say 'REPEAT" on a radio circuit.
You would ask Say Again.
Repeat is a Gunfire command, meaning the last call (One gun, three rounds - Fire for Effect) for fire is to be repeated.

Correct. Does the game use incorrect RATEL?
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: jomni on January 18, 2019, 04:46:39 AM
Hope this game is more than just a scripted "choose your own adventure"
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: Hofstadter on January 18, 2019, 05:55:31 AM
This looks real cool, hopefully it turns out well.
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: jamus34 on January 18, 2019, 06:46:23 AM
I would love to see a game that focus on the higher level theatre management that has an almost RPG feel to it.

In that you are limited to what information you get on your own, you have call it initiative points that will let you listen / see certain intelligence however otherwise you have to trust your staff. And that staff has skill,, bias's and talents that can help or hinder you.

I guess it would be an amalgamation of DC Barbarossa, CK2 and any theatre wargame.
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: MikeGER on January 18, 2019, 08:19:46 AM
Quote from: Huw the Poo on January 18, 2019, 01:45:04 AM
The very old 16-bit strategy game Waterloo (https://www.mobygames.com/game/waterloo) did something similar too.  Your orders were not carried out immediately; they had to be carried by messengers who had a physical presence on the battlefield and could be shot enroute.


i remember that one as well :)
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: bbmike on January 18, 2019, 08:38:15 AM
Aw, man! I read the title of this thread and thought a WKRP simulator was released. I was all ready to step into the shoes of Arthur Carlson!  ^-^
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: Apocalypse 31 on January 18, 2019, 10:20:37 AM
Reminds me of Tom Clancy's Endwar. RTS that used voice commands to move units
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: DennisS on January 18, 2019, 06:40:38 PM
Quote from: Apocalypse 31 on January 18, 2019, 10:20:37 AM
Reminds me of Tom Clancy's Endwar. RTS that used voice commands to move units

I played Endwar. Fiddly as all hell, but when it worked, it was VERY cool.
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: MengJiao on January 20, 2019, 09:24:03 AM
Quote from: jamus34 on January 18, 2019, 06:46:23 AM
I would love to see a game that focus on the higher level theatre management that has an almost RPG feel to it.

In that you are limited to what information you get on your own, you have call it initiative points that will let you listen / see certain intelligence however otherwise you have to trust your staff. And that staff has skill,, bias's and talents that can help or hinder you.

I guess it would be an amalgamation of DC Barbarossa, CK2 and any theatre wargame.

  Yes!  I hope things move in this direction.  The ultimate for this sort of simulation might be simulating von Moltke (the Younger) as he tries to control what would be known as the Battle of the Marne...but you have to run things just as he did and have some of the same "personal" problems (Like the Emperor won't let you give a retreat order...oops....sound familiar?...or von Kluck won't obey orders...the Saxons Kowtow to the nearest Prussian ), and so you write your wife, get radio intercepts of what the army commanders are transmitting to each other.  Finally, things get tough and you send out Colonel Heinke in a car (note that this sort of assumes cars have a lot of advantages over radios for transmitting orders) TWICE.  And the French go swarming across the remains of the Schlieeffen Plan.  And you probably lose the battle and get kicked out of your job.
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: Lowenstaat on January 20, 2019, 08:25:59 PM
Same publisher as 911 Operator, but different developer. Maybe the limiting factor of radio communications will create some interesting choices during gameplay as the commander "on the horn." The product description explains the developer is delivering 9 campaigns with the game. A game like this would also benefit from a random mission / campaign generator and a solid editor.
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: dinsdale on January 21, 2019, 01:12:57 AM
Quote from: MengJiao on January 20, 2019, 09:24:03 AM
  Yes!  I hope things move in this direction.  The ultimate for this sort of simulation might be simulating von Moltke (the Younger) as he tries to control what would be known as the Battle of the Marne...but you have to run things just as he did and have some of the same "personal" problems (Like the Emperor won't let you give a retreat order...oops....sound familiar?...or von Kluck won't obey orders...the Saxons Kowtow to the nearest Prussian ), and so you write your wife, get radio intercepts of what the army commanders are transmitting to each other.  Finally, things get tough and you send out Colonel Heinke in a car (note that this sort of assumes cars have a lot of advantages over radios for transmitting orders) TWICE.  And the French go swarming across the remains of the Schlieeffen Plan.  And you probably lose the battle and get kicked out of your job.

I wonder how repetitive and tedious it might become though. I like command friction and limiting what the player can accomplish each turn, board games have been going this way for years with chit pulls or orders delays. Frank Hunter introduced fog of war for friendlies in his Napoleonic games, it made for a really interesting mechanic.

While I think the radio idea could be really interesting, it's not that different from a hex board with fog of war which just abstracts away you having to listen and then make markings on a map.

BTW, if you want to experience Moltke's problems, try this https://www.gmtgames.com/p-415-1914-offensive-outrance.aspx  it handles most of the items you mention in a more abstract way, but ensures you can't optimize your force or avoid the historic mistakes.


Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: MengJiao on January 21, 2019, 09:46:18 AM
Quote from: dinsdale on January 21, 2019, 01:12:57 AM
Quote from: MengJiao on January 20, 2019, 09:24:03 AM
  Yes!  I hope things move in this direction.  The ultimate for this sort of simulation might be simulating von Moltke (the Younger) as he tries to control what would be known as the Battle of the Marne...but you have to run things just as he did and have some of the same "personal" problems (Like the Emperor won't let you give a retreat order...oops....sound familiar?...or von Kluck won't obey orders...the Saxons Kowtow to the nearest Prussian ), and so you write your wife, get radio intercepts of what the army commanders are transmitting to each other.  Finally, things get tough and you send out Colonel Heinke in a car (note that this sort of assumes cars have a lot of advantages over radios for transmitting orders) TWICE.  And the French go swarming across the remains of the Schlieeffen Plan.  And you probably lose the battle and get kicked out of your job.

I wonder how repetitive and tedious it might become though. I like command friction and limiting what the player can accomplish each turn, board games have been going this way for years with chit pulls or orders delays. Frank Hunter introduced fog of war for friendlies in his Napoleonic games, it made for a really interesting mechanic.

While I think the radio idea could be really interesting, it's not that different from a hex board with fog of war which just abstracts away you having to listen and then make markings on a map.

BTW, if you want to experience Moltke's problems, try this https://www.gmtgames.com/p-415-1914-offensive-outrance.aspx  it handles most of the items you mention in a more abstract way, but ensures you can't optimize your force or avoid the historic mistakes.

The boardgame looks intriguing, but I was thinking of a more solitaire RPG approach as the ultimate realization of the potential for focusing on command problems.  Such an approach might be more interesting at a lower command level such as a Russian army in 1942 (say 60,000 poorly trained men, some artillery, uncertain supply, terrible communications, incompetent officers at all levels, lots of vodka, few recon assets etc.etc. and sooner or later Stavka calls you and wants to know what's going on:  Why aren't you at HQ all the time?  Why are you at an advanced post trying to find if a formation is where it says it is and is seeing what it says it is seeing?  What happened to all that fuel they sent you? etc. etc.)
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: stolypin on January 22, 2019, 10:02:44 AM
Quote from: MengJiao on January 20, 2019, 09:24:03 AM
Quote from: jamus34 on January 18, 2019, 06:46:23 AM
I would love to see a game that focus on the higher level theatre management that has an almost RPG feel to it.

In that you are limited to what information you get on your own, you have call it initiative points that will let you listen / see certain intelligence however otherwise you have to trust your staff. And that staff has skill,, bias's and talents that can help or hinder you.

I guess it would be an amalgamation of DC Barbarossa, CK2 and any theatre wargame.

  Yes!  I hope things move in this direction.  The ultimate for this sort of simulation might be simulating von Moltke (the Younger) as he tries to control what would be known as the Battle of the Marne...but you have to run things just as he did and have some of the same "personal" problems (Like the Emperor won't let you give a retreat order...oops....sound familiar?...or von Kluck won't obey orders...the Saxons Kowtow to the nearest Prussian ), and so you write your wife, get radio intercepts of what the army commanders are transmitting to each other.  Finally, things get tough and you send out Colonel Heinke in a car (note that this sort of assumes cars have a lot of advantages over radios for transmitting orders) TWICE.  And the French go swarming across the remains of the Schlieeffen Plan.  And you probably lose the battle and get kicked out of your job.

Yes!  Or how about Paulus sitting in his commander bunker at Gumrak in Fall 1942?
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: MengJiao on January 22, 2019, 01:00:18 PM
Quote from: stolypin on January 22, 2019, 10:02:44 AM
Quote from: MengJiao on January 20, 2019, 09:24:03 AM
Quote from: jamus34 on January 18, 2019, 06:46:23 AM
I would love to see a game that focus on the higher level theatre management that has an almost RPG feel to it.

In that you are limited to what information you get on your own, you have call it initiative points that will let you listen / see certain intelligence however otherwise you have to trust your staff. And that staff has skill,, bias's and talents that can help or hinder you.

I guess it would be an amalgamation of DC Barbarossa, CK2 and any theatre wargame.

  Yes!  I hope things move in this direction.  The ultimate for this sort of simulation might be simulating von Moltke (the Younger) as he tries to control what would be known as the Battle of the Marne...but you have to run things just as he did and have some of the same "personal" problems (Like the Emperor won't let you give a retreat order...oops....sound familiar?...or von Kluck won't obey orders...the Saxons Kowtow to the nearest Prussian ), and so you write your wife, get radio intercepts of what the army commanders are transmitting to each other.  Finally, things get tough and you send out Colonel Heinke in a car (note that this sort of assumes cars have a lot of advantages over radios for transmitting orders) TWICE.  And the French go swarming across the remains of the Schlieeffen Plan.  And you probably lose the battle and get kicked out of your job.

Yes!  Or how about Paulus sitting in his commander bunker at Gumrak in Fall 1942?

  That would be more complex (after all Paulus did have a lot of options and a lot of time to do some teletyping or visiting the fronts or flying back into the pocket after a conference or something)...I would think starting with something a lot simpler -- maybe Hobbs trying to manage the 30th Division in its first battle(a river-crossing in Normandy).  Messy, but without a whole cubic range of options and with reasonable assets in terms of staff and regimental officers and recon and so on.
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: Apocalypse 31 on January 26, 2019, 01:54:03 AM
I play this game for real at work...except I'm usually sitting in my Stryker, freezing my ass off and staring at my digital map, chat screens, and commanders interface screen, while monitoring multiple radio nets.

My current record is 5 radio nets simultaneously.
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: besilarius on January 26, 2019, 12:17:42 PM
As thought,  Operation Crusader might be a situation that would lend itself to this command approach.
You would have Rommel, out of area, expecting no british attack and then dashing off with two Panzer divisions, and running low on fuel, versus Cunningham, trying to understand the battle from the rear area.
this also illustrates the problems of working in the dark.  Cunningham's original plan was to meet the two german panzer divisions with 7th Armoured Division concentrated.  When this didn't happen, he listened to the appeals of XIII Corps and detached a third of the Division to cover that corp's flank.
Then the Italian Ariete division was pinpointed, and he sent a brigade to beat them up.
Then a radio intercept showed the two german panzers were uniting to make an attack on 7th's one remaining brigade.
In no time, he lost control of the situation.
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: JasonPratt on January 26, 2019, 12:49:06 PM
Quote from: Apocalypse 31 on January 26, 2019, 01:54:03 AM
I play this game for real at work...except I'm usually sitting in my Stryker, freezing my ass off and staring at my digital map, chat screens, and commanders interface screen, while monitoring multiple radio nets.

My current record is 5 radio nets simultaneously.

Whenever you get to 'that' scene in Aliens, you must laugh and laugh and laugh...  ;D
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: Apocalypse 31 on January 26, 2019, 01:45:39 PM
Quote from: JasonPratt on January 26, 2019, 12:49:06 PM
Quote from: Apocalypse 31 on January 26, 2019, 01:54:03 AM
I play this game for real at work...except I'm usually sitting in my Stryker, freezing my ass off and staring at my digital map, chat screens, and commanders interface screen, while monitoring multiple radio nets.

My current record is 5 radio nets simultaneously.

Whenever you get to 'that' scene in Aliens, you must laugh and laugh and laugh...  ;D

I sometimes wonder how well someone like Napoleon or Lee would do on the modern, digitally-saturated battlefield. Then again, it can all be delegated - My commander usually sits in the back of my command vehicle and asks me for updates every few minutes.

There's something to be said about the ability to monitor multiple radio nets, digital chat systems while monitoring digital and analogue maps then filtering all of THAT information to provide my commander with a one or two sentence update.
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: JasonPratt on January 26, 2019, 03:30:09 PM
That is legitimately how military force is most efficiently concentrated on the enemy -- so there's a lot to be said for it!  O0 :notworthy:
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: The_Admiral on March 23, 2019, 10:39:06 AM
BTW if some people are still interested in this project, they did put a kickstarter campaign up for grabs

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/playway/radio-commander-use-radio-commands-to-lead-your-tr

To be fair their objective was fairly small, but it got funded real quick. They're on the right path for putting some novelty in the genre me thinks. Crossing fingers!
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: Grim.Reaper on March 24, 2019, 07:40:24 AM
I decided to back it..only $15 and received demo version.  Worth the risk for something hopefully unique.
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: FarAway Sooner on March 24, 2019, 01:28:37 PM
I love these games that try to simulate a unit's "relationship" with HQ.  The only challenge is finding the sweet spot between transparency and immersion.

If you go too transparent, it just becomes another game of spreadsheet management and spoils the immersion factor entirely.  But if you go entirely opaque, and don't provide at least intermittent feedback on the various factors "under the hood" that your command decisions are toggling, it becomes a maddening black box simulation.

There's great opportunity for good game design in the middle here.  I suspect that war itself is sufficiently random and senseless that you'd need to give players a little more control than an actual commander might have in a wartime situation. 

But it still represents a pioneering field for a genre that has seen only very limited innovation since Avalon Hill first released titles like Tactics almost a half-century ago.
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: The_Admiral on March 24, 2019, 08:54:58 PM
I can only concur with this statement.

Actually I am dealing with this thin line myself everyday. I am currently involved in my own wargame/command simulation project, and it is true that it is a narrow path to walk, where any wrong turn might prove harmful in terms of gameplay experience - to the point that the game might not be enjoyable anymore at all.

Still, I am also convince that improved immersion actually provides its own new options for realism and the understanding of complex mechanics. Once one is able to simulate a larger panel of factors in an immersive environment, things that used to be mechanics become obvious intuitive processes in the eyes of the commoner. But it requires an amount of immersion the abstract nature of classic, rulebook-based tabletop wargames wouldn't be able to provide - which is ok, as long as we acknowledge these limitations, love classic wargames for what they are, and start innovating towards new practices which would use our current computer power to its full extent.

For certain the balance is hard to find and always hangs by a thread - previous attempts have somewhat always come short of finding the immersion factor that would counterbalance the transparency, or excess thereof. I sort of fault (if I may use that word this way, although I mean no offense, being a grognard wannabe myself) our attachment to old wargame mechanics mainly for this, and our inability to project ourselves beyond our tabletop habits. For a few decades now, computer wargaming has tried to emulate - or even mimic - tabletop wargaming, first as an obvious way of dealing with a complicated setting by picking proven mechanisms compatible with the limited processing resources at hand; then as some sort of established habit, which is ok in itself (it's a genre) but is awkwardly not making full use of the potential of computers in the 21st century.

I am convinced that the ultimate point of a computer wargame experience shouldn't always be a tabletop simulator instead of an actual command simulator. We reached a point where technology allows for innovative outlooks such as Ultimate General, General Staff, Rule the Waves or Radio Commander (to name a few) to actually reach a point of maturity where immersion, gameplay, commendable historicity and reasonable realism all factor together in order to contribute to a new genre. A new genre that I can't wait to tackle further and hopefully contribute successfully to.
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: Apocalypse 31 on March 25, 2019, 07:16:31 AM
I'm bothered that he's not holding the transmit button on the hand mic.
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: JasonPratt on March 25, 2019, 07:39:53 AM
^^ Clearly a Steam Workshop mod on the way there... ;)
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: ArizonaTank on March 25, 2019, 09:28:12 AM
Back in the day, when I played wargames at the behest of the US Army, I played a very neat CPX (command post exercise) that this reminds me of. It was mostly radio / map driven. However, you did have the option to "hop in a pretend jeep" and drive out to "visit" subordinate units. Or, you could also order your subordinate commanders to come in for a conference. The exercise would put the commanders or you out of communication while on the move.

While I like the idea of realism...as a wargamer...I may not like it. As a gamer I am a control freak when it comes to giving orders.

I have tinkered around with the idea of a command simulation set during the Meuse Argonne offensive. This was the era of runners, carrier pigeons, and land-lines. It was not uncommon for units and headquarters to get literally lost in the fog. I haven't moved forward with it because I don't think I can make it a "fun" game.
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: ArizonaTank on March 25, 2019, 09:55:27 AM
Quote from: Apocalypse 31 on January 26, 2019, 01:45:39 PM
Quote from: JasonPratt on January 26, 2019, 12:49:06 PM
Quote from: Apocalypse 31 on January 26, 2019, 01:54:03 AM
I play this game for real at work...except I'm usually sitting in my Stryker, freezing my ass off and staring at my digital map, chat screens, and commanders interface screen, while monitoring multiple radio nets.

My current record is 5 radio nets simultaneously.

Whenever you get to 'that' scene in Aliens, you must laugh and laugh and laugh...  ;D

I sometimes wonder how well someone like Napoleon or Lee would do on the modern, digitally-saturated battlefield. Then again, it can all be delegated - My commander usually sits in the back of my command vehicle and asks me for updates every few minutes.

There's something to be said about the ability to monitor multiple radio nets, digital chat systems while monitoring digital and analogue maps then filtering all of THAT information to provide my commander with a one or two sentence update.

I think Napoleon would have been a micro-manager...he basically had his chief of staff act as the "digital interface" to his commanders... If you ever see Berthier's instructions down from Napoleon, you will see it.  Lee probably more of a delegator.

But Napoleon knew his limitations, and he fully embraced and vastly improved the "corps" system. This would be where his army was split into independent, fully capable corps. Each corps could and often did start entire new battle fronts without waiting for orders. The other corps were then ordered to "march to the sound of the guns". Think Jena-Auerstedt.

Lee had studied Napoleon very well, and the Civil War general benefited from the corps system in his handling of the army (actually both Union and CSA armies were often modeled on the corps system). After all things had not changed so much in the 45 years since Waterloo. This "marching to the sound of guns" is how Gettysburg developed.
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: MOS:96B2P on March 25, 2019, 10:00:51 AM
This is an interesting concept. I like the general idea but IMO the radio procedures need a lot of work. Especially since the radio is a very big part of this game. I served during the 1980s in the 82nd Airborne. We did not transmit on the radios the way they are in this game. It seems very unrealistic that they are having "conversations" over the radio. Holding the key and talking way to long with no "breaks" in the transmission. Also saying unprofessional, dumb, cheesy stuff. There is one u-tube video about this game where the CO tells his subordinate they should let the blacks do the fighting (or something like that). WHAT? If something like that had gone out on the radio net the reaction of our NCOs would have been swift & ugly at the least. In one video the Lt. tells the CO about some private's opinion of some unimportant topic over the radio during a combat patrol.  The game designers seem to be using the radio traffic to express their opinion of what US soldiers and politics were like during Vietnam. This definitely comes across in the introduction video also. Almost in a mocking way I thought. Maybe trying to be funny? Not sure.

So the basic concept is good. They need to get some military types in there to help them. Let the radio sound and be used like a US Army military radio. Then this could be really cool. Also some background sounds when units in the field are transmitting: gunfire, helicopters, wounded etc. Maybe when a unit gets overrun a VC picks up the radio and says something.  As it is it makes me cringe to listen to u-tube videos of the radio traffic. But the concept has potential.
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: JasonPratt on March 25, 2019, 11:58:06 AM
Hm. Hearing that the devs are using the radio net for 'plot' color, suddenly reduces my interest to nearly zero.  #:-) Completely aside from their political takes and actual plot structure. That isn't how radios were/are used.
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: al_infierno on March 25, 2019, 02:35:13 PM
Quote from: MOS:96B2P on March 25, 2019, 10:00:51 AM
the CO tells his subordinate they should let the blacks do the fighting (or something like that).

Sheeeesh, seriously?   ::)

Yeah, my interest in this game has been rapidly dropping with every update...

Note to devs:  You are game developers, not political comedians....
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: SirAndrewD on March 25, 2019, 02:48:10 PM
Yeah, I watched a Lets Play and endured endless minutes of the radio making incest jokes about Mississippi, "friendly" racist banter, stabs about sexual orientation ect. 

I guess they're going with the whole "Vietnam movie" feel over realism. 

There's a ton of real era radio chatter that is available for the devs to listen to.  The choice is a conscious one. 
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: CJReich46 on March 25, 2019, 09:54:54 PM
Quote from: Huw the Poo on January 18, 2019, 01:45:04 AM
The very old 16-bit strategy game Waterloo (https://www.mobygames.com/game/waterloo) did something similar too.  Your orders were not carried out immediately; they had to be carried by messengers who had a physical presence on the battlefield and could be shot enroute.

If I remember correctly there was something like this that the developer did during the late 90s called Battalia and it was similar to that as well.
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: Apocalypse 31 on March 26, 2019, 08:35:20 AM
Watched gameplay video.

Game is off my list until they remove the uneccesary political dialogue. The way the dialogue is delivered makes it seem like an attempt from a non-english speaking person.

Not funny or realistic. Totally unnecessary.
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: The_Admiral on March 26, 2019, 09:20:17 AM
Well, although I agree that the writing can be uneven, the small team seems 100% dedicated to its project, enthusiastic and much involved with its nascent community. The team leader reads the Steam forums and answers his mails swiftly. If anybody has a sound remark - regarding the cosmetics, the story or any other aspect - my feeling is that he'll be willing very much to listen.

Give them people a chance - after all, they are Polish (and as such not in indigenous to the language nor the topic), it's no small miracle already that someone would have this creativity and dedicate it to this topic. :notworthy:
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: al_infierno on March 26, 2019, 12:08:42 PM
Quote from: The_Admiral on March 26, 2019, 09:20:17 AM
Well, although I agree that the writing can be uneven, the small team seems 100% dedicated to its project, enthusiastic and much involved with its nascent community. The team leader reads the Steam forums and answers his mails swiftly. If anybody has a sound remark - regarding the cosmetics, the story or any other aspect - my feeling is that he'll be willing very much to listen.

Give them people a chance - after all, they are Polish (and as such not in indigenous to the language nor the topic), it's no small miracle already that someone would have this creativity and dedicate it to this topic. :notworthy:

For sure.  If they do listen and remove the political commentary I'll be much more inclined to pick up the game, although the recent gameplay videos were honestly killing my interest anyways.  I just hope it turns out to be an interesting game.
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: SirAndrewD on March 26, 2019, 02:13:42 PM
This game needs Red Leader....

(https://i.imgur.com/eMHEqkH.jpg)
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: braaaur on March 26, 2019, 03:41:33 PM
Hi guys!

My name is Jacob and I'm a team leader, lead designer and programmer behind the Radio Commander.

First of all, thank you for all the opinions and feedback here.

The truth is that Radio Commander is not a wargame. It is a strategy game, for sure, but it is not something that true grogheads would go for with eyes closed. We've never tried to make a wargame that's going to be 100% realistic, 150% complex and 200% focused on mechanics. That was never a plan for RC.

We decided that we want to tell a story in RC. This story involves politics, racism and uses very uncommon way to be told. We believe that every war is political. So basically, Radio Commander tries to tell that war is not about units, statistics, orders etc. but about people trapped there.

It is Ok that some of you didn't liked Radio Commander. There's no game that is suitable for everyone. If you find our writing poor or unnecessary, that is also Ok. It is our first game and we are trying our best, but sometimes it is just not enough to satisfy everybody.

Of course, we have plenty strategy and simulation in all of this, so it is not a visual novel or anything like that. Actually, in Veteran mode Radio Commander can be pretty challenging and deep if the player has to struggle with many factors like terrain, morale, stamina, flanking, height etc. And if you don't like the story, but you like the mechanics, we probably add the option to auto-skip all the narrative dialogs. It will be the player choice.

When it comes to realism, we decided that accessibility is more important than 100% realism. Therefore, our radio tag and radio procedures are not identical to these used in army. We also manipulated with scale and naming conventions (our platoons have less than 20 men and are called Alpha, Bravo, not 1st, 2nd etc.).

To sum up... I would rather see Radio Commander as a pretty accessible strategy game that could be a gateway game to more complex strategy or wargames, which could be still interesting and exciting to play by grogheads as something untypical.

What do you think about that idea?

Best regards
Jacob

PS. If you are looking for a game very similar to Radio Commander (the idea) but without narration, you may want to check Radio General by Foolish Mortals.
http://www.foolish-mortals.net/radiogeneral
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: Jarhead0331 on March 26, 2019, 04:14:57 PM
Glad to see braaaur here giving the perspective of the development team.

Admittedly, I am also disappointed that the game has taken this direction. I think foregoing some of the realism for the sake of accessibility is a reasonable approach to take, but if the narrative is as bad as some are saying, this is definitely going to hurt the success of the game, particularly considering the target audience has an especially short threshold for bull$hit.

Not prepared to write it off entirely, but definitely weary now. 
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: planetbrain on March 26, 2019, 04:19:46 PM
Quote from: braaaur on March 26, 2019, 03:41:33 PM


PS. If you are looking for a game very similar to Radio Commander (the idea) but without narration, you may want to check Radio General by Foolish Mortals.
http://www.foolish-mortals.net/radiogeneral
Radio General might be the go then.
It will be from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and I just love saying "Saskatoon, Saskatchewan"
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: FarAway Sooner on March 26, 2019, 05:19:45 PM
braaaur, welcome to the board and thanks for coming here!

My own sense is that effective story-telling in games is a sorely neglected craft, but trying to work political commentary into a historical game's story line only works if you bring ENORMOUS credibility to the table.  If you address something like that, you need great understanding of the nuances, and very authentic handling of the topic (e.g., lots of talking to people from many different perspectives who were part of whatever you're commenting on). 

It sounds like you're a European developer team trying to tackle issues about which the American debate rages on hotly.  For the sake of your game design, I'd encourage you to consider removing political strands from what claims to be a historical game.  (A Polish developer creating a game that explores the intricacies of the Nazi Holocaust might be more appropriate for your shop?)

Games like the original Valkyria Chronicles title played adroitly with adult themes, by creating a fictional race that seemed awfully reminiscent of European Jews, but they called them by another name.  The same messages about humanity came across, but without the historical baggage.

I wish you luck in your craft here, but if you play fast and loose with your history based on some imagination of how things happened, I don't think you'll end up reaching the audience you hope to reach.

Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: JasonPratt on March 26, 2019, 05:37:21 PM
I for one am encouraged by Braaaur's post, and particularly the part about making the story broadcasts optional.  O0

Another possibility would be to find some way to make the story dialogue not take place on an open mic channel.
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: JasonPratt on March 26, 2019, 05:48:17 PM
That Radio General concept development looks sharp as hell, too! (Not the same devs, I know, but I appreciate Braaaur pointing us that way.)
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: Gusington on March 26, 2019, 06:02:15 PM
Welcome Braaaur.

And someone get Porkins.
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: Apocalypse 31 on March 26, 2019, 06:07:39 PM
QuoteWe decided that we want to tell a story in RC. This story involves politics, racism and uses very uncommon way to be told. We believe that every war is political. So basically, Radio Commander tries to tell that war is not about units, statistics, orders etc. but about people trapped there
.

You are disrespecting those who have been there and the memory of those lost there by using racist and political narrative in your game.

QuoteIt sounds like you're a European developer team trying to tackle issues about which the American debate rages on hotly.  For the sake of your game design, I'd encourage you to consider removing political strands from what claims to be a historical game. 

Well said! My initial impression is somewhat similar, except I think this is a developer with no regard for the vietnam war, rather someone using an existing game concept and applying it to a Vietnam setting.

I'm guessing Russian developer.
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: JasonPratt on March 27, 2019, 08:17:00 AM
Quote from: Apocalypse 31 on March 26, 2019, 06:07:39 PM
I'm guessing Russian developer.

...um, he's Polish.

Could be a commie sympathizer I suppose, but he could also just like certain popular Vietnam films (perhaps without realizing the politics of the creators behind those films), and wants his game to be like that.

This theory has the advantage of being the explicitly stated intent of the developer, too.  O:-)
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: The_Admiral on March 27, 2019, 10:37:03 AM
@ Apocalypse 31
If you may, I beg to differ strongly with this analysis.

First, a word of context.

I don't post in here much, but I have been reading a lot – and the Groghead community gives me the feeling it is one of these made of reasonable people, who more often than not are willing to answer to cooler heads and arguments over passion, and also every now and then give an underdog his chance. As the single most palpable trend of bigotry present on this forum, wargaming bigotry is quite fine by me.
Besides, regarding Radio Commander, I have no stake in it beyond the few bucks I have pledged for the Kickstarter. My interest in this story lies entirely with the wish not to let an innovative, creative team get bogged down in a controversy when in my humble opinion, there's hardly any probable cause at all. Considering their honest intents, these people deserve none of this shaming, and it kind of pains me to see that sort of dirt thrown at them.

First of all, as pointed out just earlier, had you read anything surrounding the game besides watching videos, then you'd know the team is made of Poles. Which is kinda funny, because by calling them Russians you managed to find the single most offensive way to characterize him, and you're showing the exact kind of bigotry you've been pointing a finger at by jumping to conclusions based on your own misconceptions. That's quite a feat all packed into a single sentence, I kid you not.

Now, about disrespecting the vets... It is all the more remarkable an accusation knowing that some of the most noticeable US-made war dramas of these last 50 years have been pretty much vehicles for social and political commentary as much as actual war movies – not to say even more so. You are publicly vilifying this game and its creators for something MASH, Apocalypse Now, Full Metal Jacket or Generation Kill did way before them, on the sole basis of them not being Americans (or even, to re-use your vocabulary, for being "Russians, I guess") and as such insensitive and non-qualified when it comes to the topic. Hell, even the "Family-friendly" adventure that was Band of Brothers made a point about showing how a ragtag of misfits ended up building a bond, beyond their personal bias and misconceptions, by living and fighting together for a greater goal, in a (glorious) footnote to a struggle that was way bigger than their own inner demons.

It is true that Vietnam is the first conflict in which fresh, non-segregated, draft-era US Forces found themselves thrown in, at a times when Civil Rights, Anti-War protestations & the struggle against Communism were blanketing the headlines at home. If there's a modern "social war" out there that has shaped the mental and political landscape for decades thereafter, and still haunts consciences, it's this one.  I for one would believe that any product that doesn't take the opportunity to revisit the political and social mood of the times would be failing at its goal more than anything.

As a final remark, on the contrary, I do not believe that being a non-US production deprives the team's work of its legitimacy at all. I mean, beyond the sort of freedom of speech they are entitled to, I grew up in a world where I learned not to have any issue with seeing Hollywood and its gaming counterparts' insensible clutches all around my history and heritage. And even though it is often for the worse (Battlefield V comes to mind...), sometimes it genuinely results in interesting experiences. Paths of Glory was made about a topic the French were not ready to talk about. Lost command was made about a war the French are still not ready to talk about. The Beast (of War), although a completely a Western fantasy, remains after all these years one of the best movies about the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, featuring characters who have for sole common point their complete imperfection and their respective bigotries. No later than this week, I said in another topic that I enjoyed in the idea of trying out We. The Revolution as the single best gaming experience offered about the era, even though it was made by them Poles, yet again.

These are all, in their own way, great movies and games. Beyond – or including its social commentary –  if the writing manages to stay up to the standards set by its production values, I fully expect Radio Commander to mature into a great game too.

And as an endnote: one might disagree with their choice of putting in some drama in there. But then just don't forget about what is running under the hood too. The engine is highly adaptable and resilient from what I can see, and it just might be the beginning of many things to come, including some certainly closer to your hearts. Let it die because you're offended or just sad about the path they chose, and it will be the beginning of nothing. I don't care much about the Nam, in all honestly, but I'd like to see that engine play new melodies sooner than later. Wouldn't you?

My two cents, over & out!
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: Jarhead0331 on March 27, 2019, 12:57:42 PM
Quote from: The_Admiral on March 27, 2019, 10:37:03 AM

My two cents, over & out!

Since we're talking about authenticity and radio comms...you would just say, "out". Never "over & out". That just confuses the hell out of people and pisses them off.  :crazy2:
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: Gusington on March 27, 2019, 01:04:44 PM
And never say 'repeat.' I'll just leave that one there.
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: SirAndrewD on March 27, 2019, 02:41:35 PM
Quote from: Gusington on March 27, 2019, 01:04:44 PM
And never say 'repeat.' I'll just leave that one there.

Say again?
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: FarAway Sooner on March 27, 2019, 02:45:44 PM
So, what I hear you guys saying is that it's okay to end your transmission with the phrase "Over and out, I repeat, over and out!"?
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: Apocalypse 31 on March 27, 2019, 02:47:06 PM
Quote from: Gusington on March 27, 2019, 01:04:44 PM
And never say 'repeat.' I'll just leave that one there.

Repeat is totally acceptable for radio comms when you need your Gun Bunnies to sling a few more rounds. Also, artillery and mortar rounds don't just fire off themselves when someone says REPEAT into a hand mic. There's an entire string of phrases and functions that need to established before repeating a fire mission.


QuoteFirst of all, as pointed out just earlier, had you read anything surrounding the game besides watching videos, then you'd know the team is made of Poles. Which is kinda funny, because by calling them Russians you managed to find the single most offensive way to characterize him, and you're showing the exact kind of bigotry you've been pointing a finger at by jumping to conclusions based on your own misconceptions. That's quite a feat all packed into a single sentence, I kid you not

I saw the Polish comment after I posted, but honestly,
I don't care if the entire team is made up of Nobel Prize winners. The image that they are portraying about a war they blatantly know nothing about is ridiculous and seems like Russian themes and messaging about US conflicts. Good job developers, I just classified you as your enemy by accident...that's how far off you are.
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: SirAndrewD on March 27, 2019, 02:47:46 PM
Quote from: FarAway Sooner on March 27, 2019, 02:45:44 PM
So, what I hear you guys saying is that it's okay to end your transmission with the phrase "Over and out, I repeat, over and out!"?

Roger Wilco.
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: Apocalypse 31 on March 27, 2019, 02:49:28 PM
Quote from: FarAway Sooner on March 27, 2019, 02:45:44 PM
So, what I hear you guys saying is that it's okay to end your transmission with the phrase "Over and out, I repeat, over and out!"?

Over = my transmission is complete but I am still monitoring
Out = my transmission is complete and I am off the net

You never OUT your commander, as it is like hanging up the phone on him.

When handling radio comms, I prefer "nothing further, out". This let's the reviever clearly know that I am ending the transmission and off the net.
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: SirAndrewD on March 27, 2019, 03:02:00 PM
In all seriousness though...

I'm keeping an open mind.

I wasn't in the military and clearly never in Vietnam.  However, I do have degrees in history, and taught the subject extensively.  More importantly, I had the real pleasure to directly study the subject under my mentor and friend Dr. Qiang Zhai, who is absolutely an expert, widely acknowledged as such, and the author of two major works on the subject.  I had a few minor academic publication on the subject (more oriented on its impact in the greater Cold War)  in my post-grad years.

I've known personally and interviewed dozens of Vietnam vets.  In my hobby circles I have a lot of friends who were in Vietnam.  My own step-father-in-law was a medic in the war.  So I feel I've got a good basic background.

That said, I do acknowledge that the war was complex, as was America at the time.  I absolutely don't discount that America and many of the men that fought in the war were in the middle of an era of tremendous social pressures including Civil Rights, the rise of Socialism/Communism, the birth of the modern Right and Left movements ect. 

What I do hope is represented is, something I found very often in my studies, is the professionalism of the American soldier in the war.  Hollywood sometimes downplays this in an effort to tell the wider story of the political context of the war.  I can understand their point, it's actually hard to tell a story about Vietnam without its politics.  It was very heavily integrated in every aspect of the wider conflict.

But Hollywood sometimes gravitates more towards Oliver Stone chaos than a lot of what I've seen directly represented in the veterans that I've at least had the pleasure to know.  Those veterans were complex people who by their stories, comported themselves as professionals when in a dangerous combat situation.  They had little choice but to do otherwise, because to do otherwise endangered themselves and others.  This is something that is, at least mildly, underrepresented in the American historical memory of the conflict.

On the scale of John Wayne in the Green Berets, and Oliver Stone in Born on the Fourth of July, the truth as usual lies somewhere in between. 

On a game that focuses mostly on the servicemen doing their job, facing a determined enemy, with their lives and the lives of their fellow soldiers at risk, I just hope the game portrays them as the by and large, brave professionals that the majority of the fighting men were. 
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: JasonPratt on March 27, 2019, 03:49:51 PM
Well said!

Also, mental note to myself, to look up some books by Prof. Zhai.  8)
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: SirAndrewD on March 27, 2019, 04:02:20 PM
Quote from: JasonPratt on March 27, 2019, 03:49:51 PM
Well said!

Also, mental note to myself, to look up some books by Prof. Zhai.  8)

If you want to read the one I was studying under him while writing, check out China and the Vietnam Wars 1950-75 (With a forward by none other than John Lewis Gaddis himself).

He's a super humble guy and was a great friend when I was still in school.  He learned history and English illegally while working at a bicycle factory, where he'd been assigned by the Cultural Revolution. 

Brilliant guy.
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: Gusington on March 27, 2019, 05:41:02 PM
When you 'WANT' artillery to fire off. And yes even though there is a whole rigamarole to go through to get artillery to fire...why risk it?
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: Apocalypse 31 on March 27, 2019, 07:54:51 PM
QuoteOn a game that focuses mostly on the servicemen doing their job, facing a determined enemy, with their lives and the lives of their fellow soldiers at risk, I just hope the game portrays them as the by and large, brave professionals that the majority of the fighting men were
.

The Village by Bing West
Platoon Leader by Jack Macdonough
It Doesn't Take A Hero by Norman Schwarzkopf

Those are my 3 recommended readings for the developers. I've personally read The Village three times.

Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: The_Admiral on March 27, 2019, 08:08:08 PM
QuoteI saw the Polish comment after I posted, but honestly,
I don't care if the entire team is made up of Nobel Prize winners. The image that they are portraying about a war they blatantly know nothing about is ridiculous and seems like Russian themes and messaging about US conflicts. Good job developers, I just classified you as your enemy by accident...that's how far off you are.
I find it remarkable, how you seem to be easily offended (in the name of other people) by the preview of a digital product, and still manage to offend others in return with your own assumptions, throwing names left and right (The Russian = The Enemy ? You are aware you're posting on an international board, right :-" ?). You arguably wouldn't be completely out of place in the tongue-in-the-cheek video intro to their campaign... It seems that political satire is not that far away from reality, even half a century later.

Again, I don't agree with your argument, which seems centered on some obsession with disparaging their work through a supposedly absence of actual knowledge - it just doesn't reflect their work. A mere inspection of the content readily available would be enough to see that there was research involved. Their personal take on the conflict, military ops and the tone they elected to use eventually are the result of a deliberate choice, and the whole thing is a labor of love – and to me they just love the topic differently from the way you do. It's a bit easy to call people ignorant just because they don't share your philosophy about something you hold dearly. Refraining from doing so is called tolerance, a concept that sums up the original reason why your troops, our troops – and Polish troops –  are fighting for out there.

Your reading suggestions are already a much healthier way of interacting with them devs btw... Thanks, I will gladly have a look at this literature too.

From a more technical, gameplay standpoint, from what I have seen and experienced, the first missions are part of a larger story and are here to set the mood. From the looks of it I am pretty sure the scriptwriter doesn't have any sort of hidden SJW agenda or anti-imperialistic hippie crap to sell you, and the player is always given a few choices for the chatter interaction. They sure have their own idea of what the Vietnam generation was or stood for, but we obviously all do, and although their take is certainly not academic, it is no less legitimate than any other cultural representation of the period. In the end, the legacy of the nam now belongs to a broader international audience than a conflict like this would warrant initially - you can't feed people Apocalypse Now, Platoon or Rambo all day, and find it strange afterwards that someone out there, in another country, might become fascinated with this monster of a pop culture topic.

They already said they're not making a wargame and I respect their design choice, which is all the more realistic considering the size of the team. The player is made to move intentionally plain markers around on a map full of hidden dangers. That means the story is there so that your attachment to your men may grow on you eventually, in order to take the place of the bond you would naturally develop when playing God in a classic, all-knowing wargame setting. Beyond the usual boy-on-boy chatter everybody is used to in a locker room (apologies in advance if ladies are reading this), or when one's team or troops need to blow off some steam, I trust that representing the boys as heartless, racist, uncaring monsters won't do the trick and will go against the original goal, so I'd say: let's just wait and see how they make it happen. It's taking place unrealistically on the comms so that you could have some part in it, but in all honesty the content is no different from the usual chatter you'd hear from Brad and Ray in Generation Kill, is it... The quality of the writing is another story entirely, especially on the long-run, but as Sir Andrew said in his knowledgeable and fair assessment, I'd rather wait and see.

It's like anything else, don't judge a book from its cover or a movie from its poster. Sometimes, if not most of the time you're right – but there are still good surprises, every now and then.

Quote from: Jarhead0331 on March 27, 2019, 12:57:42 PM

Since we're talking about authenticity and radio comms...you would just say, "out". Never "over & out". That just confuses the hell out of people and pisses them off.  :crazy2:
Touché :buck2:
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: SirAndrewD on March 27, 2019, 09:06:45 PM
Quote from: Apocalypse 31 on March 27, 2019, 07:54:51 PM

The Village by Bing West
Platoon Leader by Jack Macdonough
It Doesn't Take A Hero by Norman Schwarzkopf

Those are my 3 recommended readings for the developers. I've personally read The Village three times.

I've read The Village.  Yes, it's very good. 

For a very strong overview of the conflict, including political factors, I'd also recommend America's Longest War by Dr. George Herring.  For a while it was considered one of the seminal works on the conflict.
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: SirAndrewD on March 27, 2019, 09:13:52 PM
Quote from: The_Admiral on March 27, 2019, 08:08:08 PM

It's like anything else, don't judge a book from its cover or a movie from its poster. Sometimes, if not most of the time you're right – but there are still good surprises, every now and then.



This is pretty much the angle I'm taking. 

Game design is as much a creative endeavor as it is anything else.  They're making a piece of entertainment.  I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt on it for the most part. 

I tend to get a bit hot headed in my defense of history and desire to see it accurately represented.  But I also respect the amount of work it takes to make a game, for gamers and to tell a story at the same time. 

I hope the developers find a balance.  I'm absolutely willing to give it a chance.  If they push heavy for the Hollywood story side though, heck, I may still play it, but I'll also wish for something a more Groggy.
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: JasonPratt on April 02, 2019, 03:28:59 PM


Rimmy thinks the radio chat is way too chatty, too -- but he loves the characterization in the chat. So, balanced preview.
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: CJReich46 on April 03, 2019, 06:52:17 PM
Quote from: JasonPratt on April 02, 2019, 03:28:59 PM


Rimmy thinks the radio chat is way too chatty, too -- but he loves the characterization in the chat. So, balanced preview.


I find the concept intriguing too.
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: Emir Agic on October 10, 2019, 10:45:30 AM
Game is available on Steam. Promo price is 12.59 eur (-25% off) until 17. October.
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: JasonPratt on October 10, 2019, 02:48:29 PM
Bought it this afternoon! (Along with a few other recent releases.) No play yet.
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: GroggyGrognard on October 10, 2019, 04:51:42 PM
TheHistoricalGamer on Twitch recorded a stream of the game last night. Looks like a high possibility of a purchase from me.

https://m.twitch.tv/videos/492553766 (https://m.twitch.tv/videos/492553766)


Groggy
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: SirAndrewD on October 10, 2019, 05:11:22 PM
I just gave it a buy. 

Too intriguing of a concept not to try out. 

I'll give some opinions after I give it a spin tonight.
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: Philippe on October 10, 2019, 06:07:03 PM
Quote from: SirAndrewD on October 10, 2019, 05:11:22 PM


Too intriguing of a concept not to try out. 



My thoughts exactly.

I won't regret buying it even if its terrible (which I'm sure it isn't).

We get the same-old rehashed ad nauseum: unusual approaches need to be rewarded in order to encourage game developers to break away from their focus groups.

Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: Ian C on October 11, 2019, 04:17:41 AM
There's an editor and quick battle mode. Also very good reviews on STEAM.

First three missions in play (SPOILERS)














Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: mbar on October 11, 2019, 08:26:57 AM
I do love game channels that play without commentary.  :bd:
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: Ian C on October 13, 2019, 05:01:51 AM
Any reports? Verdicts?
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: steve58 on September 26, 2021, 03:04:54 PM
fyi: You can pick up Radio Commander for a whole $1 over at Fanatical. 

https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/build-your-own-simulator-bundle
Title: Re: Radio Commander...
Post by: demjansk1942 on September 26, 2021, 04:05:10 PM
 That's a good collection of games.  Just wish I had the motivation to play them