Matrix Games Forums

Forums  Register  Login  Photo Gallery  Member List  Search  Calendars  FAQ 

My Profile  Inbox  Address Book  My Subscription  My Forums  Log Out

Just some impressions and observations.

 
View related threads: (in this forum | in all forums)

Logged in as: Guest
Users viewing this topic: none
  Printable Version
All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> Close Combat Series >> Close Combat: Last Stand Arnhem >> Just some impressions and observations. Page: [1]
Login
Message << Older Topic   Newer Topic >>
Just some impressions and observations. - 7/9/2010 3:12:25 PM   
Trash78

 

Posts: 15
Joined: 7/9/2010
Status: offline
Been playing this game for the past few hours since I'm going to write a review for it on www.tacticularcancer.net. As an old-time fan of the CC series I must say that I was really looking forward to trying a remake to what is easily my most favourite CC so far. So far I've come away with some rather mixed feelings.

Presentation is the best yet in the entire CC series (including the remakes) Nice mission briefings, clear operational and campaign updates and a level of detail and care put into the entire structure which exceeds my expectations. Well done!

Graphics are also clear and crisp. Not only do the maps have the feeling of the old CC2 maps, they also look incredibly good. Little details like smoking and burning vehicles, exhaust fumes, cannon blasts and all look very nice indeed. Not to even mention the care that went into portraying the different vehicles and teams. While the core engine might be ancient by now, this looks very much like a professional product.

Sounds and music are your usual fare. What bothered me with the previous remakes was the rather limited sound set for weapon sounds, soldier sounds and explosions. It got tiresome to hear your troops say the exact same thing everytime a situation repeated itself. I've got the strong impression that a lot of work has been put in adding new voices and sounds. You'll still hear all the old ones but there defenitely seems to have been added quite a few.

Unit diversity was also something which bothered me with the last two remakes. You often saw each battle sport almost the exact same troops, with little variation being possible. Last Stand at Arnhem adds lots of new weapons, unit layouts and vehicles and the like. New toys to play with are always fun!


However I must point out some very niggling things I've noticed so far. Battle map AI seems to perform adequately on the defense but is an incoherent mess while on the offense. The pathfinding for armor seems to have returned to CC2 levels with halftracks being unable to drive along a straight stretch of road without being babysitted with waypoints all the way. This is very puzzling to me concerning just how well the armor behaved ever since the Wacht am Rhein remake. The strategic map AI also seems to be way too timid. I tried to play the last stand at Arnhem operation where a single unit must keep the Arnhem bridges while the AI gets airstrikes, artillery and mortar backup and new units in the areas around it. Imagine my surprise that after trying this op for 4 times now not once did the German AI attack the map with the bridge.

So far I would say the game has everything needed to be the single best remake so far. Unless the AI battle map, pathfinding and campaign map AI issues are solved however I couldn't recommend it over, say, WaR or LD.

Post #: 1
RE: Just some impressions and observations. - 7/9/2010 3:27:32 PM   
D.Ilse


Posts: 330
Joined: 5/2/2009
From: Florahduh, yea that state.
Status: offline
Unit diversity was also something which bothered me with the last two remakes. You often saw each battle sport almost the exact same troops, with little variation being possible. Last Stand at Arnhem adds lots of new weapons, unit layouts and vehicles and the like. New toys to play with are always fun!

Very valid point.

_____________________________


(in reply to Trash78)
Post #: 2
RE: Just some impressions and observations. - 7/9/2010 4:23:25 PM   
Reboot


Posts: 759
Joined: 12/18/2007
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Trash78

However I must point out some very niggling things I've noticed so far. Battle map AI seems to perform adequately on the defense but is an incoherent mess while on the offense. The pathfinding for armor seems to have returned to CC2 levels with halftracks being unable to drive along a straight stretch of road without being babysitted with waypoints all the way. This is very puzzling to me concerning just how well the armor behaved ever since the Wacht am Rhein remake. The strategic map AI also seems to be way too timid. I tried to play the last stand at Arnhem operation where a single unit must keep the Arnhem bridges while the AI gets airstrikes, artillery and mortar backup and new units in the areas around it. Imagine my surprise that after trying this op for 4 times now not once did the German AI attack the map with the bridge.

So far I would say the game has everything needed to be the single best remake so far. Unless the AI battle map, pathfinding and campaign map AI issues are solved however I couldn't recommend it over, say, WaR or LD.




As someone who has been playing CC since the beginning, and as a serious war-gamer for a decade before that, I truly appreciate LSA, as the best CC version ever, by playing it to enjoy it to the max - H2H with a human opponent! Comparatively, playing against the AI is like m*sturbating, while H2H is like being in bed with a gorgeous nymphomaniac. But you know that, right?

(in reply to Trash78)
Post #: 3
RE: Just some impressions and observations. - 7/9/2010 5:54:54 PM   
Knavery


Posts: 286
Joined: 3/11/2005
Status: offline
quote:


Comparatively, playing against the AI is like m*sturbating, while H2H is like being in bed with a gorgeous nymphomaniac. But you know that, right?


Seriously? I've been a gamer since the days of the Commodore 64 and would never compare multiplayer to being in bed with a gorgeous nymphomaniac. But then I wouldn't admit that I'm that big of a nerd either. I can say this... I'm probably a lot better at multiplayer gaming. :)

_____________________________

Windows 7 Home Premium (x64)
3.4 gigahertz AMD Phenom 965 Quad Core
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 1024Meg
4GB RAM

(in reply to Reboot)
Post #: 4
RE: Just some impressions and observations. - 7/9/2010 6:45:52 PM   
Kung Karl

 

Posts: 323
Joined: 7/1/2003
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Trash78

So far I would say the game has everything needed to be the single best remake so far. Unless the AI battle map, pathfinding and campaign map AI issues are solved however I couldn't recommend it over, say, WaR or LD.




What make WaR or LD better? Aren't the same issues in those games?

(in reply to Trash78)
Post #: 5
RE: Just some impressions and observations. - 7/9/2010 7:20:57 PM   
Josh

 

Posts: 2576
Joined: 5/9/2000
From: Leeuwarden, Netherlands
Status: offline
Never mind...

Right, solved it. The link the OP posted is not the right one.... So I thought he was another spammer, apparently not because this is the link he meant to post: http://www.tacticularcancer.com/
(instead of .....NET)

< Message edited by Josh -- 7/9/2010 7:25:24 PM >

(in reply to Kung Karl)
Post #: 6
RE: Just some impressions and observations. - 7/9/2010 7:57:59 PM   
Trash78

 

Posts: 15
Joined: 7/9/2010
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Kung Karl


quote:

ORIGINAL: Trash78

So far I would say the game has everything needed to be the single best remake so far. Unless the AI battle map, pathfinding and campaign map AI issues are solved however I couldn't recommend it over, say, WaR or LD.




What make WaR or LD better? Aren't the same issues in those games?


Did I say those games are better? No, I didn't. I just said that as it is I can't recommend LSAA over them. Interestingly enough all of the CC's seem to have their own niggles. Diving troops, deadly mortars, exploding tigers, etc. Crappy armor pathfinding however seemed to have been gone since WAR. Guess it does have that certain CC2 nostalgia factor though.


quote:

ORIGINAL: Josh

Never mind...

Right, solved it. The link the OP posted is not the right one.... So I thought he was another spammer, apparently not because this is the link he meant to post: http://www.tacticularcancer.com/
(instead of .....NET)


Would a spammer put in so much effort trying to detail his impressions? Sorry about the confusion though. Both the rpgcodex.NET and tacticularcancer.COM have the same management. I always mess up the last bit.

(in reply to Josh)
Post #: 7
RE: Just some impressions and observations. - 7/9/2010 9:34:04 PM   
Andrew Williams


Posts: 6116
Joined: 1/8/2001
From: Australia
Status: offline
Funny... AFAIK

quote:

a lot of work has been put in adding new voices and sounds.


The vox files are the ssame except for new languages.

and

quote:

Little details like smoking and burning vehicles, exhaust fumes, cannon blasts


Are also carry overs from earlier iterations

(in reply to Trash78)
Post #: 8
RE: Just some impressions and observations. - 7/9/2010 10:36:48 PM   
Trash78

 

Posts: 15
Joined: 7/9/2010
Status: offline
Interesting. I could swear I heard some new voices and weapon sounds. Guess you've got quite a library of them then. I could also swear that a tank firing its main cannon looked quite a bit more impressive than it did in for instance Iron Cross. Perhaps I just like the new paint job on the vehicles though. Thanks for the reply. Wouldn't want to put false info in the review.

I did however grin a little at the following statement from the product description. "Even more improvements have been made to the AI to reduce some of the more inadequate performance issues, in particular with respect to vehicle pathing, the 'crawl of death', and Team and Unit morale and response in general." I take it the problems with vehicle pathfinding will be dealt with in a patch?

Anyway, been playing a bit more of it. The timid campaign map AI is really quite disappointing. I urge the developers to take a look at the last stand operation to see why. Battles, especially when against a defending AI, are quite a bit harder to win. The seemingly increased size of the maps and the larger mobility of the battle map AI helps here as well.

(in reply to Andrew Williams)
Post #: 9
RE: Just some impressions and observations. - 7/9/2010 10:45:35 PM   
Andrew Williams


Posts: 6116
Joined: 1/8/2001
From: Australia
Status: offline
quote:

"Even more improvements have been made to the AI to reduce some of the more inadequate performance issues, in particular with respect to vehicle pathing, the 'crawl of death', and Team and Unit morale and response in general."


made a few people grin... even with gritted teeth.... a well thought through statement don't you think?

(in reply to Trash78)
Post #: 10
RE: Just some impressions and observations. - 7/9/2010 10:49:33 PM   
Trash78

 

Posts: 15
Joined: 7/9/2010
Status: offline
Well, apart from the shoddy vehicle pathfinding for the player the rest seems to be quite spot on. I'm glad my little men don't dive down to the ground waiting to be picked off one by one as happened in WAR. Still, I do hope vehicle pathfinding will be something the devs look at. Though I'm honestly much more concerned about the axis campaign AI not attacking in many ops atm. Reminds me of the "axis not using artillery" bug from one of the other remakes.

(in reply to Andrew Williams)
Post #: 11
RE: Just some impressions and observations. - 7/9/2010 10:52:00 PM   
Andrew Williams


Posts: 6116
Joined: 1/8/2001
From: Australia
Status: offline
quote:

dive down to the ground waiting to be picked off one by one as happened in WAR.


i believe this has been addressed with the most recently available patch

(in reply to Trash78)
Post #: 12
Page:   [1]
All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> Close Combat Series >> Close Combat: Last Stand Arnhem >> Just some impressions and observations. Page: [1]
Jump to:





New Messages No New Messages
Hot Topic w/ New Messages Hot Topic w/o New Messages
Locked w/ New Messages Locked w/o New Messages
 Post New Thread
 Reply to Message
 Post New Poll
 Submit Vote
 Delete My Own Post
 Delete My Own Thread
 Rate Posts


Forum Software © ASPPlayground.NET Advanced Edition 2.4.5 ANSI

1.125