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Blast from the past- J. Dunnigan and combat Command

 
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Blast from the past- J. Dunnigan and combat Command - 4/7/2011 1:35:15 AM   
henri51


Posts: 1151
Joined: 1/16/2009
Status: offline 		Wow, I just read on another forum that the first version of Combat Command was made by James Dunnigan, founder of SPI, creator of over 100 wargames, and guru of the theory of wargaming! I don't remember that actual game, and I threw away all my copies of SPI games and magazines when I moved into a condo 2 years ago. Apparently J.F. is still active as a lecturer and consultant or something or other...

Hey I am one who bought my first wargame in 1967 at a department store (Avalon Hill's Gettysberg), who played 'The Russian Campaign' until the counters were almost worn out, and who bought almost every wargame worth buying since Panzer Blitz (otherwise known as "Panzer Bush" because of the popular winning tactic), and who is practically personally responsible for keeping financially afloat matrixgames, Steam, Paradox and a few other game companies (small exaggeration here)...but anyway, I place Dunnigan right at the top of the heap among the serious wargaming gurus of all time - probably no one but Dupuy has contributed more to the art of simulating warfare.

This is not to say that the present Combat Command is a remake of Dunnigan's game - does anyone know anything about that old game with the same name?

Well, I guess I should get back to the game, but not too fast because of the adage " The pleasure is not in getting something, it's in knowing that you're gonna get it!" (La Saguine, a character by Antonine Maillet).

Henri
Post #: 1
RE: Blast from the past- J. Dunnigan and combat Command - 4/7/2011 3:34:46 AM   
AZKGungHo


Posts: 509
Joined: 6/7/2006
Status: offline 		I too am an oldie war gamer! My first wargame was D-Day from Avalon Hill, a few years later I got into SPI and was a long time subscriber to S&T and Moves too.

I don't remember this one, but it could very well be one of Dunnigan's games. He was prolific that's for sure!

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RE: Blast from the past- J. Dunnigan and combat Command - 4/7/2011 4:45:20 AM   
Rosseau

 

Posts: 2757
Joined: 9/13/2009
Status: offline 		I must be getting old--and jaded. Just installed my copy of the old CCII Danger Forward, Hurtgen Forest scenario. I just stared at all the counters I'd have to move and the work and time involved, and just said, no way. At least with WitE, there's all that lovely chrome. The new CC brings nothing but graphics improvements I can barely notice and more huge scenarios. If it was free, I wouldn't play it. But 10 years ago, it was very cool.

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RE: Blast from the past- J. Dunnigan and combat Command - 4/7/2011 1:42:24 PM   
henri51


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quote:

ORIGINAL: rosseau

I must be getting old--and jaded. Just installed my copy of the old CCII Danger Forward, Hurtgen Forest scenario. I just stared at all the counters I'd have to move and the work and time involved, and just said, no way. At least with WitE, there's all that lovely chrome. The new CC brings nothing but graphics improvements I can barely notice and more huge scenarios. If it was free, I wouldn't play it. But 10 years ago, it was very cool.


I dunno, so far with this game I don't get the mind-boggle that I get with some other games like WiTE, WiTP, EU3 and TOAW. And there are plenty of small and medium scenarios. True I haven't tried any of the largest scenarios yet,so I might mindboggle yet...And note that this mindboggle thing is not due to loss of sharpness - after all my present chess rating is over 1800, which puts me somewhere in the top 5% of players. But maybe as you imply, it is lazyness and foresight of boredom...

Henri

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RE: Blast from the past- J. Dunnigan and combat Command - 4/7/2011 10:24:53 PM   
Rosseau

 

Posts: 2757
Joined: 9/13/2009
Status: offline 		That is awesome. I'd hate to design a Chess AI to challenge you! I do remember being very impressed by the smaller scenarios. I just wish there was a way to auto-move the larger formations, unless I forgot how to do it already.

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RE: Blast from the past- J. Dunnigan and combat Command - 4/7/2011 10:54:22 PM   
henri51


Posts: 1151
Joined: 1/16/2009
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quote:

ORIGINAL: rosseau

That is awesome. I'd hate to design a Chess AI to challenge you! I do remember being very impressed by the smaller scenarios. I just wish there was a way to auto-move the larger formations, unless I forgot how to do it already.

According to the manual, there IS a way to move whole groups of units, but I haven't tried it myself yet.

Henri

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Post #: 6
RE: Blast from the past- J. Dunnigan and combat Command - 4/8/2011 1:16:24 AM   
Rosseau

 

Posts: 2757
Joined: 9/13/2009
Status: offline 		If you can find it at some point, let me know and I'll probably buy the game. Thanks, either way.

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RE: Blast from the past- J. Dunnigan and combat Command - 4/8/2011 2:47:04 AM   
henri51


Posts: 1151
Joined: 1/16/2009
Status: offline 		"If you click on "select Reg" every unit of the regiment will be selected  and will move toward the selected hex, maintaining the current spatial relationship to one another (i.e they will move in formation." (page 32).

You can move stacks the same way.

Henri

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Post #: 8
RE: Blast from the past- J. Dunnigan and combat Command - 4/10/2011 5:26:09 AM   
Steely Glint


Posts: 580
Joined: 9/23/2003
Status: offline 		Combat Command was the game in issue 30 of Strategy and Tactics, the American Army issue. It featured platoon and company level combat in 1944 France. Jim Dunnigan designed it. I still have my copy of both the magazine and the game.

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RE: Blast from the past- J. Dunnigan and combat Command - 4/10/2011 10:50:13 PM   
Magpius


Posts: 1632
Joined: 9/21/2007
From: Melbourne, Australia
Status: offline 		WOw!
Could you post some scans from that S&T?

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RE: Blast from the past- J. Dunnigan and combat Command - 4/11/2011 5:07:31 AM   
JMass


Posts: 2364
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From: Italy
Status: offline 		You can see some image here:
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/8429/combat-command

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RE: Blast from the past- J. Dunnigan and combat Command - 4/12/2011 8:52:22 AM   
Magpius


Posts: 1632
Joined: 9/21/2007
From: Melbourne, Australia
Status: offline 		Ahhhh, now THAT'S bringing back memories.
Amazing how clean and simplified graphics and little bits of cardboard; kept me entertained for hours, (weeks).

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Post #: 12
RE: Blast from the past- J. Dunnigan and combat Command - 4/12/2011 9:33:03 AM   
Obsolete


Posts: 1492
Joined: 9/4/2007
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quote:

...and I threw away all my copies of SPI games and magazines when I moved into a condo 2 years ago.


What!??

That is just so......   wrong.


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RE: Blast from the past- J. Dunnigan and combat Command - 4/12/2011 9:59:28 AM   
Obsolete


Posts: 1492
Joined: 9/4/2007
Status: offline 		BTW, for moving units, I NEVER use the options to move multiple as a whole. Yes, you may do that to save time (if you're lazy :P) I suppose, but as a rule of thumb I like to micro-manage as much as possible so I either don't run into as many nasty surprises, or I have some more options available to me when I do run into those damn ambushes, etc.

Basically, I've seen enough restrictive GUI's that PREVENT me from moving the units in a path/direction I want to, because you are left to an auto-path finder which... sadly puts you often into the worst/dangerous path to take often. Other times you can do a stop-go, but get some sort of penalties for stop-going through your hexes. So again, I will NOT take the GUI for granted in CCII, and will take advantage of micro when ever I can (except for those times I also get lazy).

Since stacks can get to 9 counters deep, there is a movement designation window that pop's up on stacks in case you want to do some fast sorting on what you want counted and not (npi).




Also for another method, let's assume you have a few scattered counters laying about. After selecting one counter, you can either hold down the shift or control key, while selecting other counters strewn about elsewhere. Then, if you click on any hex say, 2 positions away in any direction, the entire group now will move in unison as a whole. I can see some value to this in maps which you KNOW where an enemy particularly is (or is not more likely).


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RE: Blast from the past- J. Dunnigan and combat Command - 4/23/2011 2:01:32 PM   
simovitch


Posts: 5488
Joined: 2/14/2006
Status: offline 		I remember trying to talk my dad into writing a check for S&T's Combat Command I wanted it sooo bad. He wouldn't do it.

I was 10 years old at the time. I remember using an appeal to patriotism by saying something like "but it's a tribute to the American Army..." with reference to the cover. With the Vietnam war going on my dad must of thought I was some kind of nut.

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RE: Blast from the past- J. Dunnigan and combat Command - 4/24/2011 2:16:44 AM   
Rosseau

 

Posts: 2757
Joined: 9/13/2009
Status: offline 		Thanks for the moving tips, Obsolete. I can see the 2nd tip being a big time saver.

Funny Simovitch. He said "no" but now you're a beta tester with 3129 posts. And my hair is still too long.

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Post #: 16
RE: Blast from the past- J. Dunnigan and combat Command - 4/24/2011 7:46:14 AM   
sabre1


Posts: 1928
Joined: 8/15/2001
From: CA
Status: offline 		^+2

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Post #: 17
RE: Blast from the past- J. Dunnigan and combat Command - 4/27/2011 12:55:05 AM   
johnfmonahan

 

Posts: 82
Joined: 6/11/2000
From: Waterford WI, USA
Status: offline 		You can subscribe to the S&T library at http://strategyandtacticspress.com/ They just started. They are workingg on more issues and an index.

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