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How is the game now? - 12/1/2019 5:44:27 PM   
z1812


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I am just wondering if most of the initial problems with the game have been worked out.
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RE: How is the game now? - 12/2/2019 4:23:27 AM   
Rosseau

 

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I have ragged on this release terribly, but the new patch shows some noticeable improvements.

I went back to CC:TLD for comparison, and must say the new game is more enjoyable and will get better with more patches.

It was released too early - something Matrix rarely does.

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RE: How is the game now? - 12/2/2019 6:44:21 AM   
Alan Sharif

 

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The patches have improved the game no end. Worth buying IMO.

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RE: How is the game now? - 12/4/2019 3:17:52 AM   
z1812


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Thank you both for your replies.

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RE: How is the game now? - 12/4/2019 3:38:35 AM   
Saturnian

 

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I say YES it is worth it. And the more people that buy the game, the more we can be assured they can keep making improvements.

Obviously it was released as it was for financial reasons. They need $$$ to continue to develop it. So if people buy the game, they will keep improving it. And what it cost really was not very expensive for what you are getting.

There are still big issues, like that soldiers run toward the enemy when broken, but don't surrender[now fixed], and for some reason you can't click on individual soldiers to see who they are, like you always used to. That takes the fun out of looking at their stats at the end of the battle. To me that is a big let down.

Then there's things like hand grenades killing people on impact without even exploding, but otherwise basically never killing people when they do explode, and infantry guns blowing themselves up. Just things that may have happened in real life, but happen too frequently here and clearly are just design issues.

As much as I don't want to admit it, halftracks and AT guns are too vulnerable to mortars and the 8.8 Flak seems almost pointless to even deploy as they will probably not last many tank duels(certainly won't survive any mortars as these take out guns within 3 or 4 rounds), yet tank on tank duels can go on for 10 or 15 minutes.

Infantry are much smarter and show more initiative than in previous games, but there is still LOTS of room and potential for improvement. Can't fault them for that, though. It is a work in progress.

But all these things can usually be glossed over and the enjoyment in playing is really high. And I am addicted to it.

Perhaps more than any other Close Combat game you really come to appreciate the battlefield strategy when fighting over a map. For example, suppressive fire and encircling/flanking the enemy through taking advantage of terrain and high ground, all play a huge part in this game, particularly in Africa and Sicily. Encircling and occupying high ground, and then laying down machine gun fire will cause the enemy to route. For this reason many battles are fought with the intention of slowly encircling the enemy via the hills, so you can lay down crossfire. Often it seems hopeless, but ultimate ends in victory. You can infiltrate and occupy seemingly insignificant areas with small units over the course of time, even sneaking up craggy cliff faces, in order to position machine guns in the NEXT battle. So this is combining strategy and tactics over the long term. You can win even when the odds are drastically out of your favor because the enemy has a breaking point and WILL BREAK if you lay down enough fire from enough direction and take out their leadership. Just keep your own commanders alive(and fortunately, now they DO stay alive longer!) and your flanks covered.

If they clear out the bugs and quirks, this will be more than a game. It will certainly be a first-rate combat simulator and it would be stupid if militaries all over the world don't use it for training. They probably will and Matrix can market as a defense contractor. If they don't already do that. I mean that very seriously as this game can save lives for nations that use it for training.


I say YES, buy this game. This is more than a game and if you guys support it now, that will mean it will continue to improve. less than 50 bucks is pocket change. That some people complain about the price is mind-boggling to me and I am far from rich.

< Message edited by Saturnian -- 12/18/2019 2:13:34 AM >

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RE: How is the game now? - 12/4/2019 8:42:41 AM   
JoonasTo

 

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Multiplayer campaigns are broken in the most recent patch.

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RE: How is the game now? - 12/4/2019 5:44:23 PM   
SteveMcClaire

 

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The issue with multiplayer will be addressed in the next update, which will be available soon.


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RE: How is the game now? - 12/4/2019 9:29:10 PM   
Markowicz

 

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There are still some annoyances but if the fixes keep coming, I'm happy.

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RE: How is the game now? - 12/17/2019 3:29:11 AM   
ringoblood


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Keep up the good work Steve.

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RE: How is the game now? - 12/17/2019 9:58:20 AM   
Watson

 

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One thing I've found is Matrix always improves their work and The bloody first carries on that tradition,,another great piece of work

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RE: How is the game now? - 12/17/2019 1:08:11 PM   
z1812


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Thanks once more for the replies.

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RE: How is the game now? - 12/17/2019 3:07:01 PM   
ineffable


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For all its faults, gameplay is intense. I figured that, after playing classic CC for a couple of decades, I'd start a TBF campaign at maximum difficulty settings. After a dozen battles my reputation is near nil, high command rates my performance as poor and my men doubt my battlefield decisions. Where I'm used to at least a 3:1 kill ratio, in TBF its 1:1. And that only because of the arty, air and mortar barrages I got in the Sbiba op. This is a far more formidable AI.

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RE: How is the game now? - 12/20/2019 6:14:31 AM   
GoodGuy

 

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I'm a fan of the original CC games and bought a number of the revived 2D-series, but I got somewhat frustrated by the AI quirks and the "laser" mortars, back then. I liked the campaign style in the Wacht am Rhein installment, so I'm wondering how the 3D-installment turned out. Is this still the same dev team? Is the 3D-engine a custom engine or was it provided by a 3rd party?
Do those laser mortars (which I remember were discussed in the "Wacht am Rhein" forum - and a major issue back then - and eventually addressed by changing the spread, IIRC?) still exist or did they "return", or is it tolerable? What's the game speed like, is it still a rather relaxed affair, or do vehicles/soldiers move faster than in the 2D-installments? And what about friendly/enemy AI skills? Did the AI improve say since "Wacht am Rhein"? The friendly AI needed "herding" (by issueing fast attack commands several times) at times, to make them obey.
Is it worth buying?

< Message edited by GoodGuy -- 12/20/2019 6:17:55 AM >

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RE: How is the game now? - 12/20/2019 9:17:53 AM   
ineffable


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Briefly, the laser AI mortars are still a problem, player tubes not so much. The AI will target your guns, soft vehicles, mgs and command units mercilessly. Fire support missions get a circular error of probability actually displayed as a circle or oval when you target the mission. Naval missions can be waaay off the intended mark. So I think on-map mortar unit accuracy could be detuned in this manner.

Im a big proponent of the behavior that some call 'girly soldiers' and you describe as troops needing 'herding'. If this annoys then simply set morale to Fearless. I prefer the Cautious setting because I dont imagine my sprites want to get killed or maimed any more than real men do. Stephen Crane wrote a best-seller novel entirely about soldier psychology in battle a while back. SLA Marshall had a few pithy comments on the subject as well. It feels right that you should have to manage you men a little harder when the going gets rough. That jibes with almost everything Ive read about tactical mil history.

Quick anecdote about "herding" in TBF. So Im making a night assault against the Italians on Djebel Berda. Should be a wallkover, right? Right? My haphazard attack caused my force to practically melt away in panic and rout. In the midst of that debacle I ordered a BAR team to charge an AT gun just out of LOS in a wadi. They move out, I move on to the another tactical decision needing taken. By the time I check back on the BAR 30 second later, 1 man is dead, the team leader is alone and separated at the jump off point, and the other four guys are nowhere to be found. I finally give up looking for them, figuring they must have be fleeing somewhere in the dark. Nope. Shortly before the end of battle I find them occupying an enemy VL on the other side of the wadi with the enemy gun. And in perfect accordance with the maxim of war,'what can go wrong, will', they didnt own the objective because they'd left their leader behind. I felt like I'd witnessed the first instance of soldiers actually getting lost in CC.

On the whole, vehicles move briskly and fluidly and pathing is far more transparent (move lines) and dependable. Vehicle have morale now too and will retreat if the situation is too hot for them. 100% game speed at high difficulty can knock the wind out of you. I often feel like that discombulated young shavetail on the cover of CC1. I'll admit to the need for pausing the game to take stock and issue orders. TBF is a diamond in the rough. Lots to fix and lots to like. However, gameplay is much more solid than the secondary features and mechanics. Its left me with a silly 'gee whiz' grin like I havent had about the series since CC2.

< Message edited by ineffable -- 12/20/2019 9:20:21 AM >

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