game play not explained in the manual

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All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> Close Combat – The Bloody First >> Close Combat: The Bloody First - Tech Support Forum >> game play not explained in the manual

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game play not explained in the manual - 5/18/2020 5:12:29 PM

SgtShultz2

Posts: 33
Joined: 1/9/2010
Status: offline

11.11 says something like" notation for guns & vehicles that are set on ambush" I see no such notation on the map. Maybe this was eliminated in more recent versions. I suspect the manual does not get updated. Also, I'd like to get some idea of how the camouflage put on guns & vehicles works when they are put in the open and not behind a hedge. Can they still remain hidden?

11.6 talks about cueing orders, but does not explain how to do this. I can't figure it out. Just hitting "shift" does not do it.

I read through the whole manual and recall something about a bonus for being within the circle of the company commander unit. But I can't recall where I read this. In older versions of the game being in the area of a command unit helped regular units. Is this still the case? Will any potential bonus still apply if the commander is killed? If there is a bonus, does that also apply to platoon leader units?

The "free" camera is supposed to let you look at the terrain from low angles. How do I do that? How do I get the camera low? I have already selected that option.
I played all the CC games starting with the first. This version has the most difficult to evaluate LOS. I can't tell what hill is higher than another hill, as they only have contour lines. Being able to get a camera (view) low would help when trying to figure out LOS. It's really hard to tell when a moving unit will enter into the LOS of a map object like a building when climbing a slope.

I've also noticed that using the LOS tool (Control key) will not always give the best information. I've taken to doing like I did in the older versions - put a unit in a spot during setup and then check LOS using the fire button. It looks like the height of vehicles is factored in, so I may see a vehicle but not infantry crawling next to it if they are behind a hedge. I put a small AT gun behind a stone wall and it seemed like it could not fire and the crew moved it to the other side of the wall.

I'd like to know when units are going to be dug in at the start of a battle. There seems to be no way to tell until you start playing the game. Can units be dug in on any map?

I'm liking a lot about this version of CC, but have had a lot of problems trying to play ops or campaigns online. Getting through a battle is usually not a problem.

Post #: 1

RE: game play not explained in the manual - 5/18/2020 8:47:51 PM

SteveMcClaire

Posts: 4472
Joined: 11/19/2007
Status: offline

Camouflage: If you hover over the vehicle / gun when it's not the selected unit, so you see the unit name above it, you should also see '[camouflaged]' under the name. You can set a gun/vehicle in the open with camouflaged but it provides only a minor spotting penalty and most vehicles will still be seen unless they're behind a bush / tree / etc.

Queued Orders: Select unit, hold down SHIFT, right click map (or target unit) and issue multiple orders. They will queue up until you release the SHIFT key. New queued orders add on to what a unit has in it's queue. Any non-queued order will cancel everything in the queue.

You can hold down the center mouse button / scroll wheel and move the mouse up-down and left-right to change the camera angle.

The LOS shadowing is showing you where on the terrain you can see with completely clear line of sight. Due to the way it works it can't show you partially blocked line of sight (i.e. you shoot through a bush or two) distinct from completely blocked (there's a building in the way.) It is handy for seeing a wide-area 'you can definitely see here' indication for your unit, and sometimes more importantly, it will show you where enemy units on the map can see you. More precise information can be seen with the LOS line when you're giving a fire order. Yes, troops and vehicles have a height associated with them and you can spot them behind small changes in elevation or obstacles even when the LOS shadowing says you can't see the ground itself.

On the briefing screen, before you enter the force selection screen, you will see a pick and shovel icon if you can dig in. In battle troops will dig in when the ground is largely open and the slope is not too steep. Adding a better indication for this is on the improvement list.

< Message edited by Steve McClaire -- 5/18/2020 8:55:00 PM >

(in reply to SgtShultz2)

Post #: 2

RE: game play not explained in the manual - more questions - 5/20/2020 6:53:45 PM

SgtShultz2

Posts: 33
Joined: 1/9/2010
Status: offline

Thanks Steve for your prompt reply. The free camera is great and very helpful. It adds a lot to the game.

Manual: "Note: During the battle and when the air support
becomes available, the type of air support is stated
on a text line in the Combat Messages and when you
hover over the air support icon in the tool bar"

Playing the allies, I hovered the mouse over the air support icon when the game told me I had air support. But there was nothing to tell me what type of plane it was. In the messages the type of plane was given.

From the manual:
"Radio
A unit with a radio is always in communication with
the company commander and, thus, gets the command
bonus from the company commander unit at all times."

Command bonus is for morale, right? Does the command bonus mean more than just a moral boost? If not, it seem kind of strange that a unit far from the company commander gets a morale boost just by having a radio. But maybe that was your intention. "Company commander" applies to any command unit in the game, right? That would mean platoon leaders give the bonus to units with the radio, right?

The manual says: "tall buildings allow clear fields of fire over
low-level obstructions" How do I know if a building is "tall" or not tall?

Are mortars more accurate with closer range?

In older versions of CC tanks moving fast could get immobilized in the woods. Do vehicles in this version get immobilized simply by driving?

If units dig in, will those foxholes and gun emplacements be there to use in a subsequent battle on the same map?
If my units can dig in, does that mean even more concealment for tanks and guns that start the game in ambush mode?

As an allied player, I completely destroyed the enemy as soon as I got to the bocage in the Normandy campaign. Does that mean the campaign is over? I wasn't the host so I don't know.
In that campaign my opponent's reputation went very bad as seen on the briefing screen along with strength, supply, etc. Does that have any influence?

I'm thinking you will one day use this basic game engine to make more games like it. I wish you would make a version that could connect 2 computers directly as older versions did. The internet was not necessary for those version to have 2 players competing. That would make it easier to use at war-game conventions and could help sell the game.

One of the problem I've had trying to play ops and campaigns is the game will kick us out into the lobby right after the battle when we move forward to the next. Sometimes the battle that was finished is not saved. It seems this difficulty may be limiting the number of players I'm seeing in the lobby.

I'm playing and enjoying this game a lot now. I just wish there were more people playing it.

(in reply to SteveMcClaire)

Post #: 3

RE: game play not explained in the manual - more questions - 5/21/2020 6:38:52 PM

SteveMcClaire

Posts: 4472
Joined: 11/19/2007
Status: offline

I will double check the fire support tool tips but I haven't heard of any issues with these not displaying.

The radio upgrade puts the unit with the radio in communication with your company command team (the first unit that is shown in the force selection screen.) The command bonus is a morale boost, yes. You get the company commander's bonus even if the company command team is not in the battle -- in this case the company commander is back at the company HQ and on the radio there.

There are no multi-story buildings in TBF so that part of the manual needs to be corrected.

Mortars fire at a high angle and a relatively low velocity, giving them a fairly long time of flight even if the target is close. The longer a round is in the air the further it may deviate from the point of aim. So a mortar firing at minimum range (shooting nearly straight up at about 85 degrees) may actually be less accurate (rounds landing in a wider pattern) than one firing at a target 500m away.

Vehicles do not get immobilized by terrain in TBF.

Yes, foxhole and gun pits will remain on the map in subsequent battles.

No, digging in does not improve camouflage of vehicles.

If you completely wipe out the enemy force on the map you will win the current battle and capture the whole map. If you destroy all enemy units in the force (so his force selection screen would be empty) then you will win the current operation.

Thanks for your feedback and I'm glad you're enjoying the game.

(in reply to SgtShultz2)

Post #: 4

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