CMBO

[leonid]

Man, this game rocks bigtime.  I just can't get enough.  And CM2 is on the way  

[Maverick]

What in hades is it? I don't recognize the initials.

[funked]

Combat Mission

It kicks ass!!!

[leonid]

Combat Mission: Beyond Overlord(Battlefront.com)

Mav, you should check it out.  Seriously.

[AKDejaVu]

Played a little bit of the demo.. its pretty fun.  I like a little more hand-on though.

AKDejaVu

[Maverick]

Will have to look for it. Who makes it? Is it a real time strategy or hex type map game?

I like things like command and conquor etc..

Mav

[leonid]

The three things that really get me about this game are:[list=1]

• The AI is actually quite good.  Not perfect, but the best I've seen yet in a game of this type.  For example, I sent a Sherman up a sloping road, and at the top it spots what it thinks is a Tiger.  What does the tank crew do?  They immediately back up, and reverse done the slope, and just in time too.  Also, that 'tiger' was in fact a PzIVG, but the tank crew assumed the worst since it didn't have time to make a positive ID.
• So much is going on in this game!  And you can view it all too!  As a game progresses, hotspots start occurring at various points on the map, and it gets near impossible to catch it all during the initial run.  But this is no problem, because every turn is recorded, allowing one to replay the turn as often as necessary to get a proper tactical appraisal of the battle.  I guess I should describe the turns.  They're a 'WEGO' routine.  One side sets their orders, then the other side does same.  The results of those orders are then executed by all units for a period of 60 seconds in realtime, after which action stops, and both sides plot new orders.
• The game is a MOD heaven.  Players have not only made new scenarios & operations for the game, but they have also made new 'skins' for all the objects in CM, as well as sounds.  Finding new sounds for a MP40, or a neat winter camo scheme for a StuGIII is almost a game in itself.
• The camera view can put you right beside a squad in the midst of a firefight, or position you high above the action like an aerial observer.  Also, when dreaded artillery finds your units, if the camera is locked near the barrage it will shake from the blast effect.  Artillery barrages in this game are simply awesome to watch, a real nail-biter.
• When all the forces are left to execute orders for that 60 second period it is like being there.  You hear the shouts of orders, cries of wounded men, explosions, vehicles rumbling, staccato of machinegun fire, ricochets, the crackling of fire. And what you see is ... battle.[/list=a]
  While this game doesn't give you the control of a FPS, it certainly offers the immediacy of one.  And the ability to see an entire battle unfold in realtime segments creates an immersive environment that has yet to be equaled in computer gaming.
  
  Finally, CM is first, and foremost, a wargame, and as one utilizes very complex equations for accurate simulation of tactical combat: ballistics, collision, movement, line of sight and a complex AI making use of fuzzy logic.  Much research went into the performance of the weapon systems and vehicles.  For example, while the Tiger is a formidible AFV, there are many a time you wish that damn turret would rotate just a little faster, like say a Sherman's.
  
  As a computer wargame it is revolutionary, and has certainly upped the notch of wargame development in the industry.  And all this from a small independent company that sells its products exclusively from its website.
  
  
  [This message has been edited by leonid (edited 10-27-2000).]