From: dschulz@luminet.net (hElIcAl gEaRs) Subject: Close Combat Demo - First impressions... CC or C&C? Well, its 3:43AM and I can't sleep. I've played the CC demo about 4-5 times and I've got mixed feelings. A few months (years?) ago when I heard that CC was going to be real time I was sceptical. I like wargames, and don't consider games like C&C wargames. I was worried that there would be frantic mouse action, coupled with poor AI programming (ie my toy soldiers not behaving in a realistic manner). Well, my first impressions have confirmed these suspisions, at least partially. I don't want to slam this game without giving it a real chance, so I'll mention things I like before the critism. I guess the thing I like most about the game is that you are actually giving the same types of orders a company commander would give. No micro management is required (and I find that I actually screw things up more than anything.) The morale model seems realistic. Soldiers will take independent action, and break under pressure. I haven't noticed if men will rally, or join other squads when isolated. The graphics are very nice - what you'd expect from an Atomic product. Like Tacops, there are no hexigons (although I suspect that there is a square grid that governs LOS calculations, and setup - maybe even movement to some degree). I've only found one bug, and its a minor one. When zoomed in to the closest view, the viewport outline in the strategic map is inaccurate. Now my quips - There IS a lot of frantic scrolling (and scolling seems slow on my P120). For example, if I select the German mortor crew (which I set up in the rear - far to the west), it takes 6 secs or more to click-drag a fire mission near the main action - frustrating to say the least. The soldier AI seems reasonable, but the AFVs don't know how to keep the front armor facing the enemy. For example, if you want to back up after spotting infantry, I've seen the drivers turn around, move back a few meters, than turn around again. The verdict is still out on the AI (both friendly and enemy). When I order my soldiers hide in rubble - or whatever, I'd expect them to hold fire until an appropriate time (at least SOME of the time). I haven't been able to set up a decent ambush yet. I'm already starting to use unrealistic tactics to get my soldiers to hold their fire (like setting them up behind their firing postions, and moving them up when I want to engage). I know not everyone follows orders, but my inital impression is that I'm commanding a bunch of green troops. There is only one elevation. A few minor quips - I sometimes have problems getting the drop-down menu to activate when I want to give orders. I wish Atomic would use the right mouse button instead. I'll probably get use to it in a few games. A question - is it possible to mount infantry on/in an AFV? Don't get me wrong, I like this game, and will probably buy it. Still it is somewhat of a disspointment - it reminds me of a cross between SP and C&C. IMHO the game could have been GREAT with a turn based simultaneous execution system where orders are given via micromanagement. Of course, I've only seen the demo, and the subtleties of the game may draw me in eventually. I'm sure 2 player action will be a blast (no pun intended ;). In short - I'd say Atomic did an excellent job of programming, but I'm a little disapointed that they seem to be drifting away from the hard core wargame market toward the more popular regiems. I consider their W@W series the best wargames made for computers, and hope that Avalon Hill has the management skills required to move forward with the series (but I won't be holding my breath - I've been an Avalon Hill customer since the mid 70's and know what to expect). Dan - dschulz@luminet.net