From: John DiFool Subject: A newbie's take on CMBB I recently purchases CMBB, even tho I never played BO. I have however played things like Perfect General, Steel Panthers, and even Panzer Leader (tho not Squad Leader because all the nitpicky little rules I found daunting). So if some of this is old hat (I remember some discussions of some of the below topics), I apologize. My thoughts: 1. Overall I am >extremely< impressed. The interface is very clean (with a few exceptions), and my non-wargaming roommate quickly got into it in a coop scenario I cobbled together. The gameplay is highly addictive, and overall I am having a blast. Specifically I love how customizable everything is: the choices for a Quickbattle for instance are myriad but sensical and I typically have no problem getting a quick game going (tho I dislike choosing my troops before I know what kind of map I'm on, if I was foolish to randomize the map settings. That Flammpanzer isn't of much use in a flat map without trees... :-). I also haven't experienced any hardware conflicts or anything. Keep all that in mind as you read further... 2. Niggles in the interface: I am bugged by a few things: I prefer to click to select units, so trying to click on an HQ embarked on a halftrack is an exercise in frustration. If instead I use the +/- keys, I have to scroll through a bunch of units whose orders are already set, to get to those whom I wish to change. I'd prefer a menu with all my units listed (with stats/casualties) to quickly find for ex. that pesky little sharpshooter I lost... I'd also like DETAILED unit info on the buy screen (as when you hit Enter on a unit when on the map-i.e. penetration values and other essential data). At a glance I can't see the differences between the various Panthers (since almost all their basic stats are identical), which is frustrating. 3. Graphix and sound: No real complaints here, other than a strange absence of any options screen to setup your display. I dislike fiddling with my Windows settings to play a game since I then have switch it back to my defaults afterwards. 3. AI: Okay, I wasn't expecting Guderian here, but the AI has its share of...quirks. Since the German units cost more, I usually play them (limits micromanagement hell), so the Soviets typically have hordes and hordes coming at me (c. 3-1 odds). The AI also seems to want to rush just one flag with ALL its infantry, leaving its flanks devoid of any manpower, so all I have to do is surround them and they quickly disintegrate. Its tanks quickly get chewed up by my Panthers and Tigers (yes I discovered the rarity option, but I buy them anyway!), and the tactical AI (of the AI) often has its tanks shooting at me with their flanks in the air, a recipe for a very short lifespan. I of course make sure the fronts of my tanks are facing the enemy whenever possible (and hull down natch)... I also haven't seen much use of artillery by the AI-at the end of the game I find its spotters out in some far-off place and unable to assist the battle (I have played a few assaults defending and nary a shell ever fell my way). As a consequence I dislike the thought of cranking up the Allied handicap and being faced with even more hordes... As for the tactical AI, sometimes it will detour around obstacles, but often taking a weird circuitous route with tons of waypoints. I'd just like to click on a unit and tell it to go from A to B with a minimum of fuss and baby- sitting. It also tends to overreact to long-range fire ("Just keep going you idiots-they'll never hit you!" Or will they...). 4. Editor. Why can't I fiddle with the terrain in the 3D view? Steel Panthers for criminy's sake had this (tho the slopes were terraced and not slopey as here). So I have to keep switching between the 2D top view and the 3D window, which wastes a lot of time, and visualize mentally what my map will look like (all those numbers are too abstract for me). 5. Replays: IIRC there was a technical issue which prevented any patch allowing you to save replays. Still is a curious omission... I'd also like to click on a dead tank and see detailed data on exactly why it is broken- or better yet SEE said damage (a big smoking hole in the front turret, for example). 6. Campaigns. Yes the Operations are nice, but it would still be kewl to take a core unit throughout the war start to finish, and let it gain experience and new equipment and whatnot. I remember a discussion on this topic from a couple of years back having to do with casualty rates being the reason for its omission (i.e. after a year almost everyone in your force will have been replaced via death and/or dismember- ment), hence making a long-term campaign pointless. >shrug< 7. Sight lines. I foolishly thought a Panther of mine was safe and hidden, because it had three big oak trees in front of it. NOT: it got popped 5 seconds into the scenario by a Josef Stalin tank. Then I R.T.B.M. and discovered that "scattered" trees don't provide much cover and in fact individual trees aren't really "there" at all even if they appear to be. OOps. On another occasion I had a halftrack get killed, from 2000 yards, by a T34, when it (halftrack) was visible for at most 10 seconds between a tree and a hill. Is he really going to get a good look at me at that range and at that flat a trajectory with all these obstacles scattered hither and yon in between me and him? Oh I forgot-all those trees don't actually exist... :-p Still despite the occasional lack of polish, I will continue to play the heck out of this: quite deserving of all the praise heaped its way (towards its predecessor too). John DiFool -- ============================ Emerald haunt in overdrive ============================