Close Combat series - pause option?
John Secker
of games have a pause feature which allows you to survey the battlefield
and issue orders? This is an important feature for me, since there is
only one of me, and I can't keep up with the progress of half a dozen
sections all at once. Without it I don't really think it is going to be
a fair simulation. Unfortunately it's the sort of detail that doesn't
get a mention on the box.
--
John Secker
Jerry Steiger
"John Secker" <jo...@secker.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:FCopjsAQ...@secker.demon.co.uk...
John,
In CC1 and CC2 you could pause the game, but you could not issue any orders.
(I'm not at all sure that you could even move around the map.) If that
really is critical to you, you should probably stay away from the series. I
always played the games at the slowest speed. This allowed me to have some
kind of idea of what was happening.
I enjoyed them a lot, but I not enough to continue into the rest of the
series.
Jerry Steiger
Vincent Prochelo
Chols
fact, an options screen pops up when you pause the game, and you can't move
it away. It's an 'options' pause, strange thing ;-)
Chols.
Pascal DI FOLCO
in "simultaneous" turns !
John Secker <jo...@secker.demon.co.uk> a écrit dans le message :
FCopjsAQ...@secker.demon.co.uk...
Martin Rapier
<FCopjsAQ...@secker.demon.co.uk>...
No, you can pause but not issue orders. OTOH if you play it on 'slow' it is
so glacial that you have plenty of time to issue orders, look around, have
a think etc. You _can_ issue orders during the setup phase in CC2 and
onwards which is a real blessing, in CC1 you had to tear around the map
getting everyone to hide then have a think about what you were going to do.
The more modern ones (CC3 and on) have waypoints, covered arcs etc and
things so you really don't need to micromanage you units, apart from
drunken tank drivers, and even they are much better in CC5.
I generally play the AI or humans on the fastest speed possible as it is a)
more exciting b) more 'realistic' (if such a thing is possible in a
computer game) as you can be surprised etc. After CC2 the game is so
pitifully easy that you can slaughter the AI on even the hardest settings,
humans are rather harder.
If you are concerned about it being unmanageable why not try and download
one of the demos? There are demos for every version published at various
sites (I guess gamesdomain, SSI & MS are the best bets) and while it may be
a bit overwhelming at first, before you know you will be playing at maximum
difficulty and effortlessly shredding the AI.
Even after all these years the CC series is a computer wargame which
provide an experience quite unlike any other. The various alternate plot/si
execution games provide a slower alternative - Panthers in the Shadows,
TacOps and the more modern Combat Mission. Too fiddly and too much
micromanagement for me these days. Of the various CC games available I
would recommend CC2 and CC5 as 'the best' although armour fanatics prefer
CC3. CC4 was OK but the battlegroup system left something to be desired
IMHO.
Cheers
Martin.
John Secker
<vinc...@dodgenet36.com> writesThank you for this. I found an old CC (3 - Arnhem) in a bargain bin, and
bought it, and I downloaded the CM demo (probably cost me as much in
call charges as CC3 did). CC3 should be a good game, but as others have
said, the only pause feature is when you want to change your options -
it is good if you need to leave the PC for a while in the middle of a
battle, but it doesn't allow you to do anything like issue orders, or
even survey the battlefield. Maybe this is "realistic" - but I don't
think so, because I am required to play the parts of all the NCOs
leading all the squads, so trying to do it all in real time is asking
too much. Others may like it, but for me it is too much like the "RTS"
clickfests. Shame, because it is a topic which appeals to me a lot. CM
however looks very promising - having only seen the demo I don't know
what campaign features it might have, such as continuing and improving
troops, and connected battles, but the actual combat looks good and
plays much better than CC. The "pause every minute" system seems to give
the right level of control, without micromanaging every step and every
shot. The graphic interface annoys me a bit - I would like some hot keys
for a few basic views, especially an overhead map view, instead of
having to navigate around each unit. I am also constantly trying to
scroll sideways by moving the mouse, which results instead in rotation -
most irritating. Despite these niggles, I think I will ditch the CC
series and get CM instead. Thanks to those who responded to my question.
--
John Secker
Miles J. Blazek, Jr.
CM however looks very promising
> The graphic interface annoys me a bit - I would like some hot keys
> for a few basic views, especially an overhead map view, instead of
> having to navigate around each unit.
The primary number keys are hotkeyed to change views.
>I am also constantly trying to scroll sideways by moving the mouse, which
results instead in >rotation - most irritating
Use the arrow keys to scroll slowly up-down- sideways and the the numpad
keys to scroll
more quickly.
Hope this helps.
Miles
James Dusek
says...
> too much. Others may like it, but for me it is too much like the "RTS"
> clickfests. Shame, because it is a topic which appeals to me a lot. CM
> however looks very promising -
While giving orders during pause would have been great, just slow
the game down to the lowest setting and you'll have enough time to give
orders. Also, your troops shoot on their own, so you don't have to worry
about them sitting around getting shot and doing nothing.
Comming soon is G.I. Combat, a game that looks a lot better than
CM, so I am passing on CM and waiting for G.I. Combat.
James Dusek
Maddog
right.
--
Maddog
======
"If absolute power corrupts absolutely, where does that leave God?"
George Deacon
John Secker
<mil...@bellsouth.net> writes
>Hi John,
>
>CM however looks very promising
>
>> The graphic interface annoys me a bit - I would like some hot keys
>> for a few basic views, especially an overhead map view, instead of
>> having to navigate around each unit.
>
>The primary number keys are hotkeyed to change views.
>
> >I am also constantly trying to scroll sideways by moving the mouse, which
>results instead in >rotation - most irritating
>
>Use the arrow keys to scroll slowly up-down- sideways and the the numpad
>keys to scroll
>more quickly.
>
if you move it to the top and bottom edges of the screen, but rotates
the view of you move it to the sides. It is a very strong convention in
a lot of games that moving the mouse like this scrolls sideways, and I
really don't see why this design choice was made. You can still rotate
using the buttons on screen when you need to. I guess it is so that you
can rotate your view when you are in "extreme close up" (level 1 or 2).
I admit that this is a neat feature, but on balance I do a lot more
scrolling about in over head "map" view. However this is just a niggle,
overall I am enjoying the demo a lot and I have ordered the full game.
--
John Secker
Richard Valle
move the view point sideways vs rotating.
I had the same problem as you at first.
Great game...
Richard
"John Secker" <jo...@secker.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:D3G4OjAu...@secker.demon.co.uk...
Spaller
[...snip...snip...]
> I still find it hard to remember that the mouse scrolls you up and down,
> if you move it to the top and bottom edges of the screen, but rotates
> the view of you move it to the sides. It is a very strong convention in
> a lot of games that moving the mouse like this scrolls sideways, and I
> really don't see why this design choice was made.
Isn't this just Doom, or Wolfenstein? Or just about any foist person
shooter? Don't they use this model?
I most certainly admit that in CM when my viewpoint is orthogonal
to the earth and I spin instead of translate when the mouse overruns
the vertical screen edges, I get peeved. Nonetheless, even though I
don't have a BFG in front of me, I love the modeling.
-spaller
--
...and a great and mighty wind will one day encompass the surface of
the earth and wipe clean the scourge of wooly thinking once and for all!
Spaller
As you've heard, no paws in CCx's.
OTOH, I've found the play level just right for a real time game. Forget
the chopping trees et al. Plus your loadout is topped off at the start so
no distractions of building units while the game's hot. There is no more
critical resource than time while folks are dying. To do this in 1x1 time
is tough, and you have to want the adrenaline. I maintain that if you feel,
say, CC3 to be a click-fest, then perhaps your plan wasn't so napoleonic
as you conceived it.
John Secker
<spa...@prodigy.take.this.out.net> writes
>The inestimable "John Secker" <jo...@secker.demon.co.uk> has given us:
>[...snip...snip...]
>> I still find it hard to remember that the mouse scrolls you up and down,
>> if you move it to the top and bottom edges of the screen, but rotates
>> the view of you move it to the sides. It is a very strong convention in
>> a lot of games that moving the mouse like this scrolls sideways, and I
>> really don't see why this design choice was made.
>[...snip...]
>
>Isn't this just Doom, or Wolfenstein? Or just about any foist person
>shooter? Don't they use this model?
>
>I most certainly admit that in CM when my viewpoint is orthogonal
>to the earth and I spin instead of translate when the mouse overruns
>the vertical screen edges, I get peeved. Nonetheless, even though I
>don't have a BFG in front of me, I love the modeling.
>
secondary function and I would have preferred it if scrolling was the
default (so you had to press Shift to rotate). I find this is true for
me even in 3-D views (levels 1-4) as well as in the "map" views (levels
5-8). Scrolling sideways at level 4 gives a great feel for the 3-D
landscape, and for me this is one of the aspects of tactical warfare
that this game recreates brilliantly - the use of terrain, especially
dead ground. Real-life battle reports mention again and again the
importance of even minor variations in the height of the ground in
creating shelter and opportunities for movement without coming under
fire. CM not only models this, but the 3-D views allow you to see the
terrain for yourself and so take advantage. The top-down-only view in CC
makes this much more difficult.
--
John Secker