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Poor graphics- very poor manual

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 1 / 18
Date: October 22, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Just purchased the CMBB-SE version and what a disappointment this game is. Childish graphics and to top off the disappointment-the manual is missing 25 pages to it!?! It goes from page 1-128(stops in mid paragraph) and the next page is 153. To make it better it goes from page 153 to 176 AND then begins again at page 153 to page 240. Please do not buy this game-it is really poor. Buy Blitzkrieg or wait for Codename:panzers due out early next year. This game is a waste of money and impossible without a complete manual!

Combat Mission - A Review !

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: October 24, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Part 1 = CM:Beyond Overlord ( Western Front )
Part 2 = CM:Barbarossa to Berlin ( Eastern Front )
Part 3 = CM:Afrika Korps ( Italian/Afrika Fronts )

The three games use the same game engine, with slightly improved graphics and Artificial Intelligence ( AI ) as the series progresses.

It is a turn based system based on the board game "Squad Leader" and offers three dimensional ( 3D ) graphics. You have a choice of opponents 'computer','Play By Email' ( PBEM ) and 'TCP/IP'.

The game makes all the laborious calculations, which previously had to be done manually, when playing the old Squad Leader board games. This by itself makes the game worth purchasing.

This game should not be confused with the many miltary first person shooters on the market. This is a true military strategy game, allowing players to use tactics to develop an overall strategy.

Although the game is quite playable and enjoyable, it does have it's limitations, in particular, average quality graphics.

The owners are aware of the games limitations and are rewriting the engine, code-named 'CMX2' from scratch, which is due to be released sometime during 2006. We are hoping big things for this engine. Our only hesitation is that the engine will be dummied down so owners of low-end computers will purchase the game.

Further information can be found on the owners homepage at battlefront.com, which also has a discussion forum and free downloadable demos. In addition, there is a Usenet group dedicated to discussing the game 'alt.games.combat-mission'.

If you are considering purchasing the game, start with Part 3, as it has the best graphics and AI of the trilogy.

We hope you enjoy playing the game!

Yours truly,

Sean Evans

spevans@rogers.com

Excellent turn-based tactical wargaming

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: November 06, 2003
Author: Amazon User

The Combat Mission series is the best turn-based tactical level WWII simulation out there, hands down. What makes the game engine unique is the "we-go" design, where each side plots orders for their units and then the turn is resolved simultaneously, which can be viewed as a movie. The game has a tactical level artificial intelligence that allows for units to make intelligent decisions during the course of turn based on input from their environment. For instance, if you order a T34 tank to advance over the crest of hill and during the course of the turn the T-34 spots a Tiger tank in the distance, chances are the T-34 will quickly reverse behind the crest to save itself.

The level of technical detail is truely top notch and Battlefront took a lot of input from military experts and hard-core wargamers to develop accurate models.

The graphics are good, but not comparable to some real-time games on the market. But the emphasis of this game is realism, strategy and tactics - not arcade psuedo history shoot em up.

An excellent scenario editor provides longevity to the game and hundres of customers publish custom scenarios. Buying this game is money well spent!

Great

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: November 19, 2003
Author: Amazon User

The game is excellent, if your into the whole turn based strategy game elements. The historical accuracy is one of the highest aspects of this game, ranging from different values of armour depending on years and months as well as equipment for different nations and dates.

There are mainly two different play types. A scenerio, and an operation. A scenerio can have up to 10 to 40 turns of combat, meaning while a Operation can have between 1 and 100 battles! It is truly excellent for those who wish to play for days, or even half an hour depending on what you want.

Custom scenerio building is very excellent, giving even the most simple of you gamers out there the power to build an entire battlefield within the game itself. No extra programs, no extra hassles, just pure fun.

The action is intense and sometimes even scary when you watch your defense line crumble under a computers, or another players, attack. Or exciting when your chasing the enemy's troops back towards their own.

The manual is excellent, giving you a massive outlook on all of the hard work and dedication the designers put into the research. All of the pages are filled with detailed info and helpful hints. AS well, it explains some of the games concepts in a clear manner.

The graphics, while not on par with such high rest super games, are great for what the game is about. The main focus on this game is gameplay, not graphics. But even so, the graphics are still really good when you watch a battle between 40 soldiers and several tanks crashing into eachother.

It gives you so many options, and the skins for soldiers and tanks are very editable, as well as the sounds. Meaning that uniform nuts and bolt-heads will go nuts trying to reskin every detail into a simple .bmp.

If your still unsure, try the demo at www.battlefront.com.

Finaly a game for all you SL/ASL fans out there

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: November 19, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This is the game you SL/ASL fans have been waiting for since PCs became common.

The above reviewers of "childish graphics" is not true. The engine is a bit dated by 'todays' standards, but still is not at
all bad graphically. With the plentiful mods out there, it nearly lives up to todays standards.
But the real reason to get the game is the realism of the combat.
There are no health bars on tanks, no twitching RTS fastest mouse
wins. It's a thinking mans game.
So if you liked SL/ASL or any otehr WW2 game on that scale, get this game, and the soon to be released CM: Afrika Corps.

CMBB rocks

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: November 20, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Best war game ever - hands down. Great against the A.I. - even better against a friend.

Amazing Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: November 21, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin is a fantastic addition to the Combat Mission line of games started in Beyond Overlord.
This is a game for people that really love in depth WW2 strategy but aren't opposed to some nice eye candy too.
It's a balance between hardcore strategy and pleasure to play.
The format is going to be unfamiliar to those coming from the RTS clickfests. In the game you issue orders for the coming 1minute to all of your units (your orders can however cover time periods lasting much longer than that, but you'll get another chance to revise them in a minute).
After you've decided your orders you hit your go button and settle in to watch a 1 minute movie that let's you fastwd rewind pause replay and gives you a fully mobile camera to watch the action from any angle you'd like. The movies alone are worth the price of the game.
There's immense detail in the engine and the setup of units.
There are complaints that infantry is somewhat abstracted (you get 3 figures standing in for squads) Still, it's a tiny concession to processing power and you'll rapidly forget that there's anything odd about it.

The game play options include hotseat, Player Vs CPU, PVP over lan,tcp/ip or via play by email which should not be overlooked as one of the most enjoyable ways to experience this game.

It's a great game to get the younger (not young) gamer into playing games that rely more on skill than speed and a great game for the old grognard in everyone.

Cheers

Wonderful Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: November 26, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Perfect game, for those moving from ASL to computer games. AI is intelligent, play by email works well, play-balance excellent. If you enjoyed ASL, I dare say, you'll enjoy this game as well.

Fantastic strategy wargame!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 11
Date: December 02, 2003
Author: Amazon User

CMBB continues the Combat Mission franchise on the East Front. It covers, as the name specifies, the German invasion of USSR in 1941 through the end of the war. With Germans, Finns, Romanians, Hungarians, Soviets, and Poles as the nationalities, and weak 1941 tanks through 1945 heavy tanks, and terrain from the Arctic Circle to Sevastopol, there is a lot of variety. Between having easily-made scenarios and computer-generated Quick Battles, it is difficult to see ever getting tired of the game.

The game itself is a WEGO game -- each side plots its move, then it is shown as a movie. A big battle could have a lot going on, so the ability to watch it from different angles and rewind is very useful. The game focuses on creating a realistic playable game. The game is rather simple to play, but at the same time it can be very difficult. So, it is more of an intellectual challenge than a reflex game.

An interest in WW2 history is optional, and certainly not necessary to enjoy this exceptional game.

A masterpiece of WWII strategy and unit tactics.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: December 31, 2003
Author: Amazon User

In brief, this game is not for those with short attention spans. Although some will find that the graphics lag behind todays standards, this is one of the few combat games where the player can command anything from a small platoon of soldiers within a city (German or Soviet) to entire regiments of forces on battlefields of monumental scale. Actual battles will unfold before your eyes across hours or even days. Of course, the game doesn't end here - an entire community of CM gamers awaits you on the internet to help you to upgrade or enhance the game - introducing everything from 1000s of historical engagements to new camoflage schemes for your Kampfgruppe. If you have an interest in World War Two, historical battles or simple small unit combat and tactics (military or civilian), this game has everything you need.

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