Put REAL TIME GAME IN HUGE BLOODY LETTERING

[miral]

I am constantly baffled by the fact that many ads for computer games fail to specify whether they are turn based or real time. I ordered WAR think it, like almost all of the games from Matrix, was turn based. I loathe real time games. Haven't gotten it as it is backordered but since all sales are final I am stuck.

Yes, I know that in the specifications, in small print it says real time game, so I am not blaming anyone for my mistake. But since this is the most important fact about a game could you at Matrix and indeed all game makers please put REAL TIME GAME IN GREAT BIG RED LETTERING UP FRONT IN THE ADS? Thank you.

[Andrew Williams]

I think all matrixgames are advertised with the accompanying data sheet
Below is the one with WaR

Game Data

• Complexity: Basic to Moderate
• Field of Play: Tactical
• Historical Period: World War II
• Theater: European
• Unit Scale: Individual Soldier to Squad Level
• Turn Play: Real Time Strategy
• Players: 1 - 2
• AI: Yes
• TCP/IP: Yes
• PBEM: No
• Game Editor: Yes
• Manual: PDF (Download) & B/W printed(Physical), 92 pages
• Display Resolution: 1024x768 or higher

If each of those was put in HUGE BLOODY LETTERING  there would be no room for the game.

[Svend Karlson]

Miral, don't write this one off.

I vastly prefer turn based games most of the time, but there are exceptions to that rule. Hearts of Iron and Paradoxes other grand-strategies are one of them. Close Combat is another. They honest to goodness work better real-time and there is no time-pressure at all.

Best regards

[miral]

Dear Mr. Williams,

You will notice that I said in my post that I was not blaming Matrix for my mistake; the info on Real Time is indeed in the ad. Nor did I request that you put ALL the game info in large lettering. I requested that, since real time or turn based is probably the single most important point in deciding whether to buy a game or not, you put this specific piece of information in a prominent place; up front and in large letters.

Thank you

[miral]

Dear Mr. Karlson,

Thank you for your words of encouragement. Since you are mostly a turn based player too, I will indeed take your advice and give WAR a try. I hope I will be pleasantly surprised; there are indeed exceptions to everything and I have great hope, from reading some of the forums, that the ability to play WAR at a very slow speed will make it more of a cross between real time and turn based.

Thanks

[Platoon_Michael]

You may not enjoy playing with the slow speed option.Might I suggest trying the game at medium or fast speed then adjust accordingly if needed.
Using the zoomed out option (located in the lower left corner) helps a lot when things do get heated up and also when trying to determine LOS.I strongly suggest using that for deployment also until you get used to the maps.
It's just unfortunate that they didnt offer any options like assigning support showing elevation or allowing the voice box from your teams to open up like and selecting troops like when playing.
But you can issue the normal orders.

[noname]

Thank You Miral, I was about to order the game when I saw your post. There have been very few RTS games that I have enjoyed and am not about to risk my hard earned money on another one. The market is flooded with RTS, but they sell and Matrix needs money too, so I don't blame them. At least they do give the type of game even if hard to find. Most advertising neglects to mention it at all.

[TDeacon]

Hi Miral,

The game is "real-time", but you can pause it and issue commands (unless of course playing against another player). 

Overall, the Close Combat series can be quite addicting.  In addition, CC Wacht am Rhein (which is a revision of the old CC IV) has a much improved strategic game, to link the individual tactical battles. 

[Fred98]

ORIGINAL: noname

The market is flooded with RTS, but they sell and Matrix needs money too, so I don't blame them.

The thing is that Close Combat is not RTS in the way you imply. It is not comparable to "the market" you mention.

I have alwayes loathed RTS but I have been a great fan of Close Combat.
-

[Jonathan Pollard]

I think there was/is a demo for the original Close Combat that still might be available which gives a general idea on how all the CC series plays.

By the way, I think the "I can't take it" audio (in both English and German) is much better in the original Close Combat than in WaR, I wonder if it would be possible to replace the sound file to get the original.

[Andrew Williams]

 think it is the original... I didn't replace it.

[e_barkmann]

as has been pointed out, CC is not yer average twitcher RTS.

There is a complete absense of nicely animated factories pushing out freshly made tanks.

There is the complete absense of Technology Trees.

There is a complete absense of natural and man made Resouce summaries

There is a complete absense of the Political and Diplomatic windows.

It's a good game, and I give most RTS/continuous pausible games a wide berth these days.

cheers

[noname]

OK, so the game is pausable and you can give orders. Can you also move the camera to view the entire battlefield, can you go to the different screens to check info and stats? I was confused because CC Cross of Iron is listed as RTS Pausable and CC WAR is listed as just RTS. I really dislike the mad click fest of the RTS. I am a slow thinker and planner but I get there just the same and enjoy it. In RTS the AI slaughters me while I am thinking. Thanks for the help.

[Svend Karlson]

ORIGINAL: noname

OK, so the game is pausable and you can give orders. Can you also move the camera to view the entire battlefield, can you go to the different screens to check info and stats? I was confused because CC Cross of Iron is listed as RTS Pausable and CC WAR is listed as just RTS. I really dislike the mad click fest of the RTS. I am a slow thinker and planner but I get there just the same and enjoy it. In RTS the AI slaughters me while I am thinking. Thanks for the help.

Honestly, this game is as far away from being a click-fest as say . . . . Germany was from adopting a single model for a tank and then sticking to it.

When I said in my first post that I was mostly a turn-based type gamer, let me qualify that.

I bought but ceased playing Warcraft 3 because I could not give orders when paused. I bought but ceased playing Ground Control because I could not give orders when paused. Finally, I learned my lesson and didn't buy Imperial Glory, because although nowhere in any product features or reviews did it indicate whether one could pause and give orders, I asked in their forums and found the answer was no. I left polite feedback on their forums indicating the lack of that feature was the reason I would not buy their game, and so did a few others.

Close Combat is different though. I too was initially very very wary, but the combination of strategic layer and tactical, realistic combat was too much for me and I caved. I am so glad I did. I never feel pressured for time, never feel that I cannot study the map, my soldiers, the enemy, and if I was offered a turn-based version of Close Combat, would now decline, since I do not think it could possibly work as well.

I don't intend to wax lyrical, but that is my summary.

[noname]

HEY!!! I was reading further in this forum and came across a comment by Marc Martial to the effect that you cannot issue orders in Pause mode. Who is right?

[CSO_Talorgan]

ORIGINAL:  Platoon_Michael: Might I suggest trying the game at medium or fast speed then adjust accordingly if needed.

... or vary the speed to taste via F8.

ORIGINAL:  noname: I am a slow thinker and planner but I get there just the same and enjoy it.  In RTS the AI slaughters me while I am thinking.

Me too but it's a long time since the Close Combat AI has slaughtered me.
 
It's like everything else, you become accustomed to the game.
 
That's not to say that it doesn't cause the pulse to race, but why would you play if it didn't?
 
Have to say that while turn-based is entirely appropriate for operational games, or for huge tactical games like Combat Mission, it is much less so for small scale action. Real life isn't turn based. 

ORIGINAL:  noname: a comment by Marc Martial to the effect that you cannot issue orders in Pause mode. Who is right?

He is, unfortunately.
 

[noname]

Thank you Mr. Karlson, I appreciate your extended reply and I think that I will try the game when I have the money to spare.. Maybe Miral will have his thoughts posted when he gets the game. The more opinions the better. Thanks

[miral]

Thank you one and all for your comments and advice on playing WAR. I am now intrigued enough to keep an open mind and will give it a good try.

I hope I can claim the title of World's Greatest Hater of Real Time Games. Nobody hates Real Time more than me. We live our lives under the command of the Terrible Clock, watching It, being rushed, having no time to think; not the experience I want in a game. So if I enjoy WAR I think most turn based fans will. Once I have received and assimilated the game I will post my thoughts on it for the benefit of turn based players. I could well be wrong about this (being wrong is a fairly strong speciality of mine also). Again, thanks all.

[TDeacon]

Whoops; sorry Miral / Noname,
 
I was mistaken about orders in pause mode.  No intention to deceive; just confusing with another game I am playing right now (Nexus).  (Dumb of me). 
 
However, you ***can*** pause (when playing against the AI, not a real human opponent), and even though orders cannot be issued, you can scan the visible portion of the map and decide which orders to issue, ready to go when unpaused.  Furthermore, the nature of orders-giving in CC is such that when you unpause, the AI will typically simulate the normal degree of indecision, such that it seems to not have benefited from the pause.  You can also repeat this cycle, for example, pause - consider - target the Panther - immediately pause again - consider - target the next unit - etc.  Thus, the net effect approaches being able to issue all orders while paused. 

[TDeacon]

OK, have now started a multiplayer game on my home LAN and am looking at both sides at once.   I see that one ***can*** pause the game (esc key) in multiplayer as well.