New AAR Video for Command Ops: Battles from the Bulge!

[SeanD]

Watch the Allies smash into German lines along the Sure River in this video AAR!

Matrix Games and Panther Games are thrilled to release a video AAR for their highly anticipated World War II pausable continuous time operational game, Command Ops: Battles from the Bulge. The video AAR details the “Advance on the Sure” scenario from the Allied perspective and gives gamers a chance to see the intense gameplay on the tactical and operational level.

The video is available on YouTube or for download.

David Heath, Director of Operations at Matrix Games, said “We’re very excited to announce the imminent release of the latest game in the award-winning series that brought us Conquest of the Aegean and Highway to the Reich. For many wargamers, these operational simulations are the pinnacle of realism and the future of operational wargaming, including a brilliant AI to both fight against you and help you intelligently manage your own units. There’s no doubt that Battles from the Bulge will bring a new level of innovation, stunning realism and incredible attention to detail – all the elements we have come to expect from Panther Games!”

Assess, Plan, Order and React – The Decisions are Yours!

Acclaimed developer Panther Games brings us to the bitter cold of Western Europe during the Winter of 1944 with Command Ops: Battles from the Bulge. Although the Battle of the Bulge is ground that has been visited by wargamers before, it has never been done with this level of fidelity and historical accuracy. The most advanced and realistic model of command decision-making implemented to date in a commercial wargame, combined with thorough historical research on the battlefields and forces involved in this campaign sets Command Ops: Battles from the Bulge apart from the competition.

Set during the hard fighting of the Battle of the Bulge, Command Ops lets gamers assess, plan, order and react at the operational level just like a real Corps, Division and Brigade commander. Hundreds of hours of gameplay await armchair generals who will be challenged to fight their way across 27 scenarios that stretch from the initial German surprise offensive to the powerful Allied counter-attack.

Command Ops: Battles from the Bulge also sports some of the most advanced and impressive AI ever devised in an operational-level wargame! It is your choice whether to manage every detail of your army, or have the friendly AI manage the war on a lower level while you plan the larger scale maneuvers designed to make short work of your enemy. Just as a historical commander, you can choose where you need to step in and when you need to stand back and let your subordinates do their jobs.

The enemy AI will use its skill to launch well-timed and coordinated strikes as it probes your lines for weakness while realistically reacting to your movements! In addition, for the enthusiastic mod community awaiting Command Ops, powerful tools like MapMaker and ScenMaker allow for the creation of maps and scenarios further adding to already near limitless replayability.

Get more information on Command Ops: Battles from the Bulge from its official product page and be sure to check out the new video!

[wodin]

WOOHOO!! Looking good...

Not sure how the video is going to sell the game to new players nor convert anyone....the video tutorials will be the one for that I reckon.

The scenario that got me to realise the enormity of this series was the tutorial scenario in Airborne Assault Red Devils.....you only had a battalion to give orders to....you could then see how they spread out into formation to attack which is something that seems to be hard to notice when you have alot of units.

[EagleMountainDK]

Nice to see something about this one. But the cutting was a little to hard for me, i.e. I couldn't really follow the action. The zooming didn't help either. But I have COTA so I know what to expect - just more and better [&o]

[simovitch]

I designed and playtested the featured scenario and the video does not give it justice at all. It's a real hoot trying to knock the Führer-Grenadier Brigade of the Eschdorf Ridge while trying to secure the Sûre River crossings. The terrain in this area is almost as bad a Crete![:)]

[wodin]

To be honest if I didnt know the game I would look at that video and think...nope I'm not buying that.....

Hope it hasn't put newbies off.

[OConnor]

The idea of a video is a good one. However, As a fan of this system I wanted to let you know why I have to agree with wodin's observation. What the video is missing is A STORY! In the end it needs to tell a story with the video highlighting what is SO COOL about the game! Set the stage about why it would be a major achievement for the Americans to push the FGB off of Eschdorf ridge and then use the video to highlight some of the more dramatic battle actions (perhaps some veteran German units in a town repulsing an attack; overcoming adversity is also missing from the video but is an important part of any great story. Also the video can illustrate some of the cool things you can do as a commander (ie. order up an attack and watch the boys fan out to execute your order). I think that is the way to draw in new recruits to this FANTASTIC, but by no means easily comprehended, game! All the Best!!!

[loyalcitizen]

I hope the next video shows a smaller chunk of Command Ops action. Like highlighting a single Regiment amongst a similar sized operation, to show how it receives, processes, and forms up to follow its orders.
The big picture is a bit hard to follow and the jump cuts that cut out a couple of hours at a time kills the ability to follow the battle.

[wodin]

ORIGINAL: loyalcitizen

I hope the next video shows a smaller chunk of Command Ops action. Like highlighting a single Regiment amongst a similar sized operation, to show how it receives, processes, and forms up to follow its orders.
The big picture is a bit hard to follow and the jump cuts that cut out a couple of hours at a time kills the ability to follow the battle.

That would be perfect....fully agree.

[OlegHasky]

Agree..
Same critical error as in COTA trailer. I think fresh people mostly are intrested in seeing the famous "Real time" in this engine.. evaluate the "REAL TIME" that series is operating in, And speed mode used bluring such valuation. The cholo flowing stright from zero to warp speed.. Thats just wow.. Another poison kiss for the series.
There is also no geometrics schown, (geometrics that targeting human subconcious mind, and making them stick to the game[;)])

Clearly seen, that somebody put up a work there, and was realy trying.. Just.. failed in most important matter. Again........

p.s. The winter map, and the scen looks realy good.

[Peter Fisla]

Hmmm...I have been a lurker for a while, I have Highway to the Reich but I don't really play it much. I'm not that much interested in the Battle of the Bulge either, I'm really not into Western Front....I'm Eastern Front fan. I would really really love to see this game do Eastern Front...I'm already going crazy thinking how great it would be to do battle of Stalingrad - the scale would be perfect. However I like to support the developer for the future so I'm possibly thinking picking up Battle of the Bulge. I have to say the video did an ok job, what I kind of didn't like was that there were too many units and it played too fast. I realize of course what the point of video was....however to someone who is new to wargames or new to this wargame engine might not be the best show case what the wargame is all about. 

[Llyranor]

Nice video (but wouldn't sell me on the game if I wasn't already sold), but it needs to showcase how exactly the player would interact with the gameplay system (showing off how easy it is to issue complex detailed/specific orders in just a few seconds of clicking), and the impact of order delays on the gameplay. Rather than just showing off the battle, you need to show you why it is proceeding that way based on what (and when) you've interacted with the interface in issuing orders.

[wodin]

I think that video should be withdrawn...the tutorial videos are the ones that should be put out across the net...

[Agema]

I have to agree also. That video is basically a load of coloured squares moving across a map and demonstrates too little. It doesn't show the quality of the AI in handling both the player's units and the enemy, the intricacy of the formations, and much more of the gameplay.

[JudgeDredd]

I kind of agree if I'm brutally honest. The video disjointed and does not do the game mechanics any justice.

A better approach would be to get someone to film an AAR of one of the tutorials...a nice small battle to show the mechanics...to newcomers, that veideo just shows a big heap of mess.

I really don't want to be offensive to the person who made it...it's just I don't think the video suits the purpose. A smaller, more focused video of a smaller scenario would be much more appealing I think....especially a battle everyone knew. Bastogne because everyone who's anyone knows of it and Foy because anyone who's watched Band of Brothers would love to "replay" that - if they are there

Ok...I guess Foy would be too small on it's own...but maybe if it's in another battle...points of reference which hit home is what you need...I've read a couple of books on the Bugle and I can't remember the battle in the AAR...or the towns or River. I'm sure they happened and probably in the books I've read and it's just my old memory again...but having read two books and not remembering the area, perhaps new blood might think "What is going on here and where is 'here' "?

[Arjuna]

I have uploaded to Matrix the full set of tutorial movies ( all 500Mb of them ). They will be making at least some of these publicly available. These go into some detail and expalin how best to play the game. Should be happening soon. Stay tuned.

[JudgeDredd]

Great news Dave. Anything that can help your sales and keep this great engine going has to be worth a try.

[RahRunner]

Nice teaser video, maybe more of a simplified AAR thou. I like how it shows the whole scope of the map and all units movement in time lapse. Might be alittle jumpy with the zooms, but the zooms show the town names which were mentioned in the goals. Plus, leave of technical stuff for the tutorial videos. Game looks cool, can't wait.

[GoodGuy]

ORIGINAL: wodin

I think that video should be withdrawn...the tutorial videos are the ones that should be put out across the net...

I agree with Wodin that the video should be withdrawn.

This video doesn't do the engine justice. A streamlined promotional video (means a proper promotional video) would be a better choice, imho. A rather confusing (for potential new players) AAR video doesn't do it, I think.

Also, I really don't understand why those harsh cuts have to be in there.
I used an animated GIF way back for my AAR in the COTA forum, displaying leaps in time, but I think you can't do that in a promotional video, as you gotta win over the new players, not the old schoolers who know what's going on. Also, I could imagine that the "bing" sounds of the green/yellow messages (re-supplies, completion of move/attack orders, surrenders) are quite annoying for people who don't know the game. Showing that a click on the message in the message history will port you to the location would have been a nice addition too, as well as a few clicks through the several tabs of a unit's infos, to show that there are features that offer a wealth of information without having to dig for the info in sub menus etc like in other games. The well designed GUI allows for easy access to the relevant data, so you should point out these strengths of the engine in such a video.

Also, I would have added some original Bulge footage (there's quite some content floating around the net, declared to be copyright-free, including the stuff from sources like NARA, LOC etc.) and maybe some terrain image, to show people what the terrain looks like. Even though a 3D view is not part of the game (yet), it would create some more immersion and you could just point out that external software had been used.

There are some free or inexpensive GIS/GS mappers out there. You could rotate the 3D view and change cam angles in such a program (like in Google earth) and record this live, and blend it in as part of the video's introduction, or you could check Google earth licensing to create and record a flight over the map area, as the terrain is quite interesting:

The Eschdorf/Heiderscheid perimeter:

[GoodGuy]

Map layer with reduced opacity:



Difficult terrain I'd say. [:D]
Whatsoever, as mentioned by the other posters, FF speed doesn't do the engine justice, imho. The video cuts may lead people (who don't know the game) to think that the gameplay may be choppy (which is not the case). Btw, maybe the editor hasn't noticed yet, but the text comment at the end of the video is missing a word and some letters, I'll put them in brackets:

It reads "West units have cross(ed) the Sure river and (are) engaging enemy units on the north side of the river."

Showing the big picture (by zooming out) was pretty much the only thing I liked there. Btw, are those bridges primed in the final scenario too?
If so, that'd be some sort of spoiler. [:)]

[GoodGuy]

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