Developer support ?

[PirateJock]

Does anyone know what Matrix/Boku plans for supporting this title are?

Currently there are a lot of questions being asked about game mechanics but little/no feedback from 'official' sources. Also I'm not sure if this game is going to stay 'as is' or if there is the possibility for it to be developed further.

Maybe I've been spoilt with past games (TOAW, BftB, Battlefield Academy to name a few) where the developers are very active on the forums and implement some of the improvements put forward. At the moment I'm not getting that vibe for Combat Command.

This is a genuine question not a rant. I'm having a lot of fun playing and learning the game; I'm just curious.

Cheers

[sabre1]

^+1

[stormbringer3]

I have been seriously considering purchase of this game, but the lack of response to questions does give me some pause. As the OP mentioned, I have other Matrix titles where the support is A+ and I always take that in consideration when I look at making a purchase.  

[kam99]

+2

The lack of support is disappointing. I have put it on hold. Some say that the game designer is easy to use. It is significant that the Matrix edition was released 6 weeks ago, and it appears that nobody has released a scenario for it yet.

[JMass]

ORIGINAL: kam99
It is significant that the Matrix edition was released 6 weeks ago, and it appears that nobody has released a scenario for it yet.

I released a complete graphics mod, I make also a scenario to test the editor but I have no time to improve it (it lacks companies and map names) or to design more.

[PirateJock]

ORIGINAL: kam99
Some say that the game designer is easy to use. It is significant that the Matrix edition was released 6 weeks ago, and it appears that nobody has released a scenario for it yet.

I've had a play with the editor and it's very easy to use. Creating a map is simple and quick, as is creation of the units. What will take the time - as with all wargames - is sorting out the OOBs and coming up with the right unit stats. This will be my first go at scenario design so it'll take me some time to get the research done ... that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it

Also in the developers' defense - there is the public beta to address a PBEM issue. This was put out promptly. And the patch does include a new map item (bocage).

Cheers

[Rosseau]

I am happy with my purchase, but was thinking exact same thing as the OP. Specifically, this game is good enough to deserve a wider audience. So need to pump things up a bit.

Also, would love an automated direct fire phase to save mouse clicks, but that might be too much to ask.

Bottom line, if you have the $35, I wouldn't hesitate to buy it still. Lots of playing time here and few/no bugs.

[Fred98]

ORIGINAL: kam99

Some say that the game editor is easy to use.

It is significant that the Matrix edition was released 6 weeks ago, and it appears that nobody has released a scenario for it yet.

Actually this wargame has more scenarios than any wargame I have ever seen!

-

[stormbringer3]

The fans of this game have made counter and map mods that look excellent!! The issue is recently, gameplay questions go unanswered. Some of the players give answers the best they can, but a member of the development team should also respond.  

[kam99]

I totally agree with all that has been said:

- JMas's map mod is excellent.
- The game does come with a large number of scenarios.
- The game editor seems easy to use.
- The members of the community are trying their best to answer user's questions.

However, two facts remain:

- The developers are not answering questions.
- There is insufficient data on unit creation in the manual for the average user to create a credible scenario.

This criticism is meant to be constructive. I want this game to prosper.

kam

[sabre1]

You would think the profit margins would be high for this title due to relatively low development costs. Matrix would probably devote more resources to this title if it sold well, but there is no "real" developer behind the game like ATG has?

I would also imagine that Matrix has to be careful promoting one game, and ticking off the other present game developers (several come to mind).

I have the feeling if this game is to thrive, and personally I think it should due to the simplicity and ease of play vs a WHOLE lot of other games (that come to mind) it is up to the user base.

Take a look at WWII General Commander. It's gone and forgotten (kept hoping it would get more love, but oh well). This game will suffer the same fate unless we keep it going. Personally I'm not good at designing stuff, but I can post and tell everyone how wonderful this system is.

Of course I doubt we can get away with it in other topic forums. Rant, off.

[sabre1]

One more thing [:'(], once this topic moves down to the WWII forums, it will die the good death, because only us hardcore wargamers will pay any attention to the topic.

[Max 86]

I feel that this title is more of a re-release than an actual effort to develop a game engine with future enhancements. With that said, I am very happy with the purchase and see this staying on my hard drive for some time. I just like the whole thing and think its a classic tactical WW2 game. I have burnt myself out on TOAW, JTCS and SP and was looking for an alternative and this little gem came along just at the right time.

I would highly recommend this title to anyone looking for a different take on tactical combat. There are a lot of scenarios to go through and some are rather large and will take quite a while to finish (yippee!). But there are also the medium and smaller scenarios too.

It would be nice if Matrix would make a statement about future plans though.

[PirateJock]

^
That's my take on it as well. Good classic game re-released with a few tweaks, no plans to develop further. Fun and relatively easy to play with the appropriate level of detail.

Cheers

[Obsolete]

This criticism is meant to be constructive. I want this game to prosper.

Understood...

And for the record, the developers are in the middle of discussing what to include in the next release.

[PirateJock]

Hi Obsolete

That's great news [:)] Thanks for the info.

Cheers

[sabre1]

Yipee, Great news Obsolete!