Command Impressions

[Stevechase]

Well the more I have played Command the more I am feeling I may have made a mistake. In addition to no database editor, I have just now found that your control of sensors is very inflexible. You can turn on a sensor or turn it off. That's it. There is no intermittent option, or the ability to have a sensor turn on at a certain way point for a few seconds (quick sweep)and then back off. Maybe I have overlooked something, if so please correct me. I do hate to appear negative, but I just thought that for 80 bucks the game would provide so much more than previous naval sims, however it seems--in some instances there is less value in the game. Had I known of these I know I would not have purchased.
Don't get me wrong there are areas where this game seems to me to excel. I think one of those is in the actual combat physics so to speak. IMHO Command really comes up aces here. But still there are these things some small some not so small like a glaring lack of options with sensors that just seems so appropriate for the game given this level of complexity. Again hate to sound negative. I know devs put there heart and soul into this. But still I must be honest about my feel for the game and right now it is- well, mediocre at best.

[SSN754planker]

Having played Harpoon and other naval sims for years, CMANO is a much needed and welcome addition to this genre. Is it perfect? By no means. But in my eyes, it is already much better than anything out there. I kind of look at this sim as an jigsaw puzzle with some pieces missing. We know there aren't some thing working right now, but we know we have the pieces to finish it. The devs are listening and fixing and adding things almost on a daily basis. Intermittent radars would be a nice feature to add in the future. They have already said an advanced mission editor is in the pipeline, and hopefully that addresses a lot of issues we have with the AI.

I hope you stick it out and enjoy this sim as much as others are right now. Having been in the Harpoon cave for all this time, it is sure nice to see some sunlight.

[mikmykWS]

In command you can turn on and off individual sensors, groups of sensors and set EMCON by mission. You can also modify with rules of engagement.

I don't view the intermittent settings as implemented in Harpoon as useful to Command because there was no underlying logic relevant to what is going on during the battle. It was just a mechanism to make radars active and passive at certain times set by the editor. It never spoofed the AI in any meaningful way and there was no logic to help air defense sites to flicker on and off. Heck half the editors never even used it right as they'd set the interval to such a small time increment that would lead the AI to the target irregardless.

I hope that we'll be able to do something much smarter for Command. It will make us and our customers much happier.

Thanks for the input Steve.

Mike

[Stevechase]

Well thanks for the reply and encouragement. I too am Harpoon veteran and agree with you your assessment. I want Command to be the very best it can be as I am sure all want. I will continue to follow in hopes that these things will be tended to. But was told by dev that database editor is not planned, and at the moment these are bit of a show stopper for me.

[mikmykWS]

I do recognize you and sorry to hear that.

Mike

[Stevechase]

Not saying I am abandoning. I guess I am willing to except not database editor. But are you saying that more EMCON options are in the future.

[Stevechase]

ORIGINAL: mikmyk

I do recognize you and sorry to hear that.

Mike

Yes I remember you and other devs also and that is the only reason I believe in Command. Thanks for your kind reply it seems you considered more EMCON options during development but decided against for the reasons you just gave. I can understand your reasoning. But if I may suggest would it be possible to implement an option where you can have a unit turn on/off sensors for specified time at specific waypoint plots. I can see where this could be very useful.

[mikmykWS]

We'd like to build in smarter logic for EMCON. I'll let D speak to a few other things we already do but the goal is that the AI would make good decisions about when to go active, passive. Right now its linked to mission, ROE and defensive logic but there are some more things we would like to do.

We're not in this to punch out a game and say done. Command will continue to evolve as we play and things shake out with the community.

[Stevechase]

ORIGINAL: mikmyk

We'd like to build in smarter logic for EMCON. I'll let D speak to a few other things we already do but the goal is that the AI would make good decisions about when to go active, passive. Right now its linked to mission, ROE and defensive logic but there are some more things we would like to do.

We're not in this to punch out a game and say done. Command will continue to evolve as we play and things shake out with the community.

Excellent. I can live with that. But please give my request in post 6 some consideration. I think from a mission planning standpoint it would be nice to have the confidence that when ship "A" reaches certain way point it will make a brief radar sweep etc.

[thewood1]

CAn you do that today by putting a mission active at the end of a plot. Have that mission just a simple radar sweep?

[ComDev]

ORIGINAL: Stevechase

But if I may suggest would it be possible to implement an option where you can have a unit turn on/off sensors for specified time at specific waypoint plots. I can see where this could be very useful.

I'm working on the code for waypoint speed/alt/emcon changes right now actually. Complex stuff so will take a little time to finish and test in between family life, day job and 1000 other Command feature requests, but we'll get there.

[ComDev]

ORIGINAL: Stevechase

Excellent. I can live with that. But please give my request in post 6 some consideration. I think from a mission planning standpoint it would be nice to have the confidence that when ship "A" reaches certain way point it will make a brief radar sweep etc.

Interesting thought.

Okay such a feature is further into the future. Right now you'd have to add two waypoints, one for 'radar on' and one for 'radar off'.

Thanks!

[Der Zeitgeist]

ORIGINAL: emsoy
I'm working on the code for waypoint speed/alt/emcon changes right now actually. Complex stuff so will take a little time to finish and test in between family life, day job and 1000 other Command feature requests, but we'll get there.

That sounds great! Thanks for your tireless support! [:)]

[Stevechase]

ORIGINAL: Der Zeitgeist

ORIGINAL: emsoy
I'm working on the code for waypoint speed/alt/emcon changes right now actually. Complex stuff so will take a little time to finish and test in between family life, day job and 1000 other Command feature requests, but we'll get there.

That sounds great! Thanks for your tireless support! [:)]

That sounds great, Even with two waypoints.