ORIGINAL: junk2drive
What PCK does NOT have:
Weather effects (falling rain, snow, fog)
Variable visiblity
Ammo or infantry counts
Infantry crawling toward their death
Tanks retreating upon sight of enemy ubertanks
Destructable buildings
Bomb craters
What PCK does have:
Better smoke effects
Infantry smoke
Easier vehicle plotting
Some order delay but not the annoying type of CMBB (IMO)
Multi story buildings
No borg spotting
Planes that work
More as I think of them.
I see quite a bit of difference. I may know the CM editor as well or better than anyone. Seems like all I've done for the past 5 years is be in the CM editor. Either with my scenarios or other peoples.
I have just played the tutorial so I'm by no means an expert on PC.
Here is what differences I see just from the tutorial.
Way more information about the forces you control in CM. From where they are going, to what they are doing, to what is happening to them.
1) One of my tanks was hit and not repairable. I found that information in the end of game listing. Not during game play. I was unaware that 2 of my tanks had been hit. I destroyed all the Russian tanks. When I would check one of my tanks it would show me the targeting line but not what was targeted. I had to go and actually check each tanks target to see what it was. Very time consuming.
2) The plethoria of setting for CM isn't here. Where you can show the covered arcs, the movement orders for every single unit on the map, the detailed hit information...all seemingly missing from PC.
3) No elements information. The weather just seems to be what it is. The tutorial didn't have any mission information as well.
4) Map information. Where exactly is the flag? I don't see it on the main map just what I think it is on the small map. Not a good trade off at all.
5) I have no idea what part of the turn I'm in. The phases are confusing and there is no clock to tell where I'm at. That would go away as you play the game I'm sure. As a CM player it was like being lost in the fog.
PC has the ability to do more tactical moves with less effort While I could do overwatch in CM I had to set it up. In PC it's right there for you in the bound movement order.
CM had terrain affected by combat. Buildings would in fact blow up creating a dust cloud. Fire of any kind, including vehicles, would set the map on fire as well. From buildings to trees and crops could all burn and catch fire from events in the game.
Seems so far like all the vehicles that die in PC blow up. In CM you had the death clock. A vehicle wouldn't show being dead for a time. The side firing at the dead vehicle wouldn't necessarily know when that was.
PC vehicles burn for just a bit. Then the smoke and fire subsides. That doesn't happen in CM.
The tank fights seem a bit scripted in PC. At no point did the Russian tanks try to disengage. They just sat there and were killed one after the other. While CM takes some heat for tanks reversing out of combat that is actually a historically documented behavior. For some reason men want to keep on living.
There doesn't seem to be anywhere to tell what ammo loads my tanks have. Or how much they have left. That too is a bit unsettling.
Artillery is handled completely different by the two games. Both approaches have their merits and drawbacks IMO. A single over simplified delay for an entire nations forces in PC to an extensive over complicated system for each weapons type in CM. Where in CM anyone can spot to PC having only leaders with contact to the FO being able to spot....widely different approaches to the same end.
These are just some very basic observations and the first attempt to kick the tires of PC. I understand that Kharkov may well take into account many of these differences. Some of which aren't bad.
My mouse seemed over sensitive and I had a hard time moving around on the map but there are surely controls that can help that.
For me as a scenario designer the BIG issue is not being able to make maps. CM is light years ahead with a fully operational map editor. That of course isn't evident in the tutorial..and may also be corrected in the upcoming Kharkov game.
Overall the first impression was very favorable.
Good Hunting.
MR