Matrix Games, Slitherine (www.slitherine.com) and Black Hand Studios are excited to release a new promotional video showing off the huge improvements to unit pathfinding in the coming relaunch of the Close Combat games. With crystal clear “before the update” and “after the update” illustrations, gamers can see how the upcoming relaunch and mega updates will fulfill a longstanding wish of the Close Combat community and create a much improved gaming experience!
The video is available on YouTube or for download.
These new “2.0” versions of Close Combat are expected to be available for sale on June 15th. These new releases mark a fantastic overall improvement to the gameplay of the Close Combat games and show the astonishing distance the series has come since its original form many years ago. If you played Close Combat but haven’t tried the re-releases yet, this is the best time to get in on the action! Everyone who owns a Matrix Games release of Close Combat (excluding Modern Tactics) will receive a corresponding free mega update with these improvements as soon as the improved releases are available in the Matrix Games Online Store!
Also, don’t forget that we announce the Hoffa’s Body Easter Egg Contest! For all the veteran Close Combat commanders out there who remember finding Hoffa’s body in the classic Close Combat games, we’ve placed Hoffa’s body somewhere on the battlefields of Close Combat – Last Stand Arnhem. The first person to find Hoffa’s body and send us an in-game screenshot of his location along with their serial key will win a free digital copy of any game in the Matrix Games or Slitherine store!
Relaunch and Mega Update Improvements (CC: Cross of Iron, CC: Wacht am Rhein, CC: The Longest Day)
- Major improvements were made to the way vehicles and soldiers travel to way points and reach the end destination of both simple and highly complex, unhindered paths with a very high degree of success.
- Soldier pathfinding was improved so that when soldiers fall behind (heavy weapon or momentarily lost) they plot their own path to successfully rejoin their team.
- Vehicle driver and soldier decision making was improved to help them deal with unexpected obstacles (vehicle moving into their way , or wreck that was knocked out in the course of battle to block a path that was already determined), and get out of dead-end locations.
- AI improvements were designed in concert with the re-designed pathfinder.
- The "Bee Dance" of CC2 that was related to conflicts between the AI for the vehicle driver and the AI that tried to keep the team moving along the team's path that would result in a conflict about which portion of the AI to follow or "which way to go” is resolved.
- Many other minor improvements were made and reported bugs were fixed.
- The mechanism for borrowing teams from the reserve battlegroup was redesigned.
- The Grand Campaign was redesigned for improved play balance
