Matrix Games Forums

This sort of seems like one more desperate attempt to squeeze a few more dollars out of gamers who aren't satisfied that new and better war games aren't being produced fast enough. I understand nobody has to buy, and I have all of the Close Combat games except for Modern Battles, which got less than great reviews, and have enjoyed them as they came out. But, I personally feel that a few new scenarios, or campaigns about the Normandy campaign will not be interesting enough to justify the 30 or 40 bucks that Matrix is going to ask for.[>:]

Don't forget that Panthers in the Fog will have updated 32-bit graphics, integrated multiplayer lobbies, and includes new features such as mounting troops and weapons to vehicles to bring some drastic changes to the tactical combat. While Close Combat as a series has been around for a very long time, it is a very endeared series that many fans hold in high regard. This will be the last Close Combat to get the 2D treatment, and with the move into 3D in the future, a new chapter in the series is being started.

Close Combat is still one of our most popular games in terms of hours played and sales so the stats seem to be against this. This is the first game in 10 years based on completely new content. UP until now all the releases were reworkings of the original games as this is all we were allowed to do. Now that we own the brand completely we are able to do anything we like. There will be a lot more to come on Close Combat!

Coming soon: Close Combat: Chaco Wars

Being honest here...

While I am looking forward to this game, I am not particularly looking forward to yet another late West Front battle. These have made up all bar 2 (really 1...) of the Close Combat games. I am not counting modern warfare as I was never interested in it. I also feel there are a myriad of different fronts and battles to choose from and am a bit perplexed as to why we again return to the same front. So, what lay behind the decision to head on back to '44 on the Western front?

On another issue altogether...I am concerned about the switch to 3D for the game after PitF. Nobody else has been able to pull it off successfully, and I am a witness to the abortive attempts to do so, none of which were worth the effort to play. Consequently, when I hear the inevitable 'We are switching to a 'NEW THREE DEE ENGINE!!!!1!!' my mind automatically goes back to the various attempts to 'fix' a great game by changing this.

What have you learned from past failures in this area? And how can you make sure things will be so much better than the current 2D engine? How exactly will 3D improve the next bevy of CC games? Can you be sure that the game will run as smoothly (or better one would hope) than the current games?

Sapper..it's 3D but still topdown mate...

To Chris Merchant,

If they do bring out CC: Chaco Wars, I don't want to play as Paraguay. They got a good kicking in that war.[:D]

I guess ultimately the amount of change/effort to each version and the resulting sales determine if the game has out lived its time....

I still regularly play CC5 and the newer Matrix releases I have....

It will never "live out of time" !

Can imagin us old fools who has been on it since CC2 -97 sitting at the retirement home with our laptops playing CC[:D]

/Mats

The news item is a bit misleading, as it initially (in the third sentence) mentions "the release" instead of "the upcoming release."

Anyway, I personally don't think that the game being 2D is a bad thing by default. What reduced my enthusiasm for earlier CC titles was the frequency of pathfinding glitches, which were (supposedly, I haven't actually tried it yet) fixed with the super patch. The graphics didn't really have anything to do with it. At its core, it's a solid game system and that's what matters.

As it's a bit quiet when it comes to East Front releases at a scale I enjoy, I'm slowly moving towards taking a new interest in the Western Front and there's a good chance I'll buy this game when it releases. I had a good time with Cross of Iron before I ran into a mission where the pathfinding issues became too annoying at which point I quit playing.

ORIGINAL: Sapa

It will never "live out of time" !

Can imagin us old fools who has been on it since CC2 -97 sitting at the retirement home with our laptops playing CC[:D]

/Mats

How true Sapa!

same

To Sapa,

I'm a 51 year old gamer, the laptops should be good when I retire in 15 years time lol. Also I've played a lot of war games in my time. I think there are years left in this game yet.

If it's top down, what does 3D bring to the party?

ORIGINAL: wodin

Sapper..it's 3D but still topdown mate...

I have to agree with SapperAstro, why another late war west front game, plenty other interesting subjects; early war west front, Crete, Italy, single operations east front ( Kursk etc ) . Seems to me that taking risks is not to be seen for a while in the pc wargame developing lands.

ORIGINAL: Ranger5355

If it's top down, what does 3D bring to the party?

ORIGINAL: wodin

Sapper..it's 3D but still topdown mate...

Better LOS calculation and terrain levels etc etc.

This has been mentioned several times. I was worried about 3D as it would stop the game feeling like Close Combat and just feel like another 3D game ala CoH or AP. Thats when it was mentioned the engine is 3D but it's top down view. Thus making LOS and terrain alot better aswell as improving graphic quality allround. It will also keep that Close Combat feel.

for me a 3D top down view and the possibility to toggle to an isometric view (a bit like sudden strike) is enough.

ORIGINAL: wodin

ORIGINAL: Ranger5355

If it's top down, what does 3D bring to the party?

ORIGINAL: wodin

Sapper..it's 3D but still topdown mate...

Better LOS calculation and terrain levels etc etc.

This has been mentioned several times. I was worried about 3D as it would stop the game feeling like Close Combat and just feel like another 3D game ala CoH or AP. Thats when it was mentioned the engine is 3D but it's top down view. Thus making LOS and terrain alot better aswell as improving graphic quality allround. It will also keep that Close Combat feel.

Sounds good to me, I love the top down and any "improvement" on this might spoil the game for me.

ORIGINAL: Panzerbri

To Sapa,

I'm a 51 year old gamer, the laptops should be good when I retire in 15 years time lol. Also I've played a lot of war games in my time. I think there are years left in this game yet.

Then we are both born 1961[&o]

ORIGINAL: Sapa

ORIGINAL: Panzerbri

To Sapa,

I'm a 51 year old gamer, the laptops should be good when I retire in 15 years time lol. Also I've played a lot of war games in my time. I think there are years left in this game yet.

Then we are both born 1961[&o]

Sapa, youre still a young sprog