Suggestion for a future Close Combat: 2.5D tactical evolution with adaptive AI
Posted: Tue May 26, 2026 10:41 pm
Hello Matrix/Slitherine team and Close Combat community,
I am a long-time Close Combat player and I would like to share an idea for the future of the series.
In my opinion, the soul of Close Combat was never about cinematic 3D spectacle. Its strength was the top-down tactical readability: terrain, cover, morale, suppression, ambushes, line of sight, and the feeling that every squad was made of men under stress, not just units on a map.
For a future Close Combat, I think the ideal direction would be a modern 2.5D evolution rather than a full 3D transformation.
The core idea would be:
- a highly detailed 2.5D top-down battlefield;
- modern high-resolution maps with clear terrain detail;
- better distinction between concealment and real protection;
- directional cover from walls, hedges, buildings, craters and wrecks;
- clearer ambush positions and line-of-sight/line-of-fire feedback;
- persistent battle damage affecting tactical options;
- a deeper morale and suppression system;
- tactical AI able to use terrain, smoke, flanking, reserves and ambushes;
- operational AI that remembers previous battles and adapts to the player’s habits.
The most important point would be adaptive AI.
For example, if the player repeatedly attacks through the same orchard, road or village approach, the enemy AI should not magically know everything, but it could “learn” from previous battles and prepare better defenses there next time: a machine gun, an anti-tank gun, a reserve squad, mines, or a stronger defensive line.
This would simulate an enemy commander learning from previous mistakes, without cheating or becoming omniscient.
Close Combat already has the perfect foundation for this kind of system: persistent campaigns, battlegroups, fatigue, casualties, morale and terrain-based tactics. A future game could build on that identity instead of trying to become a standard 3D RTS.
For me, the dream version of Close Combat would be:
classic top-down tactical clarity
+ modern 2.5D graphics
+ deeper terrain and cover simulation
+ improved morale and suppression
+ adaptive tactical and operational AI
+ persistent campaign consequences.
I still play the older Close Combat titles because no modern game fully replaces that specific feeling of tactical tension, terrain reading and human morale under fire.
I believe many older fans of the series would be interested in a Close Combat that evolves the original formula instead of replacing it.
Thank you for keeping this historic series alive.
Sorry for my English, I am writing from Italy, but I really wanted to share this idea as a passionate Close Combat player.
I am a long-time Close Combat player and I would like to share an idea for the future of the series.
In my opinion, the soul of Close Combat was never about cinematic 3D spectacle. Its strength was the top-down tactical readability: terrain, cover, morale, suppression, ambushes, line of sight, and the feeling that every squad was made of men under stress, not just units on a map.
For a future Close Combat, I think the ideal direction would be a modern 2.5D evolution rather than a full 3D transformation.
The core idea would be:
- a highly detailed 2.5D top-down battlefield;
- modern high-resolution maps with clear terrain detail;
- better distinction between concealment and real protection;
- directional cover from walls, hedges, buildings, craters and wrecks;
- clearer ambush positions and line-of-sight/line-of-fire feedback;
- persistent battle damage affecting tactical options;
- a deeper morale and suppression system;
- tactical AI able to use terrain, smoke, flanking, reserves and ambushes;
- operational AI that remembers previous battles and adapts to the player’s habits.
The most important point would be adaptive AI.
For example, if the player repeatedly attacks through the same orchard, road or village approach, the enemy AI should not magically know everything, but it could “learn” from previous battles and prepare better defenses there next time: a machine gun, an anti-tank gun, a reserve squad, mines, or a stronger defensive line.
This would simulate an enemy commander learning from previous mistakes, without cheating or becoming omniscient.
Close Combat already has the perfect foundation for this kind of system: persistent campaigns, battlegroups, fatigue, casualties, morale and terrain-based tactics. A future game could build on that identity instead of trying to become a standard 3D RTS.
For me, the dream version of Close Combat would be:
classic top-down tactical clarity
+ modern 2.5D graphics
+ deeper terrain and cover simulation
+ improved morale and suppression
+ adaptive tactical and operational AI
+ persistent campaign consequences.
I still play the older Close Combat titles because no modern game fully replaces that specific feeling of tactical tension, terrain reading and human morale under fire.
I believe many older fans of the series would be interested in a Close Combat that evolves the original formula instead of replacing it.
Thank you for keeping this historic series alive.
Sorry for my English, I am writing from Italy, but I really wanted to share this idea as a passionate Close Combat player.