Combat Mission: Shock Force

RepoMan · February 12, 2007, 7:43pm

CMSF website:

[STRUCTURE]
Combat Mission: Shock Force features a completely new experience for players in the form of a highly story-driven, semi-dynamic campaign from the US perspective. Each battle includes a detailed Mission Briefing outlining specific objectives, ranging from traditional “hold this spot” type battles to engagements where maintaining force cohesion or inflicting casualties is the goal…

The dynamic style of play inherent in Combat Mission: Shock Force’s new game engine allows, for the first time, unique objectives for each side in a given battle, allowing each side to fight to fulfill its own goals rather than a single set common to both. This introduces a new challenge of having to guess and anticipate what the enemy is trying to achieve instead of knowing for sure what the other side is up to…
       To accurately simulate the often frantic and rapid pace of modern            combat, the [B]Combat Mission: Shock Force[/B] game engine was designed and programmed from the start to be RealTime. Experience Combat Mission like never before as you order your units while the battle rages on around you.
Knowing that RealTime play is not for everyone, Combat Mission: Shock Force also offers the exact same ground breaking WeGo hybrid turn based system that propelled the original Combat Mission games to an unprecedented three Wargame of the Year Awards from PC Gamer magazine.
     Play the game as you want, in RealTime mode or in the traditional WeGo turn based style. Battle against            the AI or another Human player via TCP/IP, PBEM (Play By Email), or Hotseat.
[INSERT KITCHEN SINK HERE]
There are so many powerful features awaiting you in Combat Mission: Shock Force that it’s impossible to list but a few of them. Experience the unique Relative Spotting system that reduces the unrealistic targeting problems found in most games (aka Borg Spotting), call in highly realistic air and artillery support, encounter extensive vehicle damage modeling, wield a full array of modern ATGMs, utilize up-to-date “up armor” modifications to US vehicles, control dozens of extremely detailed vehicle types with fully articulated suspension systems, command your troops using realistic portrayals of C4ISR communication systems, and so much more.

HOO AH!

JMR · February 12, 2007, 7:52pm

Due out this year I hope?

jpinard · February 12, 2007, 8:37pm

Yes. .

Lloyd_Heilbrunn · February 12, 2007, 8:42pm

Those graphics seem to have taken a quantum leap…

VegasRobb · February 12, 2007, 11:24pm

That looks really good. Hopefully there will be a demo.

Khelavaster · February 13, 2007, 3:17am

Ok, hum, as a huge fan of the original series I’m a bit tickled about the whole “programmed from the start in Real Time” thing.

Why mess with perfection? I sure hope it hopes something new to this overcrowded table. There is some consolation in the “the exact same groundbreaking WeGo” assertment, but I’m getting assaulted by visions of XCom Apoc.

I wonder if the two systems can be accomodated smoothly or if one will suffer at the expense of the other. If so, I can imagine which one. >:-(
Anyway, wild speculation I know…

–Khel

Calistas · February 13, 2007, 3:26am

Well, their system was pretty much paused real-time from the get go (if you think about it). WEGO is going to be GREAT for PBEM - and Real Time for those with a bit more of an action bent.

I’m looking forward to the ‘different objectives’ thing. It makes a lot of sense. Insurgents might just be there to inflict casualties, regardless of cost, good guys might be trying to snatch-some-one. Interesting.

Khelavaster · February 13, 2007, 5:24am

It was close, but that 60-second window where you were reduced to a mere spectator was one of the cornerstones of the series. The other being the TacAI.

I wonder if the RT mode will feature the same “volitive” model for soldiers or if your troops will carry out your orders no matter how suicidal they are.

–Khel

ElGuapo · February 13, 2007, 8:31am

Real time paused is way, way, way different than WeGo/Simultaneous turns. It’s as different as turn based vs. real time.

Morkilus · February 13, 2007, 8:50am

It’s also as different as single-player vs multiplayer.

Destarius · February 13, 2007, 9:26am

Agreed. I think real time paused offers a lot more control, since having to “let go” of your guys 60 seconds at a time would be fairly torturous because you couldn’t respond instantly to a developing situation.

John_E_Motion · February 13, 2007, 10:16am

I thought that was the point of the game? One of the the game’s neater features was that you had to account for the unexpected when you issued your orders thus pushing the you to make ‘safer/realistic’ decsions.

I’m guessing it plays more like a close combat rts rather than, say, a company of heros rts.

Lloyd_Heilbrunn · February 13, 2007, 10:37am

Yeah,I bought the first two,passed on AK(not sure why), but would not even consider this one if it becomes solely a RTS or RTpaused game. Hopefully,they are not spending so much time on the RT engine,that the old standard falls by the wayside.

I agree that it was pretty much the unique thing about the series,I think there might be another RT game or two…

Drastic · February 13, 2007, 11:08am

Indeed. Similar system was used in Laser Squad Nemesis, and was great–you never quite knew what was going to happen once you hit “go.” More titles need to use the system.

ElGuapo · February 13, 2007, 11:20am

Simultaneous turn/WeGo allows for some interesting models to emerge as well. for instance, they can model the delay that is caused by inexperienced units or units without radios to get organized and get moving. They can model on the fly threat assessment, even based on unit experience. It also makes the player think totally differently, as you have to plan support, what you will do when you contact the enemy, etc. It also, I think, models a unit commmander’s actual relevance on the battlefield more. You can’t be everywhere at once, you have to give orders and then your men carry them out.

Khelavaster · February 13, 2007, 11:20am

The series stands out not only because of WEGO and the TacAI, but for the level of realism these guys go for while keeping it beers&pretzels.
Things like plating slopes and metallurgical quality of the tanks’ hulls, and tracing and resolving damage for every single shell fired.

I can’t stop dreaming of this game in the Silent Storm engine with fully destructible environments. Imagine the awesomeness.

ElGuapo · February 13, 2007, 11:22am

Quite literally, I would pay $100 for that.

JeffL · February 13, 2007, 1:15pm

Combat Mission: The RTS is a pass for me.

TheRock · February 13, 2007, 1:50pm

Combat Mission: RTS will be a huge Go for me. It will be like the old close combat games, not a normal RTS. I liked the idea of the 60 second WEGO and tried to play those games many times but I just never like having to constantly hit the go button and try and watch what was going on…never liked the camera angles.

I really like Blitzkreig so a more intense sim type close combat/blitzkrieg will be great IMO.

Khelavaster · February 13, 2007, 2:23pm

But then it would be more like Close Combat V (yes IV is just out) and less Combat Mission IV.

Mmmhh… this could get Falloutsy.