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Close Combat - Gateway to Caen

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Hi mates, Matrix Games released a new Close Combat title: "Gateway to Caen"! :)

I'm playing this series since 1996 when the first episode was released by Microsoft.
("Take command of men who act like real soldiers!" LOL!!! :D)

Now for the first time with "Gateway to Caen" a CC-Title is also available on Steam.
If you are not a fan of this series I'd say that 35,00 EUR is a bit too much for the game.
But I recommend you put it on your wishlist and hit when it is price reduced. ;)

Here is a good introduction video of the game:


and also some data on Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Close_Combat_(series)
 
Back in the last 90s I also took command of «men who act like real soldiers». I spent a lot time with the early Close Combats (still have the CD-Roms down in the basement) but when I played CMBO for the first time CC lost its appeal...:(

I remember a kind of meta-«campaign map» where you could choose your area of attack. The single battles were fought on the battlefield. On the meta-map were supply lines too...

I wish CM would have something like this...
 
I agree Mehlsack. Back in the day this game CC2 was fun. The tournies we had over at tournament house were epic and very fun. Even though the graphics are much better the game play is still the same and nothing like CM2 in my opinion. The campaigns were also fun but again not enough to overshadow or hold a flame to CM2.
 
Hi mates, thanks for reading and replying! :)

CMx2 is far better than Close Combat, of course - but "Close Combat" is still what it always was: Great fun! ;)
What I like most is the campaign map overview and that you are fighting on the same maps sometimes for several days
with the same units (that survived) and with the tank wrecks from the days/battles before. :)

Yes, having this in CMx2 would be a nice feature. The command buttons and the victory locations in CM are already taken from the Close Combat series, I'd say.

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The "overhauled" CC2 ("A bridge too far" -> now called "Last stand Arnheim" is a completely different game with all new maps.

CC3 "Iron Cross" is just the old "Eastern Front" only with higher resolution.
CC4 "Wacht am Rhein" (formerly "Battle of the Bulge") - here you can choose between the new game or playing the "classic".
CC5 "The longest Day" (formerly "Invasion Normandy") - here you can choose between the new game or playing the "classic".
And there is an interesting "Stalingrad" mod in the net for CC5. (Can be watched on YouTube too.)
CC6 "Panthers in the Fog" - all new CC game from 2012.
CC7 "Gateway to Caen" - all new CC game from 2014 with new graphics - new explosions/smoke, German tanks of the same kind look different due to
having different camo schemes/painting, units can be mounted now (but unfortuantely it's now without the extensive blood puddles - no blood at all now).
***************************************************************************************************************************************

The graphics is very small indeed and I'm missing a more detailed zoom function too - but after the first battle I was used to it again and also
to the straight down view. Now it's only great to play this series again! At the moment I'm playing one (or maximum two) battles in the evening on "slow"
while I'm waiting for the CM turns from my opponents.

But hey - I don't want to sell you this game - I'm only letting you old "CC boys" know that it's still alive! ;)


...and psst! - .... seriously ... sometimes I have the impression that these little men act like real soldiers.... :cool:
 
I guess it is still not possible to save a game while fighting a battle, only when a battle is finished?
 
Have to agree with Mehlsack. CC was fun before CMBO, but after it's always felt like a step backwards in the battles department. Saying that loved the operations aspect of the CC series and being able to organise your forces at a higher level. Really want to see this come to CMx2 someday.
 
@Shorker made me wonder how it would feel to play the old Close Combat again in 2014…

Since I am not willing to pay 35 bucks for such an (outdated?) game I went downstairs into the basement to pick my old CD-Rom of CC 2 “Invasion Normandy” that was released in 2000 for Windows 98 – system requirements: Pentium II, 64 MB RAM…!!!

I was amazed to see it running smoothly under Win 7. Nice surprise!

Playing this game felt like meeting an old friend you haven’t seen for 15 years. After some minutes I was right in the middle of it again. However this old friend has a malady which I already did not like in the past: He suffers from RTS. You can help him by shifting down the game speed right to a ridiculous slow pace. At such slow speed you will miss nothing but have the feeling of watching the battle at slowmo. Imagine situations like this: Panzerschreck fires and you have to wait a felt minute until the impact occurs…this can be nerve-wracking and sometimes you feel like in the middle of a nightmare when you try to run and don’t get away…:mad::confused::eek:

Anyway! There is something that rocks: every single soldier/weapon comes with individual qualities and behavior, e.g. one is a hero, his neighbor a coward. For every single man the systems tracks weapon, ammo, morale, facing, etc. During a recent fight one of my men – Hauptfeldwebel Vandenbroeck – dropped his empty MP40 and grabbed a Carbine of a dead Yankee with some 70 rounds left… did I mention that he had killed that enemy with a knife just before? Pure fun if you are used to CM… After each battle you have the opportunity to muster your men and see how they have developed. Well, maybe a few good men improved their performance while others suffer from terrible experiences. The men receive medals automatically...some posthumous.



To go along with all these individuals trough a whole campaign can be very amazing… As some have told before: such a campaign system would be fine for CM too...;)



Usually one will play this game against the AI (since no one has the time for TCP). This artificial intelligence is terrible mechanically and should rather be called an artificial stubbornness (AS). This would not even fit for a simulation of the Ostfront but is absurd for Normandy. However I did not expect more than this and tried to beat the AI with minimal losses to have an ambition. Btw: you can improve the display of the units by decreasing the resolution of the screen in the game.

Did I enjoy the Close Combat? Yes I did because of the great amount of details and the simple but captivating campaign mode. Not bad for a game which has nearly 20 years. In fact they try to sell this oldie again and again with a new label...;) Would I buy this game for 35 bucks? Nope…but if they make a sale I could be there…

 
"Playing this game felt like meeting an old friend you haven’t seen for 15 years."

Could not have said it better! :) That's exactly the feeling - for me this game/game concept still rocks. ;)
 
I'm actually intrigued by this game. I'm very discouraged by the poor graphics and the top down view, but it is on my steam wishlist and will be getting it when it goes on sale. Now that I see this campaign view, I too wish CM would integrate something like this into their games.

And in doing a bit of research on the game, CM might have to step up their game a bit because I heard that the next CC game will be first time ever in 3d. Don't know if the source was reputable or not but I'm interested if so.
 
I always enjoyed CC games and spend hours playing them.
 
Dutch Grenadier said:
I always enjoyed CC games and spend hours playing them.
Click to expand...
Yes,me too - and it still is fun playing them. Still the same good feeling and excirtement about your units! ;)

Tyson Pearsall said:
I'm actually intrigued by this game. I'm very discouraged by the poor graphics and the top down view, but it is on my steam wishlist and will be getting it when it goes on sale. Now that I see this campaign view, I too wish CM would integrate something like this into their games.

And in doing a bit of research on the game, CM might have to step up their game a bit because I heard that the next CC game will be first time ever in 3d. Don't know if the source was reputable or not but I'm interested if so.
Click to expand...

I will proceed the same way with future Close Combat titles, because 30,00 EUR is a lot of money for that game, even though some things have been inrpoved.
But this time I paid the full price because I already liked "Panthers in the Fog" and I was happy that there was a new CC game released.
I just went a little bit "nostalgic". ;) But I do not regret my purchase - the huge campaign is fun.

Regarding the 3D engine - here is what I could find about it at YouTube:

 
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