Posted: Tue Dec 19, 2017 11:04 am Post subject: OpenCombat: Opensource game Close combat gameplay based
Hello, I would like to present this project on this forum because I think it may be of interest to Close Combat players.
I love Close Combat and it's gameplay. I would like to play more game like it. I started this project to give me an idea of what it might mean to build one. Obviously my intention is not to compete Close Combat (CC is so big and irreplaceable ) but to add a game in its gameplay category.
OpenCombat must be:
- Close Combat gameplay based
- Open source and free [1]
- Hightly customizeable/extendable (we love mods and tweaks)
It is a big project so it must be a collaborative project. I hope this project can motivate some players/developpers/modders I don't know yet if people would be interested, I'm actually just taking the temperature.
I already done a proof of concept with:
- Tiled map rendering with background, interiors, terrain (grass, wall, etc)
- Unit movement (walk, run, crawl)
- Unit vision (with obstacles):
There is some images:
Unit crawling
Unit running
Unit firing
(The background image is copied from CC for illustrate)
The map edition is based on TMX map format [2] editable with Tiled software:
With a background image:
An interior image:
Some layers like terrain type (tiles are 8x8px):
Interior zones:
Used technologies are:
- Python [3] for main dev language: because it is simple and powerfull. Good choice for collaborative project.
- Cocos2d for 2d rendering [4]
- TMX format for maps [2]
- Synergine2 [5] a hand made framework for subjects interractions and computing parralelisation.
There is a lot of things to do for be able to have a playable game, for example:
Game:
- Various units
- Unit morale/Xp/...
- Weapons and munitions
- Unit behavior (linked to morale/XP/...)
- Opponent AI
- Multiplayer
- Strategic map
- ...
If you would like to receive news about the project (if it materializes) you can subscribe to this google group: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/opencombat-news
Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2017 10:57 am Post subject: Re: OpenCombat: Opensource game Close combat gameplay based
Very impressive proof of concept. More developed than CC: Red Phoenix was after the entire Atomic 2.0 studio spent a year on that project. You might also want to look at Sean O'Connor's Firefight which had procedurally generated maps..
Personally I'd like to see greater emphasis on suppression as the key combat factor (go girly soldiers!) and force morale levels that could be defined in the scenario file.
Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2017 3:52 pm Post subject: Re: OpenCombat: Opensource game Close combat gameplay based
Hello,
Thank you for your comment. I didn't knew CC: Red Phoenix. My proof of concept is very limited but i think it is possible to develop in few years.
I'm interested in your opinions about gameplay / game configuration ! In few days/weeks i will publish a plan of dévelopment. All aids will be accepted
Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2018 7:44 pm Post subject: Re: OpenCombat: Opensource game Close combat gameplay based
Hello !
There is some news: Some of code has been stabilized and a new feature has come: firing animation. Firing animation is built with merge of soldier images in different positions and a firing weapon image. Same process is applied for non firing image. For example, these images are used:
for the result (note: there is a soldier rotation bug, i'm fixing it):
My actual work is to permit a tank rotation (for move) and turret rotation (to fire).
Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2018 7:09 am Post subject: Re: OpenCombat: Opensource game Close combat gameplay based
I subscribed to your youtube channel since this seems indeed interesting.
We are the pilgrims, master. We shall go
always a little further, it may be
beyond that last blue mountain barred with snow,
across that angry or that glimmering sea.
Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2021 6:30 pm Post subject: Re: OpenCombat: Opensource game Close combat gameplay based
Hi Bux,
Great project. I want to know what is your long term objective? Do you think it will be possible that your game outperforms the classic CC games and that it will allow some features that we have not actually? Thanks for your efforts and I'm curious to see the results.
Posted: Wed Jun 09, 2021 8:00 am Post subject: Re: OpenCombat: Opensource game Close combat gameplay based
Hello Manoi,
Thanks !
My long term objective is to reproduce almost all Close Combat features and permit easily modding (unit, maps, etc). And additionally, add/include features like moving antitank with vehicle, moving troops with vehicle, and more.
Posted: Wed Jun 09, 2021 12:38 pm Post subject: Re: OpenCombat: Opensource game Close combat gameplay based
I have been wondering also what you think you can add compared to the classic CC games. Gateway to Caen allows for guns to be towed and infantry to be carried on vehicles.
I believe you should seek your improvements in AI behaviour: unit tactics, vehicle movement, combined vehicle/infantry tactics, surrender/ truce conditions. If you plan on a strategic map I'd like to see an AI that knows where to move, when to move and when to retreat.
Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2021 11:29 pm Post subject: Re: OpenCombat: Opensource game Close combat gameplay based
Me thinks there are some Software business pro's on this forum being very humble! Actually this concept is very popular overall in gaming business which have overtaken movies in overall sales revenues.
I think it is good to have long-term plan and broader goals also. Personally I would like to see keep the core Classic Close Combat basics but greatly improve what it is really capable of. We essentially know what it does best and what needs work. Scale is good as is but definitely needs updated graphics and more sophisticated AI. It would be nice to bring back Mac OS. There is very good reason why CC2 sales were off the charts with large # of Mac users.
The rewrites of CC Classic were a miss. I really do think the Classic CC2 and CC3 games are superior STILL in terms of scale accuracy, AI performance and realism vs any of the rewrites. And YES there is big void I the market, big Corporate gaming companies are doing the Hollywood thing dumbing down their products with too much 3D / cgi for much younger audiences. Gaming companies underestimate the intelligence of many of us that want a more sophisticated type of game especially in the "Strategy" genre.
Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2021 11:38 pm Post subject: Re: OpenCombat: Opensource game Close combat gameplay based
I still bought The Bloody First and almost all the other Close Combat games and my opinion is the Close Combat 2 - 3 still was the best product overall some 20+ years later. Not the graphics but the overall gameplay, especially the scale / realism and AI is solid. Like the CC3 Stalingrad & Kursk battles, the house to house battles in Arnhem etc.
Posted: Tue Jul 06, 2021 3:27 am Post subject: Re: OpenCombat: Opensource game Close combat gameplay based
Me thinks there are some Software business amateurs on this forum talking out their ass! To wit - the concept of open source gaming is decidedly NOT "very popular overall in gaming". The less than handful of recognizable open source titles are clones of successful proprietary games like Civ. Perhaps you were confused by the popularity of open source software based mostly on the fact these programs are free.
The rest of you're screed is equally flimsy. BS like "I think it is good to have long-term plan and broader goals also." is a dead giveaway. That's the kind of screamingly obvious drivel you hear clueless drones spout in any random planning meeting.
Touting the "realism" of 2D CC then decrying "too much 3D/cgi" is sheer cognitive dissonance. 2D is inherently not "realistic" and certainly less so than 3D with less than stellar art. And exactly how does 3D and cgi "dumb down" a game? The expanded "rewrite" Elements files were de facto more realistic than those in the limited CC classics solely by defining more terrain types. The "rewrites" (sic) missed because they had one dedicated engineer, Steve McClaire, and a bunch of volunteer assistants. Not an entire studio of game production pros like og Atomic fielded.
And Slitherine does not need to take on the additional engineering expense of porting Apple compatible versions. Fruit boys can simply run PC games on a freely available copy of Win10 in Bootcamp. The success of CC2 had a whole lot more to do with the fact Microsoft put its name on the game than that it ran on Macs.
Just throwing a mess of buzz words and faulty logic into a post doesnt cut it dude.
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@bux - some features I'd like to see implemented are:
a viewshed LOS tool
a variety of selectable victory conditions. eg. territory (not flags) taken or a simple casualty count
reinforcements and variable entry
optional weapons, ammo and equipment loadouts in the req phase
player selectable medals and promotions
selectable fortifications, minefields and boobytraps
some method of acknowledging that the war is also being fought just outside the map edge, eg. casualties to the active BG extend to the non-active roster which should be fighting on an adjacent map. Or random fire coming from outside the map
War is chaos so give us plenty of weird random events
A maximum difficulty level worthy of the name
Battlefield artifacts like a stash of cognac in a basement that disables any occupying unit. Or driveable civilian vehicles.
Separate, hidden objectives for each side
fog of war both in deployment and battle. No more recon by death cue or a VL flag flipping
battlefield review at the conclusion of fighting ala TBF
expanded soldier and 'side' statistics...tell me how far Pvt Lumley moved and how many rounds he fired
Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2023 5:21 am Post subject: Re: OpenCombat: Opensource game Close combat gameplay based
Glad the project is still going very interested on it, I would've suggested maybe using an engine but don't know how hard would it be to port to something like Godot.
Either way it looks amazing.
I like the idea of an open source close combat clone, since the community is a bit niche, user generated content in a unified platform might be great.
I'm still pretty much new to this series, but as a newcomer I actually was kinda looking for something like this, but I see the CC community is spread around different games and might be cool to make something pretty much anyone can enjoy. I'm thinking along the lines of a very customizable CC engine, like, the base game includes many things that can be activated or deactivated as players please, plus giving the ability to players to create and expand with content in a simple manner.
I would love to know what the current plan is. Like, what your MVP is gonna be, and will try to check this our periodically and see what can I help with.
Maybe consider Godot, could prove useful for something a bit more friendly and integrated to work with. I can research and try thing to see if porting what you have is possible since, Godot uses a language based on Python, I guess the logic can be adapted easily, and if I'm not mistaken tiled works with Godot. But what I've liked the most is the node system, because they allow you for what I've seen make content creation tools to, for example, make units by giving them stats and the sort, to then save that unit, or an integrated map maker, in a very simple manner.
Anyways, still think this is an amazing project and would like to see it to completion. Cheers!
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