Personalizing Close Combat
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Close Combat Series -> The Mess
#1: Personalizing Close Combat Author: rivy,  PostPosted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 12:47 am
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There are two kinds of officers on the tactical level. Those that look up. Those that look down.

CC series is my favorite WW2 game. My only complaint is it looks at battle "upwards" and does not not look "down."

And "down" is a critical part of battle.

I am 69 years old. I will become 70 years old in August this year. I joined the U.S. Army in 1956. I was 17 years old. I was in what came to be called "the last of the brown shoe army." (We were the last group to wear "Ike" jackets, brown shoes, and WW2 uniforms. We were the last to be supplied with WW2 equipment - M1 rifles, BARs, M2 (automotic) carbines, 30 cal MGs. I served in "occupied Germany" for 30 months, almost 3 years. I was a private when I arrived. I was a corporal when I left 30 months later, age 20.

It was the height of the Cold War. Germany was divided. The Enemy (Russiian forces} occupried East Germany. Emotions were tense. (A Russian MIG figther could be over our base in 15 minutes. So every month we had a practice alert. Our job was not to STOP a Russian attack - if such should occur - but to slow it down. Mainly by retreating west across the Rhine River, blowing the bridges we just crossed, and digging in and hanging on, hopefully, until re-inforcements from the US arrived.)

It was up close. Personal. And emotional.

Emotional. That is the factor I would like to call on knowledgable mod makers to consider, and a team of mod makers I would happily join.

Up. Or down. If your commanding officer "kisses" up, you hate him. If he "kisses" down, he was the "greatest officer" under which you served.
' Cause he was looking after YOU.

A "kiss-up" officer had one priority - to please his commanding officers above - at whatever cost - and promote his own advancement career.

A "kiss-down" officer (as appraised by his higher commanders) was one who saw his primary mission was to serve and protect his men. Those that make up the squads, those people he would come to know and identify with, and whose main concern was they not be led into harm's way unless...UNLESS...it was absolutely necessary.

I would love to see mod makers here (an expertise I don't have) concentrate on this second aspect of command control. Which is personalizing as much as possible individual men that make up a squad in CC games, and therefore, when I, the gamer (and therefore Company or Battalion Commander - which is the level as which CC games play) don't just reflexively order a squad to "attack Hill 16" with focus exclusively on the results ("Victory") but also on results/consequences to the men.

One way I try to personalize the individual soldiers is compile a name list composed of "names" that reflect people I know - childhood friends, army buddies, current friends, etc.

But I want to do more. And here is where I am seeking compatabile minds and more knowledge than I (which is naught) on how such a mod might be made, intensified.

After my 3 years army experience, at age 20, although I had qualified for OCS (Officer Candidate School), I turned down the opportunity to become a commissioned officer, and opted for my other love - becoming and being an artist. Which is what I am today. (Approaching - as I said above - age 70 this year. Gulp!)

Anyway...looking for some like-minded gamers and mod-makers who might approach CC games not just as who wins - but at what cost - and from GI Joe's perspective, it is the cost that counts.

More later.

Rivy
#2:  Author: Joe98,  PostPosted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 1:36 am
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CC1 and CC2 both had that feature.

CC3, CC4 and CC5 have it to a lesser degree.

When you play an Operation youi can keep track of a few specific infividuals but when you play a Campaign there are so many soldiers you lose track of individuals.

Suggest you play a 3 map operation and follow particiluar soldiers.

-
#3:  Author: Senior_Drill, Location: 22134 PostPosted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 11:59 pm
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There is a names mod for either CC4 or CC5 that puts a first initial on the names and an asterisk beside the real life names of veterans that survived that campaign. I seem to remember the mod maker saying that a number of those men were still alive at the time the mod was released.

I can't remember which mod that is. Does anyone else? I never used it but forum comments at the time were along the lines of what Rivy is talking about. Some players felt an emotional attachment to those game sprites and felt bad that they had gotten a game soldier killed that represented a real life soldier that had suvived the war.
#4:  Author: ronson, Location: England PostPosted: Fri Mar 14, 2008 1:44 am
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I think the mod you refer to is 'Bloody Ohama' for CC5........if I remember correctly some of the soldiers in that are starred, I believe even Hemmingway features in it too. This is off the top of my head so don't take it as gospel Smile .

There is a way to add names to the list, not too sure how its done I think you have to remove one existing for every name you add.

Cheers
Ronson
#5: cc3 Author: ANZAC_Tack, Location: Australia PostPosted: Fri Mar 14, 2008 4:47 am
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in cc3 i often named each unit to quickly remember them, sapper units ,so if they came into jeperdy, i'd send tanks/morter rep etc to try and save them. i often tried to keep the russian siberian teams untill 1945,as there LMG 28, PTRs,SMG 41's and rifles never lost there effectiveness.
#6:  Author: squadleader_id, Location: Soerabaja PostPosted: Fri Mar 14, 2008 8:55 am
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ronson wrote:
I think the mod you refer to is 'Bloody Ohama' for CC5........if I remember correctly some of the soldiers in that are starred, I believe even Hemmingway features in it too. This is off the top of my head so don't take it as gospel Smile .

There is a way to add names to the list, not too sure how its done I think you have to remove one existing for every name you add.

Cheers
Ronson


You can add names to all the Names.txt files.
Just make sure the number in the first line of the Names.txt file = the total number of names in the file.
If you want to put a star or asterisk on the names...that can be easily edited to.
#7:  Author: nours,  PostPosted: Sat Mar 15, 2008 12:29 pm
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I do often add its platoon number to each unit's name, so as to keep a little cohesion in the initial deployment, and I rename the commanding units with their CO's name. Sometimes, if my third platoon has armor that performs well and manages to survive long enough, I add their name, too, by looking for it with the "soldier" button. But it seldom goes any further.

#8:  Author: LiveFree,  PostPosted: Sat Mar 15, 2008 7:11 pm
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nours wrote:
I do often add its platoon number to each unit's name, so as to keep a little cohesion in the initial deployment, and I rename the commanding units with their CO's name. Sometimes, if my third platoon has armor that performs well and manages to survive long enough, I add their name, too, by looking for it with the "soldier" button. But it seldom goes any further.



Wait a minute. Do units perform better if they are kept in close proximity to other members of their platoon?? Because i've been dragging everybody all over the map!
#9:  Author: squadleader_id, Location: Soerabaja PostPosted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 10:27 am
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Quote:
Wait a minute. Do units perform better if they are kept in close proximity to other members of their platoon?? Because i've been dragging everybody all over the map!


Nope...units perform better only if they're kept near leader units.
Press the space-bar to view leader influence spheres.
#10: New name to soldiers ingame Author: AT_Stalky,  PostPosted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 3:24 pm
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Well,

If one whant specific names on specific ppl in the game one may do as follow:
1) Start a GC play one round,
1b) Wright down names of the one u whant to replace.
2) Open up (a copy) of the save file with a hex editor.
3) Use Serch (ctrl + f) and wright the name u intend to shange.
3b) Edit name on right side (see image).
4) Rename to whatever,
4b) Blanks is sett by "00" (double zeroes) in the left side aria
5) Edit more names maybe "Evans" see image, same as 3) and 4)
6) save
7) run game again and loade up the new edited save.

Remember take a copy and work ONLY with the copy so if some goes crap one have not ruined one round.

Programe to use, i prefer "XVI32" its free and really good. Its not really complicated to do this, its rather straight forward, with maybe just some small bends.

new names (kopia).jpg
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new names (kopia).jpg
#11:  Author: mooxe,  PostPosted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 4:10 am
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I have found that playing campaigns you do count your losses. Not on a personal level like you mention but more of a resource level. Sacrificing your resources to win doesnt always win in the long run. Especially if you are playing Germans.

I do get your point though. It would be great to follow through with the same men in separate battlegroups. Gain exp, rank and the other attributes. You can't do it now because if you keep men in action to long thier morale drops. CC3 is the only version that really lets you manage your men like this.
#12:  Author: AT_Stalky,  PostPosted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 10:57 am
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I rarly (if ever) alter soldeier names direct,

I rename the whole grope as its faster and done as select troops, I follow the gropes. The onece I name is often gropes I whant to keep, it may be they are realy good, or they are just few of em.
A name keep me from see em just as "cannon fodder".
Name shosen, is persons from real life, or officers are given names after our war kings, or good commanders. It works for me.
Close Combat Series -> The Mess


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