[Therion]

Ok, I see that some people here call CC "the only RTS that they like" and stuff like that. Let's settle it once and for all. Close Combat isn't a RTS.

Why?

Because "Strategy" in Real Time Strategy is for a "strategic-level game".

Why?

Because RTS games are basically dumbed-down strategic-level games with a lot of abstract gimmicks added and a skirmish wargame looks to make them look more attractive to the unwashed masses.


Basically you take a strategic game that has some kind of a production base and economy, big units like divisions and the other country that also has its production base and economy.

At some level of abstraction you replace cities that have certain production power with bases where you have factories, barracks and stuff.

At some level of abstraction you replace reinforcing units with produced stuff with simple creation of new units.

At some level of abstraction you replace divisions with abstract infantry units, tank units, etc.

You give them nice soldier and tank graphics to make it more attractive.

Then you compress the time and space - turns become abstract units of time, not specific time like a day or a week, maps stop being in-scale maps of countries but become small with cute little houses, lakes, cute little trees, etc.

To dumb stuff down for retards and to make programming easier, you remove supply chains, make units completely monolithic so they don't lose effectiveness when losing strength, etc.

Then you make it real time with music, lots of animations, explosions, and stuff like that.

Congratulations, you just created the RTS genre!


Then let's make Close Combat. So, you have Squad Leader which is a tactical level wargame.
So, initially you want to make a typical tactical level wargame.
Then you decide to ditch the Squad Leader on computer idea and make it a very realistic wargame.
You make it real time, you create detailed maps with a detailed spotting model, detailed weapons, damage model, you even make each soldier an individual with a psychological model.

What you have created is not just a wargame but a Simulation.

I was doing some research about this genre before to learn what's the English name for it (in Poland they are called real time wargames).
My study of game catalogues from 80s and early 90s and real time wargame manuals concluded that these games were called Real Time Simulation games by professionals - which is a very good description of what they are. It could be abbreviated to RTSim.

Amusingly, the genre of Close Combat wasn't even named on the box and in the manual. On the other hand, Firefight's description on its website uses the old real time simulation name.