Battle for Normandy - General discussion

Okay... AS far as I know, the Limited Edition can ONLY be ordered directly through Battlefront.

Regarding the camera view: It is vey different from CMx1 and now handels like the camera in about every RTS game there is - you can scroll via WSAD, zoom in/zoom out with the mouse wheel or the respective keys plus you have "free control" via the right mouse button. There stilla re fixed zoom levels but with the mosue wheel you can zoom as much or as little as you want.

Any more questions?

"WSAD" refers to the keys on your keyboard - the CMx1 camera could only be controlled with the arrow keys.

Following is the official feature list from the website (a number of features probably missing):

[GAMEPLAY]

- Both RealTime (pausable) or WeGo (turn based, simultaneous turn execution) game modes
- 2-player Game Modes with Realtime over TCP/IP (LAN, Internet), WeGo with PBEM (Play by Email) or Hotseat
- Story driven semi-dynamic campaigns, stand alone (non-campaign) battles, QuickBattle generator, and full featured Editor guarantee endless replayability
- Allied vs. Axis, Allied vs. Allied and Axis vs. Axis play options

[EDITOR]

- Full featured Game and Map Editor to create your own battles and maps - even campaigns - or edit existing battles and maps
- New hierarchical interface to visually select specific vehicles, equipment, and other options for your scenarios
- Unique and diverse mission objectives for each side, including several objective types (e.g. exit zones, unit and terrain based objectives) that can be hidden or known
- Improved Scenario briefing format, including a new Designer Notes subsection
- "Reduced headcount" option to simulate previously depleted formations

[QUICK BATTLES]

- Redesigned Quick Battle Generator that includes the ability to "purchase" and "cherry pick" individual units (similar interface as in Editor)
- Unique new optional Rarity system which allows players to include rare units without degrading their ability to have a viable combat force
- Players can now preview maps before playing
- The map can either be manually or randomly selected

[UNITS]

- Meticulously researched TO&E which can be customized by the player
- Comprehensive depiction and modeling of US Army forces, including Infantry, Armored Infantry, Airborne, Armored, and more
- Wide range of German Army (Heer) forces, including Panzergrenadiers, Pioniers, Füsiliers, Sturmgeschütz, Panzer formations, and more
- Dozens of detailed US and German vehicles including tanks, halftracks, self propelled artillery, trucks, and more
- Dozens of detailed US and German weapons, from small arms like the M1 Garand rifle or MP40 machinepistol, to large crew-served weapons such as mortars and AT Guns. Even both variants of the   monster German Pak43 are included

[MAPS]

- Map sizes as tiny as 224 meters by 224 meters up to a massive 16 square kilometers
- Play large scale battles or small platoon sized firefights
- Conduct combat operations in lush rural landscapes, dense urban settings, or anything in between
- Many new terrain types including heavy forest ground, crops, railroads, water, and fords
- A wide range of bridge types classified to include/exclude certain types of units by weight
- Detailed simulation of Normandy's infamous hedgerows ("bocage"), including the explicit simulation of breaching with Rhino tank attachments and engineers
- Normandy specific Flavor Objects such as gravestones, haystacks, sheds, wood piles, milestones, propaganda posters and (much) more...

[BUILDINGS]

- Generic building blocks up to 8 stories high including dozens of different building styles for dense urban terrains
- Individualized "special" buildings including storefronts, shacks, garages, barns and more for ultimate flair and atmosphere of 1944 Normandy
- Windows and doors of buildings explicitly simulated, and their placement and appearance editable with most building styles

[SOLDIERS]

- Individually tracked and modeled soldiers, including their equipment, ammo and weapons
- Dynamic, context sensitive equipment loadouts for individual soldiers depending on what weapon is carried
- Graphical display of secondary weapons, such as a shouldered rifle or Panzerfaust
- Many new soldier animations, stances and positions, including kneeling and sitting positions for crew served weapons, pistol firing animations, hand grenades throwing, crew functions, first aid, and more...
- Soldiers can surrender and possibly "rescued" by friendly units
- Automatic and manual ammo sharing between nearby soldiers as well as vehicles
- First aid between soldiers ("Buddy aid") helps with the recovery of important weapons and ammo, as well as improving end of battle results

[VEHICLES]

- Extremely detailed hi-polygon vehicle 3D models with fully articulated suspensions, animated hatches, MG mounts, smoke launchers, and more
- Extensive vehicle damage modeling individually for each sub-system including the most realistic ballistics, armor, and post-armor effects available to date
- Ability of passengers to fire out of open topped vehicles (including but not limited to hatches)
- Rhino attachments fully simulated and visually depicted for Bocage breaching
- Randomly individualized vehicle models including external equipment like sandbags or ammo boxes, damaged fenders, missing or bent armor skirts and more

[WEAPONS]

- On-map mortars (hooked up realistically within the command structure)
- On-map assets such as mortars and Infantry Guns are able to fire in both direct and indirect modes, using their own spotters or separate forward observers
- Weapon crews have specific functions which affect weapon performance
- Player-placeable static defenses and fortifications such as bunkers, trenches, barbed wire, "hedgehogs", mines, and more
- Highly realistic and easy to use off-map artillery as well as air support, simulating heavy artillery (including naval artillery) as well as strafing and bombing runs by aircraft such as the P51 or FW190
- Player-placeable Target Reference Points (TRPs) allow simulating prepared support strikes and ambushes

[COMMANDS]

- New Scout Team Command sections off 2 men, favoring automatic weapons, to act as scouts
- New Driver Team Command allows large passenger units to leave behind one or two Soldiers to drive and/or man the weapon of a transport vehicle (such as a halftrack)

[SIMULATION]

- Terrain mesh detailed down to 1 x 1 Meter (horizontal) by 1 Meter (vertical). Combat and movement resolved to partial meters
- Deformable terrain, including partial and complete destruction of buildings
- Powerful C2 (Command & Control) features controlling flow of battlefield recon information, visibility of units (friendly and enemy), unit cohesion and more
- Relative Spotting restricts a unit's battlefield awareness to what it has experienced directly or information passed on through the C2 chain
- Stunning high resolution graphics featuring dynamic lighting and object self shadowing, including an entirely new way to display dense foliage
- Wide range of weather types and environmental effects, including rain, fog, heavy winds (with ballistic effects), different types of ground conditions, animated water effects, and more...

[BONUS]

- Combat Victories for individual units showing how many and what types of units the soldier or vehicle has eliminated in the mission (totals tracked for campaigns)
- Multi-language support (all in-game strings can be edited)
- Textures, sounds, and user interface graphics can be modified (modded) by players
- Customizable hotkeys

I'm thinking about opening a dedicated "Feature" thread so we can use this one as intended and discuss whatever comes to mind... I'm also planning on adding stuff for the modules once anounced so we can easily distinguish stuff added by those for scenario building.

Would anyone want screenshots of all the different vehicles? Otherwise everyone feel free to use the screens thread to add shots of whatever looks nice and/or interesting. Pictures that are meant for discussion purposes should be posted in here of course.

That is once the game is released.

damn: game 60dollars + shipment 20dollars : 80 dollars   (and probably extra costs from Belgian customs)

still ordered it: I do like the limited editions 

well, since I bought no new games since many years and considering the joy the CM games gave me during the last 10 years 55€ isn't too much....