Close Combat

Close Combat
developer	Atomic Games CSO Simtek Strategy 3 Tactics Slitherine
Publisher	Microsoft Strategic Simulations Matrix Games Slitherine
Designer	Keith Zabalaoui
First title	Close Combat (1996)
Last title	Close Combat: Gateway to Caen (2014)
Platform (s)	Microsoft Windows , MacOS , Xbox , Wii
Genre (s)	Real time strategy game

Close Combat is a real-time strategy game series originally developed by Atomic Games for Microsoft . In the Close Combat video games , the player takes control of a small military unit ( company or smaller) and leads them through battles in various historical battles of World War II . The series focuses on tactical combat represented in a 2D engine and designed with a special focus on realism.

history

Close Combat was originally developed as a computer game version of the Avalon Hill board game Advanced Squad Leader (ASL). Atomic Games had previously developed several games for Avalon Hill, such as Operation Crusader and Stalingrad. After Avalon Hill got into financial difficulties, however, the development was finally completed for Microsoft . The original series consists of five games. The first three games in this series were noteworthy as they were some of the few games Microsoft released directly at the time. However, the last two games in the original series were released by Strategic Simulations , Inc (SSI).

Close Combat I and II were released for Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac OS. Later versions were only released for Microsoft Windows. In 2005, Atomic Games was bought by Destineer . Destineer licensed the game to Matrix Games , which first hired CSO Simtek and later Strategy 3 Tactics to develop further titles and remakes of the original series. In 2010 Matrix Games merged with Slitherine . Slitherine continues the development of the series to this day.

The five original Close Combat games are real-time tactical war games with top-down perspective and two-player capabilities. Each takes place on a different one of the European battlefields of World War II. Players take command of a mix of infantry and armored units, with artillery, mortars and air support also being implemented in later games. Although a strict top-down perspective is used, later games in the series model terrain elevation and involve buildings with multiple floors. Overall, the series places great emphasis on realism and models the emotional or physical state of soldiers and equipment. The primary advisor for the moral model was Dr. Steven Silver, a specialist in war-related trauma.

Overview of the games

year	game	platform	Remarks
1996	Close Combat	Windows , Mac OS	First game in the series. Played in Operation Cobra
1997	Close Combat II: A Bridge Too Far	Windows, Mac OS	Plays in Operation Market Garden
1998	Close Combat III: The Russian Front	Windows	Plays on the Eastern Front (1941-1945)
1999	Close Combat Trilogy	Windows, Mac OS	Compilation of the first three parts of the series
1999	Close Combat IV: Battle of the Bulge	Windows	Play in the Battle of the Bulge
2000	Close Combat V: Invasion Normandy	Windows	Play in Operation Overlord
2004	Close Combat: Marines	Windows	First close combat game in the present. Special version only for the USMC
2004	The Road to Baghdad	Windows	First commercial close combat game set in the present.
2005	Close Combat: First to Fight	Xbox , Windows, Mac OS X , Wii	First and so far only game in the series that was implemented as a first-person shooter .
set	Close Combat: Red Phoenix	Windows, Xbox	Based on Larry Bond's book Red Phoenix . Publication planned for Q4 2005. Development stopped
2006	Close Combat: RAF Regiment	Windows	Special version only for the Royal Air Force
2007	Close Combat: Cross of Iron	Windows	Remake of The Russian Front
2007	Close Combat: Modern Tactics	Windows	Remake by Marines and so far the last commercial part that takes place in the present.
2008	Close Combat: Watch on the Rhine	Windows	Remake of Battle of the Bulge
2009	Close Combat: The Longest Day	Windows	Remake of Invasion Normandy
2010	Close Combat: Last Stand Arnhem	Windows	First independent part of Matrix Games. Plays in Operation Market Garden
2012	Close Combat: Panthers in the Fog	Windows	First part developed by Slitherine and for the first time with 32-bit graphics. Played in Operation Liege
2014	Close Combat: Gateway to Caen	Windows	First part that was published on Steam. Play in the battle for Caen
announced	Close Combat: The Bloody First	Windows	Announced for 2017. First part to use a 3D engine. Played in Campaign in Tunisia , Operation Husky, and Operation Overlord

Innovations

The Close Combat games brought some new features compared to previous titles Close Combat realistic than most real-time strategy made computer games in their season:

• Mental State: Close Combat uses a psychological model for each individual soldier. For example, the proximity of officers, support from other units, being under fire, wounded or casualties and having no orders all have an effect on morale. Troops can panic or take cover on their own. Using a psychological model makes tactics common in other games impossible. Attacks on overpowering opponents can be denied and units flee from the battlefield in critical situations.
• Experience: Inexperienced units move more slowly, have a lower rate of fire, and are more likely to panic. As a result, unlike many similar games against veterans, they hardly have a chance to hold out any longer.
• Ammunition: The game models the ammunition supply for each unit. Soldiers without ammunition can go into hand-to-hand combat or surrender. In contrast, the ammunition in real-time strategy computer games is usually unlimited.
• Captured weapons: Soldiers can use weapons and ammunition from fallen comrades or enemies. However, the type of ammunition must be suitable.
• Physical Condition: Soldiers can be healthy, injured, incapacitated, or dead. Each condition has an impact on the soldier's combat skills and reactions. In contrast to this, in most real-time strategy computer games, full fighting power is retained until death.
• Endurance: In Close Combat , soldiers can be rested, out of breath, or even permanently exhausted. This will slow the movement down for a while or for the remainder of the battle.

Tactical elements

The above factors meant that the game requires realistic military tactics. Troops have to be carefully positioned and cover, ambushes, exploitation of the terrain or the use of smoke grenades are necessary tactical elements. To be successful, players must keep their units close to their officers, maintain fire discipline, and use inexperienced recruits carefully.

Close Combat requires the use of mixed associations. An infantry attack requires the support of machine guns, tanks, and mortars to suppress enemy fire. Armored units should be accompanied by infantry units when advancing into difficult terrain. Although they have superior firepower, tanks are vulnerable to ambushes by anti-tank weapons. Tanks are particularly prone to hits from behind or from the side in street combat. Tanks are also susceptible to fire from hidden anti-tank guns or tank destroyers, which can be cloaked waiting for a good opportunity.

Multiplayer mode

All Close Combat games offer the possibility to play against a human player. Close Combat: Modern Tactics can also be played 3-on-3 and Close Combat: Marines 4-on-4.

Mods

Tools for creating mods were already made available for the original game. In general, the mods can change weapon types, vehicles, soldiers, terrain and ammunition, as well as other attributes. This means that mods can change the game mechanics or add new scenarios or cards to the game.

Remakes

Four of the five original games (A Bridge Too Far, The Russian Front, The Battle of the Bulge and Invasion Normandy) have been reissued with new units and maps, updated graphics (maps and sprites) and sounds, and an updated map editor. Compatibility problems with modern operating systems were also eliminated. Every remake, with the exception of Last Stand Arnhem , also contains the original version of the game, so it can be played without changes.

Further development

The following parts of this section seem since 2017 is out of date to be : The year 2017 is over. Has the game been released?
Please help to research and insert the missing information .

At the 2013 Convention Historicon , Slitherine announced Close Combat: The Bloody First . The game is still in development and should be released in 2017. In the single player campaign, the player will lead a unit of the US 1st Infantry Division through three campaigns: Tunisia, Sicily and Normandy.

Web links

• Close Combat at Matrix Games
• www.closecombatseries.net - private fansite with forum and mod collection

literature

• William R. Trotter: Microsoft Close Combat - A Bridge Too Far: Inside Moves , Microsoft Press, 1997, ISBN 1-57231-634-9
• Barry Atkins: More than a game: The computer game as fictional form , Manchester University Press, 2003, ISBN 0-7190-6364-7 , pp. 86-102

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Historicon 2013, Matrix-Slitherine prépare de la quantité et de la qualité ( French ) wargamer.fr. July 23, 2013. Accessed March 21, 2017.
2. ↑ The Wargamer's Videogame Guide to 2017 ( English ) wargamer.com. February 10, 2017. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
3. ↑ Slitherine's new 3D Close Combat looks just like the old 2D Close Combat ( English ) Pocket Tactics. May 16, 2014. Retrieved March 21, 2017.