Overview: Campaign Series: Middle East 2.0 Update

[admin]

BLUF – Bottom Line Up Front. The new Matrix Games Campaign Series Middle East 1948 – 1985 2.0 (ME 2.0) really has nothing revolutionary under the hood as regards game engine,...

http://www.wargamer.com/articles/overvi ... -0-update/

[Jason Petho]

Not revolutionary, but huge improvements to the series include:

1. Recon Reveal... this allows certain reconnaissance units the ability to perform an in turn Line of Sight check (for 35 Action Points), which will reveal opposing forces.

2. Event Editor.. this is in its infancy, but for a good example of what the Event Editor can do, play the Bootcamp scenarios or "A Long Road Home". This is a game changer and will make scenarios much more interactive in the future. While only a handful of Middle East scenarios has the abilities (so far), you can expect all of the scenarios in the future Campaign Series Vietnam (due this summer!) game to have it.

Jason Petho

[McHugh]

I still have a large collection of Talonsoft, and HPSSIMS games, some of which I have never played. For wargamers they were revolutionary at that time but to me they really haven't changed much from the the Talonsoft years.
The biggest issue I have with a lot of these games and the reason why I haven't purchased any Tiller Software titles is that the campaign scenarios are in my opinion unplayable because you are faced with clicking on hundreds of units to execute a single move. Just looking at the above screenshots confirms that playing the game would be a clickfest. There would have to be a change in the user interface so the necessity of clicking on every unit to move it is streamlined before I had any interest again. In fact even watching the replay of turns where hundreds of units are in play can take a long time.

[Jason Petho]

From the 2.0 Manual.

But these options have been in the game for quite a few years.

3.1.5 How do I use Organizational Movement?

Middle East features two types of Organizational Movement, whereby you can quickly move all the as-yet-unmoved units of an organization. Both types of Organizational Movement require that the Highlight Organization button is on, thus highlighting all the units that belong to the same organization as the currently selected unit which is achieved by pressing Z.

Column Movement can be conducting by selecting a unit and while depressing the ALT key, right-click in a hex you wish the unit to move towards. All of the units of that unit’s organization will move towards the selected hex. This type of movement is especially helpful when you have a number of units of the same organization travelling along a road. If so, pick the lead unit of the column to move, hold the ALT key and right-click on a hex further up the road. The column will move along the road accordingly.

Echelon Movement can be conducting by selecting a unit and while depressing the SHIFT key, right-click in a hex you wish the unit to move towards. All of the units of that unit’s organization will move in the same general direction and distance as the selected hex. This is a type of movement that is especially helpful when advancing across a broad front; for example, in a desert battle where there is ample open terrain.

[Jsherfy]

If its a click fest play a smaller scenario.

I have probably played the Campaign Series more than any other computer wargame in the past 20 years. What a great game. One thing that I have been thinking lately is that I wish all of these games had a way of using "randomized" activation of units/formations. This would add such an interesting dimension. The standard turn system was fine but with the power of the computer I am surprised we haven't seen something like this. The only game like this I am aware of is the Conflict of Heroes series.

[Jason Petho]

The Campaign Series Middle East 2.01 UPDATE has been released.

If you have the 2.00 UPDATE installed, clicking on the UPDATE button from the main menu should install it.

Here is a list of what is included:

Errata
• When loading a Pontoon Ferry or Crewed Boat to an Engineering Truck, Unit List sidebar omits one of the units in the hex and shows a blank tile instead.
Enhancements
• Added a new frontend variant, Middle East no3D.exe, to run on low-powered systems.
• Added a new multi-colored game engine toolbar option (Options > Toolbar > Color).

Fixes
• Finished implementing the edmap Display > Map Hints feature.
• Set Options > Smooth Scroll to OFF by default.
• Fixed a bug where CycleSel #s > 12 were not saving/reloading properly.
• Adjusted the timeline defaults for EF III etc. (should not impact ME at all).
• Fixed a bug where changes in exit objective hex values were discarded on phase turnover, thus exit hex objective points were not recording properly.
• In the frontend random battle generator, company size engagements are no longer possible (fixing a possible crash if company size engagements were selected).
• Fixed a bug where, if PBEM no side replay were selected, the .bte file might be corrupted, and the game might crash.
• Crewed boats (and rafts etc.) were not loadable on engineering trucks. This has been corrected.
• In PBEM play, with side replay selected, Side B was shown Side A's private beginning-of-mission (Lua EE) briefing. This should no longer happen.
• Low probability AI reinforcements were always arriving with 100% certainty. This has been fixed.
• Fixed several CSEE issues (involving set_reinforcement_turn() in PBEM, and other bugs).
• Re-encrypted Platoon*.OOB files to fix a bug where previous *.OBX files missed the last line of each file.
• Bootcamp 4.lua event engine coding error fixed.
• Fixed a few typos in Unittext.txt
• Removed accented letters from *.OOB files that did not show properly in Organization Editor.

Graphics
• Added new 3D Minefield markers
• Color Coded Toolbar
• Provided a set of Unit Picture defaults with a background color that does not show in Unit Viewer like the previous Magenta background color did.
• Fixed the French DUKW unit graphics that had white artifacts

Data
• Added a correct Front End background music file xbackg1.ogg version.
• Added Grenade launcher sound files
Scenarios
• Added Leaders to Teaching Sets 1-5
• Fixed a AIW20.scn helo reinforcement to arrive at NoE air level.
• Fixed typos in Jerusalem48, Khanyunis56, and Khanyunis67 map files
• Added a missing commander entry to As_Suez73.org


Mods
• Added a set of 3D Alternate Bases mods for all nations by XLVIII PzKorp.