Combat Mission: Shock Force

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Combat Mission: Shock Force

Developer(s)	Battlefront.com
Publisher(s)	Paradox Interactive
Series	Combat Mission
Platform(s)	Windows
Release date	July 27, 2007
Genre(s)	Turn-based / Real-time strategy
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	ESRB: T
Media	1 DVD-ROM
System requirements	Intel Pentium 4 2 Ghz, 512 MB RAM, 128 MB video card, 1 GB free HD space, Windows XP, DVD-ROM Drive
Input methods	Mouse

Combat Mission: Shock Force (CM:SF) is a computer video game that covers a fictional United States invasion of a middle-eastern country focusing on US Stryker Brigades. It was released on July 27th, 2007.

Current Version: 1.08 as of 2 April 2008

1 Overview
2 Reception
3 Combat Mission Shock Force - Marines
4 References
5 External links
6 Notes

[edit] Overview

CM:SF depicts fictional battles in the year 2008 between the Syrian Army and US Stryker Brigades. This is the original incarnation of Battlefront.com's Combat Mission series using the new CMX2 game engine. CM:SF features vastly improved graphics and 3D modelling. Modelling of infantry features a 1:1 representation, where every single soldier is depicted in the 3D world by its own animated graphic. The new engine also features real world lighting conditions, and models sun and star positions in the sky. Also, the engine allows the game to be played in real time in addition to the established 60-second incremental format, a first for the Combat Mission series.

Each scenario in the game contains forces drawn from either the U.S. ("BLUFOR" in military terms) or "OPFOR" (Syrian Regular Army units utilizing Soviet-bloc equipment such as AK-47 assault rifles and T-72 tanks), with "blue vs. blue" and "red vs. red" scenarios also possible, another first for CM series. "Insurgent" units are available as a sub-selection of the OPFOR, representing guerilla forces drawn from the Syrian population.

According to the developer, "The two releases are, in order:

1. Near future modern warfare (Combat Mission: Shock Force)
2. WWII western Europe 1939/45" ^[1]

Also from the developer:

The setting for CM:SF is 2007 (sic) Syria after a coup removes the current Assad government...the premise is that UN is called upon to remove the illegitimate regime. Support comes from all major nations and nearly all within the Middle East region. Leading this liberation is a coalition of mostly NATO states, with a strong contingent of Arab/Muslim states involved directly in the immediate and long term rebuilding of the nation. The player is in command of one of the more interesting missions - to slice through the center of the country and join up with other coalition forces around Damascus. ^[2]

Graphics capabilities are being upgraded drastically from the old engine:

The new engine will also blend textures together where two different terrain types meet. Grassy fields will merge into marshes much more subtly now, for instance, and you should[n't] see those hard lines along the edges of your riverbanks anymore either. It's important to realize the difference between blending and blurring here; you'll still be able to have distinct textures next to each other of course but they'll intersect much more naturally. You can set the extent to which they mix. If you have a muddy field covered in snow, for instance, you won't see a whitish-brown. Instead you'll either see a few spots of snow over a muddy field or a few patches of mud showing through an otherwise white field.

This new engine will also support "dark mapping." This new feature allows the developers to darken or tint certain areas of the map. This can be used to create shadows or simulate ground that's wet from rains or flooding. It may also speed up map design by allowing the designers to substitute dark-mapped dirt for mud. The feature may also be useful in defining objective areas -- rather than posting flags all over the battlefield, the designers may simply lay out tinted areas that mark key goals.

In playing the previous games, we've spent a lot of time looking at things on the ground, panning across a distant tree line searching for enemies or zooming down the streets of some small European city looking for stray turrets poking out from narrow alleys. And though the action will still be focused on the ground, CMX2 will give you a lot to see when you cast your eyes to the skies. A new sun and cloud model promises to make the world above you seem much more realistic. Some new methods are also being considered to render stars at night. ^[3]

[edit] Reception

IGN reviewed CMSF and noted that "the poor interface design and lack of a flexible or responsive AI makes it difficult to appreciate", however their review was performed on the first release of the game.^[4] GamingShogun reviewed the latest (1.07) version of the game, saying it was "one of the most fun battle simulations" they have ever played, rating it an 8.4/10. ^[5]