Author: eraser
Type: PC Game
Released: 1999
Designer: Atomic
Publisher: Microsoft
Genre: Real-Time Tactical Simulation
Close Combat 3 is a squad level, real-time tactical simulation. Developed by Atomic Games (now defunct) and released in 1999, Close Combat 3 is the third in a series of 6 games. Set in the Eastern Front with two playable sides Russian and German, you play from the start of the war to the very last battle, 1941 to 1945.
You are given control of a group of units, 10 to 15 depending on rank. A 'unit' can be a single sniper, an infantry squad, or even a tank. Every unit, be it a vehicle, a gun, or an infantry squad, is made up of individual members. Each of these unit members has their own job: for example, a tank crew will have a driver, a loader, a gunner, and in some cases MG gunners and assistants. The crew of a Panzer Mark IIIH can be seen below
Panzer Mark IIIH crew:
Notice that each tank crew member has a specific job; also notice the ammo counters. Each unit has a finite number of rounds of ammunition, and in the case of tanks and AT guns a number of different types of ammunition. If you aren't careful, you may in fact run out of ammunition! The Obsessive Compulsive part of me would like control over exactly which rounds are loaded (so as not to waste valuable SP or AP rounds), then again this is Real Time Strategy not a turn based P&P.
In the event that your non-infantry unit (in this case a tank) is knocked out, the crew will bail out and continue the assault with their pistols. Beware the tank crew de-tracked! Morale plays a large role in deciding what will happen in the event that your crew has to bail: if the crew is scared and without command, they may break and run away, or even surrender.
Also notice the unit status:
Green = Good/operational
Orange = OK, operationally restricted
Yellow = Damaged, reduced functionality
Red = Bad/broken/abandoned
This status colour scheme permeates throughout the game.
You would be wise to take care of your troops and equipment. Equipment can break down or be damaged; some repairs can be made by your men in the field, but others will cost you valuable points to refit. A good commander will also take the proper care of his troops: your men need proper leadership and lots of rest in order to be effective. Your battle effectiveness will be reduced if you ignore these things. You have to know when and how hard to push, and when to take a defensive position.
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Close Combat 3 uses a points based system for requisitioning units: depending on a number of conditions, you are given a certain number of points. How they are used is entirely up to you, whether you want to tailor your force towards an armoured thrust, or a more defensive strategy.
The number of points you get is based on a number of things; the timeline, past performance and rank are all taken into account. The better you play, the more you are rewarded.
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The unit deployment phase is critical for a good start to the engagement: will you keep you tanks in hull down positions and wait for the enemy to advance, or will you have your armour ready to make a blitz? Will you keep your mortar teams in reserve or have them in a forward position, in order to provide close support?
The deployment phase also give you the opportunity to re-position your units. Each side has certain areas to deploy in, as seen above. You can also see that there is a no-man's land area in between the two sides. Deployment areas can change throughout the course of an operation, according to how things are going. For example, if you capture a certain objective on the map and decide to truce with your enemy, on the second round you will have possession of that objective. Once your units are in their desired positions you can give them starting orders: move here, fire there, defend, etc.
Never underestimate the advantage of having your guns pre sighted in the right direction: if you're lucky, you can start the level with a bang.
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to Russian tanks in the forest
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German rocket carriers (or SPW mit Wurframen, to be more precise) are a German Commander's best friend; his personal shotgun so to speak. These babies are a huge advantage to the wise commander: used properly a single rocket round take take as many as 6 tanks out of action in a single shot. You get 6 rounds per rack with a maximum of two racks; use your rounds carefully, as rocket carriers take a very long time to reload. Rocket carriers are best used in urban or summer forest environments: secondaries due to shrapnel are much, much more dangerous than the initial round. One lucky hit and 3, 4 even 5 tanks are knocked out. Right from the start the German rocket carrier is a huge advantage, if you are lucky enough to have them available, that is. Russian 120mm mortars sadly don't hold a candle to the German rocket carrier.
Game resources
Close Combat 3 Home Page
Atomic's CC3 home page, description, unit lists and some screenshots.
Close Combat 3 demos
Sadly Atomic has closed it's doors and no longer offers downloads, a Google search will have to do.
CSO Close Combat Clan
Probably the best Close Combat community in existence, great forums and an excellent selection of custom mods and maps that cover the whole series.
While Close Combat 3: The Russian Front has a rather primitive graphics engine, it meshes very nicely with the game's style of play. All resolutions your display is capable of handling are supported, 16bit only. My only graphics-related gripes are the slight lag on the UI overlays (command radius, targeting, etc) and the explosion animations which have a slight slide-show effect to them. Take a look at the CC4 explosion mod over at CSO to improve the explosions.
Ambient sounds are very well done; I often find myself reacting to the sound of shells being fired in the distance or thinking to myself huh, little late in the winter for birds chirping isn't it? while playing. The in-game sounds are all surprisingly realistic, there is the odd quirk here and there. One being the sounds aren't smooth, you can hear when one stops and other starts but overall in game sounds are very well done.
Gameplay: 9/10Single player game play is excellent. Difficulty scales very well, from Recruit all the way to Elite. Aside from some rather strange starting positions that the computer opponent picks, things run rather smoothly. The Grand Campaign is extensive and even dynamic depending on your performance as a commander.
Internet/LAN TCP/IP, LAN IPX, Modem direct connect, Serial cable and MSN Gaming Zone (now defunct) multilayer modes are all available. Multiplayer works pretty much as advertised with a few quirks here and there. Occasionally the game will crash when playing, updating to the newest patch (3.0b) corrects this and a few other bugs. The only multiplayer related things that rub me the wrong way are the chat system which could use some work (as is it is a little awkward to use) and NAT compatability.
Replayability: 9/10
While single player replay ability is limited in some cases The good news is that there are numerous custom made maps and modifications available at a number of different communities, foremost in my mind would be the CSO Close Combat Clan site.
If you are a RTTS fan there is certainly enough variance in the game to keep you busy for quite some time. The Grand Campaign is varied enough that it rarely plays the same twice through. You get a wide range of units to play with in a broad range of situations. Maps however are a different story, whatever the game you never seem to have enough maps to play on! Custom maps, mods and campaign can alleviate this a little.
Overall: 9.5/10Close Combat 3: The Russian Front is a shining example of a well implemented strategy game, other developers could learn much from Atomic's creation. Close Combat 3 combines the best parts of pen and paper games with the fun and ease of use of Real Time Strategy games in a inspiring package. Despite a few rough corners Close Combat 3 comes through as a challenging yet immensely enjoyable gaming experience.