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Author Topic: Close Combat 3 COI Grand Campaign Playthroughs On Elite Difficulty  (Read 6396 times)

TheFjordFox

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Hello there!

So, I'm a seasoned veteran of this game (the whole Close Combat series, really), and have been playing them since I first got my hands on the CC2 demo at a friend's place back in the 90s. My favourite iteration of the franchise has since I played it been CC3. The linear campaign is quite appealing to me, as I feel more personal with my roster than I do in the newer games, where I don't care as much for the individual soldier's survival.

Anyway! I figured; Why not take my experience of multiple playthroughs with both sides and do it all again for the millionth time, but this time, record it for youtube? And so I did!

Below you can find a link to both the German and the Russian playthroughs, both completed.

German Playthrough

Russian Playthrough

I hope some of you will find some enjoyment or entertainment value in my videos!

I take on challengers, so let me know if you want to do some multiplayer battles! I might do some AARs of them for my youtube channel.

Have a good one, folks!
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Duuvian

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Re: Close Combat 3 COI Grand Campaign Playthroughs On Elite Difficulty
« Reply #1 on: November 24, 2021, 07:28:35 pm »

I used to have this, one of the best versions of Close Combat made.

Once I had an early war Cossack smg squad and one soldier in it survived to the end of the war and received a lot of medals despite it being my go-to close range infantry squad set to ambush at the very front. Somehow that guy always survived the hail of bullets and grenades the ambush command that Close Combat series used resulted in. I want to say he took out a tank by himself at one point after his squad died, but I might be misremembering (I do think that squad had hand thrown AP explosives of some sort though)

My favorite tank in this version was the Panzer II because it's main gun fired very quickly and wiped out infantry squads easily without having to get close to a comparably effective weapon like a flamethrower. It was great until the bazookas show up or it's facing another tank where it's little cannon can't penetrate.

The snipers were actually effective sometimes too rather than mostly being a pick to fill the last slot with the last requisition points or what-not. Usually in CC games they didn't do much except take a few shots and then die to mortar or anything with a shot at them.. In this one you could set them to defend from a high point and they would periodically shoot at infantry moving forward and take out an officer and make them lay back down, sometimes without their location being spotted which was what got them killed in other CC games. I found the key was never to give them a Fire order since that makes them keep shooting as fast as they can and give away their position rather than waiting between shots like they do when set to Defend an arc.

I didn't watch the videos as my browser addons don't like youtube but thought I would post my admiration anyways.
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FINISHED original composition:
https://app.box.com/s/jq526ppvri67astrc23bwvgrkxaicedj

Sort of finished and awaiting remix due to loss of most recent song file before addition of drums:
https://www.box.com/s/s3oba05kh8mfi3sorjm0 <-zguit

TheFjordFox

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Re: Close Combat 3 COI Grand Campaign Playthroughs On Elite Difficulty
« Reply #2 on: November 27, 2021, 03:14:37 am »

That's ok!

Yeah, a great part of this game is all the stories that develop as you play, if you're so inclined as to pay attention to them. Every playthrough is different, and so much weird stuff can happen. In this playthrough for instance, something that has never happened to me before unfolded. Some German anti-tank gun was stationed inside a factory, and I had a squad in the next room over. Then the anti-tank gun opens fire at them, misses, but hits something, I have no idea what, that was apparently explosive, and it set off a chain reaction detonating my whole squad. Might not be the best story, but I was quite surprised!

And there is indeed some awesome weaponry in this game, but I feel that sadly you're best off just getting the most heavily armoured tanks in most cases. I would love for the Pz II to be more viable later on, or half-tracks to be somewhat viable at all. I mean, one can make them work, but why bother, when you can have a Tiger instead? Could be fun tho, to challenge yourself with limited firepower.

Not really been much into snipers myself, apart from spotting they don't seem entirely snipey very often, if that makes sense.
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Duuvian

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Re: Close Combat 3 COI Grand Campaign Playthroughs On Elite Difficulty
« Reply #3 on: December 12, 2021, 08:41:23 am »

Haha, yes, your soldiers feel that full fuel barrels are excellent initial cover and all they look like from above is something circular and metallic colored.

I agree with the using heavier tanks; the Panzer II I used against infantry I always hid in the rear on starting placement, behind buildings and used either as a long range unit against enemy infantry by ordering it to move fast from it's safe starting spot after I think I've found and taken out the AT guns or use it to peek out at infantry.

You are correct the halftracks were complete garbage in this game since the unarmored crew comparments allowed even basic rifle squads to kill them at long range. An exception is maybe the mortar and the Soviet rocket version, but that's because those could indirect fire.

I agree the snipers are not strong in this version, just slightly better than other editions I tried. I think the slow fire rate is a good thing as it keeps them from being targetted, suppressed, and then killed. The way I deployed them was similar to an MG team I'm planning to use for suppression and not use as an ambush unit for close range slaughter. The snipers didn't hit much, but once in a while when the enemy infantry squads are advancing with Move or Move Fast the sniper will take one out and make them lay down without being able to fire back at what hit them. Not great but there are a few early scenarios, especially early Soviet campaign, where you don't have many requisition points (like the very first opening scenario; I enjoyed when I could win or stall that one as Soviets due to it being pretty stacked against that side at that point with the Germans having tanks vs poor quality infantry. If you get the AT gun or AT Rifle team, can't remember if both were an option, you have enough for one sniper IIRC)

Did you find the use of AT guns? It turns out they are very sneaky and can hide in ambush mode until a tank comes arumbling into their view with it's flank facing them,, then I think I used to set them to Defend to have them open up. I think the big ones like the 88mm have a harder time hiding, but there are other large AT guns that fit into buildings that can disable most heavy armor tanks.

Flamethrowers are pretty great in effectiveness all around up until they hit their max range. I think the Soviets had a light or medium tank with a vehicle flamethrower that I used very often in the mid game. I think it was one of the BTs and not T-34, but I wouldn't be surprised both had flamethrower version. If you can get close enough without being disabled, it can kill heavy tanks with a few shots.

The Soviets' early war Heavy Tanks are great; the KV series for example. Panzer IV can't do much to it usually. There is one with a 152mm howitzer on it and I think 3 or 4 machine guns that is just silly. The craters it leaves on the map are great cover later on.

Another reason to use light tanks would be the sometimes mount a lot of machine guns. The Stuart lend lease the Soviets use mounts IIRC 3 or 4 on a speedy chassis. Another is they are somewhat speedy if the AI doesn't course correct too much (stoppig to overturn and then correct) and doesn't get stuck on terrain. I used them if there aren't AT guns and tanks that can kill them that I know of to take victory points sometimes since they are speedy but armored enough not to die to MGs. If they die or are disabled to one I missed, oh well I lost a light tank of questionable fighting power against other tanks. It is important to not rush the VP unless running out of time since bazookas and panzerschrecks. I sometimes shoot places I think infantry might hide with the main cannon and MGs, like a hedgerow along a road to a VP if I do have to rush it for time limits. If I don't have to rush I would move up slowly and get ready to give it a Move order to reverse it if anything happens. That's assuming no infantry are around to check it out first, due to the light tank's ability to speed across the map without every single unit being able to shoot it.

How did you set your scenario time limits? I think I usually did the highest setting but not unlimited, since rarely a true stalemate still occurs (you have one infantry left vs an immobile but still armed tank for example) and I'd prefer to let time run out then. That setting does seem to allow for more player victory as the player has time to advance the whole map if they do well instead of fighting several battles on the map like the default time limit would usually result in. Probably better the latter way imo but that time limit is a pita sometimes when you are winning a scenario like crazy but run out of time to take the last VP and they bring many tanks next scenario on that map.
« Last Edit: December 12, 2021, 09:14:27 am by Duuvian »
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FINISHED original composition:
https://app.box.com/s/jq526ppvri67astrc23bwvgrkxaicedj

Sort of finished and awaiting remix due to loss of most recent song file before addition of drums:
https://www.box.com/s/s3oba05kh8mfi3sorjm0 <-zguit

TheFjordFox

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Re: Close Combat 3 COI Grand Campaign Playthroughs On Elite Difficulty
« Reply #4 on: February 16, 2022, 02:34:46 am »

I tend to prefer 30 minutes, it seems to give the AI some time to do stuff when I'm defending, and me time to do a proper assault when I'm attacking. Sometimes I might go shorter, depending on what I feel like, as sometimes staring at the screen when the AI does nothing for 30 minutes, and you're defending can be really damn boring. :p
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