Close Combat: A Bridge Too Far is regarded as one of the best of the Close Combat series. It is the essence of "close" combat. Small maps, intense engagements and unforgiving firefights makes it a favorite among fans of the series, and I'm not alone in believing the rest of the series, specifically the re-releases, aren't up to par with it, that fact being plastered all over the closecombatseries.net forums.

This is where this mod comes in. I conducted an independent study of the the AI and overall gameplay of the close combat series. I discovered that not only was the AI not adjusted to suit the later release and re-releases, except for pathfinding updates and adjustments, it was generally the same AI in operation and logic. So, I studied the maps for A Bridge Too Far, their layouts, arrangement of victory locations, how the AI works and acts, etc. Using my observations, I downsized the maps in the game and re-structured the layout of victory locations, along with changes to data files for unlocking all unit slots and capacities and AI tactical battle performance (as much as I could, anyway, because the AI core programming is inside the main executable of the game and can't be changed), to revert Panthers in the Fog's maps to its A Bridge Too Far predecessor. This is just one phase in my plans to mod Gateway to Caen, Panthers in the Fog and the series' releases to reforge them for the single player experience, as well we re-creating the A Bridge Too Far experience in them, hopefully reviving the games and bringing back what made the games Close Combat, instead of the ugly, competetive multiplayer cousins they are now.

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PitF Revival - Phase Two

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I wanted to announce that I've started work on the next phase of the project for Panthers in the Fog. Here's a quick summary of the features to expect:

-Squad and team compositions, as well as platoon/company structure and organization, will be modified to reflect their historical counterpart as closely as possible within the game's constraints and engine. An example being that the US rifle teams have now been combined into a single squad, but of 10 men, instead of 12, because Panthers in the Fog only allows 10 soldiers in a squad. This was also done in my progress so far to make room for the rest of the infantry platoon's historical TO&E of a bazooka team, mortar squad and light machine gun squad.

-Infantry will be given the historical amount of combat loads on their person, including ammunition which is carried by a squad/team's ammunition bearers, as well as the historical number of grenades. Additionally, more smoke is given to squads and teams, and added to more squad members, to allow the player to use smoke more than once, and also if the squad leader for those units is killed. This also gives almost every squad in the game the ability to deploy smoke.

-Weapons will be changed to reflect their historical counterparts' effective range. In the case of anti-tank weapons, tanks and other vehicles, in addition to the effective range change, is adjusting the armor penetration values to their realistic level.

-Vehicles will be given their historical max speed, acceleration and armor thickness values for increased realism, which also means that, as many history buffs know, that a Sherman doesn't stand a chance against a Panther, for example, unless it uses its speed and maneuverability to its advantage to get around to the rear of the Panther. Otherwise, that Panther is more than likely going to smoke that Sherman in a single shot if it hits it.

-The blast radius of every explosive in the game will be increased to their historical radius, making explosives more deadly, which also lines up with the realistic fact of war that most of a fight's casualties are from shrapnel and indirect fire.

-Terrain and cover values will be modified to be based on the values used by A Bridge Too Far, but also given a more realistic quality to them, to not only recreate the feeling of combat in A Bridge Too Far, but also make combat more brutal and realistic.

A key thing I want to advise the players on is that they better brush up on your small unit tactics and combined arms tactics. This mod will not only revive the intensity and danger of A Bridge Too Far's combat and gameplay, but will also make combat more realistic. Study up and/or refresh yourself on your tactics. This isn't going to be the standard Panthers in the Fog you're used to.

FreeKing

PitF Revival - Installation Instructions

PitF Revival - Installation Instructions

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A summary of the installation process for both the Matrix Games/Slitherine and Steam versions of the game.

PitF Revival - Changes Made, v2.0

PitF Revival - Changes Made, v2.0

News

A summary of changes made to the game files and maps.

RSS Files
Panthers in the Fog Revival Mod v2.0

Panthers in the Fog Revival Mod v2.0

Full Version

The full version of the mod, reverting Panthers in the Fog to same AI and gameplay quality as Close Combat 2, or as close as I could get to it. I envisions...

Panthers in the Fog Revival, v1.0

Panthers in the Fog Revival, v1.0

Full Version

First release of the mod. For now, all that's present is the modified/downsized maps.

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