How CM's gameplay compares to reality?

[Renomaki]

Recently, I just watched a rather interesting video that I'm gonna share with you here. It is quite thought provoking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peNU5EffPYU

After watching this, I got to thinkin "I wonder how Colonial Marines compares to real life?".

When you think about it, we got a lot of somewhat realistic elements. We have logistics, the management of wounded, you can't control people like mindless machines, etc etc. Sure, we are fighting against aliens a lot of the time, but take that out, and CM13 is a kinda accurate game... Or is it?

What do you think?

[RiskySikh]

I gotta agree that CM is one the most realistic games out there, you got so many roles that are military and non. When you are fighting war it doesn't mean that you are always a soldier, you got civilian roles who play a crucial part like engineers, doctors, cargo, and etc. The thing I like about this is game that is has crucial roles that aren't about gun blazing type of shit, you got roles that are just simply repairing the ship which I like.

[Heckenshutze]

It also has the realism of normal people trying to be marines and failing horribly, FFing everyone.

[GibbyPoizon]

0/10 no chefs.

[Shuffl3]

I recently flipped through a book about a marine division operating in a pitched armor battle during the first gulf war. It struck me how similar the problems the units in the book had were to many of the same problems marines in CM face. FF, poor communications, clueless leadership and the like. Just the general lack of situational awareness there is on the ground and how small tactical mistakes can lead to strategic problems. Everybody is on edge and nobody really seems to know what theyre supposed to be doing.

Book was: Storm on the Horizon: Khafji

Big thing that differentiates CM from RL is that CM has a lot of trouble trying maneuver warfare let alone combined arms. It has to rely on much older methods of making war. My guess is that there isnt a way for more abstract positioning feedback to get to command, so coordination is hindered because leadership has to decode troop chatter or rely on SOs/SLs to frequently broadcast positioning in order to attempt coordinated movements. Youd need something as basic as a map table to get out of this revolutionary war era stuff.

And, CM marines get meta. Meta passes on knowledge/context and tactics/strategy from one round to the next in a form of groupthink. Real life is more like your first round on a new map every day.

Also, the book mostly followed a subunit called Delta, and i giggled at all the times they got called out for fuckin up. Goddamn deltards.

[Jonesome]

Well obviously we don’t have tanks

[Simo94]

Well obviously we don’t have tanks

what about the model B18 Tank we have then?

[Rio]

I lump CM and ArmA together in the same group because they are two games about war in which the combat is not fun. Where CM sets itself apart from ArmA is in making the logistical aspect more involved, though it's still a way's off. If it were anything resembling real there would be 6-8 support staff for every squad marine, but that wouldn't make for very exciting gameplay.

Marine tardation is spot on though.

[Jonesome]

what about the model B18 Tank we have then?

I call it something that runs off and dies uselessly.

[Skimmy2]

I would say CM is does a pretty good job in the logistics department, which is entirely how warfare functions.

Consider that every single person in a miliaty would have to be fed about 5 pounds of food every single day. (Going by 1900-1950's data at least) and whos job it is to make sure you all get your protein bars and bullets to function.
Of course the Muhreens in game are basically a bunch of not even trained conscripts thrown into the field, so that's fun.

[Surrealistik]

Easily and by far one of the most unrealistic things is how little damage the Marine weapons deal (for gameplay reasons of course), or alternately, how resilient the beanos are.

[Simo94]

Easily and by far one of the most unrealistic things is how little damage the Marine weapons deal (for gameplay reasons of course), or alternately, how resilient the beanos are.

marine weapons do somewhat realistic damage to humans, with the whole fracture and delimbing system. as for xenos, its not realistic mainly because xenos are not....you know.....real.

[Surrealistik]

marine weapons do somewhat realistic damage to humans, with the whole fracture and delimbing system. as for xenos, its not realistic mainly because xenos are not....you know.....real.

The weapons they use also aren't real, but we can make some pretty good inferences that high velocity, penetrative, exploding rounds per the pulse rifle will put down a creature with casual ease that consists of muscle and chitin however thick, and a conventional organ based biology which is certainly the case with beanos.

In pretty much every canon instance the humble pulse rifle is readily able to kill xenos in only a couple of rounds when striking the head or center mass; the threat from them is typically a consequence of their numbers, ambush and stealth, not their durability. In CM, the numbers bit isn't exactly doable, so they're durable and quickly regenerate instead.

Then you've got silly stuff like the SADAR AP rockets, i.e. future-tank destroyers, somehow not being able to utterly annihilate certain beanos.

[edda]

Engagement range is a big deal, and CM gets it wrong (because it's implemented in BYOND, so it can't be helped). In life, skirmishes with rifles often happen at hundreds of yards.

Also, despite having CAS and all, CM is weak on the combined arms element of the modern military reality.

Source: Born in a military/intelligence family, have been shot at (but never shot a gun myself).

[Skimmy2]

CM could probably be very great at simulating urban fighting/room clearing, that is if muhreens ever learn how2smoke/flash/breach.

A human vs human fight for LV's buildings would be pretty damn fun.

[getfreur]

We had that one time, the fucking rebels used mortars on the First wave destroying parts of Nexus and robotics, after that happened a longo range gunfight betwen CLF and Marine forces on the River, until a bombardment happened and became guerrila warfare on the caves going to surge of their main underground base.

[Rio]

marine weapons do somewhat realistic damage to humans, with the whole fracture and delimbing system. as for xenos, its not realistic mainly because xenos are not....you know.....real.

"Real" as in "how it was portrayed in 'Aliens'.

Xenomorphs were not tough individually. In fact, they were quite weak. Their only advantage was the ability to outmaneuver the marines and attack from angles they were not expected from. Head on though, xenos could be blown open with a few rounds because the pulse rifle uses explosive tipped projectiles, and xenomorphs are walking sacs of volatile explosive acid, thus why the flamethrower is dangerous to it in particular.

But gameplay balance comes before everything else (at least in theory).

[Simo94]

"Real" as in "how it was portrayed in 'Aliens'.

Xenomorphs were not tough individually. In fact, they were quite weak. Their only advantage was the ability to outmaneuver the marines and attack from angles they were not expected from. Head on though, xenos could be blown open with a few rounds because the pulse rifle uses explosive tipped projectiles, and xenomorphs are walking sacs of volatile explosive acid, thus why the flamethrower is dangerous to it in particular.

But gameplay balance comes before everything else (at least in theory).

I used the word 'real' in the same manner the OP of this topic did, as in real life wars, not talking about the movies.