I went to the site and it is black lettering against a dark blue background. I can't read that, but it must be somewhat difficult for most readers. Why is this becoming commonplace at websites?

<t> I'm glad to hear that folks are enjoying FoF, which in my judgment is a terrific game.<br/>
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Sometimes one hears complaints about complexity but rarely mentioned is the fact that the game has about three dozen options. Turn them all off and you have a very basic game. Turn some on, and ...

Thanks, Zak and Matti. Terrifically helpful.

<t> Matti, thanks. You seem to have paid close attention to the criteria I listed. I looked at the second game you mentioned, but their forum is white letters against black background and my eyes cannot take that. I was interested in MechTek and looked at their site and forum and Wiki, but I can't ...

<t> I read through this thread but none of the MMOs discussed here are what I'm looking for. I would like a game high on strategy with no fast action or pvp elements, with guilds but little or no rp, somewhat realistic rather than magic, open-ended rather than missions or quests, and preferably a ...

<r> grarap, I know enough about you to know that you are an obviously intelligent guy who likes history, including ACW history. And, although I have not played this game, I know enough about it to guage its level of complexity. On the basis of that, I would be astounded if you have any problem ...

<t> My favorite is&nbsp;Forge of Freedom, which I played non-stop (at least it seemed non-stop to my wife) for about 8 months, which is a record for me with one game.&nbsp; I also enjoyed HOI I & II a lot with good mods, but the AI was not strong enough to hold interest for a whole war.</t>

<t> Has anybody played, or checked out, the online game called simcountry? <br/>
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It has a "world" with, like, 6000 countries, many of which have human leaders, others are still computer-led. It seems to have complex economic, etc., management, and you can make deals with other players and so ...

Interesting article. Thanks for posting it.

I just want to second R's original point. MTW is way better than MTW2, and the XL mod makes it more challenging and more fun.

I especially like the line about the contribution of the "cadre of erudite gamers." I took it quite personally, thank you.

<t> I find FOF engrossing and I play only on the strategic level, not the tactical games. It has very high replayability value. Another benefit is that most of the features are optional, so you can play at the highly simplified basic level to learn the game, then move to intermediate which adds some ...

Nice!

Not sure if this is exactly on point, but I enjoy watching QBs, the troops rally, etc. I find that I get more people actually on the field, not just in reserve, when I keep some of my forces in an adjacent area and then bring them in at the beginning as reinforcements.

<t> Great bio. It wasn't until re-reading some stuff that I realized that Smith was considered a candidate for top army command. IIRC, Grant recommended him for AoP if they wanted to get rid of Meade. Given a chance to follow up on that recommendation, Grant did not reply, perhaps having meanwhile ...

A more interesting character than I had realized.

That Dix was the ranking volunteer is mentioned twice, at the beginning and when Lincoln commissions him.

My mistake then. Thanks.

Interesting bio. In all the complaining about political generals, you never hear much about Cox, who seems to have provided solid military service. Interesting about his political ups and downs after the war as well.

Oh, yeah, I remember that from Chekhov -- not Anton, but the one on Star Trek.

And McDowell certainly sounds like a Russian name. Case closed.

Good documentation but still puzzling, since I don't think Buell was Halleck's "subordinate" at that point.