advanced weather effects

[Insano]

Do most PBEM games prefer advanced weather effects on or off?

I see that this setting cannot be changed after a PBEM is started. If you are playing against the AI you can change this setting (and others) at will throughout the course of the game.

Does the advanced weather impact the penalties for the northern cold season and/or the monsoon season? By that I mean I don't want turning advanced weather off to remove the penalty for landing in Alaska in January.

I'm leaning toward advanced weather off because the weather is still highly variable but I'm searching for the best game play experience and the opinion of the community.

[crsutton]

Turning it off will give you fair weather everywhere as far as I know. However, if I recall, I turned it off a while back while running some bombing tests and it actually did not turn off. Better test it a few turns. I am not sure if the monsoon and arctic penalties apply with advanced weather off. Frankly, very few players turn it off.

[Puhis]

No, turning weather off gives you always same forecast (partly cloud). The actual in-game weather is almost as bad as advanced weather on. There's still thunderstorms, but generally weather is somewhat better.

Just turn advanced weather off. Game is better without it. It really is.

[Rainer]

Just turn advanced weather off. Game is better without it. It really is.

No.

[DuckofTindalos]

It is. Advanced Weather tends to mean BAD weather most of the time.

[Dan Nichols]

ORIGINAL: Terminus

It is. Advanced Weather tends to mean BAD weather most of the time.

This is true.

[Puhis]

ORIGINAL: Rainer

Just turn advanced weather off. Game is better without it. It really is.

No.

You convinced me!

[LoBaron]

ORIGINAL: Dan Nichols

ORIGINAL: Terminus

It is. Advanced Weather tends to mean BAD weather most of the time.

This is true.

Maybe so, but we play with advanced weather on, and I see it as an enrichment to the game.

It adds a high level randomizer to all operations, impacts coordination or cancels air ops as a whole, impacts DL, impacts strike accuracy, and so
enhances the feel of uncertainty. It is not gamebreaking at all, you just have to add a lot of fail safe mechanisms into your planning.

I have been in a couple of countries like Thailand, Southern China, and Malaysia, and all have one thing in common: A high reliability of heavy rain
and cloud formations not existing in continental Europe. Also, reading books on the Pacific War enhances the impression that weather was a dreaded
factor impacting all sorts of ops.

Matter of taste I guess...

[Puhis]

ORIGINAL: LoBaron

ORIGINAL: Dan Nichols

ORIGINAL: Terminus

It is. Advanced Weather tends to mean BAD weather most of the time.

This is true.

Maybe so, but we play with advanced weather on, and I see it as an enrichment to the game.

It adds a high level randomizer to all operations, impacts coordination or cancels air ops as a whole, impacts DL, impacts strike accuracy, and so
enhances the feel of uncertainty. It is not gamebreaking at all, you just have to add a lot of fail safe mechanisms into your planning.

You do realize that advanced weather off doesn't mean weather is always good? I've played about 700 turns without "advanced" weather, and I think game gives much more realistic weather.

For example, weather of last 3 turns:

Weather in hex: Heavy cloud
Weather in hex: Heavy cloud
Weather in hex: Partial cloud
Weather in hex: Thunderstorms
Weather in hex: Partial cloud
Weather in hex: Light rain
Weather in hex: Severe storms
Weather in hex: Thunderstorms
Weather in hex: Heavy rain
Weather in hex: Light rain
Weather in hex: Heavy cloud
Weather in hex: Light cloud
Weather in hex: Severe storms

[LoBaron]

Possible, but I never had issues with advanced weather on either, so I don´t care too much.

[castor troy]

ORIGINAL: Puhis

No, turning weather off gives you always same forecast (partly cloud). The actual in-game weather is almost as bad as advanced weather on. There's still thunderstorms, but generally weather is somewhat better.

Just turn advanced weather off. Game is better without it. It really is.

it definitely is

[dr.hal]

We play (Paul and I) with the weather on... I think it is more realistic (in an abstract sense?) in that weather can be a very real factor and I don't see its impact as much as I would like. On other threads we have discussed the lack of impact from the monsoon season (near total halt to movement, if reality set in). Like LoBaron, I've spent three tours in South Asia and it can be a HUGE mess. Also read any of the histories. Fighting during some months was "mission impossible". Flying near the same. Maybe the developers were too afraid of weather and "dumbed" it down. Not sure. Hal

[Insano]

Well if we take the posts in this thread as an informal poll I count:

Advanced Weather ON - 4 votes
Advanced Weather OFF- 4 votes

It seems there is not a general agreement, just individual personal preference.

There does seem to be agreement that Advanced Weather ON means worse weather than Advanced Weather OFF. Then it's a matter of opinion what feels better to the player.

Very interesting and thanks to all for the feedback.

[HansBolter]

ORIGINAL: Terminus

It is. Advanced Weather tends to mean BAD weather most of the time.

Which is good for a game that needs the pace of operations allowed to players checked by at least some kind of governor.

As usual, in opposition to the bandwagon, I come down on the side of "good for the game...keep it turned on". [8D]

[Jorge_Stanbury]

According to the manual:
"When Advanced Weather Effects are not in use, the weather forecasts will always be clear on
turn 1 and partly cloudy thereafter"

the first time I read it, I thought it means a standard "partly cloudy" weather forever and so I decided to turned it on;
but so far (after few turns) I have to admit, it had meant "bad weather always"

if I turn off advanced weather; would it have any effect on malaria and cold zones?

[Miller]

Well I vote to leave it on. If you turn it off you lower the chance of air ops not flying, thus speeding up the tempo of the game which is already much faster than the real war.

[LoBaron]

ORIGINAL: Miller

Well I vote to leave it on. If you turn it off you lower the chance of air ops not flying, thus speeding up the tempo of the game which is already much faster than the real war.

Thats a very good point.
Actually advanced weather "off" is on my "why is my game not in synch with history" list.

I also think there often is a misunderstanding what the advanced weather switch means.

With advanced weather on "weather forecasts always will be clear on turn 1 and partly cloudy thereafter".

The weather forecast tells you something about probability, not about actual weather. We have 3 phases ingame per day, and weather can
possibly change between every single phase. The chance distribution with advanced weather "off" always remains the same, with "on" it
varies from thunderstorms to clear. But it still is a forecast, so you can sometimes run into a wall of clouds although the weather map stated "clear".

Weather is an extremely interesting part of the game, it can be used to your advantage or used against you. Obviousely not with "off" as there are not enough
data points in "partly cloudy" from 41-46. [;)]

[mike scholl 1]

ORIGINAL: Puhis

No, turning weather off gives you always same forecast (partly cloud). The actual in-game weather is almost as bad as advanced weather on. There's still thunderstorms, but generally weather is somewhat better.

Just turn advanced weather off. Game is better without it. It really is.

You are absolutely right! I'm over 1000 turns into a game with it off, and the only REAL difference in weather effects is that the variety is much better than with it on. ON seems to mean "geet wet and stay wet..., EVERYWHERE!" OFF means the forcast stays the same, but the weather varies considerably all over the map. OFF is way better..., and more realistic to boot!

[Hanzberger]

[&:]

[LoBaron]

ORIGINAL: Hanzberger

[&:]

Has been my first reaction too.

Advanced weather on, random turn, mid ´43. And yes, there are longer bad weather periods in specific map areas. Weird, somehow reminds me of reality... [8D]