First Impressions

[Megalomatrix]

Here are some of my first impressions of the game...

First off, based on my first impressions, I am really liking this one. It feels right.

Very first impressions-
Title screen - "Wow. This is something else." Graphics/layout/Music very impressive and stand out for a wargame.
Options - Decent balance. Maybe a couple more would have been nice, but too much could be annoying. Missed a tooltip here and there, especially to explain difficulty levels.

First 5 minutes-
-One of the coolest things going on here for me is the graphics. I played SCI where the ultra-simplistic icons helped the game, giving it a quick, beer-and-pretzels feel that belied the strategic depth. Later SC iterations lost that "deceptively light" feel, having more depth yet without appealing graphics.
-graphics not only good, bright, colorful, but also very crisp. It's an attractive map to pour over. Units look particularly good.
-Feels a bit like Commander the Great War in terms of scale, a good thing.
-UI is extensive, a bit intimidating, but less so than other games with similar layout - fairly clear somehow.
-AI turn goes a bit too slow with an i7 equivalent...mentioning this as it has been a satisfaction killer for some similar titles. Not as bad here, but could be a bit faster.
-Explosions on combat look great, the sounds are more generic, both show danger of being repetitive. Despite costs, might be worth throwing in some variety as players will see/hear these things dozens of times each turn.

First 30-60 minutes:
-strategic tip/graphic recommending where to station forces as the UK to prevent Italian aggression in the med was awesome.
-strategic choices: Good immersion (letterheads etc. reminiscent of DC:B somewhat)
-strategic choices: would have been nice to see some recommendations on which choice is best, or maybe (??) more statistics there to help choose. Otherwise these can be high-pressure choices early game (esp. for new players).
-one big graphical beef: the options box that appears on right click is very jarring given the nice graphics in general, esp. with the white background and Windows style. This struck me with Arsenal of Democracy as well, but it's more jarring here given the contrast to the good graphical quality
-graphics: FR and DE unit bases are a wee bit too close in color - sometimes have to stop and look a bit carefully to distinguish, even when next to each other.


-design: the game feels good - the first couple of turns are tense enough to pull you in. Watching the first German turn hurts, but is not agonizing as in some similar titles. Lots of choices without being overwhelming.
-one really cool thing: AI sub behavior had a great hit-and-run feel, very noticeable
-one big plus: lots of unit types, cool options (renaming, choosing initial names, equipment upgrades, etc.)
-but would have been nice to see text descriptions when R clicking units, etc. (e.g., to easily check roles of ship types, etc.)
-menus occasionally have a spreadsheet feel, somewhat sterile and hard to get an overview
-events, choices, etc. keep gameplay exciting in early turns
-Polish destroyers escaping to UK event - very cool!


I'm really liking it and look forward to getting into the meat of gameplay. It's making a great first impression.

[AZKGungHo]

I just finished my first complete game. I was Allies and the Axis won a major victory in Sept. 1946 after Russia surrendered in August. I had taken France but was pushed out and in the end only held the UK and the States. A few thoughts,

After I invaded and liberated France (for a while anyway!) Italy declared war on Vichy and half heartedly attacked them. Then they (Vichy) joined the Allies. But I still got messages later saying they were being pressured to join the Allies.

I think Garrisons need to be changed a bit. I saw the AI use them as spearheads in several invasions - Russia in particular. I've done so too since they are cheap so why not? Since they are supposed to be used to garrison specific places I would suggest they not be eligible for mobility upgrades. If they were really slow players and AI wouldn't be tempted to misuse them.

Airpower - way to powerful when at level 5 with lots of experience. I saw armies and corps destroyed by two or three strikes by airpower alone. This happened a lot. Just before Russian surrendered ONE airstrike destroyed an Army in the final Russian capital, allowing the Germans to take it. One strike??

Partisans are fun to play with. They don't do all that much which is fine. But is there a way to make them less vulnerable to airpower? Since by their very nature partisans tend to be spread out I don't think they be nearly as good a target for planes as regular units would be.

The AI used it's paratroopers quite a bit and at times brilliantly. During the invasion of France both German para units dropped in and blocked the BEF from their port. Ended up destroying one unit completely. Caught me completely by surprise.

Invasions work much better now than in older versions of SC - great job!

The AI attacks very well. But it also makes odd choices of what not to attack. In Russia I kept a unit in Stalingrad as I retreated. It stayed there, unmolested, till the Russian surrender over two years later. The AI also moves away from areas where partisans pop up so they keep on doing so in the same places. Rostov was taken by the partisans and retaken by the Germans at least 7 times in this game.

Leaving today for two weeks vacation. But I'll be back on Sept. 10th and will pick up playtesting then. In the meantime have fun everyone and thanks to the team for such a great game!!