Some questions before/if I buy

[FM WarB]

1) Has PBEM exchange been made less cumbersome?
2) Must Gentleman Johnny arrive in Canada or can he be redirected elsewhere?
3) What is this "Gold" edition I've seen mention of?

[decaro]

ORIGINAL: FM WarB

1) Has PBEM exchange been made less cumbersome?
2) Must Gentleman Johnny arrive in Canada or can he be redirected elsewhere?
3) What is this "Gold" edition I've seen mention of?

I can answer 2 out of 3.
2) If I remember correctly, he first arrives in the Colonies, suddenly disappears, then reappears leading an army in Canada.
3) It's the old BoA retrofitted w/all the latest improvements to AGEod's ever-evolving game engine.

[korrigan]

1) No. If you call cumbersome the AGEod system (which is the same than Stars!, Combat mission or Dominion BTW).
Sure it was badly explained in the manual, but once you have understood the process it's pretty easy.
This was the corporate answer, now if you ask me: yes, it could be easier but I fail to convince Pocus (who is a Stars! and Dominion 3 fan) [;)]

3) BoA Gold was supposed to be an extension sold for BoA 1. Time passed, we incorporated a 1812 campaign and retroffited a lot of features through free patches and dropped the idea all together. We are now working on a new stand-alone (and non compatible) game called BoA 2, wars in America. ETA Q2 2008

[decaro]

ORIGINAL: korrigan

... BoA Gold was supposed to be an extension sold for BoA 1. Time passed, we incorporated a 1812 campaign and retroffited a lot of features through free patches and dropped the idea all together. We are now working on a new stand-alone (and non compatible) game called BoA 2, wars in America. ETA Q2 2008

Bad news for us original BoA buyers, but that explains what happened to BoA Gold. Will there still be more patches for BoA (1), or has that become passe as well?

I am currently playing AACW, which I bought brand new in a local retail store w/o shipping costs (and at a reasonable price), but I miss the simplicity of the original BoA.

In AACW, I seem to spend a great deal of time trying to form Armies w/corresponding Corps to the exclusion of all else, which takes away from the game's enjoyment. I trust there will be no Armies/Corps in BoA WiA.

[FM WarB]

Thanks for the replies. I've bought the game.
1) Click end turn/battlefile is ready to be emailed to your opponent is what I've come to expect.
2) Burgoyne's army arrives in Quebec (with white coated Germand, my first mod project).
3) I've been looking at ACW forums. Some improvements, but not sure all the added complexity is good.

[korrigan]

BoA 1:
All the possible improvement have been incorporated through the Legacy patch (1.13). We can't tweak further the engine. This patch has been released in December adn is reputed bug free. The only new improvement I can see is the release of some mods, especially the STWA mod (http://www.ageod.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7039).
For those who have not bought it yet, Birth of America is a must buy, a classic game who has reached the age of maturity.

BoA 2 will feature a new scope:
• New map : extension of the map up to the Mississippi in the west, blockade and commerce raiding boxes, new European off-map boxes (France, GB, Spain, Holland) or in the Americas (Hudson Bay, Newfoundland, Cuba)
• New leaders and units.
• New Scenarios (including at least the following)
- scenarios 1750-1780 : Lord Dunmore War, Cherokee 1760, Pontiac 1762, new F&I war campaign, full 1777, 1778 and 1779 campaigns.
- scenarios 1780-1800 : Fallen Timbers, Tippecanoe
- scenarios 1812 : New Orleans 1815, Eastern Seaboard 1814, Full War of 1812 campaign

It will also offer new features:
• New cohesion system (based on the ACW model) and impact on combat
• Brand new concept of Engagement Points, allowing options of Armaments purchases, political and diplomatic options. In addition, a challenging Foreign Entry competitive engine will allow player to struggle in the race for the French Intervention.
• New orders (e.g. spiking the guns) and multiple choices check boxes in events windows.
• New abilities (adapted from the new ones in ACW and for the new rules here)
• Different updates and rules (e.g. combat, Indians, minutemen, blockade, privateers, naval transport, optional limited activation rules, German mercenaries, etc..)

BoA 2 will not display the AACW Army/corps and Supply lines systems. Indeed, this wouldn't be historical + the BoA engine has been purposefully designed to be easy and simple to play.


Regarding the PBeM, yes that's exactly what we are aiming to. [:)]

[FM WarB]

Will BoA2 have less cumbersome PBEM exchange? Does ACW?
I'd like to have that STWA mod, as it seems to include most changes I'd make.
I'm hoping those new European entry boxes will be where fleets are marshalled and given their destination orders (three months in advance, or so).

[LMUBill]

ORIGINAL: korrigan

BoA 2 will feature a new scope:
• New map : extension of the map up to the Mississippi in the west, blockade and commerce raiding boxes, new European off-map boxes (France, GB, Spain, Holland) or in the Americas (Hudson Bay, Newfoundland, Cuba)
• New leaders and units.
• New Scenarios (including at least the following)
- scenarios 1750-1780 : Lord Dunmore War, Cherokee 1760, Pontiac 1762, new F&I war campaign, full 1777, 1778 and 1779 campaigns.
- scenarios 1780-1800 : Fallen Timbers, Tippecanoe
- scenarios 1812 : New Orleans 1815, Eastern Seaboard 1814, Full War of 1812 campaign

Will it have Fort Loudoun in Tennessee for the 1760 Cherokee War and F&I scenarios? [:)]

[korrigan]

ORIGINAL: LMUBill
Will it have Fort Loudoun in Tennessee for the 1760 Cherokee War and F&I scenarios? [:)]

Yes it will!

[korrigan]

ORIGINAL: FM WarB
I'm hoping those new European entry boxes will be where fleets are marshalled and given their destination orders (three months in advance, or so).

Excellent idea

[FM WarB]

I should have added that when those reinforcemts arrive at their destinations, their fleets do NOT disappear, though these fleets may need a refit delay to transport elsewhere

[Adam Parker]

ORIGINAL: korrigan

It will also offer new features:
• New cohesion system (based on the ACW model) and impact on combat
• Brand new concept of Engagement Points, allowing options of Armaments purchases, political and diplomatic options. In addition, a challenging Foreign Entry competitive engine will allow player to struggle in the race for the French Intervention.
• New orders (e.g. spiking the guns) and multiple choices check boxes in events windows.
• New abilities (adapted from the new ones in ACW and for the new rules here)
• Different updates and rules (e.g. combat, Indians, minutemen, blockade, privateers, naval transport, optional limited activation rules, German mercenaries, etc..)

I fear that BoA2 will be forsaking its roots as a game for the non-monster war gamer in favor of a smaller audience that seeks games of the complexity like "Forge of Freedom".

I trully believe that there will be more retail dollars for BoA2 if it approaches the simplicity of "We the People".

Look at he sales already raked up for GMT's "Manoeuvre", "Blackbeard", "Clash of Monarchs", "Commands and Colors Expansion II" and "Commands and Colors Expansion III":

#837, #1272, #935, #1365 and #1013 respectively .

GMT's newest game of the American Revolution will in fact be a re-make of "We the People" called "Washington's War".

I for one do not have the time to go complex in my war gaming any more. Complexity and chrome imho, does not equate to "clever" and it seems the retail dollar is agreeing with me. Whatever happened to "easy to play hard to master" in PC war gaming?

My .02,
Adam.

[decaro]

ORIGINAL: Adam Parker

ORIGINAL: korrigan
It will also offer new features:
• New cohesion system (based on the ACW model) and impact on combat
• Brand new concept of Engagement Points, allowing options of Armaments purchases, political and diplomatic options. In addition, a challenging Foreign Entry competitive engine will allow player to struggle in the race for the French Intervention.
• New orders (e.g. spiking the guns) and multiple choices check boxes in events windows.
• New abilities (adapted from the new ones in ACW and for the new rules here)
• Different updates and rules (e.g. combat, Indians, minutemen, blockade, privateers, naval transport, optional limited activation rules, German mercenaries, etc..)

I fear that BoA2 will be forsaking its roots as a game for the non-monster war gamer in favor of a smaller audience that seeks games of the complexity like "Forge of Freedom" ...

I understand where Parker is coming from, although I prefer AGEOD's WEGO approach to the old IGOUGO days of Panzer General.

I have enjoyed BoA, although like PG, it's simplicity left something to be desired; I think the new features in BoA2 will be fine just as long as they don't detract from the simple joy of just playing the game.

I have both FoF and AACW, and frankly I'm becoming somewhat disenchanted w/them, esp. AACW; although it works well w/the smaller scenarios, the theater campaigns are so ponderous that AACW becomes frustrating to play for any length of time.

There has to be a balance between game rules and play; new features are fine as long as the player doesn't become frustrated w/them.

[FM WarB]

I started with BoA...and at the price, it's a playable (and moddable) bargain. I am now into NCP, and playing BoA eased NCP learning curve. Napoleon's Campaigns is more complex than BoA, but not as complex as ACW, which I may try, by update 20.c. I can see some new game engine things in NCP, which I expect to be ported to BoA2.
AGEod responds to customer concerns and updates their games relatively often. This is more than I can say for some other company.

[hazxan]

ORIGINAL: Adam Parker
I fear that BoA2 will be forsaking its roots as a game for the non-monster war gamer in favor of a smaller audience that seeks games of the complexity like "Forge of Freedom".

ORIGINAL: Joe D.
I have both FoF and AACW, and frankly I'm becoming somewhat disenchanted w/them, esp. AACW; although it works well w/the smaller scenarios, the theater campaigns are so ponderous that AACW becomes frustrating to play for any length of time.

I totally agree with these viewpoints. I enjoyed BOA, but just got bogged down in AACW and have not been interested in an AGEOD product since.

After BOA was released, there was speculation about using the same engine for other time frames, such as Franco-Prussion war, 30 Years War, English Civil War etc etc. These would be of a similar scale to BOA, manageable by those of us who are pushed for time. I'm really disappointed that AGEOD appear to have done nothing in this direction. Instead moving exclusively towards the MONSTER games that Adam & Joe refer to.

It's not that AACW is a bad game, to me it's just far too huge. Takes too long to get anywhere with it. My gaming time is limited and there are loads of other games I like too. A game must be able to move forward in a 1 or 2 hour session or I'll play another game instead. I enjoyed Uncommon Valour but have never tried WITP for the same reason. Good games, but when I realised it would take me a year real time to play 2 years of war....no way!!

And BOA2 is going in this direction too. Whatever the flaws of BOA1, it has nothing to do with NOT ENOUGH complexity or NOT ENOUGH things to manage! So why add yet more in? Why not just improve the AI and the Interface and the Peformance of what's there already? Why not just use the same engine and move it to a war in a similar time frame?

FM WarB, keeping existing customers happy by fixing and patching is one concern, but what about those customers who you've lost through decisions at a higher (strategic) level?

Is this move towards monster games justified by sales demand or is it a designers/developers understandable desire to make each game bigger, better and more detailed than before?[&:]

Sorry to be so negative, but if we keep our reasons quiet, nothing can ever change[:)]

[decaro]

ORIGINAL: FM WarB

... AGEod responds to customer concerns and updates their games relatively often. This is more than I can say for some other company.

This was certainly true when the company began operations, but ever since AGEOD became successful, its developers don't seem to have enough time to accomplish everything needed, i.e., some AACW players are having trouble loading the game, and support has not been that effective in solving this situation.

I also had problems loading AACW and had no response from support, although I managed to solve the issue on this end thanks to MS Word!

Yes, patches are forthcoming, but I hope the enhanced BoA2 doesn't stray too far from its roots; it's what made the game and AGEOD a success, and it would be a shame to see that go by the wayside.

[Primasprit]

ORIGINAL: Joe D.
I also had problems loading AACW and had no response from support, although I managed to solve the issue on this end thanks to MS Word!

Sorry to hear this. Normally every mail is answered, this one might slipped through for some reason. As the fastest way to get help I recommend to post in the support forum at www.ageod.com/forums

Yes, patches are forthcoming, but I hope the enhanced BoA2 doesn't stray too far from its roots; it's what made the game and AGEOD a success, and it would be a shame to see that go by the wayside.

No it won't abandon it's roots. BOA2 carefully expand and enhance the original game. I don't think anyone who liked the original game will be disappointed by BOA2. Try the Demo once it comes out! [:)]

Cheers
Norbert