Demo?

[uncc]

Perhaps this has been asked/answered already, but I did a search and did not see anything about a demo, so I'll ask:

when/will there be a demo? TIA....

p.s. yes, I know its based/similar to HTTR, but I understand there has been
much improvement no? so demo?

[Missouri_Rebel]

no demo. but some good aar's

mo_reb

[Missouri_Rebel]

I bet it is because it is such a deep game and one that needs some time with the manual. Seems like it could easily intimidate a person who will probably not take the time to learn why and how things are happening.

Of course I am but a newb, but it seems like it would be the case

mo_reb

[Arjuna]

Sorry but there will be no demo. We've tried this in the past with our first release of the series Red Devils Over Arnhem ( RDOA ). Basically people either found it too difficult to get into ( because of the their past associations with traditional turn based wargames ( TTBWs ) ) or they couldn't get involved enough in it ( because they are not aware of what a real commander needs to do to manage the operational battle ). So we found the demo was turning more people off than on.
 
The Airborne Assault engine is a different paradyme to TTBWs. It's very easy to get started but it does take time to master and get the most out of it. Basically it requires a shift in awareness and approach. If you have any appreciation of what is involved in managing a battle at the operational level, either through your study of history or your own military experience then you will have no problems warming to COTA. If on the hand you are a novice, then you will need to spend a little time doing the Advanced Tutorial that walks you through a Divisional level battle, explaining in detail what, where, why and when to make the decisions to win the battle. There is an extensive amount of reference material provided to support you and there is this forum and community to help you on your journey. [:)]

[JudgeDredd]

ORIGINAL: Arjuna

...Basically people either found it too difficult to get into ( because of the their past associations with traditional turn based wargames ( TTBWs ) ) or they couldn't get involved enough in it ( because they are not aware of what a real commander needs to do to manage the operational battle ). So we found the demo was turning more people off than on....

I can agree this very thing happened to me. I tried the demo and did not like it/couldn't understand it/couldn't grasp the concept so didn't buy it for about a year...then I saw it in the local for £9.99 and thought I would give it another chance and was taken aback by how much I had missed out on!

[pvthudson01]

Same thing happened to me, and now I want to buy HTTR.

[Crimguy]

It had the opposite effect. I was taken by the mechanics of the RDOA demo, and thought the UI was the best out there. YMMV I guess.

ORIGINAL: Arjuna

Sorry but there will be no demo. We've tried this in the past with our first release of the series Red Devils Over Arnhem ( RDOA ). Basically people either found it too difficult to get into ( because of the their past associations with traditional turn based wargames ( TTBWs ) ) or they couldn't get involved enough in it ( because they are not aware of what a real commander needs to do to manage the operational battle ). So we found the demo was turning more people off than on.

The Airborne Assault engine is a different paradyme to TTBWs. It's very easy to get started but it does take time to master and get the most out of it. Basically it requires a shift in awareness and approach. If you have any appreciation of what is involved in managing a battle at the operational level, either through your study of history or your own military experience then you will have no problems warming to COTA. If on the hand you are a novice, then you will need to spend a little time doing the Advanced Tutorial that walks you through a Divisional level battle, explaining in detail what, where, why and when to make the decisions to win the battle. There is an extensive amount of reference material provided to support you and there is this forum and community to help you on your journey. [:)]

[JeF]

Same that for Crimguy. Without a demo, I would never have bought RDoA. The reason is exactly what Dave explained though : the game was so unique (or so they said) that I was afraid to buy and be deceived. So I extensively played the demo until I could win the 2 twelve hours scenarios. I then promptly adopted my current .sig.
The rest is history. [;)]

Nevertheless, I do understand Dave's concerns.

Cheers,

JeF.

[Rainbow7]

For me it's all about cognitive dissonance.  I never put the time in to learn with a free demo, and I'm much more likely to judge the product superficially.  A demo has yet to lead to a purchase, in my case.  Taking the time to read a long review has had a much greater impact on my purchasing decisions.

[Banquet]

ORIGINAL: Rainbow

For me it's all about cognitive dissonance. I never put the time in to learn with a free demo, and I'm much more likely to judge the product superficially. A demo has yet to lead to a purchase, in my case. Taking the time to read a long review has had a much greater impact on my purchasing decisions.

Ditto for me - except I don't understand what cognitive dissonance means [:D]

[Trigger Happy]

The rdoa demo also picked my curiosity, but before rdoa, I was not a "TTBW" gamer.

[JudgeDredd]

UNCC - you have to get it. If you do not, I personally think you've missed out on the best wargame ever. The funny thing is, one thing that put me off was the fact it's RTS...but when I realised it had a pause feature and I saw it in action, I was won over...hands down the best RTS wargame I have ever bought.
 
It's not all eye candy like most "traditional" RTS games....but what matters is what's under the hood...and it works like a dream. The maps are awesome. The units are well established. The scenarios are very, very appealing and fun to play. The AI is excellent and provides a fantastic challenge. The Scenario Maker is extremely detailed and fairly intuitive (I've only skimmed the surface). The map maker is awesome.
 
There is probably nothing in this game you will not like IF you like strategy wargames.
 
Of course, all this is my personal opinion....but read around....not many people bitching about this one.

[slybelle]

Have to admit I'm on the fence on this one as well. I don't doubt it is a great game, what I'm not sure about is if I would like this type of game or not? A demo would allow me to see it firsthand, versus spending money and then finding out it isn't for me. Once again, nothing against the game, but tough to judge without ever playing something like this before. I would have to think the demo could only bring in more customers, then lose.

[PnHobbit]

I didn't know either but I decided that with all I'd heard about matrix games that I'd give them a shot at least once. I'm not regretting it as I don't own any other games like this and its in perfect perspective to go along with learning some history. Life is short and spending money is a small risk compared to what else awaits us in our lifetimes. If you want a demo I'd probably reccomend this:

http://www.fileshack.com/file.x?fid=957

The demo for the previous game.

[MarkShot]

Actually, that's the demo for Game #1 from 2001. COTA is Game #3 of the 2006 genesis. The old demo will convey some of the basic aspects of the system, but the engine has evolved quite beyond that.

There are lots of AARs. The ones which I wrote go into enough detail that you can see how the game is played. I think that should be sufficient to make an informed decision. Even if you could get a limited play demo of the full game, there is no guarantee that after 100, 200, or 300 hours of play that you might decide it is not for you. Life is like that, but fortunately we are not talking about buying a car without a test drive here of 10-15 minutes. It is just a video game which for most people who already own PCs is affordable even to the point that they can afford to occassionally buy something and not play it for the next five years.