War in the Pacific, Admiral's Edition

[invernomuto]

ORIGINAL: Melstockdale

Having paid over £68 for this mammoth game, I am disappointed and frustrated because I am drowning in a mass of data and have no idea what to do with it. The reason is that, despite what the manual says, there is no tutorial. The Support Desk tells me that there will be one, but I am left wondering when that may be. I am sure this is a marvellous game and worthy of many hours of study pre-play, but I would very much appreciate at least a basic guide about exactly how to play the game in the first place! Does anybody out there share my frustration, and does anyone know when a tutorial might be forthcoming?

Hi, when I first bought WITP in 2005, I felt the same way, I did not understand the game and for about one month I did not know what I were doing. That's perfectly normal for a wargame of that size (my best "wargaming" experience was HOI1&2).
My only advice is to not give up early, ask Qs and read topics in the AE subforum, play smaller scenarios (Coral Sea is small and manageable) and be prepared to restart a lot of times.
I've played WITP and now AE since 2005, it's THE best wargame I've ever played.

[GenChaos33]

Yes, AE is a head-splitter. The OP should have known that going in. I still stink at the game and my head still hurts too.
IMO - guides, videos, tracker, smaller scenarios, and forums will help but will not totally solve the problem.
Only you can solved it.
 
Only advise that makes sense to me so far - Load campaign and play for awhile. When unhappy, reload game at beginning and play new game using lessons learned from old game. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Hopefully, you get longer and longer into the War. And hopefully it turns into enjoyment. 
 
 
 

[ilovestrategy]

ORIGINAL: Sarge

ORIGINAL: Gem35

Are you kidding me?
The forums are an exceptional way to get help and learn this game.
Maybe you just dont have what it takes to understand this game.

Prime example why MANY stay away from the WITP AE forum.

I'm one of those many that you are talking about. I started to play WiTP about 2 years ago and when I started asking questions on the forum someone answered that he was tired of seeing the same beginner questions over and over again. When I saw that in my thread I lost the desire to play. Kinda made me feel that I wasn't good enough to contribute on the WiTP forums.

[niknaks]

JudgeDredd EMAIL ME=niknaks131"hotmail.com

[Chijohnaok2]

ORIGINAL: Gem35

ORIGINAL: Wolfe

ORIGINAL: Gem35

Are you kidding me?
The forums are an exceptional way to get help and learn this game.
Maybe you just dont have what it takes to understand this game.

I've had WITP:AE for a few months now and have also been somewhat daunted by the learning curve.

I've also been somewhat daunted by the WITP:AE forum which has so many posts and subjects many of which are highly introspective and arcane to a neophyte that actually finding any useful newcomer help and information is as complex as finding it in the manual or patch updates. A stickied intro/how to learn WITP thread would be very welcome or even a "New to WITP" sub-forum.

In regards to the quote above the final sentence isn't exactly welcoming to someone who has taken the plunge into the deep waters of WITP.

I appologize if it came across as intimidating but honestly, as a long-time member of these forums, I have met nothing but helpful nice people who are there on their own accord to help anybody who has an issue. It's quite frankly the best game and best group of folks I have met in my gaming experiences. Feel free to have your own opinion but before you give up, give the game another try and see for yourself.

Intimidating?[8|]

Not really. IMHO it was insulting to new players (or potential players who might be on the fence whether to purchase the game or not).

As you said, there are many nice helpful people who will go out of their way to offer help and suggestions. In fact, you yourself offered helpful advice when you stated "The forums are an exceptional way to get help and learn this game". However, imho, your final comment of "Maybe you just dont have what it takes to understand this game", crossed the line. Had you followed it with a [;)] , then it might have come across softer, and been perceived as harmless ribbing.

You can read post #23 as an example of someone who was put off by the sort of comment that you posted.

[Jim D Burns]

When I first started playing WitP back when it first came out, I too was overwhelmed by the sheer size and scope of the thing. What I did to overcome this was to break the game down into manageable chunks.

So instead of trying to do everything at once, I would focus on a specific theater and then work on it exclusively. My system went like this:

India
Burma
Malaya
Java/Sumatra
Borneo and the rest of the DEI’s
Philippines
Australia
South Pacific
Central Pacific
West Coast
North Pacific
Russia
China

I don't recommend you try Japan till you've mastered the US.

So I treated each area as its own mini game and did all the orders for each area before I moved on to the next. But just doing orders can get overwhelming too, so what I did was do all air orders, then all land orders and finally all naval orders.

If you stick to just all of one kind of order at a time, it helps a lot in learning your orders of battle in the different areas because you don’t get distracted by other thoughts. Once you’ve done things enough that you pretty much know your orders of battle, eventually your mind will move beyond the stage of just trying to manage things, to then coming up with new and creative strategies on how to put those assets to good use.

That’s the point where the game begins to shine. It’s also the point where your life as you know it will change forever. I’ve been playing this game regularly since it came out (2005 I think?), and don’t see myself ever stopping. It’s that good. So don’t give up, it’s a journey well worth taking.

Jim

[Texican]

IMO, all games need is pop-ups with info about units, bases, hexes, and other stuff. A pop-up on an engineering unit that says something like if it sits 2 turns in one hex, you have the option to pay for fortification, built an airfield or a supply depot. Stuff like that would be very useful.

Also, any game manual should be "in-game", meaning you click a button and the manual pops up. This having to go outside of windows to get to the manual is bunk.

[jomni]

I've given up on WitP AE grand campaign.  I don't really like the production and economic management part.  But the smaller campaigns are gems.  Guadalcanal is a blast and also some 3rd party campaigns like Marianas.  I would love to have more limited campaigns instead of several flavors of the grand campaign. 

I did not read the manual to learn how to play AE.  All was done based on trial and error, and forum usage.  Some prior Witp experience helped but that's not extensive (only two weeks of play time).

The trick is not to learn every little rule and feature that is available (i ignored pilot management, all the details on resupply, production, search arcs, etc.).  All I cared about is creating TF's, setting strikes, loading ships with troops and supplies, the combat stances, the different TF and Air missions.  It's quite intuitive.  Even the strategies employed are also intuitive (recon, logistics, when to attack and not to attack).  Unlike other strategy games that are not too detailed and quite abstract, one must not try to learn all the rules first so that you can tailor your strategy to it in AE (it is futile).  Create your strategy first and then find the rules on how to implement it.
 
As for grand campaigning... I'm still into PacWar (see my sig).  I find that the level of complexity suites the scale nicely.  The game is still quite complex but the decisions you make and the number of units you command are more manageable. The experience is still the same as what you get from AE (minus the little details).

[E]

ORIGINAL: jomni

I'm still into PacWar (see my sig). 
http://i884.photobucket.com/albums/ac42 ... Fanboy.png

That's not "old school." This is old school (War In The Pacific's Grandfather/PacWar's Daddy)... *grin*

[wodin]

I'd buy the game if the economy and prodution could be automated.

[Alfred]

ORIGINAL: wodin

I'd buy the game if the economy and prodution could be automated.

Well what is stopping you from buying the game . Play as the Allies, you don't have to make a single decision about your economy and production then. Only the Japanese have to manage their economy.

Alfred

[ilovestrategy]

ORIGINAL: Alfred

ORIGINAL: wodin

I'd buy the game if the economy and prodution could be automated.

Well what is stopping you from buying the game . Play as the Allies, you don't have to make a single decision about your economy and production then. Only the Japanese have to manage their economy.

Alfred

I never knew that! [X(]

[bairdlander2]

I took the plunge and bought it.Its the most addictive pc wargame .Yes it can be daunting at first,but i find if I use the tools available(combat reports,list all TF's etc) it makes it a lot easier.As for the forums,every question I have asked was answered within an hour.Also helpful is the forum search at bottom of screen.Im finding the best way to learn as well is make mistakes and correct them next time.There is also a wiki which doesnt have much but is helpful.Printing tables and lists of different classes of ships also helps a lot.I regret having not bought this a long time ago.

[MajFrankBurns]

ORIGINAL: bairdlander

I took the plunge and bought it.Its the most addictive pc wargame .Yes it can be daunting at first,but i find if I use the tools available(combat reports,list all TF's etc) it makes it a lot easier.As for the forums,every question I have asked was answered within an hour.Also helpful is the forum search at bottom of screen.Im finding the best way to learn as well is make mistakes and correct them next time.There is also a wiki which doesnt have much but is helpful.Printing tables and lists of different classes of ships also helps a lot.I regret having not bought this a long time ago.

I'm telling Johan!

[bairdlander2]

Telling him what?[&:][&:]

[Nemo121]

Hmm, well AE is tough to learn and it has its flaws but it is also probably the most realistic strategic-level wargame out there in terms of presenting the real strategic problems.

As people have said jsut start with a small scenario and ask questions, lots of questions on the AE forum. 90% of people will be happy to answer you there, the other 10% are best ignored.

I doubt any tutorial could really encompass the game properly but, yes, its ommission is a flaw. My advise though is to dive in and just learn it through immersion.

[Rotherman]

What you need is to have a degree of Asperger Syndrome. I have been blessed with this wierd and wonderfull condition, and games like WITP AE are a doddle. I can become totally obsessed with wargames, and nothing else matters.
Unfortunately my wife left me, and a social life is out of the question. But who cares especially with War in the East on its way.

[Larac]

Ouch that was unkind uncalled for, and should get a ban, IMHO.

Lee