How Did You Do It And How Long Did It Take?

Gary Gossett · Post by **Gary Gossett** » Mon Oct 21, 2002 7:22 am

It seems to me that UV has been out long enough that several folks may in fact have been able to play a scenario 17 or 19 to conclusion. Many of us are in the midst of one or more PBEM games and many more are evaluating the wisdom of jumping into a PBEM match.

There are lots of thoughts being shared of the wisdom of 1 day/turn to multiple days/turn mailing sequences.

It seems an appropriate time to ask, Who has played a scenario 17 or 19 PBEM effort to completion-not simply exhaustion of one side or the other? And, How many game days/turn and turns/real time day were you averaging?

If more folks could get some sort of measure of the time committment necessary to actually finish one of these monsters perhaps fewer would start only to disappear in the midst of one.

Admiral DadMan · Post by **Admiral DadMan** » Mon Oct 21, 2002 8:49 pm

How much you want to win is proportionate to how much time you spend in planning and then executing your moves.

I'm playing 19 as Allied PBEM, getting my butt kicked, and loving every minute of it. My opponent and I clip off anywhere from 2-5 or more turns in a day.

Fred98 · Post by **Fred98** » Tue Oct 22, 2002 2:14 am

"My opponent and I clip off anywhere from 2-5 or more turns in a day."

Do you have a job??

DoomedMantis · Post by **DoomedMantis** » Tue Oct 22, 2002 2:54 am

Most turns only take around 10 to 15 minutes at the most to complete, especially when you fast forward all non interesting combat (some turns only take a minute or so) so its not a huge time constraint. I usually manage to get 6 or 7 turns off a day at least and would probably do more if there were the turns to do. Most of the time wasted with PBEM is waiting for your opposition to have his turn, hence why I play against several opponents.

pasternakski · Post by **pasternakski** » Tue Oct 22, 2002 5:05 am

Mantis is right on ( to use an archaic phrase from my hippie days). To date, I have PBEMed scenarios 17 and 19 to a mutually agreed conclusion point eight times. Three of these ended before the end of 1942 due to overwhelming Japanese success. Three others continued to at least August, 1943, with the Allies, as expected, ascending to a winning position. The other two went all the way to the bitter end.

None took longer than two months. One was as short as 10 real-time days. All eight were pre-agreed one-day-turn games. We all have jobs. Some of us are married. We all have a life (except my pal Rodney, who has something none of the rest of us have been able to figure out - he posts here - I won't tell you his username as long as he agrees to pay me handsomely).

See, once you get used to it, this game isn't as big as a lot of you seem to think it is. Try this. After a couple of months of game-time play, stop for a second and add up the numbers of task forces, air squadrons, land units, bases, and other tangibles you are manipulating. Compare the total to an even moderately complex cardboard-and-paper wargame on the same or a similar subject. Note the amount of prep time the computer saves you over counter pushing and handwritten note taking. Appreciate the streamlining effect of computer recordkeeping. Revel in the non-dice-rolling pleasure. Pet your dog who has never stomped through your game (just don't get a cyberdog, you never know what might happen ...).

I actually am starting to find UV a little claustrophobic and look forward anxiously to the increased scope of WITP - IN ONE-DAY TURNS, THANK YOU!!!

Drex · Post by **Drex** » Tue Oct 22, 2002 5:11 am

Right on Pasternakski! It really doesn't take that long- as I realized in PacWar- but to some guys it does I guess. If the game grabs you, the time element doesn't enter into it. I've played for hours( solitaire) without realizing it. To pbem is only to break that up into segments,

Pawlock · Post by **Pawlock** » Tue Oct 22, 2002 5:59 am

Originally posted by pasternakski

None took longer than two months. One was as short as 10 real-time days. All eight were pre-agreed one-day-turn games. We all have jobs. Some of us are married. We all have a life (except my pal Rodney, who has something none of the rest of us have been able to figure out - he posts here - I won't tell you his username as long as he agrees to pay me handsomely).

Wow, none of your games took longer than 2 months, even the ones you played to the bitter end. When you break that down, in order to accomplish that you must have been averaging at least 10 turns a day, every day for 60 days, solid !!!!! Hats off to you, thats hell of an accomplishment in its own right, kudos to you , but I perhaps think that while not an exception, the average player is never gonna find time to return that kind of average.

Me I suppose people would class me as a slow player , 15 - 30 minutes for a turn, sometimes more if theres a lot going on. Im not a grognard by any means, but I really must have control of everything.
The beauty of these types of games is the ability to sit back and ponder strategy without worry of time constraints too much. This is why although I would love RTS games , I cant play them as everything happens too quick for me:-)

Anyway, what point I was trying to make is this, Pasternakski I dont think I would class you as a average player (speedwise, and time available to play) ,but rather a fast player who also has the luxury of similar oppenents with a lot of time to devote to the game.

Maybe Im wrong and Im not just slow , but extremly slow and your the average player.

At the end of the day it all depends on the type of players you and your oppenents are and what time both of you have to devote to the game. Also timezones are gonna make a huge difference too.

wobbly · Post by **wobbly** » Wed Oct 23, 2002 12:29 am

Pawlock, your discription of your game playing persona could have been mine! I love thinking about the unfolding strategy of the situation at hand and in the future.

i still don't have the game - purchased just not quite to me yet. but i have been playing PBEM games as a preference for this very reason. Think about what i am going to do - staring 'through' the screen - up for a cup of tea and a snack; back, make a move, change it. RTS is altogether to fast!

As an old windows game with incredible PBEM diplomatic depth I have played STARS! (from empire interactive) for the same reason fro about 3 - 4 years - just can't beat playing other people.

Admiral DadMan · Post by **Admiral DadMan** » Wed Oct 23, 2002 1:01 am

Originally posted by Joe 98
"My opponent and I clip off anywhere from 2-5 or more turns in a day."

Do you have a job??

Yes, I take care of my wife and kids

.

I'm rather quick with turns, I don't often watch the combat sims (especially if I'm on the receiving end), and sometimes don't even bother with the replay.

I move quickly through turns, and often make mistakes that my opponent has been more than willing to capitalize on. We're in late June42 and his IJN forces have captured Luganville. He's wiped out my CVs, and I wont see any decent reinforcements for months. I'm nearly wiped out, but I have a little surprise in store for him if he moves further...

Playing PBEM has taught me a lesson in playing that I had long forgotten - what I think is natural to do, is not necessarily what someone else does.

Pawlock · Post by **Pawlock** » Wed Oct 23, 2002 2:08 am

Originally posted by Admiral DadMan
Yes, I take care of my wife and kids .

I'm rather quick with turns, I don't often watch the combat sims (especially if I'm on the receiving end), and sometimes don't even bother with the replay.

I can certainly relate to this, although I love watching the replays when Im dishing the dirt , but just cant bear to watch them when Im on the recieving end:-)

Raverdave · Post by **Raverdave** » Wed Oct 23, 2002 3:12 am

Originally posted by Admiral DadMan
. We're in late June42 and his IJN forces have captured Luganville. He's wiped out my CVs, and I wont see any decent reinforcements for months. I'm nearly wiped out, but I have a little surprise in store for him if he moves further...

Gee and I thought that I was going bad in my PBEMs....................but not as bad at that!:D

DoomedMantis · Post by **DoomedMantis** » Wed Oct 23, 2002 3:16 am

Originally posted by Raverdave

Gee and I thought that I was going bad in my PBEMs....................but not as bad at that!:D

watch out for stage 2 though Dave, its coming

Admiral DadMan · Post by **Admiral DadMan** » Wed Oct 23, 2002 3:53 am

Originally posted by Raverdave

Gee and I thought that I was going bad in my PBEMs....................but not as bad at that!:D

I screwed up big time and he made me pay

. I was really stupid, and didn't catch on to something before he had put a plan in place. Caught me totally off guard. So now I feed men and materiel into the void, hoping I can stem the hemmoraging...

Drex · Post by **Drex** » Wed Oct 23, 2002 4:12 am

This is interesting. You guys need to post AARs for the rest of us. This kind of trap has to be exposed! anyhow sounds like a great game.

Pawlock · Post by **Pawlock** » Wed Oct 23, 2002 4:54 am

Originally posted by Admiral DadMan

I screwed up big time and he made me pay . I was really stupid, and didn't catch on to something before he had put a plan in place. Caught me totally off guard. So now I feed men and materiel into the void, hoping I can stem the hemmoraging...

I can sortta relate to this too, in one of my pbem games,I though I was being clever and immediatly rushed my 2 CV tf up to the SW of Gili Gili to offer LRCAP over my transport tf landing there. Never thinking he could arrange and get his Cv's down there so quick I was very naive to say the least.
Well he caught me well and truelly with my pants down, outcome my only 2Cv's outta action to virtually no reply!! all this within 6 days of campaign start.

DoomedMantis · Post by **DoomedMantis** » Wed Oct 23, 2002 5:28 am

When I play as the allies, I always find out where his CV's are before I commit them, usually where they aren't in the early part of the campaign.

All depends on if he does something silly like bring them within range of LR Bombers with escorts. If he does that and I manage to hurt him then I will go for him, but only to the limit of my CAP from land based fighters.

Drex · Post by **Drex** » Wed Oct 23, 2002 6:16 am

Rack this up to the UV blues! We all been there,

Luskan · Post by **Luskan** » Wed Oct 23, 2002 5:59 pm

Sure, getting caught with your pants down is bad - esp. at Luganville, but you've got 5 months for your airpower to crucify him and kick him out (and it is within the short allied fighter cover range from Efate Port Vila).

What really sux is when you start scn 17 KNOW your opponent is coming for PM - and you've been preparing for just such an occaision since DAY 1. Opponent takes Lunga, Buna, Gili Gili, Nevea (lots of troops) and waits as long as october 42 before he tries to take it, and although it takes a couple of weeks of nasty fighting, he still takes it without suffering crippling losses.

Considering my lack of CVs and his plethora of them, the reinvasion of PNG or the solomons is going to be a really, really ugly affair.

How Did You Do It And How Long Did It Take?

How Did You Do It And How Long Did It Take?

hmph