The most important ally in any pc wargame.

[Fulton]

I truly feel that the most important ally in any pc wargame is the interface. When I buy a game I rarely think about it, however.

Case in point, WiTP&AE, I love the content, love the setting and love the idea of mass control over fleets etc, indeed my imagination goes wild about it. But where I run into trouble is the user interface and I believe I have more fun thinking about it than playing it. I feel as though even though I know what I want to do in a given situation, it is a fight and a struggle to get there. Getting an overall picture of the situation feels difficult and maneuvering individual units sometimes feels tedious rather than empowering. I still play in spite of this but I am aware of it when I think about opening it for another turn against the AI.

WiTE succeeds here magnificently. I opened up the game and started pushing counters around immediately having a relatively gratifying experience. Information was conveyed using all the tools at hand, with colors, side panels and popups. While I didn't know what much of it meant, I was confident I could pick it up in time by RTFM and forums. As I progressed through turns 3 and 4 I dug deeper into supply, leadership and support. These made sense as I learned about them. I began to feel powerful and competent as I thrust my formations against and around the enemy, utilizing the terrain and logistics to work for me. Vast amounts of information is funneled successfully to the user. In fact, I am no longer a user, I am commander, a genius, a war hero! No, indeed, what makes this experience feel that way is the interface allows me to visualize what I want to do and helps me get there. The formation colors, the HQ system, the way support and airpower is handled are all crafted brilliantly to assist me. When I make a mistake it is because *I* made it, not because I was busy fighting a difficult interface.

I post this for two reasons. One, for those who are fearful of the large scope of this game. Two, as positive reinforcement for those designers in charge of UI specifically. I thank you and dedicate my next "masterful" victory to you! Obviously a game like this is a team effort and they have all done superbly to create, design, implement and support this endeavor.

Thanks again,

Josh

[Smirfy]

Yup the interface is very good and the game handles very well

[alaric318]

this game is a piece of art, one can only hope that more games like War In The East become available for we all, i think for me when/at least, better than a portray or picture or even music, just want to make a post in agree with all said here,
 
have my best regards,
 
Murat30.

[LuckyJim1010]

Hear Hear - If WiTP had an interface like this my copy would not be sat on the hard drive shelf

And I know for a fact that the next one is War in the West and after that a WW3 Cold War game.

Hold on - Firiday Night - Glass or 2 of red wine - Dreaming......

[TulliusDetritus]

ORIGINAL: LuckyJim1010
a WW3 Cold War game.

That would be a rather boring game... All you need on that game is the American/Soviet President/General Secretary... and the buttons which trigger the Doomsday devices... A big kaboom ok, but that´s all. Then bring WW4: sticks & stones. That would be more interesting [8D]

EDITED: as for the interface on WitP AE I think you are exagerating [:)]

[PyleDriver]

Well the most important ally in WW2 was Italy. It allowed a third front and the defeat of Germany...

[nukkxx5058]

ORIGINAL: TulliusDetritus

ORIGINAL: LuckyJim1010
a WW3 Cold War game.

That would be a rather boring game... All you need on that game is the American/Soviet President/General Secretary... and the buttons which trigger the Doomsday devices... A big kaboom ok, but that´s all. Then bring WW4: sticks & stones. That would be more interesting [8D]

EDITED: as for the interface on WitP AE I think you are exagerating [:)]

A WW3 game would be boring ? Huh ? What about in a post peak oil world like ours since 2008 when we past peak oil which is the very cause of the current economico-geo-political crisis? Look:

- controlling oil fields and oil routes.
- Controlling gaz and uunconventional oil
- mastering the population through media propaganda and police state (including implementing full body scanners and a NAZI TSA) .
- fighting the internet freedom (putting in jail activists)
- War in irak, Iran, Pakistan, in North Korea
- developing new weapons including weather weapons (like HAARP)
- saving shrinking economics due to reduction of oil outputs
- preparing war against russia and china
- sending economic hitmen in IMF and wORLD BANK controlled countries
- saving the (doomed) soldier EURO
- Building a large Empire army called NATO

and much more !

Did you say boring ?

[PyleDriver]

I think most gamers want to recreate history not make it...