How Did You Learn to Play the Game?

[John 3rd]

Started with Uncommon Valor and had Moses teach me--through trial and error--WitP.

[Chickenboy]

Stumbled across UV many moons ago and enjoyed that. Got WiTP and WiTP:AE within a few days of their release. Played the heck out of WiTP, but only against the AI. Took my first plunge into WiTP:AE PBEM on a few small scenarios and had very helpful mentors (AW1Steve) to help the transition. In about a year, I decided to take the plunge and started a CG PBEM as the Japanese. That game ended quickly, with my first Allied opponent disappearing within the first three months of the war. A second PBEM lasted longer, with good gameplay continuing into September 1943. Then he disappeared.

I've restarted with an rock-solid opponent (AW1Steve) recently, and we've advanced to April 1942. The game is as fun as it ever was and I'm as hooked as I was 10 years ago, playing UV.

How did I learn how to play? A track record with the other two platforms helped (UV and WiTP) substantially. Then, reading the manual a couple of times. Play against the AI was next. Then a couple small scenarios by PBEM. Then launching into the CG PBEMs. Lastly, the forum is a great place to read others' AARs and post questions / ideas for comment.

AW1Steve is right about the mirror campaign REALLY teaching both sides of the coin effectively. That's a great way to get a feel for both OOB, strengths and limitations of each side in a very efficient manner.

[CaptDave]

I got interested in the concept through the original board game (whichever title was the Victory Games edition thereof). Downloaded the free version of Pacific War when I discovered it, then bought WitP when I heard about it (several months after release, but within the first year). Looked at the tutorial, but was disappointed that it didn't include any submarines, my greatest interest. Jumped into the campaign game against the AI, years later started a PBEM playing Japan (first experience with that).

Naturally, a month into the game (game time) AE came out, so we abandoned the game with the intention of restarting, then my opponent didn't buy AE for a loooooong time (willing to try again, Tom?). Eventually started another PBEM, this time playing as Allies, but that one went away when my opponent's work schedule dictated he be unavailable for many weeks (willing to try again, Gene?).

Have never played any of the other scenarios, but do like Da Big Babes.

As with the others, still learning how to play. It's like the box says on the commercial version of "Go" -- "minutes to learn, a lifetime to master!" You can be up to speed on mechanics -- most of them, anyway -- in a short time. The rest of it demonstrates why we leave real war to the professionals!

[CV 2]

Born with the knowledge. Any perceived mistakes on my part are either a ploy by me trying to lure my opponent into making a bigger mistake, or outright intentional "mistake" trying to make someone feel better so they wont go away mad.

[topeverest]

By getting whipped in PBEM back in 07. is there any other way? The beauty of it is those whippings still happen, hopefully a bit less than in the past!

[Canoerebel]

(topeverest, good to see you posting again; seemed like you were scarce for quite some time)
 
Like many folks, I picked up UV and learned it and its successors, mainly by trial and error.
 
It seems like many of the folks here read the manual.  I'm one of those who don't.  I've looked at it a time or two, but mainly I just play by the seat of my pants.  I think it shows.
 
But after nearly 10 years playing this system, I finally feel mostly competent...but I'm still learning new stuff nearly every day.  So, this game is truly easy to learn, long to master.  Unless you're Nemo or Alfred or a few other prodigies.

[crsutton]

The old fashioned way. When I turned 18 my pappy took me downtown and spent $100 bucks and hired me a nice older hooker. Who then showed me all the ropes. Been playing ever since.....

[Emmor]

I will let you know once I have learned it! I got it last summer, read the manual and jumped right in with the Scen 1 as Allies against AI. Wanted to figure out the basics before taking on the Japan economy. First game I played at too high of difficulty and didn't know anything, so I got soundly trounced before the end of Jan 41! Restarted on a simpler level and playing more carefully now. I picked up a lot on details of game play from the questions in the forums and the answers. I felt good that over half the questions, I already knew the answer to. Now I am trying to learn nuances of strategy within the scope of the game. Hard vs the AI, but I am finding AARs very enlightening. I have played war games and studied military strategy for at least 3 decades, but still learn a lot. I know there is a lot left to be learned on this game. Best $'s I have ever spent. Maybe someday, I will be bold enough to tackle a PBEM.

[CV 2]

ORIGINAL: crsutton

The old fashioned way. When I turned 18 my pappy took me downtown and spent $100 bucks and hired me a nice older hooker. Who then showed me all the ropes. Been playing ever since.....

Must have been "Linda" ...

[DivePac88]

I found WitP in the DVD section of a department store in Dunedin NZ around 2004, and thought it was old war footage of the Pacific war. You can imagine my surprise when I loaded it onto my old PC, and found the colossal gem I had. So from then till 2007 I learned to play the game by myself against the AI, starting with the smaller scenarios first. Then building up to the campaign game, after a couple of years.

In 2007 we got internet access up here in the mountains, and I found the matrix site. I lurked till 2008 when I started Pbem in CHS. I bought AE the week it came out, and started a Pbem game almost immediately. I've got 3 Pbem games as Japan into 1944, with one of them going well into 1945. I now play as a dedicated Allied player, and have just started another grand-campaign. plus a Guadalcanal scenario.

[DivePac88]

ORIGINAL: crsutton

The old fashioned way. When I turned 18 my pappy took me downtown and spent $100 bucks and hired me a nice older hooker. Who then showed me all the ropes. Been playing ever since.....

My God man... be very careful with this behavior, especially with the ropes, as it can lead to blindness! [:-]

[Grfin Zeppelin]

Reading Japanese AARs (thank you Mike Soli, Q-ball and Cuttlefish)
I had an idea what to do but not where to start and I am certainly not the only one who was grateful for all these templates Mike made.

[rockmedic109]

I found UV in a CompUSA store. Instantly knew it was a winner for me. Learned the basics on UV then got WITP as soon as it came out. Jumped right into the GC and played a month....or spent a month of game time learning. Then restarted {or started as the first game was simply learning}. Then I started CHS.

Then AE came out. Started playing GC. Then da babes came out and had to restart again.

Gonna have to start re-starters annonymous.

[Encircled]

Played loads of board game while at school and university, but sort of drifted out of them in my twenties and early thirties.

Got War in the East, and then found this magnificent game from posts on the forum on there

Still learning every day, though I'm another who just dived into the GC and I've never played PBEM, though hope to some day

[LeeChard]

ORIGINAL: crsutton

The old fashioned way. When I turned 18 my pappy took me downtown and spent $100 bucks and hired me a nice older hooker. Who then showed me all the ropes. Been playing ever since.....

Good god man!! Don't you realize that kind of behavior can give you an STD(severe time drain)[:D]

[rockmedic109]

ORIGINAL: Ranger5355

ORIGINAL: crsutton

The old fashioned way. When I turned 18 my pappy took me downtown and spent $100 bucks and hired me a nice older hooker. Who then showed me all the ropes. Been playing ever since.....

Good god man!! Don't you realize that kind of behavior can give you an STD(severe time drain)[:D]

You're getting your STD's mixed up. That form of STD occurs when the patient marries the woman.

Excuse me, my times up...........................

[Schanilec]

Well that didn't take long for this thread to jump into the gutter. I'm so proud of you guys, I...I...I...I'm feeling a tear welling up...Sniff.[:)]

[a7v]

Coming back to the topic I started to learn by playing "War in the South (West?) Pacific" on the C64 from a guy called Gary Grigsby. When "War in the Pacific " aka Pacwar came out I played it hundreds of hours on the PC. There was a vivid community during the late nineties, for example the pacwarlist or the gamers.net

When UV was announced I hardly could wait for the day it was published.

And then, then there was WITP[&o]

I must have "wasted" months of my life playing this game and its successor AE over the years and still I find new things every time I play, go to the forums or read some of the fantastic AARs in the Matrix forum.

Big thanks to Gary and all guys from Matrix [&o]

Rainer

[Numdydar]

I started with UV, played a few turns as the Allies and just gave up (after I printed out a full color manaul which was pretty expensive back then [:(]). Got WitP, played a few turns as the Allies (maybe throught Dec '41) in the GC. Again did not like it and gave up. Ditto for AE as well.

My best friend loved WitP playing the Allies but kept bitching about how bad the AI was. So I offered to play Japan in AE so he could get a good game. Almost 3 years later in RL we are in 9/44 [:)]. What is funny, I have learned more about what not to do as the Allies than I have about what not to do about Japan lol. This is not to say I have not learned anything about playing Japan [:)], just that nothing Japan does really effects the outcome much, just whether you can last longer than they did historically. Wheee. But is is fun regardless in a mascosistic way (maybe that is why crsutton mentioned the ropes above [X(]).

So basicly just jumped in the deep end and learned to swim as best I could [:)]

[chemkid]

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