Gee but some of you boys sure are defensive though.
Rude? really? Your kidding right? It's just an opinion for crying out loud.
I think computer AIs in wargaming are the single biggest proof that Matrix and Terminator while fun movies, are not about to happen any time soon. Because thinking is required. Is a car smarter than you because it can go faster than you? Nope, it's a mindless machine and simply mechanically superior to you.
Actually Terminus, I AM special
(well come on, you had to expect that reply).I do wonder why I don't stick to board games though. Avoiding buying a shiny computer wargame is frankly harder than passing up chocolate.
I suppose I have conned myself somewhere. Victim of my own brain washing.
The drug/smoking analogy stands though. You lads have allowed yourselves to become dependent.
The comments are right out of cliche denial.
That weird slacker fellow is likely a more serious wargamer to look at some of his comments. If he's playing via Vassal, then he truly wants to really wargame.
I see people referring to immersion and I often wonder, do you really know what immersion actually feels like though?
The furthest I have gone, is to play music in the background I prefer Swing music, and maybe have a film playing, something relevant. If I have an actual human opponent, we try and talk like the relevant personalities from the time. I have my books available while trying something solo. Likely the most I have done, is to mimic in brutal detail the actual D+1 casualties and positions for my board game The Longest Day (rather than just roll the dice and risk needing to set the thing up all over again) as a better way to initiate the game. It took me hours of study to get the counters in the right spots and the right casualty levels though.
Now that's immersion.
I've yet to experience a video game though that can deliver the same deal. The games are limited by their code, there's nothing to fudge or fiddle with.
I feel for most of you complaining about PBEM though. I won't touch the style outside of the Slitherine Group servers.
Either too slow, or just too much trust required (and sadly too hard to ensure).
Right now I have 8 games going at the same time with a local lad with Battle Academy. Oh it's grand I tell you. Half of them I am being totally trashed
I have a couple though I am doing so well in I almost feel guilty about it And the process of sending turns is effortless. It gives me 30 minutes of solid hardcore wargaming if I have at it. And I never agonize over my moves. Just not worth the fretting. You can't win all the time.I'm torn between showing him some other decent enough computer wargames, or simply taking the chance to finally get some ASL in for real. Life is change eh. Tomorrow he might land a decent job out of town and poof he's gone and I'm back to spending all my time baking again.
