What else do you want to know more about?

Gary Grigsby’s War in the West 1943-45 is the most ambitious and detailed computer wargame on the Western Front of World War II ever made. Starting with the Summer 1943 invasions of Sicily and Italy and proceeding through the invasions of France and the drive into Germany, War in the West brings you all the Allied campaigns in Western Europe and the capability to re-fight the Western Front according to your plan.

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Lictuel
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RE: What else do you want to know more about?

Post by Lictuel »

I assume industry is modeled as it was in WITE, meaning factories in specific cities with growth rates and maximum sizes. Is the maximum possible production of the Germans based on what was achieved historically? If for example the allies do not bomb a single factory, will it be possible to produce more stuff than could be expected historically?.

In WITE strategic bombing was of no real consequence and so the output of the German industry was steady and (I guess) mostly aligned with historical figures. I guess my worry is that the maximum factory sizes in WITW are the same as in WITE but given the threat of allied bombing the Germans will produce less weapons / tanks / planes then they could be expected to.

Also will there be a seperate German version of WITW like there is for WITE? If that is the case, will it be possible to change the language to English via patches settings? I'm thinking about getting the boxed copy of WITW but I really don't want to play the German version (I live in Germany).
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Joel Billings
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RE: What else do you want to know more about?

Post by Joel Billings »

There is no German language version of WitW, and none planned at this time.
All understanding comes after the fact.
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carlkay58
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RE: What else do you want to know more about?

Post by carlkay58 »

Templar, if you want to try checkerboarding your defense, go right ahead. But my Allies can cut through that extremely quick.

WitW has many different changes from WitE - too many for me to address. A few tips for players though that may help your judgment:

1. You WILL break down divisions as both the Allies and the Axis. You have to. There are not enough divisions to cover everything.

2. If you leave a hex open, the Allied infantry (which is semi-motorized) is able to advance into it, let alone the armored divisions.

3. The air war is totally different. Once you get the hang of it, it is MUCH easier than WitE. You will not be spamming air attacks or recon. You define air missions and their areas, the AI drives the individual missions from there. The system works and it is easy to work with.

4. Combat in a hex sets a movement penalty for the rest of your movement phase. Deliberate attacks more so than Hasty, the final odds will also modify the cost. This makes those deep mechanized thrusts harder to pull off - but when you do they are AWESOME!

5. The supply engine is entirely different. It will take a bit of effort to figure it all out but it is rail and depot dependent. Rail capacity is done by hex, supplies and combat trains reduce the capacity. It is important to have multiple rail lines feeding your major supply line.

6. Invasions and airdrops require some pre-planning and 'preparation'. This stops the Allies from spamming invasions. A good Axis commander will track Allied naval units and take that into account. Air attacks on the naval units are also rewarding as it reduces Allied shipping.

7. There are some static situations that develop in the game. Most are terrain based and some are due to shortages of supplies, equipment, and/or men. Italy is one of these areas and Normandy is another. The Allies have to show some patience in their game or they will lose too many men - and that costs VPs.

I have had great fun with the game as a playtester. It has come a long way. Is it perfect? No. There are probably going to be some balance issues with the VPs still and some bugs that we did not catch, but these get caught and fixed quickly with 2by3's support.
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Balou
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RE: What else do you want to know more about?

Post by Balou »

ORIGINAL: carlkay58

6. Invasions and airdrops require some pre-planning and 'preparation'.

How fast is prep building up (per week) and are there ways to speed prep up ?
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RedLancer
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RE: What else do you want to know more about?

Post by RedLancer »

Can't remember the precise rules but for amphibious invasions the smaller the unit (Regt/Bde not Div) and the larger the port the quicker things are. Topic 6 in the Handbook and sections 5.4.4 and 16.6.1 in the Manual have more info.
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Erik Rutins
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RE: What else do you want to know more about?

Post by Erik Rutins »

It is indeed all about port value and the size of the forces prepping. The port adds half its value, then you take 54/Size of Forces in Hex, where a Division is 9, an independent brigade is 5, regiments are 3. Permanently motorized units cost a bit more.

For example if you have one division preparing in a level 4 Port, that would be (4/2) + (54/9) points per turn, or 2 + 6 = 8 prep points each turn.

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bluth
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RE: What else do you want to know more about?

Post by bluth »

Hi !
Never bought any of the GG games but I might flinch for this one.

Juste a little question (that will not influence me on my choice but still), are there partisans in the game (like the French Resistance ) ?
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Balou
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RE: What else do you want to know more about?

Post by Balou »

Thanks for clarification. OTOH splitting a div into regiments would speed up prep considerably (4/2) + (54/3) points per turn, or 2 + 18 = 20 prep points each turn. Of course if splitting is an option.
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RE: What else do you want to know more about?

Post by Erik Rutins »

ORIGINAL: Balou
Thanks for clarification. OTOH splitting a div into regiments would speed up prep considerably (4/2) + (54/3) points per turn, or 2 + 18 = 20 prep points each turn. Of course if splitting is an option.

Not if they are all still in the same port hex, you'd just be adding 3 + 3 + 3 and ending back up at 9. If you have multiple ports of the same size, then yes splitting that division would speed things up.

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- Erik
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Erik Rutins
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RE: What else do you want to know more about?

Post by Erik Rutins »

If you want to see a full AAR for the 1943 campaign from start to finish, I'd also like to point you all to Meklore61's AAR in this very forum:

tm.asp?m=3724100

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Joel Billings
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RE: What else do you want to know more about?

Post by Joel Billings »

ORIGINAL: bluth

Hi !
Never bought any of the GG games but I might flinch for this one.

Juste a little question (that will not influence me on my choice but still), are there partisans in the game (like the French Resistance ) ?

There are are rules for partisans and garrisons, and there can be partisan attacks on rails and factories. No partisan units though. Also, under some conditions partisans can take control of hexes in some French and Italian areas.
All understanding comes after the fact.
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PaulWRoberts
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RE: What else do you want to know more about?

Post by PaulWRoberts »

*oops wrong forum *
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76mm
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RE: What else do you want to know more about?

Post by 76mm »

Landing Craft are not modelled but Troop and Cargo ships are. Ships can be a limiting factor for invasions.

hmmm, I thought that a specific shortage of landing craft was a major constraint in planning for the various invasions in Europe (Sicily, Italy, Normandy, Dragoon).

How do you deal with this if they are not modeled?
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Joel Billings
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RE: What else do you want to know more about?

Post by Joel Billings »

They are handled in two ways. First, the limited transport ships you have (so if you lose too many during operations, you will be limited in future invasions), and in the need to prepare for invasions (which takes time, with the bigger the forces prepping the longer the time it takes). The latter does several things, but part of it is simulating the need to build up landing craft.
All understanding comes after the fact.
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bluth
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RE: What else do you want to know more about?

Post by bluth »


There are are rules for partisans and garrisons, and there can be partisan attacks on rails and factories. No partisan units though. Also, under some conditions partisans can take control of hexes in some French and Italian areas.

Thanks ! and (yes I'm French) are the french troops who fought with or against germany modelled in the game ?
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RedLancer
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RE: What else do you want to know more about?

Post by RedLancer »

The Free French Army and FFr Air Groups are included in the Allied OOB as is the 33rd SS Grenadier Division in the Axis OOB - but only in the EF Box.  If you want to see it on the map you'll have to bring it West.


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bluth
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RE: What else do you want to know more about?

Post by bluth »

ORIGINAL: Red Lancer

The Free French Army and FFr Air Groups are included in the Allied OOB as is the 33rd SS Grenadier Division in the Axis OOB - but only in the EF Box.  If you want to see it on the map you'll have to bring it West.



Perfect !
bluth
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RE: What else do you want to know more about?

Post by bluth »

Is it possible to have a screenshot of the area playable in the game ?
I still can't have a good grasp of what can or can't be done in the game
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Nico165b165
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RE: What else do you want to know more about?

Post by Nico165b165 »

Image

See the minimap in the bottom left corner ?

Blue area is the whole area playable in the game.

Red area is the actual on screen area.

The whole map is bigger than the playable area because it will be used for other theatres/scenarios later.
bluth
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RE: What else do you want to know more about?

Post by bluth »

That's perfect thank you very much !
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