No Hotseat Mode?

[Omnius]

This Napoleonic game looks interesting but if we're forced to always play France and can never play any of the Allies then it's not worth buying. Sorry but I'm not interested in playing against a lame Artificial Ignorance. If this game is ever fixed so that we can play in hotseat mode and I can play all countries then this would be fun to play. Also sad no PBEM or multiplayer modes as that would be even more fun.

[Erik2]

You obviously have not tried to beat the AI....

That said, other players want to play as the British and against other humans.
Matrix/Slitherine have a working server-system in place for other games so it should not be too difficult to add humans vs human.

[Ancient One]

I'm disappointed with that too. Online multiplayer could be challenging to implement, but adding hotseat should be easy. Even as one person it could be interesting to test situations playing both sides at once.

[Lascar]

ORIGINAL: Zagys

I'm disappointed with that too. Online multiplayer could be challenging to implement, but adding hotseat should be easy. Even as one person it could be interesting to test situations playing both sides at once.

Yes, hotseat play does offer another perspective for solitaire play. Back before PC games I played most wargame board games solitaire and found it to be quite enjoyable.

The designers have said they would probably be developing a British vs AI version. Once they do that it may not be too difficult to create a hotseat version as well.

[Freyr Oakenshield]

Seriously...? No multiplayer?

[pzgndr]

ORIGINAL: Omnius
Sorry but I'm not interested in playing against a lame Artificial Ignorance.

I find these kneejerk anti-AI comments amusing. Obviously, there are players who refuse to play a computer wargame against a computer opponent, that's great. But equally obvious, there are also many players who really do want to play a computer wargame against a computer opponent, because that truly is one of the attractive features of computer wargaming, to be able to play any time at one's convenience. Otherwise, just play ftf over a boardgame or play via PBEM using VASSAL or something, and have fun swapping files back and forth and coordinating everything with your opponent(s). I have done both and enjoy both, but I do prefer playing against an AI at my convenience.

The attractiveness of Hannibal, which also provided only AI play and only for one side, has now prompted another similar game here. More may follow, let us hope. Much to the dismay of the anti-AI grumblers, no doubt. Too funny.

[comsolut]

++1

[gdrover]

The game was designed from the ground-up to be a single player experience. That means that the AI is pretty good at giving you a challenge. (It's definitely not lame).
The reason for this is that the game would be very tough to play multiplayer because of how the tactical battle system works. Perhaps we could have done a multiplayer version of the game, but frankly, I don't think that the experience would have been very good.
That said, hotseat is certainly possible, and something that we will consider adding along with the British player (French AI) in the add-on.

Meanwhile, what you have here is an unabashedly single-player gaming experience that is fast, fun, and challenging.

[Lascar]

ORIGINAL: gdrover

Meanwhile, what you have here is an unabashedly single-player gaming experience that is fast, fun, and challenging.

There is no doubt about that. It was a must buy for me as soon as
I heard it was going to be released. And I buy very few games in the course of a year.

[alaric318]

ORIGINAL: gdrover

The game was designed from the ground-up to be a single player experience. That means that the AI is pretty good at giving you a challenge. (It's definitely not lame).
The reason for this is that the game would be very tough to play multiplayer because of how the tactical battle system works. Perhaps we could have done a multiplayer version of the game, but frankly, I don't think that the experience would have been very good.
That said, hotseat is certainly possible, and something that we will consider adding along with the British player (French AI) in the add-on.

Meanwhile, what you have here is an unabashedly single-player gaming experience that is fast, fun, and challenging.

i hope you manage to set in place a hotseat mode, also really want to see an US. civil war game with this engine and the same development team, best of luck with all it and with the sales, i am very pleased with the game, even in intermediate difficulty is really a challenge, and sometimes two games can be totally different, good for replayability,

have best regards aaand keep up the good work!!!

[Aurelian]

Hot seat mode for a single player game

[bloodphoenix]

I'm not in any way opposed to playing single-player games against a sufficiently challenging computer opponent.

That said, when I saw this game advertised, I waxed nostalgic for the times when I played the original board game from Eagle Games.
The people I game with are mostly a bunch of hard-core wargamers, for whom the original board version of this constituted a "beer and pretzels" game, the way players might take a break from a highly complex World War 2 simulation and dust off an old copy of "Axis and Allies".  But I have to say that as simpler, more abstract games go, this one may be the best I've seen, capturing the various political/economic/diplomatic as well as strictly military aspects that together give the era its unique flavor.  I can honestly imagine using it as a teaching tool for a High School history class.  You've done such a great job of capturing the best parts of that table-top game (while improving on its deficits) right down to replicating the art used on the board, it can't help but bring back memories of hours spent moving plastic figures and rolling lots of dice!

In particular, I remember one Saturday that started out with the intention of playing for only a couple hours, and turned into like 6-8 hours of game play, as we hammered out the entire Napoleonic Wars in one afternoon, with a human player for every major power clustered around my dining room table.  It was one of those wargaming memories that in hindsight seems to have a golden glow around it...a perfect day of: friendship, ruthless back-stabbing, and plastic mayhem.  There were epic battles, daring risks, grand strategies, and fattening snacks.  I was the Austrian Phoenix that would not stay dead, and among my stalwart allies were numbered two armchair Generals who have since resigned their commission in this life, far too soon.

For me, while there was much to enjoy in the system and mechanics of this game, its SOUL lay in the social experience.  I was ready not only to pre-purchase a copy for myself, but to buy a copy for every surviving friend who stood around that table with me that sunny afternoon.  Its not enough to say that I was disappointed to hear that it would have NO multi-player capability.  I was crushed.  And on another level...incredulous.  I recognize that the mechanics don't lend themselves to PBEM, unless you're prepared to have a battle take a week to play out!  But this game would be PERFECT for multiplayer play in real time!  I'm not a computer programmer, so I don't profess to appreciate the full complexity of the challenge that would be involved.  But surely if I can play "Napoleon: Total War", in real-time, with a buddy who is stationed in Afghanistan, something like this could be easily made to work?  I believe the game contains an option to automate the battle rounds, which could handle that problem.

You have made a beautiful-looking game, and I may yet buy it just to appreciate it for its own merit, and to support what you are doing.
But I ask you please...consider a supplement or sequel that will allow the game to be played with a human player for each major nation.  It is SO MUCH fun played that way.  If funding that kind of programming work is the issue, well...I'd like to say that I'll write you a check, but my "ship" hasn't come in yet, and I fear it was sunk by the British Blockade!  But as weird as this may sound, if I were to win the lottery, I would gladly finance that Multiplayer sequel, in memory of the aforementioned fallen Grognards.

[gdrover]

We have heard you.
We are currently planning on adding 2-player online play and hotseat for this game in the DLC.

[YohanTM]

Awesome news!

[alaric318]

ORIGINAL: gdrover

We have heard you.
We are currently planning on adding 2-player online play and hotseat for this game in the DLC.

thanks you very much and have best regards,

Murat