Sink or Swim-A Noob's MisadventAAR

[daird]

Hello, and welcome to my learning AAR! I will be playing as Japan, against the AI set to easy. Why Japan? I have a modified Pearl Harbor strategy I want to try out, and I want to experience some early success for my morale. My overall goal? Survive past August 15, '45, the historical date when Japan called it quits.

I do have one question before I begin- how does one take screenshots? I can't seem to find a hotkey for that.

[Canoerebel]

Most computer keyboards will have a Print Screen (prt scr) button somewhere. When you click that your computer copies what's on your screen. Then you open some kind of graphics program (I use Paint but there are others) and click the Paste button. It will insert your screen image so that you can begin working with it. You'll have to open Paint (or whatever) and work with it a bit to get comfortable with the process but it's easy even for me, and computer are mysterious, vexing, magical things to me.

[nikoslejeune]

Hey there and welcome , good luck with the game and above all have fun!!!!

There isnt an ingame screenshot function so you will have to use an external program for that.
I am sure some of the AAR diehards will know a good and easy program for that.

On the bright side [X(] with a new forum account you are limited in what content you can post for the first week + untill you have 10
posts. The last is easy enough, the first is to scare off scammers etc. As far as I know you cant post
images/screenshots, no links, no strings of numbers or anything resembling that[:-].

So plenty of time to prepare for the AAR in its fullest and you can ofcourse ask questions anyway.

Nick

edited for typos and clarity

[daird]

ORIGINAL: nikoslejeune

Hey there and welcome , good luck with the game and above all have fun!!!!

There isnt an ingame screenshot function so you will have to use an external program for that.
I am sure some of the AAR diehards will know a good and easy program for that.

On the bright side [X(] with a new forum account you are limited in what content you can post for the first week + untill you have 10
posts. The last is easy enough, the first is to scare off scammers etc. As far as I know you cant post
images/screenshots, no links, no strings of numbers or anything resembling that[:-].

So plenty of time to prepare for the AAR in its fullest and you can ofcourse ask questions anyway.

Nick

edited for typos and clarity

Gotcha. So, time for a few off-topic posts, manual reading, and test runs.

[Trugrit]

Welcome.

For screenshots I use Greenshot. It is free and has a good editor.

[Aurorus]

You may want to change the difficulty settings to normal or even hard as your progress through the game. Once you have learned some of the basics, you will probably find the AI too easy, especially on easy.

[daird]

A disaster, a complete and utter disaster. I can't even figure out how to move my ships.

It's become pretty damn clear- I can't handle this. It's just too much. Sigh. Full steam, back to Paradox. At least now I know.

[Canoerebel]

Are you saying that you can't learn to do what everybody else in here has learned to do? Are we smarter than you are or somehow better than you?

It takes time. You won't be an instant master. You'll get a handle on things gradually (and actually fairly quickly). You'll learn a lot and still be learning stuff ten years from now. That's the richness and complexity of AE. Almost infinitely playable.

But it's not for the feint of heart. It's not for those who live by sound bytes and those who require instant gratification. And it may not be for those whose real life circumstances don't allow them the time to deal with this game. I've never met anyone who wasn't smart enough to play this game. I have met folks who lacked the resolve (or subject-matter interest) to play it.

[Chickenboy]

ORIGINAL: daird

A disaster, a complete and utter disaster. I can't even figure out how to move my ships.

It's become pretty damn clear- I can't handle this. It's just too much. Sigh. Full steam, back to Paradox. At least now I know.

C'mon daird. Give it (and us) a chance. Post your problems and let's talk 'em out. I'm positing that they are easily remedied.

[daird]

Okay, here's my problem. The manual is 300+ pages of useless, and doesn't tell me how to do the basics. I can't move ships or change air targets on my own, and the computer is doing everything besides clicking the mouse.

1. Are the December 7th attacks automated, or is it possible to change targets?

2. How do you move ships?

3. How do you select targets for aircraft?

[Grfin Zeppelin]

I strongly suggest you start with Coral sea or something other small.

[Grfin Zeppelin]

Regarding ships.

Click at a task force you see. (ship Icon on the map, can be one or more ships)
A screen will pop up, Look for TF destination button. Click it
You can now click on the map to where you want those ships to move.


And yes this is a beast of a game, you knew it you have been warned and now you will stick through and love it.

[Grfin Zeppelin]

Look what I found for you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRk-TA6YXEk

[BillBrown]

ORIGINAL: daird

Okay, here's my problem. The manual is 300+ pages of useless, and doesn't tell me how to do the basics. I can't move ships or change air targets on my own, and the computer is doing everything besides clicking the mouse.

1. Are the December 7th attacks automated, or is it possible to change targets?

2. How do you move ships?

3. How do you select targets for aircraft?

If you have the Historical Dec 7th switch set to ON, then the first turn is automatic.
You would need to set if to OFF to be able to input turns for Dec 7th.

[MakeeLearn]

It will seem overwhelming at first. I would start as the Allies first and play at least a year of game time. Start with the Grand Campaign so you will have continuous learning instead of short start and stop games. With One day turns you can do a little more each day, and the days of little activity are historic. MANY hours of discovery and enjoyment await you.


No problem with mouse lag? You figured out how do the Command Line Switches or you dont need them?

[Bif1961]

It is like a box of 1,000 piece puzzle without knowing what the image is at first, but it will start to take shape once you dive in and try. I think someone posted the url to a utube tutorial, use it and it will give you a basic understanding.

[Mike McCreery]

ORIGINAL: Bif1961

It is like a box of 1,000 piece puzzle without knowing what the image is at first, but it will start to take shape once you dive in and try. I think someone posted the url to a utube tutorial, use it and it will give you a basic understanding.

To be fair, it is more like a 10,000 piece 4 dimensional chessboard with a vertical learning curve.

We can help you here. Expect to take years to learn the game. It is really a hobby more than an game.

[geofflambert]

Playing the Japanese side is by far the most difficult thing you could choose. How impatient are you? My course was to play one Campaign game against the AI. Then I played 5 PBEMS as the Allied player. Only then did I attempt to play the Japanese side. But then, I'm only a gorn.

[geofflambert]

I am suggesting you start over as the Allied player. In the beginning, because Congress had budgets, what you can do was limited. That is good for a learner. There is a limit to what you can do and you better do it well. The Allied player doesn't have to concern himself with the economy, production or any of that. That stuff is a quicksand of distraction for a new player like yourself. Learn the basics as the Allied player, then when you are comfortable begin to try and fathom the abyss that is running the Japanese economy.

[geofflambert]

ORIGINAL: daird

Okay, here's my problem. The manual is 300+ pages of useless, and doesn't tell me how to do the basics. I can't move ships or change air targets on my own, and the computer is doing everything besides clicking the mouse.

1. Are the December 7th attacks automated, or is it possible to change targets?

2. How do you move ships?

3. How do you select targets for aircraft?

Check my AAR out, I didn't attack PH at all, save mini subs.