Schwerpunkt Games

[Infierno]

ORIGINAL: demyansk

I have the Russian War but can't figure out the movement

Yeah. I would really like to figure these games out, but basic movement and attacks seem quite esoteric. I've tried following the in-game UI instructions but don't see the "Operation" button that the instructions tell you to click. Any tips from veteran players would be much appreciated.

[budd]

Here's a video Ron did

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjn0g24Vdu4&t=1s

[Infierno]

Thanks, Budd [;)]

[Lobster]

Use the Denmark scenario as a beginning scenario.

[RFalvo69]

ORIGINAL: Lobster

Use the Denmark scenario as a beginning scenario.

I fully agree. It is unhistorical (ten 1-week turns!) but it has everything: land war, air war, naval war, mechanised breakthroughs, paradrops, supply missions for units behind the enemy lines and whatnot. The number of units involved, however, is very small. Denmark is basically the sandbox scenario where you can have fun by learning and experimenting. [:)]

Edit: I forgot. You can find the update manual (scroll down) and the game charts here: http://dogsofwarvu.com/forum/index.php/ ... 538.0.html

[sPzAbt653]

Getting things working is infuriating, I've often pounded my desk. Watch the video that Budd posted above. I had AGW since 2006 and rarely messed with it because of the silly UI. Six clicks to get one unit to execute a move. The new [in 2015] game is improved, it reduced it to five [sarcasm there]. In other ways it is not only not improved, it is made worse [see advancing after combat, which with AGW was easy and fun, but with WWII-E it has been made difficult and annoying].

Overall it is easy to like because on an Operational Level there is nothing out there like it, except maybe TOAW and that is in the shitter for the foreseeable future. However, I can't even beat Poland after about twenty tries, so most likely I am an imbecile when it comes to WWII-E by Schwerpunkt Games.

Because everyone is so different, I don't know whether to recommend it for you all or not. I bought it, I like it, I play it, and I'm going to bitch about it where and when it deserves it.

For my perspective, I am always on the lookout for a V4V type game [a great game system from the 90's]. AGW by Schwerpunkt had Quantitative Supply, and that alone was worth the price of the game and the agony of the UI. HOWEVER, for WWII-E that aspect has been removed, the developer has stated that was done to make the game simpler. Big mistake in my opinion. Make the UI simpler, leave the game as it is [supply in AGW was not difficult at all].

Some have stated that the Schwerpunkt counters are beautiful. Below is a shot of AGW from 2005 [same counters are used by WWII-E from 2014] with an inset from TOAW's 2017 release.

[76mm]

Are there any kind of editors for this game? I've been interested for a while but without an editor probably won't pull the trigger. Also, what is progress like on release of scenarios? Last time I looked Ron was only about 1/3 of the way through his list of scenarios?

[Michael T]

I bought the game and gave up on it. But that was a few years ago now. I thought in many ways it went backwards from AGW. In the end though just too many bugs and some weird rules, like how he handled major rivers.

But biggest draw back for me was the lack of any real political or economic rules. Even for just the Russian Campaign you need some of those, let alone the whole European War. Maybe he had done some work I don't know about since then.

I hear you on V4V. Oh how I wish Avalon Hill had survived. To think of the PC games we would have had today...

[RFalvo69]

ORIGINAL: 76mm

Are there any kind of editors for this game? I've been interested for a while but without an editor probably won't pull the trigger. Also, what is progress like on release of scenarios? Last time I looked Ron was only about 1/3 of the way through his list of scenarios?

You can create new scenarios by editing text files. I never tried, but the procedure is covered in chapter 8 of the manual.

Right now almost all of the "scenarios" are available, plus two "campaigns" (North Africa 1940-1943 and East Front Blitzkrieg 1941 - basically Barbarossa).

Considering that the campaigns, along with many scenarios, have hundred of units for each side, (and a gigantor lenght of 124 turns [X(] for NA 40-43 - the king of the hill as of now), it is safe to say that some scenario/campaigns could have been sold as whole games (yup, I'm looking at you, John Tiller... [:-])

Re: the UI, I agree that Ron Dockal does seem to love "quirky ones". But once I learned the basics it was like switching from a PC to a Mac - if the thing makes sense.

I'm very happy to have this game on my HD. Others' mileage can vary.

[sPzAbt653]

Hey Tom - here is my initial post addressing the overall situation with Schwerpunkt's WWII-E, it answers some of your questions and concerns.
http://dogsofwarvu.com/forum/index.php/ ... l#msg39002

Scenario Builder uses a Script System to do some editing. Unfortunate but something to work with a little bit. I have already redone the German OOB for France 1940 along with Allied unit colors, but I can't fix the map or create Events to handle the minor's surrender's or the UK withdrawal from Dunkirk.As Michael T says, it lacks Events or even a way to have News. I and others can see lots of potential, but it's been going on like this for almost twenty years, so Ron may be a nice guy but will he be able to 'mount the summit', as they say?

Below is a snipet of UI weirdness - no standard checkmarks next to selections to let us know what is On or Off. And yes, turn off the auto-scroll, it is atrocious.

[76mm]

Thanks Steve, that's helpful and interesting...looks like I'll continue to wait on this one...

I had to chuckle at one of Ron's comments in that thread, where he says "When I talk with the developer of "Game X", they tell me that their users ask why can't they be like Schwerpunkt games!"--I honestly can't say that I've ever heard someone say that!

[sPzAbt653]

Those comments remind me of when the chef's at the bad restaurants say that everyone loves their food! I thought it was very telling [and I said so in that thread], when I looked at the reviews that they posted on their own site for their new [in 2014] game and all three reviews said the UI was bad. Hint, hint, nudge, poke, brick upside the head, lol.

Folks have stated that Ron is responsive and does fix stuff, so we'll see how it goes. If you get this game maybe you can work your magic and adapt the game's Scenario Files into a UI as you did with TOAWxml Editor [:)]

[ncc1701e]

ORIGINAL: sPzAbt653

Those comments remind me of when the chef's at the bad restaurants say that everyone loves their food!

Where is Gordon Ramsay? [:D] We need to clean up things...

[ncc1701e]

ORIGINAL: 76mm

Are there any kind of editors for this game? I've been interested for a while but without an editor probably won't pull the trigger. Also, what is progress like on release of scenarios? Last time I looked Ron was only about 1/3 of the way through his list of scenarios?

According to their site, there will be an editor when the game is finished.
About scenario, the latest count is :

5. Five new scenarios have been built. #89 Karelian Isthmus, #90 German Withdrawal from Finland,
#92 Lwow-Sandomierz-Brest, #93 Breakthrough to Romania and #94 Breakthrough to the Baltic are
included in this version. 85 of 102 scenarios are now complete (83.3%).

[ncc1701e]

This is extracted from the latest v1.0.11 patch note:
http://schwerpunkt.games/world-war-ii-e ... -released/

[comte]

ORIGINAL: sPzAbt653

Getting things working is infuriating, I've often pounded my desk. Watch the video that Budd posted above. I had AGW since 2006 and rarely messed with it because of the silly UI. Six clicks to get one unit to execute a move. The new [in 2015] game is improved, it reduced it to five [sarcasm there]. In other ways it is not only not improved, it is made worse [see advancing after combat, which with AGW was easy and fun, but with WWII-E it has been made difficult and annoying].

Overall it is easy to like because on an Operational Level there is nothing out there like it, except maybe TOAW and that is in the shitter for the foreseeable future. However, I can't even beat Poland after about twenty tries, so most likely I am an imbecile when it comes to WWII-E by Schwerpunkt Games.

Because everyone is so different, I don't know whether to recommend it for you all or not. I bought it, I like it, I play it, and I'm going to bitch about it where and when it deserves it.

For my perspective, I am always on the lookout for a V4V type game [a great game system from the 90's]. AGW by Schwerpunkt had Quantitative Supply, and that alone was worth the price of the game and the agony of the UI. HOWEVER, for WWII-E that aspect has been removed, the developer has stated that was done to make the game simpler. Big mistake in my opinion. Make the UI simpler, leave the game as it is [supply in AGW was not difficult at all].

Some have stated that the Schwerpunkt counters are beautiful. Below is a shot of AGW from 2005 [same counters are used by WWII-E from 2014] with an inset from TOAW's 2017 release.

What do you mean by TOAW is in the shi@#$er?

[Lobster]

ORIGINAL: comte

What do you mean by TOAW is in the shi@#$er?

Some people are not happy with the game's developer, production manager and design direction so discredit when the opportunity arises. The dev is off and on for whatever reasons which isn't a good thing. Not been a much needed patch for a year. The game is fine.

I'm not happy with everything either but what war gamer is? [:D]

Instead of trashing the game people need to help where they can. Eventually things can turn around and the game will still be there. But if it's constantly trashed for personal reasons it may not be there at all.

[GibClaret80]

I went ahead and got the game and i'm really enjoying it. Ron is really helpful and is currently working on whole campaign scenario at present. 318 turns

[sPzAbt653]

What do you mean by TOAW is in the shi@#$er?

I'm not happy with IV or the effort to get there nor the progress since, and it is only going to get worse. Most of the community is of the same opinion, including a large percentage of past contributors. Therefore, I'm interested in looking elsewhere. At Schwerpunkt, for example.

[Zovs]

I purchased RGW 1941-1944 I think when it first came out it, it was awkward back then but it was an itch I needed to scratch. But I'd always go back to TOAW (I have been playing TOAW since 1998).

Just recently I picked up WWIIe, agian it has that itchy scratch I want to get at, and again the UI in WWIIe is quite annoying at times, but it's also playable if your very very patience and willing to overlook the awkwardness of the UI. There is some gems in there. Some of the game play downsides is it has no political or scripted political events. But operationally speaking its pretty cool, if you can look past the lipstick...

That being said TOAW is still my go to with operations level warfare, I'll take the occasional hike into WitE/WitW but those are quite mental consuming at times.

The other great operational game is DG CWIE2, its UI is not really that bad and its based on SPI's (1976 and DG's 1999 remake of) War in Europe, so it has all the board game features of that in a computerized way (note I am not talking about the old DOS one called CWIE).

So getting back on topic.

Love TOAW (currently IV) UI and operational level warfare.

Like CWIE2 a lot.

Tolerate WWIIe and want to like it more.