What's in the Box?

[Greyshaft]

The October 2003 announcement by Matrix promised that CWiF would be a "Faithful adaptation of the latest Deluxe version of World In Flames".

According to the ADG website the "World in Flames Deluxe game provides you with everything you need to gain the full rich experience of World in Flames. The World in Flames Deluxe game includes 3600 counters (CS1-9, 14, 15 & 18-24), 7 maps (West and East Europe, Asia, the pacific, the Americas, Africa and Scandinavia), Rules and Scenarios booklets and charts to allow you to refight World War II in one accessible, yet highly detailed game. The World in Flames Deluxe game includes Planes in Flames, Ships in Flames, Mech in Flames, Africa Aflame and Asia Aflame. It also contains all the latest updates to the game including the 2003 reprinted counters (CS 1-6, 14 and 15) and the very latest (2003) rules and scenarios booklet incorporating a dozen new optional rules, a brand new 1940-45 campaign game and all the latest errata and revisions. The rules now also contain all the optional rules from every WiF kit from Planes in Flames to Cruisers in Flames all in one easy to access (not to mention fully indexed) rule book.

Is this what we should expect in CWiF?

Any chance of LiF also being in the package?

[Hoplosternum]

When the game was being developed before the Matrix deal the options from all the expansions were being added. I don't know about the last ones like Convoys in Flames but certainly Planes, Ships, Mech, Asia etc were all in.

However LiF is from one of the annuals not an official expansion and while the Leader abilities are fun and interesting it's often niknamed Wizards in Flames. That's because the powers of the leaders are in many cases extreme - magical even [:D] It's unbalancing and I doubt they will include it even as an option. Because of it's nature of allowing units under the effects of leaders to break certain rules or act under restrictions I imagine that it would require a great deal of extra coding to implement even as an option.

The leaders completely dominate the game and Leaders in Flames is not widely played even by those that own it after the first time people try it. Nearly every other expansion (and annual unit additions etc.) get played routinely by those that have them after a while. But not Leaders....

[Les_the_Sarge_9_1]

Blimey, and I thought I was well off with a basic game and Asia, Africa and Planes in Flames hehe.

Sheesh they just never stop with the game do they

I guess if the whole shebang is incorporated into the computer version in some fashion, I would get it, just because finding all these bits and pieces would be I guess a daunting matter.

Anyone care to give a full complete every known "in flames" portion to the system. As it appears I have not encountered all of them by the looks of things.

[Greyshaft]

ORIGINAL: Hoplosternum
The leaders completely dominate the game and Leaders in Flames is not widely played even by those that own it after the first time people try it.

There's no reason that Matrix couldn't tune the LiF system using feedback from experienced players. I don't think it's a big thing, but I enjoyed Leaders in HOI and I'm just being greedy I guess.

I like what I like and it doesn't hurt to ask. Sometimes you actually get what you ask for.


Les:
Go to http://www.a-d-g.com.au/ and check out the Products page

[Les_the_Sarge_9_1]

Yah know, when I consider the price of A World at War

http://www.aworldatwar.com/

Going for the impressive price of 175 bucks (and that's US I suppose).

Compared with World in Flames, with options ranging from 69 bucks for a bare bones starter game, up to the Super Deluxe at 349 bucks and encompassing what looks like every iota of the WiF experience.

I have to think I will be carefully considering upgrading my 4th edition set that basically has Planes Asia and Africa in Flames added in to it.

It would be nice to see cWif make the board game not necessary. I am just wondering what sort of price tag is going to be put on it.
Currently, I am thinking I might get more return on my dollar with the real thing.

[Cheesehead]

Cost$$$

Who cares? If the game is done right, I'll take out a second mortgage[:)]

[MichaelHopcroft]

The big question I have about WiF (besdies obviosuly when it will be out) is whether it will support PBEM and wther it will still be a ported boardgame rather than a boardgame artifically converted to a computer game. If I buy WiF it will be because I want a fairthful translation of WiF to the PC platform.

[Greyshaft]

ORIGINAL: MichaelHopcroft
The big question I have about WiF (besdies obviosuly when it will be out) is whether it will support PBEM...

According to the initial press release by Matrix (viewable on this very website!) CWiF will include:

· Faithful adaptation of the latest Deluxe version of World In Flames
· Network play
· Play by Email support
· Intelligent computer opponent
· Many optional rules and game system enhancements

So for the moment I will presume it will have both PBEM and an AI and that makes me a Happy Camper[:D]

If I buy WiF it will be because I want a fairthful translation of WiF to the PC platform.

Hmmm... broad statements like that always make my typing fingers (all two of them) itch. What features of WiF do you want to see "faithfully translated"? Dog-eared combat charts? Manual calculation of attack odds? Systematic manual searches of all hexes on the Franco German border to find the ME-109E counter that was there last turn but now can't be found aha! it fell on the floor and the dog's chewing on it

OK I'm being flippant here, but I really can't understand why people are insisting that Matrix shouldn't have any leeway in porting WiF. I'd rather say that I hope that they do as good a job in porting WiF as they are (apparently) doing in porting EIA. Certainly the EIA counter artwork needs revisiting but my reading of the EIA Forums shows a general concensus that Matrix did/are doing a good job.

We're not talking about digitising the Statue of David here... WiF is a most excellent wargame which I have played for over a decade but that doesn't mean that it should be treated as Holy Gospel. Certainly Harry had no problems in revising the WiF system until he felt it was right for the boardgame incarnation of WiF. Now that Matrix is doing the computergame version of WiF I expect there will be some changes.

stands by for the Attack of the Inquisitors... Blasphemy! Persecute the Heretic! Burn Him! Burn Him!"

[Hoplosternum]

Hi MichaelHopcroft,

I agree with Greyshift that Matrix need to be given some space to develope the game. When you play face to face many phases are skipped and merged together in order for the game to flow at a reasonable pace. I doubt anyone keeps enquiring of their opponent whether he is going to fly CAP at each time he is allowed to. The computer will slavishly follows all the rules - it will have to. It would just turn into a real grind to play multiplayer or even single player if a certain amount of streamlining is not done.

If you don't like that then just find (or make) a Cyberboard version. Then again you'll end up skipping many of the order of play 'rules' their too [X(]

I don't think Matrix has any plans to radically alter the game. But certain actions will need to be automated or excluded completely (who would really miss CAP?) just to make it playable as a computer game.

[Hoplosternum]

ORIGINAL: Greyshaft

ORIGINAL: Hoplosternum
The leaders completely dominate the game and Leaders in Flames is not widely played even by those that own it after the first time people try it.

There's no reason that Matrix couldn't tune the LiF system using feedback from experienced players. I don't think it's a big thing, but I enjoyed Leaders in HOI and I'm just being greedy I guess.

I like what I like and it doesn't hurt to ask. Sometimes you actually get what you ask for.


Les:
Go to http://www.a-d-g.com.au/ and check out the Products page

We all want what we want [:D] But be careful what you wish for as they say [;)] Leaders as written would be difficult to add and are very powerful. There are Leaders 'Lite' versions on the Web. I think both Devin Cutler and Vesa from the WifList have made versions which you should find somewhere on their sites:

Devin's WIF Site

Vesa's WIF site

But again they are probably quite difficult to code and lack the 'officialness' of the real leaders although by all accounts they add flavour without unbalancing the game. Any 'easy' option would probably use fairly generic leader abilities that don't need much extra coding.