order delay

Panther Games' Highway to the Reich revolutionizes wargaming with its pausable, continuous time game play and advanced artificial intelligence. Command like a real General, under real time pressures to achieve real objectives on a real map all within the fog of war. Issue orders to your powerful AI controlled subordinates or take total control of every unit. Fight the world's most advanced AI opponent or match wits against your friends online or over a LAN. Highway to the Reich covers all four battles from Operation Market Garden, including Arnhem, Nijmegen, Eindhoven and the 30th Corps breakout from Neerpelt.

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AI
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order delay

Post by AI »

I posted the message below in UV forum. However, I think I should post here as well. This gives another view of HTTR, for people who want to make decision for everything in a wargame, and want to play in realtime, instead of turn based type.


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In HTTR, you can set order delay to none. That way you can micromanage everything at anytime. I do that.

There is a lot of people want realistic delay, and thus there is no way of telling each unit what to do every couple of minutes. You can only macromanage, and watch.

With order delay none, that means you can make every decision for every unit if you want, and it will do exactly as you say, just like all the other turn based wargame, but in realtime.

I find that mostly enjoyable to make decision for every unit at anytime. Of course if you only assume the chief commander role, it is not realistic. However, if you assume every unit's commander role. It is very close to realistic. Everyone of them follow the same role under the same situation, like a code book. And the code book is your head.
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MarkShot
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RE: order delay

Post by MarkShot »

I had previously stated on the RDOA BTS forums that order delays function as a strategy amplifier. Wise choices reap greater rewards and mistakes have greater penalties.

With instantaneous response, you and the AI still suffer by being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but not nearly as much as when one side is where it should be and the other side is at best 2-6 hours from initiating the proper action.

With order delays you still have the opportunity to micro-manage (not nearly to the same degree), but individual units can still best be employed to maximum effect. However, attack coordination is best left to the AI when using order delays.
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Golf33
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RE: order delay

Post by Golf33 »

It's good to see that there are people out there enjoying the game in different ways - which is of course why orders delay was left in the hands of the user - good post AI!

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EricGuitarJames
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RE: order delay

Post by EricGuitarJames »

When I started playing RDOA I played without orders delay until I was very familier with the game mechanics. I increased it to 'regular' and was quite content until I started playing online. Nowadays, for all its frustrations, I really cannot envisage playing at anything other than 'painfully realistic'. 'Gaming Masochism'[8D]

As you say Steve it is a reflection of the quality of HTTR that it allows players to 'tune' the game to their own personal preferences - add to that the recent discussion of 'favourite scenarios' and HTTR should be regarded as heading for 'gaming Nirvana' [;)]
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Tzar007
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RE: order delay

Post by Tzar007 »

I'm quite surprised to read AI's post. I never thought somebody would enjoy micromanage every unit since the strength of HTTR is to do away with that exhausting micromanagement so prevalent in all other wargames. But I had never realized also that it could indeed "make sense" to micromanage if you select no orders delay.

It indeed proves you can play and enjoy HTTR whatever way you want, as Golf33 said.

Although I could micromanage if I really wanted to, I wouldn't want to do away personally with orders delay. It is such a rewarding challenge to be able to manoeuver correctly your units with painfully realistic delays. It is rewarding because it proves you can anticipate and/or decipher correctly the best course of action in a given situation, whether strategically or tactically.

You always have to ask yourself: "okay, it's gonna take 75 minutes before this battalion starts executing its attack and, judging by the distance, another 2 hours before they really start attacking...Considering this, is it still worthwhile to order this attack or would it be wiser to choose another course of action? What do I think the situation will be in 3 hours?..."

Sometimes I made good decisions, sometimes I make bad ones, and that's what makes HHT so fun.
KNac007
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RE: order delay

Post by KNac007 »

I will add, that personally, in the smaller scenarios I like to micromange and play the role of the low commander in the COC. But in the bigger scenarios I find it extremely fun to play "the large picture" with orders delay on (painfully realistic) for the same reasons Tzar007, sometimes can eb frustrating, and sometimes gratefull, but it's always a true challenge :) But for these which want to micromanage even with bigger scenarios, it's allright, that's one of the good things of this games (as all you have allready said).
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Mr.Frag
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RE: order delay

Post by Mr.Frag »

I'm quite surprised to read AI's post. I never thought somebody would enjoy micromanage every unit since the strength of HTTR is to do away with that exhausting micromanagement so prevalent in all other wargames. But I had never realized also that it could indeed "make sense" to micromanage if you select no orders delay.

What is amazing about this game is the interface is just so good that you actually can micromanage should you choose to want to. I don't think I have ever run into any other game that is so fast and flexible that you can honestly play without the pause key once you know the keys.

My only concern with *no delay* ... would not the comms networks become so jammed up from micro tasking of all your units that even *no delay* would (or should) have some delay?
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Tzar007
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RE: order delay

Post by Tzar007 »

My only concern with *no delay* ... would not the comms networks become so jammed up from micro tasking of all your units that even *no delay* would (or should) have some delay?

No delay does not exist in reality if that is what you mean. No delay is only a fiction allowed in computerized wargames.
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