New to series - which game to get first?

[GoldenTalon]

Looking at all the options and it's a bit confusing. Can players offer suggestions on which game to try out first?

Thanks!

[stormbringer3]

I have both games and I'd start with War in Europe. You learn the system and all the basics. World at War is more complicated because there are a lot more invasions you must learn how to accomplish and the naval war is more involved than WiE. I started with WiE and I'm glad that I did. Also, there are some excellent MODS for it.

[GoldenTalon]

I have both games and I'd start with War in Europe. You learn the system and all the basics. World at War is more complicated because there are a lot more invasions you must learn how to accomplish and the naval war is more involved than WiE. I started with WiE and I'm glad that I did. Also, there are some excellent MODS for it.

WIE it is

[Jack59]

I agree. I have all 5 games. Play the Germans and watch how the USSR attacks your troops. If you are American, the Civil War game has a fair AI.

[Duedman]

Yeah WiE
I also think it is still the best overall

WW1 and ACW are good fun but tactically limited since there are no real tanks and planes.
WaW has less downtimes than WiE (Marching from Poland to France and then from France to Russia) because Japan is already active in China.
It really is grand strategy.
But to me, the scale of the map is too small.
The worst is the island hopping in the pacific. Nearly no tactics involved there at all. I mean the game is not called Tactical Command for a reason, I know.
But the bigger map in WiE really allows the the pretty solid tactical layer to shine
So to put it all together it is WiE for me

[Alpha77]

But to me, the scale of the map is too small.
The worst is the island hopping in the pacific.

Hi, I saw you also have a YT channel right =?

Btw I started with WW1 classic and think this is very good, then WW2 (with 3 "DLCs" or scens!) but WW1 classic is better still. Yes the pac war is a hard nut for this game system to crack i would say it can be done, if one forgets the level of detail from WITP-AE (where it is a bit too much now for me, timewise) I posted some ideas in the classic forum . esp one needs a bigger map, then a change in ship but (ESP!!) sub survival and some method for repairing ships a bit faster (the allies only have limited time to win!) plus more import PAC WAR needs spoting and recon units - otherwise even the AI can surprise you with raids and destroy half ur fleet :=) Cause you have no catalinas, mavis etc flying boats/search planes..
Recon planes like Dinah (for JAP) or P38/Mosquito (for Allies) would also be even more important in PACWAR .. those can also fly search instead pinpoint recon btw in AE.

I play allies and just the JAPS raided me some hexes below PH and i only got wind of it when a DD ran into a CA. Then I was ofc unsure how big this IJN fleet was. So I guessed it was only a single ship or 3-4 . We later found BB and more CAs/DD. So I send my fleet from PH with 2 CVs down to hunt them. However turned out the JAPs where there in force with what I guess 3! CVs (I still dont know without search/recon like i would have in AE. There I would make sure to use these en masse before even engaging, but here one needs to guess or gamble cause no recon/search planes in game. Or one can only use tac bomber for search ? But there are way too few of them for the wide pacific and dozens of islands!).

Well I lost this battle and both my CVs were hard hit and out of the war for a while and half my other ships sunk, Cause I have no recon/search in this, ofc I also was a bit too bold i thought ok i can sink 2-3 IJN ships and then retreat back to PH but.,... So bascically game over as the time and MPP spend for repair those CVs and half the other ships out in early 43 means (IMHO!) that the time is up to win the war as Allies. Also ofc in Burma it did not work so good, as the IJA refused to run in my trap setup by newly appointed genius Mr. Slim. They just stayed put in the hilly jungle hexes and would not come out in clear or even normal jungle hexes so my 2 tank divs and 2 normal divs and a bunch of air waited if Japan wants to come and attack but they wouldnt (=ofc clever) but digging those out in this terrain also takes more time and so many units which the allies i guess only get in mid 43 or so. Which is also historical but in this game scale it takes too long to deploy them and make them count (imo). I landed also near Port Moresby (=PM) and man I could not even take this place in this game My units ran out of supply and could not move or only 1 hex at all... guess you need for all landings a HQ too for supply? So with this high price of HQs you cant make many landings then at all, even if only 1 lousy division occupies the town/base And often it is a SF-unit type too which is a bit better iirc then a normal div.

Wonder if some points mentioned changed and subs also survive better in the new PACWAR version ? Remember atm i only have the classic versions...