Ok I bought HTTR :)

[Les_the_Sarge_9_1]

I am away from home, so I won't be following any replies to easy till sunday evening.

But was in the EB in the Place de Orleans mall here in Orleans in Ottawa.

And let's face it, 40 bucks was to good to pass up. I am failr certain it would have cost a good deal more through the online method.

Bad news, is I guess this will force me to eat a lot of peanut butter and jam sandwiches this month hehe.

Passed up a copy of Combat Mission II I saw in a compucenter for 24 bucks.
Also saw a copy of the shelf version of Strategic Command for just 19 bucks (but then I have SC).

So there, I took the plunge. Which means, I guess the Korsun Pocket design will have to wait till I get one of the later releases maybe (pity, cause I wanted the Adennes portion actually).

[EricGuitarJames]

Congratulations Les, I really hope you enjoy it at least half as much as I do. For me it's the best wargame out there at the moment but it will be nice to see what you make of it[:)].

[Les_the_Sarge_9_1]

Well it has been a good while since I fiddled with the Red Devils demo, I am assuming it will "look" the same "sorta".

Saw it on the shelf, and figured "it would just have to cost me more later if I bought online". So even though I purchased it when finances say I shouldn't have, all things considered, I can handle and or deserve at least one game in a year hehe.

[Tactics]

The worst is when you use money you dont really have to buy a game....and it sucks. Good thing for you, this wont be one of those times.

[Les_the_Sarge_9_1]

Yah as everyone already knows, I am picky, very picky, in fact extremely picky

If a game is in my collection at all, it has had to go the distance.

Finally got around to looking at the Store page here.
Game lists for 69 bucks Canadian.

I think that's why I decided to heck with it and bought it yesterday. 45 bucks after tax here in Ottawa at an EB sounded, well to good to be true. I guess they have some sort of edge. Either way, it was enough reason to get it.
I rarely pass up a chance to get something new that is great when I can save a 1/3 off the price.

Just finished building a rabbit hutch for sister, and god am I sore now. I periodically give myself these reminders about the reality of my health hehe. I will enjoy this upcoming week doing diddly, and learning the ins and outs of the game better.

And loving it hehe.

[SeaMonkey]

Congrats Sarge, your in for a real treat. One suggestion, print out the pdf manual or get a magnifying glass. Also read Markshot's tutorial points thread.

[Les_the_Sarge_9_1]

I hear ya on the manual

Print in this and my manual for Squad Assault is like way small. Hey ain't most of us grognards old dudes with bad vision showiing up hehe.

Oh well fortunately for me, two things on me work excellently, one is my eyes, and the ther well we won't go into that. Oh by the way, it don't ruin yer vision obviously hehe.

My only beef with the manuals, is the black and white images are often indistinct to the point they approach not worth inclusion. Matrix Games needs to decide to either print them in colour, or print them sharp enough for them to be worth printing.

I will check out how they look in the pdf file later.

[Rainbow7]

What sucks is that every EB store in Montreal was out of the game a month ago, had it listed as discontinued, and assured me that no more copies would be coming this way. So I bought it online from Military Hobbies, for twice the price that I just saw it this last week .... at EB.

[Raverdave]

EB are now too busy selling "console" games to put serious thought into computer games.[8|]

[pasternakski]

ORIGINAL: Les_the_Sarge_9_1
Just finished building a rabbit hutch for sister

Les, how can you hold your head up in public while keeping your sister in a rabbit hutch?

[Fred98]

Les,

Download the recent patch.

Included in the patch is a PDF version of the tutorial and of the manual

Print both and set the printer to 150% ( or what ever suits your printer )

You will find it much easier to read

After completing both tutorials - tell us what you think of the game [:)]

[Les_the_Sarge_9_1]

Well hmm if you have seen my sister you automatically get the urge to hmmm ok forget that line of thinking

EB is getting some flak lately, and I think it is partially unfair.

In Belleville Ontario, the EB in the Quinte Mall is not at all selling out to Console, it is a large outlet and the pick of locations (front door area first thing you see are new PC releaases). Plus is has a full wall of PC titles.

In Orleans (its part of the greater Ottawa area) in the Place de Orleans mall, the EB is about 2/3 of the floor area of the Belleville location and the front area is claimed by console, and PC is only given the one wall section.

Still, that is two stores in Ontario at least, where a full wall is PC.

Add to that, I have seen Korsun Pocket, Squad Assault, Highway to the Reich, Combat Mission II, and Strategic Command on the shelf in recent weeks. And as we all know, those games are all undeniably wargamer wargames. There is no quasi wargamishness to any of those. Plus, there is a well represented stash of the martial looking designs with shooters currently leading the pack.

Now on to consoles. Assuming there is strength in numbers, sure they might look like they dominate. But those "dominating" designs are also fighting a cut throat do or die constant battle with each other. X-Box vs Gamecube vs PS2 vs whatever else is out there.
Not one of those names has the same space on the shelf as the PC zone does.

Console won't be any competition for PC until those console game makers get their act together, and realise they might do better if their games collectively could be played o n each others console machine.

Remember, if I have good enough hardware, I can play ANYONE'S PC title on my computer.

I don't buy console for a good reason. Here today gone tomorrow.
They either ain't fun after a month, or in 2 years time, no one is building anything that uses my machine.
No thanks.

[EricGuitarJames]

Here we go off topic again[8D]. I wish it was the same in the UK Les[:(], PC games steadily have their shelf space truncated in favour of Console games. Such games that are available are mostly Shooters and C&C style RTS with maybe the odd big RPG. In one large gamestore the PC games are now relegated to one small corner with about the same shelf-space as the PS1 games. The only way to buy wargames nowadays is to go online.

In defence of consoles I would say that they are developing a certain amount of longevity with Sony expecting to be supporting the PS2 until the end of the decade - giving the games a 'life' of ten years! Compare that with your old games developed for Windows 98 or (God forbid[:)]) Windows 95 - you're struggling to play them now!

[Les_the_Sarge_9_1]

Understand, this is NOT to slag the UK (or Europe in general), but man, I am sure glad I don't live there.

I am sure it ain't all bad, but it seems there is always someone complaining about being there.

Heck I sent a buddy a package of blank paper a few weeks back in trade for the old Squad Leader manuals. Blank Paper eh, ordinary 8.5x11 blank paper.
Yeah I actually sent a guy in the UK ordinary blank paper hehe
100 sheets of 3 hole punched blank paper, because he can't get it there.
The postage cost more for the 100 count I sent him out of the full 600 count of the original package.
Oddest request I have yet encountered from a wargamer.

Maybe console is doing better in the UK as a result of PC getting harder to get from outside the UK?

[RayWolfe]

What we need over here are a few more food parcels with plenty of powdered egg like in the good old days. Yummy! [:'(]
Ray

[Barbarossa]

Yeah, and some good TV.

[Tzar007]

ORIGINAL: Les_the_Sarge_9_1

Now on to consoles. Assuming there is strength in numbers, sure they might look like they dominate. But those "dominating" designs are also fighting a cut throat do or die constant battle with each other. X-Box vs Gamecube vs PS2 vs whatever else is out there.
Not one of those names has the same space on the shelf as the PC zone does.

Console won't be any competition for PC until those console game makers get their act together, and realise they might do better if their games collectively could be played o n each others console machine.

Remember, if I have good enough hardware, I can play ANYONE'S PC title on my computer.

I don't buy console for a good reason. Here today gone tomorrow.
They either ain't fun after a month, or in 2 years time, no one is building anything that uses my machine.
No thanks.

Let's all recognize that hardcore gamers play on PC.

That being said, the console and PC gaming audience is also vastly different. Console gamers usually like adventure, sports or shooting titles (although arguably playing a shooter on a PC with a mouse is much easier than with a game pad at first, but a console gamer used to controlling the cam and the character with two joysticks doesn't mind at all).

PC gamers are usually older, prefer strategy over hand-eye coordination abilities, and most importantly have more money $$$.

Because unless you only play wargames (which is not my case since I'm playing tactical shooters quite often, as well as some sports titles), running the latest video games on your PC requires a hefty investment. Heck, these days, for the money you have to shed to equip your PC with the latest state-of-the-art graphics card, you could buy yourself a Microsoft Xbox AND a Sony Playstation2 !!!

That's a damn good reason why the average gamer first look at a console. Speaking of money, a console span of life now averages 5 years - i.e. quality titles for that console will keep coming for at least 5 years after the console is out on the market. That's much more than your usual PC will be able to survive as a decent gaming machine.

Consoles are there to stay. And their market will grow, since there are more gamers with a "console profile" than gamers with a "PC profile". There will always be PC titles, but piracy issues of PC games has been exponentially multiplied with broadband connections, and that could become an issue at some point if nothing can't stop it. Log on to Kazaa or any other peer-to-peer sites, and the big blockbuster games for PC are all there, cracked and ready for you to download. Piracy for console games is far from being as prevalent.

[JudgeDredd]

ORIGINAL: Tzar007
...(although arguably playing a shooter on a PC with a mouse is much easier than with a game pad...

I hear you there! I tried out Medal of Honour on my friends XBox once and, whilst I understand it would get better over time, I couldn't control a damn thing!!

[Belisarius]

We got three EB stores downtown. Actually it's kinda nice;

The first (biggest) is much PC oriented with PC games claiming the most easily seen spot and shelves in the store, immediately on your front and left.

A few blocks away there's a smaller one with mainly console games and a little PC shelf tucked away in a corner, mostly with old titles and bargains.

And there's the third one, which is almost completely board, role-playing and tabletop games.

Works for me. Depending on what I'm looking for, I choose what store I visit.

[Fred98]

But Les still has not commmented on HTTR.

Les, get back on topic !
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