For those considering buying this game

[hondo1375]

I've played through now once as China and once as Japan, so here are my impressions for those who are interested.

First off, I'm coming at this as a veteran gamer - over the last 30 years I've played most WWII grand strategy board or computer games. IMHE, this game is very well designed. Lots of thinking has obviously gone into trying to solve or minimize perennial design problems with the genre. There are too many to mention here, but to my mind this is the next step in the genre when all these big and little design decisions are integrated together.

The best thing about the game IMHO is that the strategic decisions I have to make come to the fore, while the game mechanics and interface take a back seat (with some exceptions I'll mention below). You have to plan far ahead, allocate your resources accordingly, stick to the plan, but be flexible to changing circumstances, and keep to your timetable. In short, develop and implement a strategy, which is what these games should be about, not micromanaging a lot of stuff. I think the game does an excellent job of evolving a strategic environment for you to respond to.

So, if you are into WW2 grand strategy games, or grand strategy games at all, I really can't think of a reason not to buy this. I would recommend having the manual handy at the start, as you will need to refer to it initially.

Here are some requests to the devs:

1. Fog of War. I started playing the game with FOW on, but switched it off half way through when I found I couldn't take back certain units I had move into battle. I understand the reason for this, but the combat algorithms are complex, so the only way you can get a sense of your chances is to move your force in, but this can mean if you don't decide to go through with an unfavourable battle, and you've detected some hidden adjacent units, you're trapped and have to sacrifice a unit or risk the battle. Is there any way of delaying the revealing of units until the battle is done?

2. Can resources that are not in the rail net be highlighted somehow?

3. I use advanced supply, but have area and auto supply on (too much micromanagement otherwise for me), but I'd like to be able to reserve suppy for certain tasks in a particular area, e.g. repairs, and stop the computer moving them around.

4. This is a long shot request, but can there be an option for the AI to take more time to think about its turns (or maybe it doesn't work that way)?

Thanks Matrix and 2by3 for a great game (and also great to see you ever present on the board).

Hondo

[aletoledo]

nice thoughts

You have to plan far ahead, allocate your resources accordingly, stick to the plan, but be flexible to changing circumstances, and keep to your timetable.

this is especially true as axis, you can't plan to attack russia early and also try to invade england. you have to make a choice and stick with it, which really makes for a grand strategy.

I use advanced supply, but have area and auto supply on (too much micromanagement otherwise for me), but I'd like to be able to reserve suppy for certain tasks in a particular area, e.g. repairs, and stop the computer moving them around.

I think you should probably get used to not using auto and area supply. I have the same problem, since I find auto supply stealing it from the wrong stockpile and area supply using up my transport network.

[Dalwin]

Regarding your first point on fog of war, we all understand that taking back moves could be used for scouting in PBEM games and that is why it is not allowed.

I see no reason, however, to impose this same restriction in single player games vs the AI. If the player wants to take back a move in a single player game, let him.

I have always played with FoW on but it has proved highly inconvenient on occasion, especially while first learning the game system. It may not be apparent at a glance whether those other few fleets will be allowed to move in support or not. The supply system is detailed enough that it would only work in a computer game. Using the same system on a board game would have been an accountant's nightmare (or wetdream maybe?)

[Glabro]

Hm. In my single-player games, I always have to load the game when I can´t return a unit when the FoW problem happens.

So, in PBEM, this is not allowed? That is not good. Then I will either have to play without FoW or not at all... I assume you can´t save a PBEM game in progress. If you could, then I suppose you could still load it when it happens...

[ratprince]

If in PBEM you could take back your move with FOW on after revealing units....what is the point of playing with FOW on?? The whole idea is that it is sometimes necessary to send out scouts and probe the enemy to find out their forces. If you dont plan on attacking, probing is probably a waste.

Btw - loading a PBEM a second time (or more) will result in the console counter increasing which in turn will maek it "seem" as if you are "cheating" (which in effect, you are by see hidden units) So, dont get upset if your opponents dont take kindly to this....I would be a bit...perturbed...if I noticed this.

Ultimately, if you dont like the "no take back moves", then you should just play with FOW off. I am sure there is a group of PBEM'ers that are willing to play such.....

later

MIke

[traemyn]

I somewhat agree with hondo on the FOW issue. I guess it all comes down to if you think that there should be this included risk factor when invading. Because it could have been coded so that the FOW would only reveal new units after an invasion. With FOW off the combat analyzer is used probably every single fight but with FOW on you get stuck with that first move usually and its annoying sometimes because you were going to use the combat analyzer to see if you had a chance (isnt that what its there for?) and now you have to lose at least one unit to use it.

I was just reading the manual and it does let aircraft (with a speed > 2) see 2 spaces so I guess I could look at it like they wanted to stress that aircraft were better for scouting then land.

I dont think anyone here is asking for them to let us abuse FOW [;)] Maybe implement it differently? Its probably out of the patch scope and its not that big of a deal but its frustrating sometimes.

[willgamer]

2. Can resources that are not in the rail net be highlighted somehow?

This is in many other threads, but just to mention again: Resources do NOT need rail to be connected. A path thru friendly/neutral land and/or transport at sea will do. [:D]

[Grotius]

I'm in a PBEM, and after getting bitten by the FOW rule once, I now think it's a good idea. It prevents me from scouting for free, which is something I often desperately want to do, especially at sea. And, conversely, it allows me to hide assets too. Yes, it would be nice to get an odds calculation without revealing more units, but after a while you have a pretty good sense of what the odds will be anyway.

And yes, it would be nice to have an indication of which resources are out of your network. As the previous poster said, though, you do NOT have to repair RRs to use resources; if you have a land or sea-transport connection to your factories, that's enough.

[hondo1375]

With respect to FOW, I was really just thinking of relaxing the rule for solitaire play, not PBEM, as I guess coding it differently to avoid PBEM exploitation would be a lot of work.

I'm a bit confused about resources and the rail net now. During my last game I had a couple of resources outside the rail net, yet they seemed to be available to my factories - I understand now from the comments above that this was due to the existence of sea or land links to a factory. So what is the point of that information on the production summary screeen (?) reporting resources out of the rail net? Forgive me if I'm missing something obvious here.

On auto and area supply. I'm happy to live with the occasional irritation of area and auto supply not moving things exactly as I want, because I personally really can't be bothered with the micromanagement alternative. But it is just on the one issue of being able to occasionally reserve some critical stockpile of supplies that would be nice.

Hondo

[Arkady]

ORIGINAL: hondo1375
...
I'm a bit confused about resources and the rail net now. During my last game I had a couple of resources outside the rail net, yet they seemed to be available to my factories - I understand now from the comments above that this was due to the existence of sea or land links to a factory. So what is the point of that information on the production summary screeen (?) reporting resources out of the rail net? Forgive me if I'm missing something obvious here.

...
Hondo

Those information on the production screen reporting resources not linked (no out of the rail net)... those are resources not connected with your factories...for example, Sardinia for Germans, you must place transport ship in west Med to transport resource point from there, or as Japanese you must place transports between China and Japanese Islands, otherwise they are unlinked...

[IDrinkBeer]

sometimes because you were going to use the combat analyzer to see if you had a chance (isnt that what its there for?) and now you have to lose at least one unit to use it.

Some people would consider using the combat analyzer cheating... [;)]

Eisenhower: "Patton, do you think you can push your way into the Ruhr?"

Patton: "Not exactly sure Ike. Let me check my combat analyzer."

A few minutes pass...

Patton: "It says here I only have a 20% chance."

Eisenhower: "I guess we'll have to call it off then"

Patton: "Hell no, we'll be attacking at dawn.."

[:D][:D]

[ravinhood]

I agree FOW is part of the challenge and part of the war, and was well implemented.