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RE: First Impressions
Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 6:47 am
by JMass
ORIGINAL: sabre1
Well this game rocks for me. Simple, elegant, UI is a little clunky, but not hard to figure out. I love the scale. You would have to be a real graphics whore, or hate phased movement, not to like this game. I kept debating back in the day when this game came out if I should get it. I should have. Thanks Matrix.
I agree, and the editor looks very manageable so I hope to see a lot of new scenarios, at this scale there are potentially hundreds or thousands of interesting situations to simulate.
RE: First Impressions
Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2011 2:43 am
by kvob
I've been playing through the Sword scenario and despite using the hotkey to highlight units belonging to an HQ, I'm finding it a bit confusing keeping track. I think it would help if the NATO symbols had a background colour code pertaining to its HQ(which has been done in other games). This would give at-a-glance info and help befuddled incompetents like myself.
Apart from that, I'm enjoying this release[:)]
RE: First Impressions
Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2011 8:59 am
by Magpius
Now that I'm getting my head around the game sequence, I'm really enjoying it.
Crash course tutorial in the manual really helped.
The unit selection attack methodology reminds me of A.T.
A.I. is putting up a good show, or maybe I'm just grinding my units to a halt. [8|]
RE: First Impressions
Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2011 6:15 pm
by hank
Yes, I pulled the trigger and bought it. I'm getting familiar with it today. I do have two questions.
Is there a way to regain a lost "Hit" or pip? Even if it takes a few days of reserve status maybe?
Is there no air strike capability in any of the scenario's? Or interdiction via close air support?
I saw a reference in the manual to off board artillery, does that mean there is naval bombardment in the amphib scenarios?
I know this is all stuff I will eventually find out, but I'm thinking the more info like this will help sell more games.
Its looking quite good so far.
RE: First Impressions
Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2011 8:45 pm
by Obsolete
Is there a way to regain a lost "Hit" or pip? Even if it takes a few days of reserve status maybe?
No, dead men and vapourized vehicles are out of commission for the entire scenario. It is not realistic to just replace a whole platoon that easily.
What you CAN regain, is your strength from disruption. Which would somewhat represent repairing vehicles, and re-stocking, doing your medical routines, etc.
There is no interdiction, but there is both air and naval off-board support. When you carryout out your assaults, or do a bombardment, these elements will show up as options if available.
Hit 'S' to bring up scenario data. It will show how many of these missions you get a day/turn.
RE: First Impressions
Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2011 12:42 am
by tombo
I decided to purchase also...and very happy with my decision.
few comments...
Is there a way to see the direct fire ranges of units? Can a hot key be added?
What does "limited visibility" mean...manual gives "limit intel". When is it determined and does it change?
It seems easy for a unit to "be out of command" even if its HQ is nearby. has big afect to game play.
thanks for good game.
[:)]
RE: First Impressions
Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2011 4:47 am
by Obsolete
Direct Fire is always 2-3 hexes. Basically 1 and 1.5 Km.
Tanks and AT guns get the full 3 hexes, so do Machine Guns & Armoured Infantry. All other infantry get only 2-range hexes.
Limited Visibility refers to the weather. It will affect FoW mechanics. You'll notice it is harder at night and in bad weather to see what unit is what, unless you are right beside it. And even then you often won't pick up its full stats unless both of you are assaulting each other, etc. Posture changes also affect the FoW stats you can determine on a unit. Naturally, someone who's dug in is harder to see than someone wondering around in travel posture.
Being 10 hexes away doesn't mean it's better than 5 hexes away from an HQ. Distance only really matter once you cross past the maximum range of an HQ. However, GENERALLY, the further you are away, the more likely negative factors can stack up against you, like enemy units and other stuff in your line of communications, but do not worry about that too much (many factors come into play here). There is randomization in Contact checks, and also if you just had a major battle etc, you can be knocked out of contact as well, even if you're almost right beside your Div/Reg HQ.
RE: First Impressions
Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2011 8:09 pm
by tombo
Thanks obsolete...thats helps. i did have a major battle and i lost a number of unit contacts. very unique.
can u also expand on the FOW mechanics? the rules talk about what happens to units per se (limited intel), but not FOW itself. in clear weather does a unit see, say, 4 spaces over clear terrain? also what changes happen with the max FOW options vs. other settings.
RE: First Impressions
Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 8:19 pm
by henri51
Well I bit the bullet and bought the game. So far I have only played the tutorial and part of a scenario, but the game looks good. I haven't read the manual yet, so there are a few things I don't understand, like why some units report out of command although close to the HQ in the desert with no enemies close by. I think I remember seeing that there is a random factor...
The game seems to play well on both XP Pro and Win7 on my work and home computers respectively (Macs using Bootcamp).The game is a good medium complexity wargame somewhat similar to old hex-based Avalon Hill games, or maybe Advanced Squad Leader, although the latter is squad level whereas this game is company -level and higher. I particularly like the command distance idea which forces the player to keep units near their HQs (although I still don't know what that radius is -must be in the manual).
One confusing thing is that one has to deselect a unit before selecting another, with the result that 3 or 4 times the result of clicking on the next unit to move resulted in the previously moved unit moving all the way back to where I clicked with no chance to undo (sometimes you can and sometimes you can't). It happened 3 or 4 ties in the tutorial. Maybe I will get used to it. Another thing is that the travel mode and the movement mode do the same thing, so why have two different keystrokes for it (m and t)? Why do some units travel and some move? [&:]
These are minor nitpicks, and are not important enough to affect a decision to buy or not.
Henri
RE: First Impressions
Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 9:54 pm
by boatrigm
Undo would be nice. Not sure how much work it would take. Maybe a patch for 1 level undo??
Mike
RE: First Impressions
Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 10:40 pm
by henri51
ORIGINAL: boatrigm
Undo would be nice. Not sure how much work it would take. Maybe a patch for 1 level undo??
Mike
There is an undo, but quite normally, it becomes inactive if you have got some information from the movement. The problem IMHO is due to the fact that movement uses the same keystroke (left click) as selecting a unit.I will probably get used to it - you can also deselect a unit by clicking outside of the movement range of the unit.
Henri
PS: I have now read the manual, and I understand that units can be out of command depending on a die roll modified by the types of terrain between the HQ and the unit, as well as by some other factors such as the presence of enemy units and disruption.
RE: First Impressions
Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 10:42 pm
by henri51
ORIGINAL: Joe 98
It would be handy if there were a list of scenarios sorted according to how many units are in the scenario.
Smallest to largest.
-
there is a description of all of the scenarios in the manual, including an indication if they are small, medium or large.
RE: First Impressions
Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 11:19 pm
by Fred98
ORIGINAL: boatrigm
There is an undo, but quite normally, it becomes inactive if you have got some information from the movement.
If you advance into an empty hex and find there is nobody there and there is nobody nearby, then you have new information and undo should not work.
However if you are behind the lines and move to another spot behind the lines, the you do not have new information and undo should work.
-
RE: First Impressions
Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 11:24 am
by hank
I've been playing for a total of ~8 hours or so since I got it last week. Its fun to play. The mechanics are fairly simple to learn ... but its going to take several more hours to understand what is happening during the various phase resolutions and what I can do to alter events.
The one thing I've noticed in the scenario's I've played so far (Carentain, Guadalcanal, and el Toraino ... or something like that) ... some units don't have specific equipment descriptions and others do. In the last one I'm still playing some German Units say in the description (upper left window) TIgers or Mk IIIs. None of the Allied armor indicates what they are except "Tanks". I'm assuming that means that unit is a mixed bag of armor BUT, in the scenario description it says some Shermans show up as reinforcements but the descriptions still say Tanks (I assume the Shermans are the one unit with an 18/18 attack/defend strength(s)).
It would be nice to have more specific descriptions about armor, tank destroyers, and towed AT units. Unit silhouettes would be nice too but I'm guessing that's not an option.
Is there a way to edit the unit descriptions? I looked at scenario files and did not see anything yet that I can change. I'm assuming (again) if I build a scenario from scratch I can add the descriptions I think are appropriate.
Fun game
thanks
RE: First Impressions
Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 11:37 am
by spelk
Hank is the lack of unit information down to the fact that they're the enemy and your intel of their composition is limited? (ie. something like a layered fog of war implementation)
RE: First Impressions
Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 1:09 pm
by henri51
ORIGINAL: hank
The one thing I've noticed in the scenario's I've played so far (Carentain, Guadalcanal, and el Toraino ... or something like that) ... some units don't have specific equipment descriptions and others do. In the last one I'm still playing some German Units say in the description (upper left window) TIgers or Mk IIIs. None of the Allied armor indicates what they are except "Tanks". I'm assuming that means that unit is a mixed bag of armor BUT, in the scenario description it says some Shermans show up as reinforcements but the descriptions still say Tanks (I assume the Shermans are the one unit with an 18/18 attack/defend strength(s))
In the scenario creation, you can give tanks strengths between 10 (recon M8) and 75 (Tigers) and there is a table of recommendations of the numbers that should correspond to various types of tanks. But when they are in the game, they just show up as generic tanks, and if you have full info, you can see their strength as well as other info, but not the type of tank. This also applies to your own units, which also show up only as "tanks". So knowing that 75 corresponds to Tigers and 10 to recon vehicles, you can get a pretty good idea of what they are by looking at the strengths (which by the way, I have NOT been doing, so I am glad that you asked the question...).
So for example if you see a tank company with a strength of 50, this could be a mixed company of Tigers and M8s, or maybe a company of PzIIIs, but whatever the mix is, it will fight with a strength of 50.
Henri
RE: First Impressions
Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 5:10 pm
by hank
Mr. Spelk, the FOW is working good. I'm fighting as Allies and the only tank info of the Germans I get is when they pull up within a couple of hexes of my forces then the detail pops up in some cases in other, not.
I was talking about my own forces.
Thanks for the info Mr. Henri51.
I'm just one of those tech guys who likes seeing what types of armor I'm fighting with; ... I like the tech info of armor especially ... silhouettes are a favorite of mine too like what's in the Army ID manuals. I would like to see a toggle between good unit silhouettes or NATO symbols.
RE: First Impressions
Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 8:00 am
by Obsolete
ORIGINAL: henri51
Well I bit the bullet and bought the game. So far I have only played the tutorial and part of a scenario, but the game looks good. I haven't read the manual yet, so there are a few things I don't understand, like why some units report out of command although close to the HQ in the desert with no enemies close by. I think I remember seeing that there is a random factor...
The game seems to play well on both XP Pro and Win7 on my work and home computers respectively (Macs using Bootcamp).The game is a good medium complexity wargame somewhat similar to old hex-based Avalon Hill games, or maybe Advanced Squad Leader, although the latter is squad level whereas this game is company -level and higher. I particularly like the command distance idea which forces the player to keep units near their HQs (although I still don't know what that radius is -must be in the manual).
One confusing thing is that one has to deselect a unit before selecting another, with the result that 3 or 4 times the result of clicking on the next unit to move resulted in the previously moved unit moving all the way back to where I clicked with no chance to undo (sometimes you can and sometimes you can't). It happened 3 or 4 ties in the tutorial. Maybe I will get used to it. Another thing is that the travel mode and the movement mode do the same thing, so why have two different keystrokes for it (m and t)? Why do some units travel and some move? [&:]
These are minor nitpicks, and are not important enough to affect a decision to buy or not.
Henri
Yes, there is a random factor to units becoming in command, and being out of command. However, there are occasions where you start off with a 100% probability so you don't always have to be prepared for the possibility of it. If for example, you moved your HQ, or other corresponding unit... have one in a woods, or have had to go through quality checks (and rolled bad), have E-ZoC issues, etc, then your chances diminish from 100%, though there are other issues that could increase your chances above 100% as well.
There are ratings applied to Division HQs that can range from -2 to +2. These the stronger the number, the better effect it has on keeping command, (amoung other things).
Your issue of de-selecting units is one that some people have when first getting used to the GUI. It's because you're not used to this system and keep doing things out of habit that cause this risk. I haven't had a de-select issue in a long time, because I now am in the habit of simply clicking (out of bounds of movement) hexes to make sure I'm de-selected.
In regards to your question about Move vs Travel posture. The Move posture refers to units which NEED to be Emplaced (another posture). Units liked towed artillery and AT companies need to be Emplaced to fire, and hence can only shift locations when in Movement Posture.
Tanks and Destroyers on the other hand don't need to be Emplaced. They can shift locations by either Attack or Travel posture, and go directly into a Defend posture when chosen.
RE: First Impressions
Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 8:11 am
by Obsolete
ORIGINAL: Joe 98
ORIGINAL: boatrigm
There is an undo, but quite normally, it becomes inactive if you have got some information from the movement.
If you advance into an empty hex and find there is nobody there and there is nobody nearby, then you have new information and undo should not work.
However if you are behind the lines and move to another spot behind the lines, the you do not have new information and undo should work.
-
This has been one of my complaints ever since the PG series (and clones) started bringing this in force. And it didn't help that TOAW ladder clubs used to follow suit. IIRC, it's all ok to sit there doing unlimited explore + redo on your opponent, as long as you don't happen to eventually stumble withing eye-sight of where the enemy actually really is.
Anyhow, I can still see the other side of the story here in regards as to why they made it this way, so it's not something I ever lost sleep over.
RE: First Impressions
Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 6:30 pm
by Hertston
Really glad I pulled the trigger on this in the end, this is a quality wargame despite the age of the originals and modest size of the download. More people should be playing it; it's easy to pick up, the new graphics are fine, AI is decent (subject to the usual limitations), the UI is easy to use and there are loads of scenarios to work through. Haven't tried the editor yet, but that looks pretty good, too.