Where are the old guards?

[Les_the_Sarge_9_1]

Rich I am only "badgering" out of good natured intent to show where my true interest lies.

I don't expect you to stop wanting your own specific request to be met. But I do wonder if it has any real merit to you.

I too agree, if Combat Leader never actually shows up, I will have been playing Steel Panthers the entire time. And I have all 4 Megas, and basically it is only the megas I play or occasionally a scenario. I have no use for any of the other functions Steel Panthers offers. I don't think Battle or Long Campaigns have any actual worth (my opinion).

I have played too many Battles that ended up looking like my equally waste of time DYO games of ASL (which I also won't indulge anymore).

And my last Long Campaign ended with 43 decisive wins and a few draws. After the first 5 battles, it became a dull boring stomp the AI yet again futile effort to actually have real fun.
I mean I was playing some battles, where I set up my armour, my AT screen, and just didn't bother to invite the infantry to participate if I was the defender. My infantry units often spent the battle in the rear playing poker. On the attack, I usually had to get the infantry to at least show up, but they rarely had to work long. It was almost impossible to get excited in some battles.
What was annoying, was nothing I did, actually affected the historical outcome. Sterling successes, never getting defeated, then the war ends and Germany loses. Hardly what I call thrilling.

The MCs are cool, because I have no control over my force, I am given what was there, and told this is the objective, now succeed. And when I succeed there is a perk, and when I fail there is a repercussion. I miss each unit that is lost.
And I can't really say I know, but the AI in the MCs doesn't appear to be a moron. I don't end up fighting quantities of a single vehicle type, that in real life didn't even exist.

Nothing ever turned me off more, than in the attack in Poland, meeting greater sums of Polish armour, than I had. Forgive me, but my ability to suspend disbelief does not extend that far

[KG Erwin]

Les, you're suffering from "campaign burnout", and this is the very reason I do NOT play as the Germans in a long campaign in SPWaW.
A similar feeling is engendered in a different game I play--the submarine sim "Silent Hunter II"--now, this game has been helped by many user-created mods to improve realism and gameplay, but in a long campaign, the result is the same--success is only measured by whether you survive when the war ends. Germany loses--there are no what-if's or fantasy outcomes. As in the U-Boat War, consider yourself successful if you survive--historically, that's what it came down to. What more could you expect? Indeed, in a tactical-level game, for any nation represented, the ultimate goal is still surviving when it's all over. That in itself is a victory.
To quote an old saying, in SPWaW "The battle is the thing".

[Bernie]

ORIGINAL: KG Erwin

...I realized that this is the "mother ship". Without it, all the related sites would become irrelevant.

I agree with your analogy Glenn, in fact I'll take it further and call these forums the "Motherland" or "Fatherland" of the SP:WaW community. However, I don't think that if these forums ended tomorrow that event would render all other related sites irrelevant. I feel that any site that supports SP:WaW, be it Matrix, the Depot, Warfare HQ, whichever gains relevancy from the site's relationship to the game. SP:WaW is here to stay. There are far too many copies of it out in the ether, and far too many fans, for it to disappear. And as long as SP:WaW is around, sites that support it will be relevant.

[Bernie]

ORIGINAL: Klinkenhoffen

Hello, I take a few months off posting due to work and alot of the old names seem to have gone.

Plenty of new names, hello to you all.

Did I miss a revolt or is everyone just busy?

Klink

(Klink, I made a minor correction to your spelling--it was buggin' me)

Hey Klink...Welcome back! How'd your move go?

[rich12545]

Rich I am only "badgering" out of good natured intent to show where my true interest lies.
I don't expect you to stop wanting your own specific request to be met. But I do wonder if it has any real merit to you.


Les, here's what I don't understand. I make a legitimate request, to have a game finished. It's been a long time, it's been promised and then ignored. And for making this simple request I get hassled by you and a few others. Yes, it has real merit to me or I wouldn't be spending my time on it. I'd just forget it. There are too many other things to do, like playing. This thng takes up way too much time. And I'm still waiting for Brent to chime in with another of his "promises" this time around. I'm still wondering why more people don't hassle him about this? Is he some sort of god? Is he above keeping his word? What is his problem, really? Well, frankly, I feel enough is enough. Maybe he'll surprise everyone with the update in the next few days. Shock of the year. I hope so. I'm really tired of this but I'm even more tired of his empty promises.

Like I said, I've never played a campaign. For more than 20 years playing computer wargames I typically had more than 20 that I'd play at a time. So I never really played any one a lot. Recently I pared this down to just a few - Go (turbogo), spwaw, harpoon 2002 gold and toaw cw. I've been lately playing spwaw more than any of the others trying to improve my skills and get into playing campaigns. I'd really like mclv to be complete by the time I get to it. But I'm not holding my breath.

[Klinkenhoffen]

Its good to see that it was just my imagination.

Thanks KG Erwin. Spelling and grammer has never been a strong point.

Yes the move went well. Now on the other side of Australia( the better side by the way) and just about checked out at my new airport. I've got a few games underway so Im happy.

To Les the Sarge, a special thanks to you as you have rekindled my interest in Advanced Squad Leader after 10 odd years away from. I have just started playing again with a friend here in Perth. We have been wargamming off and on for twenty odd years.

Good to see that everyone is well.

Klink

[VikingNo2]

Hi do I qualify as "old guard" ?

Glad to here your move went well, when you ready to tangle again let me know, it seems like time zones have me playing with you guys down under and the Swedish lately[8D]

[Voriax]

20.5.2000 might qualify as 'local old guardsman' However not too old as WB's mines haven't caused me a heart attack (yet)

Voriax

[VikingNo2]

All right Local Old Guard it is[8D][:D]


Mr Voriax have we fought ?

[Voriax]

ORIGINAL: VikingNo2

Mr Voriax have we fought ?

Only verbally perhaps

Voriax

[Tombstone]

When you know the rules of a game system in and out and have TONS (this is not an overexaggeration with this crew) of experience playing the game it's hard for it to be a challenge. AI behavior, no matter how complex, will eventually become clear to the player. A game like SPWAW is mostly tactical, so once you can eliminate the AI's surprise factor it becomes a straightforward game of mathematics. Playing scenarios built to surprise the player the first time is a way to mitigate this. The other big one is getting a new game system to chew on. I'm really excited about CL and Battlefields! (Not saying that I'm tired of SPWAW, I haven't played much of anything lately.)

Tomo

[rich12545]

Playing scenarios built to surprise the player the first time is a way to mitigate this


Yeah, my favorite with spwaw is a meeting battle, let the computer choose all units and all deploy. You never know what will happen. I'm currently playing the Marines against the IJN. The Japs had several light tanks! What a surprise. I had three bazookas and originally thought what a waste of assets. And a random battle provides unlimited entertainment. [:D]

[Tombstone]

One off campaigns are probably the ultimate expression of this, since you control deployment and force composition. It's not a whole lot harder to make both when you make a scenario.

Tomo

[rich12545]

One off campaigns are probably

Hi, I don't know if this is a typo but I don't understand what you're saying. Anyway, the thing I like about the computer picking forces and deploying is the unpredictability. You never know what you're going to get or how the scenario will go. It's nice to do once in a while.

[Tombstone]

When a good designer makes a scenario it is way better than a random battle. The first time you play, it is not much different from a random battle except that a human has set up some of the larger AI moves that are going to happen. If you play a one-off campaign (which takes a single scenario and makes it a one mission campaign where you buy forces and deploy them yourself) you get a very unpredictable and interesting experience.

Tomo

[Les_the_Sarge_9_1]

Hey Klink glad to hear you rekindled yer lov for the ASL game hehe.

Hey did you ever get a peek at the article I wrote for it at Warfare HQ. It kinda surprised me when I was awarded scond place in the contest heheh. More than I expected

At any rate, Warfare HQ has a splendid ASL forum, and we have the ear of Keith Dalton in there so we get a good linkage to MMP through him.

He is also inside this other ASL forum as well.

Here's the links.

http://www.warfarehq.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=30
http://www.asl-forums.net/main/

Likely other ASL spots out there, but I have not found anywhere better.

[rich12545]

I see what you mean by one-off.
Yeah, that can be nice. One good thing about spwaw is there is the variety in how you can play and they're all interesting.

[KG Erwin]

Yes, absolutely. Ultimate variety. But, I still am addicted to the long campaigns, especially as the USMC. The immersion level is increased by using Arne Rossmanith's "Campaign Watcher" program. I love watching my 1942 green-horns turn into armed-to-the-teeth professional demolitions experts as the years go by. The best part is, this is what actually happened, and I'm right there with them.
I even use the names of real-life WWII Marine commanders, replacing the generic ones using the Chlanda editor. In this way, the game becomes more of a role-playing fantasy experience in a historical background. Now, I don't think I'd go so far as to dress in herringbone twill and sling a replica Thompson over my shoulder while I'm playing, but you get the idea. At SPWaW Depot, my forum name is Gunny Erwin. Unfortunately, I'm stuck with KG Erwin here, but you guys can call me Gunny if you want.

[Wild Bill]

I too favor historical scenarios, though I'm not above trying a random battle every now and then. Yes, that variety is good for the gaming soul!

WB

[robot]

KG You should have saw me when i flew the Red Baron. I had a throttle controller and joy stick with foot controls for the rudders. I had a WWI flying helmet with goggles. Wrapped around my neck was a white scarf and on my hands was an old pair of flying gloves. My wife said when she saw me at the controls and flying i was in another world. Man the good times we had when i got back from a successful mission. But i digress that was near 20 yrs ago i think. Wow i was really young then and i loved the women. [:D][:D] [:D]