Multiplayer PBEM

[mogami]

Hi, Well anyone can win battles if their logistical man provides them with enough force. No matter how many divisions the CinC gives you unless the supply system is working numbers might be a liabilty not an asset.
I'm sure you and everyone else knows this. So the real point is, it is easy to be Rock Torre. The hard thing is making sure you don't fight against another Rock Torre type commander who is better at bean counting.

[pasternakski]

ORIGINAL: Mogami

So the real point is, it is easy to be Rock Torre. The hard thing is making sure you don't fight against another Rock Torre type commander who is better at bean counting.

No, the real point is that you'll be a rock and not a roll ...

[maybee]

ORIGINAL: Drex

This has been tried with PacWar and was a dismal failure simply because the game is so long. Players will fall out along the way and with the different time zones, turns can take forever. It won't happen.

How about running it in "server" mode. Each player enters command within certain time window, and the game will proceed anyway at a preset time and send AAR to players. This should allow multiple turns in one day.

There should not be a problem when players fall out. Commanders in real life are human and they may not see the end of the war also. Just configure a way to setup a forum to line up interested backup players... have a replacement pool of your own. The game is just too big for one player per side. Don't you think so?

[maybee]

Please excuse me for posting 2 at a time. I like this multiplayer PBEM concept too much.

Playing the game as a team is much more fun. You can assign the highest commander (conveniently the administrator of the server), and commander to each regional HQ's, may be plus one in charge of the supply. Commanders get to plan the campaign togather, negoiate for ships and supply allocation, and coordinate attacks etc. I read from another post that someone suggests to limit the size of a super CV group. In a multiplayer PBEM game, this limit is implemented implicitly because commanders face the coordination problem for real.

The human side of the game also becomes appearant. No every commander is perfect, players need to cover the teammates rears and even suffer from their defeats. It may not be exctly fun, but definitely a much richer gaming experience. I don't know how many war gamers like to play god who controlls every aspect of the game. If you like something attachs to the reality the most, then multiplayer PBEM is the way to go.

It actually makes the coding easier (hmm... a long shot), because the rules and exceptions are much fewer. These rules/exceptions are played out more explicity in the "team politic".

... omg, it makes me reconsider playing a single player game. It is just ridiculous that one man should control the entire pacific threata.

[Drex]

I think if a multi=player game is hosted by someone like Matrix it can work even if it takes a year or so to complete because there would be a list of players to take-over. The moderator (God) makes all the difference. I personally don't want to be beholden to immediate turns because 5 or more guys are waiting on me. There can be only one turn that is passed around and that will take time across many time zones.