Game Managment (Rant)

[Gray_Lensman]

Easiest way to cope is to have 2 computers, LOL, that way one is the game machine, and the other is the note machine.

[Dunhill_BKK]

I've made up my own maps for the small Guadalcanal scenerio, by opening the WITP maps and working with photoshop a bit. I've turned them to greyscale and rendered something that covers a smallish region that can be printed on normal paper. I think you could easily do this to make notes.

[mogami]

Hi, When I first wandered into the UV development thread (when they asked about doing the supply and fuel system) I became fasinated with the prospect of the game. (Still some months down the road. It was Snigberts and IChristies Beta AAR that grabbed my attention and what became my addition to UV and then WITP. I began with an old National Geographic map of the Pacific, my recollections of playing SPI's War in the Pacific and a note book. Before the AAR were finished and long before I got the game I had a pile of notebooks full of plans and ideas. I carry a notebook with me (and my chess board)
I always take notes while doing turns. Any idea how ever crazy is jotted down. When I get time I do a study to see if it could be done. (Often they are not suited to present circumstance but might become feasable later on depending on events)
And of course I have the super advantage of having done both sides hundreds of times.
I don't think I can calculate the number of Japanese turn 1 non historic starts I've completed. So now I am on a first name basis with most of the Japanese Armed Forces. I can decide to send a TF from point A to Point B and know when it will arrive. (provided it is not molested enroute either by the enemy or me deciding on a new course)
It's a monster. Still it is a childs game for keeping track of compared to SPI's "Campaign for North Africa"

[Blackhorse]

It's a monster. Still it is a childs game for keeping track of compared to SPI's "Campaign for North Africa"

Ahhh, the nostalgic memories of Campaign for North Africa.

~Keeping track of the location of every single truck and tank (by model) that broke down anywhere in the desert. [X(]

~Tracking the performance of every pilot -- with paper and pencil, only.

And, my personal favorite,
~The Italian "Pasta Supply Rule" -- Italian units had to be supplied with twice as much water as German units, because the Italians needed more water to boil their pasta rations.

[DrewMatrix]

Ahhh, the nostalgic memories of Campaign for North Africa.

I liked the Evaporating Gasoline rule. Every turn for every unit (it may have been for every vehicle and supply dump) you had to calculate evaporative loss of fuel. The percent loss was NOT the same for everyone (some people had the advantage of better caps on their gas tanks).

I always visuallized the exhausted troops sitting around the camp fire. "Can we go to bed yet, sarge?" "No, you haven't finished evaporating your gas yet"

So with a groan they would each pull out a teaspoon, measure some gasoline, and evaoporate it before collapsing into their bedroll.

[mogami]

Hi, I played CNA during my fondest period of gaming. I had a band of brothers who were devoted to the game to such a degree we rented a house with room enough to set up the maps. We formed teams and had jobs and slept in shifts that allowed the game to progress 24 hours a day. It never stopped..........well then 1 of the players moved his girlfriend into the house and the game and the group broke up soon after.
I'd like to do the same with just one game of WITP (sigh)

[DrewMatrix]

my fondest period of gaming

[Nostalgia Mode ON]
Back when the world was young we used to have a huge group of miniatures players. We would play games with up to 15 people per side, often in large halls (there was one at Ft Ord the US Army kindly let us use).

With that many people playing on your side you start to get the real personnel management and confusion effects you just can't generate in a 1 player per side game. We had people who did nothing but step back from the tactical table top and try to keep track of the big picture. We had hilarious screw ups. "Oh, I assumed when they did X I could ignore your order to do Y because I thought you would agree that situation didn't apply any more".

We has setups where no one person could see the entire battlefield at once, and in which the supreme commanders on each side could never see the battle field at all (they had to work from innacurate maps. Some guy would walk from room to room looking at the tables, then go out to dinner, have several beers, THEN sketch the map of how all the table tops fit together from memory. That is the only map the Russian commander ever saw. Occasional road junction not really there, road on the other bank of the river etc.)

We would play these monster games over three-day weekends, sleeping in sleeping bags in the hall we played in.

[Nostalgia Mode OFF]
then people moved away, got little kids, etc Sigh

[Bodhi]

ORIGINAL: Bill Durrant
The paperless office is about as likely as the paperless toilet

[&:]

Far less likely methinks.

Never seen a paperless office, but seen far too many paperless toilets.[:(]

[Titanwarrior89]

Now that was a monster![:'(]

ORIGINAL: Mogami

Hi, When I first wandered into the UV development thread (when they asked about doing the supply and fuel system) I became fasinated with the prospect of the game. (Still some months down the road. It was Snigberts and IChristies Beta AAR that grabbed my attention and what became my addition to UV and then WITP. I began with an old National Geographic map of the Pacific, my recollections of playing SPI's War in the Pacific and a note book. Before the AAR were finished and long before I got the game I had a pile of notebooks full of plans and ideas. I carry a notebook with me (and my chess board)
I always take notes while doing turns. Any idea how ever crazy is jotted down. When I get time I do a study to see if it could be done. (Often they are not suited to present circumstance but might become feasable later on depending on events)
And of course I have the super advantage of having done both sides hundreds of times.
I don't think I can calculate the number of Japanese turn 1 non historic starts I've completed. So now I am on a first name basis with most of the Japanese Armed Forces. I can decide to send a TF from point A to Point B and know when it will arrive. (provided it is not molested enroute either by the enemy or me deciding on a new course)
It's a monster. Still it is a childs game for keeping track of compared to SPI's "Campaign for North Africa"

[Titanwarrior89]

I find it easier to manage Witp than some of the Old Monster wargames. Like the 7 map war in the pacific.[:D]

[pompack]

I put together a simple spreadsheet to keep track of the more "strategic" plans.

I have a column for target objective, mission type (assault, supply,base support, screen), "unit" type, current "unit" location, TF ID.

When I decide to do an amph assault, I use as many rows as requred, all with the same target objective.

I have one or more rows for assault inf (depending on how many places I will load). When the LCU are ordered to load, I enter the TF ID.

I create a row for post-comquest supply and fill in the location and TF ID when the convoy begins loading.

I create a row for post conquest base support (eng with aviation support) and fill in the rest of the data when it begins loading (may be same port/TF as assault inf or it may not).

I create a row for the screen; I fill in the location and TF ID when a SC or BMB TF is ordered to follow the convoy or directly assault the objective.
\

Now by sorting on the objective, I can find all of the different components of each operation. By sorting on TF (for example) I can find all of the objectives that have forces not yet been ordered to the objective (theTF field will be blank).

I found this was easier than the written note route (although I also keep written notes for everything that doesn't deal directly with planned assaults).

[esteban]

I use a pad of paper on the side for anything that I feel that I might need reminding about. Like if I halt production at a certain factory(s), I write those down so I can go back later and restart the factory if I need the production.

[Xargun]

ORIGINAL: Mogami

Hi, I played CNA during my fondest period of gaming. I had a band of brothers who were devoted to the game to such a degree we rented a house with room enough to set up the maps. We formed teams and had jobs and slept in shifts that allowed the game to progress 24 hours a day. It never stopped..........well then 1 of the players moved his girlfriend into the house and the game and the group broke up soon after.
I'd like to do the same with just one game of WITP (sigh)

I suggest we do it in columbus My wife and I rent a nice little apartment with a spare bedroom and a nice basement.. The basement is all mine - except for the washer/dryer/freezer... This way we have plenty of room

Xargun

[freeboy]

this is too funny
ok, I'll see you in a few days
lol

[Ron Saueracker]

Guess it was a rant because KKelley has not commented.

I just want to point out that I do the ranting around here. Obviously there has been a breech of protocol and chain of command.[;)]

[firefly177]

ORIGINAL: mongo

ORIGINAL: irrelevant
and you can use your time in the WC to review your plans.

Now THAT folks is a grog! [:D]

Maybe I shouldn't mention that the WC is where I get my best play time....

[steveh11Matrix]

As I write WitP is installing itself on my machine. I now read this, and my heart....sinks.

You guys keep paper and pencil records for a computer game? Oh, God, tell me it isn't so!

I too played CNA: I enjoyed it a lot too, and yes, I did like the logistics rules. Especially the Italian Pasta Rule! But I really, really thought that my days of writing notes on paper to go with the game I was playing were long gone.

Oh well. Maybe multiple Notepads open on the desktop?

Steve.

[mogami]

Hi, I don't think it is required to keep notes. WITP is certainly not the first computer game I've played where I kept notes I bet my good friend Dan (U2) does not need no stinking notes to play.

[bilbow]

ORIGINAL: Mogami

Hi, I don't think it is required to keep notes. WITP is certainly not the first computer game I've played where I kept notes I bet my good friend Dan (U2) does not need no stinking notes to play.

I agree, notes aren't necessary. I do spend a little extra time checking things, and I'm sure I've missed a couple of things that a timely note would have prevented. I find that once I get into the flow of the game I have no trouble remembering whats what in the key areas.

[tsimmonds]

The notes I'm making now are mostly to allow me to make fewer mistakes as well as to speed things up the next time I play. Right now I'm still playing the AI, waiting for the next patch, fine-tuning my PBEM plans....