Matrix Games Forums

Originally posted by Paul Vebber:
Folks, nothing pains me nmore than to see lots of argument over anecdotal info.

I've said this inumerable times before...If you get a result that seems out of teh ordinary, try to set up similar situations in a test and see how often it happens, befre you complain.

Paul:

You're right. I should have taken some statistics before I complained. Although apparent to me that something is unbalanced through my experience I will take notes from my gameplay before further compaint.

I did try a 2 test runs with 2 German SPW flamethrowers against 2 Russian Companies one regular troops the other guards. My results were: for 12 spritzes

0 for 0 men
2 for 3 men
1 for 4 men
2 for 7 men (subsequently disbanded)
4 for 9+ men

additionally two HMG squads and 1 Bazooka squad were wiped out with one spritz. two men were killed by MG fire, but never once did the flamm fire without casualties.

on the second run

13 spritzes

0 for 0
1 for 2
1 for 5
1 for 6
4 for 9+

3 AT rifles were killed, but it required two spritzes each.

Stats really don't mean much outside the context of a fluid battle, so I will try and keep record of my losses during combat to compare with those who are pro-flame. Perhaps I've merely been playing the game wrong

FWIW, this is a great game, I play it every day. The team should be commended on an excellent effort, and I hope that this will be taken as constructive criticism only.

I think the problem is not the destruction power of the flamethrowers or the moral effect over the troops, the problem is that in all pbem games and online games I have played, the battles had ended with a massive use of anything with a flamethrower: it is not difficult to a veteran german engineer to get close to a enemy in cover in a building despite a lot of lmg or hmg fire received during the advance. The same with the flamm-tanks. And this makes SPWAW to be something like window's minesweeper. I think the flammpanzer and everything with a ft must have a higher rarity code. Also, why the engineers don't the ft as a separate squad, as the light mortars, the british lmg secs,or the at-rifles? it will allow to use them but not at these very high rates.

I ahve to agree with Paul. I've been using a lot of German engineers in my Stalingrad PBEM battles, and I have to tell ya I've never gotten more than 5-6 at any one time and those moments were rare. I think Paul's numbers are on the mark, and I don't think they're excessive.


My two cents....


Joe Osborne

First of all, as I have posted, I was off base on blaming game design or OOB data, no need to repeat the apology.

Second, also posted, there almost certainly was a run of extreme "die rolls", this will happen with a binary random number generator, I've done a few myself and seen it.

Lastly, there is no question it happened, not once but at least twice. Poof, one squirt from the Ge engr FT, wooded area, 11 men disappeared. Whether or not they were all dead, or just some of them makes no difference in game terms. They were gone. Same thing from a Flammpanzer, poof, a five man squad - in a building - vaporized.

Since then, in subsequent scenarios of HH Campaign, the Ge engr FT has not been as deadly. Hope this settles the matter.

Bing