The Best Version for Solo Players

[Riun T]

OHHHHHHH, Gunny 7th turn in long camp playing as canadians with 8.4 and at this the 12th battle, location of BARDIA north africa. Its 11:00 in the morning of 04/13/42 hot and hazy with visablity at 9 hex. Thankfully its a german delay and they didn't lay any mines cause for all my units being vetran to elite by now they sure can't SPOT or SHOOt Hoot,,, even after two or three bursts of squad sized stuff lighting up the whole ten O clock position of the recieving platoons field of view to the tune of 6 casualties before getting any oppertunity for any of the units even RECCE to return fire??? RTMUSTA BEEN REAL HAZY!!??

[KG Erwin]

Riun, I'm hoping that Michael can implement user-created national ratings for 8.5. Mogami mentioned the core problem -- it isn't that certain nations are rated too low, but that the Germans are too good. HOWEVER, without these higher ratings, the Germans can't recreate the victories of the Blitzkrieg years without being given complete air superiority, which SPWaW doesn't simulate very well. Besides that, we don't want a slew of tactical aircraft dominating the ground battle, do we?

[robot]

I have the British in 1940 to be terrible shots even at only 150 yards. I am into a battle an assault against the germans at Arras. I have yet to get anykind of a force thru the mine fields. even tho i have breached it north south and middle. When ever i move thru i am met by killing fire from the german side where i cant even hit them at 150 yards. If i open up on them after sightinrg i miss and they return and take out half the squad. This is even after i have dropped numerous shells on there locations. I am getting next to no suppresssion either by firing or by bombardment. I know i have lost this battle too many of my troops have died and also way too much loss in equipment. I will never have the points to fix or replace what I have lost. I asm getting so depressed with not being able to move let alone take any objectives. I am about ready to recreat my core and start the whole campaign over. I have never done this in all the years i have played this game. But this has become more then i can bear to watch all my men getting shot to pieces.

[KG Erwin]

All right. Robot, remember-- the Germans won in 1940. You are NOT meant to win, and that's it. The Allies get their revenge in 1944-45. Defeats like this only encourage you more to take it out on those nasty Germans later. Think of what the Americans at Wake Island thought about those Japanese who overwhelmed them. The revenge factor does play a part.

[junk2drive]

Robot I have to agree with KG on that. Historical battles are best fought from the winning side. Unless it is a "What If" scenario that gives you extra forces or something special.
I like to play as French May 1940 but with different tactics than the Generals of history.

Edit to add, back on topic, I will be glad when changes stop for good. How can a designer produce scens that test well only to have them messed up by changes to the game?
As far as I can tell, all the OOB mods can only be used in user generated scens. Correct or educate me if I am wrong.

[soldier]

Actually I think H2H is better for a German campaign player against the AI with historic ratings on. In 8.4 your guys are nearly twice as experienced as the Poles, then French and then against the Russians. I got to 42 in 8.4 but couldnt recreate any tough battles on the eastern front. The Russians just couldnt hit my tanks and their infantry often did'nt fight at all and ran.
If 8.5 is serious about providing a better campaign game against the AI there will be some WIDER MAPS. I don't think the sniper change alters the equation against the AI that much. Too bad smoke will be left solid as I enjoy play against human opponents too and feel its unrealistic at present when players through up the force field (oh well).

[VikingNo2]

Being not ment to win? ! If its difficult to win I can see it but not ment to win ? Why play, why not just watch the history channel. Anyway I still don't know why you keep stating the Germans are too high and the minor with the new values are better. Its not a 0-100 scale. If it was then maybe things would be about right. They need to increase, these changes don't effect the AI/solo player nearly as much as the PBEM player. But I guess the silent majority doesn't care.

[Nikademus]

This thread made me realize a startling fact about my personal Steel Panthers history.

10 years (one incarnation or another), and i've yet to play 1 full PBEM game. [X(]

Yeah...AI play is important to me [;)]

[Speedysteve]

Never?!? [X(]

Nik you surprise me!

[Nikademus]

well keep in mind, before WAW, there were just a scattering of SP related websites, i checked over a few of the ones that had "ladders" for PBEM competition but i never warmed to them. Most seemed interested in their current status in the rankings more than getting in a good historical feeling game, a view which only got solidified after the one PBEM game I tried to play (with the orig SP no less!) ended with my "experienced" PBEM opponent dropping off the face of the earth after a well hidden AT gun i'd placed started brewing his T-34 spearhead. No resignation, no apology, no email.....just gone.

That combined with the slow pace of the PBEM and lack of replay just turned me off. Now when SPIII came out, i got more interested because TCP play became supported. Tried one game there.....got through 3/4 of the game then a buddy of the opponent joined in, they started conversing and promptly put me on ignore.

The AI may not play very imaginatively but at least its always there for me when i come home from a long day at work and want to wittle away some time making things go Boom. The mega campaigns are particularily satisfying...very well designed.

[Speedysteve]

Have to agree on tthe MC's. FANTASTIC IMO. Have only played through bits of Russia and 101st + 2 mission on Canal. Brilliant design and gameplay.

PBEM can work though bud. I've been playing Terminus over the past few months and sure we only get through 2-7 turns a day but it works and it's fun.

[Nikademus]

I'd be willing to try of course. I'm not dead set against PBEM. Just never managed to complete a single game using it. As such i dont have a problem believing that a majority of players consider the AI as more important than H2H

[VikingNo2]

Again whats the point of the thread, nobody has desputed the statement that more people play Solo, again who cares, does that mean PBEM shouldn't matter. The epx and leadship was lowed quite a bit. I heard this silent majority crap ! and who cares But nobody really wants to discuss any pointss for example; I bring up a point about it not being a 0-100 scale, no comment, no consideration, no nothing. I'm glade some like historical good play it, I envy your knowledge. When a change is hard coded like the exp and leadership. Then it effects the person who prefers PBEM a great deal. Go ahead and state "well you can change it to what you think it should be" well when you set it to a specific number then its that number across the board not a varition of a base like the hard code. Plus whats easier having to different people negotiate what a exp and leadership rating should be or a Solo player changing it for his own enjoyment, unless they have split personality then the latter is much easier.

[Speedysteve]

If spare time presents itself in the future we'll give it a shot.......

[Nikademus]

I want Panthers.

[:D]

wait......scratch that....I have the worst Panther luck.

Tiger I's.

You get T-60's

[Speedysteve]

Sounds like your deal with our CV combat in WiTP. You know what my answer to that was? It's ditto here....[:D]

[Terminus]

ORIGINAL: Nikademus

I want Panthers.

[:D]

wait......scratch that....I have the worst Panther luck.

Tiger I's.

You get T-60's

And all the gunners have to be blind in one eye, so they don't have any depth perception and can't aim properly.

[Speedysteve]

You two are ridiculous [:D]

[Terminus]

You mean, we three are ridiculous. And I'm not even counting the voices in Buttdemus' head.

[Speedysteve]

Yes ok me too [;)]