First Impressions

[Charles2222]

I don't know if it was this game or not, but I recall something about the Poles, for example, were beign represented by British troops, so it would figure if this was that game, that's where the UK losses are coming from. The minor country losses are going to get thrown on somebody's back.

[Howard7x]

Hehe, im the same, i buy games, play them for a week then buy another one. Its a trying time at the minute as theres so many good wargames coming out. Problem is i dont just play wargames! I need to stop buying games for the sake of it. I find myself continually going back to the same websites looking at the same game screenshots almost goading myself into buying a game just cos i want to see what it plays like.
 
I do however have certain games that i play pretty much constantly. Battlefront, BII and BIN being my wargaming choice. COD2 being my FPS choice, i play these games every other day and have been since they were released.
 
I purchased WitP a month or 2 ago and played it for 1 day and never picked it up again. I dont like overly complex wargames, it took me several (expensive) purchases to find my level of complexity. I thought i could handle more but found out very quickly that more can end up being a chore. For me i have to have something to wind down with after work, the last thing i want is to have to think too much! [:D]

[Dave Ferguson]

Minor allies casualties are shown as either UK or German and minor allies repair with their 'parent' nationality resources?
It is questionable whether in PBEM or head to head play this is good strategy, with the UK I would be spending all my resources on anti invasion stuff!

[Dave Ferguson]

ORIGINAL: Charles_22

These five repair points, is it possible, with the exception of the early game of course, to drain an enemy so much during a turn that he will not fill the attacked unit with repair points? Is there some pool of repair points or does each unit get 5 repair points regardless of anything else?

Yes you can and you really need to when taking out a capitol, unless you get lucky and force a retreat.

This might be the right sequence

1. Hit with 2 tactical air groups - you might get 1 - 3 casualties, sometimes even fighters can cause losses.
2. Hit with multiple ground attacks from at least 3 hexes, each subsequent attack has a better chance of causing 2 -3 losses as the defenders effectiveness drops.

So far I reckon you can repair any unit up to 5 points if you have the equipment and manpower, don't know what happens when those run out though.

Units out of supply can't repair? supply status calculated at start of the turn.

[IainMcNeil]

Repair is limited by supply level. % at max, 3 at half, 1 at low, 0 if out of supply.
 
Limiting supply to uits not in combat would have many implications and I think make it tough in sreas where there are not enough units for a front line. It could also seriously handicap the AI as deciding when to pull units back is not as simple as it sounds. It might be interesting to allow it in multiplayer only, but woudl need a lot of testing.

[Charles2222]

Your '%" in the prior message apparently was a "5" instead.

[ravinhood]

ORIGINAL: Charles_22

One catch to your little theory, rh, is that you have been able to bargain bin in the days when wargames were aplenty at stores. Nowadays that's not happening, except for sims and FPS's.

As far as internet purchasing goes, I don't know about you or Dredd, but I don't trust the delivery system to get it to me, although, I think I have always received all the stuff I order (go figure). It's just that to see it in a store is security. It's being able to play it right away if you so desire. My postal service is so lousy you're lucky to get something in a week. There's also that momentum consideration too, known to others as get-them-while-they're-hot, to where if I have to wait for a week to get something I likely be so focused on something else during the interval, that my enthusiasm, if there were any, will have likely taken somewhat of a beating. I don't know what it is, but this happens to me on mail orders for some reason. It's like, great, I'm glad it arrived, but it inevitably ends up arriving at a bad day of the week or something like that, to where I don't jump on it right away or I'm so involved in another game I hate to tear away. I guess you guys that don't work 3rd shift don't have that problem that much, but to buy somethign at a store is still far superior, because you're probably not buying it just before you're fixing to drag off to bed or work.

I guess that was part of th e old days too wasn't it? Where part of your buying a game at the store was the immediacy of it. If it was one that just got released, assuming you had a shot at getting it, whatever you were playing took a back seat because you knew you could play the new game right away. When the game just gets delivered to you in some random manner it's just not the same.

Yes that is true Charles, but, the other thing of nowadays is I already have umpteen jillion WW2 games, half a jillion civil war games and another half a jillion napoleonic games. Therefore most of this stuff coming out today just doesn't appeal to me anyway. Thus, I can sit back and wait YEARS for some of these titles to go bargain bin or used or capitalize on Matrixgames Christmas Specials or NWS since they are nothing more than the same just from a different perspective. I mean how many ways do you want to play a grand scale WW2 game? Lol I already have HOI I & II, GGWAW, Panzer General I & II, Strategic Command I, even the old 3rd Reich computer game. It's just gotten to a point with me it's just tossing money to the wind to pay $40 or $50 for the same thing I already own in several different variants and I haven't even played all of them out, probably never will. Funny thing is Panzer General and HOI I are the only two of the bunch I paid full retail for. I held out for all the rest for $10 or less. I don't even recall what I paid for computer 3rd Reich, but, it was a sale not full retail price.

Things of the Pacific War Land Battles or Ancients I will pretty much pay full price for or not wait as long as I can with most WW2 titles and civil war titles and napoleonic titles. I jumped on HPS Pacific War Squad Battles game as soon as I saw it. I bought Tin Soldiers:Caesar as well outright. For me it HAS to be NEW and something I don't have a large collection of. Ancients/Medieval and Pacific War Land Battles are pretty rare in comparison to most of what is always being released. That Zulu War/Rorkes Drift game I put a thread up about I would buy in a heartbeat, just because I don't have anything for that war period except an old Impressions game from waayyyyy back there that really had an awful ai and ui.

I can still catch some Matrixgames on Ebay from time to time if I want them. It is rare to see one up, but, still they do popup from time to time. With the direct download you don't see many of them though. I wouldn't purchase a direct download game from anyone anyway. I don't trust it. But, NWS stocks all of Matrixgames titels and those are all hard copy with cd and printed manual (the ones that have printed manuals now) and he gives some special deals from time to time let alone offers great tradein value for your titles you no longer care about or want to keep or play.

Then of course my greatest option is friends in my area who play wargames as well who have titles I don't and I can still play many titles without having to own the game. LOL I guess the only thing to thwart that will be when the license agreement states in the future that YOU are the ONLY person that can play this game from your computer except online email or ISP. hahaha You may NOT allow anyone in your local area to play this game or take home and play on their computer without expressed written permission which we will never give. lol roflmao.

As far as internet purchasing, I guess I'm blessed or lucky or whatever, but, all my transactions with ebay and amazon.com have always been successful and I've been using them since what now 1996, over 11 years without a loss or disappointment in quality of the items I bought. It's direct download I don't like. I want physical copy of everything I buy. I don't like paying for air or digits I want my cdrom/dvd, a nice colorful printed manual (spiral bound if possible) and a jewel case not these bloomin envelopes (more cheapness out of publishers) and they can keep the box. The game box never did do me any good and that's just a waste of resources if you ask me.

[IrishGuards]

Well .. seems ok so far ... on turn 2 built ftr ..
As well .. a wee bit of tech .. research ... this turn infantry
Next turn .. enough for both Air and Armor ...
Poland .. conquered in 2 turns ..
Denmark .. only took 1 turn ..
Low Countries .. 2 turns .. use the Tac on cities ..
France Falls ... Feb 1940 ... Even w 8 entrenchment a few shots from air ... hit em with some shock motorized ... then follow w arm and inf
Redeploy air to N denmark .. Norway falls 1 turn .. ??? No port in Oslo ????? I have to move units to port on w coast Nor ?????
Invade Yugo 4 turns later ... just when Italians come in ... falls in 2 ..

I have a question ... when I use the research .. If I try to select say armor .. the middle cookie then all my tech goes to middle cookie ... I really dont want ASW for the Axis ...
What am I doing wrong ..???? Is this a balancing feature .. or do I have to have Level 1 in each before I proceed ..???

Most impressed we can actually have terrain in a game ... lmao ... and the best innovation so far ...
The exploit move ... great for taking capitals .. after there softened up ...
IDG

[IrishGuards]

Actually after playing a little bit .... this game reminds me not just of SC or PzrGen .... and don't get all bent out of shape anyone .. !!!![X(]

War in Peace meets Hitler's War and The AH World War II ... [:D]
IDG

[Fred98]

ORIGINAL: Dave Ferguson
All the scenarios end in 1945 ......

No they don't. You can play into 1946 if Germany is net defeated before hand.
=

[Dave Ferguson]

Yes, I see the 1945 end scenario option.
 
What would be good is to have scenarios that ended before 1945 so you could play a year or two.

[TPM]

Although I have not played the game, I agree that most AI's in these grand strategic level games don't play too well.
I disagree, however, with the comment about 3D design...these types of games DO NOT NEED 3D!!! I'm not even exactly sure what kind of 3D you're talking about, but if you mean the types of things I've seen in TOAW, Talonsoft's East Front, SC2, it's just not needed, it's actually more distracting. Save the 3D for tactical level games, etc.

No, for me, I'd just like to see the ability to name units and stack them...it sounds lame I know, but those are deal breakers for me for this kind of game at that price range...for $10 more I can get Conquest of the Aegean.

My 2 cents.

First time I played I was the Allies. Poland lasted two months, France got attacked in Feb. 40 and lasted through to the Fall, after destroying 3 panzer corps. For some reason the AI on these grand strategic-level games is just not up to par, not any of them out there. Can't understand that.

But then, the music and graphics are not up to par either, for a $49.99 game ($59.99 if you want the CD). The map in this game reminds me of the bland faded maps from old SPI boardgames in the 1970's and 1980's. The playing pieces are okay, but 2D??

I'd ask Matrix to do what they can through patches to ratchet up the AI, that's most important, and I'd also ask them to realize this is 2007, not 1993, and 3D designs with decent artwork are the standard they should be competing with. They cannot continue to pass this minimalist stuff off on us. The last two or three purchases I have made for Matrix games have been regretful.

Matrix, please hire a 3D artist. Hire a musical composer. Give us a little gloss and polish.

Otherwise, the scale and simplicity of this game are just fine; just needs a little more work.

[TPM]

Yes that is true Charles, but, the other thing of nowadays is I already have umpteen jillion WW2 games, half a jillion civil war games and another half a jillion napoleonic games. Therefore most of this stuff coming out today just doesn't appeal to me anyway. Thus, I can sit back and wait YEARS for some of these titles to go bargain bin or used or capitalize on Matrixgames Christmas Specials or NWS since they are nothing more than the same just from a different perspective. I mean how many ways do you want to play a grand scale WW2 game? Lol I already have HOI I & II, GGWAW, Panzer General I & II, Strategic Command I, even the old 3rd Reich computer game. It's just gotten to a point with me it's just tossing money to the wind to pay $40 or $50 for the same thing I already own in several different variants and I haven't even played all of them out, probably never will. Funny thing is Panzer General and HOI I are the only two of the bunch I paid full retail for. I held out for all the rest for $10 or less. I don't even recall what I paid for computer 3rd Reich, but, it was a sale not full retail price.

Absolutely agree with this...this is why we keep seeing comparisons of this game with Strategic Command...people are a little leary of coughing up $50 for a game that they basically already have. I'm not knocking the game, and I'm not saying it's a rip-off...I'm just asking how DIFFERENT is this grand strategic game from ones I already own?

[ravinhood]

Exactly TPM. Glad to see you've come over to the Rebellion side of the Force.

[Howard7x]

ORIGINAL: TPM

Yes that is true Charles, but, the other thing of nowadays is I already have umpteen jillion WW2 games, half a jillion civil war games and another half a jillion napoleonic games. Therefore most of this stuff coming out today just doesn't appeal to me anyway. Thus, I can sit back and wait YEARS for some of these titles to go bargain bin or used or capitalize on Matrixgames Christmas Specials or NWS since they are nothing more than the same just from a different perspective. I mean how many ways do you want to play a grand scale WW2 game? Lol I already have HOI I & II, GGWAW, Panzer General I & II, Strategic Command I, even the old 3rd Reich computer game. It's just gotten to a point with me it's just tossing money to the wind to pay $40 or $50 for the same thing I already own in several different variants and I haven't even played all of them out, probably never will. Funny thing is Panzer General and HOI I are the only two of the bunch I paid full retail for. I held out for all the rest for $10 or less. I don't even recall what I paid for computer 3rd Reich, but, it was a sale not full retail price.

Absolutely agree with this...this is why we keep seeing comparisons of this game with Strategic Command...people are a little leary of coughing up $50 for a game that they basically already have. I'm not knocking the game, and I'm not saying it's a rip-off...I'm just asking how DIFFERENT is this grand strategic game from ones I already own?

Thats a fair comment. My question is, why would you be looking at the game so closely if you already know you have loads of them and its going to be the same as the ones you already have? Cos your a wargaming addict thats why. Bargin bin or not, you know your gonna end up with it in your collection so why not just get it over with [:D] Temptation takes over.

I understand your point about having a game in your hand with a nice shiny manual but matrix games wouldnt be doing as well as they are if they didnt have the digital download system, for small companies its the best way to go. Now there getting bigger we are getting more and more manuals with the boxed copies.

Stop moaning and sign up for yet another call of duty.[:'(]

[TPM]

ORIGINAL: Howard7x

Thats a fair comment. My question is, why would you be looking at the game so closely if you already know you have loads of them and its going to be the same as the ones you already have? Cos your a wargaming addict thats why. Bargin bin or not, you know your gonna end up with it in your collection so why not just get it over with [:D] Temptation takes over.

I understand your point about having a game in your hand with a nice shiny manual but matrix games wouldnt be doing as well as they are if they didnt have the digital download system, for small companies its the best way to go. Now there getting bigger we are getting more and more manuals with the boxed copies.

Stop moaning and sign up for yet another call of duty.[:'(]

HAHAHAHHA....you are absolutely right! Oh man, what a riot...I'm sitting here, looking at the game, coming up with all these complaints...and yet...and yet...I keep looking at it, I keep reading comments about it, AAR's, etc. I am a total junkie...I keep coming up with reasons not to buy it, but I can feel that I'm going to soon...man, I'm still laughing...

[Rocko911]

I have SC2 and just bought this game, I will try give a eval later in the week between the two.

[Titanwarrior89]

Russia has fallen aug 43 and the allies have taken France and moved into the low coutries and parts of Germany.  Really wondering how this one will turn out.  I am playing the allies.   This game reminds me some what of the old avlon hill game The Russian Campaign in the way it plays.

[TPM]

ORIGINAL: ravinhood

Exactly TPM. Glad to see you've come over to the Rebellion side of the Force.

Yes...yes...but the urge to buy a NEW wargame is so strong...I can feel its pull...

[ravinhood]

Don't let the force of the Darkside pull you in Luke (TPM) Remember Luke the Power of the Force is strong in you when you buy bargain bin. hahahahaah