Matrix Games Forums

I really want to like this game but am having trouble getting started. I have tried the tutorial and am reading the manual now, but the number of options seems daunting. I don't really know how to go about looking at my forces, entering orders, etc. each turn. Can anyone post some general suggestions/tips for how to play the game? I am a long time wargamer (Avalon Hill, SPI, etc.) so it is not a matter of being scared off by complexity, I simply learn better by example and the tutorial is too brief.
Thanks,
Elliot

When I first got the game about 2 years ago I put it back in the box and didnt pull it out for 18 months for the same thing you have discussed. When I pulled it out the second time I understood it a lot more and now find it one of the best games I have. The best thing to do is play the tuturiol so you have a rough idea whats going on and then find a similar player who is trying to learn and play a game. Many defeats may follow but every defeat brings you closer to a victory and if you dont care about winning or losing you will have great fun playing the game anyway even when getting beat.

Originally posted by EKravitz:
I really want to like this game but am having trouble getting started. I have tried the tutorial and am reading the manual now, but the number of options seems daunting. I don't really know how to go about looking at my forces, entering orders, etc. each turn. Can anyone post some general suggestions/tips for how to play the game? I am a long time wargamer (Avalon Hill, SPI, etc.) so it is not a matter of being scared off by complexity, I simply learn better by example and the tutorial is too brief.
Thanks,
Elliot

Elliot,

I have available for download at my wesite the Pacific War Checklist and Tactics Game Guide developed by Byron Inglesh, Tom Holsinger and Gary Fortune. It's an excellent reference document, especially for newbies.

http://home.earthlink.net/~tmflood/page2.html


I use the keyboard rather than the mouse for all my Pacwar interface. The keystroke list can be seen by pressing the slash key in the game. I use keys I,J,K,M and the arrow keys to navigate the map, and the '2' key to navigate menus. I find this to be much faster than the mouse. There is also a reference sheet on this at my website.

Hang in there! If you like strategic level games, I swear it will grow on you. Initially, run just one or two HQ's and set all other HQ's to computer control. A good starting point is to run the British theatre of the war until you get the hang of land and air operations. Then gradually move into naval operations.

Regards,

Rich Dionne


[This message has been edited by Rich Dionne (edited September 28, 2000).]

I remember when the original PacWar came out, I can't remember how old I was but it was one of the reasons I did so horrible in junior high It was the most daunting game I had ever played. Anyway, I found that it was much easier to play if I focused on specific geographical area of the game and put the other areas into full computer control. For example, to narrow the focus of the game, you could just focus on the area near Rangoon/Mandalay(think it is SEAC?) - limited forces at your disposal but enough to try things out. Once you get a feel, bring other areas. PacWar is, in my honest opinion, the most addictive game ever made. On a side note, there are certain game functions that I still haven't understood since I first started playing.

Mark

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I have to agree with lodine on this one. I started out cutting my teeth with the Indian Ocean area playing the Brits. Found the computer controlled U.S. side a bit slow so I took the P.I. for them!

Elliot,

Download the document Rich Dionne mentioned. It's very helpful. However, don't think the going will be easy even with paper in hand. This game is rough and it will take many hours of real concentration to get a handle on it.

Geez, there I go sounding like some kind of PAC veteran! Actually, I'm just beginning, too, so I'm in the same boat as you are. Nonetheless, I've found the hints document very helpful, if still not fully enlightening.

Originally posted by EKravitz:
I really want to like this game but am having trouble getting started. I have tried the tutorial and am reading the manual now, but the number of options seems daunting. I don't really know how to go about looking at my forces, entering orders, etc. each turn. Can anyone post some general suggestions/tips for how to play the game? I am a long time wargamer (Avalon Hill, SPI, etc.) so it is not a matter of being scared off by complexity, I simply learn better by example and the tutorial is too brief.
Thanks,
Elliot

OK! What you do is you activate the divisions you want to invade with. On turn 1 (never take historical btw) most will already be activated for free. So you hit ALT T to get enough AP's to load all land units. Hit C to create a invasino TF. the automatic function is pretty good to start with so use it. Make some bombardment plus transport with combat forces TF's and hit D to target them on the base you wanna invade (say Manila, Palembang, Rabaul, Guam, Sarawak on turn 1, that's a good way to get started anyways). Then run it and watch as your elite troops make a fine paste of the hapless Dutch, etc. With practice you can overrun most of the Pacific within 2 months. India and Australia should fall easily. Then you go after the US West Coast. That's when it gets tougher because the computer gets extra floods of units when you invade there or the hawaiian isles. Good luck and have fun!

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Rich: I like your homepage! Very well done. I am also new to Pacific War, so the information you have on your website will be very helpful.

I'm wondering: are the new plane icons and updated scenarios on your website compatible with Matrix's updated version of the game?

I too, find the game daunting; so any helpful tips/facts/strategies that you Pacific War veterans can put together would be very helpful.

Thanks for all the work guys, and especially to the Matrix team...

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A King Tiger can give you a definite edge...

Glad you like the site Von Rom! The aircraft icons were my first attempt at what you now see in the new patch. So you probably don't need to download it. It's not really compatible either, as we moved around some icon vs. aircraft associations in the new version. The same holds true for the scenarios. I'll need to clean this up a bit now that the new patch is out.

Feel free to ask questions when you get stuck or something doesn't make sense. As others have mentioned, a good starting point is to run only one HQ on player control, SEAC is a good choice. This way you can get the hang of LCU and aircraft combat before diving into the more complicated naval combat.

What can also be helpful is to set the game to full computer play in the setup mode. Then start a game. The computer will do all the moves. The useful thing here is that when you see the convoy display pop up, press 'enter' a couple of times. This should print a message that says 'stop flag set', or bring up the delay menu. Once you've done this, the computer will stop at the end of its orders phase before execution or switching to the other side. What's good about that? You can see what the computer is doing in it's moves. What kind of TF's does it create, etc. You can even tinker with it's choices and see what happens. Try it out.

Regards,

Rich

Well, I guess I just approached my learning curve a little more aggressively than most of the other posters to this topic. But what the hell, here is my basic approach to the game.

First I bring up the HQ menu and select each HQ then set them to full human control. Sorry, I just don't like AI moving, transferring and generally messing up my assets. Once that is done I follow my single basic rule.

Rule: Establish a routine for each turn & stick to it.

My routine is as follows:

Review battles & losses from previous turn

Set the mode to TF then use the "Next" feature to cycle through every task force. If they are at sea, redirect to new locations as necessary. If in port, disband or set new orders as necessary.

Set Mode to port: Right click on all main ports. Look for new units & move them as needed. Send transports to pools, create any large supply convoys & send them on their way.

Check intelligence information (Allies) for potential target bases.

Set Mode To Army: Right click on bases to view troop status. Pay attention to the troops you want to move to a new location (write down their size so you can make sure to have enough transport points). If I am just moving the troops I build the TF for them & send them on their way. If I am invading with them, I build all the support TF's at the same time (bombardment, Air, supply etc.) before I move on to the next map area. Pay close attention to the location of engineer units so you can deploy them where needed to expand bases.

Set Mode to AF: Check for new arrivals, adjust unit type as necessary, set training or mission status as necessary, relocate as necessary. Check the pool status & adjust AF factories as needed.

Reposition subs.

Save Game

End Turn

Of course, once you get the hang of the game, you will get better using leaders & relocating HQs etc., but this routine can be an effective learning tool.

Originally posted by EKravitz:
I really want to like this game but am having trouble getting started. I have tried the tutorial and am reading the manual now, but the number of options seems daunting. I don't really know how to go about looking at my forces, entering orders, etc. each turn. Can anyone post some general suggestions/tips for how to play the game? I am a long time wargamer (Avalon Hill, SPI, etc.) so it is not a matter of being scared off by complexity, I simply learn better by example and the tutorial is too brief.
Thanks,
Elliot

Go to http://members.aol.com/pacwar

Theres a number of Text stuff there, including PWHints11 that may help you, and links to others Pages with more stuff.

Thanks guys, I appreciate that helpful information

I'm currently reading through the manual. It has more information on one page, than most games do on ten pages. The depth of this game is amazing. That is why I am taking the time to learn how to play this game well.

Thanks to everyone...

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A King Tiger can give you a definite edge...

When I first played the game, I really felt I wasn't doing anything until I realised the PC would play the game for me if I had it on computer control. I played Japan first since the beginning of the game is very easy for them and it's quite easy to learn from there.

At first I practised moving LCU's around, then learn how to move and position airgroups around, and move ships simply from port to port. Then I got a bit more experienced and started assigning different missions to airgroups - trying to bomb a base then moving an LCU into it.

You'll feel proud when you capture your first base. From there work on it...

Also when I first learnt to play I made both sides HUMAN, that way you learn twice as quick!