Matrix Games Forums

I have just bought For Liberty! and will be up and gaming with that shortly, though it was a showdown as to whether to buy this game instead.

However, I will probably be picking this game up eventually as well, though one thing conerns me a little.

Monthly turns.

Does this game gel well with Monthly turns. I may be wrong but it seems to be an incredible amount of time for each turn. And considering the war itself only last so many years, does this not make the game go a little too quickly?

What can be done in a month? Several operations? changing directions of movement? etc? And how long does a complete campaign of the civil war and the French/British war last in hours roughly?

Edit: I also noticed that there are no patches for download here. Are they incorporated into the digital download already?

Hi Greg,

1) As far as I'm concerned I don't have any preference "a priori". I don't know if 15 days turns are better than 30 days turns, or if 8 days turns are better than 15 days, or daily turns for that matters... It's only a question of game design. Is the game is well designed or not? If I had to choose a turn length for the French and Indian War, or the American Civil War, monthly turns would IMHO fit better with the poor means of communication of the period. But I would not compare BoA and FL! on this criteria only.

3) BoA game engine allows quite complex moves. You can give a unit multiple objectives to accomplish in the same turn. For example, check my AAR and have a look on what I do with Governor Lawrence in New Brunswick. For this, you must have a multiple turns strategy, not just react each turn.

5) With 104 turns each, I would not call the complete 'French and Indian War' and 'American Civil War' campaigns "short". You'll need at least a full week-end to finish them. Now, you can think that 20 hours or so of gaming for completing a campaign against the AI is "short". On the other hand, I still have to meet someone who has finished more than one full "For Liberty!" campaign. Myself, I did not finish a single one (I got tired with the tactical battles... + the quasi impossibillty to destroy an ennemy army. But this is not the place to discuss this).

To sum it up: I'm fed up with God games where you can command every single units in a way no historical leaders whould have been able to. I tend to prefer the full flavor campaigns to short scenarios, so I'm fed up with games where I never finish a campaign because this would ask for monthes of playing (no to mention Pbem). I have a life, I have a lot of games to play...

Note: BoA is not about the Civil war. This will be Ageod's next game, and I read it will feature 15 days turn.

Note2: Matrix version is the last version for the game (1.10). No patch needed.

(I'm bit activist here, but it's a long time I had not had so much fun with a true historical wargame)

[8D]

No Problem,

I think I will buy it now, stuff it. If the Lady Wife wonders what happened to a little of the savings....well.... Who Cares! The last game I bought before FL was Conquest of the Aegean....[:'(] Nice game that by the way...

As for the 'God' games. I can see why you would think that. I tend to play them slowly, bit by bit. My Crown of Glory game lasted about 3 months, with little sessions here and there. I picked Turkey so that the late game would not be boring (As they usually are when you have one of the stronger nations, and start to walk over everything else on the map...). Had an excellent time. If you try playing these types of games by themselves, without breathers, the tiredness begins to set in. Also, do NOT restart them if you make mistakes. Suck it up and push on. Makes it that much more enjoyable when you eventually turn things around without 'cheating'.[:-]

And yes, it can be a little tedious when you can do everything....It depends on the mood; And the AI.

I read your AAR, but didn't register some of the moves you made. I reread it and it decided me. A game that can last a weekend is quite long enough.....The AI doesn't always do the same thing though does it?

I too prefer campaigns to scenarios....The only thing I don't like as much when playing COTA.

My mistake, I knew it wasn't the civil war....[:D] Ignorance on my part, hence why i brought up FL (Also Indep war of America).

Excellent news about the patch. Makes things easier....

Now, how in hells name do you know MY name? Have we met?[&:]

I concur with Yorktown that the monthly turns fit well with this game.  You can issue quite complex orders for the month so it flows very well.
 
As far as your name, that's just spooky!  [:D]

I understand the way you enjoy "mamoth games". This reminds me when I mobilised a room with a table for a month when playing board games with my friends until my mother/sister/cats detroyed all your plans for the correct conducting of the Operation Sealion [;)]

Reagrding the AI
Pocus explained it somewhere on the AGEOD forum. The AI uses 3 or 4 different pools of algorythms and picks from one each turn. Therefore it just cannont always use the same strategy. Moreover, every so often, the AI will pick a suboptimal move in an attempt to emulate the human "second guessing".

However, don't get me wrong: The BoA AI will hand you your ass on a plate if you miss it respect. Every american player which face it in the AIW campaign can tell you that. It's one of the best AI available, it's agressive and sound but it's not Napoleon either. Nothing compares with a good human opponent [:D]

Regarding your name: Don't freak out. When I first tried to answer you, I fumbled and ended in your profile where your full name is public. [8D]

Best wishes!

I also agree with Yorktown. Liberty is good, but BOA is better I think. The monthly turns are normal and fit the game very well. I in fact own both but I only play BOA now.

I would recommend both but Liberty is not or seems to be not as historical as BOA.[:)]

The french have captured Albany.....My armies are in disorder, what is happening?!?![:@][;)]
 
Cats. The eternal bane of the monster wargame....I remember such WMD's hitting my plans many a time.

The life of a Commander under stress.[:D]

ORIGINAL: sapper_astro

The french have captured Albany.....My armies are in disorder, what is happening?!?![:@][;)]

Cats. The eternal bane of the monster wargame....I remember such WMD's hitting my plans many a time.