Impressions ... for what they're worth

[ijontichy]

Some impressions.

1) 3 zoom levels are a seemingly nice feature to have, but I find the closest zoom useless because then too few hexes are visible. The furthest zoom is a bit disconcerting because then the unit graphics change. So I spend pretty much all my time in the middle zoom level. But even here, hexes and units are a little too small for my liking.

2) Related to the above, the resolution restriction 1024x768 needs to be changed in the next version of this game. Fix the interface elements to a particular size if you like, but let the map be as large as the user wants, i.e. dynamic. Fortunately, graphics drivers these days allow you to specify exactly how the image is to be stretched, otherwise the game would look really crap on my wide-screen. Windowed mode is useless, as it often is in games like this.

3) Resource heavy game. I suspect this is a by-product of the graphics engine and the fact that this game was written in Java. But I'm sure there are a lot of AI calculations going on, can't be too harsh on this.

4) Convoy system is a great aspect of the game. Like a mini-game within a game.

5) Took me a bit of manual searching to work out how to launch a sea-land invasion.

6) I rank the AI somewhere in the top half of wargames. Better than average, but you know that still means it's pretty stupid. It's something gamers will have to live with for a long time. Holy grail of AI is decades away, perhaps even never to be found.

7) I don't understand how to effectively use my air power. Nice to have strategic bombing. I don't like how tanks and ground units inflict so much casualties on adjacent air units. Is that realistic? What does that simulate? Ground-air attacks?

8) Land combat is very well done. Honestly I don't miss unit stacking at all. The eastern front in this game is absolutely enthralling. As the German, early on you think you're on top, it's going to be a cakewalk, but the Soviets hang in there, and produce an endless supply of units.

9) Oil rules well done! Brings a new aspect to the game. Man, the Axis has it tough.

10) I like being able to focus on certain research areas within a particular subject. For armour, early on the Germans will want Blitzkrieg focus, but if they get bogged down in the East, they might want to focus on tank destroyers. That's a nice touch.

11) Trains! Really quick way to get your troops to the front line. It's on the unit panel.

12) I take Paris and France falls? I dunno, I would think one more city on the coast somewhere should be required. In general, maybe an extra city should be need to be captured for most countries. I think Battlefront's SC did this better.

Excellent game, a shame about the interface restrictions, hopefully that will be fixed in the next version. Please release a demo, Slitherine, some people aren't as impulsive and impatient as me. I didn't expect the game to be this good, so I'm sure that a demo would garner you extra sales.

[Dave Ferguson]

I found out about this game very late on in its development, a week or so before launch and thought this might be exactly what I was looking for, I am basically a 'grand' operational gamer (divisions) and a simpler WW2 game that would allow me to explore the outcomes of command decisions on a front basis without having to fight my way through hundreds of game turns with even more hundreds of units, plus the game is being compared with strategic command which game I looked at because you could mod/design your own scenarios. I rejected SC because of those squares and the '3D' map, squares for movement !!!!
 
So I bought the game and tried it out, initially I admit I had a sense of disappointment particularly because there are no scenario design tools and I sort of presumed there would be. Never mind, I tried some more scenarios and even changed the difficulty levels to make the AI more challenging. Then I made a BIG mistake, I tried PBEM!!
 
So here I am four turns into 2 PBEM games  and it is early Tuesday morning. Slitherine, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME? I awoke and found I was planning my day around the game, not fitting the game into my schedule, plus suffering what must be withdrawal symptoms as there is only 1 PBEM turn to play. Plus I was awake until the early hours last night just to get in another turn, then strategic plans were whirling around my brain as I tried to sleep.
 
Thanks Slitherine (and Matrix), you might have turned me into a CEAW junkie [:)][:)][:)][:)]
 

[JudgeDredd]

1) 3 zoom levels are a seemingly nice feature to have, but I find the closest zoom useless because then too few hexes are visible. The furthest zoom is a bit disconcerting because then the unit graphics change. So I spend pretty much all my time in the middle zoom level. But even here, hexes and units are a little too small for my liking.

I agree, although I find the 2nd zoom to be suitable. I think the closest zoom level becomes more useless because of the scroll speed. It's too fast

3) Resource heavy game. I suspect this is a by-product of the graphics engine and the fact that this game was written in Java. But I'm sure there are a lot of AI calculations going on, can't be too harsh on this.

Yes it is...and I'm glad my phiysical copy is coming, because it's not stable Alt-Tabbing to the manual.

5) Took me a bit of manual searching to work out how to launch a sea-land invasion.

Picked this up without so much as a glance in the manuals direction! [;)]

6) I rank the AI somewhere in the top half of wargames. Better than average, but you know that still means it's pretty stupid. It's something gamers will have to live with for a long time. Holy grail of AI is decades away, perhaps even never to be found.

I absolutely agree. I'm having a challenge

7) I don't understand how to effectively use my air power. Nice to have strategic bombing. I don't like how tanks and ground units inflict so much casualties on adjacent air units. Is that realistic? What does that simulate? Ground-air attacks?

The gist is using Strategic bombers for reducing production for the enemy. Tactical bombers to destroy units.
If the enemy have a fighter unit in proximity to the location being bombed, then your bomber will come under attack...however, if you have a fighter unit which can reach the hex you are bombing, then the two fighters dual it out first...thus reducing the effectivness of the fighter. Same goes for tactical bombers and bombing. The right thing to do is have a fighter unit next to your bomber unit(s) as fighter cover.
I haven't read the manual yet...so I could be wrong...but that's my understanding of it!

8) Land combat is very well done. Honestly I don't miss unit stacking at all. The eastern front in this game is absolutely enthralling. As the German, early on you think you're on top, it's going to be a cakewalk, but the Soviets hang in there, and produce an endless supply of units.

I think this is a great feature and done extremely well (just as well, eh!). I do not miss stacking either, but I do think stacking of an air unit and a land unit should be possible. This would reduce the "land units attacking air units" problem.
I found the exact opposite from you....the beginning of my Eastern Front campaign was not a cake walk...I was right up against it and had to ship units from Italy and the Western front to stop the flow of red army units...however, I didn't strike the Soviets...rather waited for them to attack me in the hope that if I left them alone, they would leave me alone. [:-]

9) Oil rules well done! Brings a new aspect to the game. Man, the Axis has it tough.

Haven't played with oil rules yet but I can imagine it's only going to help frustrate my job as an Axis commander!

10) I like being able to focus on certain research areas within a particular subject. For armour, early on the Germans will want Blitzkrieg focus, but if they get bogged down in the East, they might want to focus on tank destroyers. That's a nice touch.

I've fumbled my way through research at the moment, waiting for my manual to turn up. So I will most defintely have really buggered up my research and completely wasted any resources put into it.

11) Trains! Really quick way to get your troops to the front line. It's on the unit panel.

Excellently done. Not too many points but allowing you, at a cost, to continue shipping via rail, thus allowing you to move what you need...at a cost

12) I take Paris and France falls? I dunno, I would think one more city on the coast somewhere should be required. In general, maybe an extra city should be need to be captured for most countries. I think Battlefront's SC did this better.

I don't agree. Generally speaking, all you have to do is show the French a weapon and they "hande hoch" real quick!! [:'(] - just kidding to all you french pals!

Excellent game, a shame about the interface restrictions, hopefully that will be fixed in the next version. Please release a demo, Slitherine, some people aren't as impulsive and impatient as me. I didn't expect the game to be this good, so I'm sure that a demo would garner you extra sales.

I think your comments are pretty spot on for the most part

[JudgeDredd]

ORIGINAL: Dave Ferguson
...Slitherine, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME? I awoke and found I was planning my day around the game, not fitting the game into my schedule...

Thanks Slitherine (and Matrix), you might have turned me into a CEAW junkie [:)][:)][:)][:)]

Absolutely. I woke up this morning thinking about finishing work and getting home to fight the Russians again...wondering in my head what units I could ship from where to help out!

[IainMcNeil]

Thanks for the kind comments guys - but this was not just a Slitherine game. It was a collaboration between Slitherine & Firepower & the art was all created by DoubleThink, so make sure the kudos is shared

[JudgeDredd]

Kudos goes to anyone who had anything to do with getting this game to release, including beta testers...mentioned or otherwise.

I think it's awesome and really can't wait until I get home and play some more!

[Dave Ferguson]

Yes, kudos are shared by all involved, did anyone ever estimate how many man hours this took. It must be a very large number!